UNIVERSITY OF SURREY - MODULE CATALOGUE

FULL MODULE DESCRIPTION

 

Module Short Name:

:   EC427     

 

Module Title :

Internet for Business Economists

 

Objectives/Learning Outcomes

 

MODULE OBJECTIVES

The growth of the Internet has had a major impact on businesses and the economy. The objective of this module is to provide an awareness of the key issues that this raises for business economists and an understanding of how it affects business strategy and decision-making.

.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this module students will

· understand the operating principles of the Internet, the functions of the various Internet tools

(such as e-mail systems, web browsers etc.) and be familiar with the protocols and procedures that are associated with the use of these tools

· be aware of the main resources that are available to economists on the web and via e-mail

and be able to use them effectively

· have a basic understanding of the economic issues that arise on the Internet

· understand issues involved in managing informational commodities

 

Content

 

The following is an indication of the likely topics to be covered:-

·         The history of the Internet

·         The technical infrastructure of the Internet – layers, protocols and authorities

·         Tools and resources for Economists on the Internet

·         The impact of the Internet, globally, nationally and on different sectors; E-Commerce

·         New Economics for The New Economy?

·         Networks and network externalities

·         Pricing and strategic development issues for information commodities; lock-in, versioning, bundling, standards

·         Other issues: open source versus commercial models of product development; regulation, privacy and security; intellectual property and copyright; future directions.

 

 

Prerequisites

 

None

 

Pattern of Delivery

 

  • Lectures and class discussions (20 hours)
  • Contact via e-mail and the course web site

                                   

Methods of Teaching/Learning

 

  • Weekly lectures (with slides and notes)
  • Reading
  • Practicals and quizzes

 

Methods of Assessment and Weighting

 

  • Two hour end of session examination (75%)
  • Presentation and essay on approved topic (25%)

 

Selected Texts

 

  • Tannenbaum, Andrew S. Computer Networks, Prentice Hall.

 

  • Judge, Guy Computing Skills for Economists, John Wiley & Sons

 

  • Shapiro, Carl and Varian, Hal Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy, Harvard Business School Publishing

 

  • Shy,Oz The Economics of Network Industries. Cambridge University Press.

 

  • For individual topics students will also be guided towards additional articles and other material (often available on the web). A web site for this course can be found at

             http://members.lycos.co.uk/guyjudge/IfBE2006/