Pioneer Employer Competition: Can investing in front-line workers actually improve your bottom line?
The prevalence of dead-end, low-wage jobs is widely understood to be a business necessity in many industries. But what if this perception is incorrect?  What if some employers can not only survive, but thrive, based on their willingness to regard their front-line workers as assets worth investing in?

This unique case and curriculum change competition challenges student teams to analyze cases about business leaders, who invested in their lower-wage employees’ training, wages, or career ladders as part of an approach towards developing a sustainable competitive advantage. The competition will also require students to work with faculty and administrations to incorporate cases on such “Pioneer Employers” into their school’s core curriculum.

There will be two cases to analyze during the competition. During the first round of the competition, participating teams will propose solutions for Integrated Packaging Corporation (IPC).   Al Fuller, the co-founder of Integrated Packaging Corporation (IPC), dramatically improved the standard-of-living for his employees while also turning his company’s fortunes around. Teams which advance to the second round will analyze and create solutions for a new case developed by the Aspen Institute.

Finalists will have the opportunity to present their analysis to a panel of judges, at the 2011 Net Impact Conference, October 28-29, in Portland, Oregon.

Benefits of Participation
This competition is great opportunity for students to learn about innovative business practices, and work with their schools on incorporating these teachings into their core curriculum. The 2010 Pioneer Employer Competition, in partnership with the Hitachi Foundation, proved that competitions can be an effective tool for driving curriculum change on campuses. Many students received great support from students, faculty, and administrators in their efforts to incorporate socially responsible business cases into their curriculum.

About the Hitachi Foundation’s Business and Work Program
The Hitachi Foundation’s Business and Work Program is discovering and expanding business practices that create tangible and enduring economic opportunities for low-wealth Americans, their families, and their communities. The Business and Work Program seeks to advance the fields of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate citizenship by discovering sustainable business practices that strengthen the bottom line and create pathways out of poverty for low-income workers.

Objectives of Competition

1.  To raise awareness and spark critical thinking among MBA and other graduate students on how companies can profit while improving the standard of living for low wage workers employed by their companies
2.  To incorporate a new case that includes themes around pioneering employment practices into the MBA and other school curricula

Prizes

• $4,000 to the team with the highest Curriculum Change Plan report score, $2,000 to the runner-up
• $3,000 to the team with the highest Case Analysis score, $1,000 to the runner-up

Interested?
>> Fill out this Intent to Compete form to stay up to date on competition details

Timeline*

• March 3, 2011 at 10am PST / 1pm EST: Curriculum Change Call featuring the 2010 Pioneer Employer Case Competition finalists
• March 7, 2011: Intent to Compete form due
• April 29, 2011: Two-page Curriculum Change Proposal Summary and Case Analysis due
• May, 2011: Five finalist teams selected by panel of judges
• September, 2011: Best Practices webinar to prepare finalists for their presentations at the 2011 Net Impact Conference
• October, 2011: Finalists receive Aspen Institute case to prepare analysis and presentation for the 2011 Net Impact Conference; finalists submit their curriculum change proposals
• October 28-29, 2011: Finalists present their Case Analyses to a panel of judges at the 2011 Net Impact Conference, winners announced at Conference closing ceremony
  

* Timeline is subject to change.  Participants will be notified in advance of any changes.

Deliverables

April 29, 2011: Semi-Final submissions due

• Six-page executive summary  IPC case analysis submitted in PDF
• Two-page summary of Curriculum Change Plan explaining how teams will integrate cases involving improved standards for workers into their MBA or other graduate programs
• Extra points given for letters of faculty and administrative support

October, 2011: Case Analysis and Presentation materials due

• Ten-minute PowerPoint presentation outlining analysis of the Aspen Institute case as well as current state of team’s curriculum change efforts
• Six -page (maximum) Case Analysis with two additional pages in charts, graphics or exhibits
• Ten-page action plan for integrating cases focused on raising living standards for low-wage workers, including progress to date
• Letters of support from faculty and administrators (at least two recommended)

Judging Criteria

For Case Analysis:

• Creativity of ideas
• Quality of analysis
• Depth or research and analysis
• Effective communication of analysis through presentation

For Curriculum Change Plan:

• Depth of research
• Feasibility of case incorporation into MBA or other graduate program curriculum
• Effective communication with faculty members and administrators
• Demonstrated support of faculty members and administrators

Team Guidelines
Teams should have 2-4 current graduate students enrolled through fall 2011 semester.

Eligibility
The Pioneer Employer Case Competition is open only to ‘Eligible Participants’. To qualify as an Eligible Participant, an individual must be a student in good standing, enrolled in a graduate degree program at an accredited university (subject to participation approval by Net Impact) through the fall 2011 semester, and a current Net Impact member. Confirmation of an individual participant’s eligibility is subject to verification, without notice, by Net Impact and/or its designated agents. An Eligible Participant must be a legal resident of the U.S to receive cash prizes and travel stipend. Void where prohibited.

Questions?

Please contact Dara Kosberg, Senior Partnerships Manager, at dkosberg@netimpact.org.

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Collegiate ECHO Direct/Interactive Marketing Challenge

About Charity: Water

Scott Harrison spent 10 years as a New York City party promoter, producing fashion and music events at top nightclubs. In 2004, disgusted with the indulgent and selfish life he led, he returned to his Christian faith and volunteered onboard a hospital ship in Liberia, Africa as their photojournalist. Two years later, he returned to New York City to found the global non-profit organization charity: water.

Almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water. Founded in 2006, charity: water is a non-profit organization that brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Partnering with local organizations on the ground, they fund water solutions like fresh water wells, spring protections and rainwater catchments, giving people in need access to the clean, safe water they need to live. charity: water currently works with more than 20 implementing water partners in 17 countries to assess and determine areas and communities of greatest need. They have provided safe drinking water to over 1 million people in just four short years.

The Challenge

charity: water is a relatively new non-profit that has turned the non-profit model on its head. It has leveraged today’s technology to provide its supporters with the tools necessary to fundraise and advocate on behalf of the charity independent of the organization. Your challenge is to help charity: water engage the yet untapped audience of college/university students and spark interest in fundraising campaigns in the mycharitywater.org division. The primary goal of charity: water in colleges will be to raise awareness that leads to individuals and groups running fundraising campaigns on mycharity: water.org.Teams can be as creative as they would like but should keep in mind the size, culture, background and fundraising model of the organization.

Campaign Requirements

• Develop an integrated marketing plan to raise awareness and engagement with charity: water among college students.
• Once in place, the plans should require very little day to day charity: water staff involvement. The plan should be self managing and require little support from the organization.
• Proposal should include a mock-up of a landing page for the target audience and a description of the tools and/or features that will allow individuals to manage their involvement with charity: water.
• Social media plays a large part of the organization’s current outreach; proposals should include a social media strategy specific to the target audience.

To accomplish this, you must have a clear understanding of the products, the target consumers and the marketplace.

Target Audience

The target audience for this campaign is college and university students.

 

Benefits Of Participation

• Students will gain hands on experience in developing a marketing plan through a real-world business case study challenge.
• Students will be encouraged to think about their direct/interactive marketing strategy on an international level.
• For the first time, the school whose team wins the Gold, Silver, or Bronze Award will be eligible to receive a grant to award student scholarships.
• Cash prizes for the top 3 teams.
• Your campaign could help take this small but nimble organization to the next level!

See the Challenge here.

Important Dates

Fall 2010 Intent To Compete Deadline: November 19, 2010

Fall 2010 Deadline: December 17, 2010

 

 

Spring 2011 Intent To Compete Deadline: March 18, 2011

Spring 2011 Deadline: April 15, 2011

Questions?

Sorry – neither charity: water nor DMEF is taking emails or phone calls – instead “Like” our Fan page on Facebook.  Then, post all your questions to the Wall of the group.  That’s where we’ll address all questions, post updates, provide news and spread additional information about the competition.  Click the link below to find us:

Or, type Collegiate ECHO Challenge in the search box when you’re on Facebook.

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Do you have a winning idea?  Prove it at the New York Business Plan Competition!
Over $100,000 in prize monies available!

Overview
The College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering (CNSE) at the University at Albany, UAlbany’s School of Business, the Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer, and Union Graduate College School of Management will host a state-wide business plan competition focusing on renewable energy and sustainable innovations.  Supporting organizations include  Stony Brook University, Polytechnic Institute of New York University, University of Buffalo, Syracuse University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the University of Rochester.

The event will be held April 28, 2011, at the College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering’s facilities in Albany, NY.  For the first time, the competition is open to colleges across New York State.  For a printable overview of the competition, please click on the “competition flyer” link directly below.

Download the competition flyer (PDF 633 KB)

The New York Business Plan Competition is proud to announce that the State Employees Federal Credit Union (SEFCU) is the Title Sponsor of the 2011 competition.  We would like to thank SEFCU for their support of this very important event!

Details of the Competition
Current students from accredited colleges may submit business plans around a student-born innovation that is designed for a currently unmet need.  The top applications will be selected by a panel of outside judges to present in the final round.

Teams must have at least two members, with a maximum of six members (excluding the advisor).  Students from different academic areas are encouraged to work together to create the strongest team possible.  One faculty member is required to be listed as an advisor for the team; offering guidance, support, and technical expertise.

The competition encourages students to fully engage in their research and allows them to gain valuable experience through presenting their business plan to industry executives and investors.

This year, the competition is pleased to announce their expansion from a single topical area to multiple tracks in which students can compete.  The topical areas of submission include:

• Healthcare
• Information Technology
• Nanotechnology
• Renewable Energy/Sustainability
• Services
• Social/Non-Profit
• Other

Prizes
The newly expanded New York Business Plan Competition is bigger than ever!  With cash prizes of over $100,000, and in-kind services from organizations around the state, this year’s top winners will receive more than enough assistance to turn their ideas into full-fledged businesses.  Application information is below; best of luck to all the participants!

How to Apply
To apply, complete the preliminary application form below.

Download the application form (PDF 155 KB)

If you are selected to continue on to finals, you will need to create a powerpoint using the template below.  Please note that the powerpoint is limited to 10 slides and presentations featuring more than 10 slides will not be considered.

Download the presentation template (PDF 44.6 KB)

Applications are due March 25, 2011 by 5pm.  All completed applications can be sent to Ms. Michele Kilburn at mkilburn@uamail.albany.edu.

Past Winners
- First place – UAlbany CNSE’s BESS Technologies
- Second place – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s (RPI) Sustain-a-PET
- Third place – Clarkson University Engineering and Management’s Controlled Environment High Rise Farm

To see coverage from the 2010 event, please click here.  Congratulations to our past winners and best of luck to those applying for the 2011 challenge!

Sponsorships
Sponsorships are available in limited quantities to maximize the impact of the sponsors’ message.  Please click the link below to learn about the sponsorship opportunities available.  If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Terri Scalise Roller at tscalise@uamail.albany.edu for more information.

Download the 2011 sponsorship information flyer and form (PDF 871.3 KB)

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Aspen Announces Business & Society Case Competition
Zicklin School of Business is selected as one of twenty-five fantastic business school partners to participate in this year’s competition, titled the Business & Society International MBA Case Competition offering one of the largest prize pools of any student case competition. The competition itself will take place throughout April. More information is available at a brand new website: www.AspenCaseCompetition.org Teams (of four) interested in the competition should contact:John Albanese, Director of Full-Time Honors MBA Program at John.Albanese@baruch.cuny.edu
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Wake Forest Elevator Competition (social track)
Deadline: Early February
http://business.wfu.edu/default.aspx?id=268The Elevator Competition, which was first held in 2000, seeks bright and innovative entrepreneurs to share their business ideas and allows students from schools across the country to test their skills at making the perfect elevator pitch. Each student team is required to perform a two-minute pitch, supply a detailed business plan, and prepare a formal presentation of their business venture. Participants can be compete for first place prizes of $10,000 for the business track and $5,000 for the social track. Open to graduate or undergraduate students in any discipline. Please email us at elevator@mba.wfu.edu if you have any questions or would like more information.

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