Case Study 1: Auctions

Due Week 7 Worth 250 pts

The following video describes auctions as price discovery mechanisms

Use the video on auctions and at least 3 academic and/or high-quality business publications, see

definitions below, to answer the following questions in 5-7 pages:

1. There are many types of auctions each with strengths and weakness at uncovering the real

price/value of an item. Compare and contrast:

a) the English and Dutch auctions; and,

b) the sealed bid first price auction and the Vickery Auction.

2. After many months of offers and counter offers for Sky PLC, the UK’s The Takeover Panel

(http://www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk/) required that Sky PLC be acquired via an auction. What

type of auction was the Sky auction, who were the bidders and who won? Given that there had

been multiple public offers revealed by the bidders, was the auction type selected the best type of

auction for the Sky acquisition?

3. Auctions are widely used in finance, e-commerce and in e-games. Identify 3 applications of

auctions used in finance, e-commerce and/or e-games. Explain the:

a) need for an auction in the product/service; and

b) what type of auction is used and why that type of auction is appropriate for the

product/service.

4. Auctions are also widely used to generate revenue for not-for-profit organizations. What are

the advantages/disadvantages of auctions as revenue generators for not-for-profit organizations?

5. Suggest ways in which the company you work for, or the company which you aspire to work

for, can use auctions to better uncover value and increase revenue.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12) with one-inch margins on all

sides; citations and references must follow APA format. Check with your professor for any

additional instructions.

Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s

name, the course title and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in

the required assignment length.

Acceptable Types of Publications

The definition of a high-quality professional business publication is one which is primarily a

publication directed to reporting and/or analysis of the workings of business. Examples are:

Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Reuters…etc. Avoid general news publications such as USA

Today, Washington Post, NY Times.

PLEASE DO NOT RELY ON WIKIPEDIA, INVESTOPEDIA OR ANY OTHER PEDIA AS A

REFERENCE AT ANYTIME IN THIS COURSE.

Submission Rules

You may submit 1 attempt at the assignment to test your SafeAssign Score. The SafeAssign

score should be 25% or less.

You may submit ONE AND ONLY ONE ADDITIONAL ATTEMPT.