Solve Israel's business challenges and win NIS 100,000

Israel is launching the "Case Study" competition, a three-month long contest wherein MBA students will need to find solutions to case studies developed by four leading companies in the Israeli market. The winning team will take home a NIS 100,000 prize.

The four companies - Bank Leumi, El Al, Matrix, and cellular services provider Partner - have joined forces with TASC consulting in developing the case study, which is inspired by a dilemma the company has been struggling with for some time now.

The competing teams will meet with the CEOs of the companies and engage in dialogue with top executives in the market. The "Case Study" contest is a golden opportunity for any student who wants to learn how to deal with practical issues, to be closely acquainted with top companies, and maybe even earn a few bucks, if he is able to come up with a winning solution.

The Jewish philanthropist and businessman Dan David, who splits his time between Britain, Italy, and Israel, decided two years ago to make it his purpose to aid young Israeli entrepreneurs. So in cooperation with The Marker, he decided to allot more than a million dollars to launch the 'Easy Start' contest.

After many grueling months, the entrepreneurs won around $100,000 in loans to launch their initiatives. The win also included close instruction from different executives in the Israeli market. Among the winning entrepreneurs is Maoz Inon, a Nazareth tour agent who founded the "Jesus Trail", a Galilee walking trail in Jesus' footsteps, which is expected to draw thousands of tourists.

At the conclusion of the first competition, David decided to turn his attention to helping students, those enrolled in MBA programs in particular.

"The 'Case Study' competition is an interesting way to give excelling MBA students a chance to execute real business situations in parallel to their theoretical studies," said the 82-year-old philanthropist.

David is the inventor behind instant photo booths, and today is worth about half a billion dollars. He has spent 60 years solving business dilemmas around the globe.

"The contest," he continues, "will allow students to show their real abilities which they could bring to their future employers. Fresh minds working together with veteran trained professionals could yield positive results."

David claims that the participating companies will also benefit from the contest, gaining a new perspective that may present better solutions from existing ones and which may increase profits and decrease expenses.

"My one wish is that if the students do the high quality work I expect them to, the company that met them thanks to this project will offer outstanding team members a permanent work position," he says. "Also, winning this project will give the winning team members a financial base that will support them throughout their studies. I have been helping executives and young entrepreneurs for many years now. I am thrilled to be able to give them the assistance I never received when I was young."

Stage 1: Registration

Students wishing to participate in the competition will compose teams made up of at least three people. All team members must be MBA students from the same academic institution. The teams will apply through the project site (http://mba.themarker.com) and registration will be open until 1/11/09.

The applicants will be asked to solve a general problem that is not related to the participating companies, in order to sort those with suitable skills to solve the "Case Study." At the end of the sorting process, 30 teams will be selected, 10 for each of the companies.

Stage 2: Presentation of the case study

The second phase will take place with the help of the strategic consulting firm TASC. After a lottery, each team will work with one of the three companies and in November will meet with the executives of the company. The company will present the team with the issue, and they will have 45 days to present their solutions.

The teams will be able to enlist the aid of lecturers from their academic institutions or any other teachers they choose. They will also be able to consult with representatives from the company they are investigating.

In order to stay on track, the teams will present a progress report of their solutions in December, which will be evaluated by the consulting company. This phase allows the teams to fix any mistakes and to make sure they are indeed on the right track.

Stage 3: Semi-finals

At the end of December or beginning of January, the semi-finals will take place in the offices of Partner, El Al, Matrix, and Bank Leumi. The teams will prepare presentations to display their solutions. This phase will narrow the competitor list from 10 top teams to just four.

Stage 4: The finals

At the start of January 2010, the four best solutions will be presented to El Al, Partner, and Bank Leumi executives, who will decide upon the winning team. The first prize is NIS 100,000 per team; the runners-up will receive NIS 50,000 per team; and the team in third place will receive NIS 30,000. The companies reserve the right to adopt any of the proposed solutions.

Further surprises

MBA students who do not take part in the competition will have at least two more opportunities to win prizes. A weekly poll concerning one of the four case studies will be on the "Case Study" website, and those able to solve the problem will be entered in a lottery to win a generous prize. Moreover, the website will launch a video contest wherein participants will present videos of case study solutions that also concern the four companies. The fan favorite of all the videos will be chosen and also awarded a prize.