Expertise

Macroeconomics, Economics of Strategy, Managerial Economics, Technology Investment and Multimarket Entry, Econometrics, Forecasting Telecommunications Demand

Biography

Christopher Swann is Assistant Professor of Instruction – Economics at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is also a Senior Advisor with Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI). 

He began his career at Bell Atlantic (now Verizon Communications) where he held positions in research, business planning and marketing, and product management. His work encompassed rate planning and witness support, corporate planning, and consulting. After completing his Ph.D. in Economics, he joined WEFA/Global Insight (now part of Standard and Poors) as a Senior Economist, responsible for developing the U.S. macroeconomic forecasts and written analyses on the U.S. economy, business investment, and the labor market. During his tenure at WEFA/Global Insight he developed studies and publications in international economics and for consulting studies in telecommunications, equipment leasing, and electronic payments.  Swann later joined the Bureau of Economic Analysis in Washington, D.C. before returning to Philadelphia as Vice President, Research Services, at Select Greater Philadelphia, a subsidiary of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

He served on the Board of Directors of National Association for Business Economics (NABE) from 2005-2008. While on the Board, Swann spearheaded “Get Connected,” and outreach program designed to expand diversity and inclusion for early-career economists. He played a key role in steering and developing courses and examinations for the Certified Business Economist (CBE) program. He is currently a member of the editorial board of Business Economics, the NABE journal, and was recently (2021) elected to be a NABE Fellow. He is a past Chair of the NABE Technology Roundtable and is a past President of the Philadelphia Council for Business Economics. He is also a member of the Temple University Economics Alumni Board.

He has co-authored publications in peer-reviewed journals and in conference proceedings and has presented on macroeconomic, industry, and regional topics at conferences and to private groups. His industry and research interests include technology/media/telecommunications, business dynamics and growth, and the economics of strategy. He currently teaches macroeconomics and managerial economics, and for several semesters, the capstone research/writing seminar in economics at Temple University. He has also taught at Villanova and West Chester Universities and in the MBA program at Drexel University. 

He holds a B.A. in economics from Washington University, St. Louis, an M.A. in economics with a concentration in econometrics from Temple University, and a Ph.D. in economics also from Temple University with concentrations in industrial organization and international economics.

Curricum Vitae | Website

Selected Publications

• “Estimating the impact of NABE member characteristics on compensation,” Swann, Christopher and Lilianna Ruby, Business Economics, April 2023, Bus Econ 58, 97–104 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s11369-023-00319-1.
• Kelly, Mary Theresa, and Christopher Swann."Evaluating Opportunities, Challenges, and Strategic Options for New Entrants and Incumbents in a Changing Competitive Landscape." In Sage Business Cases. London: Sage Publications Ltd., 2024. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071941409.
• “Disruption in the meat industry: new technologies in nonmeat substitutes,” Swann, Christopher and Mary Kelly, Business Economics, January 2023, Bus Econ 58, 42–60 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s11369-023-00302-w
• “AMC: who’s calling the shots?”, Kelly, Mary and Christopher Swann, Case Study for Ivey Publishing, January 2022.
• “Netflix: Will Content Be Enough?” Kelly, Mary and Christopher Swann, Case Study for Ivey Publishing, November, 2020. https://www.iveycases.com/ProductView.aspx?id=112298. 
• “Estimating the Impact of NABE Member Characteristics on Compensation,” Swann, Christopher and Anessa Custovic, Business Economics, January 2015.
• “GDP and the Economy,” Survey of Current Business, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), monthly. See http://www.bea.gov/scb/index.htm on BEA’s web site.
• “Compensation of Economists—Measuring the Market Value of NABE Member Characteristics,” Elizabeth Bernstein and Christopher Swann, Business Economics 45: 204-209 (2010); doi:10.1057/be.2010.18.
• “Competition in Local Telecommunications – There’s More Than You Think,” Christopher Swann and David G. Loomis, Business Economics, National Association for Business Economics, April 2005.
• “Intermodal Competition in Local Exchange Markets”, Christopher Swann and David G. Loomis, Information Economics and Policy, 17 (2005) 97-113.
• “Telecommunications Demand Forecasting With Intermodal Competition – A Multi-Equation Modeling Approach”, Christopher Swann and David G. Loomis, Telektronikk, Volume 100, No. 4, 2004.

Courses Taught

• Economics 3538: Managerial Economics
• Economics 3581: Co-Op Experience in Economics
• Economics 3598: Economic Writing Seminar
• Economics 1101: Principles of Macroeconomics