University of Alberta
BUEC 311 A2
Business Economics, Organizations, and Management Fall 2012
Instructor: Nusrat Aireen Office: Room 2-33
E-mail: [email protected]
Office hours: T 3:30 – 4:30 PM or by appointment Lecture Time: TR 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Lecture Room: BUS 2 9
Course Description:
This course examines the theory of consumer behavior; theory of production and cost; price and output determination under competition, monopoly and other market structures; and applications of microeconomic theory.
Course Prerequisites:
ECON 101, 102, and MATH 113 or equivalent. Students may receive credit for
only one of BUEC 301, BUEC 311, MANEC 301 or ECON 383. Not open to students with previous credit in ECON 281.
Course Objectives:
This is an intermediate level course focusing on a rigorous examination of the theory of consumer behaviour; theory of production and cost, price and output determination under competition, monopoly and other market structures. Applications of microeconomic theory in explaining such market structures using simple and contemporary examples of consumer and business decisions, and local and national economic conditions will be emphasized. Upon
Textbook’s website: http://www.prenhall.com/pindyck
Grade Evaluation:
Evaluation will be based on cumulative performance in assignments, term exams and the final.
The following table shows different components of evaluation, their respective weights toward the final grade, and dates of evaluations.
Evaluation Weight Date of evaluation
Individual Assignment 15% Weekly due Monday’s at 11 pm
Term Exam 1 20% Oct 11, Thursday Term Exam 2 25% Nov 15, Thursday
Final Exam 40% Will be posted on Bear Track before the final exam
Individual Assignments:
There will be computer based homework assignments due most weeks ( by Monday 11 pm).
Assignments consist of analytical exercises and multiple-choice questions will help you understand the course material and prepare for exams. The assignments are organized through MyEconlab, which requires a computer with internet access in addition to the MyEconLab student access kit. Additional practice assignments are available on MyEconLab and students are strongly encouraged to make use of these. The student’s (7) best results on the weekly assignments will count toward the final grade. Late assignments are not accepted.
Format of Exams
The midterms will be based primarily on the material covered since the previous exam. The final Exam will be comprehensive. If a midterm is missed and the student has an accompanying medical note, the midterm weight will automatically be added to the final exam. If a student should request re-grading of part of an exam, I reserve the right to re-grade the entire exam. All such requests are to be submitted within one week of when the exams are returned.
Grading Criterion
At the end of the term, all marks from exams will be aggregated following the weights above and translated into Letter Grades. The following table shows roughly the Grade, the respective
Percentage Range of aggregate mark and the Grade Point.
Grade Percentage Grade Point A+
A A- B+
B B- C+
C C- D+
D F
95 - 100 87 – 94 80 – 86 77 – 79 74 – 76 70 – 73 67 – 69 64 – 66 60 – 63 55 – 59 50 – 54 0 - 49
4.0 4.0 3.7 3.3 3.0 2.7 2.3 2.0 1.7 1.3 1.0 0.0
Please Note:
Assigned Readings:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Preliminaries (Read on your own) Chapter 2: The Basics of Supply and Demand Consumer Theory
Chapter 3: Consumer Choice
Chapter 4: Individual and Market Demand Theory of the Firm
Chapter 6: Production
Chapter 7: The Cost of Production Perfect Competition
Chapter 8: Profit Maximization and Competitive Supply Chapter 9: The Analysis of Competitive Market
Market Structure and Competitive Strategy
Chapter 10: Market Power: Monopoly and Monopsony Chapter 11: Pricing with Market Power
Other Topics
Chapter 12: Monopolistic Competition and Oligopoly Chapter 13: Competitive Strategy
Chapter 14: Market for Factor Inputs
This syllabus is a tentative one. If time permits, other chapters and material will be covered as well.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behavior
(http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/gfcpolicymanual/content.cfm?ID_page=37633) and avoid any behavior which could potentially result in suspicious of cheating, plagiarism,
misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
RECORDING:
Recording is permitted only with the prior written consent of the instructor or if recording is part of an approved accommodation plan.
CLASSROOM NORM
Students are expected to attend class regularly and on time. In case if you have to miss a class, it is your responsibility to obtain notes and other class materials from a course-mate.
You may contact the instructor for further assistance. Absence from class will not be accepted as a legitimate reason for failure to attend an exam on time and/or to write a quiz.
a. Any side-talk during class is against the norm and is a serious impairment of learning process. For congenial learning atmosphere, students are expected to abide by the norm of the class.
b. You are strongly advised to read the relevant chapters (or sections) from the text prior to each lecture. Topics for next class will often be announced at the end of class. Course outline may also be used as a tentative guide in this regard.
c. Asking questions relevant to the topic of discussion and participating in class discussion are highly encouraged. Please follow classroom courtesy while asking questions and participating in discussion.
d. It is anticipated that all students follow day-to-day instructions as they arise
