Participant's Frequently Asked Questions

The hotel will have DSL and wireless connectivity. Please bring your own DSL cord. For any additional questions about internet at the Hotel, please ask at the front desk of the Hotel. The internet service is complimentary (free).

You will receive guest login information upon arrival. This will allow you access to the Carlson computer labs, printing, and other resources. If you bring your own laptop the login information can be used to access the internet. In addition, each team will have a host who can assist you with any additional needs that might come up on the spot. Teams will also be provided access to additional computer lab and printers (including free printing) in the Carlson School.

Yes, when you log onto computers at the Carlson School, you will automatically be allowed to access library databases. You can research more in advance on the University of Minnesota library pages.

Yes, during the final round, teams will be provided with a presentation clicker. However, in the event of technical difficulties, your team has to be ready to use the keyboard to navigate through the slides. Your team is also welcome to bring their own clickers that can be connected via USB portal.

Various computer labs at the Carlson School will have different software installed. However, you should be aware that these additional programs will not be installed on the presentation computers and should only be used to interpret data, not present results.

Yes, your team is required to bring at least one laptop to prepare the presentation as we will not be providing laptops. You may not use your personal computer for the presentations on Saturday. The presentation rooms are equipped with desktop computers. These will be used to present. You will bring your presentation on a thumb drive.

Please keep in mind that the US has a 120 volt electricity system and a different type of electric outlets. If any of your equipment is programmed to function with a different system, please bring your own converters and adapters.

Please review the competition rules. It is your responsibility to know them.

No. The faculty advisor may not help team members during preparation of the case analysis or on the Day of Competition. This rule applies to any non-team member, i.e., staff, ambassadors, other students/faculty. Only the four participants of each team will be allowed to work on the case material. There will be 1h allocated to the coaches to provide coaching to the teams. This means they can provide feedback on their delivery or give any suggestions to the content that is being covered, but are not to make any changes to the case analysis Powerpoint deck.

To prepare for the competition teams may want to practice analyzing past similar cases you can find online or other business cases such as Harvard Business School Cases. Teams can also begin researching the lead sponsor company as the case will be based on that company.

Teams will be provided with an adequate amount of office supplies to help them prepare their case analysis. If you anticipate having special needs as you prepare, please bring those items with you. If you find you need more office supplies than what is provided, there are several stores nearby where you will be able to purchase a variety of items.

Presentations will be videotaped and distributed to all teams after the competition. No additional video or audio recording of presentations will be permitted.

The competition host covers all meals, accommodation and transportation during the entire competition time. The host will also provide the cost of ticket or up to $1000 per team member for travel for all international teams. All North American teams, including Canada and Mexico, will receive up to $350 per team member for travel purposes. This cost of ticket will be given as a form of reimbursement and the processing may take some time so it is highly advised that the participating schools arrange for the tickets for their participating students.

The Organizer does not cover any personal expenses or expenses related to activities outside of the Event Schedule. Additional travel outside of competition needs are not covered by the Organizers. Additionally, it does not cover:

• Visa costs (the Organizers will help with additional paperwork needed, but will not cover the actual Visa costs)
• Additional materials and supplies related to your case preparation
• Additional food or snacks outside the scheduled meals
• Optional events and associated expenses
• Long distance phone calls
• Hotel room services: food, movies, etc.
• City visits, tours or other activities

The Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota selected schools from across the globe to compete in the inaugural CIHRCom. Initial invitations have already been sent. If your school has not been invited and would like to participate, please email us at cihrcom@umn.edu. We will evaluate your Program and extend the invitation if we see an appropriate fit. Graduate level students from accredited Master's of Human Resources programs, and Business Administration with Human Resources-focused programs from universities across the globe are eligible to participate in the competition. Each team of four individuals must have at least one first-year student and one second-year student who are currently enrolled in their program. We have currently identified 37 countries with eligible programs. We also apologize ahead of time if we failed to invite your Institution. It was not intentional. The host will also email out official invitations in September to all invited schools.

The week's schedule has a variety of competition-related and social events. Please visit the Final Round Agenda page to find out all the details of the competition.

We allow four graduate students to participate in the competition. No alternates are allowed. Only due to extenuating circumstances will we allow alternates. Please contact the organizers immediately if this might be the case.

The preliminary round case will be 2-5 pages in length and will be based on a topic of global talent management. It will be chosen by the organizers and sent via email to participants. The final case will be presented by the lead sponsor in person and questions will be allowed at that time. It will be based off of a real issue that the lead sponsor is currently experiencing. The main topic will be related to international human resources management, but will likely draw from various areas of the business field.

The preliminary round will occur between September 16-23, 2018. The teams will be given access to the written case via email. The case will become active at the time they request it. The teams will have 24 hours (from when the case becomes available) to prepare a written recommendation based on the guidelines given in the Case. The written recommendations must be submitted by one team member to cihrcom@umn.edu.

The final round competition in November at the Carlson School begins when teams receive their cases on Friday morning, 08:00 on November 9. Similarly, teams will have 24 hours to work on the presentation (16 hours to prepare the final presentation). One team member must submit the final presentation by Friday 23:59 via email to cihrcom@umn.edu. No alterations to the presentation will be allowed after that time. If the team fails to deliver the presentation by that deadline, they will automatically be disqualified. The teams are welcome to start researching the main sponsor before arriving in Minnesota. Each team will receive a copy of the case in paper and electronic form. The teams are also welcome to continue working on the case past midnight on Friday, but cannot make alterations to the presentation.

We permit one advisor per team. These advisors are invited to participate in many of the activities held throughout the week. The advisors are not allowed to assist in the case analysis, with the exception of the 1 hour allocated coaching time. They may be available during the competition time only to help with non-case-related issues, such as providing food and water. Advisors will be allowed to consult their teams Thursday after the opening dinner and before teams receive their cases on Friday morning, as well as for the hour allocated to coaching their teams.