ECON 8210-001 Spring 1995

cross listed as BSAD 8100

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Pick a section of the sylibus you wish to review

Introduction and Welcome

Instructor Office Location and Office Hours

Course Desription

Graded Events

Required Text(s)

Study Groups

Exams

Papers

Course Schedule(tasks and deadlines)
November 29, 1994

TO: Managerial Economics enrollee Return to the Top of This Page

FROM: Michael J. O'Hara, ME instructor

SUBJECTS:

1. Welcome to class

2. Reading assignment for first class

First, let me welcome you to the "Managerial Economics" class. I look forward to sharing an enjoyable and challenging spring semester of critical reasoning with you.

For many of you this will be your first core course from the M.B.A. program (but should not be your first exposure to the calculus), and I want to give you a jump on the process. If you have forgotten most of the math you knew, then you too will definitely benefit by starting your studies early. As calculus goes, the calculus in this text is relatively easy and low level. The reading and problem expectations are quite aggressive, but clearly are manageable if you develop and implement a well thought out approach. A single reading of the text material will rarely be adequate. All of the appendices to the chapter are assigned reading.

For the first night of class every person should arrive having read and understood the syllabus, as well as having read chapters 1, 2, and 3. These are critical chapters and we will revisit them throughout the semester. The textbook was ordered in October, but you should expect them in the UNO Bookstore no sooner than December 5th. Expect to be called on during the first class.

Attached you will find the syllabus for this class. Its detail is not meant to be intimidating; rather, it is meant to answer the vast majority of questions concerning procedure in the course.

All of the questions on the in-class exams will be based upon the text's end of chapter exercises and questions. Note that there are some check answers starting on Appendix page C-9. Enclosed is a sheet of math rules you may find helpful.

In closing, let me again welcome you to the "Managerial Economics." Also, let me urge you to spark your curiosity into full flame so that managerial economics will be simultaneously fun and educational.

Michael J. O'Hara Office Hours:

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CBA 502 Monday and Thursday: 5:30 - 6:00

Monday, Wednesday, & Friday: 11:30 - noon and by appointment

Office Phone

554-2823 (with voice mail)

MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS

Spring 1995

ECON 8210-001 #10742 Monday 6:00 - 8:40 pm CBA 218

cross listed as

BSAD 8100-001 #10339 Monday 6:00 - 8:40 pm CBA 218

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Return to the Top of This Page

3 credit hours. "The course will offer students tools of analysis drawn from consumer theory and the theory of the firm in order to improve the understanding of human behavior as it is constrained in the context of business decision-making. This course is intended for students who are seeking the degree of Master of Science in Economics or the degree of Master of Business Administration. Prereq.: Graduate in Economics or in College of Business Administration, ECON 2020 or equivalent, and a course that includes a basic introduction to the main rules for differentiating functions. (Same as ECON 8210.)"

GRADED EVENTS: Return to the Top of This Page

An "A" is earned with a total course percentage of 90.0% or more; a "B+" is earned with 85.0% or more; a "B" is earned with 80.0% or more; etc.

15% MIDTERM EXAM

completed working alone, all questions based on the text

40% PAPERs

REVIEWs

30%. Three journal articles will be summarized to

two pages each. Completed working alone, 10% each.

ETHICS ESSAY

10%. Completed by STUDY GROUP, four pages.

40% FINAL EXAMs

ESSAY FINAL EXAM

20%, completed by STUDY GROUP, five take-home questions

COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM

20%, completed working alone, all questions based on text

5% CLASS PARTICIPATION

daily assignment of questions during class

TEXT: Return to the Top of This Page

McGuigan, James R. and Moyer, R. Charles, Managerial Economics. Sixth Edition. St. Paul, MN: West's Pub. Co., 1993.

STUDY GROUPS: Return to the Top of This Page

The class shall divide into STUDY GROUPs of three (3), four (4), or five (5) members each. The STUDY GROUPs will complete the ETHICS ESSAY and the ESSAY FINAL, for a total of 30% of the course grade.

Any time before the start of class on January 30 the class may inform the instructor that the class as a whole has formed into voluntary STUDY GROUPs. If any student is not in a voluntary STUDY GROUP by that deadline, then the instructor will randomly assign all students to equally sized STUDY GROUPs without any regard to any voluntary groups that purportedly had been formed.

Membership in any particular group is voluntary (unless random assignment by the instructor is required). This means you do not have to join any specific group, and nor does any specific group have to accept you. NO voluntary group officially exists until ALL students are in voluntary STUDY GROUPs. It is your personal responsibility to see to it that ALL students are in voluntary STUDY GROUPs.

After the formation of STUDY GROUPs has occurred, the withdrawal from the class by one or more members of a STUDY GROUP will empower the STUDY GROUP to DISBAND ONLY IF the group size is reduced to less than three. An additional prerequisite to disbanding is that all of the remaining members are able to join other voluntary STUDY GROUPs. A STUDY GROUP that receives a disbanded person(s) may swell to six (6) members.

EXAMS: Return to the Top of This Page

There are three exams: a MIDTERM EXAM, an ESSAY FINAL EXAM, and a COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM.

The MIDTERM EXAM is worth 15% of the total course grade, which is scheduled for March 6, and is taken in class while working alone.

The final exam has two parts worth a total of 40% of the total course grade. Part one is a take-home ESSAY FINAL EXAM which will be completed by your STUDY GROUP and is worth 20% of the total course grade. Part two is a COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM which will be completed working alone on an in-class exam and is worth 20%. Both final exam parts are due at the Regent's scheduled final exam time (i.e., May 1). For any STUDY GROUP member to receive a copy of the COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM the STUDY GROUP must turn in its ESSAY FINAL EXAM.

Both the MIDTERM EXAM and COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM will be based on the text's end of chapter exercises and questions.

The take-home portion of the final exam, the ESSAY FINAL EXAM, will be five essay questions; to be distributed April 3. The essay answers must be typed, with a two page limit for each of the five essay questions, for a total of ten pages after the cover sheet. See TYPING REQUIREMENTS.

PAPERS: Return to the Top of This Page

You will write four papers for this class, each worth 10% for a total of 40% of the course grade. There are two types of papers: three REVIEWs of journal articles and one ETHICS ESSAY. All papers will be related to managerial economics and intellectual property. Each REVIEW will be a summary will be no longer than two typed pages. The ETHICS ESSAY will be no longer than four typed pages. See TYPING REQUIREMENTS.

Each REVIEW will summarize one economics journal article related to intellectual property. The purpose of the review is to demonstrate that you have read and understood the article. It is not necessary for you to add any commentary. You need only reduce the essence of the article and its issues down to two pages.

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From a list of twenty articles distributed at the second class meeting, you will select three articles to review. In class on January 30, after the formation of STUDY GROUPs, articles will be selected. By group, in three rotations, each group member will select a different article. Every article on the distributed list must be selected an equal number of times. The difficulty of your selected article and the quality of your writing will influence your grade.

The REVIEWs will be due before the end of class on February 13, February 27, and March 13. As the method of covering the material in Chapter 15 "Government Regulation," the entire class period on April 10 will be devoted to CLASS PARTICIPATION. Students will be called upon to explain how their REVIEWs demonstrate the concepts found within Chapter 15.

The maximum page length of each REVIEW is 2 pages. On the cover sheet of your review you shall include an abstract of the article after the other identifying information in the upper left corner. The abstract may be up to 75 words. The abstract shall end with a word count. See, TYPING REQUIREMENTS. Significant failure to comply with requirements of this or the preceding paragraph will cause, at a minimum, an automatic deduction of 5% of the assignment grade.

The ETHICS ESSAY will use the tools of managerial economics to analyze and resolve an ethics question concerning intellectual property. The STUDY GROUP will select its own ethics question, which will be phrased in one sentence. This sentence must appear on the cover sheet.

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Your ETHICS ESSAY is principally a thought piece. However, your economics research shall not be constricted to the textbook and your groups' REVIEWs. Additional library research will be required. The maximum number of bibliographic citations, other than your textbook, is four; the minimum number of citations is four. No footnotes are required, however, unless you directly quote text from one of your citations. Your analysis, not your breadth of research, will be graded. Your analysis is critical. Ask yourselves: "Did we treat the alternative interpretations of the issues and the alternative resolutions of the issues with objective honesty and respect?" If so, then your analysis is on the mark. At a minimum, your analysis and resolution of the ethical question must clearly indicate (a) who are the winners and losers in society; (b) the competing ethical criteria, and the most important ethical criteria; and (c) include and use relevant economic tools.

A draft copy of the ETHICS ESSAY cover sheet is due before the end of class on March 13. The ethical question sentence shall be on the cover sheet.

The ETHICS ESSAY will be due before the end of class on April 17. The maximum page length of your ETHICS ESSAY is 4 pages. The ethical question sentence shall be on the cover sheet. See, TYPING REQUIREMENTS. Significant failure to comply with requirements of this or the preceding paragraph will cause, at a minimum, an automatic deduction of 5% of the assignment grade.

CLASS PARTICIPATION: Return to the Top of This Page

The skill of listening is the most important skill students develop during class participation. Listening is critical to effective management. During class participation, most of your time will be spent listening to other students solve problems. YOU will waste a huge amount of YOUR class time if YOU do not specifically work on developing YOUR listening skills. Part of the grade you receive for listening will be imbedded in your grades for the ETHICS ESSAY and ESSAY FINAL EXAM completed by STUDY GROUPs.

You will earn 5% for class participation if you are prepared to and willing to explore issues in the text and prior lecture material. Whether you are right or wrong is not the most relevant determinant of your grade. Your oral case analysis during CLASS PARTICIPATION will rely on both the textbook and lectures. Your oral analysis will be graded as +, 0, or -. You can earn an additional +, 0, or - based on your unsolicited class participation over the whole semester. Your course CLASS PARTICIPATION grade will be based on the total points you have earned divided by the maximum possible points you could have earned. The mode grade for class participation is 5%.

During each class the instructor will select four or more students for the next class meeting's CLASS PARTICIPATION. The instructor's in class questions will focus on the text, identified exercises, and prior lecture material. Note that three whole class meetings are devoted exclusively to CLASS PARTICIPATION: most, if not all, students will be selected on these days.

TYPING REQUIREMENTS: Return to the Top of This Page

All typed assignments shall be in 10 or 12 point and pitch typeface (i.e., pica or elite; 10 or 12 characters per inch and 6 lines per inch), shall be double spaced, shall use one inch margins on all four sides, and shall be typed on only one side of 8 1/2" x 11" paper. All typed assignments shall have a cover sheet identifying, in the upper left corner: (1) the student author(s); (2) the assignment; (3) the class [e.g., ECON 8210, Spring 1995]; and (4) all relevant bibliographic information. All of the sheets shall be securely stapled in the upper left corner: other ceremonial entombment is not welcome.

The ENRON Computer Lab in CBA 403 has word processing software and hardware for you to use and for which you have been charged a fee. Campus computing rooms in CBA 007, EAB 009, and DSC 104 also provide computer support. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling do influence your grade. For page limits and other assignment specific TYPING REQUIREMENTS, see the specific assignment. Significant failure to comply with the TYPING REQUIREMENTS will cause, at a minimum, an automatic deduction of 5% of the assignment grade.

MAKE-UP WORK: Return to the Top of This Page
Recall my office phone (402) 554-2823 has voice mail.

Make-up work is strongly discouraged (and not really possible for group work). There

is no make-up work for class participation. There are two prerequisites for make-up

work.

24 hour prior notice of your intended absence, unless for sufficient reason (e.g., death of

an immediate family member);

AND

timely, written verification by an impartial third party (e.g., letter from mortician on

letterhead).

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Return to the Top of This Page

Any form of academic dishonesty (e.g., cooperation between STUDY GROUPS on the take home final) will be grounds for a course grade of "F."

NOTE: ALL APPENDICES IN THE TEXT ARE ASSIGNED READINGS
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DATE

CHAPTERS

TASKS and DEADLINES

Jan. 9

Chapters 1, 2, and 3 (71 pages)

Jan. 16

Chapters 1, 2, and 3 (71 pages)

distribute IP notes distribute IP bibliography

Jan. 23

Chapter 4 and IP lecture (62 pages)

Jan. 30

Chapter 5 (56 pages)

form STUDY GROUPs pick articles for REVIEW

Feb. 6

Chapter 6 (56 pages)

Feb. 13

Chapter 7 (48 pages)

REVIEW #1 due

Feb. 20

Chapter 8 (36 pages)

Feb. 27

review Chapters 1 through 8 (317 pages) via all CLASS PARTICIPATION

REVIEW #2 due

March 6

6:00 - 6:30 student questions pre-exam

6:30 - 8:30 MIDTERM EXAM

March 13

Chapters 9 and 10 (76 pages)

REVIEW #3 due draft cover sheet for ETHICS

March 20

NO CLASS: SPRING BREAK

March 27

Chapters 11 and 12 (48 pages)

April 3

Chapters 13 and 14 (86 pages)

distribute ESSAY FINAL

April 10

Chapter 15 (44 pages) via all CLASS PARTICIPATION

focused on REVIEWs

April 17

Chapters 16 and 17 (67 pages)

ETHICS ESSAY due

April 24

review Chapters 1 through 17 (654 pages) via all Class Participation

award CP points

STUDENT EVALUATIONS

May 1

6:00 - 6:30 review for COMPREHENSIVE FINAL

6:30 - 8:40 turn-in ESSAY FINAL EXAM

COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM

Managerial Economics: BSAD 8100 & ECON 8210: Spring 1995: Page of 8