Undergraduate Course: Digital Economy and Policy (BUST10165)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course aims to provide students with a unique insight into various policies that play important roles in the effective and healthy development of the digital economy. Government policies in the digital era are constantly evolving with the rapid digitisation of businesses and the wider economic activities. Awareness of and compliance with these policies are indispensable for the prudent operation of any business. A thorough understanding of current and potential future government interventions is also essential to the design of corporate strategies. Topics covered will include personal and algorithmic pricing, privacy and cybersecurity policies, as well as regulation and consumer protection. |
| Course description |
As a key ingredient, this course provides knowledge on relevant policies and regulations in digital markets. It also provides theoretical foundations and practical relevance of these policies. This provides students with the necessary knowledge to develop an understanding of current and potential future government interventions, which is essential for businesses and the broader digital economy.
Outline Content:
-Introduction to key concepts in the digital economy
-Economics of platforms and regulation
-Behavioural biases and consumer policy
-Personalised and algorithmic pricing
-Privacy and cybersecurity policy
This course is research-driven and draws from recent policy debates and academic research. Students are expected to attend lectures, engage with case studies during seminars, and contribute to the discussion of topical issues in digital markets. The course also contains guest lectures, including potentially those from the Competition and Markets Authority, who has an office in Edinburgh and a new Digital Markets Unit and has successfully collaborated with our institution on student projects in the recent past. These guest lectures provide practical insights into how businesses can comply with the relevant laws and regulations governing digital markets.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed
Business Economics (BUST08005)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 72 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
30% coursework (individual) - assesses all course Learning Outcomes
70% coursework (individual) - assesses all course Learning Outcomes |
| Feedback |
Formative: Feedback will be provided throughout the course.
Summative: Feedback will be provided on the assessment within agreed deadlines. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of principal concepts and theories in the digital economy.
- Apply these concepts and theories to analyse relevant cases and markets and offer professional insights, interpretations and solutions to problems and issues within the digital economy.
- Critically evaluate the impact of current and future regulations on businesses and consumers.
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Reading List
Crawford, G., Crémer, J., Dinielli, D., Fletcher, A., Heidhues, P., Luca, M., Salz, T., Schnitzer, M., Scott Morton, F. M., Seim, K. and Sinkinson, M. (2023) Consumer Protection for Online Markets and Large Digital Platforms, Yale Journal on Regulation
Chicago Booth (2019) Stigler Committee on Digital Platforms, Final Report, https://www.chicagobooth.edu/research/stigler/news-and-media/committee-on-digital-platforms-final-report
Ezrachi, A. and Stucke, Maurice. (2020) Sustainable and Unchallenged Algorithmic Collusion, Northwestern Journal of Technology & Intellectual Property, 17(2)
Ennis, S. and Lam, W. (2021) Personalised Pricing and Disclosure¿, UK Government, BEIS Research Paper, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personalised-pricing-and-disclosure |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
After completing this course, students should be able to:
Communication, ICT, and Numeracy Skills
-Critically evaluate and present digital and other sources, research methods, data and information; discern
their limitations, accuracy, validity, reliability and suitability; and apply responsibly in a wide variety of
organisational contexts
Knowledge and Understanding
-Demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of contemporary organisational disciplines;
comprehend the role of business within the contemporary world; and critically evaluate and synthesise primary
and secondary research and sources of evidence in order to make, and present, well informed and transparent
organisation-related decisions, which have a positive global impact.
-Identify, define and analyse theoretical and applied business and management problems, and develop
approaches, informed by an understanding of appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative techniques, to explore
and solve them responsibly |
| Keywords | Digital markets,economics,policy,regulation |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Wynne Lam
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Leah Byrne
Tel:
Email: |
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