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MECO 6311.0G1
School of Management
The University of Texas at Dallas
| Course Info | Assessments | Academic Calendar | Technical Requirements | Course Access &
Navigation | Communications | Scholastic Honesty | Course Evaluation | UTD Policies |
Course Information
Course
Course Description
This is a course about the economics of information goods, those goods at the center of the
modern economy.
For old class notes, meaning that some subjects are not covered, go to:
http://wwwpub.utdallas.edu/~liebowit/knowledge_goods/notes.html. These are old so use them
at your own risk.
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Suggested Readings/Texts
*Material in your old micro text (such as Landsburg) that talks about elasticity, monopoly, and
price discrimination
*Amy Cortese “The Power of Optimal Pricing” Business 2.0, September 2002 click here
Liebowitz, S. "Tie-In Sales and Price Discrimination," Economic Inquiry, July, 1983. Also: click
here
*Stigler, G. "A note on block booking", The Supreme Court Review, 1963. click here
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*Julie E. Cohen “Copyright and the Perfect Curve” 53 Vand. L. Rev. 1799 click here
* Stan Liebowitz and Steve Margolis “17 Famous Economists Weigh in on Copyright: The Role
of Theory, Empirics, and Network Effects.” Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, Spring
2006 click here
Demsetz H. "The Private Production of Public Goods", Journal of Law and Economics, October
1970. Or click here
*Hal R. Varian “Copying and Copyright” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Spring, 2006 click
here
Benjamin D. and Kormendi, R. "On the Interrelationship between Markets for New and Used
Durable Goods," Journal of Law and Economics, Oct. 1974, pp. 381-402. click here
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*W. Brian Arthur, Positive Feedbacks in the Economy, Scientific American, Feb. 1990 also at:
http://www.santafe.edu/arthur/Papers/Papers.html along with other Arthur papers.
*Brynjolfsson, Erik and Kemerer Chris F., “Network Externalities in Microcomputer Software: An
Econometric Analysis of the Spreadsheet Market,” Management Science, December 1996.
Click here
Leibenstein, Harvey, “Bandwagon, Snob, and Veblen Effects in the Theory of Consumers’
Demand” Quarterly Journal of Economics May 1950.
Katz, M. L., and Shapiro, C., "Systems Competition and Network Effects," Journal of Economic
Perspectives (Spring 1994). click here
David, Paul A. “Path dependence and the quest for historical economics: one more chorus of
the ballad of QWERTY”. Click here
*David, Paul. A. 1985. "Clio and the Economics of QWERTY", 75 American Economic Review,
332-7 (May). Click here
*Liebowitz, S. J. and Margolis, S. E. "The Fable of the Keys," JLE, April 1990, pp. 1-26. Click
Here.
“Product Quality and the Economic Performance of Firms,” Stan Liebowitz, report for McKinsey
and Company, October 15, 1999. Available at: http://www.utdallas.edu/~liebowit/mckinsey.pdf .
“Economists Decide to Challenge Facts of the QWERTY Story” Lee Gomes, Wall Street
Journal, February 25, 1998, Click here or “The QWERTY Myth”, The Economist, April 3, 1999.
Click here
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*“So Long , Supply and Demand: There's a new economy out there -- and it looks nothing like
the old one”, by Thomas Petzinger Jr., 01/03/2000, The Wall Street Journal, Page S1. Click
here
* “Will the Net Turn Car Dealers into Dinosaurs? State Limits on Auto Sales Online” Solveig
Singleton at http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp58.pdf
Wired News “Webvan's $1 Billion Soup Job”, Joanna Glasner, July 9, 1999, Available at:
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,20646,00.html.
Telser, L. G., "Why Should Manufacturers Want Fair Trade?" Journal of Law and Economics,
October 1960
*“How the Internet Bubble Broke Records, Rules, Bank Accounts” Greg Ip, Susan Pulliam, Scott
Thurm, and Ruth Simon, Wall Street Journal, July 14, 2000 Click here
“Brand Marketers Return to the Web, Driving New Growth in Display Ads” David Kesmodel,
Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2006 click here
*"Prices for ad banners fall" Andrea Petersen, WSJ Interactive Edition, February 24, 1999 click
here
“The Great Net Giveaway Gimmick” Jennifer Mack, ZDNet News, October 24, 1999 2:21 PM
PT, click here
“Pop-Under Web Ads May Backfire, Says Jupiter” Reuters, Jul 26, 2001 at:
http://web.archive.org/web/20010730040829/http://www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,28294,00.
html
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*Stan Liebowitz “File-Sharing: Creative Destruction or just Plain Destruction?” Journal of Law
and Economics April, 2006, p1-28. Click here
Alejandro Zentner “Measuring the Effect of Online Music Piracy on Music Sales” working paper
2004 click here
Felix Oberholzer and Koleman Strumpf “The Effect of File Sharing on Record Sales: An
Empirical Analysis” working paper, 2004 click here
*Stan Liebowitz “Will MP3s downloads Annihilate the Record Industry? The Evidence so Far”
Advances in the Study of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Economic Growth, V. 15, 2004, pp.
229-260.” Click here
“Appeals Court Blocks RIAA Efforts to Identify Music Downloaders” WSJ click here
“How record companies could embrace Napster and maintain profits” From Linux World, March
20, 2000, Nick Petreley click here
Brian Ploskina “Numbers Rock 'N' Roll in Napster Dispute”, Inter@ctive Week, June 19, 2000
click here
Lee Gomes “Judge Orders Napster to Stop Downloads of Copyrighted Music” Wall Street
Journal, July 27, 2000 and “Napster Appeal Is on Legal Fast Track After a Stay That Delayed
Closing Site” July 31, 2000. Click here
Alternatives to Copyright
*”Alternative Copy Systems: The Problems with a Compulsory License”, Stanley J. Liebowitz,
(Vol. 1, No. 2, May 6, 2004 http://ipcentral.info/review/v1n2intro.html
“Impose a Noncommercial Use Levy to Allow Free P2P File-Swapping and Remixing”, Neil
Weinstock Netanel, click here
Antitrust Abuse in the New Economy: The Microsoft Case by Richard L. Gordon, Edward Elgar
(October 2002)
*The Wall Street Journal “Time Warner, AOL Are Criticized by European Antitrust Enforcers”
John R. Wilke August 31, 2000 click here
*The Wall Street Journal “AOL Competitors Lobby FCC Over 'Advanced' Messaging” Julia
Angwin December 29, 2000. click here
McGee, John. "Predatory Price Cutting: The Standard Oil Case", Journal of Law and
Economics, October 1958
Reback, Gary, Susan Creighton, David Killam and Neil Nathanson, with the assistance from
Garth Saloner and W. Brian Arthur, "Technological, Economic and Legal Perspectives
Regarding Microsoft's Business Strategy in Light of the Proposed Acquisition of Intuit, Inc. also
in Why Microsoft Must Be Stopped, Upside Magazine, Feb. 1995 also at:
http://web.archive.org/web/20001216013100/http://www.antitrust.org/cases/microsoft/whitep.html
Stanley Sporkin, United States v. Microsoft Corp., 159 F.R.D. 318, 333-38 (D.D.C. 1995)
(Sporkin, J.), rev'd, 56 F.3d 1448 (D.C. Cir. 1995). Available at:
http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f0100/0102.htm.
An interview I had with Salon Magazine on MP3 copying: Salon interview: first, second
An Interview with ABC news about the impacts of MP3 downloading and copying on the industry
An article in the Dallas Observer that says you should love this class
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Student Assessments
Grading, Exams and Participation Information
Grading is 25% each for the first two exams, 40% for the final, and 10% for participation in
discussion boards.
The first two exams are taken online. The final is a proctored in class (or exam center) exam.
Exam 1, covering modules 1 and 2 takes place in a 3-day window that ends on Sun. October 1
at midnight.
Exam 2, covering modules 3 and 4 takes place in a 3-day window that ends on Sun. Nov 5 at
midnight.
The Final exam, which must be proctored, can be taken at UTD by attending the class exam
session on Friday, December 1, 2:00 – 5:00 pm. For those of you who are not able to attend
the exam session, you may arrange to take the final exam using testing services at some other
locations during November 27th – November 29th.
To give you an idea of what my tests are like, I include an old sample test that can be found
here.
Participation: In this course, students will use the Discussion tool for class discussions on the
related topics and a participation score will be assessed for each student based on their
postings on the Discussion board.
Students can check their grades by clicking “My Grade” under My Tools on the course menu
after the grade for each assessment task is released.
You can access the online exams (Exam 1 and Exam 2) by clicking the Assessments link on the
course menu and then clicking the available exam title links. Or see the exam link on the
designated page. Each quiz is timed and can be accessed only one time within the scheduled
time window. Please read the on-screen instructions carefully before you click “Begin
Assessment”. After each quiz is graded and released, you may go back to the Assessments
page and click “View All Submissions” to review your exam results.
Final Examination
Students who are not able to attend this exam session can individually arrange a proctored
exam with a testing service of their choice at any date within this required exam time window:
November 27th – 29th, 2006. For local students, testing service is available at UTD Learning
Resources Center (972-883-6707). Students who find UTD geographically inconvenient may
choose a testing service at a convenient location to have the exam proctored. All individually
arranged proctored exams must be completed within the required exam time window. Student
who will use either UTD testing service at Learning Resources Center or an outside testing
service, please inform the instructor and the Global MBA Online office
(gmbasupport@utdallas.edu) and complete a proctored exam form and send back to GMBA
Office before October 20, 2006. For information on arranging a proctored exam, the detailed
procedures and a downloadable exam form, please go to the Proctored Exam Information
page at: http://som.utdallas.edu/globalmba/currentstudents/proctoredexaminfo.html. All
completed exams for this course must be received by Mon. December 4, at 11:00 am CT. If
the exam can’t be received on time, an incomplete grade will be assigned for later update.
The GMBA Office requests all students who need to use testing services strictly follow the
proctored exam scheduling deadlines. If any student fails to submit the exam form on time, the
student will be required to come to campus and attend the scheduled class exam session (or
seek instructor’s approval for any special arrangements).
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Academic Calendar
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Technical Requirements
In addition to a confident level of computer and Internet literacy, certain minimum technical
requirement must be met to enable a successful learning experience. Please review the
important technical requirements and the web browser configuration information.
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This course was developed using a web course tool called WebCT. It is to be delivered entirely
online. Students will use their UTD NetID account to login to the course at:
http://webct.utdallas.edu. Please see the course access and navigation information.
To get started with a WebCT course, please see the Getting Started: Student WebCT
Orientation.
If you have any problems with your UTD account or with the UTD WebCT server, you may send
an email to: assist@utdallas.edu or call the UTD Computer Helpdesk at: 972-883-2911. If you
encounter any technical difficulties within the course site, please send an email to
gmbasupport@utdallas.edu.
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Communications
This WebCT course has built-in communication tools which will be used for interaction and
communication. Some external communication tools such as regular email and a web
conferencing tool may also be used during the semester. Please see more details about
communication tool information.
Interaction with Instructor: The instructor will communicate with students mainly using the
Announcements and Discussions tools. Students may send personal concerns or questions to
the instructor using his email address listed at the top of this syllabus. Do not use the built in
email for the instructor if you want a quick reply. The instructor will quickly reply to student
emails or Discussion board messages under normal circumstances.
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Scholastic Honesty
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Course Evaluation
As required by UTD academic regulations, every student must complete an evaluation for each
enrolled course at the end of the semester. Death or dismemberment is the penalty for failing to
complete the evaluation. An online instructional assessment form will be made available for your
confidential use. Please look for the course evaluation link on the course Homepage towards
the end of the course.
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University Policies
Student Conduct & Discipline
The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and
regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.
The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1,
Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are
available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).
A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to
discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.
Academic Integrity
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a
high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty
involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.
Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of
turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.
Email Use
The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email
exchange. The university encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the
university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with university personnel.
The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.
The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle
withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.
Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.
In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or
committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in
writing to the respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not resolved by the School
Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic
appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.
Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.
As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the
subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.
Disability Services
The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30
p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in
the case of dog guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students with mobility impairments
may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.
It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals
requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office hours.
The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable
time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam
or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.
If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or
examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and
instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.
Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information regarding these rules and regulations may be found at the website address given
below. Additional information is available from the office of the school dean. (http://www.utdallas.edu/Business Affairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm)
These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the
Professor.
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