cems business projects -...

CEMS Business Projects

Guidelines & Proposals 2015

Welcome to CEMS Business Project!

1

• CEMS programme requires the realization of a compulsory business project during Term 2 which represents 50% of the workload (15 ECTS);

• At the Warsaw School of Economics (WSE) projects run from February to end of May (look at timeline – slide 3);

• Attendance of all the team members is compulsory during kick-off meeting and final presentation (dates will be confirmed);

• Business Project is a part of the academic term during which students have compulsory classes. They are not hired by company as employees or interns (internship is a separate part of the CEMS degree);

• Projects will be conducted in 3-4 person teams;

• Project can be submitted to a confidentiality clause if required by company.

OBJECTIVES TIMELINE PROPOSALS EVALUATION OVERVIEW

Company

Academic Supervisor

• detailed definition of project and expected results • balance between professional mission and academic knowledge • good communication between each part during the project

Success criteria

Win-win-win concept

2

New experiences for research, teaching and networking

Solving of a real-world management problem and take advantage

from the project results

Learning of working together in

multidisciplinary and culturally heterogeneous

groups and get the opportunity to gain hands-on business

research experience


Remember to apply until 4th of February!

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Application Assignment process Business Project

Students will be assigned to projects based on: • student’s preferences • company’s requirements • previous experienced

Final decisions: Thu, Feb 12

Company representative will contact students in order to arrange kick-off meeting (all team members should be there). Term beginning: Mon, Feb 16 Business Project start: early March Business Project end: end of May All team members should take part in final presentation.

Send email to Business Projects Affairs Manager Jakub Andryszak ([email protected]) Email should contain: • ranking for ALL projects (1 – most preferred; 6 – least preferred) • CV in pdf or word file named: SURNAME Name CV

Deadline: Tue, Feb 10


Evaluation is based on written report and oral presentation

• CEMS BP Academic Supervisor and a company coach supervise the project.

• The charge of work (similar to a half-time job), encounters calendar, intermediate reports, global timing and other practical details are defined by company and WSE’s Academic Supervisor.

• Business Project evaluation is based on:

a written report (min. 10-12 pages) – first part;

an oral presentation.

• Company's representative and CEMS BP Academic Supervisor will estimate the project on the written report than on the oral presentation. The Academic Supervisor is the final responsible of evaluation.

4 OBJECTIVES TIMELINE PROPOSALS EVALUATION OVERVIEW

Global beauty company engaged in the production and distribution of

cosmetics.

You will join one of six partners

5

Leader on the Polish market in terms of production and sales

of soft drinks.

Company supports its customers in the planning, implementation and optimization of online marketing

activities.

Consulting company, which advises major international

industry and service companies as well as public institutions.

Leading listed commercial

property company specialized in shopping centers in

European capital cities.

Company providing consulting services in the field of capital transactions and development

strategy.


Azimutus – project overview

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How to implement the abovementioned quote in investment banking to catalyse and facilitate M&A deals?

Project topic

Developing an understanding of transaction universe and potential M&A deal flow, preparation of tools that successfully support M&A deals generation.

Project objective

Working knowledge of Microsoft Office package (especially Access, Excel and PowerPoint); ability to design IT tools; no programming skills necessary.

Requierments


Azimutus – project description (I/III)

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The aim is to design a tool with functionality to automatically generate pitchbooks for selected criteria. Pitchbook is a document used in investment banking containing brief information on acquisition targets/investors presented to potential clients (strategic buyers, private equity funds/sell-side leads) as marketing material. Student will be asked to: 1. Determine criteria to assess if a certain company should be included as an acquisition target in the

pitchbook database; 2. Determine the scope of information about the acquisition targets most interesting for potential investors; 3. Collect information (determined in point 2) for selected companies (using criteria determined in point 1)

in 10-15 industries (only companies based in Poland); 4. Prepare a database with collected information (preferably in Access, SQL or Excel); 5. Design a tool (preferably Access-, SQL- or Excel-based) enabling to automatically generate pitchbook

slides from the data collected in the database for a given query (e.g. industry); 6. Prepare teasers of 5 selected companies and present them to Azimutus.

Output: database, pitchbook generating tool, teasers.

Work stream #1


Azimutus – project description (II/III)

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The aim is to prepare (together with Azimutus consultants) a comprehensive market report for a selected industry in Poland: • market structure; • description of key players; • growth perspectives; • key investment highlights, etc.

Purpose of the report would be to attract potential investors (especially foreign ones) and ignite M&A activity in the industry. The student will support the Azimutus team in selection of the industry (criteria determination), data mining, data analysis and formulation of conclusions for potential investors. The report will be subsequently published and circulated among strategic buyers and PE funds (mainly from Western Europe). Output: market report.

Work stream #2


Azimutus – project description (III/III)

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The aim is to prepare a database of portfolio companies of private equity funds based in Western Europe that could be acquired by Polish companies. Students will be asked to: 1. Determine selection criteria and select ca. 10 Polish companies that could potentially go abroad

(or are already there); 2. Determine target selection criteria for Polish companies (selected in point 1); 3. Select portfolio of PE-owned companies based on selection criteria (determined in point 2); 4. Determine the scope of information about the acquisition targets most interesting for potential

investors; 5. Collect information (determined in point 4) for targets (selected in point 3) and prepare a

database (preferably in Access, SQL or Excel) with collected information. Prepared database shall be compatible with the tool designed in Work Stream #1 (functionality of automatic generation of pitchbook slides for given query);

6. Prepare teasers of 5 selected targets and present them to Azimutus. Output: database, teasers.

Work stream #3


• Problem Structuring; • Creative thinking; • Presentation skills; • Preparation of argumentation supporting presented ideas; • Analytical skills; • Team-work.

Azimutus – knowledge and skills to gain

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• Understanding of deal origination process and marketing in investment banking; • Understanding of recent trends and dynamics in M&A industry in Poland; • Deep knowledge of selected industries of Polish economy; • Investment strategies of Polish companies going abroad; • Main concepts of corporate finance.

Knowledge

Skills


Coca-Cola HBC – project overview

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How to attract the best polish student’s as well as build program’s participants’ engagement and loyalty?

Project topic

Prepare the recommendation for attracting students for management trainee programs (external employer branding) as well as strategy of building current participants engagement and loyalty (internal employer branding).

Project objective


Coca-Cola HBC – project description, knowledge and skills to gain

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Project should include: • Market overview, management trainee programs benchmark; • Market research – company & program image among students (universities TBC); • Recommendations how to reach target group – what activities are recommended, with which organizations cooperation; • Offer analysis – what is and what should be offered, ideal offer recommendation; • Engagement research and analysis; • Recommendations for building engagement and loyalty among Management Trainees. Outouts: Analysis and benchmark, recommendations, action plans.

Project description

• HR knowledge

(EB, engagement building, labour market);

• Project management skills;

• Presentation skills;

• Team-work skills;

• Consulting skills;

• FMCG knowledge;

• Problems solving.

Knowledge&Skills


Marketing Wizards – project overview

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Current Trends in Online Marketing: Mobile, Video and SEO in 2015.

Project topic

Prepare the market research on selected online marketing areas.

Project objective

Working knowledge of Microsoft Office package.

Requierments


Marketing Wizards - project description (I/II)

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• Best advertising practices (case studies); • App advertising channels; • App advertising costs with global overview and specific markets as US and Poland; (CPI benchmarking, traffic cost in different channels); • App developers market in Poland and their needs; • Suggested market opportunities.

Mobile App Advertising

• Best video marketing practices (case studies, general recommendations); • Video content vs. placement (what vs. where); • The role of video in online marketing; • Video as lead generation tool; • New trends in video marketing; • The current reach and size of online video advertising in the US and Poland; • Online Video vs. TV – general reach and advertising reach/spending; • Suggested market opportunities.

Video Marketing


Marketing Wizards – project description (II/II)

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• Long tail vs. generic searches; • Social signals impact; • Cheapest way to acquire high-quality links (long term); • Negative SEO; • Brand vs. non-brand keywords ("not provided" problem); • RWD impact; • Type of content (text, images, videos); • SEO vs. SEM (traffic volume, costs) - short term; • SEO vs. SEM (traffic volume, costs) - long term.

SEO


Oriflame – project overview

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Social media and digital channels opportunity for Consultants to increase sales and recruitment.

Project topic

To assess the current understanding and usage of social media and other digital communication channels by Consultants and recommend the tools and the most optimal working model to help Consultants to increase sales and network building capabilities.

Project objective

Preferably students would have understanding of digital technologies and new media communication channels, as well as have a sales and marketing interests and knowledge. Sales experience possessed by one or two students from the team would be an advantage.

Requierments


Oriflame – project description (I/II)

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Analysis phase would be all about: • searching the internet to find out what the Oriflame Consultants are doing now – how are they using new digital media channels, including social media to increase their sales and build their selling networks; • interviews with chosen consultants (approach and methodology to be agreed) to assess consultants knowledge and understanding of digital communication channels and identify gaps and knowledge deficits; • searching the internet in Poland, but also in two other English speaking countries to find out what the direct sales industry standards are in the area of digital media usage for sales and recruitment purposes. Output: A current status quo conclusions with opportunities and threats identified.

Phase #1


Oriflame – project description (II/II)

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Brain storming, workshop and design phase to design the best digital media working model to be used by Consultants to increase sales and recruitment. This phase should also include the listing of recommendations on how to address the identified gaps in consultants knowledge and understanding, as well as on which tools/ devices and applications consultants should use. It is important that defined recommendations will allow Consultants to take advantage of new media, but would be in line with the Oriflame’s values and spirit. They should also take into consideration consultants capabilities and estimated learning curve. Output: recommended strategy and working model design for Consultants to take full opportunity of digital communication channels to increase their business.

Phase #2


Oriflame – final outcome, knowledge and skills to gain

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The final document and presentation will be delivered to Regional and Country Management and should include: • Detailed summary of analytical phase conclusions; • Detailed digital media usage model for Consultants; • Gap analysis outcomes and the strategy to close the gap to implement a new digital media usage model (including knowledge building plan and tools that should be developed).

Final outcome • Planning and Organizing Skills to deliver expected results in a desired time frame; • Analytical skills and effective internet search; • Interviewing skills; • Qualitative Analysis; • Digital media usage model design; • Direct Sales Industry understanding; • Gap analysis; • Team working skills; • Communication and presentation skills.

Knowledge&Skills


Roland Berger – project overview

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Analysis of the solar and photovoltaic (PV) panels market development in Poland in the face of new regulatory changes coupled with a market entry strategy for a new distributor of solar and PV panels.

Project topic

Part #1 Analyze the current state and possible development of demand and supply sides of the Polish solar and PV panels market in the context of new regulatory changes and subsidies. Part #2 Create an efficient entry strategy for a start-up company planning to distribute solar and PV panels in the Polish market.

Project objective


Roland Berger – project description (I/II)

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• Analyze the macro perspective of the solar and PV panel market (PESTEL analysis). • Analyze the demand side of the market (current and future states) including: - Market segmentation in terms of customers categories (incl. NGOs and institutions); - Market size and its developments; - Regulatory mechanisms supporting solar and PV panels and its impact on product proliferation; - Types of panels used; - Price elasticity and preferred price ranges; - Required value-adding services; - Other aspects of purchasing behavior. The demand analysis has to be expanded on a survey conducted on a group of existing and potential solar panels customers. • Analyze the supply side (current and future states) of the market including: - Competitors; - Distribution channels; - Substitutes; - New entrants.

Part #1


Roland Berger – project description (II/II) skills and knowledge to gain

OBJECTIVES TIMELINE PROPOSALS EVALUATION CONTACT OVERVIEW 22

Taking into account previous analysis, propose an entry strategy for a start-up distributor of solar panels including: • Market potential for the company; • Target customers; • Product mix; • Sourcing strategy; • Pricing; • Distribution channels; • Promotion; • Financing strategy. Outputs: • Survey results in MS Excel spreadsheet; • Calculations in MS Excel spreadsheet; • Report in the MS PowerPoint.

Part #2

• Deep insights into the Polish renewable energy

market;

• Understanding of the impact of regulatory

changes on the market;

• Understanding of the market entry process;

• Analytical tools required for market analysis;

• Project management skills;

• Team-work skills;

• Presentation skills.

Knowledge&Skills

Unibail-Rodamco – project overview

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Impact of the online shopping on customers’ purchasing habits and retailers’ store management strategies.

Project topic

Analyze how the growing popularity of online shopping affects the shopping habits, e.g. choice of brands, time spent on shopping, average spending basket, frequency of visits of traditional retail stores etc. At the same time, we would like to understand also the retailers’ perspective and the influence of online shopping on their store management strategies, e.g. changes in visual merchandising, introduction of click & collect options, other ideas to attract customers to the stores.

Project objective

Working knowledge of Microsoft Office package.

Requierments


Unibail-Rodamco – project description, knowledge and skills to gain

OBJECTIVES TIMELINE PROPOSALS EVALUATION OVERVIEW 24

Students will be asked to cooperate with a marketing research agency on the results of a quantitative & qualitative study of customers’ shopping habits in order to analyze how those habits have changed with the introduction of online shopping. Students will also meet with retailers to understand their view on online shopping, how they operate their online stores and how it affects the way they manage their traditional stores. Last but not least, we would like to see the best strategies adopted by retailers worldwide in order to achieve successful online sales while maintaining the favorable performance of traditional stores. Outcomes: Presentation for the management team explaining the outcome of the marketing research and showing best practices adopted by retailers worldwide.

Project description

• Conduct of quantitative marketing research and cooperation with marketing research agency; • Insights into the retail management strategies, both online and offline; • Knowledge about commercial real estate gained from the leading player in Europe.

Knowledge&Skills

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