Course 2015-2016 a.y.

20483 - INDUSTRY AND FIRM DYNAMICS


EMIT

Department of Management and Technology

Course taught in English

Go to class group/s: 31
EMIT (7 credits - I sem. - OBCUR  |  SECS-P/06)
Course Director:
CLAUDIO PANICO

Classes: 31 (I sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: CLAUDIO PANICO


Course Objectives

The course provides a broad overview of the formal tools needed to carry out industry analyses and to understand firms’ market behaviour. A special emphasis is placed on how firms interact in imperfectly competitive markets and how those interactions affect firms’ profitability. The course is ideally divided into two parts. The first part provides an introduction to the basic toolkits (microeconomics and game theory) and to monopolistic markets. The second part of the course focuses on firm behaviors that may reduce competition and thus are the targets of competition policy. In this respect, collusion, horizontal mergers, predatory behavior of incumbent firms and vertical restraints and mergers will be considered.

Course Content Summary

  • Basic tools: microeconomics and game theory.
  • Monopolistic markets: price and quantity; quality; advertising.
  • Static and dynamic models of imperfect competition.
  • Horizontal mergers.
  • Vertical restraints and mergers.
  • Strategic barriers to entry and predatory behavior.

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

Written exam (2 partial exams or one final exam).

Textbooks

To be defined.
Exam textbooks & Online Articles (check availability at the Library)

Prerequisites

The course is self-contained but a good knowledge of calculus represents a pre-requisite.
Last change 13/05/2015 11:51