This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Postgraduate Handbook 2025-2026 (archived)
Module ECON44215: Industrial Organisation
Department: Economics
ECON44215: Industrial Organisation
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tied | 4 | 15 | Available in 2025/2026 | None. | Durham |
Tied To
Pre-requisites
- None
Corequisites
- None
Excluded Combinations
- None
Aims
- To develop advanced knowledge and analytical skills in the theory and practice of industrial organisation.
Content
- The module focuses on market structures, strategic interaction between firms, and competition policy, in particular regulation. Topics may include:
- Imperfect competition
- Pricing Strategies
- Advertising
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Contestable markets and barriers to entry
- Technology and innovation
- Industry regulation and competition policy
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- be able to develop critical knowledge of scholarly literature at the frontier of research in the field of industrial organisation;
- have explored, understood and appreciated key developments in industrial organisation and their implications for professional practice, and identify open questions for potential independent research in the field;
- be able to critically discuss contemporary issues in the fields of industrial organisation, competition policy and industry regulation and think critically on anti-competitive practices in industries where policy intervention may be needed.
Subject-specific Skills
- be able to apply advanced problem-solving and analytical skills to complex issues in industrial organisation;
- be able to offer policy recommendations in the field of industrial organisation informed by the knowledge and analytical skills acquired in the module.
Key Skills
- Written Communication;
- Planning, Organising and Time Management;
- Problem Solving and Analysis;
- Using initiative;
- Numeracy;
- Computer Literacy.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- A combination of lectures, seminars and guided reading will contribute to achieving the aims and learning outcomes of this module. The seminars will train the students to solve analytical problems in the theory of industrial organisation, identify and critically discuss its applications as well as giving students opportunity to identify research questions.
- The written examination will primarily test students’ knowledge and critical understanding of the material covered in the module in addition to their analytical and problem-solving skills.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 | 1 per week | 2 hour | 20 | |
| Seminars | 4 | Fortnightly | 1 hour | 4 | Yes |
| Revision Classes | 1 | Once | 2 hour | 2 | |
| Preparation and Reading | 124 | ||||
| Total | 150 | ||||
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exam | 100% | On Campus Written Examination | 2 hour | 100% |
Formative Assessment
One formative assessment to prepare students for the summative exam.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.