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. 

 

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.