COURSE SYLLABUS
School of Management
The University of Texas at
Dallas
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Fall
2017 |
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The Regulation of Business and Financial Markets |
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Instructor: |
Peter Lewin |
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Home Page: |
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Semester Start/End Date: |
August 21 - December 6,
2017 |
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FIN 3340 |
Regulation of
Business and Financial Markets (3 Credits) |
Wed : 7:00pm-9:45pm : SOM_12.210 |
| Course Info | Course Materials | Tech Requirements | Access and Navigation
| Resources | Assessments | Course
Outline | Scholastic Honesty | Course
Evaluation | UTD Policies |
Course Description
All business occurs within a particular legal and regulatory
environment. This course will examine the structure and effects of that
environment. The general theory of government regulation will be explained as
it applies to various specific cases. Included will be such topics as the
analysis of government regulations concerning safety, the environment,
anti-trust, anti-discrimination, financial trading, health care and price
controls. These topics will be examined within a general theoretical framework
paying particular attention to comparisons between the impact of these laws and
their apparent intent. The role of changes in technology, the political
environment and other macro-global influences will be addressed.
My goal is to have students emerge from this course with a critical
understanding of the regulatory environment in which business occurs. This
environment is the result of the interaction between the legal structure and
economic realities. Such a critical understanding would consist of the ability
to assess the particular legal and regulatory structure and to understand how
it works to achieve or fail to achieve its apparent purpose and how it affects
other aspects of business life.
Course Format
The course consists of 7 lessons. See Course
Outline for details. In addition to reading assignment from select books
and articles, course materials will be provided.
Instructor Information
Dr. Peter Lewin
Email:
plewin@utdallas.edu
Instructor's Web Site: http://www.utdallas.edu/~plewin
Online Course Site:
http:/elearning.utdallas.edu/ (requires login, see
instructions below)
You can contact me anytime by email – for on-campus courses office
meetings can be arranged by appointment.
Contact Information
My full contact information is:
Email: plewin@utdallas.edu
Phone:
972-883-2729
Office: SM 3.223
Instructor Information
Instructor brief biography
I was born and grew up in Johannesburg, South
Africa. I received a BA (honors) degree in Economic
and History from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg in
1969. In September 1972, after teaching at the business school there, I left to
study at the University of Chicago. I received a Ph.D. in Economics
from the University of Chicago in 1979. I was fortunate to have had
four Nobel prize winners as teachers. In January 1979 I moved with my
family to Dallas, where we have lived ever since. After seven years as an
academic, I tried my hand in an entrepreneurial venture and joined a friend in
a startup business called Soft Warehouse. Today it is
called CompUSA. I was one of its founding shareholders. It was a difficult but
very enlightening experience. In 1992 I decided to return to academics and have
been with the UTD School of Management since 1997. I love my job. I have a
passion for teaching and for economics.
My wife and I were married in December 1969. We
have four children and nine grandchildren.
To see more about my professional and personal
life visit my website at http://www.utdallas.edu/~plewin/
The following texts will serve as a guide to discussions and are required.
I have provided some online links where they may be purchased. There may be
others.
·
Free our Markets: A
Citizen’s Guide to Essential Economics by Howard Baetjer, Paperback (or Kindle) Jane
Philip Publications, LLC (July 4, 2013), ISBN#: 978-0984425426
·
The Economics of Public Issues by Roger Leroy Miller et. al., 20th edition,
Addison Wesley, 2018. ISBN# 978-0134531984
· Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman, Paperback – Any edition will do (first published February 1963) University of Chicago Press; ISBN: # 978-0134018973
Some online materials will be included in the class PowerPoint
presentations and the suggested reading for each lesson will be indicated.
I will add links relevant to our discussions to the Supplementary
Reading Resources in the eLearning module as we go along.
Please
read this statement of general principles – now and often
Click here
for a general reading guide for this course.
In addition to a confident level of computer and Internet literacy,
certain minimum technical requirements must be met to enable a successful
learning experience. Please review the important technical requirements http://www.utdallas.edu/elearning/students/getting-started.html#techreqs
on the Getting Started with eLearning webpage http://www.utdallas.edu/elearning/students/getting-started.html.
I make extensive us of eLeaning. Students will
use their UTD NetID account to login to the course
at: http://elearning.utdallas.edu
Please see more details on course access and navigation information.
To get started with an eLearning course, please see the Getting Started: Student eLearning Orientation.
UTD provides eLearning technical support 24 hours a day and 7 days a
week. The improved ser/vices include a toll free
telephone number for immediate assistance (1-866-588-3192), email request
service, and an online chat service. The UTD user community can also access the
support resources such as self-help resources and a Knowledge Base. Please use
this link to access the UTD eLearning Support Center:
http://www.utdallas.edu/elearninghelp.
Policy on Server Unavailability or Other Technical Difficulties
The university is committed to providing a reliable online course system
to all users. However, in the event of any unexpected server outage or any unusual
technical difficulty which prevents students from completing a time sensitive
assessment activity, the instructor will extend the time windows and provide an
appropriate accommodation based on the situation. Students should immediately
report any problems to the instructor and also contact the UTD eLearning Help
Desk: http://www.utdallas.edu/elearninghelp,
1-866-588-3192. The instructor and the UTD eLearning Help Desk will work with
the student to resolve any issues at the earliest possible time.
The following university resources are available to students:
Distance Learning
Student Resources
Online
students have access to resources including the McDermott Library, Academic
Advising, The Office of Student AccessAbility, and
many others. Please see the eLearning Current
Students page http://www.utdallas.edu/elearning/students/cstudents.htm
for details.
McDermott Library: Distance Learners (UTD students who live
outside the boundaries of Collin, Dallas, Denton, Rockwall, or Tarrant counties) will
need a UTD-ID number to access all of the library’s electronic resources
(reserves, journal articles, ebooks, interlibrary
loan) from off campus. For UTD students living within those counties who are
taking online courses, a Comet Card is required to check out materials at the
McDermott Library. For more information on library resources go to http://www.utdallas.edu/library/distlearn/disted.htm.
Communication
This course
utilizes online tools for interaction and communication. Some external
communication tools such as regular email and a web conferencing tool may also
be used during the semester. For more details, please visit the eLearning
Tutorials webpage
http://www.utdallas.edu/elearning/students/eLearningTutorialsStudents.html
for video demonstrations on eLearning tools.
Part 1 –
Principles of Regulation |
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Lesson 1 |
General Introduction: Regulation – its
origins and effects. Regulation involves the truncation of ownership. It is
both the product and cause of changes in economic incentives. An examination
of various theories of government and regulation. |
Lesson 2 |
Elementary Regulation: Price controls,
tariffs, taxes, subsidies and quotas. Minimum wages, rent controls, salary
caps. |
Test 1 - Lessons 1 and 2 |
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Part 2 –
Monopoly and Anti-trust regulation |
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Lesson 3 |
Regulation of Monopoly: The development of anti-monopoly
law in America. The current anti-trust environment. |
Lesson 4 |
Occupational licensure: The economics of
health care and other professions. |
Test 2 - Lessons 3 and 5 |
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Part 3 –
multiple applications |
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Lesson 5 |
Regulation of Labor:
anti-discrimination, equal pay and equal employment opportunity, labor safety laws, unemployment insurance, labor unions. |
Lesson 6 |
Capital Markets: Regulation of financial
institutions |
Lesson 7 |
Regulation of the use of the Natural
Environment: The economics of the environment. Air pollution, hazardous
materials, preservation of wildlife, depleteable resources. |
Test 3 (final) - Lessons 4, 6 7 (25%) + All Lessons (25%) |
Three multiple choice test + a term paper. Total
points 150 |
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Test 1 (covers lessons 1-2) |
25 questions – 1 hour |
09/29/17 (12 am)
‐ 10/01/17 (11:59 pm) |
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Test 2 (covers lessons 3-4) |
25 questions – 1 hour |
10/27/17 (12 am)
‐ 10/29/17 (11:59 pm) |
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Test 3 (final, lessons 5-7, 25 questions, and 25 questions
comprehensive) |
50 questions – 2 hours |
12/08/17 (12 am)
‐ 12/10/17 (11:59 pm) |
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Term paper |
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due 12/14/17 |
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Please
note the procedure for dealing with questions and concerns after
taking a test. Once the test
period has expired and the correct answers have been released, if you have
questions or concerns (maybe an alternative interpretation of the question
yielding a different answer), compose an email stating clearly your concern or
what you do not understand for each question you wish to discuss and send it to
me. Please reference the question by number and title (if available) and cut and paste as much of it as
you can. I will take all such queries on a first-come/first-serve
basis and get back to you as soon as I can with my answers.
Makeup tests will be allowed only for very special
circumstances. There are NO extra credit assignments.
Please see below for further information on the tests.
You can check your grades by accessing “My Grade” icon under My
Tools on the Course Menu after the grade for each assessment task is released.
Online
Testing
You can access tests by clicking the "Assessments" link on the
course Menu or the icon on the designated page and then clicking the available
test title links. Each test is timed and can only be taken for ONE TIME within
the scheduled time window. Please read the on-screen instructions carefully
before you click “Begin Assessment”. After each quiz is graded and released,
you may go back to the Assessments page and click “View All Submissions” to
review your exam results.
Self-Tests
There is a self test available for each lesson
module. Those are non-credit quizzes for self assessment.
Please take the quiz after you finish each lesson.
University Policies Relevant for Students:
Scholastic Honesty
Comet Creed
This
creed was voted on by the UT Dallas student body in 2014. It is a standard that
Comets choose to live by and encourage others to do the same:
“As a Comet, I pledge honesty, integrity, and service in all that I do”
The University
has policies and discipline procedures regarding scholastic dishonesty.
Detailed information is available on the UTD Judicial Affairs web
page. All students are expected to maintain a high level of responsibility with
respect to academic honesty. Students who violate University rules on
scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the
possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University.
Since such dishonesty harms the individual, all students and the integrity of
the University, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced.
As required by
UTD academic regulations, every student must complete an evaluation for each
enrolled course at the end of the semester. An online instructional assessment
form will be made available for your confidential use. A link to an online
instructional assessment form will be emailed to you towards the end of the
semester.
Online behaviour - Virtual Classroom Citizenship
The same
guidelines that apply to traditional classes should be observed in the virtual
classroom environment. Please use proper netiquette when interacting with class
members and the professor.
Policy on Server Unavailability or Other
Technical Difficulties
The university is committed to providing a reliable
online course system to all users. However, in the event of any unexpected server
outage or any unusual technical difficulty which prevents students from
completing a time sensitive assessment activity, the instructor will provide an
appropriate accommodation based on the situation. Students should immediately
report any problems to the instructor and also contact the UTD eLearning Help
Desk: http://www.utdallas.edu/elearninghelp,
1-866-588-3192. The instructor and the UTD eLearning Help Desk will work with
the student to resolve any issues at the earliest possible time.
General policies, including policies on Academic
Honesty and Integrity.
Please go to http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies for these policies.
Student Conduct &
Discipline
The University of Texas System and
The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly
and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each
student and each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and
regulations which govern student conduct and activities.
The University of Texas at Dallas
administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and
established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations of the
Board of Regents of the University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI,
Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on
Student Services and Activities of the Course
Syllabus Page 8, University’s Handbook of Operating
Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to
students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are
available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SSB
4.400, 972/883- 6391).
A student at the university neither
loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is
expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules,
university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to
discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes
place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed
for such conduct.
The descriptions and timelines contained in this
syllabus are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor
© Peter Lewin 2016.