2011 Nielsen Case Competition

Competition Guide

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Welcome

Welcome to the inaugural Nielsen Case Competition at the University of Florida. We’re delighted to have such a diverse and talented group of participants this year. In the dynamic world of global business, leaders must be proactive to stay ahead of customer demands and pressure from competitors. This case competition is designed to enrich and challenge your creativity and problem-solving skills to help prepare you for a career in today’s rapidly changing business environment. I encourage you to take full advantage of this opportunity to dive in, connect and learn. Best of luck, and we look forward to receiving your solutions.

Mitchell J. Habib Chief Operating Officer The Nielsen Company

The Nielsen Company As a global leader in measurement and information, we know that a precise understanding of consumers is the key to making the right decisions to enable profitable growth. At Nielsen, we’re always innovating to keep pace with emerging market trends and the increasingly diverse, demanding and connected consumer.

Our mission is to provide clients the most complete global understanding of what consumers watch and buy. Nielsen provides a suite of global practices and measurement solutions serving the media, entertainment and consumer industries.

After nearly a century, we’re more focused and skilled than ever at providing a complete view of what consumers watch and buy through powerful insights that clarify the relationship between content and commerce. For our clients in media, consumer packaged goods, telecom and advertising, our expansive data and measurement capabilities provide market context and confidence with a long history of innovation and integrity.

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Competition Guide

This guide includes materials to help student teams prepare for the case competition. The guide covers everything from how to delegate work to what to expect at the competition.

The guide will also ensure that each team has the opportunity to take advantage of all aspects of the competition. The competition offers participants not only great business experience, but also the chance to network with prominent leaders attending the event as judges or as organizers. Students are encouraged to relax and socialize between presentations. Enjoy the experience!

Competition Committee The Nielsen Company

Michaela Barbour, Staffing Partner

Robyn Dow, VP, University Relations

Kathie Miller, SVP, Communications, Global Business Services

Betsy Williams, SVP, Human Resources

University of Florida

Josh Funderburke, Asst. Director of Career & Leadership Programs & SIFE Sam Walton Fellow

Sarah Alexander, Student Director

Alli Dreyer, Student Director

Aly Fernandez, Student Director

Kara Jordan, Student Director

Kenny Merritt, Student Director

Daniel Rybin, Student Director

Kathryn Stolarz, Student Director

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Judges Gainesville Round: February 8, 2011 University of Florida Amy Jo Coffey, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Telecommunication

Kara Kravetz Cupoli, Director of Student Services, Traditional MBA Programs

Michelle Darnell, Lecturer, Dept. of Management

Kelly Gust, Associate Director, MBA Programs

Joe Hartman, Professor and Chair, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Steve Kirn, Executive Director, David F. Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research

Stephen J. LaBarbera, Lecturer, Dept. of Marketing

David Ostroff, Chair, Dept. of Telecommunication; Interim Chair, Dept. of Journalism

Craig Petrus, Director of Career Services, Hough Graduate School of Business

William Rossi, Program Director & Sr. Lecturer

Alex Sevilla, Assistant Dean and Director, MBA Programs

Mary Steffel, Postdoctoral Fellow

Craig Tapley, Graham-Buffett Master Lecturer of Finance

Horace Tucker, Associate Director, School of Business

Asoo Vakharia, Beal Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Mgmt; Director, Center for Supply Chain Management

Barton Weitz, JC Penny Eminent Scholar Chair

Eric Wild, Adjunct Professor

The Nielsen Company Chris Gera, VP, Information & Support Services

Damon Lister, Project Coordinator, GBS COE Global Operations

Bob McCann, Executive Vice President, Corporate

Amy Rettig, VP, Public Affairs

New York City Round: February 18, 2011 The Nielsen Company

Dave Calhoun, CEO

Nic Covey, VP, Nielsen Cares

Paul Donato, EVP, Chief Research Officer

Roberto Llamas, Chief Human Resources Officer

Kathie Miller, SVP, Communications, Global Business Services

Angela Talton, Global Call Centers Leader

Betsy Williams, SVP, Human Resources

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Competition Rules

» The case is NOT to be shared or distributed to anyone outside of the competition at any time, as outlined in the confidentiality agreement signed by all participants

» Students may not receive help prior to competing from any professors or faculty members

» All work presented must be the work of solely the participating team members » The final deliverable must be presented using PowerPoint and any videos or graphics used

must be embedded directly into the presentation, as internet access will not be available during the competition

» The presentation format must be PC-compatible » The organizers will provide each team with one PC notebook for presenting » Only invited guests, competition staff and judges may attend the various presentations » The student teams that do not move on to the semi-final round will be invited to view the

semi-finalist teams’ presentations » The semi-finalist teams will not be able to view other semi-finalists’ presentations » Finalist teams who have not yet presented will not be able to view other teams’

presentations. After a team has presented, team members may attend the remaining final round presentations.

Student Teams » Teams may consist of four to six students » Teams must be made up of students registered for and currently attending a University of

Florida undergraduate program » At least two students must be from majors outside of business or accounting » Only four students are required to physically present during the competition

presentation, but all students must be able to answer questions from the judges » Each team must have a team name; teams without names will have one assigned » Each team will receive jump drives containing the Competition Guide as well as

two spiral bound printed copies of the document » Team Captains must sign up for presentation time slots – registration order will be

assigned during the Case Kickoff. Before signing up, Captains should be aware of any scheduling conflicts from their team members

» A random ballot will be used to assign teams to leagues

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Question Protocol Any questions regarding the case and/or competition logistics should be sent to

nielsencasecompetition@nielsen.com Every attempt will be made to provide an answer within 24 hours to the student or team who posed the question. Questions and answers will also be posted on the case competition website:

http://www.nielsen.com/content/corporate/case_competition.html

Final Deliverable » Teams may submit only one final presentation to the judges » The presentation must be in Microsoft PowerPoint » The presentation must be in English

Supplies Laptops and projectors will be provided for the presentations. Teams should bring their presentation on at least two different jump drives, in case there is an issue with one. On February 7 between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., all teams will have access to the Hilton to view the room size and test their jump drives with the provided laptops.

Prizes

Each participating student, judge and student director will receive a Nielsen gift bag

Each semi-finalist team member will receive a Nielsen fleece

Each finalist team member will receive an iPod Nano, a $100 iTunes gift card and a trip to New York city including transportation, accommodations and meals

The winning team members will receive an Apple iPad and a $200 gift card

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Gainesville Round Schedule

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Judges’ check-in and Orientation Breakfast

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Opening Round Competition (5 leagues, 4 teams)

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Lunch and Semi-Finalist Announcement

1:30 PM - 5:00 PM

5:00 PM-5:45 PM

Final Rounds (5 teams)

Keynote Address: Bob Livingston

5:45 PM - 7:30 PM Networking Dinner and Finalist Announcement

9:00 AM Team 1

9:35 AM Team 2

10:10 AM Judges’ Break

10:25 AM Team 3

11:00 AM Team 4

11:35 AM Judges’ Deliberation

12:00 PM Lunch and Semi-Finalist Announcement

1:30 PM Semi-Finalist Team 1

2:05 PM Semi-Finalist Team 2

2:40 PM Semi-Finalist Team 3

3:15 PM Judges’ Break

3:30 PM Semi-Finalist Team 4

4:05 PM Semi-Finalist Team 5

4:40 PM Judges’ Deliberation

5:00 PM Keynote Address: Bob Livingston

5:45 PM Networking Dinner and Finalist Announcement

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Keynote Address Today’s graduates will enter into a world of uncertainty. You will be impacted by the remains of the recession, the resultant poor job market and your needs for future earnings. All of these conditions impact how you will need to prepare for business life in a competitive and ever-changing world. It will be essential for you to work hard at uncovering your path to differentiation:

» Competition for initial jobs is unprecedented. » Advancement in careers is very competitive. » Your work skills (“What You Do”) will be the cost

of entry. » But, the ultimate differentiator will be

“How you do What you do.” This suggests a strong focus is necessary on an individual behavior, attitude, beliefs and how you interact with others. The good news is, if you understand these conditions and prepare yourself properly to compete, you will not only survive, you could thrive!

Bob Livingston is a consummate client service professional, with more than 40 years of interactions with clients and customers. He has led client service organizations at the Lipton Tea

Company and The Nielsen Company, and still consults to Nielsen on client service matters. Bob also leads REL Communications Inc., a consulting company that works with Fortune 500 companies to guide their teams in the development of client relationship strategies.

Bob’s extensive experience as a client service advocate helped form his beliefs and provide the content in his book, “How You Do…What You Do.” The book presents a simple, yet complete, roadmap to guide readers through the process of change. The steps of the roadmap not only benefit large organizations, but are also used by leaders who endeavor for excellence in their personal attitudes and behaviors. Bob’s keynote address will focus on how to embrace change

and perfect “The Product Called You.”

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Gainesville Round Logistics » The day of the competition, students will check-in at least 30 minutes prior their

assigned presentation time and will be given a final itinerary for the day’s events and a Nielsen Case Competition gift bag

» Each round will run as follows: • 10 minutes: Presentation set-up • 15 minutes: Uninterrupted presentation • 10 minutes: Q&A

» There will be a holding area for idle teams » During free time between presentations, groups have may practice their presentations » Each team will prepare and distribute printed handouts of presentation slides to judges » During the first round of the competition, teams will submit their PowerPoint slides to

the organizers immediately following their presentation » Teams are not permitted to revise their slides at any point after the first presentation » All students are invited to attend lunch at 12:30, during which the competition

committee will announce which five teams will advance to the semi-final round » All students are invited and encouraged to attend the keynote address at 5:00 » All semi-finalists are invited to attend dinner at 5:45, during which the competition

committee will announce which three teams will advance to the final round of competition in New York City

» Immediately following dinner, the three finalist teams should meet with Robyn Dow to discuss logistics for the next round

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Judging/Scoring

Teams will be evaluated on a 100-point scale. The top team in each first-round league will continue to the semi-final round.

After the semi-final round, all judges will deliberate privately to decide which teams will move to the final round in New York.

Teams will be judged on the following criteria:

Problem Definition and Analysis (25 points)

• Definition of problem and key issues • Qualitative and quantitative • Analysis of company & industry

Alternatives and Recommendation (15 points)

• Evaluation of feasible alternatives, solutions and recommendation • Realism and practicality of solutions • Strategic orientation and focus • Logical tie-in to analysis • Justification of recommendation

Implementation and Plan of Action (20 points)

• Consideration of cost and control issues • Timeline and analysis of potential problems

Organization of Material and Overall Presentation (25 points)

• Ability to defend position • Clarity and style of presentation • Delivery • Smoothness and balance of work, teamwork

Questions and Answers (15 points)

• Presentation style, communication skills • Creativity • Professionalism • Use of Time

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How to Approach the Case Please remember that Nielsen’s senior management is already working on the issues in the case. We do not want a laundry list of things we should do. We want you to identify a small number of potential initiatives that reflect deep and careful analysis.

There is no prescribed method for dividing the work of preparing the case analysis. One approach is detailed below, but teams are encouraged to work through the case using the method that best fits members’ strengths and preferences.

Dividing the Work Each team member should have a role on the team. It is the captain’s responsibility to guide the team in defining and assigning roles. One approach might include defining roles based the judging criteria, which include:

1. Introduction, key issues, problem statement 2. Analysis 3. Alternatives and recommendation 4. Implementation 5. Financial analysis, conclusion

Problem Statement: The key issues and problem should be clearly stated.

Analysis: The environmental, economical, financial, and political factors of the case should be reviewed in terms of relevancy to the key issues. The analysis should evaluate both external and internal factors. A SWOT analysis is one way participants could review the organization.

Alternatives: Normally, two to three alternatives should be analyzed. The recommended alternative should address the key issues and solve the problem stated.

Implementation: The implementation is an action plan that will be used to execute the recommendation. The implementation must fit the organization and should be attainable. The implementation should address all areas of the organization, including operations, marketing, human resources and finance. The plan should have a timeline and a breakdown of the costs associated with implementation.

Financials: The case should address how the recommendation will affect the organization financially. If the case study does not provide any financial data, students should still address how the plan will generally affect the organization’s finances without using specific numbers. Items that may be included in this section include share price, profits, revenue, expenses, IRR and NPV. Financials presented should be realistic and based on factual information from the case.

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Presenting When entering the presentation room, team members should introduce themselves to the judges and quickly take their positions. Prior to presenting, it is suggested that the team designates a member or members to change slides. There should be balance and flow between presenters. Practicing these transitions can be as important as the presentation itself. Sloppy or awkward transitions are distracting and show a lack of preparation to the judges. A minimum of four members of the team should present the case, and all team members should be available to answer questions.

Question Period When the team has completed the presentation, all members should stand and wait for the judges to begin the question period. When a judge asks a question, be careful that several team members do not jump in to answer. Team members should discuss prior to the presentation who will answer certain categories of questions. If the question is unclear, ask for clarification before trying to present an answer.

After a team member has answered a question, a follow up answer should only be given by another member of the team if it will add value to what was already said. Teams must also ensure that they do not contradict each other while answering questions.

At no time should a team argue with a judge. Many times judges will tell teams they do not agree at all with the solution presented. Some may even tell the team that they are wrong. When this occurs, becoming confrontational will only hurt the team. It is this time when confidence in the solution must be presented. Teams should support their answers, but should do so by revisiting the facts they presented and assuring the judge that the chosen plan is the optimal solution to the problem.

Teams should also pay attention to the body language of the judges. When a judge begins to nod their head in agreement or present other body language that sends similar signals, the person answering the question should wrap up and allow for the next question to be asked. The objective is to efficiently answer questions in the 10-minute period.

Attire It is important to dress professionally while participating in the competition. Business professional attire is required. It is important that team members not only wear professional clothing, but that they are comfortable in their attire.

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The First Presentation If this is your first case competition, you may be understandably nervous about the challenging and fast-paced day. Each team can get off to a good start by securing a game plan prior to leaving for the competition. Sometimes the excitement and adrenaline of competing can lead to teams becoming disorganized and unfocused. To combat this, the team should gather and communicate their thoughts prior to entering the preparation room. Before presenting, teams might consider practicing a team ritual (a pre-case cheer, a moment of silence or top 5 keys to success, etc.) to help presenters relax and mentally prepare.

Communication is the key component that will allow teams to stay on track and complete the presentation to the best of their abilities. Vocalizing during practice if a plan is going off track can jolt the team back on track. Communicating key information such as time remaining, potential roadblocks or new information will allow all members to fully prepare for the presentation and work as a strong unit.

The most important thing to remember about presenting is to leave the outcome in the presentation room. Premature celebration or feelings of doubt may cause teams to lose sight of their strategies and not succeed in the competition. Whether teams win or lose, work well or poorly together, every participant will gain valuable experience from the competition.

Winning and Losing In every competition, some teams will win, some will lose and some will experience both outcomes. This section of the guide is not aimed at teaching teams how to do either in terms of strategy or preparation; rather it is designed to help teams to win and lose gracefully, and learn from each experience.

Whether it is the first win or the fourth in a row, teams should understand that there is a proper way to celebrate. Over-celebrating will give the impression that the winning team is not respectful of the teams they competed against. Showing class and respect to all teams is a contributing factor towards a team’s competition scores.

Losing should also be handled appropriately. Review the loss and pick out areas where the team could have approached the case differently to produce a better result. Many times, both teams present a strong case and the judges’ decisions are the result of one particular point. Therefore, a loss does not mean the losing team did not present a good solution to a case, it simply means the other team performed slightly better. After the results are posted, teams can review the judges’ comments and determine how they can perform better at the next case. Whether a team goes undefeated or loses, every participant will leave with a greater ability to tackle the issues that will face them in their careers.

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