CdSMANAGEMENT FOR BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
Codice543PP
CFU6
PeriodoPrimo semestre
LinguaInglese
This course examines major topics in the fields of Industrial Organization and Managerial Economics. The objective is to provide students with a solid understanding of (i) what market power is, (ii) how firms can acquire and exploit it, and (iii) how the market structure affects business strategies.
By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the core concepts in industrial economics and be able to apply these concepts to a range of real-world issues.
Student assessment will be based on problem sets and written exams.
By the end of the course, students will learn how to measure market concentration by means of statistical softwares.
Students will take a hands-on approach and work with real data.
Students will improve their teamwork skills and acquire awereness on antitrust and competition issues.
Basic microeconomics and statistics.
The course will consist of 21 two-hour lectures (about 10 lectures per module).
The course is scheduled to be delivered exclusively in person. Lectures will be neither streamed nor recorded. Participation is highly recommended.
The course is divided into two modules. Module 1 introduces the modern theory of industrial organization and the concepts of market structure and power, examines monopoly pricing and product differentiation decisions, and presents basic models of oligopolistic competition. Module 2 covers a selection of advanced topics, including advertising, network externalities, and strategic delegation.
The focus is mainly theoretical, but several real-world examples will be discussed.
- Lynne Pepall, Dan Richards and George Norman, Industrial Organization: Contemporary Theory and Empirical Applications, 5th Edition, John Wiley \& Sons, 2014
- Oz Shy, Industrial Organization: Theory and Applications, MIT Press, 1996
- Additional readings will be suggested throughout the course
There is no programme difference between attending and non-attending students.
Grades will be determined based on:
- Two midterm exams (scored on a 31-point scale), each worth 40% of the final course grade.
- Two theoretical problem sets (scored on a 31-point scale), each worth 10% of the final course grade.
- One applied problem set which will give students up to 3 extra points.
The final course grade will be scored on a 30-point scale, with 18 being the minimum passing grade. Scores higher than 30 will be graded as 30 e lode (with distinction).
If a student fails or miss one midterm, then they will have to take a comprehensive exam (scored on a 31-point scale) worth 100% of the course grade. If the student submits their answers to the empirical problem set by the due date, then the grade on the comprehensive exam will be increased by up to 3 extra points.
Students should be mindful of the following grading rules:
- To pass a midterm exam you must score 15 or higher. Students who score less than 15 will need to take the comprehensive exam.
- There is no pass or fail result for the problem sets.
- Answers to each problem set must be submitted by their scheduled due date. Students who do not submit their answers to a problem set, or submit them late, will receive zero points for that problem set.
- Students who are not satisfied with their grade can retake the comprehensive exam. Midterm exams cannot be retaken.
D'Alessandro's homepage: https://people.unipi.it/simone_dalessandro