INTERNET ECONOMICS

Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Course code:

00048L

Academic Year of enrolment:

2019

Year of supply:

2020/2021

Type of Course:

Characterising

Degree:

Course of 1st Cycle Degree in ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS INFORMATICS

Disciplinary Sector:

Applied Economics

Location:

PESCARA

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

SARRA Alessandro

Cycle:

Second semester

Hours of classroom activity:

Individual study hours:

102

Prerequisites:

None

Objectives

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
The course will contribute to the general objectives of the degree course aiming at the formation of professionals able to link a continuously evolving technology and the sphere of business strategies. In this perspective it is intended to provide the students with a basic understanding of the changes that the diffusion of the Internet is imposing to the economic system and to business behaviour. Particular relevance will be given to case studies as instruments to solicit the practical application of the theoretical knowledge acquired

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1) Knowledge and understanding.
At the end of the course the students will have the cognitive instruments to:
- understand and interpret the structural and competitive features of the markets related to the Internet platforms;
- describe and critically discuss the most relevant aspects of their impact on economic systems.

2) Applying knowledge and understanding.
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- analyse and critically discuss documents and case studies related to specific aspects of the Internet Economy and of its markets;
- apply the acquired knowledge to simplified contexts and problems, proposing solutions and discussing the implications.

3) Communication skills.
At the end of the course, students will have acquired the following communication skills:
- understanding the relationships between the economic and the managerial language in the field of Internet Economy
- explain and critically discuss problems related to Internet markets;
- summarize and explain the contents of reports and documents on the Internet Economy;
- interact with experts in technology, economics and management in discussions on topics of common interest.

Contents

During the course, the critical issues and the main features that companies have to face in an economic system dominated by the global spread of the internet will be presented and discussed.
In particular, the course aims at illustrating to students, also with the help of case studies:
1) the main features of the Internet industry, and its descriptive models;
2) the specificities of the production of goods and services depending from information sharing;
3) the prevailing business models;
4) the theoretical tools needed for the analysis of internet markets;
5) the effects on the economic system of the growing productive efficiency and of the increased availability of goods and services determined by the development of the Internet.

Extended Syllabus

Part I. The basic economic tools for the study of industrial sectors and markets
- Cost functions
- Scale economies
- vertical and horizontal integration
- Oligopolistic behavior
- Price discrimination
- Multi-lateral markets
- Network externalities

Part II. The economy of digital markets. Features and specificities
- Basic features of the Internet Economy
- Internet economy: demand and supply
- General descriptive models of the internet economy
- business models of internet firms
- Internet markets: types and basic features

Part IV. Case studies

Recommended Bibliography

Cellini P., Economia digitale, Luiss University Press, last edition

Carlton D., Perloff J. F., Organizzazione Industriale, McGraw-Hill, terza edizione

During the course, the students will be provided with additional material on case studies

Methods of Provision

Conventional

Teaching Methods

The teaching will consist of lectures, case studies and practical training.
The lectures will treat theoretical topics and will be held by the professor, with the occasional participation of experts invited to present their experiences on the topics treated.
The practical training will require the application of the acquired knowledge in the discussion of applied issued, also using questionnaires and exercises. Their aim is to verify the level of understanding of the topics treated, and to provide students with self-assessment occasions and improve the results of the study.
Case studies will be treated in group work (groups of 5/6 students) and will aim both at developing the ability to apply acquired knowledge in practical contexts, and at improving communicative skills through the presentation of the results obtained.
Course attendance is not compulsory. The attending students only will be admitted to group work.

Evaluation methods

Verification of learning:

The exam will consist of a written and an oral test.
The written test will consist of 10 multi-choice questions, and 5 essay questions to be answered within a maximum number of words. The total score for the written test is 30 marks. The test paper will explain how the marks are distributed, based on the relevance/complexity of each question.
The final mark of the written test will be given by the sum of the partial scores obtained.
The written test will last 90 minutes.
The oral test will consist of 3/5 questions aimed at verifying the knowledge of the material referred to, the communicative skills, the judgement autonomy and the comprehension skills. Particular attention will be given to the language used, at the capacity to establish links between different topics, and at the ability to critically interact on topics proposed by the examiner.
The oral test will be judged with a score on 30.
The final result will be given by the average of the marks obtained with written and oral test.
For students that will have participated in group works, the exam will include also the discussion of the work done. The score obtained in this discussion will be considered in the definition of the final marks.

Contacts/More Information

E-mail: alessandro.sarra@unich.it
Students reception days and hours: Friday from 11:00 to 13:00

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

Aree