Discussion: Gains in economies of scope

Firms seek growth. One source of growth is external growth from a merger or acquisition. Often mergers or acquisitions are justified on the basis of the expected benefits from ”synergies” created by the merger of acquisition. Economists know these as economies of scale or economies of scope. The focus of this discussion will be on understanding the difference between economies of scale and economies of scope. What are the key differences?

Use these concepts to determine whether gains in economies of scale or gains in economies of scope were the principle reason behind the merger or acquisition.

The Assignment: Select one of the mergers or acquisitions below:

•Sirius XM acquired Pandora, was this about scope or scale economies?

•The merger of Sprint, T-Mobile and Metro PCS, was this about scope or scale economies.

•The merger of Strayer University and Capella University to form SEI, was this about scope or scale economies? Make sure you explain how economies of scale and scope differ.

Describe how growth in the case you select is created from either an economy of scope or scale. Note: In your discussion posts for this course, do not use Wikipedia, Investopedia or any similar websites as reference supporting your conclusions. Use of these in any form or to any extent taints all content. They should never be used in any professional writing. To earn full credit you must post at least one direct post with your conclusion and at least one follow-up p

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

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