FAQs
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Frequently Asked QuestionsAre you ready to form a Team but still have a few questions? Please check below for answers to the the most commonly asked questions. |
Q1. How do I register?Simple! Online. When registrations open online on Aug. 20, 2008 you can click on the "REGISTER A TEAM" button on the right hand menu of any page and fill in the form to register your team. Keep your credit card handy. Q2. How much does it cost to register?Early Registration Fee (until 12 Noon, AZ Time*) on Sept. 20, 2008: $100 USD per team Standard Registration Fee (until 12 Noon, AZ Time*) on Oct. 5, 2008: $150 USD per team Q3. Can I get a refund if I decide to withdraw from the contest?No. Please be aware that we do not offer refunds at any stage of the contest. Q4.When is the contest held?The Thunderbird Sustainable Innovation Summit is held annually in the (US) fall. The Online Round begins Oct. 6 and runs through Oct. 12, 2008. Online Round Judging takes place Oct. 14-21, 2008. Online Round Results will be announced Oct. 22, 2008. Final Round Questions will be released to the Top Ten Teams only Oct. 22, 2008. The Final Round will be held live at the Thunderbird School of Global Managment campus in Glendale, AZ Nov. 13, 14 and 15, 2008.
Q5. What is AZ time?AZ time refers to Arizona time. Arizona time does not change based on Daylight Savings Time. Please take into consideration what time it is in Arizona when planning your submissions. http://www.worldtimeserver.com/current_time_in_US-AZ.aspx Q6. Where is the contest held?The Online Round is, as the name suggests, completely on line, and begins Oct. 6, 2008. Teams must submit final plans on Oct. 12, 2008. The Final Round is held at the Thunderbird School of Global Management campus in Glendale, Arizona November 13-15, 2008. Campus Address: Thunderbird School of Global Management Tel: +1 602 978-7000 Q7. Which schools have signed up for the events?Once the registrations are open, you can see your competitors by clicking on the link on our homepage called - Who else is competing? Q8. What are the duties of a Team Leader?The most important duty of the Team Leader is to ensure that all team members are registered and the official team roster is submitted online via our portal before the Final Registration Deadline of Oct. 5, 2008. The Team Leader will also be the primary contact person for the team during the competition. Should we need to get in touch with your team, we will first e-mail or call the Team Leader. If we are unable to contact the Team Leader we will try other team members. Q9. How many students are allowed per team?Teams must consist of a minimum of three and a maximum of five members, and all members must be currently enrolled in a graduate degree program. At least one member of the team must be either an MBA student, or enrolled in another business-focused graduate-level program. If you are not sure if your program qualifies, or whether your team combination fits the requirements, please contact us at innovation@thunderbird.edu. Q10. Can I compete if I am a non-MBA student?Yes, you are eligible to participate if you are currently enrolled in any recognized graduate program with a business focus. We prefer that at least one of the team members is either currently pursuing an MBA, or has already received his or her MBA, and is currently enrolled in a subsequent graduate level program. However, at least one member of the team MUST be currently enrolled in a business-focused graduate level program, and all team members must be in current student status. If you are not sure if your program qualifies, or whether your team combination fits the requirements, please contact us at innovation@thunderbird.edu. Q11. Am I eligible if I am a part-time/executive/online education student?If you are currently pursuing graduate studies (Master's or Ph.D.), you are eligible to participate regardless of the program in which you are enrolled, as long as it is business focused. Members may be full-time, part-time, online, or executive/professional graduate degree students. Members are also eligible while on an internship or work-study program during their graduate degree. For more details on eligibility criteria please refer to the Official Rules. Q12. Do all team members have to be from the same school/program?No. You may form teams across programs and schools. In fact, we highly recommend forming teams with diverse backgrounds. However, each member has to be a graduate degree student (Master’s or Ph.D.). Q13. What are the different types of teams I can form?You can form any one of three different types of teams. Core Team – All team members are students from the same graduate degree (Master's or Ph.D.) program at the same university (e.g., a team of MBA students from Thunderbird) Cross-Functional Team – Team members are students from different graduate degree (Master's or Ph.D.) programs but at the same university (e.g., a team of 2 MBA students and 2 MS students from MIT) Virtual Team – Team members are students from a graduate degree (Master's or Ph.D.) program from different universities (e.g., a team of 2 Ph.D. students from MIT and 2 MBA students from Thunderbird) Q14. How many teams are allowed from one school?There is no restriction on the number of teams from one school. The contest is open to multiple teams per university. In fact, we recommend multiple teams per university since having more teams would increase your school's chances of making it to the Final Round. Q15. May I compete as a member of more than one team?No. You are allowed to be a member of only one team per competition. Q16. What kind of Sustainable Innovation questions should we expect?Sustainable Innovation questions may require innovative product/service ideas, brand reinvention, international development breakthroughs, or process improvement. Each sponsorship partner will present a unique Sustainable Innovation question based on their most strategic business issues. Q17. When will we receive our question and how?All teams will be able to view their question online on Oct. 6, 2008. Teams will require a valid username and password (which you should receive at the time that you register online) to access their account to view their question. Q18. Who will be forming the Sustainable Innovation questions?Sustainable Innovation questions are developed by a panel consisting of executives from sponsoring companies, external consultants and the Sustainable Innovation executive board. Q19. Can we contact the sponsoring companies directly?No. Teams do not need to contact the sponsoring companies during the Online Round. Teams may be provided some proprietary company information if required to address the question. This information will be provided via your online account on our Web site and can be viewed right alongside the question itself. You will need a valid username and password to view this information. Teams are encouraged to seek relevant and reliable information as needed. However, they must provide their source either in, or at the end of, their plan. Q20. Can we accept help from our professors/classmates, or others, to answer the Sustainable Innovation questions?No. You have signed a confidentiality agreement stipulating that you may not divulge any of our sponsors' questions/strategic information to any outside parties. Disregarding this agreement would be a violation of the contest rules and also unlawful. Your team will be disqualified in such an event, and may be subjected to other measures as detemined by the sponsoring company. Q21. Why do I have to sign a confidentiality agreement?Our sponsors have agreed to provide you with strategic information about the company, its market, and future strategy. This information, along with the Sustainable Innovation Question, gives a valuable insight to the sponsor's strategic outlook and future business plans, which will assist you in developing an innovative solution to the Sustainable Innovation question. This information should be used only in reference and under the scope of this contest. Any other use of this information is strictly prohibited. The confidentiality agreement ensures that you understand and agree to abide by these conditions. Q22. I forgot my password. What should I do?Please click on the “Forgot Password?” link on the log-in page and enter your e-mail address on the form provided to have a new system-generated password resent to you via e-mail. Please remember that this password is case sensitive and we highly recommend you go to the "Your Profile" tab to immediately change it to a password more familiar to you. For further assistance, please send us an e-mail at innovation@thunderbird.edu with "Reset My Password" in the subject line. Q23. Who are the judges for the Online Round?Judges for the Online Round come from various industries, associations, and organizations from around the world. All judges will meet our high standards of achievement and contribution in the field of innovation. A few selected judges will also represent the sponsoring company. Q24. What is a Sustainable Innovation Plan?A Sustainable Innovation Plan is a two-page summary of your innovative solution to our sponsorship partner’s unique business challenge. It should highlight key discussion points for the following:
An additional one-page graphic illustration (optional) may be submitted by teams to help judges visualize their idea.
Q25. What criteria will my plan be judged on?The scorecard closely resembles the Sustainable Innovation Plan. Each of the six sections will be judged on the same criteria. The optional Illustration will not be given a score. Teams may receive a score ranging from 10-100.
Q26. What is the judging process?During the Online Round Judging Phase (Oct. 14 - 21, 2008), each innovation plan will be judged by three to five individual judges, and final scores will be determined by taking the average of each. The Top 10 Teams for the Final Round will be selected from an equal number of the highest-scoring teams for each sponsor. Only 10 teams will be invited to attend the Final Round.
Q27. How will I know my results?All teams will be able to view their final average score, as well as scores and feedback comments from their judges, at the end of the Online Round. Teams will be notified by e-mail on Oct. 22, 2008 to announce the Top 10 Final Round teams. Subsequently, teams may log in to their account to view their judging results. Q28. How can I obtain more information?Send your question to innovation@thunderbird.edu. |
Download an Innovation Plan outline
