Paper assignment
Students will prepare one research paper. The research paper will be modeled on academic style economic research and will be on any managerial economics topic. Your research paper should motivate a particular economic question, describe the related literature, and motivate and undertake an empirical analysis, and you should conclude your research paper with a set of recommendations. Since the objective of this course is to learn and apply tools of economic analysis, the research paper assignment will provide an opportunity for application of these skills in a real world setting. Your paper should be at least a 10 page (double spaced, 12 point font) analysis.
This approach is fine for any students who want to do it this way. However, given the makeup of the class, and the topics that we have focused on, you can write a different style of paper. You can write about issues in managerial economics that you see in the world around you. These issues can be public sector or private sector issues. Here are some ideas, though these are definitely not the only possible topics:
(Public) The Metropolitan Washington Coalition of Governments recently released the Visualize 2045 transportation plan. Comment thoroughly on the plan, describing all the ways in which the plan either does or does not follow the principles or attain the goals that a graduate of this class might follow or set for this plan. Be comprehensive; cover all forms of transportation, and discuss them in an economic framework. For example, what is the price elasticity of transit rides? Take an educated guess, and tell us (remember, you present to the class) what that implies for policy.
(Private) Visit two or three retail competitors in a similar space, or two or three retail locations of a company that operate very differently from one another. For example, visit an urban Trader Joes and a suburban Safeway. What is different? Why? Do these similarities or differences make sense in the context of this course? Alternatively, visit an urban Ace Hardware and a rural Ace Hardware. What makes sense and what doesnt make sense? Take pictures. Be specific. Literally every piece of a stores layout was an affirmative decision by somebody at some time, and keeping it that way is a consistent passive decision by management. What is different between Cava and Chipotle? What kind of market do they operate in? Are they profit maximizing? Are they in short run or long run equilibrium? You have 10 pages and you are trying to earn a graduate degree; prove to us that you know something or learned something.
(Public) What does managerial economics tell us about how to respond to recent climate change reports?
(Private) What would you be doing right now if you ran a wireless phone network, like Verizon or Sprint? What about if you ran a cable company, like Comcast? How about satellite TV like DirecTV?
An application of managerial economics to something from your job, if you are currently working.
