Be sure that you have carefully read the instructions for participating in the weekly discussion forums, especially as regards what is acceptable as a current news article.
n Chapter 7 the textbook explores the topic of why firms in some industries tend to be smaller or larger than firms in other industries. It actually presents a model of “optimal” firm size. One force shaping optimal firm size is the subject of another Discussion Forum: shirking and the difficulty of managing larger and larger enterprises, which the book introduces as the Principal-Agent Problem. Too often managers seem to have a bias in favor of larger firms. If that pushes the firm beyond its optimal size, costs will rise, profits will suffer, and shareholders may start selling their shares. (NOTE: we will explore the topic of growth by way of mergers and acquisitions in a later forum.)
For this Discussion Forum, find a current news article that deals in some way with how firms can solve the Principal-Agent Problem and how the problem can limit the efficient size of firms.
Online Discussion Expectations
Discussion is an integral part of the classroom
experience. Individual participation and
contribution to online discussion sessions is encouraged and expected.
Here are qualities of a full-credit student post (adapted
from Sloan Consortium http://www.sloan-c.org):
·
Substantial – cites PowerPoint, textbook, or
video segments
·
Concise – focused response.
·
Provocative – student asks a question to
facilitate discussion
·
Interpretative – expands concepts or connects
ideas in new ways
·
Timely – posted within set time limits
·
Grammatical – free of writing errors
A student should not make all contributions in one or two
days. In order to receive full-credit
for discussion, you are encouraged to participate in the discussion at various
times throughout the discussion week.
The vast majority of the Discussion Forums are tied to the
chapters in the textbook – one for each of the twelve chapters. These forums
require that the student make a substantial original post (500 words – NOT
counting the hyperlink and reference)
The original posts must include a working link to a current
news article (NOT an article from a professional journal) as well as an
APA style reference for the article.
One of the goals for this class is for students to use
concepts introduced in the course to analyze current issues in managerial
economics, hence the emphasis on current news articles.
·
Current
means an article that is recent – published within the last six months or so.
·
News
means an article from a recognized news source such as a daily newspaper or a
weekly or monthly news magazine.
Online versions of those sources are fine, but BEWARE the
use of online articles from websites that are devoted to a particular point of
view, whether it be progressive or conservative. Why? Because they usually put too much of a
spin on what is supposed to be a news report. Also do not use articles from
online encyclopedias. While they may provide information on the topic at hand,
but it will be definitions and history as opposed to current news.
HINT: When doing a Google search, below the box where you
enter what you are searching for, select “News.”)
Because these Discussion Forums linked to the individual
chapters are a key part of assessing the student’s mastery of key concepts
presented in the class, full credit requires applying concepts from the
textbook in analyzing the chosen news article – summarizing the article is
unnecessary and inadequate.
Responses to original posts must go beyond nice job” or “I
agree with your post.” For full credit they must advance the analysis in some
way – perhaps by reference to the news article selected by the respondee.
Points will be deducted on original posts if:
·
They are late
·
They fail to meet the required word minimum
·
The article is not current (within the last six
months)
·
The article is not a news article
·
The article is short and offers little for
analysis
·
The post is summary rather than analysis
·
The post fails to reference material from the
textbook
·
The post fails to include a working hyperlink
that can be used by others to read the article
·
The post fails to include an APA reference
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