Fall 2024 - ECON 325 D100
Industrial Organization (3)
Class Number: 2771
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
-
Course Times + Location:
Sep 4 – Dec 3, 2024: Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Dec 14, 2024
Sat, 8:30–10:30 a.m.
Burnaby
-
Instructor:
Marie Rekkas
mrekkas@sfu.ca
-
Prerequisites:
ECON 201 with a minimum grade of C-; 60 units.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Introduces students to the economics of imperfect competition. Topics covered include the theory of the firm, market structure, and various aspects of firm strategy such as pricing, advertising, product differentiation, and innovation. Related questions of public policy will also be addressed. Quantitative.
COURSE DETAILS:
This class is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts of the economics of imperfect competition. Topics covered include: market concentration, price discrimination, product differentiation, vertical mergers, horizontal mergers, and horizontal merger guidelines.
A weekly lecture schedule with lecture slides will be available on Canvas. TA information will also be made available on Canvas.
Topics Covered
Review of Monopoly
Market Power
Price Discrimination
Product Differentiation
Oligopoly Models
Vertical Mergers
Horizontal Mergers
Horizontal Merger Guidelines
Competition Policy
Tutorials
Tutorials will cover practice problems assigned on a weekly basis. These problems will not be graded, however, they will be reflective of questions you will see on the term test and final exam.
Grading
- Writing Assignments (in-class) 20%
- Term Test 30%
- Cumulative Final Exam 50%
NOTES:
Writing Assignments
A series of short writing assignments will be given randomly throughout the semester to assess your learning outcomes on a regular basis. Your worst assignment score will be dropped before calculating your overall writing component score worth 20% of your final grade. If you miss an assignment for whatever reason (eg. illness, arriving late, etc.) this assignment will be the one that is automatically dropped. Missing more than one assignment will imply a score of zero on the missed assignment(s).
Term test
There will be no make-up tests. If the term test is missed, or if you do poorly on it, the weight of it will be transferred to the final exam — this means the final exam will count for 80% of your final grade.
Materials
RECOMMENDED READING:
Pepall, Richards, and Norman, Industrial Organization: Contemporary Theory and Empirical Applications, 5ed, 2014, Wiley Publishing.
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Department Undergraduate Notes:
Please note that, as per Policy T20.01, the course requirements (and grading scheme) outlined here are subject to change up until the end of the first week of classes.
Final exam schedules will be released during the second month of classes. If your course has a final exam, please ensure that you are available during the entire final exam period until you receive confirmation of your exam dates.
Students requiring accommodations as a result of a disability must contact the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) at 778-782-3112 or caladmin@sfu.ca.***NO TUTORIALS DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES***
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.