MBA 502 · Managerial Economics
Know how buyers and rivals react before you change a price
In about six weeks at nine hours a week, learn what to charge, when to enter a market and how competitors will respond.
For managers who set prices on instinct and worry how customers and rivals will react.
One-time paymentInstant access14-day money-back guarantee
What you will produce
The Price of StreamingAn Economic Analysis of Netflix, Inc.
You analyze Netflix from its public information and write an economic analysis of its pricing. It is marked against this rubric, with written feedback on every criterion, usually within the hour. You finish with work you can show.
- 01Marginal and opportunity-cost reasoning15%
- 02Demand analysis and elasticity quantification20%
- 03Cost structure and scale economics15%
- 04Market structure and Lerner-index analysis15%
- 05Game-theoretic analysis of rivalry20%
- 06Recommendation, assumptions, and ethics10%
Each criterion is judged Exemplary, Proficient, Developing or Beginning.
Who it is for
Sound familiar?
“We raised prices last year and I still don't know if it helped or hurt.”
What changesYou'll measure how customers respond to price and predict the revenue effect before you move.
“Everyone says the market is big. Nobody can tell me if we can make money in it.”
What changesYou'll read the market's structure and see where a newcomer can actually earn a margin.
“Every time we cut prices, they match us, and we both end up worse off.”
What changesYou'll map rival responses with game theory and find moves that don't start a price war.
Not for you ifyou want live lectures or a study group. Everything here is self-paced.
What you will be able to do
By the end, you will be able to:
- 01
Predict how customers respond to price
Measure price elasticity and know whether a price rise will grow or shrink revenue.
- 02
Ignore the costs that don't matter
Use marginal and opportunity cost, so sunk costs and averages stop distorting decisions.
- 03
Read how much pricing power you have
Classify your market and estimate a sustainable markup from its structure.
- 04
See competitors' moves coming
Build payoff matrices to predict how rivals respond, and avoid price wars.
- 05
Charge each customer group the right price
Design segment pricing, two-part tariffs and versioned offers that capture more value.
- 06
Design contracts that align incentives
Use principal-agent logic to structure pay, pricing and supplier contracts when you can't see the other side's effort.
Look inside
See a class, a study card and the marking before you pay.
Watch the opening of class one, flip a real study card, and see exactly how your work is judged.
One of 48. Each returns just before you would forget it, so the course stays with you.
Case 2: Strategic Economics Briefing Paper. You see the rubric before you start, and get written feedback on every criterion.
The full textbook and the study guide written to it, so you can look anything up after you finish.
The ten classes
Ten classes, in the order you will need them.
01Scarcity, Trade-offs, and Marginal ThinkingApply opportunity cost and marginal analysis to decide what to expand, close, or start.
- A Sunday that looks easy to call
- A nine-word decision that cost billions
- One idea about every cost you'll ever weigh
- A discipline built on not having enough
- Why every yes is also a no
02Demand and ElasticityUse elasticity to forecast revenue impact of price changes and design A/B tests to measure customer response.
- Two prices, two very different answers
- What demand really means
- A movement along the curve, or a shift of it
- Five things that move the whole curve
- Self-check: movement or shift?
03Production, Cost, and ScaleDistinguish marginal from average cost. Estimate your firm's minimum efficient scale and industry concentration.
- Picking up where price and quantity left off
- The cost of the next bag isn't fixed
- One idea, four parts
- Turning inputs into bags
- What one more worker actually adds
04Perfect Competition and MonopolyClassify your market structure and sustainable markup using the Lerner index and price elasticity.
- From cost to price
- Two markets, one roaster
- One idea, four parts
- What makes a market competitive
- A price the roaster cannot move
05Oligopoly and Game TheoryUse game theory to predict rival pricing. Calculate when patience sustains cooperation without collusion.
- Three roasters, forty cafes, one price decision
- Meet the game: players, moves, and payoffs
- Two roasters, two choices, four outcomes
- The full matrix, cell by cell
- Finding the dominant strategy
06Pricing StrategyDesign segment pricing using third-degree discrimination, two-part tariffs, and versioning menus.
- Should everyone pay the same price?
- The gap a single price cannot close
- Three ways to split a customer base
- Charge each segment its own marginal revenue
- Pricing the café segment
07Information, Incentives, and ContractsStructure contracts to align incentives when you cannot observe the other party's actions or information.
- What you cannot watch
- One idea about every contract you'll ever write
- A credit decision with a hidden type
- Why the market unravels
- A supplier's costly signal
08Market Failure and RegulationIdentify market failures and assess regulation. Understand externalities, information asymmetries, and public goods.
- Picking up where we left off
- A batch that looks fully paid for
- One gap, four ways to close it
- What a market gets right, most of the time
- Naming the two costs a batch really carries
09Macroeconomic Context for ManagersConnect macroeconomic cycles to industry strategy. Distinguish nominal from real sales during inflation.
- A year nobody in the building asked for
- A business has seasons larger than a year
- A recession is not falling prices
- What inflation actually measures
- Real sales against nominal sales
10Integrated Management Case, Ethics, and Individual AssessmentIntegrate all tools into a strategic recommendation on pricing, capacity, entry, or market exit.
- The question this class answers
- A large buyer, a familiar roaster
- Naming what is new and what is fixed
- One recommendation, five tools deep
- The cash math that looks easy
When you will see results
You will use it at work before you finish.
- After class 1
You can distinguish accounting profit from economic profit and apply opportunity cost to any business decision.
- After class 2
You can measure price elasticity from data and predict whether a price rise will increase or decrease revenue.
- After class 4
You can calculate your sustainable markup using the Lerner index, separating price-makers from price-takers.
- After class 6
You can design a complete pricing strategy using elasticity, market power, and price discrimination by segment.
Your time
Built to fit around a full-time job.
About 51 hours in total, at whatever pace your week allows. Nothing is live, the portal remembers exactly where you stopped, and study cards take about five minutes a day.
Before you decide
You don't need an economics degree or advanced math. Percentages, basic algebra and a spreadsheet are enough.
- Each class ends with a short quiz, so you know it stuck before you move on.
- Study cards bring back what you would forget, five minutes a day.
- The portal always shows your next step, so a busy week never becomes a lost month.
What $149 gets you
The complete MBA 502 module, sold on its own.
- Ten filmed classes you can fit around workPause anywhere and pick up on any device. Captions on every class, so you can study with the sound off.
- The full Managerial Economics textbook, yours to keepPDF and EPUB, so you can look things up long after you finish.
- A study guide that covers every classThe key ideas, models and worked examples in one place, so you never write your own summary notes.
- 12 quizzes and exams, marked instantlyThe reasoning behind every answer, so you know what stuck and what to revisit.
- Two real-company cases with written feedbackStarting with Netflix. You finish with analysis you can show, marked against a published rubric.
- 48 study cards that keep it freshFive minutes a day. Each card returns just before you would forget it.
- Your progress, saved everywhereThe portal remembers exactly where you stopped, so a busy week never sets you back.
- Lifetime access and updatesIt is there when the real decision arrives, including every future improvement to the course.
One payment. No subscription, no hidden fees.
What one better price is worth
If elasticity analysis shows you can raise a $40 price by 5% and keep 97% of your 2,000 monthly sales, revenue rises by about $1,480 a month. The course costs $149, once.
One-time paymentInstant access14-day money-back guarantee
Questions
What people ask before they buy.
How much time will it take?
About 51 hours in total: ten classes, the readings, 12 quizzes and exams, and two case assignments. At nine hours a week that is about six weeks. Nothing is scheduled, so you set the pace.
Is this right for beginners?
Yes. No prior economics assumed. The course starts with opportunity cost and marginal analysis, then builds elasticity, cost structure, and competition using real cases. You learn by making pricing decisions, not memorizing formulas.
What if I'm too busy?
Nothing is live and nothing expires. Each class stands on its own, the portal remembers exactly where you stopped, and your study cards take about five minutes a day. Pause for a month and pick up where you left off.
I've started online courses before and never finished. Why is this different?
It is built so you finish. Every class ends with a short quiz, study cards bring back what you would otherwise forget, and the portal always shows your next step. Two graded cases give you a reason to apply it, not just watch it.
When will I see results?
Class 1 changes how you weigh any trade-off. After class 2 you can measure price elasticity, and by class 6 you can design a full pricing strategy.
Why is it worth $149?
You get the complete MBA 502 module: ten classes, the full textbook and study guide, twelve marked quizzes and exams, and two cases with written feedback. One better pricing decision can be worth far more than $149.
What if it isn't right for me?
If the course isn't right for you, ask within 14 days of buying for a full refund. It applies as long as you've watched fewer than three classes and haven't submitted an assignment.
Will I learn to predict what happens if a competitor cuts price?
Yes. Game theory classes (Class 5) show you how to build a payoff matrix for your situation, find your dominant strategy, and calculate the discount factor that determines whether rivals will stay at higher prices or undercut. You will model real decisions, not hypothetical ones.
Do I need to be good at math?
You need comfort with percentages, basic algebra and reading a simple chart. Every model is built step by step with worked numbers, and the quizzes show the reasoning behind each answer.
How do I get access?
Straight after checkout you are signed in to the CBI student portal and can start class one. We also email you a sign-in link so you can come back from any device.
Is this the same as MBA 502 in the CBI MBA?
Yes. It is the same ten classes, textbook, study guide, exams and case assignments that MBA students take for MBA 502, sold on its own.
MBA 502 · Managerial Economics
Know how buyers and rivals react before you change a price
Start tonight. If it isn't right for you, ask within 14 days for a full refund.
One-time paymentInstant access14-day money-back guarantee