PRESENTATION

The main assignment in this course is for each of you to give a presentation on some aspect of the Economics of Information.  The idea is that, through these presentations, we will all get an even broader exposure to the field than the assigned readings provide.  These presentations will be posted on assigned dates during the last few weeks of the semester.

There are a couple of possibilities for this assignment.  First, you can do a more in-depth investigation of some topic in the Economics of Information that is covered only briefly on the syllabus.  Second, you can investigate some topic that is not covered on the syllabus.  Either way, you will need to find references that go beyond those cited on the syllabus.

New! In addition to focusing on a particular topic in the economics of information, your presentation should also explore how this particular topic impacts information services (e.g., libraries).  Here is an example of what I have in mind:  In Information Rules, Shapiro and Varian discuss the phenomenon of lock-in.  A consumer has been locked-in by a supplier if she faces significant costs if she wants to switch to a new supplier.  For example, she might have to spend a lot of money training employees to use this new product.  Also, she might have to spend a lot of money to make the rest of her system compatible with this new product.  As Shapiro and Varian point out, lock-in is something that any consumer of information (or of information technology) faces.  However, a presentation on this topic should (among other things) discuss how lock-in affect information services in particular.  For example, with regard to which information goods (e.g., databases, journals, OPACs) is a library most susceptible to lock-in?

There are a number of sources that you can turn to as you look for possible topics (and for literature on the topic that you choose).  First, the Kingma text has a very extensive bibliography of articles on the economics of information.  (Many of these articles look specifically at how the economics of information impacts information services.)  In addition, you might want to look at the links on Varian’s web site on “The Information Economy.”

The Fine Print

As part of developing your presentation, you will give a brief (5 to 10 minute) proposal to the class during the second weekend session (October 27th and 28th).  In particular, you will describe the topic/question that your online presentation will address and what the methodology will be.  The rest of class and I will then offer feedback that should be factored into the final online presentation.

The final online presentations will be hosted on WebCT. You should think of your presentation as your own virtual lecture. Among other things, this means that you should respond to questions and comments about your presentation. In fact, as part of the presentation grade, you must post a question or a comment about at least three of the other presentations.  (A discussion forum has already been created for each presentation.)

You will need to get my approval on your topic ahead of time.

The presentations will be posted in the "Presentations" area.  (Web space for each of your presentations has already been created.)  Each of you will post your presentation on a different day. The presentation must be posted by midnight MST on the designated day. Thus, the rest of the class will be able to access your presentation on the following day.

You can sign up for any of the following dates: November 12, November 13, November 14, November 15, November 16, November 19, November 20, November 26, November 27, November 28, November 29, November 30, December 3, December 4.  Send me a message via WebCT Mail with at least a couple of possible dates.  I will try to accommodate everyone's preferences as well as I can.

Contact Shelly Drumm if you have any technical problems posting your presentation to WebCT.

Please send me questions about this assignment via the "Presentation Questions" forum or via my WebCT Mail.