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2015 Schedule

MWF 1:25p-2:20p Huntley 321

Fall 2015 Schedule
Week Day Date Topic Theory Texts
Week I Fri 11-Sep Introduction: Miller Lite & Anheuser Busch’s reaction Simple Models, Complex Strategies Hotelling
Mon 14-Sep Miller vs AB Market Power–or not?
Wed 16-Sep What is Beer? blog discussion – if login issues resolved!: types of beer, definitions of market
Fri 18-Sep Simple Market Power Lerner and ‘Lastic

Elasticity readings
Week II Mon 21-Sep How Many Firms? economies of scale as topic?
Wed 23-Sep SABMiller vs InBev Cournot
Fri 25-Sep   Bertrand
Week III Mon 28-Sep  Why are price wars unusual? Cournot versus Bertrand Martin Ch 3
Wed 30-Sep  Predation & Dominant Firms net present value Martin Ch 6
Fri 2-Oct Yet again: Miller versus Bud tacit coordination – tacit cartels
cf. historic US Steel strategy
Martin Ch 6
Week IV Mon 5-Oct  Multiple Firms  n-opoly & mergers Martin 382-393
Wed 7-Oct  How many firms?  Market size and entry/exit Martin 293-309
Fri 9-Oct  Size in a dynamic context  Entry Deterrence Martin §7.2.4 – §7.3
Week V Mon 12-Oct  Franchising  Vertical Structure
Wed 14-Oct  Consolidation in Beer  Of course! … but, uh, why?
Fri 16-Oct No Class! Reading Day
Week VI Mon 19-Oct  Cell phones  Price Discrimination & Bundling (I): Two-part Tariffs Martin §8.1-§8.2
Wed 21-Oct Movie Theaters & Brew Pubs  Price Discrimination & Bundling (II): Bundling Martin §8.3
Fri 23-Oct    Price Discrimination & Bundling (III): versioning
Week VII Mon 26-Oct Firm Dynamics: US Steel becomes US Steel  corporate structure  Martin Ch 10
Wed 28-Oct  Product Differentiation  Steel: the commodity trap  Martin Ch 10, Warrian
Fri 30-Oct  Coal: To Own or Not  vertical integration (again)  Martin Ch 10,
Week VIII Mon 2-Nov  Advertising  typologies  Martin Ch 13
Wed 4-Nov  Advertising  elasticities again  Martin Ch 13
Fri 6-Nov  advertising and beer  PD? Econ of Scale?  Tremblay & Tremblay
Week IX Mon 9-Nov  Innovation  typologies  Einstein & Xerox
Wed 11-Nov  what drives innovation?  push vs pull  PACE: induced innovation
Fri 13-Nov  diffusion: the most important part of innovation  hybrid corn  logistics curve reading?
Week X Mon 16-Nov  IPR  patents  Martin §15.6
Wed 18-Nov    don’t patent, keep secrets!  Levin et al. [Martin §14.3.3]
Fri 20-Nov  technology examples  Federal Mogul pistons  Powerpoints
Thanksgiving
Week XI Mon 30-Nov Devils Backbone!  assemble at DB by 1:15 pm  contact me if you need a ride
Wed 2-Dec  Technology & Steel  price elasticities!  Warrian book
Fri 4-Dec  Innovation Case Study  PACE Competition  Warrian-Smitka paper
Week XII Sun 6-Dec  Possible dinner with Peter Warrian  details TBA  at Smitka residence?
Mon 7-Dec GUEST SPEAKER: Peter Warrian  steel!  prepare questions for him
Wed 9-Dec  steel  what is “the” market?  followup on Warrian
Fri 11-Dec  Beer vs Steel  Lessons for Strategy  final steel paper due
(NO) Final Exam