Search result: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2018

MAS in Management, Technology, and Economics Information
MAS MTEC Introductory Event for 1st Semester Students.
Monday, 17.09.2018, 15.15 h, HG D 1.1
3. Semester
Core Courses
Strategy, Markets and Technology
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
363-0387-00LCorporate SustainabilityW+3 credits2GV. Hoffmann
AbstractThe lecture explores current challenges of corporate sustainability and prepares students to become champions for sustainable business practices. In the beginning, traditional lectures are complemented by e-modules that allow students to train critical thinking skills. In the 2nd half of the semester, students work in teams on sustainability challenges related to water, energy, mobility, and food.
ObjectiveStudents
- assess 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.
- recognize and realize opportunities through team work for corporate sustainability in a business environment
- present strategic recommendations in teams with different output formats (tv-style debate, consultancy pitch, technology model walk-through, campaign video)
ContentIn the first part of the semester, Prof. Volker Hoffmann will share his insights on corporate sustainability with you through a series of lectures. They introduce you to a series of critical thinking exercises and build a foundation for your group work. In the second part of the semester, you participate in one of four tracks in which SusTec researchers will coach your groups through a seven-step program. Our ambition is that you improve your analytic and organizational skills and that you can confidently stand up for corporate sustainability in a professional setting. You will share the final product of your work with fellow students in a final puzzle session at the end of the semester.

Link
Lecture notesPresentation slides will be made available on moodle prior to lectures.
LiteratureLiterature recommendations will be distributed during the lecture
363-0392-00LStrategic Management Information Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 80.

Registration through myStudies (first come, first served). If you are unable to sign up through myStudies, please contact the course assistant:
Link
W+3 credits2GS. Herting
AbstractThis courses conveys concepts and methods in strategic management, with a focus on competitive strategy. Competitive strategy aims at improving and establishing position of firms within an industry.
ObjectiveThe lecture "Strategic Management" is designed to teach relevant competences in strategic planning and -implementation, for both professional work-life and further scientific development. The course provides an overview of the basics of “strategy” and the most prevalent concepts and methods in strategic management. The course is given as a combination of lectures about concepts/methods, and case studies where the students solve strategic issues of the case companies. In two sessions, the students will also be addressing real-time strategic issues of firms that are represented by executives.
ContentContents:
a. Strategy concepts
b. Industry dynamics I: Industry analysis
c. Industry dynamics II: Analysis of technology and innovation
d. The resource-based theory of the firm
e. The knowledge-based theory of the firm
Prerequisites / NoticeNumber of participants limited to 80. Registration through myStudies (first come, first served). You will receive a confirmation email from us once you have successfully registered. We do not use the mystudies-Waiting List, but a seperate internal system.

For further questions and if you are unable to sign up through myStudies, please contact the course assistant:
Link

Session #0: (October 8) Organizational Issues & Guest lecture I
Session #1: (October 15) Strategy Concepts & How to Solve a Case
Session #2: (October 22) Industry Dynamics I
Session #3: (October 29) Guest Lecture II
Session #4: (November 5) Industry Dynamics II
Session #5: (November 12) Resource-Based Theory
Session #6: (November 26) Knowledge-based Theory
Session #7: (December 3) Guest Lecture III


For participants of the MAS-MTEC program we offer a complentary course Practicing Strategy in which students will apply the concepts of Strategic Management to their real-life contexts and organizations. Please register simultaneously for both courses if you want to take part in this course.

For more information please see:
Link
365-1097-00LInnovation Management Restricted registration - show details
Exclusively for MAS MTEC students (third semester).
W+2 credits1SP. Bubenzer
AbstractThis interactive course provides emerging leaders in technology-driven companies with critical insights and tools for addressing key challenges in innovation management.
ObjectiveThis course offers an intensive, two-day integrated learning experience to provide leaders in technology-driven enterprises with critical insights and fundamental tools for tackling key innovation management challenges. The course combines an innovate set of lectures with practical case studies taught by professors and industry executives with experience in technology-driven start-ups and large firms in a variety of industries. This course is a highly interactive immersion into real-life challenges where established frameworks and contemporary models are used to develop leadership capabilities in technologically complex business environments. This course is thus designed to particularly suit the needs and expectations of engineers or other technology specialists who intend to develop the necessary vocabulary and tools in order to grow into more general leadership roles in technology based enterprises.
Information Management and Operations Management
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
363-0425-00LTransformation: Corporate Development and IT Information W+3 credits2GT. Gutzwiller
AbstractThe lecture treats the main challenges of business transformation and the alignment of corporate development and IT activities. It presents a holistic approach to business transformation projects by introducing an integrated model dealing with three main design areas "strategy", "processes" and "information systems" and applying this model to various case studies.
ObjectiveThe goal of the lecture is to understand the main challenges of corporate transformation and to demonstrate the application of a holistic project procedure model for corporate transformation projects with special emphasis on the alignment of business and IT.

The student should understand and be able to explain

• the main reasons for corporate transformation,
• the relevant management processes to manage corporate transformation,
• the interdependencies between strategy, processes and information systems, especially how this three levels interrelate,
• the critical success factors for the successful accomplishment of large scale corporate transformation projects,
• the main instruments of project, quality and change management and
• the different types of resulting IT projects.
ContentThe globalization of the world leads to an increasingly faster pace in business transformation. Enterprises have to adapt faster and even faster to the environmental changes in a global economy to remain competitive and to make sure they stay in business. In today’s information age this does not only mean to adapt business strategy and business processes but also to adapt information systems to the new circumstances. The fast adaptation trough large scale corporate transformation projects that change strategy, business processes and information systems is critical to ensure competitiveness for tomorrow. The introduction of new business processes and information systems typically takes years in very complex large scale projects. Many projects fail because of insufficient alignment between decision makers in business and IT. Unclear understanding of the overall project scope, undefined roles and responsibilities, unclear project processes, quality problems and resistance to change are some typical problems found in such projects. The lecture is subdivided into following modules:

• Corporate development – introduction and motivation,
• Parallelization of corporate development and complexity reduction,
• Planning process and project portfolio management in corporate development,
• Management of large scale projects – integration of strategy, processes and information systems,
• Quality management in large scale projects,
• Project management in large scale projects,
• Change management within projects. The lecture is accompanied by four case studies that are used to exemplify the contents of the lecture by applying the concepts to real situations in corporate life.
363-0453-00LStrategic Supply Chain ManagementW+3 credits2GS. Wagner
AbstractThe course offers an introduction to the theory and practice of supply chain management. Students will learn how to develop supply chain strategies and supply chain networks based on firms’ competitive strategies and marketing priorities.
ObjectiveThe task of designing and managing supply chains requires that managers apply strategic, decision making and leadership skills in a supply chain context. The goal of this course is to develop and practice these skills.
ContentEffective supply chains ought to be aligned with and support the achievement of the firm’s corporate, business and product strategies, taking into account future opportunities and risks. This course will familiarize students with modern supply chain management theory and practice to develop and manage supply chains. The topics covered range from fundamental logistics and supply chain concepts (e.g. push vs. pull, postponement) to the development of supply chain strategies, relationships and networks.
Lecture notesCourse material will be available for download from the homepage of the Chair of Logistics Management:

Link

Login will be provided in the first lecture or can be obtained from the Teaching Assistant Alexander Fink (Link).
LiteratureThe following textbook is mandatory:
Chopra, Sunil and Meindl, Peter (2016): Supply chain management: Strategy, planning, and operation, 6th ed., Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.

The following textbook is supplementary:
Hopp, Wallace J. (2008): Supply chain science, New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Prerequisites / NoticeThe final course grade will be a weighted average of the following:
Exam (semester end): 70%
Case studies (during the semester): 30%

Students (at least in groups of two) must bring a laptop with MS Excel and the Excel Solver installed to class.
Quantitative and Qualitative Methods for Solving Complex Problems
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
363-0305-00LEmpirical Methods in ManagementW+3 credits2GS. Tillmanns
AbstractEvidence-based management requires valid empirical research. In this course, students will learn the basics of research design, fundamentals of data collection and statistical methods to analyze the data acquired in social science research. Students are expected to apply their knowledge in class discussions and out-of-class assignments.
Objective- Ability to formulate research questions and designing an appropriate study
- Ability to collect and analyze data using a variety of methods
- Ability to critically assess the quality of empirical research in management
- Applied knowledge of empirical methods through out-of-class assignments
Content1) Introduction to empirical management research
2) Research designs: exploratory, descriptive, experimental
3) Measurement and scaling
4) Data collection and sampling
5) Data analysis methods
6) Reporting and presenting empirical research
Prerequisites / NoticeAssignments and projects: This course includes out-of-class assignments and projects to give students some hands-on experience in conducting empirical research in management. Projects will focus on one particular aspect of empirical research, like the formulation of a research question or the design of a study. Students will have at least one week to work on each assignment. Students are expected to work on these assignments individually. Duplicate answers will receive no credit and will be subject to a disciplinary review. Assignments will be graded and need to be turned-in on time.

Class participation: Class participation is encouraged and can greatly improve students' learning in this class. In this spirit, students are expected to attend class regularly and come to class prepared.
363-1004-00LOperations ResearchW+3 credits2GM. Laumanns, S. Bütikofer van Oordt
AbstractThis course provides an introduction to operations research methods in the fields of management science and economics. Requisite mathematical concepts are introduced with a practical, problem-solving perspective.
Objective- Introduction to building and using quantitative models in a business / industrial environment
- Introduction to basic optimization techniques (Linear Programming and extensions, network flows, integer programming, dynamic and stochastic optimization)
- Understanding the integration of quantitative models into the managerial decision process
ContentThe following topics are covered: Systems and models, linear models and the importance of linear programming, duality theory and shadow prices, integer programming, optimization under uncertainty and applications in inventory management.
Lecture notesA printed script will be made available.
LiteratureAny standard textbook in Operations Research is a useful complement to the course.
Prerequisites / NoticeUndergraduate calculus, linear algebra, probability and statistics are a prerequisite.
Micro and Macroeconomics
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
363-0537-00LResource and Environmental EconomicsW+3 credits2GL. Bretschger
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.
LiteraturePerman, R., Ma, Y., McGilvray, J, Common, M.: "Natural Resource & Environmental Economics", 3d edition, Longman, Essex 2003.
Financial Management
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
363-0561-00LFinancial Market RisksW+3 credits2GD. Sornette
AbstractI aim to introduce students to the concepts and tools of modern finance and to make them understand the limits of these tools, and the many problems met by the theory in practice. I will put this course in the context of the on-going financial crises in the US, Europe, Japan and China, which provide fantastic opportunities to make the students question the status quo and develop novel solutions.
ObjectiveThe course explains the key concepts and mechanisms of financial economics, their depth and then stresses how and why the theories and models fail and how this is impacting investment strategies and even a global view of citizenship, given the present developing crises in the US since 2007 and in Europe since 2010.

-Development of the concepts and tools to understand these risks and master them.

-Working knowledge of the main concepts and tools in finance (Portfolio theory, asset pricing, options, real options, bonds, interest rates, inflation, exchange rates)

-Strong emphasis on challenging assumptions and developing a systemic understanding of financial markets and their many dimensional risks
Content1- The Financial Crises: what is really happening? Historical perspective and what can be expected in the next decade(s). Bubbles and crashes. The illusion of he perpetual money machine.

2- Risks in financial markets
-What is risk?
-Measuring risks of financial assets
-Introduction to three different concepts of probability
-History of financial markets, diversification, market risks

3- Introduction to financial risks and its management.
-Relationship between risk and return
-portfolio theory: the concept of diversification and optimal allocation
-How to price assets: the Capital Asset Pricing Model
-How to price assets: the Arbitrage Pricing Theory, the factor models and beyond

4- Financial markets: role and efficiency
-What is an efficient market?
-Financial markets as valuation engines: exogeneity versus endogeneity (reflexivity)
-Deviations from efficiency, puzzles and anomalies in the financial markets
-Financial bubbles, crashes, systemic instabilities

5- An introduction to Options and derivatives
-Calls, Puts and Shares and other derivatives
-Financial alchemy with options (options are building blocs of any possible cash flow)
-Determination of option value; concept of risk hedging

6-Valuation and using options
-a first simple option valuation modle
-the Binomial method for valuing options
-the Black-scholes model and formula
-practical examples and implementation
-Realized prices deviate from these theories: volatility smile and real option trading
-How to imperfectly hedge with real markets?

7- Real options
-The value of follow-on investment opportunities
-The timing option
-The abandonment option
-Flexible production
-conceptual aspects and extensions

8- Government bonds and their valuation
-Relationship between bonds and interest rates
-Real and nominal rates of interest
-Term structure and Yields to maturity
-Explaining the term structure
-Different models of the term structure

9- Managing international risks
-The foreign exchange market
-Relations between exchanges rates and interest rates, inflation,
and other economic variables
-Hedging currency risks
-Currency speculation
-Exchange risk and international investment decisions
Lecture notesLecture slides will be available on the site of the lecture
LiteratureCorporate finance
Brealey / Myers / Allen
Eight edition
McGraw-Hill International Edition (2006)

+ additional paper reading provided during the lectures
Prerequisites / Noticenone
363-0723-00LCorporate FinanceW+3 credits2GM. Neuhaus
AbstractCorporate Finance, investment management, business valuation, value based management & compensation, financial reporting today & in future, financial reporting value chain, reporting on non-financial measures, such as corporate sustainability reporting, mergers & acquisitions, legal aspects, taxes, corporate governance - risk management - internal controls & mgmt. information systems, turnaround.
ObjectiveIntroduction in theory and practical application of Corporate Finance, with a particular focus on financing of operations and transactions, analysed from multiple aspects, including legal and tax.
ContentCorporate Finance, investment management, business valuation, value based management and compensation, financial reporting today and in future, financial reporting value chain, reporting on non-financial measures, such as corporate sustainability reporting, mergers and acquisitions, legal aspects, taxes, corporate governance - risk management - internal controls and management information systems, turnaround.
Lecture notesSlides in English will be available for download on the following website: Link
LiteratureBrealey, Richard A. / Myers, Stewart C. / Allen, Franklin (2017): Principles of Corporate Finance, 12th Edition / Global Edition., New York: McGraw Hill - Hill Book Co.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe lecture will be supported by the Chair of Entrepreneurial Risks. Please refer to the chair's website for more detailed information regarding the course (Link)
  •  Page  1  of  1