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School:
School of Economics
Department/Program:
Economics
Unit of Study:
Session:
Semester 2 2016
Unit Coordinator:
Location:
Email address:
Phone:
Consultation Hours:
Classes
Suraj Prasad
Merewether Room 430
suraj.prasad@sydney.edu.au
+61-2-93518210
Friday 12-1 pm or by appointment
Friday 2-5 pm at Chemistry LT 1
This Unit of Study Outline MUST be read in conjunction with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Student Administration Manual
(sydney.edu.au/arts/current_students/student_admin_manual.shtml) and all applicable
University policies.
In determining applications and appeals, it will be assumed that all students have taken the time to
familiarise themselves with these key policies and procedures.
PREREQUISITES
ECON1001
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The key purpose of the Economics of Competition and Strategy is to enable students to analyse and
design business strategies. This unit of study uses some of the tools learned in ECON1001,
Introductory Microeconomics, and draws heavily on its conceptual foundations. It will provide a
strategists toolkit for more advanced study in business strategy. In addition, it will develop problem
solving skills that can be applied in students professional lives.
Students should acquire the necessary skills to design and analyse business strategies
Students should develop problem solving skills
Students should develop written communication skills
Students will employ technologies effectively in gathering information from written, oral, and
electronic sources
5) Students should acquire the ability to manage, analyse, evaluate and use information efficiently
and effectively
The first two outcomes relate to the graduate attribute of Research and Inquiry, the third outcome
relates to the graduate attribute of Communication, and the fourth and fifth outcomes to the graduate
attribute of Information Literacy.
LEARNING STRUCTURE
The course consists of 2 hour lectures and a 1 hour workshop. It is recommended that students read the
suggested material prior to class. Regular updates about the course will be provided on Blackboard.
UNIT SCHEDULE
Week
1
Week
starting
25 July
Lecture
Incentives: Basic Model
Reading
Gibbons, Lecture
Notes 1
Roberts, Chapter 4,
pp. 118-133
01 Aug
Incentives: Multitasking
Gibbons, Lecture
Notes 1
Roberts, Chapter 4,
pp. 135-149
Top teachers get
financial Pay, ABC
Bankers pay is
deeply flawed,
Raghuram Rajan,
Financial Times 2009
Make them pay:
Bankers pay is an
easy target. Is it the
right one? The
Economist, 2008.
08 Aug
Gibbons, Lecture
Notes 2
McAfee (Intro),
Chapter 7.1
15 Aug
Prendergast,
Contracting in firms.
22 Aug
Gibbons, Lecture
Notes 3 and 4
Holmstrom and
Roberts, Boundaries
of the Firm Revisited
6
7
29 Aug
05 Sep
12 Sep
Product differentiation
McAfee (Competitive
Solutions), Chapter
4
19 Sep
Price Discrimination
Lecture Notes
Break
10
11
26 Sep
03 Oct
10 Oct
12
17 Oct
Auctions
Lecture Notes
13
24 Oct
Lecture Notes
Stuvac
31 OCT
STUVAC
McAfee (Intro)
Chapter 17.234
SESSION BREAK
Lecture Notes
Tutorial
Exams
07 Nov
ATTENDANCE
According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are
expected to attend 80% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the
reasons, you may be referred to the Examiners Board. The Examiners Board will decide whether
you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
If a unit of study has a participation mark, your attendance may influence this mark.
For more information on attendance, see
http://sydney.edu.au/arts/current_students/policies.shtml.
READING REQUIREMENTS
Textbook: You are not required to purchase a text book for the course. We will be drawing on the
following online resources.
R. Preston McAfee, Competitive Solutions: The Strategists Toolkit, PUP, Princeton, New Jersey,
2002. (electronic version available in the library).
Other useful books (these will be placed on reserve) and online resources are;
John Roberts, The Modern Firm, Oxford University Press (2004). Our focus will be mainly on Chapter
4.
ONLINE COMPONENTS
This unit requires regular use of the Universitys Learning Management System (LMS), also known as
Blackboard. You will need reliable access to a computer and the internet to use the LMS. The
University uses learning analytics to understand student participation on the LMS and improve the
student learning experience.
The easiest way to access the LMS is through MyUni (click on the MyUni link on the university home
page, http://sydney.edu.au or link directly to the service at https://myuni.sydney.edu.au/. There is
a Blackboard LMS icon in the top row of the QuickLaunch window on the left hand side of the screen.
If you have any difficulties logging in or using the system, visit the Student Help area of the LMS site,
http://sydney.edu.au/elearning/student/help/.
The Universitys Privacy Management Plan governs how the University will deal with personal
information related to the content and use of its web sites. See http://sydney.edu.au/privacy.shtml
for further details.
Lecture Recording
Lectures delivered in University-owned lecture theatres are recorded and may be made available to
students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom
learning experience.
Assessment
Name
Individual /
Group
Length
Weight
Due Time
Due Date
Mid-Semester
Exam 1
Individual
1.5
hours
20%
Class Time
02-Sep-2016
Mid-Semester
Exam 2
Individual
1.5
hours
20%
Class Time
07-Oct-2016
Final Exam
Individual
2 hours
60%
Final Exam
Period
Final Exam
Period
All tasks are compulsory. Details of the midterms and finals will be provided two weeks before the
exams.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
This unit uses standards-based assessment for award of assessment marks. Your assessments will
be evaluated solely on the basis of your individual performance.
SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENTS
Compliance Statements
All students are required to submit an authorised statement of compliance with all work submitted to
the University for assessment, presentation or publication. A statement of compliance certifies that no
part of the work constitutes a breach of the Academic Honesty in Coursework Policy 2016.
The format of the compliance statement will be in the form of:
a. a University assignment cover sheet; or
b. a University electronic form.
Assessment Submission
Submission of assessment tasks will be required by the due date. Written assessments must be
submitted online through the LMS. Other assessments, for example visual or oral assessments, must
be submitted according to the assessment instructions.
Work not submitted on or before the due date is subject to a penalty of 2% per day late. Refer to
http://sydney.edu.au/arts/current_students/late_work.shtml for the Policy on Late Work.
Resubmission (or recycling) of work that is the same, or substantially the same as work
previously submitted for assessment in the same or in a different unit of study. Every unit of
study expects each student to produce new material based upon research conducted in that
unit;
Dishonest plagiarism;
Engaging another person to complete or contribute to an assessment in your place; and
Various forms of misconduct in examinations (including copying from another student and
taking prohibited materials into an examination venue).
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION
Students can apply for Special Consideration for serious illness or misadventure. An application for
special consideration does not guarantee the application will be granted.
Further information on applying for special consideration is available at
http://sydney.edu.au/current_students/special_consideration/index.shtml.
information provided in the Manual. It contains detailed instructions on processes, links to forms and
guidance on where to get further assistance.