Economics of Information Products

• 26 hrs lectures
• 6 hrs exercises
• 12 hrs pc labs
• 8 hrs projects

• 56 pts final exam
• 20 pts mid-term test
• 6 pts labs
• 18 pts projects

The main goal of the course is an explanation of factors determining a success of ICT products in context of their modern usage. The principal domain is the use of standard microeconomic analyses in a very fast changing area of information products and infrastructure. Key aspects are: intellectual property and copyright, branch regulations, and structure of information sectors.

• Ability to apply the basic economical principles into the present and constantly changing online economics.
• Ability to define and formulate IT product´s market as the specific market for good and identify the basic characteristic of the present ICT environment in a broader context of today´s society.
• Ability to identify the costs of production of information and market structure for information goods.
• Understanding of customer strategies during the product selection.
• Ability to apply the economical tools for the purpose of a critical appraisal the possibilities for pricing and versioning of information goods.
• Ability to identify industrial branches and products usable as closed and positive feedback. Explanation of an impact of the standards on information products and technology.
• Critical appraisal of the effects and impacts of the present and planned government measures for IS/IT domain.

• MALLYA, T.: Základy strategického řízení a rozhodování. 1. vydání. Praha: Grada Publishing a.s., 2007. ISBN: 80-24719-11-8.
• ZUZÁK, R.: Strategické řízení podniku. 1. vydání. Praha: Grada Publishing a.s., 2011. ISBN 978-80-247-4008-9.
• Macho-Stadler And J. D. Perez-Castrillo. An Introduction to the Economics of Information: Incentives and Contracts. 2001. 0-19-924325-5
• P. Bolton, M. Dewatripont. Contract Theory. 2005. 978-026202576
• B. Salanie. The Economics of Contracts. 2005. 978-026219525
• Veber, Jaromír a kol.(2000): Management: Základy, prosperita, globalizace.
• COURCOUBETIS, C., Weber, R.: Pricing Communication Networks: Economics, Technology and Modelling. Wiley,2003. ISBN: 978-0-470-85130.
• FOTR, J., HÁJEK, S. a kol.: Tvorba strategie a strategické plánování. 1. vydání. Praha: Grada Publishing a.s., 2012. ISBN 978-80-247-3985-4.
• JANOUCH, V.: Internetový marketing. 1. vydání Praha: Computer Press, 2010. ISBN 978-80-251-2795-7.

1. Introduction - basic terms and definitions (IT product, strategy, information goods etc.)
2. Information society
3. Information & creative economy
4. Innovation Management - basic concepts
5. Science, Technology & Society (STS)
6. Digital marketing - part I. (basic concepts, introduction to brand management)
7. Digital marketing - part II. (types of digital marketing, metrics to measure success) 
8. Pricing & versioning of IT products - different strategies 
9. Software Assets Management (SAM)
10. Copyright, different types of licences
11. "Lock-in" & "Vendor lock-in" problem, switching costs
12. Networks economy
13. Standards & compatibility

• Introduction to JA StartUp program
• Solution of the partial tasks (documentation, firm´s logo, production of a promotional video for your product etc.)
• Critical appraisal of the project

The individual task (4 points).
The project (14 points).
PC labs (6 points).
A mid-term test (20 points).
A final exam (56 points).

A mid-term test, individual task, presentation of the project, a final exam. The minimal number of points which can be obtained from the final exam is 20. Otherwise, no points will be assigned to the student.
The attandance in PC labs is awarded points. A possibility of  a substitute is by an individual task.

By email.