This document provides information about a virtual global case competition sponsored by the Academic Collaboration Network. It will involve student teams from 7 universities around the world working together virtually. The competition aims to develop students' skills in virtual collaboration, cultural awareness, and applying classroom knowledge to real business cases. Teams will analyze a case study, develop recommendations, and create a written report and video presentation. Prizes will be awarded to the top teams. Mentors are assigned to each team to provide guidance. Challenges of virtual international collaboration and tips for overcoming them are also discussed.

1. Sponsored by the Academic Collaboration Network (ACN),
A global partnership of the
Susilo Institute for Ethics in the Global Economy at
Boston University Questrom School of Business

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.
 You will be working with students from all 7 of the ACN network partners to
deliver a virtual case competition where you will be working in teams across
time zones and continents.

4. What is a case competition?
 In a case competition, participants strive to develop the best solution to a
business or a education-related case study within an allocated time frame
 Teams in case competitions are tasked with assessing a situation facing an
organization, analyzing 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 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)
 Fudan University School of Management (China)
 Gordon Institute of Business Science (South Africa)
 The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (India)
 Newcastle University Business School (UK)
 Tsinghua University (China)
 Yonsei University Business School (South Korea)

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 your CV/resume

8. Case Deliverables and Prizes
Details of the case will be shared separately
Deliverables each team needs 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

9. 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 organizers
 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!

10. 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 mentor
 Mentoring is an established tool, used by organizations 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)

11. 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

12. 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 organizer if you have any
problems!
 “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 organizer know as soon as possible. If we
don’t know there is a problem, then we cannot help!
 “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.

13. Challenges Cont.
 “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.
 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!
 “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/

14. 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!

15. Last year’s students said…
 “This competition really pushed us to improve
communication and organizational 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.”

16. 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 u Always have a contingency
plan/back up!
 Use your mentor
 Communicate regularly with the competition organizers- 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

17. Good Luck!