Collaboration Round Briefing

Boston University Professor Venkat welcomed the 16 teams to the collaboration round briefing. (Prof. Venkat developed the complex and challenging Ericsson case for the competition.) After a grueling 24 hours and first-round of presentations, the group was issued a new challenge for the collaboration round.

They must choose one industry, either healthcare of energy, and develop a vision for a mobile app. that will help create Ericsson's vision of a networked society. In six slides that will be pasted to poster boards, they will have to answer questions such as:

• Who should launch the app.? Should Ericsson or someone else?
• What will the price be, will it be free?
• Where in the globe will it be launched?
• What should the initial launch platform be? Apple or Android?
• What is the Differentiated Value Proposition of the app.?

This is where it gets interesting. Previously in groups from their respective schools, the students will now be shuffled into new teams of six and have four hours to work in their new groups. They will have to get out of their comfort zones, and interact with Ericsson executives to absorb as much as possible.

At 4 PM the teams will display their posters in the atrium and give 5 minute presentations to share their vision. As one MBA student put it, "they have to be sharp!" Winners of the collaboration round will receive $3,000 as a prize.