A Vision for the Future

Professor N. Venkatraman, the David J. McGrath Jr. Professor in Management at Boston University’s School of Management presented the teams with their challenge for the Collaboration Round.

The teams will collaborate with Ericsson executives to create a story board for the city of their choosing, on how technology will transform the city in the next 6-7 years. The teams must illustrate through six slides how citizens will live, work, learn and play in the city of the future. They have to envision that this poster will be displayed in an imaginary city hall, and truly illustrate the advancements that new technology will bring to every day life.

The posters will be judged at 4 p.m. in the SMG Atrium. And there's cash to be made, with the top four posters earning between $4,000 and $1,000 respectively. Sadly, the Ericsson executives only get bragging rights if their team wins.

Good luck everyone, we're looking forward to hearing some life-changing ideas.

The Collaboration Round is here!

The morning presentations are complete and the judges have begun deliberations. Decisions on the final four will be announced at 3:45 p.m.

The teams are making a stop in the Grad Lounge to refuel on granola bars and coffee to gear up for the Collaboration Round. Should be exciting to hear what their next assignment is, and to learn about the Ericsson executives they'll be working with.

Meet Team Dubai

Team Dubai found the question of how an industry leader like Ericsson can bring technology to education to be both the most challenging and interesting question of the case.

The Case

Ericsson and the Boston University School of Management have teamed up to bring a particularly challenging case to these bright competitors from around the world. Sixteen teams have traveled to Boston for this weekend to compete, some coming from as far as Seoul or Stockholm.

The case challenges participants to examine the potential role a Networked Society could play in innovating education. Ericsson hopes to build a society where anything that could benefit from being connected would be connected, mainly via mobile broadband. Its mission is “innovating to empower people, business and society.”

Teams must present:

• Their vision of a Networked Society in education in 2015 that leverages the power and potential of mobility, broadband and cloud
• What partnerships and alliances should Ericsson explore to make this strategy succeed?

And they must address specifics such as:

• A video or animation to communicate ideas and insights
• A recommended business model (products, services and/or solutions) for Ericsson in the education sector
• How should Ericsson developing a profitable strategy in the education sector?

The teams had 24 hours to prepare their cases and it will be very exciting to hear their innovative ideas.

The full Case can be viewed here.

Professor Venkatraman wrote the case taking into consideration recent technological innovations in education, such as iTunes U or interactive whiteboards, and how they were changing the landscape of learning. He understood that while Ericsson is very involved in education through philanthropy, there is an opportunity for business innovation as well.

Deploying Technology for Education

Team Tokyo described themselves as a, "technology guru, an entrepreneur, a finance expert, and one superwoman." This was their first time working together, and they anticipated that transportation or education would be potential topics in the case. So, what did they learn about the education sector through this competition?

"The education sector is not tech savvy at all, it really hasn't changed in many years. Ericsson has been around a long time, and they have the experience to make a difference here," the team shared.

They were even strategic in staying awake. They did laps up and down the stairs and kept a steady stream of Cups of Noodles going all night. Caffeine was reserved as a secret weapon for the final round, if they made it.

While making their case for Ericsson to deploy technology in education, "We got a couple of smiles out of the judges, so that's a good sign."

MBAs Students turned Graphic Designers

Team Stockholm just finished their presentation and felt great about their work. One member was particularly proud of becoming a "part-time graphic designer" last night for their video assignment. They tried to get the judges involved in their presentation by giving them each iPads to write their feedback.

"We didn't get much of a reaction out of them, they were very 'judge-like,' but I think they were secretly surprised that we made them a part of our case recommendations," the team shared.

Now, it's time for a nap back at the hotel. Did the lack of sleep sway them from coming back next year?

"It's a pretty long flight, but we hope we'll be back!"

Time to present!

The presentations are underway, and so is the nervous pacing in the grad lounge. As teams wait to present they discussed what was most challenging about preparing their cases.

Team Delhi joked, "working with these guys was the hardest part." But really the curve ball of unexpectedly having to prepare a video presentation was their biggest challenge. "We work with iPads every day but we definitely weren't ready to make an original video."

They just headed in to present, good luck guys!

A Conversation with Hans Vestberg

Hans Vestberg, CEO and President of Ericsson, took a moment to speak with us during the Welcome Reception last night. Here's what he had to say.

And, They're Off!

The 7th Annual International Tech Strategy Business Case Competition is officially underway!

The teams have all been briefed on the competition rules by Associate Dean John Chalykoff and the case themes by Professor Venkat Venkatraman.  The participants are safely ensconced in their rooms, planning their strategies.

Your Fearless Leader

Meet Todd Valentine, Committee Chair for the 7th Annual International Tech Strategy Business Case Competition.

Todd is pursuing the MS-MBA with a Strategy and Business Analysis concentration. He interned with VMware over the summer in their Cambridge office. Before coming to BU, he was an account executive for a media and entertainment company based in Denver, Colorado with accounts from Finland to Australia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Technical Journalism from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. He enjoys camping, cooking, and watching movies.