MMICC 2010
“Celebrate” – March 23-27, 2010
Winners
1st Place – Thammasat University
2nd Place – Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
3rd Place – University of Pennsylvania (The Wharton School)
The Case
| Title | Cirque du Soleil – The High-Wire Act of Building Sustainable Partnerships |
| Authors | Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Maxime Aucoin |
| Publisher | Harvard Business Publication Corp |
| Date | June 2nd, 2009 |
| Pages | 21 pages |
| Overview | The case describes the history and business model of Cirque du Soleil (CdS). The case allows for a rich discussion and analysis of Cirque du Soleil’s business model with an emphasis on how it interacts with that of MGM Mirage.Le Cirque and MGM’s business models complement one another: MGM makes important capital investments in theaters tailored to CdS’s shows that are located in the middle of MGM casinos, CdS acts as a magnet for traffic for an exclusive clientele that spends large amounts of money at the casino. CdS’s partnership with MGM has been tremendously profitable. This raises the question of why hold up and opportunism have not destroyed competitive advantage for both entities: What features in CdS and MGM Mirage’s business models have resulted in such a successful partnership?The case is set at a juncture where Daniel Lamarre (CdS’s CEO) is looking for new opportunities for growth. Lamarre is pondering the likelihood of success of Cirque’s first resident show in Asia at Tokyo Disney Resort, its entry in the Macao market, and a new partnership with two subsidiaries of Dubai World, the sovereign wealth fund of the Emirate.The question is: Can Le Cirque find a new model of complementary relationships that will be as profitable as its relationship with MGM Mirage?[Abstract from authors] |
Judging Panel
| Stephen Atkison | Underwriter | Chubb Insurance Company of Canada |
| George S. Attar | CIO and Senior VP, Strategy and Government Relations | McKesson Canada |
| Taryn Barker | Consultant | Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche |
| Daniel Coyle | Market Specialist | Chubb Insurance Company of Canada |
| Audrey Davis | Corporate Strategy Consultant | Deloitte Consulting |
| Tony Fionda | Manager, Mergers and Acquisitions | National Bank Financial |
| Michael Handelsman | Manager, Strategic Planning | Tim Hortons |
| Rhodri Harries | Senior VP, Commercial, Energy & Carbon Products | Rio Tinto Alcan |
| Nicolino Iannotti | Director of External Reporting, Accounting Policies & Special Projects | Gildan Activewear Inc. |
| Gordon MacFie | CFO / COO | TelcoBridges |
| Eric J. Orr | New Advisor Training Manager | Freedom 55 Financial |
| Manishi Sagar | President & CEO | The Kinderville Group |
| Pradeep Sagar | Regional Director | SavantSoft Technologies Inc. |
| Dr Nigel Stewart | VP Technology Sales, OPEX & Climate Change | Rio Tinto Alcan |
Co-Chairs
Khaled Kteily, Emily Price
Advisors
| Richard Donovan | Competition Advisor |
| Aditi Hariharan | Executive Advisor |
Executives
| Johnson Peng | VP Sponsorship |
| Daniel Peretz | VP Sponsorship |
| Sarah Chow | VP External |
| Margeaux Girardin | VP External |
| Dritan Kallamata | VP Internal |
| Annika Lewis | VP Internal |
| Samuel Latham | VP Logistics |
| Kurt Glatzfelder | VP Web Design |
| Olivia Siu | VP Creative Design |
McGill Ambassadors
| Anjana Jain | Copenhagen Business School |
| Lisa Dang | Hong Kong University of Science and Technology |
| Kitty Hou | McGill University |
| Jean-François Poulin | National University of Singapore |
| Sean Cai | Simon Fraser University |
| Amanda Chung | Thammasat University |
| David Irwin | University of California, Berkeley |
| Leila Sturznegger | University of Pennsylvania (The Wharton School) |
| Ava Yazdani | University of Southern California |
| Emily MacKay | University of Washington |
Extended Team
| Mathieu Prévost | Volunteer (Day 4) |
| Tyler Ye | Photographer |