Dr Jordi Blanes i Vidal

This course is compulsory on the BSc in Management. This course is available on the BSc in Accounting and Finance. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.

Quantitative Methods (Mathematics) (MA107) or equivalent and Quantitative Methods (Statistics) (ST107) or equivalent

Simple and Multiple Regression; Hypothesis Testing; Mechanics and Limitations of OLS; Causality; Natural, Field and Laboratory Experiments. Panel Data and Fixed Effect Models. Instrumental Variables Regression.

The main aim of this course is to provide a thorough understanding of the quantitative techniques which guide evidence-based managerial decision-making. It seeks to develop a framework in which students can examine whether the predictions of managerial, social or economic theory are supported by empirical evidence. Particular emphasis is made on (a) illustrating the many ways in which evidence is abused in the academic or managerial debate, and (b) trying to establish causality in the relationship between variables. The approach is both formal, as the course makes extensive use of econometric theorems and techniques, and solidly grounded in intuition, as it provides numerous examples of tests of real-life relations. Many of these examples will be illustrated using the STATA software package, and the students will be expected to learn the basics of data manipulation and regression running. A solid base of introductory statistics and probability (equivalent to that provided by ST107) and introductory algebra and calculus (equivalent to that provided by MA107) will be expected.

20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of classes in the MT. 20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of classes in the LT. 2 hours of lectures and 1 hour of classes in the ST.

Students on this course will have a reading week in Week 6, in line with departmental policy.

Students will be expected to produce 1 problem sets in the MT and 1 problem sets in the LT.

There will be one formative assessment each term.

The textbook for the course is:

• James H. Stock and Mark W. Watson, Introduction to Econometrics, Second Edition, Pearson, 2007.

Two other very useful (complementary) books are:

• Christopher Dougherty, Introduction to Econometrics, Third Edition, Oxford University Press, 2007;
• Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, Introductory Econometrics - A Modern Approach, Third Edition, South-Western, 2006.

Exam (70%, duration: 3 hours) in the summer exam period.
Continuous assessment (30%) in the MT and LT.

The continuous assessment will consist of four in-lecture assessments, in Weeks 5 and 11 of MT and LT. Each assessment will consist of four questions and will last 40 minutes.

For the continuous assessment students are required to attempt at least 3 out of 4 in-lecture assessments. Students who attempt all four (4 out of 4) will achieve a mark based on their three highest scores. Students who attempt three in-lecture assessments (3 out of 4) will receive a mark based on the scores in these assessments. Students who attempt less than three in-lecture assessments will receive a mark of 0 for each missed assessment and will receive an overall mark based on their scores in the best three assessments, including any zeroes. Students who fail to attempt any in-lecture assessments (0 out of 4), will be awarded a Zero Incomplete for the whole course and cannot be awarded the degree until they submit the work at resit.