COURSE NUMBER: MBA 294.5
COURSE TITLE: Technology Speaker Series
UNITS OF CREDIT: 1.0 Unit
INSTRUCTOR: Andrew Isaacs
STUDENT ORGANIZER: Mehtaj
Saad, Matt Mueller
E-MAIL ADDRESSES: mehtaj_saad@mba.berkeley.edu, matt_mueller@mba.berkeley.edu
MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Thursdays, 4-6PM,
Fall A only
This course will meet on
9/1, 9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29 and 10/6.
LAPTOP POLICY: No laptops allowed, and this is
strictly enforced.
CLASS FORMAT: Two interactive speaker presentations
per class followed by Q&A, and dinner with speakers
COURSE OVERVIEW: This course will provide students
with an overview of the latest trends and developments facing the tech industry
today. As the product and service offerings of both established and young
companies start to blur, the ability to understand a company’s objective and
perspective becomes valuable to the business school student looking to enter
the industry.
BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: Questions for speakers,
class participation, and attendance. This is a 1 credit pass/not pass course.
To pass, you must not miss more than one class (attendance will be taken). In
addition you will be required to submit questions and comments for each
speaker, as well as participate actively in class. In each class, a group of
students will have the opportunity to present a 5-minute overview of the
company and speaker. This is your opportunity to make a great impression on the
speakers, who are typically actively involved with the intern recruiting
process later in the year. The presentations must be emailed to organizers no
later than the Friday prior to the class.
ABSTRACT OF COURSE CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES: Sponsored
by the Haas Technology Club, this course will provide first-hand information on
trends that are shaping the technology industry. This includes the players,
competitive forces, technological evolution, business models, and future growth
prospects in the enterprise, mobile and consumer segments. The speakers will
share both their professional and personal perspectives while presenting a
topic of their expertise. Students who are not intimately familiar with these
industries will gain enough exposure to intelligently engage in conversation,
and the opportunity to learn and network with a company representative. One
session will entirely focus on preparing students to job interviews for Product
Management and Product Marketing Management roles, through career and position
overviews, technology case explanations, and hands-on insights. Whether you're
an established industry professional, or looking to transition your career,
this course is intended to be a great starting point for students who're
looking to pursue a career with these companies or their competitors.
Invited companies may include Google, Facebook,
Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, various start ups, and
more (subject to change).
After each class, a group of students will have the
opportunity to have dinner with our speaker(s), subject to their availability.
The organizers will try their best to ensure that every student attends at
least 1 dinner.
EXPECTATIONS:
This is a 1 credit pass/not pass course. To pass,
you must not miss more than one class (attendance will be taken). There will be
no exam.
You are required to familiarize yourself with the
speaker's bio and the company prior to class.
Students may be asked to introduce speakers
throughout the term.