Volker Hoffmann: Catalogue data in Spring Semester 2018

Name	Prof. Dr. Volker Hoffmann
Field	Sustainability and Technology
Address	Nachhaltigkeit und Technol. D-MTEC ETH Zürich, WEV J 412 Weinbergstr. 56/58 8092 Zürich SWITZERLAND
Telephone	+41 44 632 05 40
Fax	+41 44 632 10 45
E-mail	vhoffmann@ethz.ch
Department	Management, Technology, and Economics
Relationship	Full Professor

Number	Title	ECTS	Hours	Lecturers
151-0906-00L	Frontiers in Energy Research This course is only for doctoral students.	2 credits	2S	D. Poulikakos, R. Boes, V. Hoffmann, G. Hug, M. Mazzotti, A. Patt, A. Schlüter
Abstract	Doctoral students at ETH Zurich working in the broad area of energy present their research to their colleagues, their advisors and the scientific community. Each week a different student gives a 50-60 min presentation of their research (a full introduction, background & findings) followed by discussion with the audience.
Learning objective	Knowledge of advanced research in the area of energy.
Content	Doctoral students at ETH Zurich working in the broad area of energy present their research to their colleagues, to their advisors and to the scientific community. There will be one presentation a week during the semester, each structured as follows: 20 min introduction to the research topic, 30 min presentation of the results, 30 min discussion with the audience.
Lecture notes	Slides will be available on the Energy Science Center pages(www.esc.ethz.ch/events/frontiers-in-energy-research.html).
351-0778-00L	Discovering 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) 351-0778-01L.	3 credits	3G	B. Clarysse, M. Ambühl, S. Brusoni, L. De Cuyper, E. Fleisch, G. Grote, V. Hoffmann, T. Netland, G. von Krogh, F. von Wangenheim
Abstract	Discovering 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.
Learning objective	The objective of this course 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, marketing, corporate social responsibility, and productions and operations management. These different lectures provide the theoretical and conceptual foundations of management. In addition, students are required to work in teams on a project. The purpose of this project is to analyse the innovative needs of a large multinational company and develop a business case for the company to grow.
Content	Discovering 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, corporate social responsibility, and business model innovation. Practical examples from industry will stimulate the students to critically assess these issues.
Prerequisites / Notice	Discovering 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.
363-1060-00L	Strategies for Sustainable Business Limited number of participants Registration will only be effective once confirmed by email from the organizers.	2 credits	2S	J. Meuer, V. Hoffmann
Abstract	In this course, students will learn to critically analyze strategies for sustainable business through exploring case studies on three main questions: 1. What is sustainability in business? 2. How do I design a sustainability strategy? 3. How do I implement a sustainability strategy?
Learning objective	After the course, you should be able to: 1. Understand and explain sustainability challenges companies are facing; 2. Critique sustainability and related strategies; 3. Evaluate decisions taken by managers; 4. Suggest alternative approaches; 5. Develop action plans; 6. Reflect on strategies for sustainability in their own organizations. You will also learn to apply a range of strategy concepts to sustainability challenges, including leadership, stakeholder management, diversification, and organizational change.
Content	Although many companies nowadays report on their sustainability actions, only few successfully integrate sustainability into their business operations. In this seminar, we will cover three main questions that will help you to critically analyze and develop strategies for sustainable business: 1. What is sustainability in business? 2. How do I design a sustainability strategy? 3. How do I implement a sustainability strategy? We teach the course with the case method developed at Harvard Business School. The case studies will allow us to explore from multiple perspectives the many tensions involved in developing strategies for sustainable business. We will distribute case study materials before the sessions, as well as guidelines on how best to efficiently and effectively prepare for case study discussions. You will need to read the materials and to submit short assignments before each class. The sessions are interactive and allow you to step into the role of decision-makers as they face key challenges in integrating sustainability. For example, we will look at the challenges of Fairphone in combining both social and economic goals. Why and how would Patagonia want to encourage customers to buy less rather than more clothing? We also step into the shoes of RWE's CEO Peter Terium as he grapples with ensuring a profitable and sustainable future for the German utility. And using a change management simulation, you will experience why certain approaches to implementing a sustainability initiative in an organization are more successful than others. Our case discussions will help you to apply strategy concepts to real-world sustainability problems and will also serve as a basis for thinking about sustainability in your own company.
Literature	Case study materials and guidelines for analysing cases will be provided to participants by email several weeks before the seminar.
Prerequisites / Notice	After signing up you will first be placed on the waiting list. We will contact all students on the waiting list by 20 February 2018 to confirm the place in the seminar. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Johannes Meuer.