The Berkeley MBA Curriculum Overview
First Year
Pre-enrollment

Quantitative Methods Workshop (optional/late summer) Two-week review of math,
probability,statistics, accounting, and finance

Communications Workshop(optional/ late summer) Two-week refresher of oral communication
and writing skills

MBA Orientation (required) One-week introduction to life at Haas, and fun, too!
Fall
Required Core Courses ”A,” Weeks 1-7

Introduction to Data Analysis for Management

Economics for Business Decision Making (Microeconomics)

Organizational Behavior
Intrasession

Two-day career management conference
Required Core Courses “B,” Weeks 9-15

Financial Accounting

Introduction to Finance

Marketing Management
Required Core Mini Course

Leadership Communication
Student Conferences, Speaker Series, and Events

Women in Leadership Conference

Leading Edge Technology Conference

Various Speaker Series

Consumption Functions Bi-monthly social gatherings
Career Events

Career Development Workshops Workshops on interviewing, resume and cover letter writing, and
networking held throughout semester

Firm Nights Opportunity to network with firms from various industries
Winter

Study Tour (optional) Study trip to Asia, Latin America, or Europe organized by a student club
Spring
Required Core Courses “A,” Weeks 1-7

Introduction to Operations Management

Macroeconomics in the Global Economy
Required Core Courses “B,” Weeks 9-15

Strategy in the Global Context

Managing Business Ethics in a Global Economy
Elective Courses (full 15-week semester)

Two or three electives
Student Conferences, Speaker Series, and Events

Berkeley Asia Business Conference

Challenge for Charity

UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition

Global Social Venture Business Plan Competition

Consumption Functions
Career Development

Interviews for summer internships begin in January

Independent job search begins

Firm Nights
Summer

Internships and Summer Jobs

International Business Development Consulting Projects
Travel in teams throughout the world for consulting projects
Second Year
Fall
Elective Courses

Four or five electives

International exchange program (optional)
Student Conferences, Speaker Series, and Events

Women in Leadership Conference

Leading Edge Technology Conference

Various Speaker Series

Consumption Functions
Career Development

Second year job interviews (September - March)

Firm Nights
Winter

Study Tour (optional)
Spring
Elective Courses

Four or five electives
Student Conferences, Speaker Series, and Events

Berkeley Asia Business Conference

Challenge for Charity

UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition

Global Social Venture Business Plan Competition

Consumption Functions
Commencement
Elective Courses 210-230s
212. Managerial Decisions in Regulated Industries. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites:
Business Administration 201A or equivalent. Formerly Business Administration 212. Introduction to
administrative law and the regulatory process. Economic principles of administrative regulation of pricing,
investment, and service quality. Analysis of critical problems in regulated industries, including
transportation, communications, energy, and financial sectors, with emphasis on emerging competition in
these industries. Potential regulatory reforms with alternatives to regulation.
214. Forecasting Methods for Business. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business
Administration 200, 201A-201B, 204 or equivalents. Formerly Business Administration 214. The course will
focus on a variety of currently used forecasting techniques. These include econometric techniques and
purely extrapolative (time series) methods, as well as combinations of more than one procedure. The
emphasis is on data analysis; the student will learn a "forecasting process" which can be applied to all
types of forecasting problems. To facilitate the "learning by doing" aspect of the course, several computeroriented problem sets and a forecasting project are required.
217. Topics in Economic Analysis and Policy. (.5-3) Course may be repeated for credit. One-half to
three hours of lecture per week. Advanced study in the field of economic analysis and policy. Topics will
vary from year to year and will be announced at the beginning of each semester.
218A. International Finance. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration
201B. Formerly Business Administration 285. This course introduces students to the institutions and
operation of the international macroeconomic environment; special attention is paid to international
financial arrangements relevant for managers of multinational corporations. Topics include: foreign
exchange and capital markets; the balance of payments; open economy macroeconomics; exchange rate
determination; history of the international financial system; arbitrage and hedging; international aspects of
financial decisions.
218B. Theory and Institutions of International Trade. (3) Three hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisites: Business Administration 201A. Formerly Business Administration 287. The course focuses
on determinants of global trade flows, patterns of international competition, and governmental policies
affecting international trade. Topics include: tariff and nontariff barriers to trade, industrial policies in
declining and emerging industries, strategic trade policy, United States trade law, bilateral and multilateral
approaches to trade liberalization, and current issues in international trade policy.
222. Financial Information Analysis. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business
Administration 202A or consent of instructor. Formerly Business Administration 222. Issues of accounting
information evaluation with special emphasis on the use of financial statements by decision makers
external to the firm. The implications of recent research in finance and accounting for external reporting
issues will be explored. Emphasis will be placed on models that describe the user's decision context.
223. Corporate Financial Reporting. (3) Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week.
Prerequisites: Business Administration 202A or consent of instructor. Formerly Business Administration
220. This course examines the theory and practice of financial accounting and the issues involved in
determining corporate financial reporting policies. It provides an in-depth knowledge of how financial
statements are prepared but emphasizes the evaluation of accounting reports from a managerial
perspective. Cases supplement lecture, discussion, and problem solving.
224A. Managerial Accounting. (2) Three hours of lecture and one hour of optional discussion per week
for 10 weeks. Prerequisites: Business Administration 202A or equivalent. Formerly Business
Administration 202B. This course emphasizes the use of accounting information throughout the planning,
operation and control stages of managing an organization. The course is divided into three sections to
reflect these three stages of management: 1) information for planning and decision making; 2) information
received during operations (cost accounting); and 3) information for control and performance evaluation.
224B. Advanced Managerial Accounting. (2,3) Forty-five hours of work per unit per term. Prerequisites:
Business Administration 202A and 202B or equivalents. Formerly Business Administration 224. This
course includes the theory of management accounting, its application in modern organizations, and related
problem areas included in recent CPA and CMA examinations.
225. Management Planning and Control Systems. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites:
Business Administration 202A-202B. Formerly Business Administration 229. Planning and control systems
are an essential tool in the management of modern organizations. Strategic planning and management
control are studied through the use of cases illustrative of management practice in both public and private
organizations.
227B. Topics in Taxation. (3) Course may be repeated for credit. Three hours of lecture per week.
Formerly Business Administration 228. This course will cover various topics in personal or corporate
taxation or both. Topics will vary from semester to semester.
231. Corporate Finance. (3) Three hours of lecture and one hour of optional discussion per week.
Prerequisites: Business Administration 203. Formerly Business Administration 234. This course will study
the principles underlying alternative financial arrangements and contracts and their application to corporate
financial management. In particular, it will examine the impact of incentive, moral hazard, and principalagent problems, that arise as a consequence of asymmetric information, government intervention,
managerial incentives and taxes, on financial decisions regarding capital budgeting, dividend policy,
capital structure and mergers.
232. Financial Institutions and Markets. (3) Three hours of lecture and one hour of optional discussion
per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration 203. Formerly Business Administration 232. This course
will analyze the role of financial markets and financial institutions in allocating capital. The major focus will
be on debt contracts and securities and on innovations in the bond and money markets. The functions of
commercial banks, investment banks, and other financial intermediaries will be covered, and aspects of
the regulation of these institutions will be examined.
233. Investments. (3) Three hours of lecture and one hour of optional discussion per week. Prerequisites:
Business Administration 203. Formerly Business Administration 233. This course will examine four
different types of asset markets: equity markets, fixed income markets, futures markets and options
markets. It will focus on the valuation of assets in these markets, the empirical evidence on asset valuation
models, and strategies that can be employed to achieve various investment goals.
234. Advanced Topics in Corporate Finance. (2) Course may be repeated for credit. Two hours of
lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration 234. Formerly Business Administration 237.
Normative models of financial decisions by business firms, financial regulation and the business firm, and
empirical studies in business finance.
235. Advanced Topics in Financial Institutions and Financial Markets. (2) Course may be repeated for
credit. Two hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration 232. Formerly Business
Administration 235. Normative issues in financial institutions, regulation of financial institutions, the
analysis of money and capital markets, and empirical studies on financial institutions and financial markets.
Topics to be covered will vary.
236A. Futures and Option Markets. (2) Course may be repeated for credit. Two hours of lecture per
week. Prerequisites: Business Administration 233. Formerly Business Administration 236. Normative
models for investment management, valuation of securities, behavior of security prices, the function and
regulation of security markets, and empirical studies on securities prices and portfolio behavior. Topics
covered will vary.
236B. Investment Strategies and Styles. (2) Course may be repeated for credit. Two hours of lecture per
week. Prerequisites: Business Administration 203 plus one additional graduate finance course. Formerly
Business Administration 239. Introduction to alternative investment strategies and styles as practiced by
leading money managers. A money manager will spend approximately half of the class discussing his
general investment philosophy. In the other half, students, practitioner, and instructor will explore the
investment merits of one particular company. Students will be expected to use the library's resources,
class handouts, and their ingenuity to address a set of questions relating to the firm's investment value.
237. Topics in Finance. (.5-3) Course may be repeated for credit. One-half to three hours of lecture per
week. Advanced study in the field of finance. Topics will vary from year to year and will be announced at
the beginning of each semester.
Elective Courses 240-260s
240. Introduction to Management Science. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business
Administration 200 and 204 or equivalents. Formerly Business Administration 240. Introductory course to
discuss applications of management science models to business management and public policy problems.
Topics include linear programming, transportation method, network optimization, project and inventory
management, queuing theory and simulation.
242. Strategic Planning of Production and Operations. (2) Two hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisites: Business Administration 240 or consent of instructor. Formerly Business Administration 241.
Strategic issues involved in planning the production and logistics of a firm and models of those functions
that are useful for the firm's strategic planning. Topics include models of a firm's capacity expansion,
facility location, and technology selection decisions; learning curve strategies; and industry cost models.
243. Decisions, Games, and Strategies. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business
Administration 200, 204 or equivalent. Formerly Business Administration 243. The course considers two
techniques for guiding a managerial decision maker who has to make a choice now but will only know later
whether the choice was good. Decision analysis helps if the outcome of the choice depends on "nature";
game models help if the outcome depends on human opponents (e.g., competitors). Foundations of the
two techniques, and a variety of applications, are studied.
244A. MIS: Data Management. (4) Three hours of lecture and one and one-half hours of discussion per
week. Prerequisites: Business Administration 204. Formerly Business Administration 248A. This course
covers several important topics in business data processing including file and data base systems. The
problem of data management in large organizations is analyzed, and the logical data modeling process
and its strategic importance are studied. Other topics include future developments in computer technology
and acquiring and managing computer resources. A team project consists of the design and
implementation of a data base using a relational database management system package.
244B. MIS: Systems Analysis and Design. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business
Administration 204. Formerly Business Administration 248B. The goal of this course is to provide future
general managers and information systems specialists with expertise in aspects of utilizing information in
decision making. Topics covered include the role of information systems in organizations, systems analysis,
trade-offs and economic consideration in systems development, hardware selection and review of
technological advancements relevant to modern organizations.
244C. MIS: Managerial and Organizational Issues. (2) Two hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites:
Business Administration 204. Formerly Business Administration 248C. This course covers the
management and organizational issues associated with the implementation and growth in organizations of
computer-based administrative information systems. A management perspective is maintained throughout
and technical issues introduced are subordinate to this management perspective.
244D. Telecommunications. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration
204. Formerly Business Administration 248D. This course is intended for students who wish to gain better
understanding of one of the most important issues facing management today--designing, implementing,
and managing telecommunication and distributed computer systems. The following topics are covered: a
survey of networking technologies; the selection, design and management of telecommunication systems;
strategies for distributed data processing; office automation; and management of personal computers in
organizations.
247A. Topics in Manufacturing and Operations. (.5-3) Course may be repeated for credit. One-half to
three hours of lecture per week. Advanced study in the field of manufacturing and operations. Topics will
vary from year to year and will be announced at the beginning of each semester.
247B. Topics in Information Technology. (.5-3) Course may be repeated for credit. One-half to three
hours of lecture per week. Advanced study in the field of information technology. Topics will vary from year
to year and will be announced at the beginning of each semester.
251. Human Resources Management. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business
Administration 205 or consent of instructor. Formerly Business Administration 251. A study of the problems
and techniques associated with managing the personnel function. Topics include the processes of
recruitment, selection, placement, training, and evaluation of people within organizations. The role of the
staff manager with respect to the planning, design, and allocation of tasks and people is considered, with
emphasis on the implications of research for management problems and policies.
252. Negotiations and Conflict Resolution. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Formerly Business
Administration 252. A study of the negotiations process, including negotiations among buyers and sellers,
managers and subordinates, company units, companies and organizational agencies, and management
and labor. Both two-party and multi-party relations are covered. Course work includes reading, lectures,
discussion of case material, and simulations of real negotiations. Emphasis on the role of third parties in
resolving disputes.
253. Public Policy and the Management of Human Resources. (3) Three hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisites: Business Administration 205 and 207, or consent of instructor. Formerly Business
Administration 253. This course will analyze government regulation of personnel, including such issues as
age, race and gender discrimination, affirmative action, equal pay and comparable worth, employment at
will, and union relations. Discussion of case studies will focus on corporate and bureaucratic strategy and
implementation in light of the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees.
254. Power and Politics in Organizations. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business
Administration 205 or consent of instructor. Formerly Business Administration 257. This course addresses
how organizations distribute various resources and how managers can learn where these resources are
concentrated and where they are scarce. Topics include communication skills, control issues, rewards and
penalties, and politics within the organization.
255. Creativity in Business. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration
205 or consent of instructor. Formerly Business Administration 258. This course examines the concept of
creativity, bringing to light its nature in individuals, groups, and organizations. The course uses reading
materials, cases, classroom, and home exercises to help students understand and be able to use creativity
in their own working lives.
257. Special Topics in Organizational Behavior and Industrial Relations. (2-3) Course may be
repeated for credit. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration 205 or
consent of instructor. Formerly Business Administration 259. Analysis of recent literature and
developments related to such topics as organization development, environmental determinants of
organization structure and decision-making behavior, management of professionals and management in
temporary structures, cross-cultural studies of management organizations, and industrial relation systems
and practices are examined.
260. Consumer Behavior. (3) Two hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration 206
or equivalent. Formerly Business Administration 260. Examines concepts and theories from behavioral
science useful for the understanding and prediction of market place behavior and demand analysis.
Emphasizes applications to the development of marketing policy planning and strategy and to various
decision areas within marketing.
261. Marketing Research: Tools and Techniques for Data Collection and Analysis. (3) Three hours of
lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration 200 or comparable statistical course. Formerly
Business Administration 261. This course develops the skills necessary to plan and implement an effective
market research study. Topics include research design, psychological measurement, survey methods,
experimentation, statistical analysis of marketing data, and effective reporting of technical material to
management. Students select a client and prepare a market research study during the course. Course
intended for students with substantive interests in marketing.
262. Brand Management and Strategy. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business
Administration 202B and 206, or equivalent. Formerly Business Administration 262A. The focus of this
course is on developing student skills to formulate and critique complete marketing programs including
product, price, distribution and promotion policies. There is a heavy use of case analysis. Course is
primarily designed for those who will take a limited number of advanced marketing courses and wish an
integrated approach.
263. Internet Strategy. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration 206.
Formerly Business Administration 262B. The objective of this course is to examine the potential of the
Internet for firms' strategies in marketing goods and services. We will (1) introduce a framework to analyze
the Internet's impact on the communication between firms and consumers and among consumers
themselves, (2) develop concepts that are useful in evaluating opportunities that arise from the way the
Internet changes communication, and (3) apply these insights to strategic marketing decision making.
264. High Technology Marketing Management. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites:
Business Administration 206 or equivalent. Formerly Business Administration 264. High technology refers
to that class of products and services which is subject to technological change at a pace significantly faster
than for most goods in the economy. Under such circumstances, the marketing task faced by the high
technology firm differs in some ways from the usual. The purpose of this course is to explore these
differences.
265. Advertising Management. (2) Two hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration
206 or equivalent; 260 is recommended. Formerly Business Administration 265. A specialized course in
advertising, focusing on management and decision-making. Topics include objective-setting, copy
decisions, media decisions, budgeting, and examination of theories, models, and other research methods
appropriate to these decision areas. Other topics include social/economic issues of advertising by
nonprofit organizations.
266. Channels of Distribution. (2) Two hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration
202B, 206 or equivalent. Formerly Business Administration 266. The success of any marketing program
often weighs heavily upon its co-execution by members of the firm's distribution channel. This course
seeks to provide an understanding of how the strategic and tactical roles of the channel can be identified
and managed. This is accomplished, first, through studying the broad economic and social forces which
govern the channel evolution. It is completed through the examination of tools to select, manage and
motivate channel partners.
267. Topics in Marketing. (.5-3) Course may be repeated for credit. One-half to three hours of lecture per
week. Advanced study in the field of Marketing. Topics will vary from year to year and will be announced at
the beginning of each semester.
268A. Global Marketing Strategy. (2) Two hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business
Administration 206 or equivalent. Formerly Business Administration 267. This course will cover a wide
variety of topics relating to the management of international marketing strategy, including frameworks for
developing international marketing strategy; sources and sustainability of competitive advantage;
international market structure analysis; market entry strategy; and integration of marketing strategy with
other functional strategies
Elective Courses 270-290s
270. Business and Public Policy. (2) Three hours of lecture for ten weeks. Formerly Business Administration
207B. Introduction to political economy, the role of government in a mixed economy, business-government
relations, the public policy process, regulation of business, corporate political activity and corporate
governance. Compares United States corporate governance systems, public policies and political system to
those of Western Europe and Japan.
271. Managing the Political Environment of Business. (2-3) Two or three hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisites: Business Administration 207 or equivalent, or consent of instructor. Formerly Business
Administration 271. This course examines the methods and strategies by which business enterprises and
associations attempt to influence public policies, primarily in the United States, with some comparison to
Western Europe and Japan. Uses combination of scholarly articles, current periodicals and case studies to
explore the processes of government decision-making and policy implementation and how they affect, and
are affected by, business interests and institutions.
277. Special Topics in Business and Public Policy. (1-3) One to three hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisites: Business Administration 207 or equivalent, or consent of instructor. Formerly Business
Administration 278. Topics vary by semester at discretion of instructor and by student demand. Topical
areas include: business and professional ethics and the role of corporate social responsibility in the mixed
economy; managing the external affairs of the corporation, including community, government, media and
stakeholder relations; technology policy, research and development and the effects of government
regulation of business on technological innovation and adoption.
278A-278B. Comparative and International Business and Public Policy. (2-3;2-3) Two or three hours
of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration 207 or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
Formerly Business Administration 272A-272B. Both courses examine and compare business-government
relations, the public policy process, the business enterprise systems and public policies toward business in
Europe (272A) and the Pacific Rim (272B). Courses also explore the relations between the United States
and Europe, or Pacific Rim nations, respectively.
280. Real Estate and Urban Land Economics. (3) Three hours of lecture and one hour of optional
discussion per week. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Formerly Business Administration 280. Intensive
review of literature in the theory of land use, urban growth, and real estate market behavior; property rights
and valuation; residential and nonresidential markets; construction; debt and equity financing; public
controls and policies.
282. Seminar in Urban Economic Resource Policy. (3) Course may be repeated for credit. Three hours
of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Formerly Business Administration 282. The
interaction of the private and public sectors in urban development; modeling the urban economy; growth
and decline of urban areas; selected policy issues: housing, transportation, financing, local government,
urban redevelopment and neighborhood change are examined.
283. Real Estate Financing. (3) Three hours of lecture and one hour of optional discussion per week.
Prerequisites: Business Administration 280 and background in the basics of finance, micro-economics,
macro-economics, statistics, and quantitative analysis. Formerly Business Administration 283. Students
will be introduced to the fundamentals of real estate financial analysis, including elements of mortgage
financing and taxation. The course will apply the standard tools of financial analysis to specialized real
estate financing circumstances and real estate evaluation.
284. Seminar in Real Estate Investment Analysis. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites:
Consent of instructor. Formerly Business Administration 284. Analysis of selected problems and special
studies; cases in residential and non-residential development and financing, urban redevelopment, real
estate taxation, mortgage market developments, equity investment, valuation, and zoning.
286. Housing and the Urban Economy. (3) Three hours of seminar per week. Prerequisites: Public
Policy 210A-210B or equivalent. Formerly Business Administration C296. This course considers the
economics of urban housing and land markets from the viewpoints of investors, developers, public and
private managers, and consumers. It considers the interactions between private action and public
regulation--including land use policy, taxation, and government subsidy programs. We will also analyze the
links between primary and secondary mortgage markets, securitization, and liquidity. Finally, the links
between local housing and related markets--such as transportation and public finance--will be explored.
Quigley
287. Special Topics in Real Estate Economics and Finance. (1-3) Course may be repeated for credit.
One to three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Business Administration 280 and consent of
instructor. Formerly Business Administration 281. Topics vary each semester. Topic areas include
advanced techniques for real estate financial analysis and structuring and evaluation; the securitization of
real estate debt and equity; issues in international real estate; cyclical behavior of real estate markets;
portfolio theory and real estate asset allocation.
290A. Introduction to Management of Technology. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Formerly
Business Administration 290E. This course gives students an overview of the main topics encompassed by
management of technology. It includes the full chain of innovative activities beginning with R&D and
extending through production and marketing. Why do many existing firms fail to incorporate new
technology? What are the success factors at each stage of innovation? The course introduces students to
Haas and College of Engineering faculty working in the relevant areas and student projects at leading high
tech firms.
290C. Strategic Computing and Communications Technology. (3) Three hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing in engineering, business administration, information management and
systems, or consent of instructor. Formerly Business Administration C290D. Factors strongly impacting the
success of new computing and communications products and services (based on underlying technologies
such as electronics and software) in commercial applications. Technology trends and limits, economics,
standardization, intellectual property, government policy, and industrial organization. Strategies to manage
the design and marketing of successful products and services. Messerschmitt, Varian
290D. Design as Strategic Management Issue. (2) Two hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites:
Graduate standing. Formerly Business Administration 290K. This course is a study of product design,
facilities design, and corporate identity design. It will cover how these design strategies are integral to
product development and influence customer satisfaction, quality issues, manufacturing procedures, and
marketing tactics.
290E. Marketing for High-Tech Entrepreneurs. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Every successful
entrepreneurial high tech venture has at its core individuals with mastery of two skill sets: marketing and
management expertise, and technological skill. This course is intended to provide the marketing skills
needed for the management of an entrepreneurial high technology venture, regardless of whether the
individual's "home" skill set is technical or managerial. We examine in depth successful marketing
approaches for entrepreneurial companies as a function of markets and technologies. Emphasis is placed
on the special requirements for creating and executing marketing plans and programs in a setting of rapid
technological change and limited resources. This course is particularly suited for those who anticipate
founding or operating technology companies.
290G. International Trade and Competition in High Technology. (2) Two hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing. Formerly Business Administration 290C. This course looks at who is
winning or losing and why in international competition in high technology industries. It will emphasize the
interaction between business strategies and the economic and political variables that shape the
development and diffusion of new technologies.
290I. Managing Innovation and Change. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Formerly Business
Administration 274. This course is designed to introduce students to the innovation process and its
management. It provides an overview of technological change and links it to specific strategic challenges;
examines the diverse elements of the innovation process and how they are managed; discusses the
uneasy relationship between technology and the workforce; and examines challenges of managing
innovation globally.
290M. High-Tech Product Design and Rapid Manufacturing. (3) Three hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing. Formerly Business Administration 290B. This course will study
CAD/CAM, rapid prototyping, metal products, semiconductors, electronic packaging, biotechnology, and
robotics technologies and includes a hands-on laboratory using CAD and manufacturing techniques.
Economic and social drivers, organizational structure, product lifecycle, and future trends are also covered.
290N. Managing the New Product Development Process. (3) Three hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing. Formerly Business Administration 290A. An operationally focused
course that aims to develop the interdisciplinary skills required for successful product development.
Through readings, case studies, guest speakers, applied projects, and student research, students discover
the basic tools, methods, and organizational structures used in new product development management.
Course covers process phases: idea generation, product definition, product development, testing and
refinement, manufacturing ramp-up and product launch.
290P. Project Management Case Studies. (2) Two hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: Graduate
standing. Formerly Business Administration 290L. This course presents case studies of projects that
required intervention to avert catastrophic failure. Students will discuss case studies and review real
management problems of major corporations. They will create strategic plans to alleviate problems and
learn how to manage a large project to a successful completion.
290Q. Quality Improvement: Strategy, Processes, and Customers. (3) Three hours of lecture per
week. Formerly Business Administration 290Q. This course is intended to provide a strong introduction to
students on contemporary issues concerning product and service quality. A major premise is that quality
competition has moved rapidly to the foreground as a major arena for competitive struggles, and firms that
fail to recognize its importance and develop effective organizational responses will fall by the wayside.
290T. Topics in Management of Technology. (.5-3) Course may be repeated for credit. One-half to three
hours of lecture per week. Advanced study in the field of Management of Technology. Topics will vary from
year to year and will be announced at the beginning of each semester.
291A. Speaking As a Leader. (2) One hour of lecture and two hours of discussion per week. Formerly
Business Administration 291A. Leaders must be capable of inspiring commitment in their constituencies
rather than merely demanding compliance. This course will teach future leaders the elements that are
essential to inspire such change. The instructor solicits students' personal convictions, then provides a
structure and method for effectively communicating these beliefs. Participants will develop confidence in
both the content of their message and their ability to convey it.
291T. Topics in Managerial Communications. (1-3) Course may be repeated for credit. One to three
hours of lecture per week. Formerly Business Administration 291B. This course will provide the student
with specialized knowledge in some area of managerial communications. Topics include multimedia
business presentations, personal leadership development, diversity management, and making meetings
work. Topics will vary from semester to semester.
292A. Management in the Public and Not-for-Profit Sectors. (2,3) Forty-five hours of work per unit per
term. Prerequisites: Business Administration 201A and 201B or equivalents. Formerly Business
Administration 215. Planning-programming-budgeting systems and benefit-cost analysis for resource
allocation and planning in the public sector. Use of pricing in public enterprise. Efficiency when profit
criteria are absent. Applications in natural resources, medical services, transportation, and education.
292T. Topics in Socially Responsible Business. (.5-3) Course may be repeated for credit. One-half to
three hours of lecture per week. Advanced study in the field of Socially Responsible Business. Topics will
vary from year to year and will be announced at the beginning of each semester.
293. Individually Supervised Study for Graduate Students. (1-5) Course may be repeated for credit.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing. Formerly Business Administration 293. Individually supervised study of
subjects not available to the student in the regular schedule, approved by faculty adviser as appropriate for
the student's program.
294. Selected Topics for MBA Students. (1) Course may be repeated for a maximum of 2 units. Two
hours of seminar per week. Sections 1-10 to be graded on a letter-grade basis. Sections 11-15 to be
graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisites: MBA students. Formerly Business
Administration 294. The course focuses on a specific industry, field of management, or region of the world
and is initiated and organized by students. It is usually a survey course. Topics will vary from year to year
and will be announced at the beginning of each semester.
295A. Entrepreneurship. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: All core courses or
equivalents. Formerly Business Administration 295A. This course is about how to start a new business and
how to write a business plan. Students are organized in teams of four around new venture ideas of their
own choosing. They conduct research, consult with members of the business community, perform
analysis, and write a formal business plan. They then present an appeal for funding to a panel consisting of
the instructors and members of the investing community.
295D. New Venture Finance. (2) Three hours of lecture for ten weeks. Prerequisites: Business
Administration 295A or consent of instructor. Formerly Business Administration 295D. This is a course
about financing new entrepreneurial ventures, emphasizing those that have the possibility of creating a
national or international impact or both. It will take two perspectives - the entrepreneur's and the investor's
- and it will place a special focus on the venture capital process, including how they are formed and
managed, accessing the public markets, mergers, and strategic alliances.
295T. Special Topics in Entrepreneurship. (1-3) One to three hours of lecture per week. Sections 1-10
to be graded on a letter-grade basis. Sections 11-15 to be graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.
Prerequisites: All core courses or equivalents. Formerly Business Administration 295C. Courses of this
kind will cover issues in entrepreneurship that either appeal to a specialized interest by type of firm being
started (e.g., new ventures in computer software) or in the aspect of the entrepreneurial process being
considered (e.g., new venture funding). The courses typically will be designed to take advantage of the
access offered by the University and the locale to knowledgeable and experienced members of the
business community.
296. Special Topics in Business Administration. (.5-3) Course may be repeated for credit. One-half to
three hours of lecture per week. Sections 7A and 10A (fall) and 7B and 10B (spring) will be offered In
Progress. Credit and grade to be awarded on completion of sequence. All other sections are offered on a
letter-graded basis. Prerequisites: Graduate standing. Formerly Business Administration 296. Advanced
study in various fields of business administration. Topics will vary from year to year and will be announced
at the beginning of each semester.
298A-298B. International Business Development for MBAs. (2;1) Two hours of lecture per week
extending for three weeks following the spring semester. Credit and grade to be awarded on completion of
sequence. Prerequisites: First semester MBA core courses. Formerly Business Administration 297A-297B.
This course explores the issues of conducting business in an international context, including an analysis of
project management, information resources, and cultural differences. The three-week project, typically in a
developing economy, provides a real-life application of theories of this course and of the first-year MBA
courses. The fall segment highlights the presentations of each returning team on their project findings and
experiences.
299. Strategy in the Global Context. (2) Four hours of lecture per week for seven weeks. Prerequisites:
201A, 202, 203, 205, and 206, or consent of instructor. Course covers core topics in strategy, including:
selection of goals; the choice of products and services to offer; competitive positioning in product markets;
decisions about scope and diversity; and the design of organizational structure, administrative systems,
and other issues of control and internal regulation.
299B. Global Strategy and Multinational Enterprise. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites:
All core courses. Formerly Business Administration 299E. Identifies the management challenges facing
international firms. Attention to business strategies, organizational structures, and the role of governments
in the global environment. Special attention to the challenges of developing and implementing global new
product development strategies when industrial structures and government policies differ. Efficacy of joint
ventures and strategic alliances. Implications for industrial policy and global governance.
299E. Competitive and Corporate Strategy. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: All core
courses. Formerly Business Administration 299B. Examines optimal production and pricing policies for
firms in competitive environments; optimal strategies through time; strategies in the presence of imperfect
information. How differing market structures and government policies (including taxation) affect output and
pricing decisions. Social welfare implications of decisions by competitive firms also explored.
299H. Strategic Management and the Organization of Health Services. (3) Three hours of lecture per
week. Prerequisites: Business Administration 205 or Public Health 223A and 224A, or consent of
instructor. Formerly Business Administration 299G. This is a course in strategic management of health
services organizations. It systematically addresses system-wide, organization-wide, group-level, and
individual-level issues in strategy formulation, content, implementation, and performance. It considers
internal and external factors that affect organizational performance. Emphasis is on the development and
implementation of strategies to meet stakeholders' demands, and total quality management approaches.
This course covers a wide variety of health care organizations including providers, plans, systems,
suppliers, pharmaceuticals, and biotechs. The course builds on 205 and Public Health 223A.
299M. Strategic Marketing Planning. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: All core
courses. Formerly Business Administration 299D. Strategic planning theory and methods with an emphasis
on customer, competitor, industry, and environmental analysis and its application to strategy development
and choice.
299O. Organizing for Strategic Advantage. (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: All core
courses. Formerly Business Administration 299C. Course examines current models of strategy, structure,
process interaction, and their historical foundations. Students will apply current theory to traditional cases
and to current examples of organization adaptation in the business press. In addition, the course will
examine in detail emerging patterns of strategy, structure, and process--the beginnings of what appear to
be "new" organizational forms. Finally, comparisons will be drawn between U.S. and foreign patterns of
adaptation.
299T. Strategic Planning: Perspectives and Decisions. (3) Three hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisites: All core courses. Formerly Business Administration 299F. Concepts of strategy and planning
are developed. Several major types of planning models and techniques are evaluated for strategic policy
choices, organizational design, and the allocation of resources.
Courses Initiated by Students
Student-initiated courses are a tradition at the Haas School. Every semester, we offer several courses that
are initiated and run by students with faculty guidance. Typically, such courses focus on a specific theme
or industry. In 2003, Gillah Reyes, MBA 05, worked with faculty sponsor Priya Raghubir to develop the
course "Marketing to Diverse Customer Segments." This course focused on marketing to minority groups,
the gay and lesbian community, and other diverse audiences.
Other recent student-initiated courses include:
• Investment Fund Management
• Careers in Marketing
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Life as an Entrepreneur
• Wine Industry
• The Middle Market Deal