ECONOMICS ECP3403                                                                                Prof. Mark Isaac

Spring 2009                                                                                                     644-7081  265 Bellamy

mailer.fsu.edu/~misaac                                                                          misaac@fsu.edu

 

SYLLABUS

Business Organization and Market Structure

 

Overview: An introduction to the economic analysis of industry, a survey of market structures, oligopoly and collusion, a variety of commercial practices under imperfect competition, the welfare consequences and policy approaches to the acquisition and exercise of monopoly and market power. Among the topics to be covered are: predatory pricing, tying contracts, network effects, and the economics of information provision. Prerequisite: ECO 2023.
 
Goals: The goals of the course are that the student will refresh basic economic concepts applicable to the study of market organization, learn new tools addressed to the same end, and apply these tools to a study of the “new” and the “old” economy. A central theme will be an examination of the differences AND similarities of a traditional industrial economy and the so-called “new economy” of information and technological innovation.

 

Book

 

Industrial Organization by Pepall, Richards, and Norman, 4th edition (note!).

 

Course Requirements:  There will be two midterms and a final exam. In addition, students will prepare a brief descriptive/analytical essay, which will receive its own grade and will be used as a part of the final exam. Each will be worth 25 percent of the grade.

 

Final Exam Date: According to my reading of the schedule, our final exam is scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, at 5:30 – 7:30 p.m... Please let me know ASAP if your reading of the schedule is different.

 

Policy On Missing Exams:  I do not give make-up exams. Students who miss an exam receive a grade of "zero" for that exam unless they provide me, in a timely fashion, a written, signed explanation of their absence. Health, family emergencies, out of town job interviews, etc. are standard, acceptable excuses for a missing a midterm. Students who miss an exam with an acceptable excuse simply have their course work reweighted on the remaining exams. You may not be excused from both midterms. Final exams are rescheduled only on the most extreme of circumstances, for example: death (your own or that of a close family member). Supersaver airline tickets are not an acceptable reason to reschedule a final exam. Reread the previous sentence.

 

Your Attendance: I do not take attendance. You are adults and are capable of making your own decision about attending class. I realize that people get sick and have job interviews; you do not required to engage in documentation.  Having said this, the most important components of this course take place in the classroom, and that is reflected on all exams. In addition, the thing that really ticks me off is wandering in and out of class. The door systems in Bellamy are very noisy. If you must be late, please cause as little disruption as possible. If you have an early appointment, please inform me and sit near the door.

 

My Attendance: You deserve the same respect from me. Part of my responsibility as a Professor at Florida State University involves occasional attendance at academic conferences which interfere with the normal class schedule. I attempt to make these overlaps as harmless as possible to the course (using guest lectures, special events, or additionally provided review times). I will provide you shortly with my anticipated schedule for the semester. If I should ever be so sick as to not be able to teach, I will do everything possible to have that posted in class before the class begins.

 

Honor Code: Students are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code published in the Florida State University Bulletin and the Student Handbook.

 

Office Hours:  My office hours are Monday and Wednesday from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m., and by appointment. My office is 265 in the Bellamy Building. My e-mail address is misaac@fsu.edu. My phone is 644-7081.

 

Note: Students entitled to special academic accommodations are encouraged to come to my office and present a letter from the Student Disability Resource Center describing the nature of the accommodations required.

 

Final Notes: Anyone who answers or places a (non-emergency) cell phone call in the classroom during class will lose two points on the next subsequent exam. If a you are expecting an extraordinarily important page or phone call, please let me know before class starts and try to sit as close to the doors as possible. If you need a calculator on an exam, bring an actual calculator; do not use your cell phone.