ECN263 Food Industry Economics

Credits (ECTS):5

Course responsible:Eystein Ystad

Campus / Online:Online

Teaching language:Norsk

Course frequency:Annually

Nominal workload:125 hours

Teaching and exam period:The course starts in the June block. The course has teaching/evaluation in the June block.

About this course

  • Food supply chains: Horizontal and vertical relations and structural characteristics, types of ownership, market power and competition, strategy formation and sources of competitive advantage in food markets.
  • Food sector as industrial clusters: Agglomeration effects in food industries, the Norwegian bio-economy in a global perspective, innovation systems in the food sector.
  • Food sector policies: From private to social value added, national competitiveness, the case for regulation, food safety, food security, trade policy, intellectual property rights.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

  • Overview of structures, competitive conditions and regulations in the food value chains.
  • Insight into framework conditions and central instruments for regulation of the Norwegian food sector (import protection, competition policy, market arrangements).
  • Knowledge of strategic market behavior in the value chain for food (vertical integration, market segments, product development, branding, business system, etc.)
  • Knowledge of results in the food sector (value creation, employment, consumer welfare, food safety, etc.)

Skills:

  • Be able to analyze and understand the food sector as a market and discuss structural development, strategic positioning and regulatory needs in the food markets.

General competence:

  • Have insight into the interrelationship between political and structural framework conditions and the actors' room for action and behavior in the food sector, and the social consequences of this.
  • Lectures, guest lectures, group work and discussions on Zoom, individual literature studies and voluntary colloquium work.

    The teaching will take place on Zoom, and recordings of the lectures will be posted on Canvas.

  • Active participation during classroom lectures is helpful together with efforts to understand, structure and solve tentative issues for examination. Lecturerer will be available during teaching period after classroom lectures and may be contacted by phone and e-mail.
  • ECN110 Microeconomics I - How to Think Like an Economist
  • Final written home examination (3,5 hours) accounts for 100% of the grade.
  • External examiner will approve questions and tasks for examination and evaluate a selection of papers.
  • Compulsory attendance at the lectures. Compulsory activities are valid until the next time the course is offered.
  • 9 lectures of 3 hours each.
  • Letter grades
  • Minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway (generell studiekompetanse).