Syllabus Information

1.2. Recommendations to take this course

Basic knowledge on differential calculus and statistics is required. Also, students must be conversant with basic concepts studied in Fundamentals of Administration and Firm Organization. Additionally, parts of this course will require use of Excel and Internet tools (email and moodle).

5.1. Methodological overview

We have mainly adopted a teacher-centered approach to learning due to several reasons. The first one has to do with the classroom demographic: we have more than 150 students, who have some particular characteristics (strong limitations to organize their time disposal, many compulsory activities, and so on). The second one is related to the subject area: we have to present the basics of Microeconomics and Strategic Competition, which requires the use of traditional lectures and direct instruction. Finally, in our institution, it is extremely important to measure student learning through objectively scored tests and assessments.

Nevertheless, we will try to follow a student-centered approach to learning as much as possible. In particular, we will encourage students to play an active role in the learning process. There will be a lot of practical sessions and students will be required to spend much time in problem solving tasks.

Learning activities focus on lectures, combined with practical sessions and classroom discussion. These activities will be supported by using remote platforms (such as Moodle) where teachers will provide support materials, problem sets, question lists, self-tests, etc.

The classes will be the combination of: explanation and development of theoretical content, resolution of problem sets, and discussion of study cases and readings.

The learning methodology is organized according to the following methods:

• Lectures
• Problem-based learning
• Practical sessions
• Tutorials
• Study Cases

5.2. Learning tasks

The learning process designed for this subject includes the following learning activities:

1. Traditional lectures in which the theoretical foundations of the main contents and the most important methods for solving numerical problems are presented. In these sessions the student participation will be encouraged.
2. Practical sessions in which we will solve problem sets, discuss theoretical and applied questions and analyze study cases. As far as possible, we will require students to expose their work in public.
3. One-to-one tutorials where students will share their doubts and questions with teachers and these ones will monitor their progress.
4. Group tutorials aimed to ensure that all of the students have the same level of learning. In these tutorials we will focus on solving problems and discussing applied questions, although the methodologies behind the models and methods will also be reviewed.
5. Reading List. A recommended reading list of publications will be compiled by teachers. This list will include academic papers, economic press articles, and study cases on firm competition, strategic behavior, market price dynamics, and related issues. The documents in this list will be written in English preferably. The objectives pursued with this activity are to promote meditation and critical thinking, to familiarize students with academic terminology and methodology and to improve their English language skills.
6. Evaluation activities include the preparation and realization of the tests and exams described in section 4 above.

See also sub-section 1.2 above.

5.3. Syllabus

This subject analyses the different market conditions in which firms operate, their aims, functioning and strategic commitments. To do this, the module studies the economic behavior of consumers and entrepreneurs, and its implications for the analysis of the firm, including its horizontal and vertical limits. The concepts of perfect competition, monopolistic competition, monopoly and oligopoly are studied, along with their repercussions within a competitive business framework. The module finishes with the analysis of strategic behavior with product differentiation and competition on prices and quality, and its extension to a dynamic framework.

Syllabus:

1. Economic Behavior and Consumer Demand

2. Basic Elements of Supply: Profit and Cost Functions

3. Market and Competitive Analysis

4. Imperfect Competition and Strategic Behavior

5.4. Course planning and calendar

The schedule of learning activities and dates of the exams will be published in http://cud.unizar.es/calendarios . They will also be announced through Moodle (https://moodle2.unizar.es/add/).

5.5. Bibliography and recommended resources

Required textbooks:

• Besanko, D., Dranove, D., Shanley, M., and S. Schaefer (2007). “Economics of Strategy”, Fourth edition. John Wiley & Sons. New Jersey.
• Besanko, D., Braeutigam, R., (2011) “Microeconomics”, 4th Edition, John Wiley & Sons. New Jersey.

Strongly recommended textbooks:

• Brickley, J., Smith, C., and J. Zimmerman (2005). “Economía empresarial y arquitectura de la organización”. 3ª Edición. McGraw Hill/Interamericana de España S.A.U.
• Varian, H. (2008). “Microeconomía Intermedia.” 8ª Edición. Antoni Bosch.

Additional materials (handouts, problem sets, news articles, academic papers, and study cases) will be provided through Moodle (https://moodle2.unizar.es/add/).