SEMINAR IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

E 296
Evening MBA program
Summer Semester 2001 (Africa/Europe)

Course Objectives, Structure and Organization

This course is designed to introduce the participants to the culture, history and business environment in various countries. The 1999 edition, outlined below, focused on Japan (Kansai region) and Vietnam (Hanoi). Future editions may look at new countries/regions or may return to previous ones. Typically, two countries will be studied and the travel portion of the program will include visits to both countries.

For a student perspective on the 1999 program please click here.

This course is designed to introduce the participants to the culture, history and business environment in various countries. The 2001 edition (Africa/Europe), outlined below, focused on the Benelux Countries (Netherlands and Belgium) and Ghana as did the 2000 edition. See also the Japan/Vietnam program undertaken in 1999.

See the web site prepared by Paul Maloney, participant in both the 1999 and 2000 editions of the program to get the participants' perspectives on our activities in Ghana, Netherlands and Belgium.

Participation in this course is restricted to students enrolled in the Evening MBA Program at Haas.

Classroom schedule

Room C xxx unless indicated otherwise.
Classes will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

Travel schedule

Time Zone Converter

Logistics and Formalities

VISAS

Ghana

Netherlands/Belgium

Vaccination Requirements

Assignments

Classroom Presentations

Teams of 5 students will select a topic from a list to be provided. The teams will each research and prepare a presentation which will be delivered to the entire class.

Research Paper

The main assignment for this course will consist of a research paper on a topic to be decided in consultation with the instructor. The topic should encompass some aspect(s) of doing business in Europe and/or Africa. It could compare and contrast an industry in the countries, it could review market potential for some product or service in each market or follow a similar theme. Ideally, the paper should be related to the particular company or industry in which the student is employed.

The format of the paper should be decided in consultation with the instructor. For example, if a Powerpoint presentation might prove more useful to the student than a research document, this would be perfectly acceptable.

Briefings

Briefings are designed to assist the group's understanding of the companies and organizations that we will visit and/or the cultures that we will experience. Each student is to select one of the organizations on our itinerary and prepare a briefing on that entity. This briefing will be delivered to the group prior to our visit to that particular entity. Following the visit, the same student will lead a de-briefing to summarize what we learned from the visit.

Evaluation

Evaluation for a grade will be based on three components - the research paper, the briefings and class participation. Participation throughout the classroom sessions and during the study tour will be considered. The breakdown for grading purposes will be as follows:

Health & Safety Issues

Travel overseas, especially to developing countries and emerging markets, may expose participants to health and other risks different from those that they face at home. Although we will do our best to make participants aware of such risks and will make efforts to minimize risks, the ultimate responsibility lies with the participant. Participation in the program explicitly implies acceptance of all responsibility for loss, injury and/or death by the applicant. Participants are advised to check with the Centers for Disease Control and with the US State Department for information on health and safety issues respectively. See also the useful international web sites page for further research on countries and their respective health and safety record.

Each participant must obtain, at their own expense, any vaccinations, inoculations or other medications considered
appropriate for a prudent traveler to the destination(s) to which they are assigned.

Each participant must obtain, at their own expense, suitable health insurance for the duration of the in-country portion of the program. The insurance must cover medical evacuation to the USA. Evidence of such insurance must be provided to the course instructor.

MEDEX and the AAA+ membership (if you have been an AAA member for one year) of the CSAA two possible sources for such insurance.

The Centers for Disease Control Travel Section provides a wealth of information on traveler's health. They also make specific recommendations regarding travel to Western Europe and, probably more importantly, to West Africa.

Please see the CDC's comprehensive information on Yellow Fever before getting this vaccination.

Also please see the Ghana Pages of travel Health On Line.

Before deciding to take Larium as prophylaxis for malaria, please check out this Berkeley based web site and discuss with your physician.

Useful Information

NETHERLANDS



U.S. State Department Consular Information Sheet and Background Notes.
CIA Fact book on The Netherlands.
U.S. State department Commercial Guide (.pdf format.)
Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency
Netherlands Embassy in Washington D.C.
American Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands
Netherlands Knowledge Infrastructure
Visit Holland Official Web site of the Netherlands Tourism Board
Encarta Netherlands
PTT Telecom Telephone Directory
Netherlands Yellow Pages
Dutch Yellow Pages in English

BELGIUM



U.S. State Department Consular Information Sheet and Background Notes
CIA Fact book on Belgium.
U.S. State Department Commercial Guide (.pdf format)
Belgian Embassy in Washington D.C.
American Embassy in Brussels, Belgium
Visit Belgium Belgian Tourist Office
Encarta Belgium
Belgian Telephone Directories (This page lists various directories.)
Flanders Foreign Investment Office
Flanders Authority

EUROPEAN UNION



European Union Internet Resources UC Berkeley Library site offering a great set of links.
GHANA



U.S. State Department Consular Information Sheet and Background Notes.
CIA Fact book on Ghana
U.S. State Department Commercial Guide (.pdf format.)
World Bank Report
An Investor's Guide to Ghana
American Embassy in Accra, Ghana
Ghana Embassy in Washington D.C.
Ashesi University Foundation started by two Haas MBA alums with the objective of establishing a non-profit, private university in business and computer science in Ghana.
Ghana Stock Exchange
Network Computer Services, Ghana's main ISP
GhanaWeb Home Page
Excite Travel: Destinations Ghana
NewAfrica.com Ghana travel guide
Encarta Ghana
Lonely Planet Ghana
africaguide.com Ghana
Africaonline Ghana
Conservation International Ghana Program
africatravelnet.com Ghana
CNN Accra, Ghana Weather
Ghana Tourist Board
Ghana Mining Industry overview

Miscellaneous

Computer, modem, telephone questions?
Travel Health Online
More Useful Web Sites (Some sites above are duplicated on this list, but there are many other useful ones.)

Last Updated: July 5, 2001