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!