UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY UGBA179 Course Syllabus

Haas School of Business Fall 2017

UGBA 179
International Consulting for Small & Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

Professor Dan Himelstein

dhimel@berkeley.edu

Class Meets: Tuesdays/Thursdays, 9:30-11:000AM in Haas C110

Course Website: bCourses - https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/

Office Hours: Thursdays, 11:15AM-12:45PM in Haas F502 & By Appointment

Texts: “Case Interview Secrets: A Former McKinsey Interviewer Reveals How

to Get Multiple Job Offers in Consulting”, Victor Cheng, 2012
http://www.caseinterview.com/

"High-Impact Consulting", Robert Schaffer, 2002

Websites/Cases: Markhor Sports - https://markhorsports.wordpress.com/

Ivey Publishing - https://www.iveycases.com/

Course Description:

By exploring the intersection of global business, entrepreneurship, and consulting, this course
will provide students with an understanding of how decision-makers in small and medium sized
enterprises (SMEs) can develop the frameworks necessary for making decisions on how to
venture across borders in pursuit of economic opportunities in today's hypercompetitive global
business environment. International business is no longer the exclusive domain of large,
multinational companies, but increasingly about smaller, entrepreneurial firms attempting to span
virtually every international boundary. In acknowledging that fact, it is vital that consultants
recognize that the expertise and tools required to help SMEs succeed in the global economy are
often different than those needed by a Fortune 500 multinational.

For business students, the course provides opportunities to build upon skills and knowledge
acquired in both the core courses and various electives in such areas as business
communications, entrepreneurship, international business, marketing, finance, organizational
behavior, and strategy. The course will also be of interest to a broad range of non-business
students with interest in business, economics, political science, public policy, etc. The
prerequisite for the course is senior standing.

Set-up as a consulting "firm", the class will be conducted primarily in seminar fashion and will
revolve around the analysis of cases. In addition to the technical analysis of cases, there will also
be a strong emphasis on how to create a new service company, market and sell to potential
clients, manage client relationships, and leverage financial and human resources in a service
setting.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY UGBA179 Course Syllabus
Haas School of Business Fall 2017

This class is about intellectual engagement through which we learn to think critically and not
simply training to find the right answer at any cost as the world of business has very few “right”
answers. Your individual preparation and participation in class discussion are essential to the
learning process in this course, and spirited debate and controversy as well as creative thinking
are encouraged. Guest speakers from the global consulting industry will also be added to the mix
in order to stimulate critical thinking from an experienced perspective.

Grading:

Markhor Sales Pitch Presentation (Team): 20%

Markhor Recommendation Presentation (Team): 20%
Elevator Pitch Competition (Team): 10%
Final Exam (Individual): 30%
Class Participation (Individual): 15%
Interactive Cases (Individual): 5%

Assignments will be made available and submitted on-line via bCourses. No make-ups will be
permitted. Missed assignments will receive a 0 (zero). Grades will be determined in line with
the HAAS CURVE and are NOT negotiable. Grading related questions will be handled in
office hours, not via e-mail.

Students are expected to abide by the Haas Undergraduate Program “Code of Ethics”,
http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/Undergrad/academic_guidelines.html

Class Policies:

Each student is expected to attend each class session and actively participate in class discussions.
This will include asking relevant questions, responding to other students and the instructors, and
offering comments to enhance class discussion. In the absence of pro-active participation, the
instructors may sometimes call on students for their input to class discussion. Students may also
be asked to lead class discussions. In-class discussion will always be treated in a professional,
non-threatening, and positive manner by both the instructors and the students.
Because notification of absence is common courtesy and a requirement in any workplace,
students must email the instructor in advance if they will be late to or absent from class.
Students should be able to interact comfortably with bCourses and are expected to check the
course website on bCourses daily. Technical questions or comments should be addressed to the
Haas Computing Center.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY UGBA179 Course Syllabus
Haas School of Business Fall 2017

Biographical Sketch of Instructor:

Dan Himelstein has been a senior executive in both academia and business and has worked in a
variety of organizational settings, ranging from the large and complex to the small and
entrepreneurial. In the business world, Dan has extensive international experience, having
worked with numerous start-ups as a founder, executive, director, or consultant and in a number
of corporate settings as well. Currently, he is working on a new start-up, Your Local Playground,
which is expected to launch in 2017. He has also served as a member of a variety of private and
public sector boards, committees, and commissions.

In academia, Dan has served as an instructor in Global Business/Entrepreneurship/Business

Communications, the Executive Director of the Haas School of Business Undergraduate
Program, and the Associate Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Facilities at the University
of California, Berkeley, and as an instructor in Entrepreneurship/Global Business and the
Executive Associate Dean of the School of Management at the University of San Francisco.

Dan received his B.S. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley
and his M.Sc. from The London School of Economics.
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY UGBA179 Course Syllabus
Haas School of Business Fall 2017

Class Schedule (Subject to Change):

Class Dates Topic/Assignment

August 24 Course Launch

August 29 & 31 High-Impact Consulting Part One & Assignment Scoring Rubrics
Selling Consulting Services & Making the “Pitch”
September 5 & 7 Team Formation for Markhor Assignments on September 5
Mark Bunger/Markhor on September 7
September 12 & 14 Ashesi Sample Case on September 12 (Sales)
Mandatory Sales Pitch Working Session on September 14
September 19 & 21 Markhor Sales Pitch Slides due via bCourses on September 18
Markhor Sales Pitch Presentations in Class on September 19 & 21
September 26 & 28 Markhor Sales Pitch Review
Mark Bunger/Markhor on September 28
October 3 & 5 Profitability Framework, Case Interview Secrets: Chapter 13
High-Impact Consulting Part Two
October 10 & 12 BCG Interactive Case in Class on October 10
Business Situation Framework, Case Interview Secrets: Chapter 14
October 17 & 19 Ashesi Sample Case on October 17 (Recommendation)
Mandatory Recommendation Presentations Working Session on October 19
October 24 & 26 Markhor Recommendation Slides due via bCourses on October 23
Markhor Recommendation Presentations in Class on October 24 & 26
October 31 & Markhor Recommendation Presentations Review
November 2 Deloitte Interactive Case in Class on November 2
November 7 & 9 Mandatory Elevator Pitch Competition Working Session on November 7
Elevator Pitch Competition in Class on November 9 (with Mark Bunger)
November 14 & 16 Elevator Pitch Competition Review
Financial Model from Professor’s Startup
November 21 Only Final Exam Introduction
No Class on 11/23– Thanksgiving Break
November 28 & 30 Course Wrap-up & Review
Final Exam Due via bCourses on December 3