Overview and operating rules
- Your table are the NorthEdge Board and Executive Leadership Team operating in a realistic SME environment.
- Your table have full authority to take any reasonable commercial or operational action in response to the situation, including engaging advisors, making executive decisions and implementing changes required to stabilise and develop the business.
- Your table are expected to use judgement and make decisions in the absence of complete information. Where information is missing, you should make reasonable commercial assumptions and clearly state them.
- The business is assumed to be viable, trading normally and operating with standard SME governance structures, including cyber insurance and existing contractual obligations. No extraordinary funding or emergency capital injection is assumed unless explicitly stated.
- There is no single correct answer. The judges are assessing the quality of your leadership, decision-making, collaboration and reasoning, not whether you predict events correctly.
- The scenario will evolve throughout the evening and will continue regardless of decisions made.
Assessment and expectations
- Your table are expected to work as a cohesive leadership team, sharing information openly, testing assumptions and making timely decisions as the situation evolves.
- Your table will be assessed on the quality of your leadership judgement, commercial reasoning and ability to work as a cohesive executive team.
- The judges are not assessing whether you predict events correctly or reach a single “right” answer. Instead, they are observing how you interpret information, make assumptions, communicate decisions and adapt as the scenario evolves.
- The long-term objective is to position NorthEdge as an attractive acquisition target for a larger facilities management or infrastructure services group while protecting resilience, reputation and stakeholder confidence.
FAQs
- Are we acting as the Board or the Executive Team? Both. You are acting as the NorthEdge Board and Executive Leadership Team with authority to make normal strategic and operational decisions
- Can we spend money? Yes. Reasonable expenditure required to manage the crisis can be assumed.
- Can we shut systems down? Yes. Assume normal executive authority over operational decisions.
- How much cash does NorthEdge have? Assume the business is solvent, trading normally and has sufficient liquidity to implement reasonable crisis response measures. See board pack for full details.
FAQs
- Can we raise new funding? No. Unless specifically stated, no emergency equity injection or extraordinary debt funding is available.
- Can we claim on insurance? Yes. Assume all standard SME insurance is in place.
- Can we ask for additional information? You may submit questions by asking a member of the MD2MD team.
- If information is unavailable, what should we do? Make a reasonable assumption and state it. Judges will assess the quality of your assumptions and reasoning rather than the accuracy of unknown information.
- Is missing information intentional? Yes. Incomplete information reflects real-world crisis conditions.
- Is there a “correct” answer? No. Judging is based on leadership judgement, commercial reasoning and quality of decision making.
FAQs
- Can we prevent future crises from appearing? No. The scenario will continue to unfold regardless of your decisions.
- Are we trying to solve the crises? Not entirely. The challenge is broader than technology and includes leadership, communication, stakeholder management and strategic decision making.
- Should we evaluate any acquisitions financially? Only at a high level. Focus on strategic logic rather than detailed deal modelling.
- Can we negotiate any offers? Yes. You may recommend engaging, rejecting, negotiating or delaying discussions.
