2023 BE-EDGE Consult-a-thon™:

Northeastern University

Investing in Students’ Employability through Impact-Driven Consulting Cases

JUNE 2-4 & 9-11, 2023 | Online

Why BE-EDGE Consult-a-thon™?

As Human Resource Management Journal indicates, “In an overcrowded graduate labor market, employers must distinguish between equally qualified graduates to determine ‘standout employability’ (Anderson and Tomlinson, 2021). In the fun, fast-paced, and hackathons-style two-weekends-with-a-week-between boot camp 3-credit course, Dr. Julia Ivy provides Northeastern University students with a BE-EDGE Consult-a-thon method, instrument, and platform that serves this purpose. Following a four-step method, students serve as Case Consultants for organizations that they select as relevant to their vision and goals.

The experience incorporates storytelling and case writing based on market and industry analysis, stakeholder management, resource-based views on organizational strategy, and problem-solving and strategy execution. As an outcome, students can invest in their employability as problem-solvers and consultants and signal that they can align with organizations of their choice at several levels by employing an instrument of Consulting Cases.

What can they get from this?

Understand sources of standout employability from personal and organizational perspectives.

Assess their psychological and professional readiness for crafting their competitive edge.

Learn and practice the instruments of aligning with employers’ expectations at four levels: personal, social, professional, and the level of shared excitement.

Conduct field research and perform analysis for potential employers at several levels: stakeholder analysis, as well as company, industry, and market analysis.

Learn the craft of case consulting, sharped to craft graduates’ competitive edge.

Benefits

Making an Impact

Students receive first-hand experience in making an impact at the strategic level of company operation: revealing a challenge, conducting field research, creating a company case, and conducting design thinking for solving the company’s challenge.

Investing In Their Professional Portfolio

Students perform a Consulting Case for a business relevant to their interests, learn new things about the industry and market, explore social entrepreneurship, and craft the edge of their personal strategy.

Getting Ready for Professional Interviews

Students receive a ready-to-present portfolio piece, supported by a recommendation letter and a ready-to-share communication pitch for sharing their case consult experience.

Schedule

Date

Time and goal

Reading

Activity

Deliverables

06.02 Friday	5:30pm – 9:30pm CORE: Personal level of synchronization	Chapters 2-3 Recommended: Useful resources for E-stage (online)	Overview. Introduction to the challenges. “My choice” team sign-up. Teamwork.	“My choice” 1 paragraph “Our Choice” 1-page
06.03 Saturday	9am – 5pm TRUST: Social level of synchronization	Chapters 4-5 Recommended: Useful resources for D-stage (online)	Role of Case Consultants. Meeting the Case Client. Company’s background	“Our Company” mini case
06.04 Sunday	9am-1pm From TRUST to VALUE	Chapter 6	Methodology. Market & industry research.	Action plan for June 6-17
06.05 -06.09	Flexible schedule		Market & Industry data	Data.
06.09 Friday	5:30pm – 9:30pm VALUE: Professional level of synchronization	Chapter 7 Recommended: Useful resources for G-stage (online)	Overview. Design thinking. Meeting a mentor. Formulating an idea	By 9:30pm “Our Idea” value proposition 1-page statement
06.10 Saturday	9am – 3pm VALUE: Professional level of synchronization.	Chapter 8	Design thinking (cont.) Prototype and its testing. Teamwork on PPT. Pitch practice.	By 5pm “Our Solution” PPT
06.11 Sunday	9am-1pm PASSION: Exciting stakeholders	Chapter 9 Recommended: Useful resources for E-stage (online)	Pitch to the Case Client. Client feedback & plans for testing/implementation.
06.12 -06.19	Flexible schedule BE-EDGE		Case Brief (for portfolio). Message/email. Reflection	By June 19. “My Edge” three submissions

Partners

Here's what other edge crafters are saying

Working on the HC consulting case gave me confidence to seek strategic partnerships in my own career. As a commercial real estate agent, I have used the skills learned from the case to form alliances with institutional real estate companies and investors. Working with foreign investors and international companies with an interest in US assets, I have found it very helpful to consider the frameworks discussed in the case when working with my clients.

Ali Choucri / HC Security and Investments” Case

The BE-EDGE method helped me even after graduation! In my current work, I have applied the same E-D-G-E steps when worked on solving a challenge of the shrinking market share of traditional bonds. This was not a typical consulting project, but the framework and business ideas I use were the same as what I learned in my final project. These frameworks, the importance of crystallizing my focus, understanding clients, and the ability of design thinking were the cornerstones that were useful for any industry and for any business. What’s more important was to use it flexibly and innovatively.

Junte / “Entering the Emerging Market of Convertible Bonds” Project

The case analysis of Cofem, S.A. to determine the next market for entry really provided the practical focus and basis to catapult my novice interest into a realistic venture. The whole process of implementing appropriate analysis and perspective really hit me as we worked towards the implementation method for the case. It became REAL! It was that moment that concepts became reality for me, which further increased my interest. What’s next? The dilemma is determining what the current need is, when to act, how to do it, but most importantly are you ready and can you fill the need. Realism is important. Growth and success aren’t guaranteed. But having the courage and resolve to dig deeper, self-reflect, practically analyze, and make an initial move is what it takes to start something special. If nothing else, I realize this initial exposure is a start but there is much more to learn, experiment and apply. I’ve got to put myself into organizations and situations that provide the avenues for continued exposure. Looking forward to continuing that journey.

Jeff / “Cofem, S.A.” Consulting Case

The space I envision for myself in the global market is in a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department for a large scale company to make positive, sustainable changes in the large scale. The AYUDA case was an excellent opportunity for me to dive into something that I care about and genuinely try to help an organization that helps others. AYUDA operates in the non-profit space which I am very much interested in. Although healthcare is not a particular field of interest for me, they are contributing to the greater good. I wanted to really understand the issues that those that are in the company face in order to properly come to a recommendation that would actually be viable. One of the most important aspects of being a consultant and a leader is to also be a listener. In the effort to generate value, I did a deep dive of secondary research into the markets of Argentina and Mexico to see if these would be viable options for AYUDA’s next markets. It was important for me to make sure that I give recommendations that were based on supported logic. What’s Next? This project was a perfect example of how I can apply my international business knowledge to organizations that are trying to do work that results in a positive impact on the world. Going forward, I will be able to show potential employers that I have the know-how and skill to be able to do research and recommend strategy backed by this research.

Joshua / “AYUDA” Consulting Case

Being a recent graduate from the undergraduate level, I was absolutely terrified at what the future would hold for me. The biggest driver for me to pursue further education so early on was to feel more secure in myself and my abilities to perform in the career path I wish to pursue. Prior to taking a course with Professor Ivy, I had no idea where to start or how to start defining my path and creating a competitive portfolio of my characteristics. From day one in professor Ivy's program, I knew that I would find these answers. Primarily, I have been using the knowledge of crafting my EDGE to create a more in-demand portfolio for myself that is targeted at the career I want. Much like we learn quite early on in her book, I was able to define my industry, and then ultimately following those steps throughout the semester, I was able to envision myself at the point I want to get to in my career; something I was unable to see before. Also, beyond crafting my EDGE, I purposely chose to complete a second course with professor Ivy as the information from these classes directly enriched my professional goals.

Tamara / MSIM “Beyond Meets” Consulting Case

I have been using BE-EDGE to prepare for my interviews and I got my dream job! I use BE-EDGE to gain employers’ trust and enable them to picture themselves working with me in the future. Based on my personal experience and observation, people usually buy products that are emotionally related to them. It is the same rationale when hiring managers are making job offers. There are so many prospective job candidates who have the same degrees and the same years of experience as you do. This means that many people seem to be qualified for the job position. Through my own experience, I have found Employers are looking for employees who can solve challenges and support company’s current success and future development, so understanding your core values and the industry that you wish to devote yourself to is very important. Following the advice in the Crafting Your Edge for Today's Job Market, I do heavy research on company’s organizational culture, evaluate main issues, find root causes, and devise action plans to address problems. I implement my plans, monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of the plans, and demonstrate the results to employers to solidify trusted relationships between us and achieve future goals. I have found that this strategy not only can be utilized when you are working, but also can be utilized when you are searching for a new job opportunity.

Elsa / M.S.P.M.

I think it was a wonderful idea of Dr. Ivy to let us choose a consulting case to work on for the master course, especially in biotech. The industry isn’t clear on how someone could move from a site to a corporate position and with an MBA that’s where students really want to be. The professional capital perspective, this case helped me outline my biopharma trajectory. It also helped me improve in my love for solving problems and collaboration to learn different perspectives. On the social capital investment, I find people’s stories to be fascinating and working with four wonderful people who I would never have had the opportunity to work with otherwise was very interesting. I feel that when working on a project, if you can understand where someone is coming from or how they are looking at the same problem, then we can solve the issues of the problem more efficiently than if we were just strong-arming our own perspective. What’s next? I think I’m going to use this case in interviews when I move on from my current role. It covers a variety of situations from the PESTEL model that affect a drug going into market or a company building a facility in a country. Understanding social implications also help when being audited by different regulating countries while being a US manufacturer. Being aware of their values, norms, and beliefs will allow me to not make an error that could be seen as unprofessional.

Jenn / “Novo Nordisk” Consulting Case

Through the BE-EDGE method, I understood the importance of precisely define a long-term career objective and set steppingstones to make this vision comes true. Having this vision was critical to work on a valuable and interesting thesis project, but also helped me been more accurate when interacting with professionals. Thanks to the BE-EDGE method I have defined my aspirations, linked them to my skills and presented it in a way to connect with a large network of professionals. The method also gave me tools to select the right company and people that align with my career path. I was able to use my skills and knowledge in the best way possible and gain self-confidence to shape my space in the job market.

Alix / “Internationalization of Therapeutic Innovations: Entering a market of Ghana” Case

Regarding the semester market entry consulting project, I found the experience to be quite unique because I have never been required to conduct a research project before, no less one that involves working with a real company and providing genuine recommendations for its operations and business model. Besides the fact that I was able to apply information that I learned in the class and gained an understanding of how grueling collaboration can be at times in the workplace, I also enhanced my social and professional capital by learning how to apply my acquired knowledge to a realistic business setting, communicate effectively in a business context, and present a convincing analysis for a dilemma faced by a business. What’s next? I plan to utilize this capital by fostering relationships with as many people as possible in a working environment, communicating consistently with those in command, and offering a critical global-minded perspective when dealing with large-scale issues. I hope to implement these skills in my repertoire in order to pursue a successful career in the business sector, and I plan to further investigate world business affairs as well as experiment with my newly acquired competencies in future courses at Northeastern that require realistic evaluations rather than hypothetical solutions.

Joshua / “Threshold.world” Consulting Case

AYUDA is an organization I care deeply about. I think it is a necessary resource for diabetes communities who have limited access to knowledge about how to live with the condition and how to manage their life in a healthy way. I really feel strongly about wanting to enact positive change in the world, and I feel as though this organization works to do just that. Working on the case for this organization gave me the opportunity to get an inside look on how nonprofits operate as well as the challenges they face in their work. I learned a lot about the industry they operate in and if I choose to work in the non-profit sphere, this information will be extremely valuable. What’s next? I feel that this project was an important part of my journey in becoming a global manager. Having the skills to create a consultancy report such as the one we worked this semester is essential for understanding how to analyze different markets around the world while simultaneously understanding each area’s unique culture and customs. I learned so much about my organization as well as the two markets we studied extensively and will bring this knowledge with me into my future career. I am happy to have learned these various frameworks that I can use to breakdown various organizations and markets, and feel that these elements are some of the most important topics I have learned this entire semester

Hannah / “AYUDA” Consulting Case

Got questions?

Check out our previous BE-EDGE Consult-a-thon

Learn more about BE-EDGE