Competition Information

Tentative Daily Schedule


 7:45 a.m. –  8:15 a.m. Judges Orientation
 8:00 a.m. –  8:30 a.m. Opening Ceremony
 8:30 a.m. –  10:25 a.m. First Round of Presentations
10:25 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. Judges' Break
10:40 a.m. – 12:35 p.m. Second Round of Presentations
12:35 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. Judge’s Deliberation – Finalists selected
12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Lunch
 1:45 p.m. –  2:40 p.m. Tour of BYU Campus
 2:40 p.m. –  3:30 p.m. Pictures
 3:30 p.m. –  3:40 p.m. Finalists Announcement
 3:50 p.m. –  5:30 p.m. Final Round of Presentations
 5:30 p.m. –  5:45 p.m.  Judge’s Deliberation – Finalists ranked
 5:45 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Dinner and Award Ceremony

Team Composition

  • Each team will be comprised of three currently enrolled students working on their first university degree (undergraduates).
  • Participants are not permitted to present their case analysis in their native language. Only non-native speakers are permitted to participate in this competition

Case Preparation

  • Each team will be given 2 weeks to devise a solution for an international business case. The time spent analyzing the case should be very intense and focused.
  • The case will be kept confidential until the appointed time of distribution.
  • All teams will prepare their presentations at their convenience and at a location of their choosing. All preparations must be done before attending the competition.
  • All presentations will be given in the foreign language of the competition.
  • The case will be similar in length to Harvard Business School cases. Multiple geographical regions and multiple functional areas may be addressed. Team should include concepts from accounting, finance, marketing, etc. Certain teams have chosen to play roles in their case analysis taking the roles of firm managers or consultants.
  • To prepare for the competition, teams may want to practice analyzing business cases such as Harvard Business School Cases. Original work is expected from all teams. During the preparation weeks teams may not consult with non-team members including faculty, advisors, staff, and fellow students.
  • Team members may use references sources in the public domain, such as books, the university business library, the internet, etc. Please pay attention to copyright issues.
  • Being educated about current world issues is always an advantage.
  • Content and delivery of the case presentation will count for 2/3 of the score. Language usage and grammar will count for 1/3 of the final score.

resources

  • Participants may access any of their university’s libraries and online databases.
  • Three public computers will be provided during the day of the competition. However no changes may be made to the presentation after the opening ceremony.  
  • Laptops will not be provided during competition. Teams will need to bring their own laptops.
  • Team need to provide two USB flash drives with their presentation on the device. Please make sure the flash drive does not have any school logos or emblems.

Presentations

  • Each team will give their presentation twice. Three teams will advance to a final round where they will give their presentation a third time.
  • First, second, and final round presentations will all be 15 minutes, followed by a 10 minute question-and-answer session with a panel of judges. If a team finishes its presentation early, it will go right ahead into its 10 minute question-and-answer session.
  • Be prepared for questions from the judges. The judges may be expertise firm executives or board members.
  • After the presentation and Q & A session, teams will have 5 minute feedback session where they will receive immediate feedback from the panel of judges.  Teams are to listen to the feedback and take notes.  Teams are not allowed to further explain the presentation or use the feedback session as an extension of the Q & A session.
  • No practice rooms will be provided on the day of competition. However students may find empty hallways or study rooms to practice if desired.
  • Please bring your own laptop if you think you will need it. We only provide computers in presentation rooms. During the actual presentation the provided computer must be used.
  • Dress for a business setting.
  • Do not include any graphics or words in the presentation or wear any clothing with school or country logos that would identify your school, state, or country. This will keep it anonymous for the judges.
  • Teams are allowed to introduce themselves to the judges and shake hands with them during the 5 minutes setup period.
  • We highly recommend that the presentation of the case include all team members to capitalize on the strengths of each team member.

Case Presentations and Powerpoints

  • Teams are required to produce an Executive Summary (1-2 pages) and to present their comprehensive case analysis utilizing Microsoft PowerPoint 2007.
  • If teams are unable to set up their presentation within the five minute period allocated, they must use their prepared slide handout copies in place of the powerpoint presentation.
  • Be prepared for the unexpected and have a back-up plan. For example, if the laptop fails, you may want to have hard copies of your presentation ready to hand out. Please print six slides on each page for the hard copy.
  • Choose fonts carefully to ensure that your slides show the same way on different computers. Common fonts include Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Palatino. If you use unusual fonts, copy the font onto the flash drive so you can load it onto the presentation laptop computer during your preparation time.
  • Each team needs to bring at least 8 copies of the Executive Summary and paper copies of the PowerPoint slides to the presentation: three copies will be handed by the team to the first round judges during the 5 minute set up; five copies will be handed to room monitors for use at the final rounds.
  • Teams will need to copy both the PowerPoint file and Executive Summary onto a flash drive for the presentation. Please bring two flash drives, one for the presentation and one as backup.
  • No props will be allowed (posters, charts, etc.)
  • No audio will be allowed in the presentation.

Coaches

  • In addition to the three team members, each team may be accompanied by a coach. However, teams may not consult with the coach during preparation of the case analysis or on the day of the competition.
  • Faculty advisors will be permitted to observe all three first and second round presentations in their team's presentation room, but may not change rooms. Coaches must either choose to observe only their team or observe all three teams presenting in the room.
  • Coaches are advised to avoid sitting with their team during the opening ceremony because judges will be present during the ceremony.
  • Coaches are advised to avoid making any gestures or comments during the first and second round that may lead judges to know with which team they are associated.

Judging

  • Each preliminary round will be judged by a panel of three judges fluent in the language and knowledgeable in business. The final round will be judged by a panel of five to seven judges.
  • To prevent bias, judges will not know which teams they are judging. Please do not include any identifying marks in your presentations or wear any clothing with school or country logos (this includes backpacks and flash drives.
  • Teams will draw a fictitious name during the opening ceremony and should refer to their team by their new name until the awards ceremony.

Other Information

Spectator Information

Only team advisors, BYU employees, official videographers, and special guests may observe the first round. Team members will not be allowed to view the presentations of competing teams in the first round. However, all participants and advisors may observe the final round of presentations, including finalists after their own presentation. Photography and video recording by unauthorized persons is strictly prohibited in this competition.

Attire

Formal business attire is appropriate for this competition.

Supplies

The presentation rooms will be technologically equipped, to facilitate PowerPoint presentations, but it is the responsibility of each team to bring all necessary supplies and equipment.

Copying and Printing (more information)

It is recommended that all necessary copying and printing be done before arrival at Brigham Young University. However, printing is available on campus for $0.05 per page.