Wharton 1010: Business and You

Client Engagement

We invite local organizations to provide two real-life challenges to a handful of teams at the beginning of the upcoming fall semester.  Student teams will be assigned to work with with the organization throughout the semester. The teams  will think creatively and practically, and present their ideas in response to the challenges at the end of the semester.  Organizations will get some recommendations and workable ideas and students have the chance to work with the greater community.

CLIENT ENGAGEMENTDATES TO HOLDTIME COMMITMENT
Client Orientation - VirtualWednesday, August 241-hour
Meet and Greet with Student Team A - VirtualTuesday, September 2030 minutes
Meet and Greet with Student Team B- VirtualThursday, September 2230 minutes
Check-in with Student Team A- VirtualTuesday, October 1830 minutes
Check-in with Student Team B- VirtualThursday, October 2030 minutes
Final Presentation by Student Team ATuesday, November 291.5 hours
Final Presentation by Student Team BThursday, December 11.5 hours

Client Engagement Process

  • Submissions: Clients provide two real-life challenges facing your organization through the online registration system. This information will include: an organization description, primary and additional (if applicable) contact information, the two challenges (in one sentence each), and information that supports each of the challenge statements. Upon submission we will create two client sheets to share with the students with the information provided in the challenge submission.
  • Introduction to the Challenge Videos: As a way to introduce the organization and the challenges to the students, clients will provide a simple 5-minute pre-recorded pitch that will be shared with students. These pre-recorded pitches replace the need for the clients to come into the classroom to share their challenge. We will provide instruction and examples to aide you in creating your organization’s pitch. The recording will include information about your organization, the pitch for Challenge A, and the pitch for Challenge B.  This can be a simple recording on your preferred method (i.e. Zoom, Loom, cell phone video)
  • Client Orientation: we conduct a short one-hour virtual orientation for the clients August 17th to provide updates on the course and expectations for clients and student teams.
  • Team Assignments: Clients will assigned two teams in two separate sections: one student team (Challenge A) during the Tuesday class offering and one student team (Challenge B) during the Thursday class offering. The time will be the same for both sessions. For example, a client may have a team working on Challenge A at 10:15 am on Tuesday and then would have team working on Challenge B at 10:15 am on Thursday.
  • Client/Student Team Meetings:  Clients will not be meeting with students each week, but rather given an opportunity to engage with teams for two virtual meetings with the student teams (total of four meetings to accommodate both teams.) The days and times of the meetings will align with the predetermined schedule of the course times.
  • Final Presentations: Student teams will present their creative and practical solutions in response to the challenges you pose on the last day of classes. Ideally, clients will attend the final presentation in person; however, if circumstances or constraints dictate otherwise, clients can attend final presentations remotely.

Examples of client challenges

Some examples of previous challenges include:

  • What can our organization do to better reach and serve next generation philanthropists?
  • How can we engage and inspire women in business networks to learn, support, and engage in our organization?
  • What more should we be doing to expand our grassroots fundraising efforts?

Wharton 1010: Business and You

WH1010:  Business and You is the first step of your Leadership Journey at Wharton. The course introduces you to thought leaders from the Wharton faculty; raises awareness of your strengths, reputation, and leadership potential; and invites you into the Wharton experience as an engaged and empowered member of the academic and co-curricular community.  You will come to appreciate that leadership is an act and best developed through study, feedback from trusted colleagues and peers, and stretch experiences that stimulate your growth and development. You will also begin to hone four skills essential to the pursuit of your personal, academic, and professional goals: the ability to think creatively, to analyze and solve problems, to apply what you have learned, and to reflect on learnings. A live case is the vehicle for learning as you work with local agencies to address real-world challenges.

Application Process

Recruitment of new clients for the upcoming fall semester is now underway.

You will need to provide your organization description, primary and additional (if applicable) contact information, the two challenges (in one sentence each), and information that supports each of the challenge statements.

If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Zimmerman, amandaz@wharton.upenn.edu.