Competition Information & Guidelines

Competition Information

General Information

The case will be kept confidential until two weeks prior to the competition. The case will be distributed to teams on February 16th, 2024. 

To prepare for the competition, teams may want to practice analyzing business cases like Harvard Business School Cases. During the preparation weeks, teams may not consult with non-team members including faculty, advisors, staff, and fellow students.

Team members may use references sources in the public domain, such as books, the university business library, the internet, etc. 

Being educated about current world issues is always an advantage.

Each team will be assigned a fictitious team name during registration. This team alias is the only one that should be used during the competition. 

Content and delivery of the case presentation will count for 2/3 of the score. Language usage and grammar will count for the remaining 1/3.

Each team will give their presentation twice to two different panels of judges. 

The first and final round presentations will all be 15 minutes, followed by a 10-minute question-and-answer session with a panel of judges. 

Be prepared for questions from the judges who have experience as expert firm executives, board members, and academics.

Teams are not allowed to change any presentation slides. However, adaptations in delivery are acceptable.

Do not include any graphics or words in the presentation that would identify your school or state. Also, be sure that no clothing is worn with these kinds of images in an effort to keep all teams anonymous for the judges.

Teams are allowed to introduce themselves to the judges and shake hands with them during the 5 minutes setup period.

Case Presentation

Teams are required to produce a printed Executive Summary (1-2 pages) in their chosen language to be given to the judges at the beginning of each round.

Teams are required to use a PowerPoint or similar program to aid in their case presentation.

Be prepared for the unexpected and have a back-up plan. For example, if technology fails, you may want to have hard copies of your presentation ready to hand out.

If teams are unable to set up their presentation within the five minute period allocated, they must use their prepared slide handout copies in place of the PowerPoint presentation.

Each team needs to bring at least 6 copies of the Executive Summary and paper copies of the PowerPoint slides to the presentation: two copies will be handed by the team to the judges each round during the 5 minute set up period.

Teams are required to bring TWO USB drives as backup.

No props will be allowed (posters, charts, etc.)

No audio will be allowed in the presentation.

Coaches

In addition to the three team members, each team may be accompanied by a coach. However, teams may not consult with the coach during preparation of the case analysis or on the day of the competition. Any changes the students make to the presentation after the first round may not be influenced by the coach. Changes should be based on judges' feedback and team collaboration.

It is strongly suggested that the coach work with the team on 2-3 practice cases before the competition case arrives.

Faculty advisors will be permitted to observe both first and final round presentations in their team's presentation room, but must remain until all teams have presented.

Coaches are advised to avoid making any gestures or comments during any round that may lead judges to know with which team they are associated.

Prize Requirement Information

Winning teams must complete a W-9 with a signature, correct legible address, and SS Number or a W-8BEN with TIN if an international student. 

If you are an international student who does not yet have a Tax Identification Number, you may apply for one by completing a W-7 form ahead of time. 

No gift card will be awarded without the complete and appropriately-executed tax form. 

Registration Fee Information

There will be a $750 registration fee per team that will cover the cost of the hotel, transportation, and food. We are able to send you an invoice or set up a credit card payment if that is preferred. 

Other Information

Spectator Information

Only team advisors, BYU employees, official videographer, and special guests may observe the first rounds. Team members will not be allowed to view the presentations of competing teams. Finalists are not allowed to observe other teams before they present or they will be disqualified. Photography and video recording by unauthorized persons is prohibited in this competition.

---

Competition Guidelines and Rules 2024

The Business Language Case Competition hosted by the Whitmore Global Business Center at BYU consists of the presentation of a case analysis and associated recommendations for the sponsor company.

Teams

Each team must consist of three (3) students who are currently enrolled in the sponsoring school. Each school may sponsor a maximum of TWO teams per language (Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic). No native speakers* are permitted to participate in the competition, and only one heritage speaker** is permitted per team.

*Native Speaker = Where one language was the main source throughout primary and secondary schooling and education, as well as all other settings.

**Heritage Speaker = Where one language is spoken in the home, but another language is predominant in a work, social, or school setting.

If you have any questions regarding the language status of a student, please contact us.

Case Analysis Development

Teams will have until the day before the final event (including information gathered during the company business visit) to perform their analysis and come up with recommendations and solutions for the company. Teams should use the company details on the website.

Teams can refer to the materials provided in this package, the company’s website, government agencies, books, and other publications. Please do not contact the company directly. Teams can also conduct surveys and interviews with target consumers. A useful source for surveys is Qualtrics; they offer one free survey with organized reports and analysis.

Case Analysis Presentation

Each team will present its case analysis to a panel of judges who speak each respective language. The presentation should contain the items listed below. The first item (1) should be emailed to businesslanguage@byu.edu by February 29th, at 8:00 am:

1. A copy of the PowerPoint presentation.
   No audio will be allowed in the PowerPoint presentation. The team should bring its presentation on one USB flash drive for your own personal backup AND a laptop computer to plug the USB drive into (If this presents a difficulty for your team, let us know in advance so we can lend you a laptop for the presentation).
2. Printed copies of the PowerPoint presentation (about 8 copies – one for each judge in both rounds)
3. Printed copies of an executive summary (1 – 2 pages). Teams should have enough for 3 – 4 judges for both rounds.
   Teams should give both the paper copies of the PowerPoint presentation and executive summary to judges during the 5-minute set-up period before the presentation.

All presentations and written materials must be in the team’s competition language. All members of the team should participate in the oral presentation of the plan. Each team will have fifteen minutes to present its plan and ten minutes for questions and feedback with the judges. A timekeeper will notify teams when they have five minutes, one minute, and 30 seconds left. Presentations will be interrupted if they exceed fifteen minutes.

Teams will be scored on language ability, written and oral presentation skills, and the content of their case analysis.

Coach Participation

Students, not the coach, must prepare the case analysis. The coach can help the team by teaching the students business and marketing principles and providing guidelines on how to write a case analysis. However, the coach should not give specific suggestions for the analysis itself. Coaches do not have to be native language speakers. They may direct team members in grammar and business terms as needed.  The coach is not allowed to participate in the presentation on the day of the competition.

Judging

Judges will not, and should not, know which school the presenting team represents! Teams must not infer this information verbally or through colors or graphics (on clothing or presentations). Teams will use a fictitious name assigned to them the day before the competition. After the second round of presentations, there will be a thirty minute period to compile the scores and results for competition winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place).

Each team will present twice, once in the morning (Round 1) and once in the afternoon (Round 2).  This will ensure that each team has the opportunity to present to all judges, making the judging as fair as possible. Winners will be determined based on a cumulative score from their Round 1 and Round 2 presentations. The GBC Staff will compile the scores to determine 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams to be announced in the award ceremony at the end of the competition.

While the scores are being added up, there will be a keynote speaker and judge Q&A.

Other Important Information

Honor Code

By registering for this competition all teams and coaches agree live the BYU Honor Code while at BYU. For details on the BYU Honor Code please visit the following link:

https://policy.byu.edu/view/index.php?p=26

Attire

Professional business attire is appropriate for this competition. No jeans or school-identifying uniforms.

Supplies

The presentation rooms will be technologically equipped to plug in PC laptops. If you have a Mac/Apple laptop to plug in and present with, please bring your own Apple Mini Display Port to VGA or HDMI Adapter. However, all USBs work well. It is the responsibility of each team to bring all other necessary supplies and equipment.

Copying and printing

It is recommended that all necessary copying and printing be done before arrival at Brigham Young University. However, printing is available on campus for $0.07 per page (for black and white) or $0.09 per page (for color).

---

Contact Information

For questions or concerns, please contact:

Adeline Parker
businesslanguage@byu.edu

Veronica Stoltz
veronica_stoltz@byu.edu