Business Economics - MECO 6303 Room: SM 1.

217
Spring Semester, 2006 T: 7 – 9:45 (214) 922-5343 - (Office)
bob.formaini@dal.frb.org Office: By appt. only

Text

Custom text is a combination of Steve Landsburg’s Price Theory and Applications, and
Gregory Mankiw’s Principles of Macroeconomics, put in one “text” by UTD’s Peter
Lewin and titled Business Economics. (Revised for Summer, 2005 - earlier edition okay).
.
Additional Sources Worth Consulting When AConfused,@ or Just AIn General@

Alchian and Allen, University Economics* (or) Exchange and Production; George Stigler,
The Theory of Price or The Structure of Industry; Browning and Browning,
Microeconomics: Theory and Policy; or Edwin Mansfield, Microeconomics.

Grade

There will be three examinations. Each will count 1/3 toward the final grade. NO EXTRA
CREDIT WORK WILL BE ASSIGNED FOR ANY REASON, and there will be no homework
assignments. Students are expected to read ahead prior to lectures and be prepared in
the classroom. Students will bring a Scantron 882-E with them for the tests; a wrong
Scantron - or answering in ink - will result in a grade of zero - (0) - on that quiz. So: be
prepared with proper materials.

Attendance

There will be no make-up quizzes. If you miss a quiz for any reason other than acute,
documented illness, you will fail. Business travel, weddings, and all other excuses will
NOT be accepted. Classes are analogous to business meetings - be there or be fired. If
you know now that you will miss a quiz - and decide to do so, regardless of this policy -
then you should drop this class immediately. No exceptions.

****** Last day to drop with a “W” is Friday, March 24th *****

(Tentative) Schedule*

January:

10: Opening class, introductory materials.

17: Chapters 14, 1 and 2
24: Chapters 3 and 4
31: Chapter 8
Business Economics
Syllabus - Page Two
Spring, 2006

February:

7: Chapter 8 - (Chapters 3 and 4 for Monday class also)

14: QUIZ #1 - Consumers and Supply/Demand
21: Chapters 5 and 6
28: Chapters 7 and 8

March:
7: SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS
14: Chapters 9 and 10
21: Chapters 11 and 13
28: QUIZ #2 - Firms and Market Structure

April:

4: Instructor away
11: Chapters 17 and 18
18: Chapters 19 and 20
25: QUIZ #3 - Macro Topics

NOTE: In summer classes where there are only 11 class meetings, quizzes may precede
or follow lectures. (During summers, this will not normally be the case unless holidays
fall on class days, which they tend to do on Mondays.) Students, therefore, must fully
prepare in advance for every class...this is intensely packed in terms of time, so be
prepared if you are taking a Monday class!

* ** The instructor reserves the right to modify the schedule if he deems it necessary.

Withdrawals

Students alone are responsible for the official and proper withdrawal from class and all
school deadlines and paperwork relating there unto.
Students whose names appear on the roll will receive whatever grade they have earn-

Business Economics
Syllabus - Page Three
Spring, 2006

ed, regardless of their attendance or lack thereof. Please do the paperwork if you drop
- it's well worth it in the long run! March 24th: final day for all students to withdraw.

Miscellaneous

If you are weak in geometric analysis/algebra, you will need to study/review that area as
quickly and as thoroughly as possible. There are many helpful paperbacks along the
lines of AMath for Economists...@ etc; that would be useful to you, but do find help and
get on with it immediately if you fall into this category!

Attendance is not taken and you will not be penalized for absences except when
missing a quiz. However, please note the following three items:

(1) The instructor does not appreciate students walking out of his lectures. Better not
to show up in the first place if you think that you have something more important to do
that night. Also, if there is a class break given and many students do not return from it,
that will be the last break of the semester for everyone.

(2) The instructor reserves the right, under certain circumstances, to reward class at-
tendance even though he is not penalizing class non-attendance.

Best policy? VERY GOOD > (PERFECT!!) < ATTENDANCE!

(3) Please turn off all pagers, cell phones or other electronic devices during lectures.
Please do not use tape recorders without expressed permission of the instructor.

**** Save your Scantrons - they are the only evidence of your grades except what I
write down! If you cannot produce your quiz Scantron, there is no basis upon which
you can challenge any grade awarded to you. SO: Do NOT throw them away!!

All challenges to individual quiz answers must be done by the class following the quiz
return class, and not after that - EVER. If you miss those two classes, that’s your
problem for any disputed answer(s) on that particular quiz. No exceptions.

Absolutely no pencils/erasers in any student’s hands when a quiz is being gone over
after Scantrons have been returned.

Business Economics
Spring - 2006
Page Four

About the Instructor:

If students are interested, they can visit www.dallasfed.org. Click on “Economic

Research,” then on “Economists,” then on his name. Or search that site with his last
name, or just “Google” his name.

Good luck this semester!