Cognizant Launches Smart Business Plan Contest, 'Board Room 2008'

Cognizant Launches Smart Business Plan Contest, 'Board Room 2008'
Registration & Executive Summary Submission Deadline: September 15, 2008
Business Plan Contest Finals: November 21, 2008

Every good business thrives on two factors: innovative ideas and a robust business model. Cognizant’s "Board Room" (the first version launched in 2007) provides a unique opportunity to budding management students across B-schools to get creative, propose

new business avenues for Cognizant, and draw up a comprehensive business plan on what Cognizant’s next move should be.

This could involve anything from starting a new development center to venturing into a new geography, a new service vertical or horizontal, or a new service offering.

Cognizant has always fostered a spirit of entrepreneurship within the organization and this has been the key to our success. With the "Board Room - Smart Business Plan Contest 2008", the company aims to promote the same spirit across the talented B-school graduates. Cognizant will seriously consider incubating the winning idea within the organization by setting up a core team. The winning team will have the option of being a part of this initiative!

The contest consists of four phases to help teams develop their plans in collaborative as well as competitive environments. These phases are as follows: -

Phase I - Registration & Executive Summary: To compete in the Smart Business Plan Contest, the teams will need to register at www.cognizant.com, and submit a short summary of their business proposal for Cognizant.

Phase II - Semifinals: The Top 15 teams in Phase I will advance to the contest's semifinals. Each team will be mentored by a Cognizant Manager, and will submit a detailed business plan for evaluation by the judges.

Phase III - Finals: The top 5 teams short-listed at the end of Phase II will advance to the contest finals, where they will present their idea to the Senior Leadership of Cognizant, and win a variety of prizes for the best idea.

Prizes

Winners: INR 250,000/-

Runner-up: INR 150,000/-

Acceptable Business Plans

Both conventional and unconventional plans will be eligible for the contest. These include, but are not limited to: -

New geographical footprint.

New service offering.

New industry to be serviced.

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