www.cognizantboardroom.

com
 1 Overview 1
2 Acceptable Business Plans 1
3 Deadlines 2
4 Prizes 2
5 Team Requirements 2
6 General Requirements 2
6.1 Business Plan 2
6.2 Documents 2
Table of Contents
6.3 Phase I – Registration and Executive Summary 3
6.4 Phase II – Semifinals 3
6.5 Phase III – Finals 4
7. Judging Criteria 4
8 Contest Rules 6
9 Cognizant Contact 8
1 Overview 3 Deadlines
Welcome to Cognizant's Board Room - Smart Business Plan Contest, 2010! Key activities and target completion dates will be as follows. Kindly note that Cognizant reserves
the right to change these dates as per its discretion and convenience without any liability.
Every good business thrives on two factors: innovative ideas and a robust business model.
Cognizant has always believed in fostering a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship within the
organization—a key attribute for our success. EVENT DATE
The Board Room contest, which made its debut in 2007, aims to promote the same spirit across Phase I – Last Date for Registration and Executive Summary Submission September 13, 2010 (Monday)
B-Schools by providing a unique opportunity to budding management grads and introduce them to
various flavors of the corporate world. Cognizant will also seriously consider incubating the Phase I – Executive Summary Shortlist Declaration September 20, 2010 (Monday)
winning idea within the organization by setting up a core team. Phase II – Semifinals Submission Deadline October 08, 2010 (Friday)
Not just that, the participants also get a chance to be mentored by Cognizant Business Consulting Phase II – Semifinals Shortlist Declaration October 20, 2010 (Wednesday)
managers during the process apart from getting opportunities to network with the senior
leadership of Cognizant . Phase III – Finals Submission Deadline October 27, 2010 (Wednesday)

In its fourth edition of Board Room this year, the contest comprises three phases to help teams Business Plan Contest Finals November 12, 2010 (Friday)
develop their plans in collaborative as well as competitive environments. These phases are as
follows:
• Phase I – Registration and Executive Summary: To compete in the Smart Business Plan 4 Prizes
Contest, the teams will need to register and submit a short Executive Summary of their
First Prize: ` 200000/-
business proposal for Cognizant
Second Prize: ` 150000/-
• Phase II – Semifinals: The Top 12 teams in Phase I will advance to the contest's semifinals.
Each team will be mentored by a Cognizant Business Consulting Manager and will submit an Third Prize: ` 100000/-
updated business plan for evaluation by the judges Cash Prizes indicated above are pre-tax amounts and will be subjected to applicable and
• Phase III– Finals: The top 4 teams short-listed at the end of Phase II will advance to the appropriate tax deductions before payout. The decision of the judges will be final and binding.
contest finals, where they will present their idea to the Senior Leadership of Cognizant and get 5 Team Requirements
an opportunity to win the big prize
Each team participating in this contest should consist of:
2 Acceptable Business Plans
• Final year MBA students only
Board Room 2010 encourages the participants to get creative; propose new business avenues for
Cognizant, and draw up a Comprehensive Business Plan on what Cognizant's next move should • Not less than 2 members and not more than 3 members
be. Students are free to choose one of the topics given below and identify any growth 6 General Requirements
opportunities for Cognizant, with both conventional and unconventional plans being eligible. This
Each team must meet the following requirements in order to compete in the Cognizant Business
may include…
Plan Contest.
• Developing consulting model suitable for APAC / India / EMEA
6.1 Business Plan
• Creating a co-innovation network with clients and partners
• The proposed business plan must not violate any intellectual property rights
• Strategies to better market Consulting • The participants must not contact judges at any phase and judges must not contact any
• Delinking Revenue growth with Headcount - Strategies for IT Service providers participant during the course of the contest
• Catering to multilingual markets - developing a new business model (Focus on Europe / Japan / 6.2 Documents
South America / MEA etc) • All soft-copy documents must be submitted in MS Word, MS Excel files and MS PowerPoint
• IT Services battlefield of tomorrow - creating sustainable competitive advantage formats

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• No application materials or copies of materials will be returned to the applicant
• Margins must not be smaller than 1 inch on any side
• The text must be in font Arial (size 10 and single spacing)
• Each team must meet all the stipulated requirements at every stage. Teams that submit
incomplete packages will be disqualified
6.3 Phase I – Registration and Executive Summary
The package must include:
• One executive summary, not exceeding 5 pages in length that describes the business concept,
market opportunity, competitive advantage and the resources and finances required to
execute the idea
• Two additional pages for exhibits and appendices, if any
• The file naming convention for this phase will be: "TeamName_Phase1.doc";
"TeamName_Phase1.xls" (e.g. "SPARK_Phase1.doc")
• The subject line for this email must be: "TeamName_Phase1"
Each submission will be reviewed and judged according to:
• The degree of creativity and innovation in the basic opportunity definition and business
concept
• Appropriateness of the strategy for exploiting the opportunity
• No more than 12 teams will be invited by email to compete in Phase II (Semifinals)
The teams will receive an e-mail notification on the selection by the said date
6.4 Phase II – Semifinals
• A mentor will be assigned to each team that qualifies for this phase
The business plan must:
• Represent an expansion of concepts outlined in the executive summary, highlighting the
market opportunity and the business concept, and providing a detailed competitive analysis
• Outline relevant financial projections, including expected cash flow and budget analysis
• Describe relevant working models or prototypes
The package must include:
• A revised executive summary not exceeding 3 pages in length
• A business plan not exceeding 30 pages, inclusive of appendices and attachments
• The file naming convention for this phase will be: "TeamName_Phase2.doc";
" TeamName_Phase2.xls" (e.g. "SPARK_Phase2.doc")
• The subject line for this email drop will be: " TeamName_Phase2"
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Each submission will be reviewed and judged based on the following criteria:
• Is the business fundable?
• Quality of product(s), service(s) and/or solution(s)
• Market opportunities and competition
• Extent of primary research conducted
• Overall attractiveness of the venture
No more than 4 teams will be invited by email to compete in Phase III. Communication will be
sent out via email to each of the shortlisted team by the said date
6.5 Phase III – Finals
The package should include:
• One copy of the team's MS PowerPoint presentation (for final phase of judging)
• One team-resume booklet (with each individual's resume not exceeding 2 pages)
• The file naming convention for this phase will be: "TeamName_Phase3.doc";
" TeamName_Phase3.xls"; "TeamName_Phase3.ppt"; (e.g. "SPARK_Phase3.doc")
• The subject line for this email must be: "TeamName_Phase3"
• Each team that qualifies for the final phase will be required to present their business plan to a
panel of judges consisting primarily of senior management of Cognizant. Each presentation
will last 20 minutes and will be followed by a 10-minute Q&A round from the judges
Each submission will be reviewed and judged based on:
• The potential for future financial success
• The quality of product(s), service(s) and/or solution(s)
• Market opportunities and competition
• The team's ability to actually implement the plan
• Presentation Skills
• Overall attractiveness of the venture
7. Judging Criteria
HOW TO MAKE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN A SUCCESS - WHAT ARE JUDGES
LOOKING FOR?
The winner will be the one whose plan actually becomes the basis for a viable business step by
Cognizant, or which meaningfully contributes to Cognizant's existing business.
Some of the criteria based on which a decision will be taken are as follows:
• The degree of creativity and innovation in basic opportunity definition
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• The appropriateness of the strategy for exploiting the opportunity
• The reasonableness of the plan for financing the business
• The team's ability to present and defend the viability of the plan
• The team's ability to conduct primary research to analyze the market
The judges will evaluate your plans, not as mere documents, but as visions for a potential venture.
They will focus on the idea, its potential for economic success and the likelihood of achieving that
success based on the team's plan. Naturally, the more concrete the plan, the better the chances.
The judges will choose a business plan that understands Cognizant's market and provides detailed
evidence of potential success. The following are a few helpful suggestions:
• Compete on technology and quality, not price
• Write clearly and succinctly. Catch the judge's attention quickly and prove that you are capable
of superb communication
• Present realistic financial projections. Do not write your plan in the "best case scenario".
Our judges are realists!
• Avoid mistakes such as forgetting to enter taxes on your financial statements
• Know your market—the types of individuals that comprise it, your predictions about potential
changes, and so on
• Prove the company's ability to sustain a competitive advantage (barriers to entry, proprietary
technology or information, and so on)
• Gather advice from everyone around you, including family, neighbors, friends, professors
and employers
FINANCIALS TO INCLUDE
Your finance section must indicate particular costs as well as gains in percentage terms. It must
indicate the specific areas of investment, and the timelines involved. It must include any planned
investments, savings, and necessary expenditures. It must address a simple projection of sales and
revenues. Charts and graphs must support and defend all information presented in the business
plan. The business plan must be smart and easy to follow.
CONTENT TO INCLUDE
The business plan must be concise and interesting, while addressing specific strategies, goals,
prospective markets and investors, and the actions needed to accomplish them. It will be a
detailed expansion of the Executive Summary, and will contain no redundant information. It must
include market research and growth projections for the next five years. The necessary function of
a business plan is to:
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• Present the organizational structure of the business, including procedure for necessary
restructuring due to growth, merger and so on
• Present the resources needed to accomplish day-to-day business
• Explain the market for the goods or services presented. This must include a detailed result of a
profound market research. The market research may include market size, anticipated
growth, key changes, driving forces of the market, detailed research on the contest, unique
capabilities of your company, market penetration and so on
• Present the findings of thorough research (if applicable)
• Determine and prepare for the risks and benefits of the operating business
• Present a positive reason for investors to take interest
TEAM SELECTION
An effective and well-rounded team is essential for success in a Business Plan Contest. A winning
team has a strong combination of technology, marketing, finance and business skills. The team
includes those who possess knowledge of the specific sections of a business plan and have the
ability to implement that knowledge in the creation of a business.
8 Contest Rules
By submitting a business plan to Cognizant in connection with this "Board Room – Smart Business
Plan Contest", each contestant specifically agrees to be bound by and to comply with the terms and
conditions set forth in this contest overview, including but not limited to, the following terms
and conditions.
GENERAL LIMITATIONS
The issuance of this contest document in no way constitutes an agreement between Cognizant
and any participant. The information contained in any documentation made available to a
participant is provided in strict confidence and shall be used only for purposes of participating in
this contest.
Cognizant reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify or change the scope or terms of this
contest and contest materials at any time during the contest process, including during judging of
the submissions. Neither the invitation to participate in the contest, nor the contest itself, is or shall
be considered an agreement to award any prizes or any other consideration to any participant.
Cognizant reserves the right to cancel this contest with respect to one or more participants at any
time without any liability or obligation to Cognizant, if in its sole determination Cognizant's best
interests would be served.
Cognizant may use any judging criteria and evaluation process it deems appropriate in its sole
discretion to evaluate business plans and other information received. Cognizant reserves the right
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to make any award, group of awards, or no award of prizes as it determines, in its sole discretion, s/he represents complies with the guidelines and agrees to abide by the guidelines.
to be in the best interests of Cognizant. In the interests of furthering competition, Cognizant
WAIVERS AND RELEASES
reserves the right to waive minor informalities or procedural requirements during the
contest process. Each contestant understands that each of the judges, mentors, organizers, and Cognizant's
directors, officers, partners, employees and consultants are volunteers and are under no
Contestants will prepare and submit business plans in accordance with the requirements set forth
obligation to render any advice or service to any contestant. The views expressed by the judges
in the contest materials provided by Cognizant. Cognizant may reject any submission, without
and the organizers are their own and not those of Cognizant or any other person or entity.
permitting the participant to make revisions, if that submission fails to conform to the
stated requirements. In consideration of the time, expertise and other resources provided by the organizers, each
contestant hereby voluntarily releases each organizer from any and all liabilities, responsibilities,
OWNERSHIP / CONFIDENTIALITY
and accountabilities relating to or arising out of such organizer's participation in the contest.
Once submitted, business plans and other materials submitted in response to this contest by
9 Cognizant Contact
contestants, including but not limited to, all ideas, concepts, and other intellectual property
therein, will become the property of Cognizant and will not be returned to the participants. To ensure that the same information is consistently disseminated to contestants, all
Accordingly, business plans and other materials submitted may be freely disclosed to third-parties correspondence regarding this contest must be directed to: boardroom@cognizant.com
and used in any manner deemed appropriate in Cognizant's sole discretion without any limitation
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or restriction of any nature.

Contestants will acquire no right to use, and will not use, without Cognizant's prior written
consent, the terms or existence of this contest, the names, characters, artwork, designs, trade
names, copyrighted materials, trademarks or service marks of Cognizant, its related or subsidiary
companies, parents, employees, directors, shareholders, assignees, successors or licensees in any
manner whatsoever.

COST OF PARTICIPATING

Each contestant will be responsible for all expenses such person may incur in developing and
submitting responses to this contest. Cognizant is not responsible in any way for any expenses
incurred by any participant in the preparation or submission or presentation of a business plan in
response to this contest or for the costs incurred during the evaluation and award process.

ORIGINALITY OF PLAN

Each participant represents and warrants to Cognizant that s/he has the right to provide Cognizant
with any ideas, concepts, content, documentation, data, information, instruction, design, technical
specification or other materials provided by or on behalf of the participant in connection with the
contest, that such materials are the original work of the contestants, and that Cognizant's
possession, use or modification of any such materials will not infringe or otherwise violate the
intellectual property rights of any third-party.

COMPLIANCE WITH THE ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES OF THE CONTEST

Each contestant has reviewed the Entry Eligibility Guidelines and by his or her execution of the
following Confirmation of Intent to Participate certifies that this entry and the team or individual

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