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2011/2012 KAN-CMIT_IEB Information, Economics and Business
| English Title | |
| Information, Economics and Business |
Course Information | |
| Language | English |
| Point | 7,5 ECTS (225 SAT) |
| Type | Elective |
| Level | Full Degree Master |
| Duration | One Semester |
| Course Period |
Spring
Changes in course schedule may occur Monday 13.30-16.05, week 8-14, 16-18 |
| Time Table | Please see course schedule at e-Campus |
| Study Board |
Study Board for BSc/MSc in Business Administration and Information Systems |
| Course Coordinator | |
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| Main Category of the Course | |
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| Last updated on 29 maj 2012 | |
| Learning Objectives | |||||||||||||||||
During the course the students will develop analytical skills and abilities to assess market developments, and thereby, improve their capabilities to engage in individual and group decision making under uncertainty and solve specific business problems. Upon completion of the course the students will be able to develop and present concrete solutions to market problems and advise firms about how to deal with information technology challenges and opportunities.
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| Prerequisite | |||||||||||||||||
| The course builds on the teaching of an introductory course in Economics at the bachelor program. | |||||||||||||||||
| Examination | |||||||||||||||||
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| Course Content | |||||||||||||||||
Economics of information and organization form the core of this course. The course will start by presenting some basic theories from industrial organisation and business economics that are prominent for managing information, efficiently, and for analysing business strategies in the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) industries. Then, selected issues with wide impact on individual decision making, firm’s strategy and market analysis will be presented. Indicative examples include pricing of information goods, auction design, the boundaries of the firm, the firm as a nexus of contracts and strategy making in the online markets. Taking these topics as points of departure the course will address some fundamental economic issues for the ICT industries such as: What are the optimal pricing strategies for information goods? How do firms maximise profits in the ICT industries? What are the costs of IT products and/or services development? How do firms deal with the uncertainty in case of IT investments? What are the different types of Information Technology markets? How do firms exploit their strategic resources in the ICT environment? How do firms ignite positive feedback? When are business networks successful in IT markets? Why do firms design auctions for selling IT services or products? | |||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Methods | |||||||||||||||||
| The course will be conducted in sessions of three time-slots (3x45). Each session is strongly based on students’ participation. Following the introduction, each session includes lectures presenting specific theoretical issues, practical examples to further the understanding of the theory as well as students’ participation in the discussions about specific business cases. | |||||||||||||||||
| Literature | |||||||||||||||||
Indicative course literature: Shapiro, C. and H. R. Varian. Information Rules. A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy. Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Mass. 1999. Rysman, M. (2009). The Economics of Two-Sided Markets. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 23(3), 125-143. Gallaugher, J. M., Y.-M. Wang. (2002). Understanding network effects in software markets: Evidence from web server pricing. MIS Quart. 26(4) 303–327. | |||||||||||||||||