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Ancient Greeks' Practices and Contributions in Public and Entrepreneurship Decision Making

Author

Listed:
  • Stelios H. Zanakis

    (Chapman Graduate School of Business, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199)

  • Stavros Theofanides

    (Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens, Greece)

  • Anthony N. Kontaratos

    (School of Engineering, University of Patras, Patras, Greece)

  • Theodosios P. Tassios

    (National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece)

Abstract

In addition to the arts and philosophy, the ancients Greeks contributed greatly to the ideas and practices of economic and social decision making. In the fourth century BC, in his manuals on public administration, Xenophon offered pioneering ideas on leadership, management, stimulating economic growth, and fund raising. In Athens during the fifth to third centuries BC, random-drawing devices were used regularly to foster the democratic selection of public officials and jurors. The Delphic oracle of the ninth to the third centuries BC was the first central intelligence database of the ancient world, an interdisciplinary think tank of approximately 90 priests, deemed the best educated experts of antiquity. They collected and evaluated information and advised ordinary people and leaders, among them Alexander the Great. Major project management in the fourth century BC included the following two cases: In Samos island, a one-kilometer water-supply tunnel was built, connecting two tunnels originating at opposite ends of a mountain and meeting in the middle only 0.6 meters apart. A preserved contract for the draining of a lake in the Eretria region near Athens shows the project to be the first build-operate-and-transfer project in history.

Suggested Citation

  • Stelios H. Zanakis & Stavros Theofanides & Anthony N. Kontaratos & Theodosios P. Tassios, 2003. "Ancient Greeks' Practices and Contributions in Public and Entrepreneurship Decision Making," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 33(6), pages 72-88, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orinte:v:33:y:2003:i:6:p:72-88
    DOI: 10.1287/inte.33.6.72.25177
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. S. T. Lowry, 1965. "The Classical Greek Theory of Natural Resource Economics," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 41(3), pages 203-208.
    2. Lowry, S Todd, 1979. "Recent Literature on Ancient Greek Economic Thought," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 17(1), pages 65-86, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mohammad Fakhar Manesh & Giulia Flamini & Damiano Petrolo & Rocco Palumbo, 2022. "A round of dancing and then one more: embedding intuition in the ballet of entrepreneurial decision making," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 499-528, June.
    2. G.-Fivos Sargentis & Panos Defteraios & Nikos D. Lagaros & Nikοs Mamassis, 2022. "Values and Costs in History: A Case Study on Estimating the Cost of Hadrianic Aqueduct’s Construction," World, MDPI, vol. 3(2), pages 1-27, April.

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