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APRIL26-27
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THE BOARDROOM
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Thursday, April 26 from 7:00–8:30 p.m.
Friday, April 27 from 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
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Location: Harvard Business School Campus, Boston, MA
The Boardroom is a hands-on, day-long exercise designed to simulate leadership challenges
faced by executives. It will serve as the Capstone program for the Required Curriculum
(RC) year for HBS MBA candidates. The RC year is the first year of the MBA program.
Students will assume the roles of case protagonists and work with an alumni board
to reach resolutions on real-world issues facing their company. Accomplished alumni
will serve as board members, advising the student executives and providing them with
feedback during the simulation. HBS faculty will discuss the case with participating
alumni before the board meetings begin, setting alumni boards up for success throughout
the day. The Boardroom is the culmination of the RC academic year, and is an exciting
opportunity for students and alumni to engage in an interactive and meaningful learning
experience, and for alumni to directly participate in the HBS Curriculum.
- AGENDA
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Please note that more detail regarding class and team room assignments and locations
will be provided when alumni arrive on campus.
THURSDAY, April 26
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. | Spangler Center, Williams Room
Welcome Reception
FRIDAY, April 27
8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. | Shad Hall, 2nd Floor Basketball Courts
Alumni registration and welcome breakfast
Dean Nohria and Professor Huckman welcome alumni and provide an overview of the day.
8:45 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. | Shad Hall, 2nd Floor Basketball Courts
Board discussion groups
Alumni boards combine to discuss the case and prepare for faculty lead discussions.
X: The Foghorn Decision
Discussion Questions
9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. | Aldrich Classrooms
Faculty lead case discussions
Alumni break into sections for a discussion of the case. Faculty also discuss providing
feedback to student teams.
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Team rooms throughout campus and Shad Hall
Boards work with student teams
- Student teams meet with their assigned alumni boards to discuss the case and determine
the group's proposed plan.
- Each group receives the B case and works together to determine their course of action
given this new information. Each group finalizes their decisions and submits their
plan for faculty review.
- Alumni provide feedback to students on the substance of their presentation and their
presentation skills.
- All participants gather for case resolution guided by faculty, including a discussion
with one of the firm's senior management who will address decisions made in the case.
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Spangler Lawn (weather permitting)
Reception and closing
The day will end with a light reception for alumni and students.
- GOAL OF THE BOARDROOM
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The Boardroom is the culmination of the RC academic year and is an exciting opportunity
for students and alumni to engage in an interactive and meaningful learning experience.
Students have spent the RC year learning and practicing management skills, and The
Boardroom is an opportunity for them to apply and test their acquired knowledge.
Students will work in teams of six to represent top management of an organization.
During the day, each team will be assigned to a board comprised of HBS alumni. Student
teams will analyze a case and present recommendations to their alumni board. The alumni
board will ask students’ advice on a number of pressing issues, and will provide feedback
on the student presentations.
Mid-day, a case update will present new challenges for the management team and alumni
board. In just a few hours, student teams will have to respond to a quickly evolving
business environment and novel competitive challenges. The entire team, including
both students and alumni, will work together to evaluate the new case information
and decide on the organization’s next steps.
At the end of the day, all participants will convene for a discussion of the class’
recommendations and to hear from a member of the organization’s top management.
- ROLE OF ALUMNI BOARDS
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The role of the alumni board is to review the management team’s work and to provide
feedback on both the substance of the presentation, and students’ presentation skills.
Alumni will have an opportunity to discuss the case with their fellow board members
in advance of classroom discussion facilitated by HBS faculty. Faculty will also address
the feedback process during the classroom session.
For alumni, The Boardroom is an opportunity to network with fellow HBS alumni, to
reconnect with former classmates and to engage with some of the talented first year
HBS students. Thank you in advance for your time, energy, and willingness to share
your experiences to make this new event a success.
- Photos/Video
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Photographers and videographers will be on campus throughout the event to record selected
portions of The Boardroom. Photos and videos may be used in School publications or
posted to the HBS website. Your presence and any comments you make during the course
of the activity may be recorded and included in these materials.
- Attire
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Attire for The Boardroom is business casual. The board meetings will take place in
classrooms and project rooms throughout campus. Please note that the closing reception
will take place outside on the Spangler Lawn (weather permitting).
- Hotel Information
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The Boardroom will be held on Friday, April 27th, and all participating alumni are
invited to attend a welcome reception on Thursday, April 26th. The host hotel for
this event is:
DoubleTree Suites Boston - Cambridge
400 Soldiers Field Road
Boston, MA 02134
(617) 783-0090
Group Name: HBS - The Boardroom
Group Code: BOR
The special room rate will be available until March 27, or until the group block is sold out - whichever comes first. To take advantage
of the special negotiated rate, please book using the link above or call the hotel
directly, request the reservations manager, and identify yourself as a part of the
"HBS - The Boardroom" group, code "BOR." Rooms in the block will fill quickly. You are encouraged to make your reservations as soon as possible. Once the block
of rooms has filled, we are unable to guarantee additional rooms at the special rate.
For your convenience, following is a list of area hotels popular with alumni:
The Charles Hotel
1 Bennett St.
Cambridge, MA. 02138
(617) 864-1200
Hyatt Regency Cambridge
575 Memorial Dr.
Cambridge, MA. 02139
(617) 492-1234
The Westin Copley
10 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA. 02116
(617) 262-9600
The Marriot Copley
Copley Place
110 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA. 02116
(617) 236-5800
*Please note: Alumni are responsible for the cost of hotel accommodations. Questions
regarding hotel accommodation should be directed to your hotel of choice.
- TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION
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Complimentary event parking is available for both the Welcome Reception on Thursday,
April 26th, and for the Boardroom activities on Friday, April 27th.
For Thursday, event parking is available in the HBS (Spangler) Lot, located at One
Batten Way, Boston MA 02163.
For Friday, event parking is available in the Soldiers Field Garage, located at 111
Western Avenue, Boston, MA 02163.
Lyft credits will also be available for alumni use from 6:00pm Thursday to 6:30pm
Friday. The promo code to use is BOARDROOM18, and to qualify, your ride must pick
up or drop off at HBS. Please use the address for Soldiers Field Garage (111 Western
Ave) as your pick up/drop off location.
Luggage Check will be available at Registration in Shad on Friday.
- The Boardroom FAQs for Alumni
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Thank you for volunteering for the Required Curriculum (RC) Boardroom exercise. We
are honored to have the opportunity to work with you and appreciate you taking the
time to participate. Below are answers to some commonly asked questions for The Boardroom.
- What is the goal of The Boardroom?
- The Boardroom is a hands-on, day-long exercise designed to simulate leadership challenges
faced by executives for first year MBA students. Assuming the role of case protagonists,
student teams will be challenged to demonstrate their business problem solving, leadership,
and interpersonal skills. The Boardroom is the culmination of the RC academic year,
and is an exciting opportunity for students and alumni to engage in an interactive
and meaningful learning experience, and for alumni to directly participate in the
HBS curriculum.
- What is the schedule for The Boardroom?
- All events will take place on the Harvard Business School Campus, Boston, MA.
- Thursday April 26: Welcome Reception from 7:00–8:30 p.m.
- Friday April 27: 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Boardroom activity including case preparation
with faculty and meetings with student teams. Breakfast, lunch and a light reception
will be provided.
- Who are the other alumni are participating in The Boardroom?
- HBS alumni from the MBA Program and select Executive Education programs have been
invited to participate in The Boardroom. A list of participants will be available
this spring.
- How are alumni boards determined?
- Boards are created from alumni with diverse backgrounds and experience.
- What faculty are involved in The Boardroom?
- Select HBS faculty will teach the case and participate throughout the day. The faculty
information will be released this spring.
- What case(s) are we discussing?
- The cases will be sent via email well in advance of April 27 so alumni will have time
to prepare. We ask that alumni keep case information confidential as students participating
in The Boardroom will not receive the cases until a few days in advance.
- Will HBS cover any alumni expenses?
- Alumni are asked to participate in The Boardroom on a volunteer basis. We are not
able to cover alumni expenses for this academic exercise. Breakfast, lunch and a light
reception will be provided.
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Questions?: Please contact alumni@hbs.edu if you have any questions.
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