This semester, students in the Business Intelligence Group (BIG), the student consultancy group associated with Associate Professor Yoo-Seong Song's Applied Business Research class (IS 514), worked with clients in the areas of facial recognition technology, digital healthcare, telemetry-based marketing automation, cybersecurity, and market entry strategy.
"We began the fall semester with some concerns, as all engagements would have to be done entirely online," said Song. "Having team meetings in person is an important part of any consulting projects, as it ensures deep discussion and recommendation building. Our teams, however, showed great flexibility and adaptability, and they successfully managed to create deliverables that exceeded our clients' expectations."
Feedback from clients was extremely positive, commending the students' professionalism, dedication, and communication skills as well as their ability to execute in-depth research offering valuable business insights. As described below by each team's project manager, clients included:
- AGCO: BIG engaged with AGCO to build and test a marketing automation strategy using their telemetry and IoT data to enable their reach to the farmers and dealers, at the right time and with the right message. The project is focused on creating data-based automated email marketing campaigns using Salesforce Marketing Cloud Services and performing A/B Testing to enable customized, more time-efficient, and effective marketing campaigns for existing and potential customers of AGCO.
- Client "V" (anonymous): The primary objective of this project was to conduct market research for the client to identify different vendors offering resolutions to fight ad fraud and analyze them based on various capabilities offered by these solutions. The secondary objective was to identify current and future trends in ad fraud along with the solutions offered.
- BluePrint Lab: BIG conducted business research for facial recognition technology in the U.S., with special emphasis on the eyewear industry with respect to customization for virtual try-ons. The team at BIG analyzed the serviceable market in the domain and explored possible opportunities with partners, buyers, and venture capitalists. BIG also explored other potential markets with applications for the technology developed by the client and additionally surveyed the market for the effectiveness of the solution based on its usability, adaptability, and user review surveys that highlighted customer satisfaction.
- CrowdDoing: The BIG team curated a market entry strategy for CrowdDoing, a nonprofit startup based in San Francisco, California. The strategy included, but was not limited to, market and product analysis, buyer persona and early adopters, researching for best-fit marketing and sales channels, and an in-depth web presence optimization plan. Our parallel focus was also to provide a go-to-market execution plan for the subscription box, including educational value proposition. A detailed step-by-step plan along with a roadmap and checklist was delivered to the client.
- U2medtek: The primary objective of this project was to help U2medtek, a Korean medical diagnosis company, develop a robust strategy to enter the U.S. market with SinusView. The team at BIG performed market research analysis for sinusitis diagnosis in the U.S. The team further investigated the regulations and approvals mandated for every medical device manufacturer in the U.S. After a detailed study of the key players and trends in the current imaging market, the team delivered various sales channels that U2medtek can employ for their distribution. The team concluded by proving successful factors for U2medtek’s market entry and laid out a progressive blueprint to further their long-term goals.
"My experience has been unparalleled this semester, since I had the opportunity to work with international clients, Fortune 500 clients, and startups," said Rahul Ohri, who served as a senior manager. "Getting this exposure is crucial for students aiming to be leaders, since it is the closest we can get to a real-world consulting experience. BIG has shaped my future in a positive manner, and the experience has also helped me tremendously during my full-time job interviews."
"I'm very proud of our students' accomplishments this semester," said Song. "Our clients told me how they appreciated our students' well-constructed recommendations and analyses. Some clients will be back to work with us in the coming semester."