851-0742-00L  Contract Design I

SemesterAutumn Semester 2022
LecturersA. Stremitzer
Periodicityyearly recurring course
Language of instructionEnglish
CommentThis course is taught by Professor Alexander Stremitzer (https://laweconbusiness.ethz.ch/group/professor/stremitzer.html). Using practical examples, you will learn the connections between economic contract theory, contract law, and contract drafting. Further, you will apply this knowledge to practical cases to analyze contracts, recognize contractual problems, and develop suitable solutions.

It is NOT a legal drafting class focused on contractual language.

You can find all course materials and the most recent announcements on Moodle. Please log in to Moodle using your ETH or UZH credentials. Then search for "Contract Design I (851-0742-00L; Fall 2022)" and enroll. The password is "ContractDesign01".

Number of participants limited to 160.
Max 80 ETHZ and 80 UZH Students



Courses

NumberTitleHoursLecturers
851-0742-00 VContract Design I
The course is going to take place twice a week during the first half of the semester. All lectures will be held in-person.
28s hrs
Mon/116:15-18:00ETF C 1 »
Thu/112:15-14:00ETF C 1 »
A. Stremitzer

Catalogue data

AbstractContract Design I aims to bridge the gap between economic contract theory, contract law, and the writing of real-world contracts. In this course, we take a systematic approach to contract design. This means we first analyze the economic environment in which a transaction takes place, and then engineer contracts that achieve the desired outcome.
Learning objectiveContracts are agreements between parties to engage in transactions. A good contract creates value by giving parties the right incentives to meet their objectives. A good contract designer scrutinizes the economic situation in which parties find themselves and tailors the contract to the challenges at hand. To help you become sophisticated contract designers, we draw from insights for which more than half a dozen Nobel Prizes were awarded in the past two decades and transfer them to the art of writing real-world contracts. In other words, Integrative Course Contract Design will provide you with analytical tools related to contracting that are invaluable to successful lawyers, business leaders, and startup founders.

We will cover topics such as moral hazard, adverse selection, elicitation mechanisms, relationship-specific investments, and relational contracting and apply the theoretical insights to real-life case studies ranging from purchases & sales of assets, oil & gas exploration, movie production & distribution, construction & development, M&A deals, to executive compensation and many other types of transactions.

The course will be held in a flipped class-room model: This means that you will watch learning videos specifically produced for this course ahead of the lecture and we will use the class time to discuss real-world case studies.

ETH students: Your grade will consist of two parts:
1) You are required to take weekly computer-based quizzes during class time. Thus, it is imperative that you attend the lectures to be able to finish the quizzes and pass this course.
2) You have to compose short responses to take-home questions on the case studies we discussed in class and upload them.

Note that UZH and HSG students enrolling in this course earn more ECTS on completing this course than ETH students. This is because UZH and HSG students must hand in an extensive group project in addition to the weekly quizzes and take-home questions.
Lecture notesHandouts, prerecorded videos, slides, and other materials
Prerequisites / NoticeAttendance is mandatory. You are only allowed to miss two lectures absent special reasons.

Contract Design I is available to ETH students through the Science in Perspective (SiP) Program of D-GESS. This course is particularly suitable for students of D-ARCH, D-BAUG, D-CHAB, DMATH, D-MTEC, D-INFK, and D-MAVT. If you have any questions regarding the course, please write an email to the teaching assistants, Lucas Gericke (lucas.gericke@gess.ethz.ch) or Serge von Steiger (serge.vonsteiger@gess.ethz.ch).
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesassessed
Techniques and Technologiesassessed
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesassessed
Decision-makingassessed
Problem-solvingassessed
Social CompetenciesCommunicationassessed
Cooperation and Teamworkassessed
Customer Orientationassessed
Negotiationassessed
Personal CompetenciesCreative Thinkingassessed

Performance assessment

Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again)
Performance assessment as a semester course
ECTS credits3 credits
ExaminersA. Stremitzer
Typegraded semester performance
Language of examinationEnglish
RepetitionRepetition only possible after re-enrolling for the course unit.
Additional information on mode of examinationComputer-based quizzes and take-home questions

Learning materials

No public learning materials available.
Only public learning materials are listed.

Groups

No information on groups available.

Restrictions

Places80 at the most
Waiting listuntil 02.10.2022

Offered in

ProgrammeSectionType
Doctorate Humanities, Social and Political SciencesSubject SpecialisationWInformation
Integrated Building Systems MasterScience in PerspectiveWInformation
Science in PerspectiveD-ARCHWInformation
Science in PerspectiveD-BAUGWInformation
Science in PerspectiveLawWInformation
Science in PerspectiveD-CHABWInformation
Science in PerspectiveD-INFKWInformation
Science in PerspectiveD-MATHWInformation
Science in PerspectiveD-MTECWInformation
Science in PerspectiveD-MAVTWInformation