The Economics Network

Improving economics teaching and learning for over 20 years

Microeconomic Case Studies

An Economics Network funded project 2006-7

Project leader: Ms. A. Vindelyn Smith-Hillman
Contact: Vindelyn.smith-hillman@northampton.ac.uk

  1. Supermarkets under scrutiny: Competition Policy inaction?
  2. Game of Monopoly? Argos/Littlewoods Price fixing Agreement
  3. Football shirts: A case of Unfair Competition

The case studies aim to provide an applied contemporary vehicle to engage economic students in an area of familiarity. All too often microeconomics is perceived as being essentially a theoretical tool in which models and accompanying diagrams are memorised with little understanding of their significance in policy application.

It is anticipated that the case study approach will foster analytical development and also cater to mainstream business students who are taking an economics minor thereby widening participation in economic disciplines.

It is also intended that the case study vehicle provides a means of reaching out to developing country economic lecturers through suggesting alternative assessment. It affords the opportunity for oral assessment as against sole reliance on written assessment. In addition to written skills therefore, it offers the potential for development of social skills and enables students to learn by doing. Similar cases can be developed for the developing country context, in any case anti-competitive conduct pursued by a multinational corporation is often not isolated to a particular region, or if it is, developing countries bear the brunt.

Creative Commons LicenseThese materials are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.

See also case studies of mathematical concepts in Economics