The Boardroom - 2019

Sign-up for The Boardroom - Rotman Commerce’s High School Business Case Competition!

Deadline for Registration: January 10, 2019

Dear High School Teachers, Administrators, and Students,

Our management team would like to invite teams that are currently in grade 9 to grade 12 to “The Boardroom”, Rotman Commerce’s high school business case competition. Each team will be comprised of four individuals and can be a mix of students from different grades.

This year, over $1,000 in prizes will be awarded to teams with the teamwork, creativity and analytical skills to pitch a business idea and solve for key challenges in the real estate space. The competition will have two rounds, and the first round finalists will be invited to participate in the final round at the University of Toronto campus. They will have the opportunity to present to The Boardroom (a panel of alumni judges), and hear from esteemed professionals within the real estate industry.

Upon the closing of registration on January 10th, 2019, teams will receive their case by email and be asked to submit their proposal by February 8th, 2019 to rc.admissions@utoronto.ca.

Ten team finalists will then be invited to the University of Toronto St. George campus on Saturday, March 30th, 2019 to present to our alumni judges. The top three teams will receive gift cards and special framed certificates of excellence. All teams will receive a luncheon reception, certificates of recognition, and a chance to speak with current students, alumni, and industry professionals. Optional campus tours are also available at the end of the event.

Each member of the first-place team is eligible to receive a $2,500 award (applicable to their Rotman Commerce tuition) contingent upon their successful application and admission to the Rotman Commerce Program. To claim the award, students must accept their offer of admission and register in our program once the student is eligible for university and cannot be used any year after.

Students are encouraged to form teams with a variety of strengths and perspectives, as our Evaluation Committee values diligent problem solving with original thinking and innovative solutions.

No prior business knowledge or experience is required!

To register, please visit Eventbrite and find us at “Rotman Commerce – The Boardroom”. Full competition rules and FAQs can also be found on our Eventbrite.

Questions may be emailed to rc.admissions@utoronto.ca.

Will your team be our stars in The Boardroom?

Sincerely,

The Rotman Commerce Alumni Steering Committee

The Boardroom High School Case Competition - Rules

1. Introduction

The Boardroom High School Case Competition (“The Boardroom”) is a two-round business case team competition for current high school students organized by Rotman Commerce with the assistance of the Rotman Commerce Alumni Steering Committee (the “Steering Committee”), our sponsors and Rotman Commerce alumni and student volunteers (the “Volunteers”).

Participants will have the opportunity to demonstrate a bold vision, creativity, technical insight, and business leadership while solving a business base focused on the issues of tomorrow.

2. Who May Enter

The competition is open to only current grade 9-12 students from eligible high schools that have been invited by Rotman Commerce to participate (the “Team Members”). Any team of four within grades 9-12 may form a team (a “Team”). All students in a team must attend the same high school.

To register, please visit Eventbrite and find us at “Rotman Commerce – The Boardroom”. Full competition rules and FAQs can also be found on Eventbrite.

A complete Team application must be received by the Steering Committee on Eventbrite before January 10th, 2019. To apply, the team members must register on Eventbrite with the full names, grade, phone numbers, and email addresses of all team numbers and your designated high school case administrator (the “Administrator”). Please also include the name of your school and your team name.

A confirmation email will be sent to your team once we have received your registration. Questions may be emailed to rc.admissions@utoronto.ca.

3. Procedure if a Team Member Drops Out

If a team member drops out of their team prior to the first round of the competition, the Administrator may substitute another student as a team member at their discretion.

No substitutes are allowed if a team makes it to the final round of the competition and a team member is unable to participate. The remaining team members may represent the team at the final round. At least three team members must be present in the final round or the team may be disqualified. Please read the competition dates below to ensure that your team members can participate in both rounds.

4. The Cases

The cases used in The Boardroom will be selected by the Steering Committee and will not be published or tested by any Administrator or Team Member.

5. The Competition Format

The Boardroom is a two-round business case competition.

First Round

The first round of The Boardroom will be completed online. A short business case will be sent shortly following the registration deadline on January 10th, 2019 to each team. Team members must collaborate and submit their answers by February 8th, 2019 to rc.admissions@utoronto.cawith the Subject Line: Team (Name): First Round Submission. Please submit your answers in a Word or PDF file, and make sure to explain your thought process and work for each question. Please ensure all instructions given by the case materials are followed.

Final Round

Top Teams will be notified that they have been selected to compete in the final round of The Boardroom the week prior to March 1st, 2019. They will be invited to the final round event on campus at the University of Toronto on March 30, 2019. Teams are asked to dress in business casual.

For the final round on campus, Teams will be given instructions to prepare for the presentations on March 4th, 2019. Teams will be asked to prepare a 15-minute presentation for our Alumni Steering Committee on March 30, 2019. On the day of the Competition, Teams will be assigned a room and presentation time, at which time they will present to our Alumni Steering Committee.

Teams may use any type of presentation tools (such as PowerPoint, short video, chart paper) for the final round presentations. Please note that all teams with PowerPoint or videos send in their files to rc.admissions@utoronto.ca by March 16th, 2019. We highly recommend that PowerPoints are saved in PDF formats and that you bring a copy of your presentation on a USB during the event day as back-up. The relevance, clarity, and cohesiveness of the use of the whiteboard or chart paper will be a factor in the Board of Directors’ evaluations. Each team will be allotted 10-15 minutes for presentations, with up to 5 minutes of Q&A.

Each member of a Team is required to participate in the team’s presentation but not necessarily in the question period following the presentation. The teams may not interact during the presentations nor should there be any communication with the audience. Teams may record their own presentations. The Organizers may take pictures or record any presentation for purposes of promoting the competition.

The Judges will select three finalist teams to present once more to a finalist panel of Judges. The Judges will declare a first, second and third place winner at the reception following the competition. Judges’ decisions are final and not subject to review.

6. Evaluation

A “Level 4” in any category means that, in the judge’s opinion, the information is presented logically, effectively and creatively. The submission met all reasonable expectations.

A “Level 3” rating means that the information is presented well. Though there may be a few minor problems or omissions, they are not significant. Creativity, however, is not shown to any great degree.

A “Level 2” score means that the information presented does not meet minimum standards of acceptability.

A “Level 1” score means either that some major flaw has been noted that damages the effectiveness of the information (this may be a major omission, a serious misstatement, poor communications or any other major flaw) or that the information presented is of no value (does not address the problem at all).

7. Awards and Recognition

All finalist teams will receive an Award of Recognition for the achievement necessary to qualify to participate in The Boardroom.

Top three finalist teams will receive a Finalist Award of Excellence and cash prizes in form of gift cards.

Each member of the first-place team is eligible to receive a $2,500 award (applicable to their Rotman Commerce tuition) contingent upon their successful application and admission to the Rotman Commerce Program.

8. Dispute Resolution

The Rules are not all-encompassing and situations may arise that have not been covered. It is the expectation of the Board of Directors that any issues or disputes will be resolved in the spirit of the Competition.