The main idea of the assignment is to find a contemporary article in the business press and show that
it is an example of a topic that we covered in class. The article should not be about the topic itself.
For example, if it were 2001, you could use an article about the government’s antitrust case against
Microsoft, but you could not use an article about the concept of monopolies in general, since you can
read about that in Browning and Zupan anyway. More specific instructions are below.
The assignment is due in class on May 8. I am expecting you to come to class and turn in a hard copy
of the paper, but if you aren’t coming to class, you can email me the paper and the relevant article
that goes with it before 7:00pm on May 8. If you choose to submit your paper by email, it will not be
returned to you. The paper should be typed and double spaced. It is not necessary to put it in any kind
of special binder or folder.
1. By “contemporary,” I mean the article should be dated 2014. Be sure to acquire a printed copy
of the article and turn it in with your paper. Make sure it includes the date and the source that
it came from.
2. In your paper, make sure you answer these questions:
a. What is the article about? (Summarize it for me.)
b. What topic in price theory is applicable to the article?
c. What did I say about this topic in class that relates to the article?
(It doesn’t have to be an exact quote.)
Alternatively, what did Browning and Zupan say about it? (Include page numbers if
citing the text.)
d. Does price theory provide insight into the situation? If so, how? If not, why not?
3. I don’t like to assign a specific length for the paper. I am expecting it to be 2-5 pages.
This is a writing assignment, so writing counts. Other criteria include your ability to integrate what was
taught in the classroom with a real-world situation, and, to a lesser extent, your originality in choosing
the article and application of price theory.
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