Live Case – Project
Recommend Alternative Strategies for Sourcing Qualified Job Candidates
A Collaboration Between
Like many companies today, Ultrasonic Power Company is looking for qualified talent to fill their staffing needs. Tried strategies and recruiting channels like LinkedIn and Indeed have not produced much success. Outreach to NIU and other universities, including using their career websites to connect with students, has not been a good tool for locating potential candidates. The company is open to adopting alternative recruiting strategies, including outsourcing certain roles if needed. They are looking to you to develop a deep understanding of their staffing needs and current sourcing practices, conduct research on relevant segments of the labor market, gain insight into competitor sourcing practices, and offer your suggestions for solutions to the challenge.
Project Topics
Corporate Social Responsibility
Company Information
| Company | Ultrasonic Power Corporation |
| HQ | Freeport, IL |
| Revenue | N/A |
| Employees | Unlisted |
| Stage | Small Business |
| Hiring Potential | N/A |
| Website | http://www.upcorp.com |
Company Overview
For more than 40 years UPC has served end users and OEMs requiring precision industrial ultrasonic cleaning equipment. As a manufacturer, UPC provides cost-effective, safe and “green” solutions for cleaning applications with our extensive product line featuring ultrasonic generators, transducers, and standard and custom cleaning systems.
Experiential Learning Program Details
| School | Northern Illinois University (NIU) |
| Engagement Format | Live Case - Think "Hackathon" or Case Competition with a whole class of students! This learning format allows educators to deliver experiential learning to students at scale. Students are often split into groups to work on a live case (or a series of cases) from a real host company that directly relates to key learning objectives. |
| Course | Business in Action, Spring 2022 (Redisi) – Ultrasonic Power Corp |
| Level |
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| Students Enrolled | 40 |
| Meeting Day & Time | Redisi: Online Synchronous MW 9:30-10:45 am CT |
| Student Time Commitment | 4-7 Hours Per Week |
| Company Time Commitment | 1 Hour |
| Duration | 10.57 Weeks |
Program Timeline
| Touchpoints & Assignments | Due Date | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Project Reveal
Project Reveal
Students are introduced the the project topics.
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February 2nd, 2022 | Event na | |
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Students Submit Project Preferences
Students Submit Project Preferences
Use this process to elect your preferences and be assigned to project teams. [INSERT LINK]
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February 2nd, 2022 | Event na | |
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STUDENTS! Take the Project Kick-off Survey!
STUDENTS! Take the Project Kick-off Survey!
Take a few moments to complete this PROJECT KICKOFF SURVEY before the project begins!
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February 9th, 2022 | Evaluation evaluation | |
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Project Launch
Project Launch
[NEED TO COORDINATE with Greg to schedule videoconferencing meeting with class}
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February 21st, 2022 | Event na | |
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Milestone 1 Deliverable Due
Milestone 1 Deliverable Due
Please upload your deliverable using the link above.
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March 7th, 2022 | Submission Required submission-required | |
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STUDENTS! Let us know how you are doing!
STUDENTS! Let us know how you are doing!
Please take a few minutes to let us know how the project is going for you using this TEMPERATURE CHECK SURVEY
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March 9th, 2022 | Evaluation evaluation | |
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Milestone 2 Deliverable Due
Milestone 2 Deliverable Due
Please upload your deliverable using the link above.
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March 28th, 2022 | Submission Required submission-required | |
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STUDENTS! Let us know how the project is going!
STUDENTS! Let us know how the project is going!
Take this short survey to let us know how the project is going for you! [INSERT TEMP CHECK LINK]
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April 11th, 2022 | Evaluation evaluation | |
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Milestone 3 Deliverable Due
Milestone 3 Deliverable Due
Please upload your deliverable using the link above.
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April 11th, 2022 | Submission Required submission-required | |
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Milestone 4 Deliverable Due
Milestone 4 Deliverable Due
Please upload your deliverable using the link above.
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April 25th, 2022 | Submission Required submission-required | |
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STUDENTS! Take a short survey on YOUR learning experience!
STUDENTS! Take a short survey on YOUR learning experience!
Please take a few minutes to complete this SELF ASSESSMENT SURVEY on your learning experience with this project!
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May 4th, 2022 | Evaluation evaluation | |
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STUDENTS! Let us know about your observations and experiences working with YOUR PEERS on this project!
STUDENTS! Let us know about your observations and experiences working with YOUR PEERS on this project!
Please take a few minutes to complete this PEER EVALUATION SURVEY!
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May 4th, 2022 | Evaluation evaluation | |
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Official Project End!
Official Project End!
Note: Schedule a time for student final virtual presentations to industry partners.
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May 4th, 2022 | Event na |
Key Project Milestones
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March 7, 2022 - Understand the company’s challenge and goals in order to address the problem at-hand
- What is the company’s mission, vision and goals?
- What is the business model? How does the company categorize and organize their products?
- Who is the target audience? What problem does the company help their customers solve? What needs are met? What is their value proposition?
- What challenges/problems is the company trying to solve when sourcing qualified candidates? What does a successful outcome of this project look like?
Suggested Deliverable:
Internal 2-page overview of company and project objectives. Questions for Industry Partner.
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March 28, 2022 - Obtain Market Data for Specified Occupations
- What are the various types of positions the company is looking to staff?
- What are the appropriate labor markets for these types of positions? Where would the company logically recruit from?
- Who are the key competitors? To what extent are they capturing the talent needs? How do they attract talent?
- What does a survey of the market suggest about:
- salaries that are being paid for like positions?
- other compensation trends, such as merit-based and ancillary pay, and other compensation practices?
- What strategies can you use to validate the market areas, market competitors, and job matches (benchmarks)?
Suggested Deliverable:
Labor Market Table/Diagram & Resource List
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April 11, 2022 - Research, Brainstorm, & Evaluate Sourcing Materials & Strategies
- How does the company present information about job openings to solicit applicants? Considering what you’ve learned from the job market research, are there ways to improve upon job positing content, timing, distribution, etc. to attract applicants?
- What marketing strategies are optimal for recruitment?
- What social networks are available to leverage?
- In addition to capitalizing on existing social networks, what are recommended strategies for expanding the company’s recruitment channels?
- In what ways can the company can optimize their online presence? For instance:
- Are there changes to content and structure of the company’s website or other social media networking sites?
- What about search engine optimization to give easy access to the best content possible?
- What alternative strategies do their competitors use to attract qualified talent?
Suggested Deliverable:
Presentation & Summary Report
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April 25, 2022 - Make Recommendations for Sourcing Talent
- Based upon your research, what are the key challenges to recruiting qualified talent for this company? Can you propose 3 strategies for the company to consider to fill their staffing needs?
- What additional information about the job market and effective recruitment strategies would enable the company to better attract qualified talent?
- What are the implications for revisiting job roles and position descriptions? Revising existing recruitment materials or developing new content?
- What technologies and communication channels could be leveraged to reach qualified candidates? What are the costs associated with these tools, and how could the company use these most effectively?
- What are your recommendations for evaluating the staffing strategies you suggest?
Suggested Deliverable:
Written Report of Recommendations & Pitch Deck
Project Resources
There are no resources currently available
Industry Mentors
Academic Mentors
Assigned Students
There are currently no students assigned.