DMSQF ECO2101 Microeconomics
CA1 Individual Project - Instructions for Students
July 2024 Semester (BLENDED)
CA1 Individual Project Assessment
n This CA1 constitutes 30% of the overall ECO2101 Microeconomics course assessment. Rationale of Individual Project
n This individual project allows you to pursue authentic learning and to apply theories taught in class to real world situations. This encourages independence and self-confidence as well as developing one’s thinking and analytical skills when working through real world situations.
Choosing Product Market for Analysis
n This project involves choosing product(s) for your project analysis, using microeconomics concepts discussed in Lectures 1 to 5.
n The product or service market can be either general or specific, local, or international.
n Some examples of product or service market:
• Smartphones (general)
• Apple iphone (specific brand in the smartphone market)
• Starbuck Coffee in China (local, specific to a country)
• Coffee (international)
Choosing Articles as References for Analysis
n Search through newspapers sources (other sources are strictly not permitted), either in print or online for THREE (3) articles based on the product market you have chosen. Articles should contain real world situations. Articles that contain analysis or researched by others should not be used. The articles must be related to the concepts discussed in Lectures 1 to 5.
n Articles must be from 1st April 2024 onwards.
n The articles selected should be in English and based on the following topics:
Article 1 - Lecture Topic 1: PPF and Opportunity Cost
Must include shift in PPF, PPF curve shape and opportunity cost analysis
Article 2 - Lecture Topic 3: Market Equilibrium and Efficiency
Must include change in Demand or Supply or Both determinants, changes in equilibrium quantity and price, market efficiency and changes in surplus analysis.
Article 3 - Lecture Topic 4: Elasticity
Must include type of elasticity, price and total revenue analysis.
OR
- Lecture Topic 5: Utility and Demand
Must include budget line and consumer equilibrium analysis.
n Select THREE (3) articles on the SAME PRODUCT (for example, all 3 articles on coffee) or DIFFERENT PRODUCTS (for example, 1st article on coffee, 2nd article on apparel and 3rd article on smartphone).
Analysing your Product Market
n For each article, identify the event(s) or phenomena. Summarise these events in your own words.
n Analyse these events using the appropriate microeconomic concepts. Economic diagram(s), where applicable must be drawn to support your analysis. Reproducing or paraphrasing the article does NOT constitute an analysis.
n The following are some suggestions for the analysis:
Using PPF concept to analyse a reduction in the production of crops due to natural disasters like earthquakes or flood (lecture 1 topic; the product can be wheat or coffee or cocoa)
Using market equilibrium analysis to analyse the rise of price of oil due to a shortage in supply or excess in demand (lecture 3 topic; the product here is oil) or using market equilibrium analysis to analyse the changes in the price of semiconductor chips due to the high demand and reduced supply of semiconductor chips (the product here is semiconductor).
Using price elasticity of demand to analyse the elasticity of oil as price of oil rises due essential needs and no close substitutability or shortage in supply and the impact on the consumer expenditure on oil consumption (lecture 4 topic; the product here is oil)
Using utility and demand to analyse on household consumption choices (lecture 5 topic: income, budget constraints and utility)
Writing your Report
n Use Calibri Font Size 12pt. Number your pages. Use single line spacing. Do a full justification (that is both left and right justified) of your report.
n The report should be between 900 to 1,300 words (including cover, content and reference page)
n Use the template in Appendix 1 for your report format.
• Limit each analysis to one page.
• Begin each analysis on a new page. For example, analysis 2.1 on a new page, analysis 2.2 on a new page, and soon.
• Ensure consistency throughout the report. For example, consistent formatting (such as same font type and font size, same line spacing) throughout the whole report; diagrams are all drawn using the same software such as Powerpoint and not some diagrams are drawn using PowerPoint and some using Word or Excel software. Diagrams should not hand drawn.
Report Grading
n This is a short report. The key to a good report is to be clear and concise. Report will be graded on the various report components, namely Introduction, Article Summary, Analysis, Diagrams, Conclusion, References as well as Report Consistency.
• Marking Scheme
|
Items
|
Marking Scheme
|
|
Introduction
|
8 marks
|
|
Article Summary
|
18 marks
|
|
Analysis
|
39 marks
|
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Economic Diagram
|
18 marks
|
|
Conclusion
|
8 marks
|
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References
|
3 marks
|
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Report Consistency
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6 marks
|
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Total
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100 marks
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• Penalty will be imposed for
o 20% for late submission of report (within one (1) day after the submission dateline)
o Up to 20% for use of non-newspaper sources
o Up to 20% for not adhering to dates of articles
o Up to 10% for not adhering to the maximum limit of 1,300 words
o Plagiarism, which includes copying from student’s own report submitted previously to
SIMGE or other educational institutions, other student reports, any other sources and
copying of economics diagrams from google or other sources. Any use of chatbot or any
system powered by artificial intelligence, software or otherwise is considered as plagiarism.
Submission of Report
n Submit the Word format of your report online via Canvas by 24 July 2024 11:59am. Reports submitted through other ways (e.g., through email or hardcopy to the lecturer or the school) will not be accepted.
Appendix 1
ECO2101 Microeconomics
CA1 Individual Project
24 July 2024
1. Introduction x
2. Analysis:
(The Analysis sub-titles below are for illustration purposes)
(The illustration below is where all the 3 articles are from the SAME product. You could also have the 3 articles from DIFFERENT products.)
2.1 Analysis 1 – Apple’s iphone 8 and iphone 8 Plus Models x
(Topic 1: PPF and Opportunity Cost)
2.2 Analysis 2 – iphone Market Share Increased x
- Shift in Demand for Bigger Size iphone 8 plus (Topic 3: Market Equilibrium)
2.3 Analysis 3 – Premium Pricing for iphone x
(Topic 4: Inelastic Demand and Total Revenue)
OR
Analysis 3 – Income and consumption of two goods (Topic 5: Utility and Demand)
4. References x
1 Introduction
(One paragraph to explain or discuss why you have selected the product(s) for your report.)
(One paragraph to summarise the analysis of all the three articles.)
2 Analysis
2.1 Analysis 1 – Apple’s iphone 8 and iphone 8 Plus Models (Topic 1: PPF and Opportunity Cost)
Source : Quote the source of the article or if the article is obtained from the web, quote the web address
Summary
(One paragraph summarising the key event(s) in the article)
Analysis
(One to two paragraphs on analysing the key event(s) using microeconomic concepts)
(Economic diagram(s) to support the analysis)
2.2 Analysis 2 – iphone Market Share Increased - Shift in Demand for Bigger Size iphone 8 (Topic 3: Market Equilibrium)
Source : Quote the source of the article or if the article is obtained from the web, quote the web address
Summary
(One paragraph summarising the key event(s) in the article)
Analysis
(Two to three paragraphs on analysing the key event(s) using microeconomic concepts)
(Economic diagram(s) to support the analysis)
2.3 Analysis 3 – Premium Pricing for iphone
(Topic 4: Inelastic Demand and Total Revenue)
OR
Analysis 3 – Income and consumption of two goods (Topic 5: Utility and Demand)
Source : Quote the source of the article or if the article is obtained from the web, quote the web address
Summary
(One paragraph summarising the key event(s) in the article)
Analysis
(Two to three paragraphs on analysing the key event(s) using microeconomic concepts)
(Economic diagram(s) to support the analysis)
3 Conclusion
One paragraph on the overall summary of all the analysis.
(The objective is to present an overall view or coherent view of all the analysis. It is NOT to be written in a ‘listing’ style where all the key analysis is listed one by one from each topic).
References
(Use either APA or Harvard Referencing Method)
n List the sources of all the articles.
n List also other sources of reference, data, or materials used in your report.