As a crucial subfield of economics, microeconomics examines the decisions of individual economic agents (households, businesses, government, etc.) and their implications for society within an institutional context.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Understand and critically reflect on core areas of microeconomic theory (including key concepts of game theory) and apply them to practical issues.
- Apply acquired mathematical skills to solve concrete problems using formal models of microeconomics.
- Differentiate between various market structures (competition, monopoly, monopsony, oligopoly), derive corresponding entrepreneurial pricing and quantity decisions, and determine welfare effects.
- Evaluate and critically compare entrepreneurial strategies (including price discrimination and bundling, product differentiation, mergers and collaborations, advertising, research and development) depending on different market situations.
- Recognize various causes of market failure and develop corrective measures.
Acquiring these knowledge and skills provides students with a sufficient foundation for advanced (micro-)economically oriented courses.
Additionally, this course promotes the following skills among students:
- The ability to apply theoretical concepts to practical issues.
- Structuring analytical problem statements and developing solutions.
- Utilizing basic mathematical tools for deriving optimal courses of action.
- Teamwork and ability to engage in discourse.