2015/2016

2015/2016

DM270

SECS-P/08 (ECONOMIA E GESTIONE DELLE IMPRESE)

DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE ECONOMICHE E AZIENDALI

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS - ECONOMIA E MANAGEMENT INTERNAZIONALE

PERCORSO COMUNE

1°

Primo Semestre (28/09/2015 - 22/12/2015)

6

44 ore di attività frontale

ENGLISH

SCRITTO

FONTANA ROBERTO (titolare) - 6 CFU

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The main focus of the course will be the analysis of the growth and survival of industries and firms, an issue that is crucial to the growth of economies as a whole. To understand how industries develop and change, we need to understand how new or improved production methods and products are introduced. This course examines industrial change, beginning from the inception of an industry. Special attention is paid to the role of technology as an important driver of industrial competition.

We will examine the entry, exit, and growth of firms in individual industrial markets, such as automobiles, tires, semiconductors, lasers, networking products, and computers. We will study how oligopolies form as a result of product variety, economies of scale, scope, advertising and distribution. In so doing, we will also speculate about possible national policies and strategies for corporate success.

Topics will include:

Technological change and economic growth
Sources of invention: Small firms and innovative networks
Sources of invention: Big firms and streamlined structure, improvement efficiency
The evolution of new industries
Turnover of corporate leadership
Shakeouts
Alternative reasons for shakeouts and industry concentration
Product differentiation and market niches
Firm growth

At the end of the course students will have learned:

How firms evolve and compete in industries as a consequence of technological change
How to apply research tools to the analysis of real-life firms, markets and industries.

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No textbook is planned for the course.
For each lecture, required and optional readings will be based on published academic papers and will be specified in due course to students.

Written exam at the end of the course (2/3) and class paper presentation (1/3)

Exam grade average: 28