REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Course Title
Florida Institute of Technology – Business School Live Case
Collaboration Overview
This is a practical course for business students from FIT to work on a topic such as an entrepreneurial strategy using a "Live Case" methodology for the duration of the semester under individual faculty direction. The primary method of instruction and learning is by students participating on an independent team through a practical experience (i.e. internship) to address an actual business problem with a functioning, off-campus "host company". The course is designed to be a vehicle to give students the opportunity to conduct research as part of a team for a "real world" topic/problem presented to them by an actual host company in the marketplace facilitated through CapSource. This research process may include original data gathering (interviews, participant observations, survey methodologies, quantitative/empirical methods, etc.) or primary/secondary source content analysis. The goal is to allow students to gain hands on experience with a brand in the middle of a turnaround. They will also have exposure to the full eCommerce business which is positioning itself to nearly double its percentage of contribution. The objective of the project is to pitch one strategy that will have a monumental impact on the business. Prepare to defend the concept and the course of action needed to achieve the objective. Students have a great deal of freedom in deciding how to approach their respective topic/problem, their research approach, and how to best present their analyses to the host company at the end of the course. Students are expected to adhere to several guidelines: (1) students/teams will be required to work closely with the partnering host company representative (Project Champion) on a regular schedule as presented in the Collaboration Timeline; (2) students will be required to develop and produce deliverables such as their recommendation(s)/solution(s) to present to the host company at the end of the project; and (3) students will be required to maintain regular status updates to the professor as requested. The professor serves as a "guide on the side" as the students are expected to take the initiative on their assigned topic/problem as they would if the were an actual employee of the host company.
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.
Timeline & Next Steps
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February 2, 2021
Kickoff Webinar 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM ET
Angela, EVP of Digital, and Michael, CEO from True Religion’s leadership team to present an overview of the business and the case challenge -
February 16, 2021
Mid-Point Check-In Q&A Webinar @ 11:15 AM ET – 12:15 PM ET
Angela, EVP of Digital, and Zihaad, Creative Director, and Michael, CEO from True Religion will attend the webinar for Q&A
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February 25, 2021
UPLOAD LINK TO 3-MINUTE RECORDED FINAL PRESENTATION
UPLOAD LINK TO 5-PAGE EXECUTIVE MEMO
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February 27, 2021
Florida Tech to Submit TOP 10 TEAM Submissions to True Religion
True Religion to confirm top-3 for presentation by Tuesday, March 2nd -
March 5, 2021
TOP THREE TEAMS! Present Directly to True Religion Executive Team @ 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET
Project Inspiration
Project templates by topic that might inspire you…

Customer Service
New Business Opportunity Assessment
New Product/Service Development
Customer Discovery/Interviewing

Growth Strategy
Business Opportunity Research
Prospecting New Relationships
Designing & Scaling Processes

Marketing
Branding Strategy/Redesign
Social Media Optimization
User/Customer Acquisition Strategy Development & Testing
Academic Mentors


Academic Program Details
School | Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech) |
Course | Florida Institute of Technology – Business School Live Case |
Graduate / Undergraduate |
|
Students Enrolled | 150 |
Student Time Commitment | 4-7 Hours |
Class Meeting Day & Time* | Various |
*Note: Company, faculty, and students will finalize meeting and communication schedule after collaboration is finalized
Collaboration Requirements
Requested Industries | Manufacturing |
Requested Company Size |
|
Duration | (02/02/2021 - 03/05/2021) |
Location | N/A |
Company Time Commitment | 2 Hours per week of mentoring, answering key questions, and providing access to helpful resources |
Project Count | 2 |