Oligopoly and strategic behaviour, cooperative and non-cooperative behaviour, price discrimination, advertising and product differentiation; mergers and economic efficiency; vertical integration and vertical restraints; joint ventures, networks and clans; business performance and its measurement; government policy, particularly the regulatory policy and its impact on the performance of industries.

The module will consist of weekly two-hour classes which will introduce students to the main topics of the subject. Students will spend up to 7 hours a week in independent study, reading appropriate theoretical and empirical articles to develop the depth and breadth of their understanding. Each week, one or more students will be expected to make class presentation and lead the discussion on specific topics allocated to them in advance. Weekly discussions will concentrate on seminal papers of the subject.

A two hour exam at the end of the semester. To obtain a "pass" mark, students will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of: various strategies used by firms in order to compete with their rivals and deter new entries, the impact of regulation on the performance of firms and industries, and the relevant empirical literature. To obtain a "distinction" mark, students will be expected to demonstrate a thorough grasp of the main contributions to the subject, the evidence of wider relevant reading and the ability to integrate, and critically assess theoretical and empirical literature.

Armstrong, M., Cowan, S. & Vickers, J. (2004). Regulatory Reform. Cambridge, Mass., MIT Press.
Carlton, DW & Perloff, JM. (2000). Modern Industrial Organisation, 3rd edition. NY Addison Wesley.
Dutta P K (1999). Strategies and Games: Theory and Practice, Cambridge Mass: The MIT Press.
Martin, S. (1993). Advanced Industrial Economics. Oxford, Blackwell.
O'Shea, J. (1995). Industrial Organization and Imperfectly Competitive Markets, 2nd ed., Cambridge Mass.: The MIT Press.
Shy, O. (2001). Economics of Network Industries. Cambridge, CUP.
Weston J F. Chung K S and Siu J A. (1998). Takeovers, Restructuring and Corporate Governance, 2nd ed., New York: Prentice Hall.

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