Sink or Swim_Group 2.pdf

Written Analysis Communication Report on the case Sink or SWIM Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai

This report is prepared for Prof Vidya PremKumar

2015

Div C - Group 2

Kushal Bohra C007

Omkar Joshi C026

Akriti Kalra C027

Vineet Mishra C037

Jahnavi Modi C038

Sharanya Yaradi C066

11th March 2015

Written Analysis Communication Report on the case Sink or SWIM

Group 2 Page 1

Letter of Transmittal

11 March 2015

Prof. Vidya PremKumar

Faculty

NMIMS, Mumbai

Subject: Letter of Transmittal

Dear Madam,

We have completed the analysis of the case Sink or SWIM and are submitting report

based on the analysis. We have analysed the situations in the case, examined the problems

and weighed three options against three major criteria. Based on evaluation we have

recommended that a half-day conference should be organized with concurrent speakers.

We have presented a plan of action as well as a contingency plan.

Yours sincerely,

Div C - Group 2

Kushal Bohra C007

Omkar Joshi C026

Akriti Kalra C027

Vineet Mishra C037

Jahnavi Modi C038

Sharanya Yaradi C066

Commented [VP1]: Report on decision for Sink or Swim

Commented [VP2]: Table of content missing


Group 2 Page 2

Executive Summary This report is the analysis of the dilemma faced by the leaders of Sloan Women in

Management (SWIM) club at MIT. The dilemma is whether to go ahead or to cancel their

flagship annual conference, considering the possibility of a snowstorm. Cancelling the event

before Thursday 2 P.M will lead to a major cost saving but at the same time will cause an

embarrassment for the club and jeopardize the reputation of the club. It may have financial

implications as well. Another option available is to hold a half-day conference with

concurrent speakers. They can also choose to wait till Thursday evening to make a decision

based on accurate weather forecast. These options are weighted against various evaluation

criterions. The recommendation is to organise a half day conference with concurrent

speakers. The report is concluded with a plan of action.

Situation Analysis

The leaders of the Sloan Women in Management (SWIM) club had a decision to take about

the 3rd annual Annual conferenceConference, in the face of a snowstorm occurring in

Boston. The club was founded in 1980 and its objectives were to empower women, support

their careers and provide them with equal opportunities. It conducted many events

throughout the year and the annual conference was their flagship event. In the conference

students could communicate with women leading in various businesses and gain insights.

The annual conference of 2012 was a huge success and this increased the pressure on the

organizing team to deliver even better. The organizing team was segregated into Speaker

Recruitment, Marketing, Sponsorship and Operations departments. After almost a year (11

months) of planning, the status of the event was - the marketing department achieved a

feat of total sell-out of tickets for the event, the sponsorship department was successful in

bringing a total sponsorship of $38,000, the operations department had the logistics in place

and the speaker recruitment department had got 15 speakers including the keynote speaker

to confirm. But, the a last minute weather predictions of a snowstorm on the day of the

event led to possibilities of some of the speakers not turning up, the count of attendees

being minimal, the university being closed. MIT being closed might lead to a significant

increase in the rent of the venue, the catering service not cancelling the orderand the

catering services would not cancel their orders as it has been already prepared. The

organizers were also receiving enquiry emails from many participants about the cancellation

of the event and the possibility of a refund from many students. All these would lead to

SWIM being liable to pay the costs.

Commented [VP3]: The report should begin on a fresh page not continue below the executive summary

Commented [VP4]: This should come at the end as a precursor to the problem statement

Commented [VP5]: The club is a part of which institute should be specified

Commented [VP6]: And the reputation of the Annual event being damaged


Group 2 Page 3

Problem Statement

What decision should the 2013 SWIM Conference leadership team take?

Options

1. Cancel the conference before 2 pm on Thursday, February 7

2. Organise a half-day conference with concurrent speakers

3. Wait until Thursday night to make a decision, based on better forecasts and updates

on speakers travel plans

Criteria for evaluation

A. Safety of the conference attendees, speakers, staff, and committee students

B. Impact on Brand Recall of SWIM

a) Legacy of SWIM

b) Impression on speakers

c) Impression on sponsors

C. Financial Implications

a) Operational costs to be incurred

b) Sunk Costs of the conference events

c) Loss of revenue generated from sale of tickets

d) Losses incurred in case sponsorship is rescinded by sponsors

e) Implications for Vendors

Evaluation of Options

OPTION 1: Cancel the conference before 2 PM on Thursday, February 7

With precarious weather conditioning and various networks forecasting about the

impending Snow Storm it may rather be prudent to cancel the conference entirely. Option is

evaluated basis the following criteria.

Criterion A: Safety is of the paramount importance for everyone. No financial rationalization

can be made if it puts safety at jeopardy.

Commented [VP7]: This is not correctly worded. You need to restructure it. It lead to confusion in the evaluation section

Commented [VP8]: Good set of criteria for evaluation

Commented [VP9]: Since you have put this as the first criterion I assume this is the most important one. If that was the case, then there should have been a couple of line explanations as to why it is the most important one.

Commented [VP10]: This is no explanation for the evaluation of option A against Criterion A. Does not make sense at all.


Group 2 Page 4

Criterion B: Brand image of SWIM will take a serious hit if the conference is cancelled. All

the speakers have confirmed their participation despite the forecasts about snowstorm

owing to the fact that they will have an opportunity to interact on the most prestigious

platform. Juniors will not be able to experience the conference experience first-hand and

this will impact the legacy of the SWIM as they will not be able to set themselves a

benchmark for performance next year.

Criterion C: Though organizer will save on operational costs they will have to face loss of

revenues obtained through sale of tickets. Some of the sponsors may also decide to rescind

their sponsorships. Sunk costs of booking venue and arranging other necessary supplies will

also adversely impact bottom-line.

OPTION 2: Organise a half-day conference with concurrent speakers.

As storm is most likely to be expected in the later part of the day, it is rather possible to hold

a half day conference and optimize the resources.

Criterion A: Though it is a riskier option, it is most likely that safety for everyone involved in

event will NOT be compromised.

Criterion B: Reputation and Legacy of SWIM will be sustained if not improved for optimizing

event considering the odds of snow storm.

Criterion C: There will not be any financial implications.

OPTION 3: Wait until Thursday night to make a decision, based on better forecasts and

updates on speakers travel plans

With the clear sky and no snowflakes, it seems very likely that storm will not be as bad as

forecasted.

Criterion A: Safety will still not be compromised as weather forecast would be more

accurate by evening.

Criterion B: If the conference is organized after more accurate forecasts coming in comes in

then regardless of the time when the snowstorm hits Boston, leadership team of SWIM will

be known for the risks they take and will enhance brand value and legacy of SWIM.

Criterion C: Financial implications can be in the form of eleventh hour arrangements being

made . and also in case of cancellation of the event all together, the refunds and financial

burden of the cost of catering, venue and accommodation of the speakers.

Recommendation

Commented [VP11]: But the option clearly states that it is not complete cancellation but conversion to a half day conference. You are contradicting yourself here.

Commented [VP12]: Grammar: repetition of the word experience

Commented [VP13]: There could be, if the participants are not happy with a scaled down event and want a refund. The catering ordered for the latter half of the day would also have to be cancelled leading to financial loss as they vendors will not refund.

Commented [VP14]: Unnecessary commentary

Commented [VP15]: How is this possible? If they wait that late to inform the speakers concerned or the participants, it would not give them time enough to change their plans, especially the speakers who are flying in from different places.


Group 2 Page 5

Based on the evaluation of options on the identified criteria and the circumstances it is

recommended that the leadership team chooses option 2 i.e. organise a half day

conference with concurrent speakers

Plan of Action

Step 1 -

Arrange for logistical support i.e. booking of another seminar hall or classroom and

appointing extra volunteer for the conference

Step 2

Reschedule the events of the conference to run them concurrently.

Step 3

Communicate the new schedule to the speakers as well as the attendees. Reach out to

attendees via all the communication mediums i.e. e mail, social media etc.

Step 4

Communicate the schedule to the vendors to fulfil the requirements of another hall.

Contingency Plan

Make appointments with professors from MIT and confirm with them to deliver the speech in the

event of any keynote speaker refusing to deliver speech. Apart from this accommodation

arrangements should be made for the attendees in case of extreme snowstorm

Marks: 16/20 Assessed by Dr. Vidya Premkumar

Commented [VP16]: Use consistent font size. Here it is smaller.

Documents

Sink or Swim_Group 2.pdf