FAQs
for students enrolled in MBA298 AInternational
Business Development
Try GeographyIQ.com and US State Department's Consular Info Sheets for essential traveller information.
This year the in-country program dates are Saturday, May 24 through Saturday, June 14, 2008. If your destination requires less travel time, you may be departing on Sunday May 25th. You must be available, full time, for the entire period, without exception.
You may return home after June 14th. You must be on site for the entire three week period and you cannot leave earlier than the rest of your teammates. Early departures out of Berkeley must be approved by the Executive Director and cannot cause an increase in fare.
First you must confirm your destination city with your client and inform the Program Director, Sebastian Teunissen. Once that is done, email the Program Coordinator with your destination airport. Departure dates will be set by the program, taking into account that you must arrive the IBD destination by the Sunday evening prior to the work week and leave on the Saturday following the final work week. The only exception is if you are not able to leave your project site on Saturday and make it home by Sunday night. If that is the case, you may leave on a Friday night redeye. The itineraries will be reserved and sent to you by email. You will have 24 hours to approve them. Please read the itineraries carefully, checking for proper spelling of your name and proper dates.
Can I stop en route to or from my destination for another purpose?
No. Interrupted and indirect itineraries can not be approved by our program staff. UC policy prohibits IBD from purchasing a ticket that was bought for any purpose other than getting to and from your IBD destination.
The only solution for getting to a 3rd location is to get to your IBD destination early, and buy your own round trip ticket to the city of your choice departing from your IBD destination.
What expenses are NOT covered for traveling?
You are responsible for paying for your own food, laundry, personal Internet and phone call usage, vaccinations, travel insurance, visa application fees, personal sight-seeing expenses, and any incidentals that are not covered by the IBD program (see the list of what's covered). This amount varies greatly depending on what country you are in. We will reimburse your accommodations, and they will be adequate, but please do not expect luxury. This program is not a typical business trip and neither does it operate on a typical budget.
First, you pay for something and get a receipt. You will not be reimbursed for anything that was paid for by someone else on your team. You will submit numbered receipts, arranged chronolocially, and a spreadsheet that captures the data, itemizing any hotel bills so I can subtotal your daily expenses by category. Please break out the nightly room rate including taxes and enter any other reimbursable expenses by separate line item with a letter code on your spreadsheet that is also marked on the hotel invoice. Always get an invoice from the hotel -proof of payment such as the credit card receipt is not enough. Keep your airline receipt which you can print out at the check in kiosk, or which will be attached to the back page of your paper ticket. You must submit the receipt with your expenses.
What if I cannot get a receipt for something?
If you can't get someone to manually write you one, write the name of the company/vendor, the date, the amount, how it was paid (cash, credit), and what the service was. Here is a document that was used to mockup taxi receipts by one team. Bring a hard copy of this along and you can fill it out whenever you need it.
What is our budget for accommodations?
Your in-country expense budget will be determined by the experience of past IBD projects in the area and the specific needs of your team, depending on the arrangements made with your client. You should work on projecting your team expenses as soon as you know what your accommodation requirements are. Rental cars require exceptional approval.
What is our budget for entertainment?
There is no entertainment budget.
What if I spend more than my budget?
There are restrictions on spending at the IBD program level and at the campus level, so get your expenses approved by the Director and/or Program Coordinator as soon as you know you will be exceeding the budget.
What about Visas and Citizenship?
You'll have to contact the nearest consulate/embassy to determine the Visa requirements in your assigned country. You are responsible to apply for the Visa as soon as your airline tickets are purchased. You must pay any fees associated with the issuing of the visa. If necessary we will provide you a letter stating that you are traveling on University business and that your major expenses are paid for. A word of advice: Despite what you may read on the Consulate's web site, visas may not be returned as quickly as promised. Give yourself plenty of extra time. If you have to send your application off rather than apply in person, it is worthwhile to pay the rush fee if your trip is less than 4 weeks away. Use a courier that allows you to easily track the delivery of your application, and make copies of everything, including the tracking number.
Please Note: If you are in the process of trying to adjust your citizenship in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security advises that there may be severe consequences for travel outside the country. Your application could be denied and/or you might not be re-admitted.
Where do I get insurance and what has to be covered?
You can compare a number of different policies at insuremytrip.com. You must have emergency evacuation insurance and international health insurance. SHIP covers you for accident and illness if you are out of country. If you have SHIP and you need medical care while you are abroad, get an English translated, itemized bill and the Tang Center will process a reimbursement for you. SHIP doesn't cover medical evacuation so you'll have to purchase an additional policy for that. If you have AAA Plus that will cover you.
What do I submit as proof of insurance?
If you have waived SHIP, you need to provide us s with evidence of international health coverage. For emergency evacuation insurance, please provide a copy of the ID card with the policy number and contact information of the company.
Each IBD participant must obtain, at their own expense, any vaccinations, inoculations or other medications considered appropriate for a prudent traveler to the destination(s) to which they are assigned. Contact International Travel Care at the Tang Center.
Who makes the hotel arrangements?
The team is responsible for finding out what their clients expects and making any required reservations. The Program Coordinator can help make recommendations if there have been teams in your project area in the past. IBD will not pay for your extra nights of accommodations, and if you go off traveling on the weekends, you are held to the average price of your hotels during the week.
How do I make international phone calls from Haas?
A voice over internet provider such as Skype is an cheap way to make international calls, and its free if your client downloads the software as well. You can set up a time to make a conference call from the Clausen Center phone line in the conference room on the 4th floor of the Faculty building (F450). Or you can buy a calling card and submit the receipt for reimbursement with a log of the calls you made.
What if we have to make ticketing changes?
If the change is driven by the client's request, we will pay for it. If you change flights for personal reasons, you pay for it yourself. In either case, it is advisable to contact the airline directly.We do not pay for ticketing changes resulting from failure to obtain visas in time for departure.
What will the room occupancy be?
Rooms are double occupancy.
Where can I get more information about my health and safety?
Travel overseas, especially to developing countries and emerging markets, may expose participants to health and other risks different from those that they face at home. Although we will do our best to make participants aware of such risks and will make efforts to minimize risks, the ultimate responsibility lies with the participant. Application for the program explicitly implies acceptance of all responsibility for loss, injury and/or death by the applicant. Applicants are advised to check with the Centers for Disease Control and with the US State Department for information on health and safety issues respectively.
NEW: Please review our Travel Safety Guidelines page for safety considerations and trip preparation advice.
Contact
For additional information please contact:
Sebastian Teunissen
e-mail: teunissen@haas.berkeley.edu
Last updated October 1, 2007
