Draft Kings

Team 1: Marissa Crase, Jessie Melton, Nicholas Bale, and Johnathon Kulich

November 8, 2020
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In this report we will be detailing the following topics:

1. Executive Summary

2. Company Description

3. Product/Service

4. Financing

5. Market Analysis

6. Request for Proposal

7. Vendor Research

8. Vendor Choice

9. References

10. Appendix
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Executive Summary
 DraftKings would benefit from a physical casino presence.

 The acquisition of Boyd Gaming would expand DraftKings’ market share.

 Synergies include cheaper marketing, larger customer base, and lower overhead costs.

 DraftKings gains competitive advantage over purely online competitors.

 Deal accelerates DraftKings profitability.

 Acquisition costs 4.32 Billion dollars.

 Financed with cash, equity, and a bond offering.

 Evaluated AWS, Oracle, SAP, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure as vendors.

 Chose Amazon Web Services to provide cloud computing services.

Company Description

DraftKings was started by Jason Robins, Matthew Kalish and Paul Liberman in 2012. It

was one of the first companies to enter the online daily sports betting market. We are going to

discuss the company in more detail by examining a brief overview, their consumer market data,

competitor information, geographical area, and demographics.

The website took off while the company continued pursuing partnerships with Major

League Baseball (MLB) and the National Hockey League (NHL). They also grew through

buyouts with the acquisition of rivals DraftStreet and StarStreet in 2014. In 2015, the company

was approved to begin operations in the United Kingdom and started expanding into Europe.

Strong customer and revenue growth continued as betting transitioned online in the digital age.
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In 2020, DraftKings went public through a reverse merger becoming the first purely online

sports betting company to go public.

As a fantasy sports online gambling company, DraftKings must deal with competition in

the market. Some of the biggest competitors to DraftKings include FanDuel, Boom Fantasy, and

Monkey Knife Fight. Most of these competitors are online. One thing that sets DraftKings apart

from the rest of their competition is their partnerships with the MLB and NHL. These

partnerships allow for fans to see where they should go whenever they are betting on the big

game. Another partnership they have incorporated is with the legendary basketball player

Michael Jordan. The competition has been around since 2012 when DraftKings joined the market

and others joined the market as well making it competitive to DraftKings. This allows them to

beat out the competition of FanDuel, Boom Fantasy, and Monkey Knife Fight. Their competitors

also do not have a large market share that DraftKings has which allows them to outperform the

competition as well.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated growth in the online gambling industry. With

people unable to travel to casinos, they have resorted to gambling online. It is now estimated that

the online gambling industry is growing at a rate of 11.5% per year (Grand View Research

2020). If this growth rate continues as projected, the market for online gambling will reach

revenue of 127.3 billion dollars by 2027 (Grand View Research 2020). DraftKings is considered

a high growth company with year over year user growth of 64% in the third quarter of 2020.

DraftKings growth is somewhat seasonal due to inconsistent sports seasons and revenue can

suffer during sports off seasons. This year, Covid-19 related lockdowns accelerated the casino

industry’s trend toward online gambling creating stronger than usual user growth. Since the
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company's inception, growth and revenue tend to be considered recession resistant although this

has only been tested once in 2020.

The operational synergies gained from the acquisition of Boyd Gaming would help

DraftKings become profitable sooner and increase their long-term growth prospects. DraftKings

spent over 90 million dollars on marketing in the first six months of 2020. They are using this

large marketing budget to reach gamblers at home. By acquiring a portfolio of casino properties,

they could advertise straight to their most profitable customers. Being able to advertise and

integrate themselves for free in these casinos would increase their growth potential while

allowing the company to save money on marketing. In addition to increased marketing,

DraftKings would no longer need to issue equity to fund growth. Their high marketing and sales

expenses could be covered by Boyd Gaming’s free cash flow once the pandemic is over. This

would give the company excess cash they could use to accelerate growth or give back to

shareholders.

As for geographical area, DraftKings is an all-online platform. Although, their sites do

not operate in six states in America. The states that DraftKings does not operate include

Montana, Idaho, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii. In Washington, Montana, Arizona

and Hawaii it is illegal. In Nevada, a license for gambling is required. DraftKings never made a

deal with Idaho, in hopes of pursing a different deal. There are also some states that have some

sites registered: Indiana, Virginia, and Delaware. Lastly, DraftKings will be operating in

Louisiana soon. Besides expanding within the country, DraftKings has recently expanded to

Ireland and Austria (DraftKings Expands, n.d.). They also operate in Canada, the United

Kingdom, Germany, and Malta.

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DraftKings is located around the world, but their demographics and psychographics

remain relatively the same. The demographics and psychographics of DraftKings includes items

such as median income, age, sex, race, lifestyle information, and buying habits. In DraftKings

there is a minimum age of 18 to create an account, participate in contests, or win prizes, but in

locations where the minimum age to use the website is greater than 18, the age is raised to that

(DraftKings 2020). Within daily fantasy sports, DraftKings was the most popular with 51% of

users favoring that brand. Almost all the users are from the United States and around 98% of

daily fantasy sports users are male (How Much). Along with most users being male, around 63%

are under the age of 35. The average household income from the survey respondents was around

77,000 dollars and 77% had an income larger than 50,000 dollars. Most daily fantasy sports

players have been playing less than 2 years (62%) as its widespread growth is recent. When

choosing a daily fantasy sports app to use, consumers preferred apps with liquidity and

availability of games and were more likely to recommend DraftKings to friends compared to one

of its competitors, FanDuel.

Overall, DraftKings’ partnerships with the top sporting leagues and players makes it the

premiere place for fans to gamble online. This allows them to effectively beat out the

competition. By acquiring Boyd Gaming, DraftKings could become more profitable sooner and

increase their long-term growth. We also discussed DraftKings geographical area and

demographics. DraftKings mainly operates in the United States although it is illegal in some

states and they have also expanded internationally. DraftKings involves many consumers

throughout the world, mainly including men.

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Product/Service

DraftKings is an all-online company now and finding people to buy into the fact of sports

betting is a difficult task. Their marketing scheme is to advertise to everyday people in the hopes

that they find someone who is a gambler. This is inefficient as they waste money on advertising

to people who do not gamble. The service that DraftKings would acquire would be that of Boyd

Gaming. Boyd Gaming is a company that has many casinos across the U.S. Since DraftKings is

already in the gambling industry the acquisition of Boyd Gaming would be a horizontal merger.

While acquiring this company, DraftKings would be put into the in-person casinos thus

effectively making their marketing scheme more effective and cost less.

This would decrease customer acquisition costs because they would be only marketing to

people already committed to gambling in a casino. Also, consumers would bet on the sporting

events in the casinos and be more inclined to continue betting at home online therefore giving

DraftKings an advantage in making even more money off people betting on sports. The

marketing would cost less because they will not need to spend as much on the normal everyday

person anymore. They would still be unprofitable for some time but spending less on marketing

due to the acquisition of Boyd Gaming would certainly make profitability a reality much sooner.

Financing

The financing for the acquisition of Boyd Gaming (BYD) will come from existing cash,

new equity and a bond offering. Assuming they pay a 20% premium to the closing price on

10/10/20, the acquisition would cost DraftKings 4.32 billion dollars. DraftKings recently sold

equity in order to raise a billion dollars putting their total cash balance close to 2.2 billion dollars
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(DraftKings Inc. 2020). They are not free cash flow positive yet and therefore need to save some

cash. This leaves roughly 1.5 billion dollars to use in the buyout. The remaining 2.72 billion

could be raised through a combination of a bond sale and equity. This way, management could

take advantage of DraftKings huge valuation increase since they went public earlier this year.

They could pay with 50 million shares. At 40 dollars per share this would raise two billion

dollars and fund nearly half of the transaction. The main negative to this kind of financing would

be the addition of shares to the market. This dilutes current shareholders and therefore, drives

down the share price. The main positive of raising money through equity is that no debt is taken

on and no interest expense needs to be paid. The remaining 700 million dollars could be raised

with a bond offering. With interest rates at an all-time low and little debt, it makes sense for them

to raise cash this way. Although this is true, the company does not have enough assets to borrow

the billions needed for this transaction.

Boyd Gaming’s earnings have taken a hit from the pandemic but are estimated to rebound

in 2021 and 2022. They earned 549 million dollars in cash flow from operations in 2019. This

cash flow could be used by DraftKings to improve profitability, pay off debt, or grow the

company. The addition of DraftKings to Boyd’s casino properties could drive new customer

growth and provide a way for DraftKings to fund its aggressive growth plans.

Pros:

 Accelerated Growth

 Increased Asset Value

 Provides Free Cash Flow

Cons:
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 Shareholder Dilution

 Interest Expenses

 Regulatory Pushback

Market Analysis

Company/Opportunity SWOT Analysis Brainstorm

Situation being analysed: DraftKings

criteria examples Strengths Weaknesses

criteria examples
Advantages of proposition? Makes marketing more efficient Revenue is lower during off
Capabilities? because they promote to the season for sports
Competitive advantages? bigger gambler’s With money going toward new
USP's (unique selling points)? Gains a competitive advantage service, less money for online
Resources, Assets, People? because they have both an in marketing
Experience, knowledge, data? person and online platform Is not legal in every state Disadvantages of proposition?
Financial reserves, likely Resources and connections Shareholder dilution if money Gaps in capabilities?
Lack of competitive strength?
returns? continue to grow throughout the raised through shares
Marketing - reach, distribution, country due to the addition of 2020 – was not profitable, hopes Reputation, presence and reach?
awareness? the casino for improvement, but not Financials?
Own known vulnerabilities?
Innovative aspects? Gains more knowledge about the guaranteed
Timescales, deadlines and
Location and geographical? typical gambler and can use data 
Price, value, quality? to improve pressures?
Cashflow, start-up cash-drain?
Accreditations, qualifications, Makes awareness of the
certifications? distribution and products Continuity, supply chain
Processes, systems, IT, outreach to everyone robustness?
Effects on core activities,
communications? Allows for opportunities to
Cultural, attitudinal, expand their product from sports distraction?
behavioural? to gambling in general Reliability of data, plan
predictability?
Management cover, succession? More opportunity to expand
Philosophy and values? location Morale, commitment,
leadership?
Accreditations, etc?
Processes and systems, etc?
Management cover, succession?
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Opportunities Threats
criteria examples criteria examples
Competition- Larger casinos
Politics- Donald Trump: want to gain market share back.
previous casino owner, does not They will try to outspend
seem to have a negative stance DraftKings on marketing.
on gambling or online gambling Profitability -
Market developments? Political effects?
Marketing, DraftKings will
Competitors' vulnerabilities? Pandemic- Increased gambling struggle to outspend big casinos Legislative effects?
Industry or lifestyle trends? in America once it is safer. while staying profitable. Environmental effects?
Technology development and IT developments?
Increased online gambling while Lack of current profitability
innovation? it is not safe. Continued access to capital Competitor intentions - various?
Global influences? Legal- Must be approved by Market demand?
New markets, vertical, New technologies, services,
Location- Expansions individual states.
horizontal? nationwide (Possibility of Staying relevant- Industry is ideas?
Niche target markets? Trump legalizing gambling on a very trendy at the moment, Vital contracts and partners?
Geographical, export, import? Sustaining internal capabilities?
federal level?) or internationally DraftKings will need to keep
New USP's? (once pandemic ends and customers engaged with exciting Obstacles faced?
Tactics: eg, surprise, major borders reopen) (also tourism new products Insurmountable weaknesses?
contracts? gambling is growing0 Loss of key staff?
Business and product Sustainable financial backing?
development? Economy - home, abroad?
Information and research? Seasonality, weather effects?
Partnerships, agencies,
distribution?
Volumes, production,
economies?
Seasonal, weather, fashion
influences?

Strengths

While DraftKings is known for sports betting there are some things that adding a casino

to the business would do to help strengthen the company overall. They already use online

services and with this service, they have expanded into partnerships with the MLB and NHL.

These partnerships already make DraftKings a greatly known company. A casino line would just

help to further their strengths that they have already built upon. In this section, we will dive

deeper into how exactly the addition of a casino line would help benefit and strengthen

DraftKings and make them the most known sport betting place out there.

One of the things that DraftKings could benefit from is if they shifted from online betting

to in person betting as well. This would make marketing more efficient because their attraction

ploys now to the bigger gamblers. This would effectively allow them to gain more players while

also making more money since more gamblers would be willing to spend more money. This
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allows for them to gain a competitive advantage over other sports betting places. This is

important because they both have an online platform and an in-person platform. Also, it allows

for the business to grow with the casino. It may even be something that DraftKings would

investigate doing because they could have more people gambling in general. Their resources and

connections would grow and reach out to multiple of big-name casinos with the addition of the

casino line. It would also allow for more opportunity to learn about the typical gambler and use

that data to make action. This would allow them to make the most amount of money over the

long run. The distribution of the product would reach everyone either in-person or online. More

people would be likely to use the product if they could be hands on with it instead of it all being

online. Ability to expand the location from online to in-person would grow the company, making

it a viable strength that the company can continue to expand on throughout the time that they are

in business.

Weaknesses

While moving online allows for DraftKings to have different strengths, there are also

different weaknesses involved. Some of these weaknesses include lower revenue, less online

marketing, legality, shareholder dilution, and future profits. Each of these will be further

explained in the following paragraphs.

To begin, DraftKings is an online sports betting website which means that their revenue

is highest during sports seasons. If there are seasons without sports, such as when the pandemic

was occurring, then there will not be betting on it, therefore less revenue. Also, betting on sports

itself is not legal in every state. In some states, it is not allowed to specifically bet online, which
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is where DraftKings would not be allowed to move into those locations, limiting its growth in

areas. In addition, with the new service, the money budgeted will be allocated more into that,

reducing the money allocated for online marketing. As this is the majority of how they market,

they could take a hit from this.

In addition to those weaknesses, DraftKings can also experience shareholder dilution if

money is raised through shares. This is a possibility due to the financial state that DraftKings is

in and the amount of money it would cost for the project. There needs to be a way to earn money

and one of the potential ways is through shares, so shareholder dilution is a possibility. Another

weakness is the current financial condition of the company. The year 2020 was not profitable for

DraftKings, and while there are hopes for improvement in the upcoming years it is not

guaranteed (DraftKings Inc). This could mean that the funding will not be there to support the

product in the future.

Opportunities

One opportunity for DraftKings online platform and a physical casino, is the reelection of

Donald Trump. As an owner of casinos himself, he is less likely to institute laws/policies on

gambling. This may also give DraftKings a chance to expand to different states. If he uses

federal law as a platform for gambling, he could make gambling legal in every state. This is an

opportunity to increase our geographic location within the United States and the potential for a

larger market.

Another opportunity is the end of the pandemic. If DraftKings casino was running when

the pandemic ended (or shortly after), that would be a great spot for the profits re-entering
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casinos, leisure activities, travel, and entertainment. This would generate extreme profit, as

individuals who have been quarantined can participate in activities they enjoy again. As well as

collecting these profits from those who have not been able to gamble throughout this time (which

could also include unemployment, pandemic assistance, or stimulus funds), DraftKings may be

able to expand internationally on a physical level. Once borders open, international

expansion/business will be more attainable. This is a great opportunity, as many countries are

just as invested in gambling. Also, casino tourism is a growing aspect, as well as gambling itself.

Threats

Online gambling is favored by many states because it raises tax revenue. COVID-19 has

thrown most state budgets into chaos causing states to favor new forms of tax revenue. This has

resulted in a wave of state’s legalizing online sports gambling. This trend has given the industry

continued growth throughout the past few years. If this trend ends or reverses, it will mean big

trouble for DraftKings. There is always the threat that a state could ban online sports gambling or

the trend towards legalization could reverse. A reversal of the legalization trend is a huge threat

to DraftKings future growth and expansion plans.

Online sports betting is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. For years

physical casinos have been dominant in this industry. Big traditional casino players like MGM

Grand, Las Vegas Sands, and Caesars Entertainment were initially slow to act, but are now

throwing lots of money into their online gambling services. These legacy players in the industry

are not going to give up market share easily, and this presents a threat to DraftKings survival.

This was shown just recently with Caesars Entertainment’s 3.7-billion-dollar acquisition of
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mostly European sports betting company William Hill. They are working together to launch a

new online sports betting platform that will be featured in Caesars’ physical casinos. DraftKings

will need to keep customers engaged if they do not want to lose market share. DraftKings has the

first mover advantage in this market, but eventually this will disappear when new online

platforms are released by the biggest players in the casino industry. The competition for market

share will be brutal and DraftKings will need to spend a lot on marketing and promotions to

maintain their business. They will need to outspend companies that generate hundreds of

millions or billions in free cash flow on a yearly basis. As an unprofitable company, this will be

difficult, but possible because DraftKings has great access to capital. Competition is the biggest

threat to DraftKings’ future.

DraftKings biggest threat is in its finances. It is still not profitable posting a loss of 161

million dollars in Q2 of 2020 (DraftKings Inc. 2020). The company is not expected to be

profitable until 2022 or 2023 at the earliest. Not being profitable is a threat, but it is made worse

by the fact that many of their competitors are ran by companies that are profitable. In a

competitive industry like online sports betting, companies that spend the most on advertising and

promotions will gain market share. Eventually DraftKings will have to attempt to hold onto their

market share while being outspent by bigger casino players. This advertising war will make it

extremely difficult for DraftKings to turn a profit. Additionally, taxation from states where

online sports betting is legal will further cut into their bottom line. If they want to be successful,

they will have to prove that they can turn a profit while maintaining market share.

Request for Proposal

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1. Proposal Summary and Background

DraftKings is accepting proposals to design, plan, and construct a casino in Las Vegas,

Nevada. Currently, DraftKings operates a fully online gambling platform with no physical

casinos. DraftKings’ market research has shown that moving into the physical casino industry

provides substantial upside potential with little downside risk. DraftKings seeks to continue its

plan of aggressive growth by acquiring market share in the Nevada gaming industry. In order to

expand its product offerings and improve customer engagement, DraftKings will expand by

owning a physical casino.

This Request for Proposal seeks to ask for proposals from qualified businesses, conduct a

fair and extensive evaluation of these proposals, and select the organization that presents the

greatest opportunity for DraftKings.

DraftKings is a daily fantasy sports company founded in 2012 in order to provide engaging

and innovative gambling experiences to customers. Our customers use the DraftKings online

platform to bet on sporting events in the U.S. DraftKings is a growth focused company gaining

market share and expanding into new markets. DraftKings is also a publicly traded company

using the ticker DKNG that is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

2. Proposal Guidelines

This request for proposal is open to all business’ and intended to be competitive. All

proposals and proposal materials must be received by DraftKings no later than 5pm EST on

December 31st, 2020. Proposals received after this date will not be considered in the evaluation
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stage. Proposals must be reviewed and signed by an official representative or officer of the

company submitting the proposal.

All costs must be clearly outlined and explained in the proposal. Costs must be separated

by category. Any additional fees must be included as a separate item with an explanation of the

fee. All proposals must provide a complete list of sources for physical building materials. Any

companies in which physical materials are sourced must be listed. Outsourced or contracted

work must be listed separately and include the names of all companies doing work.

Terms and conditions will be discussed once DraftKings has selected the winning

proposal. All aspects of the project including cost, size, contractors, and design are subject to

negotiations. The final terms and conditions of the deal will be examined by DraftKings before

any contract is signed.

3. Project Purpose and Description

The purpose of this project is as follows:

DraftKings current form of creating new players each day is through ads on television and

the internet. It has not been very successful because their finance shows an increase in cost of the

marketing side of business. Additionally, if they build and acquire a line of casinos this would

lessen the cost of the financial side of the business. Another thing that it would do would expand

the companies sports betting to more gambling in general. This would provide DraftKings with a

new source of income through sports betting as well. We believe that expanding to a new source

would make DraftKings more profitable and achieve more going forward into the future.
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Project Description:

DraftKings main place for their sports betting system has been in the form of online

betting and gambling. The addition of a casino to Las Vegas would add a new layer of gambling

to DraftKings in general. The casino should incorporate what DraftKings does well online with

gambling and what casinos are able to do with the tables and slot machines.

The finished casino must allow DraftKings to have full control over the money being put in

and being won. This would allow for frequent changes to happen in the casino to further the

casino and make DraftKings well known as an online platform as well as an in-person platform.

The casino should be well taken care of and should have a representation of what Las Vegas

is all around.

4. Project Scope

The scope of this project includes all of what should be considered when looking into a

casino. There are many things that should be taken into consideration when incorporating a

casino into the great city of Las Vegas.

The Following Criteria must be met to achieve a successful project:

 The casino must be in a good location

 Bold casino design making it stand out and wanting people to come in

 An efficient, developed, and final design of the casino

 Programs including:

 Effective site plan for pedestrians, auto, bus, and service traffic

 A unique development concepts

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 An exciting mix of games and restaurants all with variety

 Floor that includes a DraftKings only area with TVs providing broadcast for every

game

 Floor with other aspects of a successful casino

There are many things that should be taken into consideration when making a casino a

manageable place and can include other aspects that DraftKings would love to incorporate in the

casino overall.

5. Timeline

As stated above, all proposals and proposal materials must be received by DraftKings no

later than 5pm EST on December 31st, 2020. Proposals received after this date will not be

considered in the evaluation stage. In total, designing a casino may take up to twelve months

(Rizzuto, 2015). During this time, we could complete pre-construction tasks. To begin we would

register the casino with the city (Las Vegas) and state (Nevada) to receive employer’s

identification card and business license. This process will take one to two months. Since we have

already chosen the location and purchased a property large enough, we could also begin applying

for construction permits. This process is not typically as long. Next, we would apply for a

gaming license. Filling out the application may take up to two months. After the application is

submitted, the average license approval is sixty days. We also need to examine hiring, because

that may take about four to seven weeks. After the casino is constructed, we will need to have it

inspected to obtain a permit to sell food from the health and safety department.
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Related to the construction time of this project, the timeline will be longer. The parking

garage may take about ten months, and the casino itself may take about thirty months (Rizzuto,

2015). After about three and a half to four years, taking into consideration pauses for weather,

permits, or other unthought of situations that may slow the process, the construction would be

complete. Aspects that still need to be done before the casino opens—furnishing, stocking,

assuring we meet the cash-on-hand requirement, etc.—may take up to five months (Rizzuto,

2015). Altogether, the total timeline of building this casino and preparing it to open may take in

between five to six years.

6. Budget

The budget for building a casino has shown to be anywhere from one to two million

dollars or more. A benefit to DraftKings is that Jason Robins, and his two friends who also

helped create the online gaming platform, have already made 375 million dollars. So, we did not

have to borrow from an investor to construct our casino.

Building a casino includes the costs of a multitude of items, requirements, programs, etc.

First off, the Nevada Gaming Commission states that a casino should have enough cash to cover

all the chips in play. Therefore, on a weekday a casino may need about 60-70 million dollars,

while on a weekend a casino may need in between 80-90 million dollars (Rizzuto, 2015). In the

pre-construction phase, a business license, a gaming license, the design process, and a

designer/architect would be needed. The business license would cost approximately 50-250

dollars. The other two could vary greatly on price. A gaming license costs 500,000 dollars

initially, and 250,000 dollars annually when it is renewed (gaming.nv.gov). Now we will discuss
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the costs of aspects in the phase where construction has finished but we are not open. One new

slot machine can cost between 15,000 dollars and 25,000 dollars. We will also have to purchase

furniture, cards, chips, food, alcohol, beverages, lights, etc. When the casino is running, we will

be purchasing electricity, heat/air conditioning, and water. DraftKings must also pay the staff fair

wages and sign up for property and liability insurance. Another aspect that is included in the

budget is advertising. As shown, the budget for opening a casino must be around two million

dollars or more (Rizzuto, 2015).

7. Bidder Qualifications

Bidders should provide the following items as part of their proposal for consideration:

• Description of company history and size

• Description of experience in online cloud space

• List of how many full time, part time, and contractor staff in your organization

• Examples of cloud servers supported and maintained by your organization

• Testimonials from past clients on cloud server reliability

• Anticipated resources you will assign to this project

• Timeframe for completion of the project

• Calculation of costs needed for each part of the project

• Plans for communicating needs and ideas

• Project management methodology

8. Proposal Evaluation Criteria

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DraftKings will evaluate all proposals based on the following criteria. To ensure

consideration for this Request for Proposal, your proposal should be complete and include all the

following criteria:

• Physical Requirements: Does the proposal meet the project’s requirements for hardware

and/or software?

• Pricing: Does the proposed solution stay within the budget? How does it compare to other

proposals? Are the costs categorized?

• Experience: What are the proponents’ past performance and experience in similar types of

contracts?

• Implementation: What is the adequacy of their work breakdown and project management? Is

the plan comprehensible? Is the plan reasonable?

• Quality of Writing: To what extent does the proposed narrative adhere to the format

described in the guidelines? How accurate is spelling and grammar?

• Communication: Does the proposed plan include regular updates to ensure content stays

current?

Each bidder must submit 5 copies of their proposal to the address below by December 31, 2020

at 5pm EST:

DraftKings

222 Berkeley St.

Boston, MA 02116
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Vendor Information

Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides cloud computing services

to companies, individuals, and governments around the world. They have multiple locations, but

are headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Amazon Web Services is a possible vendor for

DraftKings. DraftKings needs servers to host a website, gaming platform, data analysis, and

other online needs. Renting servers from AWS may be a more cost-efficient method for

DraftKings. Amazon Web Services is a leading cloud computing company with millions of

customers and tens of thousands of developers. It has provided cloud and data analytics services

for 14 years (Amazon 2020). AWS offers everything DraftKings needs in a cloud provider

including website hosting and data analytics. Another positive to AWS is that they are well

known and are used by a wide variety of businesses. They offer the biggest variety of data

analytics tools with over 175 unique services tailored to every industry (Amazon 2020). This is a

competitive advantage that AWS offers. Many competitors do not offer as many data analytics

tools as AWS. DraftKings should consider this when making their decision seeing that they

handle a lot of data and have unique needs some providers may not be able to meet. AWS is a

cloud provider that should be looked at as a possible vendor for DraftKings.

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Oracle

Oracle is a technology company that sells database software, enterprise software, and

cloud computing services to businesses, individuals, and governments globally. Although they

are a worldwide company, their headquarters are in Redwood City, California. Another possible

vendor for DraftKings is Oracle. Oracle is a company that leads in the cloud computing industry

providing hosting and data analytics services. Although Oracle is the not the biggest cloud

computing company in the industry, they are well known for their high-quality products.

Companies like Zoom and Cisco use the Oracle cloud and have testified that they are very happy

with the results (Oracle 2020). They say it is much more cost effective then other cloud

computing services and offers the same level of quality. One way Oracle is more cost-effective is

through their one port, one fee pricing model. Cloud companies like Amazon Web Services

charge users based on how much data they use, while Oracle charges a lower and predictable

monthly rate (Oracle 2020). The service here is the same, but Oracle is much cheaper. They are

also cheaper for websites when compared to Amazon Web Services. Oracle charges 80% less

then AWS for website hosting services (Oracle 2020). Oracle is a cheap, but quality cloud

computing provider that DraftKings should consider as a vendor.

 24

SAP

When looking at DraftKings one of the vendors that comes to mind is that of SAP. The service

of SAP is the shared basis of information on all platforms to make better business decisions

going forward “making better use of your time, money, and resources” (Stefanini). SAP’s

headquarters is in Walldorf, Germany but there are many offices across the U.S. where

DraftKings can access their platform as well. As DraftKings is looking to expand into the casino

department of the business a shared platform of information is necessary to keeping the business

in check and continue to move forward making better decisions. SAP is also well known

throughout the business world and almost every business makes the decision to go with SAP.

On SAP’s website their data points out that “91% of Forbes Global 2000 are SAP Customers”

(SAP Business Software). So, going with SAP would be a proven way to help, because a lot of

companies already use SAP as a viable resource already. The cost of implementation could be a

turn off for DraftKings though, as the cost is around 16.8 million dollars. Even though

DraftKings may not want to invest in something that expensive it would have to make a proper

business decision when looking at the other options and move from that point forward.
 25

Google Cloud

Google Cloud is a platform that allows businesses access to computing resource for software.

Google Cloud is available across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia

and has data centers in a multitude of locations. Some of the locations include Council Bluffs,

Iowa, Sydney, Australia, and Changhua County, Taiwan (Google Cloud Data Center, September

21, 2020). The team found that this vendor may be valuable to DraftKings. Google cloud has

many benefits. For example, they allow companies to pay their services and in return they build

data centers so companies can focus on innovation. They also have no termination fee. So, if we

decide this vendor did not work well, we could change without the risk of losing money. Google

Cloud prices average twenty-one percent less than AWS for online storage workloads (GCP

Pricing, n.d.). They also offer rightsizing recommendations based on the company’s compute

usage, time savings, and money management. Companies pay to use Google Cloud per second.

Altogether, these benefits may be helpful for starting up a new casino. However, it may end up

being costly depending on our casino’s usage.

Microsoft Azure
 26

Microsoft Azure is a possible vendor for DraftKings. They are a public cloud computing

platform that can be used for services such as analytics, virtual computing, storage, networking,

and more (Microsoft Azure). Their East US Azure data center is in Boydton, Virginia. There are

different data centers in different parts of the US, but the main center in in Virginia. The Azure

cloud platform has over 200 products and it was created to “build, run, and manage applications

across multiple clouds, on-premises, and at the edge, with the tools and frameworks of your

choice” (What Is Azure). This creates an ideal platform for DraftKings to use and creates an

accessible network that they can use for things such as their data analysis, gaming platform, and

other online needs. They are a trusted company and 95% of Fortune 500 companies use Azure.

Azure also offers the Azure Hybrid Benefit. This allows you to bring your on-premises Windows

Server and SQL Server licenses with active Software Assurance or Linux subscriptions to Azure.

This is a benefit because it can reduce the costs of running your workloads in the cloud. This

would save DraftKings money, allowing them to use that money elsewhere.

Vender Choice

The choices of vendors that DraftKings had to choose from includes Amazon Web

Services, Oracle, SAP, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. All these vendors are equipped with

the tools necessary to help with the new addition of a casino to the DraftKings brand. These

vendors are important and necessary to help gain the advantage of what takes place inside the

casino and on their website. The vendor that would help the DraftKings brand grow the most

would be that of Amazon Web Services. Since Amazon is known all throughout the world, the

addition of the Amazon Web Service would help to promote the DraftKings brand throughout
 27

the world which may help to keep DraftKings the only sports betting site on the web. Another

bonus of the Amazon Web Service would be to gain access to the data analysis that is only

available to through the usage of Amazon Web Services. This access of the data analytics is

important because the ability to know the data and analyze the results will give DraftKings new

knowledge necessary to continue to grow and expand their business. They also provide services

that are important to DraftKings itself with over 175 unique services tailored to every industry

(Amazon 2020). Their cloud data services are powerful enough to make the services of

DraftKings standout and continue to grow and expand their business. This is especially important

because Amazon Web Services will help the company move forward the best going into the

future.

References

Amazon. (2020). What is AWS. Retrieved October 24, 2020, from

https://aws.amazon.com/what-is-aws/

Christina Austin. (2015, September 24). Jason Robins. Retrieved October 23, 2020, from

https://fortune.com/40-under-40/2015/jason-robins/

DraftKings. (2020, October 06). Retrieved October 08, 2020, from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DraftKings

DraftKings Expands To Two New Countries: Ireland And Austria. (n.d.). Retrieved October 08,

2020, from

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.legalsportsreport.com/15931/draftkings-expands-

to-ireland-austria/amp/
 28

DraftKings Inc. (2020). Form 10-Q. Retrieved from https://draftkings.gcs-web.com

GCP Pricing. Google Cloud. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2020, from

https://cloud.google.com/pricing

Google Cloud Data Center Locations - Kinsta. (2020, September 21). Retrieved November 01,

2020, from https://kinsta.com/knowledgebase/google-cloud-data-center-locations/

Grand View Research. (2020). Online Gambling Market Size, Share: Industry Report, 2020-

2027. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/online-gambling-market.

How long does the application process usually take? (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2020, from

https://www.gamblingcontrol.org/faqs/how-long-does-the-application-process-usually-

take/

How Much Money Does a Casino Keep on Hand: Questions Answered. (2020, March 26).

Retrieved October 23, 2020, from https://www.casinosformoney.com/how-much-money-

does-a-casino-keep-on-hand/

Klinski, C. (2015, July 15). New Report on DFS Demographics Concludes 98% are Male.

Retrieved October 08, 2020, from https://dailyfantasysports.codes/wire/new-dfs-market-

report-nearly-100-of-participants-male/

License Fees and Tax Rate Schedule. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2020, from

https://gaming.nv.gov/index.aspx?page=94

Microsoft Azure Explained: What it is and how to use it: CCB Tecnology. (2020, June 18).

Retrieved November 01, 2020, from https://ccbtechnology.com/what-microsoft-azure-is-

and-why-it-matters/
 29

Oracle. (2020). Cloud Infrastructure that Costs Less than AWS. Retrieved October 24, 2020,

from https://www.oracle.com/cloud/economics/

Oracle. (2020). Migration to the Cloud Made Simple. Retrieved October 24, 2020, from

https://www.oracle.com/cloud/

Ray, R. (2019, July 2). How Much Money Does It Cost a Casino to Buy a Slot Machine?

Retrieved October 23, 2020, from https://www.gamblingsites.com/blog/how-much-do-

casinos-pay-for-slot-machines-132662/

Rizzuto, R. (2015, January 26). Here's MGM Springfield's tentative construction timeline to

open urban resort casino. Retrieved October 23, 2020, from

https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass_roundup/2015/01/heres-mgm-springfields-

tentative-construction.html

SAP Business Software: Why SAP? (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2020, from

https://www.sap.com/why-sap.html

Sheldon, D. (2019, June 14). How Much Does It Cost To Start Your Own Casino? Retrieved

October 23, 2020, from https://www.casino.org/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-start-your-

own-casino/

What is SAP Software?: Benefits and Uses. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2020, from

https://stefanini.com/en/trends/news/how-businesses-can-benefit-from-sap-software

“What Is Azure-Microsoft Cloud Services: Microsoft Azure.” Accessed October 25, 2020.

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/what-is-azure/

Which Daily Fantasy Sports Sites Allow Which States? (n.d.). Retrieved October 08, 2020, from

https://www.legalsportsreport.com/daily-fantasy-sports-blocked-allowed-states/
 30

What is Brainstorming, How to Brainstorm & 15 Effective Techniques. (2020, August 17).

Retrieved October 07, 2020, from https://kajabi.com/blog/what-is-brainstorming-how-to-

brainstorm-15-effective-techniques

Appendix

I. Meeting Agendas

II. Meeting Notes

III. Brainstorming Rules

IV. Brainstorming Evaluation

V. Use of Microsoft Teams

VI. Navigation Through Team Formation

I. Meeting Agendas
 31

AGENDA
Brainstorming Session Date: October 3, 2020
Team 1- DraftKings- Meeting One 9:00am – 10:00am

Meeting called by Team 1

Attendees: Jessie, John, Marissa, Nick
Please read: Report rubric, report example
Please bring: Paper and writing utensil
Goals: Decide which company to use for our project

9:00 – 9:15 Discuss companies we may Online

use
Nick Presents Company
Jessie Presents Company
Johnny Presents Company
Marissa Presents Company
9:15 – 9:30 Decide which company we Online
choose
Pros and Cons of Each
Company with Discussion
9:30 – 9:45 Discuss further about Online
sections of the project
Delegate Work for the Next
Meeting
Discuss Due Dates
9:45 – 10:00 Preparing for next meeting Online
Finalize Meeting Notes
Schedule next meeting
Create next meeting agenda
Additional Instructions:
Come prepared with a company idea and some knowledge to discuss.
 32

AGENDA
Industry Analysis Date: October 7, 2020
Team 1 – DraftKings- Meeting Two 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Meeting called by Team 1

Attendees: Jessie, Nick, John, Marissa
Please read: Industry analysis rubric, research
Please bring: Knowledge to contribute to the analysis
8:00 PM – 8:15 PM Completed Report Online
Nick shares progress
John shares progress
Marissa shares progress
Jessie shares progress
8:15 PM – 8:40 PM Industry Analysis Section Online
History and growth | Nick
Consumer data | Marissa
Competitor info| John
Geographics | Jessie
8:40 PM – 8:50 PM Determine What Needs to Online
Be Done
Which sections need
completion?
Improvement?
Revision?
8:50 PM – 9 PM Plan Next Meeting Online
Finalize Meeting Notes
Schedule Meeting
Create Meeting
Additional Instructions:
Decide when the group members should be done with their part (Sunday morning? Saturday? Friday?)
 33

AGENDA
Part 2 Date: October 14, 2020
Team 1 – DraftKings- Meeting 3 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Meeting called by Team 1

Attendees: Jessie, Nick, John, Marissa
Please read: Report 2 Rubric, report 2 document
Please bring: Discuss Part 2, paper and writing utensil
8:30 PM – 8:45 PM Read over Part 2 Report Online
Nick reads a section
Jessie reads a section
John reads a section
Marissa reads a section
8:45 PM – 9:00 PM Do some research/begin Online
part
Each teammate will research
during this time
9:00 PM – 9:15 PM Discuss further about Online
sections of the project
Delegate Work
Nick picks a section
Jessie picks a section
Johnny picks a section
Marissa picks a section
9:15 PM – 9:30 PM Preparing for next meeting Online
Finalize Meeting Notes
Schedule next meeting
Create next agenda
Additional Instructions:
N/A
 34

AGENDA
Brainstorm for Part 2 Date: October 19, 2020
Team 1– DraftKings – Meeting 4 Time: 2:15 pm – 3:15 pm

Meeting called by Team 1

Attendees: Jessie, Marissa, John, Nick
Please read: Request for Proposal
Please bring: Research on SWOT analysis section
2:15 – 2:30 Brainstorm SWOT Analysis Online
The team follows the SWOT
Analysis and Brainstorming
outlines to decide DraftKings
position and possibilities. Each
teammate writes a more detailed
paragraph.
2:30 – 2:45 Finalize SWOT Analysis Online
Strengths | John
Weaknesses | Marissa
Opportunities | Jessie
Threats | Nick
2:45 – 3:00 Divide up RFP Online
Sections 1 & 2 | Nick
Sections 3 & 4 | John
Sections 5 & 6 | Jessie
Sections 7 & 8 | Marissa
3:00 – 3:15 Prepare for Next Meeting Online
Wrap up meeting notes
Decide if another meeting
Make agenda
Additional Instructions:
N/A
 35

AGENDA
Request for Proposal Date: October 22, 2020
Team 1 – DraftKings – Meeting 5 Time: 8:30 am – 9:30 am

Meeting called by Team 1

Attendees: Jessie, Marissa, John, Nick

Please read: Request for Proposal

Please bring: Finished RFP- 2 sections each

Finish the Request for Proposal
Goals:
8:30 – 8:45 Review Request for Online
Proposal
Discuss all the main points?
Anything we need to add?
Was it revised?
8:45 – 9:00 Vendor Information Online
Strengths | John
Weaknesses | Marissa
Opportunities | Jessie
Threats | Nick
9:00 – 9:15 Divide Vendor Information Online
Set a Completion Deadline
Split Up and Assign Work
9:15 – 9:30 Prepare for Next Meeting Online
Establish Meeting Time
Finalize Meeting Notes
Prepare Meeting Agenda
Additional Instructions:
Please come with a completed or rough draft version of your sections.
 36

AGENDA
Part 3 Report Date: November 1, 2020
Team 1- DraftKings – Meeting 6 Time: 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Meeting called by Team 1

Attendees: Nick, Marissa, Jessie, John
Please read: N/A
Please bring: N/A
1:30 – 1:45 Read Project Guidelines Online
Presentation Guidelines
Report 3 Rubric
Part 3 Report Group Research
Project
1:45 – 2:00 Reorganize Report Online
Move Around Report
Finalize Report Organization
2:00– 2:15 Outline Presentation Online
Discuss What to Include
Pick Ideas for Slides
Split Up Slides
2:15 – 2:30 Prepare for Next Meeting Online
Create agenda
Decide when individual parts
should be done
Set a meeting time
Additional Instructions:
N/A
 37

AGENDA
Finishing Report 3 Date: November 5, 2020
Team 1 – DraftKings – Meeting 7 Time: 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Meeting called by Team 1

Attendees: Jessie, Marissa, Nick, John
Please read: Part 3 Report, Presentation Guideline
Please bring: N/A
5:00 – 5:10 Updates Online
Presentation| Jessie and Marissa
Executive summary| Nick
Vendor choice| John
5:10 – 5:30 Write navigation through Online
team formation
Review phases of team
formation
Discuss/Reflect
Write
5:30– 5:45 Decide what still needs to be Online
done
Report | organization, revision,
rubric
Presentation | photos,
information, practice
5:45 – 6:00 Make Final Preparations Online
Examine presentation
Examine report
Additional Instructions:
N/A

II.
 38

III. Meeting Notes

Team 1 – DraftKings - Meeting 1

Brainstorming
Location: Online through Microsoft Teams
Date: 10/3/2020
Time: 9:00 am – 10:00 am

Attendance:
Goals of Meeting:
 Decide what kind of company we want
 Brainstorm, review, discuss, vote, and pick a company
 Discuss and split up work for report as a whole
 Discuss and split up work for the industry analysis
 Prepare for next meeting

Brainstorming:
DraftKings 8, 8, 8, 9 = 33
Wayfair 9, 7, 8, 7= 31
Dick’s Sporting Goods 7, z, 6, 7 = 20z
 39

Patagonia 9, 8, 8, 8 = 33
Play it Again Sports 7, 8, 7, 8 = 30
Skyzone 7, 6, 7, 7 = 27
Summary:
We used the brainstorming technique mind mapping. We began with the word “companies.”
Each member brainstormed one or two. Then we wrote down two-four pros and cons for each.
Lastly, we thought of a possible product or service for each company. Then each of us voted all
of the companies 1-10. DraftKings and Patagonia scored the highest with 33. We discussed
which company would be best for our group and the project and chose DraftKings.
We split up the first report into sections for everyone to do. Nick will be researching history and
growth for the industry analysis report and completing the financing section. John will be doing
the cover page and researching product/service information. Jessie will be putting together the
meeting agendas and meeting notes. She will be looking into different aspects of the industry
analysis including geographics and demographics. Marissa will be doing the brainstorming rules
and brainstorming evaluation. She will also be researching consumer market data for the report.
The next step is to plan another meeting. We will give updates about our individual sections. We
will also come together with our research and write a rough draft of the industry analysis. While
adding and formatting the report, we will organize the document professionally.

Team 1 – DraftKings - Meeting 2

Brainstorming
Location: Online through Microsoft Teams
Date: 10/7/2020
Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm
 40

Attendance:
Goals of Meeting:
 Decide when we should be done with our individual parts
 Decide if we need another meeting (if so, when?)
 Write a rough draft of the industry analysis
 Organize our report professionally
Each teammate gave an update on their assigned section. Nick and Marissa finished writing their
sections and were ready for revision. Jessie completed most of her section but needed to
formalize the meetings notes. John was almost done writing his portion. After updates, we began
working on the industry analysis report. Each teammate discussed and wrote about the topic they
chose at the previous meeting. After, each chose one or two more topics until they were all
discussed in the report. The rough draft was written. We went over the major aspects and assured
each was discussed. We decided that we did not need to meet again. Every individual should
complete their part and have it in the report by Saturday at 8:00pm for submission on Sunday.
Each member should proofread their own section, along with the rest of the document by 8:00pm
on Saturday.

Team 1 – Draft Kings - Meeting 3

Part 2
Location: Online through Microsoft Teams
Date: 10/14/2020
Time: 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
 41

Attendance:
Note: Marissa was in the same room as Nick, so she did not join the Microsoft meeting on her
own laptop. She was there.
Goals of Meeting:
 Read Part 2 together
 Decide what to do next
 Divide sections to prepare for SWOT brainstorm
 Divide sections of vendor information

Summary:
First, we reviewed the Part 2 document as a team. We then split up the SWOT analysis, so we
could each research a section. This way we will have some background information for our
SWOT brainstorm. John chose strength, and Nick chose threat. Jessie chose opportunity and
Marissa accepted weakness. Then, we were going to research and split up the vendor information
section. However, we were unclear on some of the directions and decided to email Dr. Bartosek.

Team 1 – DraftKings - Meeting 4

Brainstorming (SWOT)
Location: Online through Microsoft Teams
Date: 10/19/2020
Time: 2:15pm – 3:15pm
 42

Attendance:
Goals of Meeting:
 Use the brainstorming outline and SWOT analysis outline to identify the position
DraftKings is in and future possibilities
 Finalize the SWOT analysis section
 Go over the Request for Proposal (RFP) as a Team
 Divide sections of RFP
 Prepare for next meeting if one is needed
 Determine next meeting
 Decide when sections should be completed
Brainstorming:
We each discussed previous research completed (who had each section is listed in the agenda)
over Microsoft Teams. We added to a shared SWOT analysis document on Teams. More detail is
listed in the SWOT analysis section. We finished the SWOT section. Next, we read the request
for proposal and divided up the sections.
Summary: We brainstormed about the SWOT analysis. Then, we reviewed the PFP as a team.
We divided the sections between each of the four members: Nick (sections one and two), John
(sections three and four), Jessie (sections five and six), and Marissa (sections seven and eight).
Lastly, we made the agenda for the next meeting on October 22, 2020.

Team 1 – DraftKings - Meeting 5

Request for Proposal
 43

Location: Online through Microsoft Teams

Date: October 22, 2020
Time: 8:30am - 9:30am

Attendance:
Goals:
 Review Request for Proposal (PFP) together
 See what still needs to be done for the PFP
 Divide vendors to each teammate
 Decide when team’s individual parts should be due

Summary: After reviewing the PFP, the team decided that each teammate should post their
section within the next day so we can begin reviewing before submission. We also chose four
vendors to write about and gave one to each of the four team members. Jessie is researching
Google Cloud. Marissa is examining. John and Nick are reviewing and respectively. The team
decided that each individual should be done with their part by Saturday.

Team 1 – DraftKings- Meeting 6

Part 3 Report
Location: Online through Microsoft Teams
Date: 11/1/2020
 44

Time: 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Attendance:
Goals of Meeting:
 Organize our Part 3 Report document
 Understand Project Requirements
 Split Up Remaining Work and Tasks

Summary:
First, we read the documents listed in the Part Three Report folder: part three group research
project, presentation guidelines, and part three report rubric. We organized our report by moving
sections like meeting notes and agendas to the appendix. We also began thinking about the
discussion about the team’s use of Microsoft Teams and reflection. Marissa and Jessie will be
reviewing and beginning the Power Point Presentation. Jessie will also begin the use of
Microsoft Teams and adding the notes and agendas. John will be completing the vendor choice
section. Nick will be completing the executive summary. We will determine our next meeting
time at a further date.

Team 1 – DraftKings - Meeting 7

Final Meeting

Date: November 5, 2020

 45

Time: 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Location: Online through Microsoft Teams

Attendance:

Goals:

 Update team on individual parts

 Write the navigation reflection section
 Decide what still needs to be done
 Decide when each member should be done and have proof read the report

Summary:

First, each teammate gave an update on their individual report. Everything in the repot was
completed except the navigation reflection. We spent time reviewing, reflecting, and writing the
section together. The report was complete in terms of content, however we decided that each
teammate should review and revise on their own (four sets of eyes are better than one). We also
reviewed and completed the Power Point Presentation together.
 46

IV. Brainstorming Rules

 The goals we had when we started our brainstorming technique was to eventually decide

what company we wanted to base our idea from. We would brainstorm, research and pick

a company that we would report on. We started the brainstorming session with a goal in

mind to be open to all company ideas and think of ideas we had not considered yet.

 Our group decided to use the brainstorming technique mind mapping. With this technique

we established a set of rules prior to the session so we had a clear understanding of how it

would work. The rules are listed below:

o Everyone’s ideas are encouraged and allowed.

o Work toward the common goal of finding a company for the project.

o Each member must contribute at least one company idea.

o Each member must contribute to at least 2 companies with pro/con ideas.

o Brainstorming will last for 30 minutes and then end.

V. Brainstorming Evaluation

The meeting titled “Group 1 Brainstorming Session” took place online through Microsoft

Teams on October 1, 2020, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. This meeting was created to allow a

brainstorming session for our group where we could all bring in company ideas and create an

idea for a company for the project. Every person brought in unique ideas such as DraftKings,

Wayfair, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Patagonia, Play it Again Sports, and Skyzone. Since we were

using the mind mapping brainstorming technique, we wrote each idea on a piece of paper

branching from our central idea of companies that can be expanded. Moving from there, we each
 47

wrote pros and cons for each company idea, making sure each person was able to contribute and

was heard. After each person was able to share their ideas and thoughts within the allotted time,

each member of the team ranked each company on a scale of 1-10 with the criteria of which

company we could best use to expand/improve on. Calculating the final score for the companies,

one company was our top choice and we agreed that was the best company to use. Using this

brainstorming technique and ranking system allowed each member of the team to contribute their

company ideas, allow open discussion about the pros/cons of each company, and allowed each of

us to have a final say in the final company. A photo of the final map is pictured below, where the

voting can also be seen.

 48

VI. Use of Microsoft Teams

Since day one, the team has been utilizing Microsoft Teams. This can be shown from our

Team Contract, agendas, and meeting notes. Not only does the team use Microsoft Teams for

collaboration on documents, but Power Points as well. We also meet online through the

Microsoft Teams App. One member schedules our meeting in the calendar section. We select

BUS 100, Team 1, so the appointment appears in each member’s calendar. At the meeting time,

we start a meeting in our channel. During meetings we are able to collaborate on the same

document, other documents, share our screen, and converse. Microsoft Teams also allows us to

multitask, pulling information from the internet/other apps while still meeting and collaborating.

IV. Navigation Through Team Formation

Our team started in the forming stage where we filled out the team contract and started to figure

out our roles on the team. We all took somewhat of a leadership role to start the project. It took a

couple weeks before we moved into the storming phase. Our team naturally worked well

together and did not spend much time in this phase. After the first week of our team project, we

had established informal team positions and started being better at splitting up work. One we got
 49

past the first week, we started working together as a team. Our team would delegate work, but

review and submit it as a team. Although people only completed their part, we all looked over

and edited the work before it was turned in. This allowed our team to move into the performing

category where we spent most of the project. In this category, we all were responsible for the

work turned in on the project and worked well to produce high quality reports.