SEMINAR IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
EWMBA 296
Evening / Weekend MBA program
Summer Semester 2003
| Instructor: | David Downes | Sebastian Teunissen |
| Office: | S420 | F447 |
| Hours: | by appointment | by appointment |
| Contact: | Tel: (510) 642-1407 | (510) 643-4999 |
| Fax: (510) 643-6659 | (510) 642-8228 | |
| downes@haas. berkeley.edu | teunisse@haas. berkeley.edu |
Course Objectives, Structure and Organization
This course is designed to introduce the participants to the
culture, history and business environment in various countries.
The 2003 edition, outlined below, focuses on Mexico, Panama
and Cuba.
Participation in this course is restricted to students enrolled
in the Evening and Weekend MBA Program at Haas.
Classroom schedule
Classes will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM unless indicated
otherwise.
| DATE | SPEAKER TOPICS |
| June 3 | Seminar introduction and discussion of requirements |
| June 10 | Mr. Francis Pisani is the Bay Area based technology correspondent for El País (Spain), Le Monde (France) and Reforma (Mexico). He covers IT development in Silicon Valley and the US. He has covered Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean for several European media companies between 1979 and 1996. He has published several books related to his activities as a journalist. |
| June 17 | TBA |
| June 24 | TBA |
| July 1 | TBA |
| July 8 | TBA |
| July 15 | TBA |
| August TBA | Final Review and Wrap Up |
Travel Schedule
|
DATE |
TRAVEL
SCHEDULE |
| Sat 7/19 | Depart SFO Arrive Mexico City |
| Sun 7/20 | |
| Mon 7/21 | |
| Tues 7/22 | |
| Wed 7/23 | |
| Thurs 7/24 |
Depart: Mexico City: CM 265 07:00 AM Arrive: Panama City 10:35 AM Gamboa Rainforest Resort.Telephone: (507) 314-9000 |
| Fri 7/25 | 9:00 Panama Stock Exchange. Meeting
with Felipe Chapman, Executive Director. (tentative) |
| Sat 7/26 | Tour of the Panama
Canal Miraflores Locks |
| Sun 7/27 | Free Day |
| Mon 7/28 | 7:30 Travel to the Caribbean side of
the Canal 9:00 Visit one of main container port terminals. Manzanillo International Terminal. Meeting with Maricarmen Barrios, Assistant VP Marketing. 13:00 Motta Internacional, Located in the Colon Free Zone, Western’s Hemisphere largest free trade zone. Visit Gatun Locks, Panama Canal |
| Tues 7/29 |
Free Morning Depart: Panama City: CM 230 19:50 Arrive: Havana: 23:25 |
| Wed 7/30 |
9:00 Mr. Sylvain Fabi, Senior Trade Commissioner Canadian Embassy
|
| Thurs 7/31 | |
| Fri 8/1 | |
| Sat 8/2 | Depart - Havana Arrive - SFO |
|
Time Zone Converter |
Logistics and Formalities
PASSPORT and VISAS (source: United States Department of
State, Bureau of Consular Affairs FOREIGN
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS)
You must have a passport
with a validity extending to January 31, 2004 or beyond.
Apply now for a new
passport if you do not meet this requirement.
Assignments
Classroom Presentations
Teams of 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 Mexico, Panama and Cuba. 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:
| Research Paper: | 50% | |
| Team Presentations | 20% | |
| Briefings/De-briefings: | 10% | |
| Participation: | 20% |
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. Without endorsement or recommendation,
the following possible providers are listed for your convenience:
MEDEX and the AAA+
membership (if you have been an AAA member for one year) of
the CSAA are two possible sources for such insurance. Also
check out insuremytrip.com.
The Centers for Disease
Control Travel Section provides a wealth of information
on traveler's health.
Country information
MEXICO - *Passport and visa not required of U.S. citizens for tourist/transit stay up to 90 days. Tourist card is required. Tourist card valid 3 months for single entry up to 180 days, no charge, requires proof of U.S. citizenship, photo ID and proof of sufficient funds. Tourist cards may be obtained in advance from Consulate, Tourism Office, and most airlines serving Mexico upon arrival. Departure tax $10 is paid at airport when not included in the cost of the airline ticket. Notarized consent from parent(s) required for children under age 18 traveling alone, with one parent, or in someone else's custody. For details and information on other types of travel, check with the Embassy of Mexico's Consular Section, 2827 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20009-4260 (202/736-1000) or nearest Consulate General: AZ (602/242-7398), CA (213/351-6800, 415/392-5554 and 619/231-8414), CO (303/331-1110), FL (305/716-4977), GA (404/266-1913), IL (312/855-1380), LA (504/522-3596), NY (212/689-0460), PR (809/764-0258) or TX (210/227-1085, 214/252-9250, 713/271-6800, 512/478-9031 and 915/533-4082).
PANAMA
Passport or proof of U.S. citizenship and photo ID, tourist card or visa, proof of sufficient funds, and onward/return ticket required. Visa and tourist card valid 30 days. Visa issued at Embassy of Panama or one of the consulates. Tourist card available from airline serving Panama for $10 fee. Stay can be extended up to 60 days, apply at the main office of Immigration and Naturalization in Panama. Visa requires 1 application form and 1 photo. Allow one working day for processing. Departure tax $20 is paid at airport. For additional information contact the Embassy of Panama, 2862 McGill Terrace, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008 (202/483-1407) or the San Francisco Consulate: (415/391-4268).
U.S. State Department Consular
Information Sheet and Background
Notes.
CIA Fact
book on Panama.
U.S. State department Commercial
Guide (.pdf format.)
Panamanian Embassy in Washington D.C.
American Embassy
in Panama City
CUBA
Passport and visa required. Tourist visa $26, business visa $50, valid up to 90 days, requires 1 application and 1 photo. Send money order only and SASE for return of passport. Apply Cuban Interests Section, 2639 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009 (202/797-8518 or 797-8609 (Spanish)). AIDS test required for those staying longer than 90 days. Attention: U.S. citizens need a Treasury Dept. license in order to engage in any transactions related to travel toand within Cuba. Before planning any travel to Cuba, U.S. citizens should contact the Licensing Division, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Department of the Treasury, 1331 G St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20220 (202/622-2480).
U.S. State Department Consular
Information Sheet and Background
Notes.
CIA Fact
book on Cuba
U.S. State Department Commercial
Guide (.pdf format.)
The US
Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy in Havana, Cuba
Cuban Interests Section in Washington D.C.
Official Cuban Government
Web Site (Spanish only)
University of Texas Cuba LANIC
a great list of Cuba web sites
Last Update: July 9, 2003
