COURSE
NUMBER: MBA 294.1
COURSE
TITLE: Wine Industry
UNITS
OF CREDIT: 1
FACULTY
SPONSOR: Greg La Blanc
STUDENT
ORGANIZERS: Sean Simplicio; Alex White; Brandon Hughes
EMAIL: sean_simplicio@mba.berkeley.edu;
alex_white@mba.berkeley.edu; brandon_hughes@mba.berkeley.edu
MEETING
DAY(S)/TIME: Thursdays 6:00 - 8:00 PM
PREREQUISITE(S):
none
CLASS
FORMAT:
Classroom
activities will consist of a series of guest speakers who will lecture on
various aspects of the wine industry. There may be some panel discussions as
well. Class sessions will involve both
lectures about the wine industry and wine tastings.
REQUIRED
READINGS:
There
is no textbook or reader for this class, although we will try to provide
background material on the speaker prior to each class.
COURSE
FEE:
To
cover administrative expenses, wine tasting, and food, there will be a course fee of $125. The course fee
can be paid by writing a check to the “Haas Wine Club” and bringing it to the
first class. This also includes glasses
to be used for the wine tasting.
BASIS
FOR FINAL GRADE:
Class attendance and participation. Final papers will be required for individuals
missing more than two classes.
ABSTRACT
OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
The
goal of the course is to offer an informative class to MBA students on all
aspects of producing, distributing, marketing, and selling wine. Each session will address a different wine
industry-related topic that will provide class members with broad knowledge of
the industry. Classes are taught by
industry experts from varying capacities, such as wine makers, marketers,
writers, and importers. In addition to
learning about the wine industry, class members will have the opportunity to
refine their tasting skills. During each
session we will get to enjoy some great wines brought by our speaker that day,
allowing class members to gain an understanding of different varietals and wine
regions of the world.
Some
of the potential topics that will be addressed in this year’s class include:
• The traditional supply chain (3-tier
system) and its economic impacts
• New models in the wine industry
• Real estate in the wine industry
• Branding and pricing in the wine
industry