Course information

Spring Term 2010

Instructor: Prof. Dr. Martin Peitz

Offered: Master Program FSS 2010 (also open to Diploma students in Economics and Business Administration, not open to Bachelor students)

Method (hours per week): Lecture+Exercises (4+2)

Prerequisites: Microeconomics I

Course language: English

Course schedule: Lecture: Monday, 1:45–3:15 and 4:15–5:45 p.m. in L7, P 044; Exercise Sessions: Thursday, 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. in L 9,1–2 002

ECTS-Credits: 14 (for master students)

Course description: This course shall enable the student to become familiar with modern industrial organization, analyzing industries from a business strategy and competition policy perspective. Importantly, the student is not only expected to understand existing models but more general principles and mechanisms at work. Hence, models can be adapted to tackle concrete problems. Students are provided with a toolkit and are encouraged to think strategically.

This course covers the fundamentals of the theory of industrial organization. These are complemented by case studies and background knowledge of competition policy. The course follows closely the book by Belleflamme and Peitz. Organization: 1. Introduction; 2. Market Power; 3. Sources of Market Power; 4. Pricing and Market Segmentation 5. Product Quality and Information; 6. Theory of Competition Policy; 7. R&D and Intellectual Property; 8. Networks, Standards, and Systems; 9. Intermediation

Required reading: Belleflamme and Peitz (2010), Industrial Organization: Markets and Strategies, Cambridge University Press. 

Resources: slides and exercises can be downloaded here

Contact person: Nuray Mamaç (Secretary to Professors Nocke, Peitz, and Stahl), nuray.mamac@econ.uni-mannheim.de, Tel. 181-1880

Spring term 2009

Method (hours per week): 2 hrs, block seminar

Course language:  English

Prerequisites:  Microeconomics course sequence in business or economics

Examination: oral presentation+slides, seminar paper

ECTS-Credits: 4 ECTS

Schedule:

Organizational meeting: Thursday, 4 December 2008, 10:15 -13:30 h, at P 044, L 7, 3–5.

The seminar will take place on 13 March and 14 March (from 10:00 until 20:00 each day).

Registration: Registration prior to the start of the seminar is required. Interested students have to register at the secretary, Ms. Mamaç, Verfügungs­gebäude L7, 3^rd floor. The maximum number of students is 20.

Course description: In this seminar we analyze business models of software and internet platforms. To this end we focus on five industries/firms, e.g.: handheld devices, B2B platforms, Amazon MarketPlace, online contacting sites, scout24, online radio. Some reading material is provided; additional research by students is required and central for the success of the seminar.

Overview: The design of markets and the functioning of business models in software platform markets will be analyzed in selected industries or firms. As background reading one may want to consult the book “Invisible Engines” by David Evans, Andrei Hagiu and Richard Schmalensee, published by MIT Press, which can be downloaded for free after registration at the MIT Press web site. An important role to understand software and internet platforms is the theory of two-sided markets, which is elaborated informally in the above mentioned book and in additional reading material listed below.

Students will present their work during two full days. Most reading material and presentations are non-formal. Students are expected to make themselves familiar with the economics of platforms and to find information on the selected industries by their own research. This seminar is suited for students of business administration and economics. To register for this course students must have completed 2 years of undergraduate studies.

Literature:

- Evans, David, Andrei Hagiu, and Richard Schmalensee (2006), Invisible Engines: How Software Platforms Drive Innovation and Transform Industries, MIT Press.

also helpful:

- Peitz, M. (2006), Markt­plätze und indirekte Netzwerkeffekte, Perspektiven der Wirtschafts­politik.

- Evans, David (2003), Some Empirical Aspects of Multi-sided Platform Industries, Review of Network Economics 2, 191–209.

- Evans, David and Richard Schmalensee (2005), The Industrial Organization of Markets with Two-Sided Platforms, mimeo

Fall Term 2009

Instructor: Prof. Dr. Martin Peitz

Office hours: Wednesday, 11:00–12:00 h.

Method (hours per week): Seminar (2 hours, blocked)

Prerequisites: Microeconomics A+B

Course schedule: Friday/Saturday, 20 November, and 21, 2009

Location: L7, 3–5, Room P044

Course language: English/German

ECTS-Credits: Bachelor 4, Diplom 6

Organizational Meeting: Monday, 7 September 2009, at 17:15h at Room 031, L 7, 3–5.

Course description: The internet has led to new business models and market phenomena. In this seminar students present recent research papers that take a look at some of the phenomena. Papers will be made available at the beginning of the course. Topics include online auctions, price dispersion on the Internet, the long tail in retailing, music and movie piracy, and online advertising.

Contact person: Nuray Mamaç (Secretary to Martin Peitz), Tel. 181-1880

university calender

To sign up for the seminar please write an email to nuray.mamac@econ.uni-mannheim.de including your matrikel no., mobile phone, major and semester.

course details

course materials

Spring Semester 2009

SIZE:                           Laboratory Course, 4+2 hrs.

                                    11 ECTS

FIRST CLASS:             Monday, 16 Feb 2009

TIME:                           Monday, 3.30 – 7.00 p.m.

LOCATION:                 L7,  3–5, Room P 044

OFFICE HOURS:         Peitz: Wednesday 11.00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m.

                                    (upon prior appointment)                                                   

                                    Stahl: Monday 2.00 – 3.00 p.m.

                                    (upon prior appointment)

                                    Appointments under 181-1880                                             

ADRESSEES:

The course is

• part of the diploma course sequence under the same title

• part of the elective in business studies entitled “Information and Competition”

• an elective to second year doctoral students

PREREQUISITES:

Diploma students: Microeconomics I – III or equivalent, M&S I or equivalent

Doctoral Students: Microeconomics I – II or equivalent, M&S I or equivalent

GRADES:

The grade for the course is based on active participation in class (50%) and the presentation of solutions to the case problems presented below, in form of four team papers (50 %).

CONCEPT OF THE COURSE SEQUENCE:

The course sequence consists of three blocks. M&S I, a four hour lecture course (plus 2 hr. Lab) held in the Fall Semester; Seminar on M&S I, a block seminar held at the beginning of the Spring Semester; and the present interactive four+two hour case study course held in the Spring Semester. Participation in both the seminar and the case study course necessitates participation in the Fall Semester course (or equivalent). Participation in the seminar is recommended, but not required for participation in the Spring Semester course.

The philosophy that has led to the course sequence is as follows: The analysis of a real life strategic planning problem necessitates the reduction of the problem to its essentials. The Fall Semester course is designed to equip the student with the tools relevant for the analysis of such strategic problems at the level of the firm, as well as the level of an industry. Depending on the industry structure, both are prerequisites for the analysis of regulatory and competition policy.

Emphasis is placed not only on the capability to read the literature on existing models, but also on the generation of new ones that are appropriate for the analysis of specific real life problems. In contrast to the presentation of recipes, the Fall Semester course is designed to equip the student with micro theoretic and game theoretic tools to attack strategic problems.

In the present Case Study course the student is challenged with the development of new modelling approaches. Towards this, we present a sequence of four cases from different industries. We will form teams of students. The teams will compete against each other in developing answers to two strategic questions raised at the end of each case presentation. The first question will involve a decision problem for a key industrialist in the relevant industry; and the second one a regulatory or competition policy decision problem for that industry. There will be coaching sessions for each case in which the instructors will advise the teams towards the development of constructive models towards these answers.

We will form teams of students. The teams will compete against each other in developing answers to two strategic questions raised at the end of each case presentation. The first question will involve a decision problem for a key industrialist in the relevant industry; and the second one a regulatory or competition policy decision problem for that industry. There will be regular coaching sessions in which the instructors will advise the teams towards the development of constructive models towards these answers.

Students are allocated to teams randomly for cases 1+2, and again for cases 3+4. Coaching sessions may be held outside the scheduled hours. Konrad Stahl will be in charge of Cases 1 and 2, Martin Peitz of Cases 3 and 4. The course will be held in English language.

LITERATURE:

The main reference texts for the course will be

• Belleflamme, P. and M. Peitz (2009): Industrial Organization: Markets and Strategies, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, forthcoming (available as draft pdf-file)

• Tirole, J. (1989): The Theory of Industrial Organization, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press

We will assign additional material especially to doctoral students.

SESSIONS:

course details

course materials

Die Klausureinsicht von Mikroökonomik B für den Erst- und Wiederholtermin, findet am Dienstag, den 1. März 2011 um 15.00Uhr bei Herrn Stefan Russ in L7, 3–5 S01 statt.

Diejenigen die ihre Klausur/en einsehen möchten, schicken bitte eine Email an Herrn Russ mit Angabe der Matrikelnummer und des Namens. Des Weiteren muss erwähnt werden ob die Einsicht für den Erst- oder Wiederholertermin erfolgen soll.

Veranstaltungs­daten:

Die Mikroökonomik B Vorlesung (HWS 2009) findet an folgenden Wochentagen statt: 

Mo. 15:30 bis 17:00 (wöchentlich)

Mi. 10:15 bis 11:45 (14-täglich)

Information für Diplomstudenten im Studien­gang BWL: Diese Veranstaltung ersetzt Mikro III für Betriebs­wirte. Hierbei sind allerdings nur Kapitel 1 bis 8 relevant. Es wird deshalb eine verkürzte Klausur (90 Minuten), die lediglich das Material der Kapitel 1 bis 8 abdeckt, für diese Studenten gestellt.

Fragen bezüglich der Veranstaltung bitte an Frau Petra Lörke „ploerke @ rumms.uni-mannheim.de“ richten.

Materialien

Information in English:

Method (hours per week): 3 (lecture) + 2 (practical exercises)

ECTS-Credits: 7

Examination: written, 120 min. [as substitute for „Mikro III für BWLer“: 90 min; 6 ECTS]

Course description:

• introduction: perfect competition and the first welfare theorem

• externalities

• public goods

• monopoly and monopsony

• price discrimination

• product bundling

• monopolistic competition and oligopoly

• game theory; strategic actions
• auctions
• adverse selection
• moral hazard

Literature:

• Robert S. Pindyck und Daniel S. Rubinfeld, Microeconomics. (Sixth Edition), PearsonnEducation International, 2005 (or German translation)
• Hal R. Varian, Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach. (Sixth Edition), W. W. Norton & Company, 2002 (or German translation)