Search result: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2016

Environmental Sciences Bachelor Information
Bachelor Studies (Programme Regulations 2011)
Social Sciences and Humanities Module
Module Economics
Compulsory Courses
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
363-0387-00LCorporate SustainabilityO3 credits2GV. Hoffmann
AbstractThe lectures addresses the assessment of corporate sustainability and its links to strategy, technology, and finance. Students learn why sustainability matters for managers and how businesses can act towards it. E-modules allow students to train critical thinking skills. In the 2nd half of the semester, sustainability challenges on water, energy, mobility, and food are explored in group projects.
ObjectiveUnderstand the limits and the potential of corporate sustainability for sustainable development

Develop critical thinking skills (argumentation, communication, evaluative judgment) that are useful in the context of corporate sustainability using an innovative writing and peer review method.

Be able to recognize and realize opportunities for corporate sustainability in a business environment
ContentOverview of the key concepts of corporate sustainability and topics related to Water, Energy, Mobility, and Food

Business implications of sustainable development, in particular for the assessment of sustainability performance, strategic change towards sustainability, technological innovations and sustainability, and finance and corporate sustainability.
Critical thinking skills for corporate sustainability.
In-depth case studies of corporate sustainability challenges in the track phase: How to deal with environmental pressure groups? How to use the strengths of business to solve pressing sustainability problems? How to catalyze technological innovations for sustainability? How to invest money in a sustainable way?
Lecture notesPresentation slides will be made available on moodle prior to lectures.
LiteratureLiterature recommendations will be distributed during the lecture
751-1551-00LRessourcen- und Umweltökonomie Information O3 credits2VL. Bretschger, A. Müller
AbstractRelationship between economy and environment, market failure, external effects and public goods, contingent valuation, internalisation of externalities; economics of non-renewable resources, economics of renewable resources, cost-benefit analysis, sustainability, and international aspects of resource and environmental economics.
ObjectiveUnderstanding of the basic issues and methods in resource and environmental economics; ability to solve typical problems in the field using the appropriate tools, which are concise verbal explanations, diagrams or mathematical expressions.

Topics are:
Introduction to resource and environmental economics
Importance of resource and environmental economics
Main issues of resource and environmental economics
Normative basis
Utilitarianism
Fairness according to Rawls
Economic growth and environment
Externalities in the environmental sphere
Governmental internalisation of externalities
Private internalisation of externalities: the Coase theorem
Free rider problem and public goods
Types of public policy
Efficient level of pollution
Tax vs. permits
Command and Control Instruments
Empirical data on non-renewable natural resources
Optimal price development: the Hotelling-rule
Effects of exploration and Backstop-technology
Effects of different types of markets.
Biological growth function
Optimal depletion of renewable resources
Social inefficiency as result of over-use of open-access resources
Cost-benefit analysis and the environment
Measuring environmental benefit
Measuring costs
Concept of sustainability
Technological feasibility
Conflicts sustainability / optimality
Indicators of sustainability
Problem of climate change
Cost and benefit of climate change
Climate change as international ecological externality
International climate policy: Kyoto protocol
Implementation of the Kyoto protocol in Switzerland
ContentEconomy and natural environment, welfare concepts and market failure, external effects and public goods, measuring externalities and contingent valuation, internalising external effects and environmental policy, economics of non-renewable resources, renewable resources, cost-benefit-analysis, sustainability issues, international aspects of resource and environmental problems, selected examples and case studies.
Lecture notesThe script and lecture material are provided at:
Link
LiteraturePerman, R., Ma, Y., McGilvray, J, Common, M.: "Natural Resource & Environmental Economics", 3d edition, Longman, Essex 2003.
Core Courses
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
701-0763-00LBasic Concepts of ManagementW2 credits2VR. Schwarzenbach
AbstractThis course deals with fundamental and proven management concepts. The lecturers emphasize the pracitcal applicability of concepts. The course was designed in close cooperation with practitioneers; e.g. will Mr. S. Baldenweg, mechanical engineer ETH, MBA Insead, share his experience in several guest lectures.
ObjectiveStudents:
• will be familiar with basic general management concepts.
• learn about the fundamental concepts of strategy development with practical examples.
• will get to know the basic organisational issues and the essential types of organisations.
• get a rough overview on the concepts of financial management.
• will learn about the strategic positionining of small departments within larger organisations.
• will learn about the fundamental mechanisms for handling change, and will be able to recognise these situations.
• will learn the basic principles of project management and of successful self-management.
• will reflect on customer oriented information representation.
ContentManagement ist ein Massenberuf der durch klare Aufgaben und entsprechenden Werkzuge beschrieben werden kann. Die Positionierung einer Firma, oder eines Bereiches bedingt die Analyse des Umfeldes und die Befassung mit den zukünftigen Herausforderungen. Dazu werden verschiedene Ansätze gezeigt und die grundlegenden Denkmuster vermittelt. Für die Umsetzung einer Strategie muss die Zusammenarbeit von Menschen entsprechend organisiert werden. Dazu werden die wesentlichen Organisationsmodelle und die Dynamik von Organisationen vermittelt.
Die finanzielle Abbildung von Organisationen und Projekten wird übersichtsweise dargestellt und die stufengerechte Darstellung von Informationen anhand von realen Beispielen besprochen.
Die Inhalte werden durchgängig mit Praxisbeispielen illustriert.
Lecture notesSkripten werden elektronisch zur Verfügung gestellt.
Link
LiteratureEmpfohlen werden folgende Titel für die Vertiefung einzelner Themen:

Drucker P. 1964: „Managing for Results”, Harper Collins Publishers“, 240 p.

Malik F. 2005: "Führen, Leisten, Leben. Wirksames Management für eine neue Zeit. ", Heyne, 408p.

Mintzberg H. et al. 2001: “Strategy Safari. The Complete guide through the wilds of strategic management: A Guided Tour Through the Wilds of Strategic Management”, Finanical Times, 416 p.

Osterwalder A., Pigneur Y. 2010: Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers, wiley, 278 p
Prerequisites / NoticeDeutsch
151-0757-00LEnvironmental ManagementW2 credits2GR. Züst
AbstractAn environmental management system has the objective to continuously improve the environmental performance of the activities, products and services of a company. The company has to introduce different management procedures. The goal of this lecture is to provide basics and specific procedure to implement the environmental dimension in the planning and decision making processes of an organisation.
ObjectiveOverview on environmental management and environmental management systems, general methods and principles.
ContentIntroduction to environmental mangement / environmental
management systems, energy and material flows; economical and
ecological problems in industry; charakterisation of an
enterprise (incl. management handbook); structur and contents of an
environmental management system; overview on the ISO 14001 ff. series; methodes for environmental evaluation and assessment; integrated management systems; planning methodology and life-cycle-design
design; planning exampl
Lecture notesInformation about environmental management and environmental
management systems will be provided by a CD or mail.
Literaturea list with literatures and links will be provided
Prerequisites / NoticeDelivery of a case study, worked out in groups. Language: Teaching in English on request.
351-0778-00LDiscovering Management
Entry level course in management for BSc, MSc and PHD students at all levels not belonging to D-MTEC. This course can be complemented with Discovering Management (Excercises) 351-0778-01.
W3 credits3GB. Clarysse, M. Ambühl, S. Brusoni, E. Fleisch, G. Grote, V. Hoffmann, P. Schönsleben, G. von Krogh, F. von Wangenheim
AbstractDiscovering Management offers an introduction to the field of business management and entrepreneurship for engineers and natural scientists. The module provides an overview of the principles of management, teaches knowledge about management that is highly complementary to the students' technical knowledge, and provides a basis for advancing the knowledge of the various subjects offered at D-MTEC.
ObjectiveDiscovering Management combines in an innovate format a set of lectures and an advanced business game. The learning model for Discovering Management involves 'learning by doing'. The objective is to introduce the students to the relevant topics of the management literature and give them a good introduction in entrepreneurship topics too. The course is a series of lectures on the topics of strategy, innovation, corporate finance, leadership, design thinking and corporate social responsibility. While the 14 different lectures provide the theoretical and conceptual foundations, the experiential learning outcomes result from the interactive business game. The purpose of the business game is to analyse the innovative needs of a large multinational company and develop a business case for the company to grow. This business case is as relevant to someone exploring innovation within an organisation as it is if you are planning to start your own business. By discovering the key aspects of entrepreneurial management, the purpose of the course is to advance students' understanding of factors driving innovation, entrepreneurship, and company success.
ContentDiscovering Management aims to broaden the students' understanding of the principles of business management, emphasizing the interdependence of various topics in the development and management of a firm. The lectures introduce students not only to topics relevant for managing large corporations, but also touch upon the different aspects of starting up your own venture. The lectures will be presented by the respective area specialists at D-MTEC.
The course broadens the view and understanding of technology by linking it with its commercial applications and with society. The lectures are designed to introduce students to topics related to strategy, corporate innovation, leadership, corporate and entrepreneurial finance, value chain analysis, corporate social responsibility, and business model innovation. Practical examples from industry experts will stimulate the students to critically assess these issues. Creative skills will be trained by the business game exercise, a participant-centered learning activity, which provides students with the opportunity to place themselves in the role of Chief Innovation Officer of a large multinational company. As they learn more about the specific case and identify the challenge they are faced with, the students will have to develop an innovative business case for this multinational corporation. Doing so, this exercise will provide an insight into the context of managerial problem-solving and corporate innovation, and enhance the students' appreciation for the complex tasks companies and managers deal with. The business game presents a realistic model of a company and provides a valuable learning platform to integrate the increasingly important development of the skills and competences required to identify entrepreneurial opportunities, analyse the future business environment and successfully respond to it by taking systematic decisions, e.g. critical assessment of technological possibilities.
Prerequisites / NoticeDiscovering Management is designed to suit the needs and expectations of Bachelor students at all levels as well as Master and PhD students not belonging to D-MTEC. By providing an overview of Business Management, this course is an ideal enrichment of the standard curriculum at ETH Zurich.
No prior knowledge of business or economics is required to successfully complete this course.
351-0778-01LDiscovering Management (Exercises)
Complementary exercises for the module Discovering Managment.

Prerequisite: Participation and successful completion of the module Discovering Management (351-0778-00L) is mandatory.
W1 credit1UB. Clarysse, L. De Cuyper
AbstractThis course is offered complementary to the basis course 351-0778-00L, "Discovering Management". The course offers additional exercises and case studies.
ObjectiveThis course is offered to complement the course 351-0778-00L. The course offers additional exercises and case studies.
ContentThe course offers additional exercises and case studies concering:
Strategic Management; Technology and Innovation Management; Operations and Supply Chain Management; Finance and Accounting; Marketing and Sales.

Please refer to the course website for further information on the content, credit conditions and schedule of the module: Link
363-0503-00LPrinciples of MicroeconomicsW3 credits2GM. Filippini
AbstractThe course introduces basic principles, problems and approaches of microeconomics.
ObjectiveThe learning objectives of the course are:

(1) Students must be able to discuss basic principles, problems and approaches in microeconomics. (2) Students can analyse and explain simple economic principles in a market using supply and demand graphs. (3) Students can contrast different market structures and describe firm and consumer behaviour. (4) Students can identify market failures such as externalities related to market activities and illustrate how these affect the economy as a whole. (5) Students can apply simple mathematical treatment of some basic concepts and can solve utility maximization and cost minimization problems.
Lecture notesLecture notes, exercises and reference material can be downloaded from Moodle.
LiteratureN. Gregory Mankiw and Mark P. Taylor (2014), "Economics", 3rd edition, South-Western Cengage Learning.
The book can also be used for the course 'Principles of Macroeconomics' (Sturm)

For students taking only the course 'Principles of Microeconomics' there is a shorter version of the same book:
N. Gregory Mankiw and Mark P. Taylor (2014), "Microeconomics", 3rd edition, South-Western Cengage Learning.

Complementary:
1. R. Pindyck and D. Rubinfeld (2012), "Microeconomics", 8th edition, Pearson Education.
2. Varian, H.R. (2014), "Intermediate Microeconomics", 9th edition, Norton & Company
751-1101-00LFinances and Accounting SystemW2 credits2GM. Dumondel
AbstractTo understand accounting as a component of the complex system of the enterprise
ObjectiveTo understand accounting not as an isolated discipline, but as a part of the complex system of the enterprise
ContentAccounting system as a part of management economics.
The different steps for scheduling and evaluation of the accountancy will be studied. The main part of the lecture is dedicated to the financial accounting – nevertheless the fundamentals of the internal cost-accounting will also be presented. The lecture will also include the clarification of concrete cases and the calculation of practical exercises.
Lecture notesCourse documentation and specified educational books
LiteratureIn the lecture one indicates
851-0626-01LInternational Aid and Development
Does not take place this semester.
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of economics
W2 credits2VI. Günther
AbstractThe course gives economic and empirical foundations for a sound understanding of the instruments, prospects and limitations of international development aid.
ObjectiveStudents have a theoretically and empirically sound understanding of the prospects and limitations of international development aid. Students are able to critically discuss the various aid instruments of bi-and multilateral donors and NGOs.
ContentIntroduction to the Determinants of Underdevelopment; History of Aid; Aid and Development: Theories and Empirics; Political Economy of Aid; Experience and Impact of Aid; New Instruments of Aid: e.g. Micro-Finance, Budget-Support; Fair-Trade.
LiteratureArticles and book abstracts will be uploaded to a course website.
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