This document provides information about a global case competition involving students from universities that are members of the Academic Collaboration Network. It outlines the objectives of gaining experience working virtually across time zones and cultures. Students will be placed into international teams to develop solutions for a case study provided by Mahindra & Mahindra. The competition will involve submitting written and video deliverables with prizes for the winning team. Mentors will be assigned and tips are provided for overcoming challenges of collaborating remotely with different work styles.

1. 2017
Global Case Competition

2. This presentation will cover…
 ACN network
 Introduction to case competitions
 Your objectives
 Teams, deliverables and prizes
 Timeline
 Mentoring & mentoring expectations
 Challenges
 Virtual communication methods
 Last year’s students said…
 Final tips

3. ACN Network
 Academic Collaboration Network (ACN), established by Boston University’s Susilo
Institute for Ethics in a Global Economy
 Your university is a member of this network 
 The ACN is a global faculty community designed to advance business ethics, research,
teaching and practice. Members of the network collaborate on research, teaching and
outreach activities relating to business ethics.
 For the first time we are working with students from all 6 of the ACN network partners
to deliver a virtual case competition where you will be working in teams across time
zones and continents on a case provided by Indian multinational Mahindra & Mahindra.
More information about the ACN network: http://www.bu.edu/susilo/faculty-
research/susilo/our-programs/academic-collaboration-network/

4. What is a case competition?
 In a case competition, participants strive to develop the best
solution to a business or education-related case study within an
allocated time frame
 Teams in case competitions are tasked with assessing a situation
facing an organisation, analysing available information, crafting a
solution, and defending their recommendations to competition
judges.
 The case competition concept originated in the United States.
Competitions can be internal to a business/management school, or
they can involve teams from multiple schools.

5. History of case competitions-
Boston & Newcastle
 Since 2014 Boston University Questrom School of Business and
Newcastle University Business School students have collaborated on
an annual ‘Transatlantic Case Competition’.
 Competitions require students to work across time zones and
continents working in a team on a business case set by a global
company
 Previous case competitions have looked at innovative financial
payment methods, and devising a strategy for a global consultancy
firm to expand its private equity market in North America
“We learned to carry out primary and secondary research to
make recommendations on a real business problem for a real
company. I think the biggest obstacle we had to overcome was
working through different time zones between the US and the
UK” - Ashley Castillo, part of 2014 winning team

6.  This ACN global case competition will be involving students from the following;
 Boston University Questrom School of Business (USA)
 The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (India)
 Yonsei University Business School (South Korea)
 Newcastle University Business School (UK)
 Fudan University School of Management (China)
 Tsinghua University (China)

7. Your objectives
 Business spans borders! Prepare for the world of work by learning to adapt and
embrace the challenges of working in a virtual team, despite time & cultural
differences, technical constraints and study/social commitments.
 Understand the different ways in which students from other countries and
education systems work in teams. Global firms need graduates with a high level of
inter-cultural awareness, which you will gain from this competition!
 Apply the knowledge learned in the classroom to a real life business scenario and
learn new skills (e.g. creating video content and using new communication tools)
 Build your network (mentors, teammates, judges)
 Boost your career prospects and think about how you can use this experience on job
applications and on your CV/resume

8. The teams
Group A Group B
Newcastle Boston
IIM-Ahmedabad Tsinghua
Fudan Yonsei
 Students from Newcastle, IIM-Ahmedabad and Fudan
will work together
Students from Boston, St. Gallen and Yonsei will work
together
 Competition organisers will allocate the teams and
communicate this to all teams by email

9. 9
Case Deliverables and prizes
Details of the case will be shared separately
Deliverables- each team to produce;
 3-4 page executive summary, outlining findings and recommendations
 4-5 minute video, (this will replace the traditional final PowerPoint presentation format
and we will be providing teams with tips as to how to create video content)
 2 page summary outlining how the team collaborated virtually, chosen methods of
communication and learnings from the experience. This submission will be reviewed to
determine which team will be awarded an additional $500 cash prize for collaboration.
Prizes
 Winners: $2000
 Runners up: $1000
 Collaboration prize: $500

10. 10
Timeline
 Tuesday 31 October: competition briefing. Students introduced to
case, deliverables, meet team and learn how to approach answering
a case (video content on website). Student teams to be introduced
to mentor via email.
 Wednesday 15 November (2pm UK time): deadline for students to
submit 2-3 page executive summary with main discussion points and
recommendations to geo@ncl.ac.uk. Teams wishing to be
considered for additional $500 Collaboration Prize must also submit
their 1-2 page report outlining how the team collaborated virtually
at the same time.
 Friday 17 November: Competition judging. 8am UK time is
deadline for teams to send their videos to us.
 Tuesday 21 November: Winners announced/ feedback given to
teams

11. 11
Tips: Your Teammates
 Be committed! Case runs for 2 ½ weeks and
you will need to work hard during this period
 Make contact, swap details and get to know
each other as soon as possible
 Create a schedule and stick to it. Be aware of
time zone differences, class schedules and
website restrictions (e.g. China)
 Appoint a team spokesperson to report back
progress to the competition organisers
 You will all have different working styles- part
of the challenge is learning to adapt to this!
 Ensure all team members are allocated
responsibilities (the prize money will be split
evenly between winning team members)
 USE YOUR MENTOR!

12. 12
Team Mentors: What is a mentor?
‘Mentors are people, who through their action and work, help others to achieve
their potential.’ (Shea, 1992)
Each team will be appointed an academic AND alumni mentor
 Mentoring is an established tool, used by organisations to develop individuals
and help them reach their potential. Each team will receive one mentor who
can provide and guidance on your strategy.
 The word “Mentor” comes from the Greek Mentōr, the name of the adviser of
the young Telemachus in Homer’s Odyssey. Its general definition is “an
experienced or trusted adviser”, whereas ‘to mentor’ is to advise or to train
someone, especially a younger colleague.
‘A process which supports learning and development, and thus performance
improvements, either for an individual, team or business.’ Parsloe & Wray (2000)

13. Mentoring- Expectations
 We will be introducing each team to their mentor via email, then it will be
the team’s responsibility to contact their mentor
 Mentoring is a powerful development tool and mentors have volunteered their
time to help you. Please use them!
 The mentors are busy people- so please do not rely on them to communicate
with you on a daily basis!
 We have indicated to mentors they should aim to dedicate 1-2 hours per week
working with you
 Ask your mentor how they would prefer to communicate with you (some may
prefer email, some may prefer to have video calls with you, some may prefer to
iMessage, WhatsApp or WeChat you
 Each team must contact their mentor at the end of the competition to inform
them of the competition result

14. Challenges
We expect you to find the competition challenging. Below are some challenges which may arise in
your team and our suggestions on how to resolve them. Please contact your competition organiser
if you have any problems!
1. “Someone in my team/our mentor isn’t responding to emails and is not collaborating with
the team” Don’t give up- keep getting in touch and try not to get too frustrated. Let your
competition organiser know as soon as possible. If we don’t know there is a problem, then we
cannot help!
2. “We can’t find a suitable time for the team to meet up” This is part of the challenge! If you
go on to work for a global firm you will be expected to make time to work with colleagues who
may be in a different time zone/continent to you. There be may times when the entire team is
not required to meet at once- think about allocating responsibilities out to avoid the team having
to meet every day. Find out what your teammate’s strengths and weaknesses are and choose
communication tools which will facilitate virtual collaboration.
3. “People in the team have very different working styles” Again, this is part of the challenge!
We are expecting you to find it difficult working in such a diverse team, as you will all have your
own expectations and different ways of working. Be patient, considerate and learn to adapt.

15. 4. I’ve never created video content before/ My teammates want to use
WeChat/WhatsApp to communicate, but I’ve never used it before”
Again, this is part of the challenge! We don’t expect you to become
experts in video production, but we need you to try your best- the way you
deliver your video is up to you as a team. You can choose to film
yourselves, or create slides and film them- be as creative as you can! Using
new communication tools such as WhatsApp and WeChat will help you
learn other methods of virtual collaboration, which you may find useful in
the future!
5. “I’m not sure if the website I’ve suggested is accessible in China”
There are a lot of websites which will help you determine whether a
certain site is blocked in China. We recommend:
http://www.blockedinchina.net/

16. Virtual Communication Methods
 We have written a document which
gives you some ideas about
communication tools you may consider
using- this will be shared with teams
 It is the team’s decision how they would
like to work and it is your responsibility
to schedule time to work together,
selecting the method (s) of
communication you would like to use.
 Your mentor may have experience of
working internationally- so ask them for
advice on virtual communication
methods if you are struggling!
 Try and use different communication
tools- be creative!

17. Last year’s students said…
 “This competition really pushed us to improve
communication and organisational skills... We had to
communicate difficulties and prior commitments with
the rest of the team and be willing to adapt
accordingly.”
 “Although at times we were frustrated by the
challenges we faced…this was a hugely enjoyable and
educational experience for everyone on the team. It
enabled us to learn and research an unknown topic,
improve our team working abilities, make new friends
and learn how to work effectively in an international
team, which will no doubt prove useful in our future
career paths.”
 “As a team with multiple perspectives, we couldn’t
have reconciled each individual’s cultural sensitivities,
different opinions and experiences without a common
denominator- empathy.”

18. 18
Final things to remember
 Schedule time to meet as soon as possible
 Be aware of time zone differences- we are expecting you to find this
challenging!
 Try to use different communication methods
 Always have a contingency plan/back up!
 Use your mentor
 Communicate regularly with the competition organisers- even if
everything is going well
 Please remember that the case is confidential- do not share the case
details with anyone other than your teammates/mentor

19. Good luck!!