ECF5020 - The economics of e-commerce

Leader: Dr He-Ling Shi

Offered

Not offered in 2008

Synopsis

The Nasdaq might be unstable but e-commerce has arrived and is an important aspect of the new global economy. This subject investigates the economics of e-commerce: how e-commerce is changing the transactions costs of international trade and within an organisation the economics of production; whether e-commerce improves market transparency and competition; the risks of e-commerce; the impact of e-commerce on production, inflation and growth. We analyse how governments foster competitiveness and the response of companies to the new opportunities.

Objectives

The learning goals associated with this unit are to:

• appreciate the theory of transaction cost analysis and how this applies to e-commerce
• understand the practical economic impact of e-commerce on transactions costs within the global economy and Australia and the wider impact of e-commerce on production, inflation and aggregate economic growth
• grasp how e-ecommerce impacts on the economics of competition and in turn requires regulation
• demonstrate an understanding of the unit in written and oral work which stresses the policy implications of e-commerce for various players in the global economy, the role of regulation and how this regulation impacts on the transactions costs of e-commerce.

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 50%+ Examination (3 hours): 50%

Contact hours

Lectures and seminar: 3 hours per week

Prerequisites

Completion of four of the 4000 level units in the Master of Applied Economics