SEMESTER: Spring 2018

COURSE NUMBER: EWMBA 298S-2

COURSE TITLE: Seminar in International Business: China

UNITS OF CREDIT: 2 units

INSTRUCTOR: Arman Zand

E-MAIL ADDRESS: arman@armanzand.com

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/EWMBA/academics/seminars-in-international-business.html

MEETING DAY/TIME:

Instructional Dates*
Attending all sessions is mandatory in order to receive a passing grade
(pre, post, and in-country sessions)

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Class Session at Haas (5PM - 9PM) dinner provided

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Class Session  at Haas (5PM - 9PM) dinner provided

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Arrive in Beijing, China (before 4pm for mandatory opening dinner*)

Monday, March 26, 2018 – Friday, March 30, 2018

In-Country Instruction (Mandatory closing dinner Friday night*)

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Depart from Shanghai, China

Sunday, April 22, 2018

Class Session  at Haas (5PM – 9 PM) dinner provided

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Students flights must land in Beijing before 4pm on Sunday March 25th. Flights arriving after 4pm are not feasible as students will not be able to attend the mandatory 7pm kick off dinner on time. Students should not leave Shanghai earlier than Sat morning March 31st. Flights departing Friday night March 30 or really early morning Sat March 31st are not feasible as students will be not able to attend the mandatory closing dinner.

Please visit the EWMBA website for more information on how to sign-up for the course.

PREREQUISITE(S): None

CLASS FORMAT: 3 lectures plus 1 week on the ground in China

REQUIRED READINGS:  See Syllabus

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: 2 in class team presentations and 1 team final papers and 1 personal final paper.

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
Seminars in International Business ("SIB") are designed to introduce EWMBA student participants to the culture, history and business environment in various countries. Each SIB program focuses on a country or combination of countries that will illustrate how business environments vary across cultures. These programs do not focus on specific industries. Rather, by examining a variety of companies and industries, the goal is to develop a broader perspective of how business is conducted in a particular region of the world.

Silicon Valley is the undisputed innovation capital of the world. But other countries also want to leverage innovation as means to grow their economies. In fact, China currently has the 2nd largest venture capital market in the world and celebrates huge tech giants such as Huawei, Tencent (Wechat), Alibaba, etc. However, true innovation isn’t easy and China has it’s challenges. After one week in China, visiting venture capital firms, startups, and a few tech giants, we will be in a position to uncover the answer the question: Will China become a true global  innovation superpower?

CAREER FIELD: International Business

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:
Arman Zand has more than 17 years of experience working in venture capital, technology, and finance. He is currently Head of Portfolio Engagement at Quona Capital, a fintech fund focused on financial inclusion in emerging markets. Prior to joining Quona, Arman was Director of Business Development at RocketSpace, Inc. where he helped advise on corporate open innovation and connected startups with Fortune 1000 brands. Arman spent the previous 15 years at Silicon Valley Bank in the US, India, U.K, the Middle East, and Asia, helping expand the bank globally including 7 years in China where he helped co-found China's first joint venture technology bank.

Arman is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and is a part-time lecturer at Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley.