Each year I teach COMM/FRE 295 and FRE 501. Please note that registration in FRE 501 is restricted to students who are enrolled in the Masters of Food and Resource Economics (MFRE) program
COMM/FRE 295
Managerial Economics Syllabus 2020 COMM 295 101 102
I have taught this course for the past 16 years with an occasional break.
This course covers the economic foundations of managerial decision making. Topics include the supply and demand model, the empirical analysis of demand, consumer choice, production and costs, the organization of the firm, price determination under perfect competition and monopoly, strategies for pricing with market power, oligopoly, monopolistic competition, applications of game theory to business strategy, decision–making under uncertainty, asymmetric information, the agency problem, and market failure. The course uses a variety of mathematical techniques, including graphs, algebra, and calculus.
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FRE 501
Commodity Markets and Price Analysis
FRE 501 examines the economics of commodity prices over time and space. The course begins by constructing a model of which incorporates quarterly decision making concerning domestic consumption, export sales and storage. Of particular interest is how prices are impacted by the arrival of new information such as the size of the up-and-coming harvest. Commodity futures contracts are then incorporated into the model, which provides the necessary framework for the study of hedging. The risk and return from hedging is linked to the market basis and the market forward curve. The course concludes with an in-depth examination of options on commodity futures. The lab component of this course consists of students using time series econometric analysis of commodity prices to complete an empirical project