BC-S1-2018-2019

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION PRE-MASTER 2018-2019 SEMESTER 1

COURSE COORDINATOR: PETER DALY LECTURERS:

LARS DRINKROW BRIAN HOFER AGNIESZKA LARQUET FRANCOISE LEBLANC ROGER MARTIN ANNE O’SHEA NICOLE VAN MAASTRICHT SARAH WILLIAMS EDDIE RYAN

0

This icon allows you to access blackboard resources directly.

Make sure you open Blackboard and log in before clicking on it.

This icon allows you to go back to the table of contents

This icon means there is link on the access online content directly

Download your pdf e-course package to benefit from all its functionalities (e-forms, etc‌)

1

Opening hours Contact: karine.dubois@edhec.edu

WORKSHOPS  

TANDEM PROGRAMME  

Small groups in round-table discussions Variety of topics discussed: current affairs, politics, pronunciation, grammar, cultural aspects (film, music, arts, etc.)

  

Tea & coffee provided EXAM PREPARATION (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, GMAT…)  

OTHER LANGUAGES 

Discover the different exams Get advice and practise SOS INTERNATIONAL CV AND COVER LETTER



Start exchanging on a one-to-one basis Improve language skills and learn about a different culture Meet someone new!

Online registration. Check out our Edhec Planet page for more information.

Material available in many languages besides English ANY OTHER BUSINESS



Get help with your international application documents



Make sure you have already seen CVs and cover letters with your class and that you have produced your own English documents before asking for help.

Pop in to see us with any questions you may have about learning languages For course registrations please see Peter Daly (Department Head) or Fabienne Labbe (Executive Assistant)

Check out the LRC Edhec Planet page for the latest news 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS Business Communication: Course description

1

Rules and Regulations

3

Programme and assignments

4

Class 1: Analysing successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs

6

Class 2: Making a sales pitch

Maxifemme * ECCE HOMO

10 19

Class 3: Developping meeting skills

17

Class 4: Holding and participating in a meeting

19

Class 5: Discovering the world of recruitment

30

Class 6: Writing application documents, selling yourself effectively

38

Class 7: Analysing and creating coherent product/service presentation

40

Class 8: Learning how to describe a product/service (Case study & presentation)

48

Class 9: Interviewing for job success

51

Class 10: Shortlisting candidates

53

Case study

Fast fitness activity 29

48

COURSE DESCRIPTION

NUMBER OF HOURS: 15 SEMESTER: 1 INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME: 2 ECTS COURSE COORDINATOR + MAIL: Peter Daly – peter.daly@edhec.edu

COURSE OBJECTIVES 

  



LEARNING OUTCOMES

To improve the student’s lexical, syntactical and grammatical proficiency to enable them to become operational in M1 and in their first internship.

To develop communicative competence and business vocabulary knowledge.

To prepare students to achieve the requisite TOEIC score.

To provide students with the necessary skills for effective professional managerial communication.

To practise business register awareness through the drafting of various business documents

After having taken this course, participants will be able to/are expected to know or understand (knowledge-based outcomes)  Presentation of graphs, statistics and figures  Business meeting language and techniques  Ethical communication in business  Written communication structure and techniques of short business documents More specifically, participants should be able to (skill- and competency-based outcomes)  Present figures and graphs effectively  Hold and participate in a business meeting  Draft meeting documents: agendas; and minutes  Write short business documents  Discuss issues relating to the current affairs/crises  Debate on ethical issues in communication

PREREQUISITES Admitted to the first year programme having completed the competitive examination with Level B2/C1 (CEFR)

1

COURSE CONTENT CLASS

DURATION

1 2 3

50 min 1 hour 50 min 50 min

4 5

1 hour 50 min 50 min

6 7 8

1 hour 50 min 50 min 1 hour 50 min

9 10

50 min 1 hour 50 min

TOPIC

TYPE OF COURSE

TYPE OF GROUP (P – P/)

CONTENT

Input on pitching Making the perfect product pitch Input on meeting and written documentation Meeting case study Input on recruitment documents/writing

Pitching Pitch your idea Meeting skills Case Study Analysis Recruitment Writing Round Table Presentation skills Case study presentation Interviewing Case study analysis

Discussing SAF Input on presentation skills Presenting case study Input on interviewing Interviewing for success

TEACHING & LEARNING METHODS An e-learning component as preparation work for each class lesson TOEIC practice tests Small group case study work Discussions, simulations and role plays in class Web-based activities

ASSESSMENT METHODS ASSESSMENT

NATURE

% OF THE TOTAL MARK 40%

DETAILS

DURATION

Recruitment Writing

Recruitment portfolio

Advert, CV and cover letter

n/a

Presentation skills

20-minute group oral presentation

40%

Presentation on case study

20-minutes

Participation Grade

Engagement Interaction Learning

20%

LEARNING OUTCOME EVALUATED Write effective CV Develop recruitment writing skills.

Present effectively Develop slides Develop rhetorical techniques

n/a

READING Students will be provided with a course package at the beginning of the semester All other course documents are available on BlackBoard COURSE COORDINATOR Peter Daly – peter.daly@edhec.edu ® 2

COURSE RULES AND REGULATIONS Absences 2 points will be deducted from your final grade for unjustified absences. Students will receive a grade of zero for all in-class evaluations from which they are absent.

There are no make-ups for in-class evaluations.

Punctuality Students should arrive in class no later than 10 minutes.

Participation 25% of the grade for each module is based on student participation. Components of the participation grade are attendance, contribution to class discussions / activities, active involvement in language learning, and attitude.

Classroom behaviour Unruly, immature classroom behaviour will not be tolerated. Students misbehaving will be asked to leave.

Please note that in English-speaking countries, when one person is speaking, all others present listen. Therefore, if the instructor or a fellow student i s speaking, please listen and refrain from talking.

Cheating Students caught cheating or plagiarising will receive a grade of zero and be brought before the Conseil de Discipline.

Late work Students will be penalised one point per half business day. No late work will be accepted after three business days.

Written Work All written work must strictly adhere to the guidelines outlined in the EDHEC Style Sheet.

Rules of Style for Written Work Please note that your written work will be graded on both content and form. Following are some of the rules which need to be respected for all written assignments for this course. Neglect of these rules will result in a significant reduction in your grade. All written work done outside of class must be typed. No hand-written work will be accepted.

Font and Type Size Students should use either Arial 10 – 12 or Times New Roman 12.

Spacing Reports and summaries should be double-spaced to allow your instructor to make legible corrections.

Letters and memos should be single-spaced to reflect proper letter and memo format.

Margins Left and right margins as well as top and bottom margins should be 2.5 cm.

Student Name(s) and Group These should be typed in the upper right hand corner of the first page on lines 1- 3. No credit will be given for names which are handwritten.

Title of Paper Centre the title of your paper three lines below your name and group. Your text will begin three lines below your title. Do NOT use a separate title cover page.

Punctuation Familiarise yourself with and use conventional English punctuation. Use the spell check.

Sources Document your sources either with footnotes or a bibliography. Plagiarism is unethical and illegal. All plagiarised materials will result in a grade of zero and a Conseil de Discipline.

Stapling Papers of more than one page must be stapled in the top left hand corner.

3

PROGRAMME AND ASSIGNMENTS – SEMESTER 1- 2018-2019 Objective

Pitching

Class 1 (50min)

Class 2 (1h50)

Mergers and acquisitions

Class 3 (50min)

Prep work

Class work

Analysing successful (and unsuccessful) entrepreneurs

Making a sales pitch

Developing meeting skills

Introduction to the course Watch Dragon’s Den video

To go further Learn more about the Dragon’s Den rules

Evaluation Participation

Work on sales pitches for Class 2

Watch more successful Dragon’s Den pitches Watch unsuccessful pitches

Participation

Do entrepreneur quiz

Dragon’s Den - 6 pitches of new product or service

Read “How to Make the Perfect Sales Pitch”

Debrief

Study the language of meetings & how to chair a meeting

Meeting workshop (minutes/agenda writing and language of meetings)

Read the article on meeting skills

Participation

Language on pitching

Learn M&A vocabulary Minutes and agenda writing

Class 4 (1h50)

Holding and participating in a business meeting

Maxifemme case study:

Prepare role for Maxi Femme meeting

- Meeting - Debrief

Complete Ex.1 to 4 in Maxi-Femme case study

Parallel activity: Fast Fitness

4

Participation

Interviewing

Presentation skills

Recruitment

Class 5 (50min)

Discovering the world of recruitment

Watch “Why Ask Me That” video

Fast fitness debrief

Prepare SAF activity

Presentations

Prepare recruitment portfolio (job advert, CV & cover letter)

CV output

Writing application documents, selling yourself effectively

Work on Human Resources vocabulary

Analyse cover letter examples and write your own cover letter

Analysing & creating coherent product/service presentation

Read Bloomberg article on Steve Jobs’ presentation style

Learning how to describe a product/service

Prepare presentation (Galactic Goody Bag)

Class 9 (50min)

Interviewing for job success

View Assessment Centre & Interviewing clips

Class 10 (1h50)

Shortlisting candidates

Class 6 (1h50)

Class 7 (50min)

Class 8 (1h50)

Learn the list of the most commonly used abbreviations

Participation

Do the activity on application vocabulary

Prepare Blackboard activities on CVs and cover letters

CV workshop: tailor your CV to the job you will be interviewed for

Participation

Input on presentation skills

Written grade: hand in recruitment portfolio (job advert, CV & cover letter) - 40%

Presentations (Galactic Goody Bag 2018)

Oral grade – 40%

Prepare activity on presentation skills Watch Julian Treasure’s Ted Talk: How to speak so that people want to listen Watch Carmine Gallo’s breakdown of Jobs’ style

Video CV tutorial: create the most perfect video CV

Debrief Interview input

Participation

Work on attributes & adjectives

Interview simulation

Participation

Work on Culture Compatibility

Interview case study

Prepare questions based on behavioural interviewing

5

CLASS 1 – ANALYSING SUCCESSFUL AND UNSUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURS

COURSE DOCUMENTS DRAGON’S DEN Worksheet

Dragon’s Den is a British TV series where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to secure investment financing from the Dragons, elite business experts.

The rules  Each business (pitcher) can pitch for a specified amount of funding for their ideas or product.  If the pitcher can convince one or more of the Dragons to meet that specified amount (usually in exchange for shares in the company), the pitcher walks away with the cash.  If the pitchers find themselves short of the specified amount of funding, they lose it all.  Each pitcher is free to bargain with the Dragons in order to get the specified level of funding.

To learn more about the rules, click here:

Clip 1 – Magic Whiteboard - Dragons Den Winners - The Original & Best

6

Who are the Dragons?

Download the pdf version of this Ecourse package to be able the fill in the interactive form.

Name

Sector/Company

James Caan Duncan Bannatyne Deborah Meaden Theo Paphitis Peter Jones

ACTIVITY NAMES AMOUNT SOUGHT AGAINST % SHARE IN COMPANY

£

%

PRODUCT IDEA PITCH

DRAGONS’ VERDICT

7

Clip 2 - Dragons' Den - Zapper.co.uk receives £250,000 investment

ACTIVITY Download the pdf version of this Ecourse package to be able the fill in the interactive form.

NAMES AMOUNT SOUGHT AGAINST % SHARE IN COMPANY

£

%

PRODUCT IDEA

PITCH

DRAGONS’ VERDICT

8

To go further… You can also watch: Wall threading device

Snowbone Part 1

Part 2

Part1

Part 2

TattooErase

9

CLASS 2 – MAKING A SALES PITCH

Don’t forget your prep work!

Before class 2: - Do entrepreneur quiz (below) - Read “how to make the perfect sales pitch” (below) - Read more about elevator pitches (below)

PREP WORK DOCUMENTS

Should you be an entrepreneur? Take this test…

Daniel Isenberg is a Professor of management Practice, Babson College

plunge and start their first ventures?

I've learned in my own years as an entrepreneur — and now an entrepreneurship professor — that there is a gut level "fit" for people who are potential entrepreneurs. There are strong internal drivers that compel people to create their own business. I've developed a 2–minute Isenberg Entrepreneur Test, below, to help you find out. Just answer yes or no.

Some of your friends are doing it. People who do it are in the front Isenberg during the World pages and web Economic Forum 2013 almost every day.

Even President Obama is talking about it. So should you do it? Should you join the millions of people every year who take the

Be honest with yourself — remember the worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves.

10

Download the pdf version of this Ecourse package to be able the fill in the interactive form.

Yes No 1. 1. I don't like being told what to do by people who are less capable than I

☐

☐

2. I like challenging myself.

☐

☐

3. I like to win.

☐

☐

4. I like being my own boss.

☐

☐

5. I always look for new and better ways to do things.

☐

☐

6. I like to question conventional wisdom.

☐

☐

7. I like to get people together in order to get things done.

☐

☐

8. People get excited by my ideas.

☐

☐

9. I am rarely satisfied or complacent.

☐

☐

10. I can't sit still.

☐

☐

11. I can usually work my way out of a difficult situation.

☐

☐

12. I would rather fail at my own thing than succeed at someone else's.

☐

☐

13. Whenever there is a problem, I am ready to jump right in.

☐

☐

14. I think old dogs can learn — even invent — new tricks.

☐

☐

15. Members of my family run their own businesses.

☐

☐

16. I have friends who run their own businesses.

☐

☐

17. I worked after school and during vacations when I was growing up.

☐

☐

18. I get an adrenaline rush from selling things.

☐

☐

19. I am exhilarated by achieving results.

☐

☐

☐

☐

am.

20. I could have written a better test than Isenberg (and here is what I would change ....)

If you answered "yes" on 17 or more of these questions, look at your paycheck (if you are lucky enough to still get one). If the company that issued the check isn't owned by you, it is time for some soul searching: Do you have debts to pay? Kids in college? Alimony? Want to take it easy? Maybe better to wait. Do you have a little extra cash in the bank and several credit cards? Do you have a spouse, partner, friends, or kids who will cheer you on? If so, start thinking about what kind of business you want to set up. It doesn't matter what age you are: research by the Kauffman Foundation shows that more and more over–50s are setting up their own businesses. Talk to people who have made the plunge, learn how to plan and deliver a product or service, think about that small business 11

you might buy, talk to people with whom you would like to work, and talk to customers.

"I like to take risks" is not on the list. People don't choose to be entrepreneurs by opting for a riskier lifestyle. What they do, instead, is reframe the salary vs. entrepreneur choice as between two different sets of risk: the things they don't like about having a steady job — such as the risk of boredom, working for a bad boss, lack of autonomy, lack of control over your fate, and getting laid off — and the things they fear about being an entrepreneur — possible failure, financial uncertainty, shame or embarrassment, and lost investment. In the end, people who are meant to be entrepreneurs believe that their own abilities (e.g. leadership, resourcefulness, pluck, hard work) or assets (e.g. money, intellectual property, information, access to customers) significantly mitigate the risks of entrepreneurship. Risk is ultimately a personal assessment: what is risky for me is not risky for you.

"I want to get rich" is not on the list either. All else being equal (and all else is rarely equal in the real world), on the average, people who set up their own businesses don't make more money, although a few do succeed in grabbing the brass ring. But the "psychic benefits" — the challenge, autonomy, recognition, excitement, and creativity — make it all worthwhile.

How to make the perfect sales pitch?

In order to make the sale, you need to have the right sales pitch that will make the customer want to buy. This means that you really have to know the product and make it exciting as you persuade customers that this is something that they need to buy. The perfect sales pitch will persuade customers to buy something even if they know deep down that this is a product they don't really need.

sales, you really have to convince the customer of the merits of your product. Some of the products that are sold in this manner include vacuum cleaners, home business opportunities and insurance.

In order to have the best sales talk, you should write down what you want to say and practice on your family and friends. Take all criticisms seriously and reread the talk as you ask yourself if this talk would make you want to buy.

While it is important to have a good sales talk when you have a showroom, it is not as important as making a sales pitch when you are involved in door-to-door selling. This is because customers who come into a showroom are looking to buy. With door-to-door

Visual aids help to make a sale almost as much as your speech. When you have products that you can show the customer and offer a demonstration, this also helps. You do have to tell the customers a bit about your background and present your

12

credentials, so they know that you are serious about your job. If you make a living based on a commission from the sales, you should be upfront about this with your customers. This helps to build a rapport with them and will aid in making the sale.

Although you do have to be friendly and enthusiastic, you should not talk so much as to bore the potential customers.

You should also watch what you say and not make rash judgements that may insult them. Keep conversation neutral and don't make any personal comments that might be detrimental to making the sale.

Click here to read more about elevator pitches!

To go further… You can also watch:

Stabletable

Bath-o-Matic

16

CLASS 3 – DEVELOPING MEETING SKILLS

Don’t forget your prep work!

Before class 3: Watch the video: Project Management: How to Run Team Meetings (below) - Study the language of meetings & how to chair a meeting (blackboard)

- Learn M&A vocabulary (blackboard) - Listen to Minutes and agenda writing tutorial (blackboard)

Prep Work documents

Project Management: How to Run Team Meetings (below)

17

Course documents – meeting workshop

Minutes/agenda templates:

To go further‌ Read this very informative article on meeting skills

18

CLASS 4 – HOLDING AND PARTICIPATING IN A MEETING

Don’t forget your prep work!

Before class 4:  Prepare role for Maxi-Femme meeting  Complete Ex. 1 to 4in Maxi-Femme case study

Prep work documents: Maxi-Femme case study

MAXIFEMME-ECCE HOMO MERGER - Case Background Fact Sheet 1

Maxifemme * Around 25 years ago, Gina Loehmann founded MaxiFemme, a manufacturer and retailer of clothing for full-figured women. At first, Ms. Loehmann’s clothing line was sold in department stores, but later she opened a chain of company-owned and managed stores. At present, there are 30 MaxiFemme stores, primarily in large cities in the Northeast, Midwest, and Eastern seaboard. Shortly after opening its first stores, MaxiFemme expanded its product line to include clothing and accessories for woman of all sizes, from petite to full-figured.

One day ten years ago, while walking through a suburban Pittsburgh shopping mall, Ms. Loehmann was struck by the number of women shopping with their children. Sensing another opportunity, Loehmann acquired the “Kiddies Duds” children’s clothing manufacturer along with its manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico within a matter of weeks.

Presently, the Kiddie Duds brand is sold in both department stores and in MaxiFemme’s outlet stores. MaxiFemme, headquartered in New York, has manufacturing facilities in New York, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Puerto Rico.

As MaxiFemme has grown, so has the number of senior managers who report directly to Ms. Loehmann.

Furthermore, because of the way the company is organized, several middle managers also report directly to her. Ms. Loehmann finds this top-heavy structure inefficient, expensive, and difficult to manage. To complicate matters, MaxiFemme would like to expand into the men’s fashion sector by acquiring Ecce Homo, a men’s clothing manufacturer and retailer, thereby creating a new company. This will give Loehmann’s company an entry into the men’s clothing sector as well as exposure in the western US. It will also bolster its reputation as a quality manufacturer and retailer of clothing for the whole family.

In order to acquire Ecce Homo, Loehmann is offering Javier Tamayo, Ecce Homo’s owner and president, shares in the new company, and an undisclosed amount of cash. The seed money for the takeover is being put up by a venture capitalist acting as a silent partner on the condition that a solid reorganization plan be introduced and that the new company take a new name to reflect its new sector of activity. Without the cash from the silent partner, the deal will fall through.

19

MAXIFEMME-ECCE HOMO MERGER - Case Background Fact Sheet 2

ECCE HOMO

Ecce Homo was created 15 years ago as a men’s clothing line specializing in fashion for younger men. It has since expanded into all areas of men’s fashion including formal and casual menswear, shoes and accessories. Its products are sold in Ecce Homo franchised stores and department stores across the country. The company has experienced steady growth, and its reputation continues to flourish.

Ecco Homo products are made in its manufacturing facilities in Bakersfield, California and Tijuana, Mexico. To lower its costs, Ecce Homo has been slowly relocating jobs from its California facility to its Mexican plant. It also uses overseas subcontractor’s factories, primarily in Asia, to manufacture its goods.

The company buys its shoes from manufacturers in Italy, Spain and Brazil. It uses common carriers to ship its merchandise to its franchise outlets and department stores. President and CEO, Javier Tamayo, founder of Ecce Homo, is currently in talks with MaxiFemme about a possible buyout of Ecce Homo.

20

MAXIFEMME-ECCE HOMO MERGER - Case Background Fact Sheet 3

Maxifemme * COMPANY STRUCTURE BY DIVISIONS

SENIOR MANAGEMENT VP Sales and Marketing VP Production VP Design MIDDLE MANAGEMENT Sales Manager Marketing Manager Production Control Manager LINE MANAGER Design Sales Representatives Market Analysts Production Supervisors SUPPORT STAFF Administrative Assistant Office Personnel Production Workers

FULL-FIGURED WOMEN’S

REGULAR WOMEN’S

PETITE WOMEN’S

1 (150K) 1 (120K) 1 (120K)

1 (160K) 1 (140K) 1 (140K)

1 (100K) 1 (100K) 1 (120K)

2 (70K) 1 (100K) 1 (60K)

1 (90K) 1 (100K) 1 (70K)

1 (80K) 1 (90K) 1 (60K)

3 (60K) 20 (50K) 3 (50K) 2 (40K)

5 (70K) 40 (50K) 6 (60K) 4 (30K)

2 (60K) 15 (40K) 2 (50K) 2 (30K)

5 (20K) 2 (40K/20K) 200 (25K)

7 (25K) 2 (40K/20K) 300 (20K)

6 (25K) 2 (40K/20K) 200 (10K)

Maxifemme * DEPARTMENTS SECTOR

MIDDLE MANAGEMENT

SUPERVISORY TECHNICAL

SUPPORT STAFF

Management Retail Outlet

3 Regional Mgrs (70K)

30 Outlet Mgrs (40K)

300 Full and Part-Time Retail Staff (15K)

Accounting/Finance

2 Financial Analysts (75K)

4 Accountants (60K)

6 Office Staff (25K)

Information Technology

1 IT Coordinator (80K)

3 IT Support Staff (40K)

10 Data Entry (25K)

Human Resources

1 HR Manager (70K)

6 HR Specialists (40K)

5 Office Staff (20K)

Purchasing

1 Purchasing Manager (80K)

10 Purchasing Agents (50K)

5 Office Staff (20K)

Logistics

1 Logistics Coordinator (80K)

1 Logistics Support Staff (30K)

40 Shipping, Receiving and Inventory Control Staff (25K)

Customer Service

1 Customer Service Manager (70K)

20 Customer Service Agents (25K)

21

MAXIFEMME-ECCE HOMO MERGER - Case Background Fact Sheet 4

ECCE HOMO COMPANY STRUCTURE BY DIVISIONS

22

MAXIFEMME-ECCE HOMO MERGER - Case Background Fact Sheet 5

Maxifemme * Founded 2000 in New York President and CEO, Gina Loehmann Corporate Headquarters New York, New York Sector of Activity Women’s and children’s clothing and accessories.

Distribution/Sales Department stores, company-owned retail outlets, catalogue sales, mail order, Internet sites.

Retail Outlets Atlanta, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Myrtle Beach, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington DC Manufacturing Facilities Full-figured women’s wear manufactured in New York. Petite women’s clothing manufactured in Columbia, North Carolina.

Regular women’s clothing manufactured in Pearl, Mississippi.

Children’s wear manufactured in Puerto Rico.

Number of Employees 1,553 Annual Payroll $36,820,000 Annual Sales N/A Company Values Quality clothing for women and children in one store. Total company control over the product, from production to final sale. Autocratic management structure with all senior managers and some middle managers reporting directly to Ms. Loehmann. Company takes great pride that its products are “Made in USA by American workers”. Fair treatment of employees, internal promotions, career opportunity, job security.

23

MAXIFEMME-ECCE HOMO MERGER - Case Background Fact Sheet 6

ECCE HOMO Founded 2010 in Los Angeles President, Javier Tamayo Corporate Headquarters, Los Angeles Sector of Activity Men’s clothing, shoes, and accessories Distribution/Sales Department stores and independently-owned franchises Franchise start-up fee is $100,000 plus cost of merchandise.

Retail Outlets Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Santa Fe, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, Boston, Miami, Atlanta, Las Vegas Manufacturing Facilities Factories in Bakersfield, California and Tijuana, Mexico.

Warehouse in Bakersfield.

Number of Employees 504 Annual Payroll $9,215,000 Annual Sales $100 million Company Values Quality men’s clothing at affordable prices. Rapid expansion with a chain of independently-owned franchises.

Relaxed Corporate atmosphere. Top executives have an “open door” policy. Use of manufacturing subcontractors and Mexican facilities to keep costs down has led to layoffs in recent years.

24

MAXIFEMME-ECCE HOMO MERGER Application Exercises

Directions for exercise 1 Read the following descriptions of types of departmentalization and provide your own examples for each.

TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Download the pdf version of this Ecourse package to be able the fill in the interactive form.

When a company is created, it must be organized into manageable units. These units often called departments, are also known as divisions, branches, sections, bureaus and groups. These departments may be based on any one or combination of the following:

PRODUCT –BASED ON THE PRODUCT(S) BEING SOLD. Example: a store which sells consumer electronics and appliances may have departments such as the television department, stereo department, small appliances department, or large appliances department.

Your example: ______________________________________________________________________

CUSTOMER –BASED ON THE SPECIFIC PROFILE OF TARGETED CUSTOMER. Example: a bank which has consumer banking and commercial banking units or a department store which has a women’s section, a men’s section, and a children’s section.

Your example: ______________________________________________________________________

PROCESS –BASED ON THE PROCESS USED TO MAKE THE PRODUCT. Example: a food manufacturer which sells dairy-based products may have a milk product department, a cheese product department, a yogurt department, or an ice-cream department.

Your example: ______________________________________________________________________

GEOGRAPHIC ZONE –BASED ON THE GEOGRAPHIC AREA IN WHICH THE CUSTOMER IS LOCATED OR IN WHICH THE BUSINESS OPERATES. Example: a company which is organized along regional lines: In the US, this might consist of a Northeast region, a Southern region, a Midwest region, and a Wester region.

Your example: ______________________________________________________________________

FUNCTION –BASED ON THE GROUP’S PRINCIPAL ACTIVITY. Example: A firm which has production, finance, human resources, customer service, and information technology departments.

Your example: ______________________________________________________________________

25

MAXIFEMME-ECCE HOMO MERGER DIRECTIONS FOR EXERCISE 2 Go back and read about MaxiFemme and Ecce Homo and look at their company structure charts and decide what type(s) of departmentalization each uses.

DIRECTIONS FOR EXERCISE 3 The following questions may be used as a guide to help students focus their thoughts about the merger. The questions are relevant to one or more of the following areas: (PO) Production and Operations (HRM) Human Resources and Management (MPR) Media and Public Relations (RD) Retail and Distribution 1.

What are some of the advantages and drawbacks of subcontracting production? (PO, HRM)

2.

What type of departmentalization will work best? Why? (PO, HRM)

3.

What should the image of the new company be? (MPR)

4.

Who are the targeted clients of the new company? (MPR, RD)

5.

What type of damage control measures will be instituted to protect the reputation of the new company in light of imminent layoffs? (MPR, HRM)

6.

Which stores, if any, should be closed? (HRM, RD)

7.

What should be done about the franchises? (RD, HRM)

8.

Where should new stores be opened? (RD)

9.

Which other clothing manufacturers have opened retail clothing outlets? (RD)

10.

Where should the new company have its headquarters? (PO, HRM, MPR, RD)

11.

What type of separation package will be offered to downsized employees? (HRM)

12.

Make a list of specific articles/services sold by MaxiFemme and Ecce Homo. What other products could be offered in the future? (RD, PO)

13.

Which people work at the headquarters of each company? (HRM)

14.

What type of jobs do each of the following do? (HRM, PO) - Executive Assistant - Human Resources Manager - Production Control Manager - Warehouse Staff -Accounts Receivable Clerk

- Office Staff - Human Resources Assistant - Customer Service - Accounts Payable Clerk - Transportation Coordinator

15.

What are some of the possible reasons for the salary disparities at MaxiFemme? (HRM, PO)

16.

Decide on a new name for the company to reflect its new image. (MPR, HRM, PO, RD)

17.

Which middle managers report directly to Ms. Loehmann? (HRM)

26

DIRECTIONS FOR EXERCISE 4 The following vocabulary either appears in the Maxi-Femme – Ecce Homo case or may be useful to students in preparing their presentations or written work. Students should familiarize themselves with the terms. If possible, some class time should be set aside for discussion.

acquisition

chain of command

common carrier

franchise

to downsize

to streamline

human resources

to layoff

subcontractor

merger

takeover

manufacturing

outplacement

severance pay

open door policy

retail

silent partner

customer service

to put up (money)

trend

retail

to fall through

mission statement

to report to

seed money

undisclosed

job security

top-heavy

27

MAXIFEMME-ECCE HOMO MERGER Board Meeting 

Students will gather in groups and participate in a 35-minute Board meeting aiming at discussing the issues faced by the top management team.

Each group will have to make recommendations on the six issues outlined below. For this purpose, each student will choose an issue to deal with.



Meetings will be held in each session.



During each meeting, groups of six students will take notes and write the minutes of the proceedings in pairs.

Chairperson To produce an agenda To keep the meeting on track To ensure all participants have equal speaking time To reach a conclusion on this issue

Production To define the new production policy of the company To determine how and where production will be carried out (number of workers and location of production facilities) To anticipate the consequences of streamlining production

International logistics To define an outsourcing policy (importing new product and accessory lines) To discuss export opportunities (selling US products abroad) To deal with the issue of subcontracting (on a domestic and international level)

Human Resources To define a new organizational structure (functional/geographic/customer) To restructure the work force (termination policy, compensation scheme) To communicate about organizational change

Management To define where the headquarters will be located To decide on Ecce Homo’s president’s future To devise plans to merge corporate cultures

Social Media To suggest a new name and logo for the company To devise a social media campaign To create a new website

Public Relations To work on internal communications To define publicity events, press releases and blogs To define new target audience

Retail and distribution To establish a new retail policy (stores to be closed and opened) To redefine store design To solve the issue of franchising

28

Course documents Fast Fitness Activity (parallel activity)

Click here the open the recruitment case.

29

CLASS 5 – DISCOVERING THE WORLD OF RECRUITMENT

Don’t forget your prep work!

Before class 5:  Watch “Why ask me that video”  Prepare SAF activity  Prepare recruitment portfolio (job advert, CV and cover letter) Prep work documents: Why ask me that The four video clips in this course deal with different types of questions commonly asked in interviews where the selectors are filling management positions:  communication skills  leadership potential  problem-solving skills  strengths and weaknesses  achievements  team-work Feel free to watch each clip as many times as necessary so that you benefit both from David's errors and the advice offered by the female selector.

Part 1- Communication skill

Part 2 - Leadership skills

Questions: o What are we told about first impressions? o Which typical questions crop up in any interview? o Which criteria are the selectors assessing the candidates against during the interview?

Questions: o Why is the candidate asked about his management style? o Which specifics are selectors looking for when you give examples? o What questions does the selector ask when he funnels down (digs deeper into the subject)? o Why does the selector ask so many questions about the holiday David organised?

30

Part 3 - Problem solving, strengths and weaknesses

Questions: o What difficulties does David have in giving an example of problem solving? o What technique does the selector use to find out his strengths? o

What weakness does he give?

Part 4 - Achievements and other questions

Questions: o Why does David dread the question about achievements? o

What team-work skills does he have?

o

What unusual question do the selectors ask him? Why?

o

What kind of question is it safe to ask at the end of an interview?

SAF activity

Click here to download your Standard application form

31

Course documents

Digicom IT The Work Placement A Case Study Click here

to download the case

Languages and International Communication EDHEC Business School, Lille-Nice

© EDHEC Business School, Lille-Nice 2003 24 avenue Gustave Delory CS 50411 - 59057 Roubaix Cedex 1, France Tel.: + 33 (0)3 20 15 45 00 All rights reserved. No part of this case study may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author or the CCMP (Centrale de Cas et de Médias Pédagogiques). Any violation of the authors’ rights will result in legal action.

32

Digicom IT Case Background Digicom IT Mr Jason Dalton Placement Recruitment Manager Walnut Court 1 Walnut House London EC4A 4RT T: +44(0)203485 6702 F: +44(0)203485 5410 E:ukplacement@computek.com Number of Vacancies: 2 Closing date for application: 28 February Vacancies/Type of work: Mainly in Marketing but liaising with the following departments: Finance; Information technology; Management & Strategy.

Duration: 2-month placement Academic background: Skills needed: Three European languages (one of which must be English), familiar with MS Word, Excel and Internet, Interest in IT, business knowledge.

Pattern of Recruitment: Undergraduate-specific placement.

Location: London Salary (£ Sterling): competitive – including living expenses

Digicom IT The company Digicom IT is a leading supplier of brainpower to the IT industry worldwide.

We provide high performance PCs and software for everyday life. Our mission is to be the leading light in the worldwide Internet economy. In a rapidly changing and competitive environment, we maintain our position as one of the leaders with large investments in research and development, in training and education of our employees and by developing state-of-the-art products to satisfy our customers’ needs.

Digicom IT is a relatively new player on the market. Founded in London in 1980, the firm has now many offices in major UK cities as well as on mainland Europe (Paris, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Prague and Budapest).

Placement opportunities We are seeking to recruit motivated undergraduates with initiative, flexibility, and demonstrated ability to learn. With on-the-job training, ongoing evaluation and regular performance reviews, the candidate will operate in the ideal environment to develop and reach their full potential. Applications are invited from undergraduates who are pursuing a financial, business studies, management, economics or accountancy-related degree.

Mission You will primarily work in the Marketing Department of the company where you will carry out desk research and market analyses as well as collaborate on the launch of our new software package. You will become familiar with localisation issues and be asked to work on our European strategy especially as regards the French consumer market.

Rewards and development We guarantee challenge, enjoyment and development for all our employees, whether you are on a two-month placement or have been with the company since the beginning. The benefits package for our trainees includes:      

Competitive base pay Living expenses Comprehensive training and development Employee fitness/recreation centre Employee library and resource centre Subsidised staff restaurant

Type of application: CV & Cover letter to the above address

33

Exercise 1

Your attributes and qualities!

a) Here is a list of adjectives. Highlight those that may be useful to describe your qualities at interviews. __communicative __flexible __conventional __articulate __skilled __personal __confident __aware __rational

__honest __assertive __motivated __loyal __intelligent __methodical __sensitive __responsible __competent

__reliable __enthusiastic __cooperative __approachable __decisive __sincere __consistent __discreet __creative

b) What is the opposite of the above adjectives?

Exercise 2

Providing evidence of qualities

Now choose four of the above qualities and provide ‘real life’ evidence that you possess these qualities.

Download the pdf version of this Ecourse package to be able the fill in the interactive form.

1.

2.

3.

4.

34

Exercise 3

Interview questions

Below is a list of possible interview questions.

1. Find the 8 questions which are politically incorrect in English-speaking environments and which you would not have to answer unless you wanted to.

2. Locate questions that you could not answer based on your present experience.

3. Suggest appropriate answers for some of the other questions.

1.

Tell me about yourself.

2.

What do you see as your strengths/weaknesses?

3.

Where do you see yourself in ten years time?

4.

Why are you studying business administration?

5.

Why did you choose to study at a Business School?

6.

Do you know anyone who works for our competitors? Do you have any relatives who work elsewhere in the industry?

7.

What subjects have you enjoyed/disliked most? Why?

8.

Do you think that the extracurricular activities in college were worth the time you devoted to them? Why/Why not?

9.

Have you ever been convicted of a felony?

10.

What was the toughest moment you have experienced to date at university?

11.

What school project work have you done?

12.

Have you ever had to re-sit an exam? If so, why?

13.

What is your religious affiliation?

14.

What have you learned at university which you consider as being relevant to our company?

15.

What have you learned from previous work placements?

16.

Why do you think that you are suited to this work placement?

17.

Why do you want to join this organisation?

18.

That’s an unusual name. Where is it from?

19.

What is your ideal job?

20.

What do you think of the present situation in the IT sector?

21.

We have worked with students before and they did not work out. What makes you think that you are any different?

22.

Have you ever had any legal troubles? Ever been sued? Any outstanding judgements against you?

23.

Do you work well under pressure?

24.

Would you describe yourself as a team player?

35

25.

What are your long-term goals and how do you hope to achieve them?

26.

Why are you interested in the IT sector?

27.

Do you have any health or physical impairments that are not health-related?

28.

What do you expect to earn five years from now?

29.

Describe a situation where you were criticised.

30.

Describe something that you are particularly proud of.

31.

Do you have any problems getting along with others?

32.

Do you think that you can make a difference to our company in a short time?

33.

Describe a mistake that you have made and how you have dealt with it.

34.

How do you think that your schooling has prepared you for professional life?

35.

Why should I hire you?

36.

What is your greatest achievement to date?

37.

Tell me a story/joke.

38.

Do you prefer to work in a specific geographical location?

39.

What do you think determines progress in a good organisation?

40.

Have you ever been discriminated against?

41.

Do you think that academic achievement should be considered by an employer?

42.

Do you prefer to work in a team or alone?

43.

What would you do if your boss asked you to do something unethical?

44.

How would you describe your ideal boss?

45.

How would your friends/professor/teacher describe you?

46.

Have you ever done any voluntary work?

47.

Are you married? Are you engaged?

48.

Who was your best supervisor? Why did you like him/her?

49.

What special skills do you bring to us?

50.

Do you like to travel?

36

Related Assignments

1.

Follow-up letter Write a follow-up letter to the interviewers to thank them for their time. This letter also serves to remind the employer of who you are and reiterate your interest in the post.

You also may like to include the following: Express your appreciation for the interview.

Highlight your qualifications and how they relate to the position.

Close by stating that you look forward to a favourable reply.

2.

Job offer Draft a letter to the successful candidate informing him/her that they have been successful and explain the next step in the recruitment process.

3.

Letter of Acceptance/Rejection You have received a job offer from Digicom IT, which you would like to accept. Draft an e-mail/letter to Digicom IT informing them of your decision.

You would like to decline the offer of a work placement at Digicom IT. Draft an email/letter stating your reasons for refusing the offer, closing on a pleasant note and expressing gratitude.

4.

Letter requesting feedback You have just received a rejection letter from Digicom IT and you write them a letter requesting feedback on how they think you could improve your interviewing technique.

To go further‌ o Click here

and learn this list of the most commonly used

abbreviations in Business Correspondence & Recruitment o Test yourself on application vocabulary

37

CLASS 6 – WRITING APPLICATION DOCUMENTS, SELLING YOURSELF EFFECTIVELY

Don’t forget your prep work!

Before class 6:  Work on “Human resources vocabulary”  Prepare activities on CVs and cover letters Prep Work documents Human resources vocabulary

o Click here to open the list of vocabulary relevant to the area of human resources.

o Then, define and provide an example of usage of each of these terms 1.

3.

5.

7.

9.

11.

13.

15.

17.

19.

21.

23.

25.

27.

29.

31.

33.

Teleworking Hot-desking Kick upstairs McJob Moonlighter Morale Shift work Affirmative Action Ageism Demote Leapfrog Outplacement To second Milk Round Probationary period To vet somebody Across the board increase

2.

4.

6.

8.

10.

12.

14.

16.

18.

20.

22.

24.

26.

28.

30.

32.

34.

Assisted passage Back pay Double time Golden handcuffs Golden handshake Golden offering Golden parachute Lump sum Perk (abbreviation of perquisite) Severence pay Luncheon voucher Appraise (performance appraisal) Burn out Off-the-peg training Workshadowing Bully, harass, intimidate, victimize Blackleg

o And then… Test yourself!

CVs and cover letters activities

o Read the following guide which takes you through the important steps to writing an effective CV and cover letter. The possible pitfalls and common errors are pointed out to you.

Click here to download the full version of Career Writing, a guide to CV and cover letter,

by Peter Daly (Lille) and Kevin Jackson (Nice) 38

Extract: Action Verbs Sentences gain power with verbs that demonstrate an action. Compare the following two sentences: Sentence 1 Learned to use a computer database at my last job Sentence 2 Analysed and determined the need for installation of new database at an established consultancy firm. Responsible for hardware and software selection, installation and loading. Achieved a fully-automated office within one year. Praised by top executives on efficiency of database.

As you can see, sentence 2 is more punchy and charged and the action verbs used in this sentence add direction, efficiency and accomplishment. This person has achieved something and brought the action to a successful conclusion. Here the applicant has also added a third-party endorsement On the other hand, Sentence 1 does not tell us anything about what the applicant achieved and gives the impression that the company taught him/her how to use a database.

Below is a list of action verbs. See which ones you can use to give your CV more punch.

Action Verbs that can be used to describe Work Experience Management skills: administered, analysed, assigned, attained, chaired, consolidated, contracted, coordinated, delegated, developed, directed, evaluated, executed, improved, increased, organized, oversaw, phoned, prioritised, produced, recommended, reviewed, scheduled, streamlined, strengthened, supervised Communication skills: addressed, arbitrated, arranged, authored, collaborated, convinced, corresponded, developed, directed, drafted, edited, enlisted, formulated, influenced, interpreted, lectured, mediated, moderated, negotiated, persuaded, presented, promoted, publicized, reconciled, recruited, spoke, translated, wrote Research skills: clarified, collected, critiqued, diagnosed, evaluated, examined, extracted, identified, inspected, interpreted, interviewed, investigated, organized, reviewed, summarized, surveyed, systematized Technical skills: assembled, built, calculated, computed, designed, engineered, fabricated, maintained, operated, overhauled, programmed, remodelled, repaired, solved, upgraded Teaching skills: adapted, advised, clarified, coached, communicated, coordinated, developed, enabled, encouraged, evaluated, explained, facilitated, guided, informed, instructed, persuaded, set goals, stimulated, trained Financial skills: administered, allocated, analysed, appraised, audited, balanced, budgeted, calculated, computed, developed, forecasted, managed, marketed, planned, projected, researched Creative skills: acted, conceptualised, created, customized, designed, developed, directed, established, fashioned, founded, illustrated, initiated, instituted, integrated, introduced, invented, originated, performed, planned, revitalized, shaped Helping skills: assessed, assisted, clarified, coached, counselled, demonstrated, diagnosed, educated, expedited, facilitated, familiarized, guided, motivated, referred, rehabilitated, represented Clerical or detail skills: approved, arranged, catalogued, classified, collected, compiled, dispatched, executed, filed, generated, implemented, inspected, monitored, operated, organized, prepared, processed, purchased, recorded, retrieved, screened, specified, tabulated, validated More verbs for accomplishment: achieved, expanded, improved, pioneered, reduced, resolved, restored, spearheaded, streamlined, transformed

Click here to see other example cover letters to help you write your own.

To go further‌ And then‌ take this quiz!

o

Follow this tutorial and create the most perfect Video CV!

39

CLASS 7: ANALYSING AND CREATING COHERENT PRODUCT/SERVICE PRESENTATION

Don’t forget your prep work!

Before class 7:  Read Bloomberg article on Steve Jobs’ presentation style  Do the activity on presentation skills  Watch TED talk

Prep work documents Steve jobs’ presentation style - Bloomberg

Click here to read the article

Presentation skills - Activity

This course aims at giving you the necessary language for a good presentation in English.

It is followed by some examples and useful links to help you prepare to stand up before an audience and get them to pay attention to you.

TED Talk - How to speak so that people want to listen – Julian Treasure

Watch this short video on using your voice in such a way that people will actually want to listen to you during your presentation.

40

Course documents PRESENTATION Prepare to introduce and state the purpose of a presentation by completing the notes below. Then present your introduction.

Download the pdf version of this Ecourse package to be able the fill in the interactive form.

Perhaps we should begin.

or

OK, let’s get started.

Good morning / afternoon / evening, everyone

Thanks for coming. I’m ……………………………. . And, as you know, I ……...…………………............................ …………………………………………………………………………………………………………................................................… ………………………………………………………………...................................................………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………................................................……………………

This morning I’m going to be

- talking to you about - telling you - showing you - reporting on - taking a look at

…………………………………………………………………………………................................................………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………................................................

So, I’ll start off by

- filling you in on the background to - bringing you up-to-date on - giving you an overview of - making a few observations about - outlining

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………................................................… …………………………………………………………………………………………………................................................…………

And then I’ll go on to

- highlight what I see as the main - put the situation into some kind of perspective - discuss in more depth the implications of - talk you through - make detailed recommendations regarding

………………………………………………………………………………………………................................................…………… …………………………………………………………………………………………….................................................………………

41

When you give a presentation in English, clarity is very important, particularly if there are non-native speakers in your audience. It often helps if you state your purpose at each stage of your talk as well as the beginning.

TASK Cross out the verbs which do not fit in the following presentation extracts. The first one has been done for you as an example.

1. First of all, I’d like to preview / overview / outline the main points of my talk.

2. Perhaps I should start off by pointing / stressing / reminding that this is just a preliminary report.

Nothing has been finalized as yet.

3. But later on I will, in fact, be putting forward / putting out / putting over several detailed proposals.

4. One thing I’ll be dealing with / referring / regarding is the issue of a minimum wage.

5. And I’ll also be asking / raising / putting the question of privatization.

6. So, what we’re really driving at / aiming at / looking at are likely developments in the structure of the company over the next five to ten years.

7. If we could just draw / focus / attract our attention on the short-term objectives to begin with.

8. The eighteen-month plan, which by now you should’ve all had time to look at, outlines / reviews / sets out in detail our main recommendations.

9. Basically, what we’re suggesting / asking / reviewing is a complete reorganization of staff and plant.

10. I’d now like to turn / draw / focus my attention to some of the difficulties we’re likely to face.

11. I’m sure there’s no need to draw out / spell out / think out what the main problem is going to be.

12. But we do need to seriously ask / answer / address the question of how we are going to overcome it.

13. The basic message I’m trying to get through / get across / get to here is simple. We can’t rely on government support for much longer.

14. Disappointing end-of-year figures underline / undermine / underestimate the seriousness of the situation.

15. And the main conclusion we’ve thought / got to / come to is that massive corporate restructuring will be necessary before any privatization can go through

42

Signposting In a good presentation, what you say –the content– is much more important than anything else.

But a clear structure helps. When you move on to your next point or change direction, tell the audience.

You can do this easily and effectively, using simple phrases as ‘signposts’ to guide the audience through your presentation:

To move on To expand on To digress

To go back To recap To conclude

To summarize To turn to To elaborate on

Choose one of the ‘signpost’ expressions from the box above for the following situations: 1. When you want to make your next point.

To ………………………………...

2. When you want to change direction.

To ………………………………...

3. When you want to refer to an earlier point.

To ………………………………...

4. When you want to repeat the main points.

To ………………………………...

5. When you want to give a wider perspective.

To ………………………………...

6. When you want to do a deeper analysis.

To ………………………………...

7. When you just want to give the basics.

To ………………………………...

8. When you want to depart from your plan.

To ………………………………...

9. When you want to finish your talk.

To ………………………………...

43

TASK 2 Once you know the nine basic signposts, you can build them into the points you make to give direction and coherence to your presentation. Complete the following signpost phrases and sentences using the notes to help you. Say them first. Then write them down. The first one has been done for you as an example.

1. Moving on / question / US market, Moving on to the question of the US market, 2. Expand / the figures / last year. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3. I’d like / recap / the main points. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

4. Let’s go back / question / clinical research methods. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

5. Digress / a moment, let’s consider / alternatives. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

6. Going back / a moment / the situation last year. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

7. Let’s turn now / our targets / the next five years. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

8. I’d like / turn now / our projections / year 2015. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

9. Go back / the main reason / our collaboration / the Germans. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

10. I’d like / expand / that / little, before we move on. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

11. Let’s go back / a moment / what we were discussing earlier. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

12. Let me expand / some / the main points / our proposals. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

13. Elaborate / that / little / those of you / aren’t familiar / Russian business practices. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

14. If I could just move on / some / the problems we face / Central / Latin America. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

15. I’d like / conclude / I may / repeating what I said / the beginning / the presentation. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

44

PRESENTATION LANGUAGE

GREETING Good morning. My name’s (..…). I’m …..

Thank you for coming/being here today.

TITLE/SUBJECT I’d like to talk (to you) today about …..

I’m going to present the recent ….. explain my position on ….. inform you about ….. brief you on …..

The |subject of my |talk ….. |focus |presentation ….. |topic |paper (academic)

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE We are here today to |decide ….. | agree ….. | learn about …..

The purpose of this talk is to |update you on ….. | put you in the picture about ….. | give you the background to …..

This talk is designed to |start the ball rolling. |act as a catalyst for discussion.

LENGTH I shall only take (…..) minutes of your time.

I plan to be brief.

This should only last (…..) minutes.

OUTLINE/MAIN PARTS I’ve divided my presentation into 3 parts/sections. They are …..

The subject can be looked at under the following headings: …..

We can break this area down into the following fields: Firstly/First of all …..

Secondly/Then/Next …..

Thirdly/And then we come to …..

Finally/Lastly/Last of all …..

QUESTIONS I’ll be glad to answer any questions at the end of my talk.

If you have any questions, please feel free to interrupt.

Please interrupt me if there’s something which needs clarifying. Otherwise, there’ll be time for discussion at the end.

REFERENCE TO THE AUDIENCE I can see many of you are …..

I know you’ve all travelled a long way.

You all look as though you’ve heard this before.

45

ENDINGS

DEALING WITH A DELAY OR TECHNICAL PROBLEM Please bear with me/us while we…

SIGNALLING THE END That brings us to the end of the presentation That completes my presentation Before I stop/finish, let me just say that That covers all I wanted to say today

SUMMARISING Let me just run over the key point once again I will briefly summarise the main points To sum up…/Briefly ….

CONCLUDING As you can see, there are some very good reasons why we should …..

In conclusion I’d like to leave you with the following thought/idea

RECOMMENDING So I would suggest that we …..

I’d like to propose ….. (more formal) In my opinion, the only way forward is to …..

CLOSING Thank you very much for your attention Thanks for listening I hope that you have gained an insight into …..

HANDOUTS I’ll be distributing handouts in a few minutes The handouts are over by the door Copies of my transparencies/slides are available from …..

INVITING QUESTIONS I’d be glad to try and answer any questions So, let’s throw it open to questions Any questions?

If there are any questions, I will be more than happy to answer them.

46

ASKING AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS

DIRECT QUESTIONS Do you have any plans to streamline the company?

When do you intend to deal with this matter?

POLITE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Questions Do you mind if I ask you whether you intend to …..

Would you mind telling me if you have any plans to …..

I’m interested to know what are your intentions towards …..

I’d like to know about your restructuring project and how …..

Answers Go ahead/Please do/Certainly That’s an interesting question CLARIFYING A QUESTION If I understood you correctly, you are saying/asking …..

I didn’t quite catch that.

Could you go over that again?

I’m not sure what you’re getting at UNDERSTOOD BUT DIFFICULT TO ANSWER OR IRRELEVANT That’s a difficult question to answer in a few words.

I don’t think I am the right person to answer that question. Perhaps (Mr Terrom) can help …..

I don’t have much experience in that field but …..

I’m afraid that is outside the scope of my talk/this session. If I were you I’d discuss that with …..

I’ll have to come to that later, perhaps during the break as we’re running short on time

AVOIDING GIVING AN ANSWER Perhaps we could deal with that later. Can we go into that on another occasion?

I’m afraid that is not my field/area of expertise.

I don’t have the figure with me.

I’m sure Mr/Mrs ….. could answer that question for you. That’s interesting but I would prefer not to answer that today.

CHECKING IF THE QUESTIONER IS SATISFIED Does that answer your question?

Is that clear?

Can we continue?/May we go on?

CHECKLIST 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Welcome the question Take time to think before answering Clarify the question Accept criticism positively Reply positively Check the questioner is satisfied

47

CLASS 8 – LEARNING HOW TO DESCRIBE A PRODUCT / SERVICE

Don’t forget your prep work!

Before class 8:  Watch Garmine Gallo’s breakdown of Jobs’ style  Prepare presentation (Galactic Goodie Bag)

Prep Work documents

The secrets of Steve Jobs’ presentations Carmine Gallo has devoted much of his career analysing Steve Jobs' presentations and the visuals he uses. Check him out :

48

THE GALACTIC GOODY-BAG © Lars Drinkrow 2018

You are going to work in a small team of highly successful branding and CRM consultants.

As a result of your impressive track record, Sir Richard Branson has invited you to pitch you ideas to him and his in-house customer service and marketing team.

The brief? Quite simply, to decide what future passengers on Virgin Galactic flights will receive in their goody-bags.

On ordinary flights, a goody-bag might contain some socks, a toothbrush and toothpaste (in case you forgot your own), samples of perfume and skin care products, and maybe a souvenir from the airline’s home country or destination.

But these are no ordinary flights, and these are no ordinary passengers. Fewer than 600 people have ever travelled in space; and Virgin’s future passengers - more correctly, astronauts - have willingly paid US$250,000 up front, just to reserve their seat on the flights.

The majority are high net worth individuals who are accustomed to luxury and unlikely to be impressed by cheap souvenirs: there isn’t anything they can’t afford to buy already. A few will be thrill-seekers and astro-geeks, ready to mortgage their homes and live in debt for the rest of their lives just to have this experience.

What can you give them to take home as a reminder of their time in space? How would you package and present the goody-bag? How would it match the existing style and design of Virgin Galactic? For example, Virgin have already signed an agreement for the bespoke space suits to be designed by Yohji Yamamoto, in partnership with Adidas under the Y-3 label; and the terminal for take-off and landing, Spaceport America, is the work of renowned architects Foster + Partners.

© Lars Drinkrow 2018

49

4 TEAMS OF CONSULTANTS Organise yourselves into four teams of branding and CRM consultants. Obviously your first task is to choose a suitably stylish and memorable name for your consultancy.

Secondly, do your research. Find out all you can about Virgin Galactic by visiting their website, www.virgingalactic.com, and reading all the information you can find about passenger space travel - including their competitors in this exciting new market.. You should also consider the style and experience offered in Upper Class on Virgin’s regular airlines, and the work of Yohji Yamamoto and Foster + Partners. All of this will help you to develop cohesive and appropriate ideas.

Then meet your team to brainstorm and select your ideas for the Virgin Galactic goody-bag.

Do any additional research needed to support your proposals, including information about designers, suppliers, materials, development times and costings.

Lastly, prepare your pitch. Plan and practise it together, and be ready to impress.

Each team should present for fifteen minutes, plus time for questions at the end. Make sure that everyone in the team has their fair share of speaking time. Prepare a powerpoint and print your visuals in advance, three slides per A4 page, for feedback. You can also prepare handouts with product specifications and other supporting information if you wish.

To go further… o

Read this article to get more background information about the Galactic goody bag case study!

© Lars Drinkrow 2018 50

CLASS 9 – INTERVIEWING FOR SUCCESS

Don’t forget your prep work!

Before class 9:  View assessment centre & interview clips  Prepare questions based on behavioural interviewing

Prep Work documents Assessment Center and interview clips

This section contains 4 video clips each showing a different aspect of a day at an assessment centre: group activities, presentations, interviews etc

PART 1 – 10 MIN Introductions your biggest achievement, your most embarassing moment Group exercise - be assertive rather than aggressive Scoring - note down six areas where candidates are assessed

PART 2 – 6 MIN Individual activity - how to organise ideas clearly, be aware of body language, don't forget to smile Lunch at the assessment centre remember you are always being assessed Psychometric tests - these require practice

51

PART 3 – 6 MIN In-depth interview - assessors are trying to test a candidate's innovation management and her passion Typical questions - note down the type of questions you can anticipate at any interview.

PART 4 – 2.5 MIN Final scores - it's the criteria you have to beat, not the other candidates Criteria - note down the six areas that any assessment centre will evaluate you on

Questions based on behavioural interviewing

Click here to read about behavioural interviewing on-line. Typical questions are given as examples. See also an interesting video clip with advice on telephone interviews.

And much more...

To go further…

Click here and prepare your answers to the most common interview questions

52

CLASS 10 – SHORTLISTING CANDIDATES

Don’t forget your prep work!

Before class 10:  Work on attributes and adjectives  Interview case study

Prep Work documents Adjectives to describe attributes

See this vocabulary list with adjectives to describe a leader.

Which words would best describe you, which words would describe the leader you would like to become?

It is good to identify traits that you need to develop.

Digicom adjectives exercise

In this activity you are asked to reflect on adjectives that could describe you. Are you creative, dynamic, organised? When you have finished the exercise, click on the "mark reviewed" button to see the solution.

Click here to access the exercise.

Culture compatibility

This website offers very useful information about 39 major countries around the world. Pick two or three countries you would be interested in working in and read about dress codes, meetings, communication styles and their top tips.

Compare with the information given about your own country and decide if you would be able to adapt to that work environment.

53