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Financial Times MBA Challenge

Financial Times MBA Challenge

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Calling MBA Students!

After partnering with Sightsavers for a very successful 2011-12 seasonal appeal, the FT is working with us to set a competition for MBA participants.

What is the challenge?

Develop a business plan to market glasses to children or young people (aged 16 to 25) in one or more developing country in Africa or Asia.

In some developing countries, a child in need of a pair of glasses is seen as inferior or badly behaved because they can't keep up at school. They might then drop out of education - impacting on their entire future - for the sake of the right pair of spectacles.

We are looking for MBA students to find innovative solutions to this problem that, despite sounding simple, has proved difficult to resolve on the ground.

Read case studies here.

Why should I apply?

Not only will this challenge be a test for business school students looking to hone their skills, it's also an opportunity to see what those skills can do in the poorest parts of the world. 

How does it work?

The challenge will run from January 2012 to September 2012 and there will be three main stages.

Stage one: teams submit a short proposal.

Stage two: shortlisted teams submit a comprehensive business plan and are interviewed / profiled by the FT.

Stage three: final business plans submitted and winning team announced

The Judging Panel

The winning team will be decided by a judging committee. Judges confirmed so far are:

  • Caroline Harper, chief executive of Sightsavers
  • Benjamin Kohler, chief executive of Polaroid Eyewear
  • Peter Tufano, dean of the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School
  • Richard Meddings, group finance director of Standard Chartered

Find out more about the panel.

How do I apply?

Please email mba.challenge@ft.com to request a unique password to access the team registration form.

The deadline to submit completed registration forms is 31 March 2012.

The deadline to submit a short proposal is 1 June 2012.

Application process

End of March: deadline for team registration forms

  • June: deadline for short proposal
  • June - August: shortlist published, teams profiled online, FT readers vote
  • End of September: deadline for final business plan
  • October: winner decided by judging panel and announced at FT Business Education event
  • November: winner works with Sightsavers to implement their business plan

  • Application criteria

Teams that apply must:

  • Have three to eight members
  • Have at least one student studying at a university or business school in Europe, a second in the Americas and a third in Asia or Africa
  • Have at least one student studying for an MBA, although other participants may be from other disciplines
  • If you have any questions, please email mba.challenge@ft.com