CoreNet Global Academic Challenge 4.0 for Undergraduates (All-Expense Paid Trip + $5,000)

CoreNet Global is pleased to announce its 2018-19 Academic Challenge sponsored by Cushman & Wakefield and Kl Furniture. The goal of this global competition is to raise awareness of corporate real estate as a viable career opportunity amongst college students of all academic disciplines, to connect local chapters and members of the association with future talent, and encourage more universities to include corporate real estate in their curricula.

Student teams from universities and academic institutions around the world are invited to compete in an academic challenge whereby students will be asked to play the role of consultants in order to address a real-world issue facing companies around the globe: Identify the potential technology disruptors most likely to impact your client’s global corporate real estate footprint and create short-term and long-term strategies that put corporate real estate at the forefront of technological innovation – and enable business success.

Three teams, with a minimum of two (2) and a maximum of four (4) students each, will be selected to compete onsite at the CoreNet Global Asia Pacific Summit, a professional conference for corporate real estate professionals from around the world, to be held in Hong Kong in March 2019. Interested students will be required to submit a registration form and then respond to the challenge, as discussed herein. Based on the quality of their submission, three teams will be invited to participate in the Hong Kong Finals.

The CoreNet Global Academic Challenge.

Forward-thinking leaders of today are focused on the potential disruptors of tomorrow. What is the next big technological shakeup? Are corporate real estate professionals poised to predict, prepare, and participate in the changes that will affect the built environment? What impact will automation and human-machine cooperation, blockchain, artificial and anticipatory intelligence, and the internet of things have on the financial services, insurance, and manufacturing sectors? How will they transform the employee and customer experience – and what does it all mean for a company’s real estate portfolio?

Your client is a global leader in either the financial services, insurance, or the manufacturing sector. Identify the potential technology disruptors your team believes are most likely to impact your client’s global corporate real estate footprint. Then, create short-term and long-term strategies that put corporate real estate at the forefront of technological innovation – and enable business success.

CLARIFICATION: Once the three teams have been selected as finalists, they will be assigned a corporate profile including revenue, demographic, portfolio, and strategic information to help get them started (see the list on page 6 for a sampling of corporations that employ CoreNet Global members who generally attend the annual conference). Only teams selected as finalists will be shown the corporate profiles.

CoreNet Global Academic Challenge Benefits:

• Three teams will be selected from among all the complete submissions received.
• Teams and their faculty advisors will be provided transportation* to the Global Summit in Hong Kong, and provided with lodging and Summit admission during the competition. It is expected that faculty advisors will travel with each finalist team.
• The winning team will be awarded US$5,000.

CoreNet Global Academic Challenge Eligibility:

• The competition is open to students of all disciplines pursuing a Bachelors or Masters degree at a recognized degree-awarding institution, such as a University, Grande École, College or Fachhochschule, hereafter referred to as “University,” on a full-time or part-time basis.
• Each student must be currently enrolled in classes at their host university throughout the competition, and not have more than 7 years prior professional experience.
• Employees of CoreNet Global and their family members are not allowed to enter the competition.
• Also, students currently involved in an internship, apprenticeship or summer placement with CoreNet Global are not eligible to take part in the competition.
• The competition is open to teams of two (2) to four (4) students; team members may be from different academic programs within one institution, and/or teams may be comprised of students from more than one institution.
• Each team must have a Faculty Advisor; Individual students are not eligible to compete.

CoreNet Global Academic Challenge Requirements:

• The competition is open to students of all disciplines pursuing a Bachelors or Masters degree at a recognized degree-awarding institution, such as a University, Grande École, College or Fachhochschule, hereafter referred to as “University,” on a full-time or part-time basis.
• Each student must be currently enrolled in classes at their host university throughout the competition, and not have more than 7 years prior professional experience.

CoreNet Global Academic Challenge Judging Rubric:

Submissions will be judged on the following:

• Innovation & Creativity (40 points)
• Applicability & Feasibility (30 points)
• Value Creation (20 points)
• Quality & Clarity of Presentation (10 points)

CoreNet Global Academic Challenge Selection Criteria:

To participate in this competition, student teams must register on the competition website; teams must register by 30 November 2018. Upon receipt of the completed registration, CoreNet Global will confirm your registration and assign you an organization within one of the three vertical industries discussed earlier (financial services, insurance, or manufacturing) on which you must base your submission.

To aid in the team selection process, each team must respond to the questions below and provide all requested contact information. Please limit your responses to no more than 350 words each.

1. Based on the “Business Case” description above, how will your team prepare to compete in Hong Kong? What are your initial plans to research the technological disruptors discussed in this document in order to gain additional insights?
2. Submit 5-10 questions that you would like answered by the professionals with whom you will interact in Hong Kong in order to better understand the challenges and opportunities of this project.
3. What unique strengths does your team possess that will enable you to deliver a sound strategy to the CEO? What makes you a winning team and why should you be selected to compete?
4. In your team’s opinion, what is the single greatest challenge facing multinational corporations today? What is the single greatest opportunity facing multinational corporations today?

After receipt of the corporate profile assigned, each team must address The Challenge presented on page 3 of this document and submit the following (all “page” mentions refer to a standard A4 or equivalent document) to complete Round One:

1. A one-page executive summary using 11-point Arial font with one-inch margins
2. A written submission up to five pages using 11-point Arial font with one-inch margins
3. Up to five exhibits (one page per exhibit)
4. One multimedia presentation up to five minutes in length (PowerPoint, Slideshare, etc.)

The deadline to submit your materials for Round One is 31 December 2018, 23:59 (timezone: AOE); entries submitted after this deadline will NOT be accepted. Materials must be emailed to academicchallenge@corenetglobal.org

TIMELINE (subject to change)

• Registration opens and competition materials released – September 2018
• Application deadline – 30 November 2018
• Challenge competitors announced – 31 January 2019
• Asia Pacific Global Summit, Hong Kong, 12-14 March 2019
• Final Presentations (LIVE): TBD at the Asia Pacific Global Summit

Any additional materials to be shown to the judges (including, but not limited to: handouts, posters, etc.) MUST BE INCLUDED with the presentation when submitted; any new material presented without first being submitted may subject the team to penalty and will be excluded.

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