Course 2011-2012 a.y.

Course Objectives

The course aims at shedding light on information as an economic good and on the publishing industries as the competitive space for information production and distribution. The course objectives are:

• understanding the specificities of information/content production and distribution as economic activities;
• analyzing structure, dynamics and players of digital publishing industries, as opposed to traditional ones;
• analysing the economics of publishing firms during transition.

Course Content Summary

The course covers the following topics:

• what is information and how the concept of information has evolved over time: from paper to net, new technologies have made it possible to unbundle information from its physical support, opportunities for new bundles have emerged and quality is redefined;
• how the economics of information work and how different publishing industry chains are structured: both those focusing on printed information (newspapers, magazines, books) and those focusing on digital information (websites, mobile sites);
• how digital technologies have determined structural changes in publishing industries;
• the implications on economics of players in the industry.

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

The course provides 6 credits. Attendance is not compulsory, but is warmly recommended, as the program is highly interactive.

Attending students

The exam consists of a final individual written test (50%) and a group work (50%). Up to 3 points are given to reward active class participation or individual commitment to the success of the course. Please refer to the detailed syllabus distributed in class

Non attending students 

The exam consists of a written test accounting for 100% of the total grade.

The written test consists of an essay, or by open questions. The final is evaluated according to the following dimensions:

• knowledge of theory
• issue definition
• ability to contextualise the issue
• completeness
• style

Students are expected to be familiar with the tools used to assess industry attractiveness and competitive advantage. In addition to these models, students explore the economics of information and the organizational implications of digitization on publishing companies.

Group project is defined in class at the beginning of the semester

Textbooks

Attending students

Materials available on Bocconi elearning

Reading package

Non attending students

Materials available on Bocconi elearning

Reading package

Prerequisites

Business Administration.

Strategy.