Show Me the Money!

I don't know how many of these fine MBA students can do one-armed push-ups, but we are proud to call them our winners.

McCombs--4th Place

LBS--3rd Place

Kenan-Flagler--2nd Place

Stanford--1st Place

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's event! And a fond farewell to Cincinnati bound uber-organizer Nicole Bludeau, without whom the Tech Strategy Case Comp will never be the same! Good luck, Nicole! And have a great summer everyone!

And the real names are...

Ericsson Delhi - Sloan School of Management - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ericsson Beijing - Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C)

Ericsson Shanghai - Queens School of Business, Canada

Ericsson Dacca - Eller College Of Management - University of Arizona

Ericsson Jakarta - Kellog School of Management - Northwestern University

Ericsson Tokyo - Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Ericsson Bangalore - McCombs School of Business - University of Texas, Austin

Ericsson Sydney - Seoul National University, Korea

Ericsson Johannesberg - London Business School, UK

Ericsson Cairo - Stanford Graduate School of Business

Ericsson Buenos Aires - Harvard Business School

Ericsson Sao Paulo - Boston University School of Management

Ericsson Bogota - IESE Business School of the University of Navarra, Spain

Ericsson Bucharest - Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden

Ericsson Dallas - EGADE - Tecnologico de Monterrey

Ericsson Moscow - Kenan-Flager Business School - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

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Surprise, Surprise

So, guess who was in town helping with BU's First Robotics competition and staying at the same hotel as all of the case competition participants? None other than Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple! Pictured here with Case Competition Volunteer Coordinator and Team Host Alison Siegel... You never know who you'll meet!

And the winners are...

After the cocktail reception, a heavenly dinner (thanks to Mary Sforza!)and a sensational speech by the Ericsson CFO Mr.Hans Vestberg, the winners have been announced by the Judges.

4th Place - Ericsson Bangalore, McCOMBS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

3rd Place - Ericsson Johannesburg, LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL

2nd Place - Ericsson Moscow, UNC KENAN FLAGLER BUSINESS SCHOOL

1st Place - Ericsson Cairo, STANFORD BUSINESS SCHOOL

Congratulations to the winners. However, at the end of the day, I do believe we are all winners.

Cya at Cornwalls ;)

The case

Winning in the Converged Multimedia Landscape : How can Ericsson help Vodafone succeed?

How will value be created in the future multimedia industry and who will capture it?

What strategic initiatives will make Vodafone the winner and how can Ericsson help Vodafone achieve it?

Ericsson Moscow

Jason Benjamin Dean | Marcus Robert Nichol | Sumit Goyal | Varun Parmar

After an amicable handshake with the Judges, Team Moscow launched their presentation with a brief on their recommended Vodafone and Ericsson Strategies.

Their underlying idea - "In the converged marketplace media is King. But there is a still a lot of value creation in delivery, and Brand Loyalty will be strong for reliable ubiquitous providers."

The team graphically (and humorously) recognized two major uncertainties:
User Acceptance & Technology.
Based on this, they presented some ingenious service models and a detailed revenue model for developed as well as developing markets.

Towards the end, the team readily dealt with questions from Judges pertaining to - the Risk factor in implementing their ideas, Creating value, customer switching cost and the revenue model.

Kudos Team Moscow!

Ericsson Bangalore

Sumeet Daga | Darek Layne VanToorn | Nihar Paul Gupta | Tiju Tom

Team Bangalore took a holistic approach to the case. They dynamically addressed the key issues and opportunities in the industry, including a fancy futuristic analysis of a certain developing market. Their recommendations primarily centered around these areas-

Arenas - Where does Vodafone need to be active?

Vehicles - How does Vodafone get there?

Differentiators - How will Vodafone win?

Staging - What will be Vodafone's speed and sequence of expansion moves?

Economic Logic - How will Vodafone obtain returns?

The judges questioned the team about Pricing models, Cost analysis, Risk of investing in new technologies, Partnering with content providers and application service providers and Customer Experience.

Great presentation Team Bangalore!

Ericsson Johannesburg

Rene Plug | Manish Gajria | Sasa Brcerevic | Tobias Schweiger

Team Johannesburg presented a very compelling analysis of the case. Their central idea was the adaptation of converged multimedia and the offerring of value added services on top of a superior mobile broadband. They characterized today's consumer in one simple line - "anything i want, anytime i want it and anyway i want it."

They analyzed the traditional value chain and contrasted it with the convergence of the multimedia value chain. One member said, "The new value chain is characterized by Ubiquity of end user access and bandwidth availability". The team also talked about how Ericsson can be the technology enabler for Vodafone and presented some lively examples.

While the judges questioned them on the revenue model, mobile versus fixed technology, growth drivers in the segment and the significance of new investments, team J convinced them with great panache.

Way to go team J!

Ericsson Cairo

Daniel Murillo | Alex Salazar | Dafina Ivanova Toncheva | Gabriel Efstathios Tavridis

They addressed the question "The multimedia industry is growing, how will Vodafone get a share?"
Quoted by a team member - "The industry is hot. Rules of the game are not clear. The value chain is pretty complex. Transport and Delivery layer is the expertise of Vodafone. That is now being commoditized - it needs to expand up the value stream. This can only be done in baby steps."


Team Cairo's Strategic Initiative plan
1. Infrastructure improvements
2. Ubiqutous content delivery
3. Targeted advertising
4. Interactive User Experience
The bottom line is the transformation of Vodafone from a 'Mobile Carrier' to a 'Multimedia Enabler'.

The team charismatically fielded questions from the judges relating to Competition, Revenue Models, Partnerships, Data Privacy and Targeted Advertising.

Resounding Applause

5 Minutes to go

Room 208 is filling up fast. Among the crowd I spot Prof. Hall and Prof. Menezes who look very happy to be here.
Dean Chalykoff is greeting the judges at the door while Prof. Venkat is animatedly directing the Judges to their seats.

Matt Spe is introducing the judges:

Mr. Arun Bhikshesvaran VP Strategy and CTO, North America, Ericsson
Mr.Ingemar Naeve Head Market Unit Iberia and President Global Customer Unit, Telefonica Ericsson
Mr.Peter Seremetis Global Head of CIO Relationship Management, Reuters America

Team Cairo is the first to go.

Whats to do in Boston?

Some teams have time to kill in Boston tomorrow and have been wondering what to do. Here are some recommendations:

(PS: I know you can google this up)

1. Walk the Freedom Trail - A two hour walk - do-able if the weather is good.
One of Americas' first historic walking tours, the Freedom Trail is the perfect introduction to Colonial and Revolutionary Boston.

2. Visit the Faneuil Hall Marketplace /Quincy Market -A collection of boutiques, eateries and pushcart vendors housed in converted 18th century warehouses. Enjoy the street entertainers that frequently perform outside.

(Getting there: Green Line from Kenmore to Government Center)

3. Visit the Boston Common/Boston Public Gardens

(Getting there: Green Line from Kenmore to Park Street / Boylston)

4. Walk down Newbury Street: for some of Boston's most chic, fashionable stores.
You should also walk about at Copley (around the corner from Newbury Street) and appreciate the architecture of the myriad churches.

(Getting there: Green Line from Kenmore to Hynes Convention Center).

5. Take a look at Fenway Park: The home of the Boston Red Sox.It is a 5 minute walk from the BU School of Management.

Anyone who needs help getting around, or someone to show you around the place, do feel free to contact me or any of the committee members and we will be happy to help you.

My email: rachana@bu.edu

The Final Four

While the crowed enjoyed a lunch sponsored by Reuters, Spe introduced the distinguished judges from Ericsson. The judges admitted that although this was a really tough call, they had to pick the 4 best teams. Prof. Venkatraman remarked "Its hard on the guys who came second, but thats life isnt it?". Here are the final four:

Ericsson Cairo
Ericsson Johannesburg
Ericsson Bangalore
Ericsson Moscow

Congratulations and here is wishing you guys a ton of luck.

Agenda for the rest of the evening:

2:30PM Final Presentations Room 208
5:30PM Cocktail reception Atrium
7:00PM Dinner at the 4th Floor Dining Hall

Be there or ... ?

Second Round Teams 5-8

Morning Judges Watching a Presentation

Just one of the first-round teams finished a bit early. The rest of the teams used the full 40-minutes: 20-minutes for the presentation and 20-minutes of Q&A. Now the second-round is underway.

9 AM Presentations are Underway

The first four teams delivered their Powerpoints early this morning and began their presentations at 9:00am sharp. Despite the lack of sleep, all of the early teams looked spirited and confident.

They came. They saw. They organized.

Wish we had a better picture for this one, but as the pieces start falling into place, I want to take the time out to acknowledge the time and effort put in by our in-house bloc party. They have led, supported, steered and been an incredibly collaborative and inspiring team to work with. Three cheers for our organizing committee!!!

Associate Dean John Chalykoff
Communications/Logistics Nicole Bludeau
Events Manager Mary Sforza
Director of Marketing and Communications Jenna Ivers
Committee Chair Matt Spewak
Logistics Manu Goel, Mandar Desai, Julie Gonzalez, Kshitiz Neeraw
Marketing Fran Finke, Ranjeet Bhosale
Marketing/Blogger Rachana Raman
Hospitality Aarti Kapuria
Web Committee Josh Goldstein, Zachary Halloran
Volunteer Coordinator Alison Siegel
Photographer Jax Kirtley
Communications Shrikant Dave

Volunteers on Night Duty

What will become of the restless kind
Where do they go when they've done their time
Wearing their hearts out on the line for all to see
Must be gypsy in their soul
They have a need to rock and roll
They always will, they're out there still they're night owls
-Little River Band

Midnight mood check

Ericsson Delhi
“Dividing but not sure about conquering”. The team captain announced that they had “collectively gained 25 pounds in the last 24 hours”. (!!!)
It’s interesting how these guys have found a way to keep the stress at bay. They like to think they have an imaginary fan club in Delhi, and seem very encouraged by the thought. (Team members seen animatedly waving at suppositious fan club in picture). One of them is even chilling with wrist guards and house music.


Ericsson Dacca is asleep!

Ericsson Bucharest
The team member in the picture described his mood as “Despondent” while another said “Can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I know it is not a train”. I uncovered a little secret about Team Bucharest – one of them is a ClipArt Fetishist and Media Genius, so everybody fear the fear!

Who Needza Pizza?

The grad lounge smells great at the moment. There s Pepperoni, Mozarella and Mushroom pizzas for teams! As teams are coming in, a friendly volunteer Shrikant remarks "I smell pizzas as well as hard work and perspiration!".
Our charismatic Dean Chalykoff was here to receive the pizzas and is now putting the participants at ease, making sure all the teams have their fill.

Load up on the carbs teams, you are going to need all the energy!

And the night goes on...

A Word from Our Sponsor

Steve Newman
Originally uploaded by Boston University Tech Strategy Case Competition

"I’m so impressed by the self-confidence, and the global quality of these teams. I knew the world was like this, but to witness it is something else. I can’t wait to see what this competition produces—I think it’s going to be very high quality. And the organization of this event is very impressive, and so seamless—on the catering side, on the IT side, on the welcoming side… it would be difficult for anyone else to copy this."

--Steve Newman, Program Director for Executive Development, Ericsson

Inspiration from the Charles

Two of the 16 teams are basking in the glow of the Charles up here on the 5th floor.
Ericsson Moscow is on the verge of a group hug. After hours of aggressive brainstorming, they seem very grateful to Boston University for the delicious food. "Sleep is an essential part of our strategy" says the enthusiastic team. They apparently hit the bars last night, so today, they are in severe work-mode.


Ericsson Dallas is revelling in some quiet now. Their thoughts - "The case is very interesting, and it requires us to be analytical and creative. We like that it’s so customer focused.
To be in Boston, one of the biggest knowledge centers in the world, this is a huge opportunity for us. And we have a beautiful view of the city here in our team room. It’s inspriring!"

Enjoy the view and Good luck you two!

Famous last words

Ericsson Sao Paulo is buzzing and thus far the noisiest. They are experiencing the same difficulty as some other teams - that of having to translate their brilliantly creative ideas into something feasible! Here is an interesting sound bite from the team - "The case is exactly what we expected. The other teams should be preparing to lose."

A friendly Ericsson Cairo team thats adopting the divide-and-conquer technique says "We’re the best looking team that’s ever participated. And we’re taking this competition very seriously, especially our Napoleonic team captain. "

A relatively quieter Ericsson Buenos Aires team says "We are actually here to have fun!". They also plan on following Team Bangalore to the club at 8PM to extract some ideas while the latter is in an inebriated state.

Don Quixotic?

Ericsson Bangalore has unmistakable synergy at the moment. They seem thrilled about the open ended nature of the case and believe there is ample scope for creativity here. Their challenge right now is drilling down from higher level themes to specific ideas.

Team Bangalore is confident they have the resources and the brains to win this contest. They are proud to be a highly collaborative team and are expecting to be done with the case by 8 PM, go clubbing in Boston and get some good sleep(!). Glad to see the optimism team Bangalore. Stay true to your team name and enjoy yourselves!
Best luck and be ready in your party clothes by 8!

Dancing Blue Elephants

Ericsson Tokyo thinks this is a case with a twist. They expected it to be a little different but are vowing to have fun while they are at this. They seem well prepared to tackle the case and the fact that they have just one Technology person among them seems to be the least of their worries.
The mood is quite placid right now, but they expect it to take a sharp turn in a few hours! I ll be sure to wear a helmet when I come in at 3AM team Tokyo!
All the best and stay sane...

Rather be in Bali than Jakarta

Ericsson Jakarta is currently brainstorming. As they busily fill their easel and white board, they are devising strategies to avoid group think. Their diversity becomes obvious while each of them attack the case from a different angle.

They seem excited about the case so far, so I am going to leave them to their planning and fancy screen-savers. Will be back to check on Jakarta later in the evening. Good luck you guys!

Let the Games Begin

Here we go! The last teams have finished their briefing and are busy getting set up in their team rooms. We have staff members from our IT department greeting all the teams to get them hooked into our wireless network, set up with printers, etc. Those IT staff members are sooooo hepful! All morning, the committee has been fielding questions about late-night food deliveries, local convenience stores, and the availability of various types of caffeine. Eventually, we sent them all an email with incidental information: everything from local coffee shops to ATMs and cab numbers. The teams seem to be energized and excited about getting down to work, and so far things seem to be going very smoothly.

I'm happy to report that all of the teams eventually received their luggage, and were able to arrive here with everything they needed to work through the next 24 hours. Some of the teams were particularly creative in their preparations for today. One team brought their own easel-pads with them on the plane. Another came in their suits this morning just in case any of the judges were at the briefing, then changed into their jeans :-). Everyone has their computers, of course, and various notes/resources they brought with them just in case (though one person did need to be set up with a mouse to use).

Now the question is: Will the committee be able to convince them to take a break for lunch anytime soon?

The 24 hours begins for the first four teams

At 9am Professor Venkatraman unveiled the case to the first four teams and Dean Chalykoff briefed the teams on the rules and procedures. The students watched the case presentation, taking notes vigorously before they begin the 24-hour countdown.
There are four 24-hour periods, staggered for each group of four teams, so that every team presents exactly 24-hours after receiving the case. For example, Ericsson Delhi, Ericsson Beijing, Ericsson Shanghai, and Ericsson Dacca will present Saturday morning at 9am. The next round begins at 9:50am, then 10:40, and 11:30.

Wine, Dine and Strategize

Tonight, the 9th floor of the BU SMG Building dazzled. It wasn't just the chandeliers and the wine, but the high-spirited teams from around the world, the encouraging words of an Ericsson executive and the welcoming bunch from the organizing committee, that lit up the night.

As I wandered about and spoke to the teams, I got some interesting insights into their dynamics. Considering the amount of travel most of them went through, plus the jet lag that many were experiencing, the energy they exuded was beyond amazing. They chatted incessantly with each other, displayed tremendous interest in competing teams and obligingly answered the questions I hurled at them.

Captains of Teams Ericsson Delhi and Ericsson Sao Paulo were clearly the most confident of the lot. The former is, as a matter of fact, a returning champion, who was on one of the winning teams last year. While teams Ericsson Buenos Aires and Ericsson Jakarta choose to leverage their geographical as well as experiential diversities, teams Ericsson Bangalore and Ericsson Sydney expect to draw strength from their similarities and technology backgrounds.

The one thing all teams had in common, was enthusiasm and I hope it will sustain through the rest of the weekend!

At the end of a round of drinks, pasta and socializing, Matt Spewak, our dynamic Committee Chair, addressed the crowd and introduced Steve Newman - Program Director for Executive Development at Ericsson. Mr. Newman enthusiastically declared that it was a no brainer for Ericsson to be involved in this Case Competition. He stated that he was thrilled to have the world in one room, and that Ericsson was eager to get opinions and ideas from the participating teams. He reflected on a similar experience he had 45 years ago, when, at the end of the competition that he was a part of, nobody kept in touch. Steve Newman ended his address with the message that the teams should keep in touch after the competition and do something constructive for the future.

Dean Lawson then took center stage and conveyed his best wishes to all the teams. At this point, each team was assigned a team name and Dean Chalykoff did the honors. Professor Venkatraman, the author of the case, was the final staff member to address the teams. He was particularly thrilled that this year, we have 4 additional international teams participating. He will be briefing the teams on the case early tomorrow morning.

The evening has now ended, with happy(?) teams heading back to their hotel with goody bags from Ericsson and BU. While I'm thinking about having missed Thirsty Thursdays at T's Pub, I'm still reveling in the exuberance of tonights reception and googling the "harmful effects of excessive coffee consumption".

Media Report I--UNC Throw-down

Kenan-Flagler's coming on strong--at least with the media coverage. Two of the first three actual news stories on the case comp are promoting the Chapel-Hill gang, comprised of two North Carolina natives and two gents from India. Is this a harbinger of things to come or do the PR people in North Carolina just put in more overtime than the rest of us? Check out the stories at:
WRAL LocalTechWire.com
Triangle Business Journal
TradingMarkets.com

Descent of the Intelligentsia

It has been an exciting week for us – the dawn of spring, together with the thrill of the case competition has been stirring up a positive whir on campus. The Committee has been busy and active as ever. To put in a nutshell - delicious menus are being put together, coffee breaks are being finalized, and the Committee is preparing for one magnificent reception!

5 of the coveted teams are flying in today. To be precise, its 4.75 teams, as one member of the Spain team is arriving only on the 27th. Here is a sneak peak-

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) team represented by an Italian, Chinese, German and American, brings with it great diversity in both culture and experience. The team members have worked in the industries of engineering, retail, corporate banking, oil and even wine marketing - their experiences spanning USA, Europe, the Middle East and South Africa. They look forward to the competition against brightest minds from the best business schools around the world.

Queen's School of Business brings to the table, technology, finance and biopharmaceutical industry experience. By forming this team with diverse backgrounds, they plan to device a strategy that is holistic, and not strictly technical. They are also hoping to gain valuable insight about this industry from perspectives of industry professionals as well as other bright MBA students.

The other teams landing in today are from the Stockholm School of Economics, Seoul National University and IESE, Spain. Over the next 3 days, we hope to uncover the secrets we haven’t yet been able to extract from them!

One World, One Contest

Born digital and raised global, 64 elite MBA students from around the world are coming together at Boston University between 27th-29th March '08 to blueprint the future of mobile multimedia.

More than simply early adopters, these “digital natives” (whose average age is 26) have been at the forefront of every new digital development since the inception of email. They’ve survived web 1.0, pioneered web 2.0, and now they’re poised to mobilize the whole enterprise. These participants are truly the next generation of users, who come from places that comprise the fastest growing mobile technology markets in the world.

Ericsson, the official sponsor for the event, will put forth a real market challenge to the teams. Boston University, the official host, will provide six-by-six conference rooms, wireless access, timekeepers, and electrolytes. The judging panel comprised of Ericsson executives, IT entrepreneurs, and scholars will hand out prizes totaling $47,500.

The event embodies Ericsson’s mission “communications for all,” and to think of it as a global effort is almost quaint. Students represent 16 prestigious business schools and 20+ countries, but don’t make assumptions. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is sending an Italian, a German, an American, and a Chinese (the only other Chinese in the competition will be coming by way of Mexico City). Kellogg School of Management is deploying a Turk, a Korean, an Iranian, and an Indian. The Indian Institute of Management is sending an all-Indian team—though they'll be outnumbered by Indian nationals coming from Boston, Sweden, Texas, North Carolina, and Illinois. The Stockholm School of Economics will include a Lithuanian, an Italian, an Indian, and an American, but no Swedes.

Stay tuned to this blog for in-depth real-time coverage of the event, fun facts about the teams, their schools, and their business plans, as well as a peek into the exciting future of mobile multimedia technology.