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Industrial Organization

Module WI000102

This Module is offered by .

This module handbook serves to describe contents, learning outcome, methods and examination type as well as linking to current dates for courses and module examination in the respective sections.

Module version of WS 2011/2

There are historic module descriptions of this module. A module description is valid until replaced by a newer one.

Whether the module’s courses are offered during a specific semester is listed in the section Courses, Learning and Teaching Methods and Literature below.

available module versions
WS 2018/9SS 2015WS 2011/2

Basic Information

WI000102 is a semester module in German language at Bachelor’s level and Master’s level which is offered every semester.

This module description is valid to WS 2021/2.

Total workloadContact hoursCredits (ECTS)
180 h 60 h 6 CP

Content, Learning Outcome and Preconditions

Content

This course deals with interactions among market participants, particularly scrutinizing markets under incomplete competition. The course starts with a comparison of the main characteristics of different market forms such as monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic competition, and perfect competition. Building on this knowledge, the lecture addresses topics such as price discrimination among consumers with different willingness to pay, strategic product differentiation, syndicates, vertical concentration, price-fixing and mergers. The course aims to communicate basic concepts and models of industrial organization theory, focusing on game-theoretic methods, and applying these to the decisions of market participants under strategic competition.

Learning Outcome

At the end of the module students will be able to apply basic concepts and models of industrial organization theory (particularly game-theoretic methods), and to assess competition policy measures. They are capable of evaluating or proposing courses of action for companies under strategic competition, e.g. regarding
• Product Differentiation,
• Price Discrimination,
• Advertising and Marketing,
• Market Entry and Deterrence.

Preconditions

WI000021 "Economics I (Microeconomics)" OR WI001056 "Principles of Economics"

Courses, Learning and Teaching Methods and Literature

Courses and Schedule

TypeSWSTitleLecturer(s)DatesLinks
VI 4 Industrial Organization (WI000102) Daske, T. Tue, 16:45–18:15, virtuell
Wed, 16:45–18:15, virtuell
eLearning

Learning and Teaching Methods

The module consists of a lecture as well as an exercise course. The lecture content will be conveyed to the students by means of verbal presentation. The course aims to encourage students to independently deliberate the presented economic problems, which are discussed in the lecture and in the relevant literature. In the exercise course participants apply the acquired knowledge to mutually selected examples, which partially takes place in groupwork. Moreover, concrete issues raised by students are adressed and exercises are solved.

Media

Text books, script, exercises

Literature

Belleflamme, Paul and Martin Peitz (2010): Industrial Organization: Markets and Strategies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press AND Cabral, Luis (2000): Introduction to Industrial Organization. Cambridge: MIT Press AND Shy, Oz (1996): Industrial Organization: Theory and Applications. Cambridge: MIT Press AND Tirole, Jean (1988) The Theory of Industrial Organization. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Module Exam

Description of exams and course work

Students receive credit for the course after passing an exam (written, 120 minutes). Students apply concepts and methods of competition theory (most notably of game theory) to concrete issues of strategic competition and competition policy. They show their ability to assess and evaluate strategic decisions of firms as well as regulatory measures of competition authorities and to conceive policy recommendations. Hereby, participants should demonstrate their capacity for abstraction (thinking in economic models) and concretization (interpreting and applying the results of a model). The questions can be answered in German or English language.

Exam Repetition

There is a possibility to take the exam in the following semester.

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