COURSE NUMBER: EWMBA 236C.1
This course is
cross listed with the MBA Program
COURSE TITLE: Global Financial Services
UNITS OF CREDIT: 3 Units
INSTRUCTOR: Richard George
E-MAIL ADDRESS: george@haas.berkeley.edu
CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION:
MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Thursday, 6:00pm-9:30pm
PREREQUISITE(S): EWMBA203
CLASS FORMAT: https://bspace.berkeley.edu/portal
REQUIRED READINGS:
Required: 1) Wall St. Journal (either hard copy or
On-Line), 2) Case Reader(contents listed below).
Recommended: 1) Financial Crises in
Emerging Markets, Lamfalussy, 2) When Genius Failed,
Lowenstein, 3) Islamic Law and Finance, Hayes and Vogel, 4) Manias, Panics and
Crashes, Kindleberger.
BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: An exercise pertaining to each
week’s topic/case discussion will be due each week before the beginning of
class and is to be submitted via email. Student contribution to class
discussion, plus homework, is evaluated throughout the course and comprises 40%
of the course grade. Performance on team projects is 30% of the course grade.
There will be one unannounced quiz, plus a final exam. The quiz and the final
exam comprise 30% of the grade.
ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
This course explores how financial institutions are
responding to the global market forces challenging and changing the nature and
structure of their businesses and services. By the end of the course,
participants will understand the language and workings of capital markets
(existing and emerging), the role of banks as drivers and intermediaries, as
well as the sensitivities of the global payments system. Students will also
develop and utilize skills focusing on four key financial product areas:
Structured Finance and Securitization, Derivatives and Risk Management,
Investment and Credit Analysis, and Corporate Valuation. At all times,
attention is given to the practical application of specific financial tools as
well as understanding their significance and utility within the context of
contemporary case studies and current events. We will focus on the seismic
changes that have taken place over past two years and their implications for
the future of banking. Several guest speakers will join the class during the
course.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:
Richard George is a seasoned executive and educator in
the financial services industry. After receiving an MBA from UC-Berkeley, Mr.
George was a McKinsey consultant before joining Citibank. During a 29-year
career with the bank, he served in a variety of senior executive positions in
several foreign countries and in the U.S.Â
Mr. George's accomplishments include: managing the
turnaround and sale of a retail bank in the U.S.; effecting a turnaround of
Citibank's Middle East regional loan administration and treasury operations
center; negotiating a sovereign debt restructuring and workout plan for a major
developing country; establishing a business development strategy and executing
a marketing plan for retail products in east Asia; underwriting numerous commercial
real estate projects for national developers; assessing problem resolution
strategies for major real estate workouts in the U.S, Canada and Australia;
managing a secured finance and securitization business; launching global sales
financing partnership programs with major corporate customers. Throughout his
career at Citibank, Mr. George participated as an educator and consultant at
the bank's Institute for Global Finance, focusing on improving the credit and
product skills of bank officers.
Since 1999, Mr. George has been an independent consultant
and educator. Engagements have included 1) as CEO, a 16-month contract to
stabilize the operations and divest a Washington, D.C.-based Internet/Community
bank, 2) teaching modern banking and corporate finance to senior bankers at the
largest commercial bank in Korea and 3) testifying as an expert witness in
numerous banking-related cases.
Before joining the Haas faculty in 2002, Mr. George was
an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s Graduate School of Foreign
Service.
As a banking and financial services practitioner, and as
an educator, Mr. George has demonstrated throughout his career an ability to
explain, and illustrate through first-hand experience, many complex subjects in
banking and finance. He received the Cheit award for this course in spring
2004.
As to whom would benefit from this course, Mr. George has
taught students with a range of experience in finance – some with very little
prior finance experience and others with specific advanced knowledge of parts
of the syllabus. It is definitely
possible for a highly motivated, yet relatively financially inexperienced
student to keep up with the learning program.
At the same time, those with more experience will deepen their
understanding of application opportunities for their expertise and discover
other concepts and skills to expand their knowledge of the financial
world.
Mr. George lives with his family near Lake Tahoe, California.