COURSE NUMBER: MBA294.7

COURSE TITLE: Topics In Technology: The Dynamics of the High Tech World

UNITS OF CREDIT: 1

INSTRUCTOR: Drew Isaacs

STUDENT ORGANIZERS: Yuval Gez and Annie Hsu

EMAIL ADDRESSES: yuval_gez@mba.berkeley.edu; a_hsu@mba.berkeley.edu

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Thursdays, 4:00-6:00PM (Fall B)

This course will meet on the following dates: 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 12/5, and 12/12.

PREREQUISITE(S): None.

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. 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.