graduate recruitment - ghent...

Universiteit Gent

2006-2007

Graduate Recruitment

Promotor: Scriptie voorgedragen aan de

Prof. dr. G. Jacobs Faculteit Letteren en wijsbegeerte voor

het verkrijgen van de graad Master in de Meertalige Bedrijfscommunicatie

door Charlotte Degryse

Beschrijving van de stage

Bedrijf Stagebegeleider Afdeling Taken Talen

tijdens

de stage

Stageperiode

Daikin Europe N.V.

Zandvoordestraat 300

8400 Oostende

Tel.: 059 55 81 11

Hilde Goossens

(Assistant Manager

HRM Planning)

HRM Planning Internal communication

Corporate communication

Event management

EN, NL 23/04/07 -

25/05/07

Graduate Recruitment at Daikin I

Acknowledgements

First of all, I would like to thank my internship supervisor Hilde Goossens for giving me

the opportunity to carry out my internship at a large, international company such as

Daikin Europe N.V.

In addition, I want to give many thanks to HR Communication Officer Bart Peeters, who

provided me with practical guidance and who was always there to answer my questions.

Furthermore, I want to express my gratitude to Marketing Officer Kris Jonkheere, whose

exposition of the company gave me more insight into the company‟s products and its

marketing position.

To conclude, I would like to thank Prof. dr. Geert Jacobs for his advice on how to proceed

with the writing of my dissertation and also Luc De Bie for his well-meant assistance.

Graduate Recruitment at Daikin II

Table of contents

Acknowledgements ............................................................................................ I

Table of contents ............................................................................................... II

Preface ............................................................................................................ III

Chapter 1: Company presentation ...................................................................... 1 1. History ........................................................................................................................................................ 1

2. Structure .................................................................................................................................................... 3

3. Corporate identity .................................................................................................................................. 4

4. Product range ........................................................................................................................................... 6

5. Customer profile ..................................................................................................................................... 9

6. Presentation of competitors .............................................................................................................. 11

7. The company's position ...................................................................................................................... 13

8. SWOT analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 14

Chapter 2: Graduate Recruitment ..................................................................... 16 1. The labour market situation ............................................................................................................. 17

2. What graduates want .......................................................................................................................... 17

3. What employers offer.......................................................................................................................... 20

4. Recruitment methods .......................................................................................................................... 21

5. Creativity ................................................................................................................................................. 25

6. Employer branding ............................................................................................................................... 26

7. Selection methods ................................................................................................................................ 26

8. What the future may bring ............................................................................................................... 28

Chapter 3: Description of tasks ......................................................................... 29 1. Project student sponsoring ............................................................................................................... 29

2. Intranet .................................................................................................................................................... 31

3. Daikin Bon Dance Festival ................................................................................................................. 33

4. Newsletters ............................................................................................................................................. 36

5. Various tasks .......................................................................................................................................... 38

Chapter 4: Conclusion ....................................................................................... 40

Bibliography ..................................................................................................... 41

Appendices ....................................................................................................... 45

Graduate Recruitment at Daikin III

Preface

When I heard that we could apply for an internship at a company of our choice, I

immediately thought of Daikin Europe N.V in Ostend. This company does not only enjoy a

strong reputation in the neighbourhood where I live, but it is also the European

headquarters for the multinational. After applying spontaneously, an internship offer was

sent to all MTB students. The offer was about non-commercial communication and

involved internal communication, labour market communication and staff event

management. Also an excellent knowledge of English was required. As a translator

English-Spanish, this highly varied offer strongly appealed to me. The interview I was

invited to turned out to be quite formal as at the end three people of the company were

present who asked me many questions including about the company itself. Afterwards I

was delighted to hear that I could do my internship at Daikin Europe N.V. and I looked

forward to what promised to be a very interesting and instructive time.

Graduate Recruitment at Daikin 1 Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Company presentation

The aim of this chapter is to give you an idea of the kind of company that Daikin Europe

N.V. represents. I will discuss in brief the company‟s history, its structure, corporate

identity, product range, customers, competitors and the company‟s position. At the end

of the chapter you will find a SWOT analysis in which I summarise the company‟s main

strong and weak points. The information in this chapter is derived from the website,

annual report and company presentation of Daikin Europe N.V. and Daikin Industries

Ltd., unless mentioned otherwise.

1. History

Daikin Europe N.V. is a 100% subsidiary of Daikin Industries Ltd. The latter was founded

in Japan in 1924 with the aim of manufacturing air movement equipment. As it turned

out to be a great success, the company soon expanded its activities into related areas

such as refrigerant chemicals. Daikin Industries Ltd. kept on growing as in 1958, for

example, the company introduced its first heat pump air conditioner.

Demand for Daikin's products in Europe increased and although the company had set up

a co-ordination centre in Malta in 1967 in order to improve the delivery of its products to

the European continent, Daikin Industries Ltd. established Daikin Europe N.V. in Ostend

in 1973, a location in the heart of the European Community. Next to the Daikin Europe

N.V. site in Ostend, the company has a sales office in Brussels. There is also Daikin A/C

Belgium N.V. in Waver, an affiliate which was established in 1982 and consists of 60 staff

members.

Through the years Daikin Europe N.V. gradually expanded its presence in Europe: from

Germany and Spain up to Poland and the Czech Republic, in which two production plants

were opened in 2004. In 2005, Daikin Europe N.V. was given full responsibility for the

markets in Africa and the Middle East, and officially became the sales and manufacturing

headquarters for the whole of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In 2006, Daikin Europe

N.V. opened an office in Turkey as the company started dedicating a lot of attention to

this country, a market with considerable growth potential. In January 2007, the

acquisition of O.Y.L. Industries Berhad was completed. This company is a large Malaysian

commercial air conditioning manufacturer that markets its products worldwide under the

brands McQuay, AAF International and J&E Hall.


Today, the European leader in air conditioning employs approximately 1500 employees in

Belgium and 4000 in the whole of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The Ostend site

mounts up to 150,000 m2 and consists of a production, administrative and warehousing

complex. Daikin Europe N.V. has fully owned affiliates in many countries. The company

has also established sales offices in Russia, Dubai, Turkey and Ireland.

In fiscal year 2007 – which ended in March – Daikin Europe N.V. obtained a turnover of

1.5 billion Euro. According to the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Frans Hoorelbeke,

Daikin Europe N.V aims at doubling this figure by the end of 2010. Worldwide Daikin

Industries ltd. has a turnover that amounts to 7.3 billion Euro.1

I would also like to mention that parent company Daikin Industries Ltd. is also active in

other domains which account for about 25% of the company's income. Such domains

include the production of chemicals, oil-based hydraulic and lubrication equipment as well

as vacuum pumps, cryogenics, computer graphic related products and medical

equipment. As these are not activities of Daikin Europe N.V. I will not deal with these

domains.

1 Fontaine, E. (2007), Daikin Europe haalt magische omzetkaap, De Standaard, 25

April, Online.


2. Structure

In the figure above, you can see how Daikin Europe N.V. is structured within the Daikin

Group. Note the dotted lines leading to Daikin Industries Czech Republic sro., which was

established by both Daikin Industries Ltd. and Daikin Europe N.V. I would also like to add

that this was the situation in 2006 and the company is continuously expanding.

At Daikin Europe N.V. in Ostend several divisions ensure the company‟s functioning such

as Legal Affairs, Supply Centre, Sales Division and HRM Planning & General Affairs, the

department in which I did my internship. This department is again subdivided into HRM

Planning, Personnel Operations and Development, and General Affairs. In general, HRM

Planning is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic HR systems.

Fig. 1.1: Structure of Daikin Europe N.V. from Daikin (2006) Annual Report


3. Corporate identity

Several elements make up a company‟s identity such as the mission statement. As one

can expect from a large company, it is formulated in a rather general way:

Building the strongest possible company to meet the needs of the markets we

serve will ensure that all Daikin stakeholders – customers, employees and

investors – will benefit, guaranteeing the long-term growth of our company and

the continued opportunity to better serve our customers.

More concrete are the three core values that Daikin Europe N.V. upholds: absolute

credibility, enterprising management and harmonious personal relations. Through these

key corporate principles, the company aims at achieving its final goal: becoming a global

and truly first-class company. In this light, Daikin developed its Group Philosophy,

containing ten principles that the group wants to adhere to. These principles cannot only

be found in a brochure with a gold lettered cover, but also in a small-sized booklet that

every employee has to carry in his pocket. Still, there is some room for improvement

especially concerning the implementation of the philosophy among blue collar workers, a

future project which has already been put on the agenda.

Group Philosophy: Striving to be a group that continuously evolves

1. Create new value by anticipating the future needs of customers

2. Contribute to society with world-leading technologies

3. Realize future dreams by maximizing corporate value

4. Think and act globally

5. Be a flexible and dynamic group

6. Be a company that leads in applying environmentally friendly practices

7. With our relationship with society in mind, take action and earn society's trust

8. The pride and enthusiasm of each employee are the driving forces of our group

9. Be recognised worldwide by optimally managing the organisation and its human

resources, under fast & flat management system

10. An atmosphere of freedom, boldness, and “best practice, our way”

In the principles above, fast and flat management is mentioned. What struck me when I

first arrived at the HRM Planning Department, was that the managers – including the

department‟s director and assistant - were sitting in the same room as the other

employees. In every subdivision several desks had been put together and at the head a

superior was seated. As a consequence, the superiors are highly accessible and literally

stand close to their colleagues.


In addition to the group philosophy, the company has written a handbook for corporate

ethics, aimed at providing all employees with guidelines for their decision-making. As a

manufacturing division is part of Daikin Europe N.V, numerous safety instructions have

also been listed to ensure the safety of all workers and visitors in the factories. For

example, one of the guidelines concerns the wearing of glasses at all times when walking

through the factory. During my internship, I more than once saw how supervisors

instructed people to put their glasses on.

Daikin Europe N.V. also tries to be a multicultural company (CRF 2007). In its sales office

in Brussels, for example, 18 nationalities are represented among the staff members. In

this way, Daikin Europe N.V. tries to improve its understanding of the different markets

that the company is responsible for.

The Japanese origin of parent company Daikin Industries Ltd. has led to a corporate

culture with a mix of Western and Japanese elements (CRF 2007). Key words are

continuous improvement, teamwork and consensus. At Daikin Europe N.V. consensus

means that when an employee wishes to launch a new idea, he first has to discuss the

proposal with his colleagues before presenting it to his superiors. As a result, more

support for a project is created. Another inheritance of the Japanese way of thinking is

the long-term vision of Daikin Europe N.V: the company would not invest in a project

that yields a two year return, for example, and then is terminated.

Daikin Europe N.V.‟s employees are offered several possibilities for developing their

careers (CRF 2007). People can grow horizontally and vertically, depending on their

performance evaluation and development evaluation. The first is a system through which

each employee is evaluated and receives a bonus according to what he has performed in

the last six months. The latter has been introduced more recently and offers the

employee a perspective as to how the company sees him evolving in the following two

years. Concerning training, Daikin Europe N.V. offers an extensive assortment at its own

Academy. Furthermore, the company tries to create a people-friendly environment for its

employees in general. An example is the formula in which part-time employees work full-

time during the year and in return have the school holidays off.

Other stakeholders are also taken into account. Daikin Europe N.V. organises, for

example, a Bondance Festival to which not only its employees but also its neighbours are

invited in order to show the company‟s commitment and create a kind of community

feeling.


4. Product range

Daikin Europe N.V. offers a wide range of air conditioning systems that are produced at

the Ostend plant, supported by two Czech factories. As you can see in figure 1.2, the

company‟s products can be divided into four main categories plus a residual one. For

each division the corresponding percentage is given that the division represents in the

complete product range. In the following pages, I have selected the most important

product types and tried to give a brief but clear description of these most important

product types without going into too technical details.

1) Residential Systems (42%)

This first category comprises several types of air conditioning systems which are used in

private homes. The type of air conditioning equipment firstly depends on the size of the

area it has to cool. The split systems only cover one room, while the multi-split systems

can air condition up to seven rooms. An air conditioning system always consists of a first

unit which is installed indoors and a second one outdoors − hence the name split. There

are plenty of installation possibilities: some types are mounted on the wall or stand on

the ground while others fit into a false ceiling, for example. Many of these systems are

not designed for cooling only but can also be used for heating.

Fig. 1.2: Product range of Daikin Europe N.V. from Daikin (2006) Corporate Presentation


A total solution is offered by Altherma, which was introduced in March 2006: home

heating, sanitary hot water and moderate cooling with high energy efficiency. The system

can be used as an alternative to a fossil fuel boiler. In addition, it is three to five times

more efficient thanks to heat pump technology: the system extracts heat from the

outside air, even on cold days. Cooling is obtained by circulating cooled water through

radiators and underfloor heating systems. It was developed as an answer to current

increasing energy costs and a high environmental impact.

A last type of residential equipment is Ururu Sarara (Japanese for humidifying and

dehumidifying). This system − introduced in May 2006 − is the world‟s first split air

conditioner that humidifies and dehumidifies without an external water source. This

product was developed to give added value to air conditioning: it does not only cool the

air down, but it also puts an end to dry indoor air in winter and damp air in summer. This

system won the first prize at the Enéo Exhibition 2007, France‟s leading exhibition on

energy and climate control.

2) Light Commercial Systems (19%)

This category includes the Sky Air Comfort Inverter. Let me explain what this air

conditioning system is about. Firstly, the element sky means that it is a unit which is

concealed in the ceiling. Secondly, it makes use of an inverter: air conditioning systems

without inverter control are active until a certain temperature is reached, then they stop

producing cooled air. At the moment temperature rises again, they need to restart and

cool the warmed air down. As the system is always going from on to off, it uses a lot of

energy. Inverter technology, on the other hand, reduces temperature fluctuations by

cutting start up time, which results in lower energy use and a more accurate room

temperature. This type of air conditioning system is often used in small shops.

3) Large Commercial Systems (24%)

In this category, Daikin Europe N.V. has developed VRV air conditioning (Variable

Refrigerant Volume). These systems are used for comfort cooling and can be found in

restaurants, offices, hospitals, shops, etc. In this area, the Daikin Group is the world

leader with more than 50% market share.

Again many variants in the outdoor and indoor units have been developed. A recent

novelty in this area is the round flow cassette: this indoor unit releases from the ceiling a

360° radial airflow which makes sure that the people present no longer feel any draught.

Again efforts were made to increase the system‟s energy efficiency.


4) Applied Systems (3%)

While in VRV refrigerants are used, applied systems make use of water circuits. These

product types are used for process cooling and heating in, for example, wine cellars,

maritime transport and the pharmaceutical industry. A more concrete example of the use

of these systems is the ice rink in Ostend which offers people lots of skating pleasure

during the Christmas holidays. Moreover, these systems can be combined with fan coil

units for comfort cooling and heating in hotels, offices, restaurants and even private

homes.

5) Others (12%)

This fifth residual category comprises among other things air purifiers. Since the number

of people suffering from asthma and allergic diseases is on the rise, concern for good

quality air has increased as well. Not only dust mites and pollen can be filtered out but

also other substances such as tobacco smoke.

Control systems are also part of this category: highly sophisticated and computerised

networks which regulate the air temperature by means of, for example, an infrared

remote control or an intelligent manager on a server computer.

A last example are ventilation systems. They take out dirty indoor air and push in fresh

outdoor air while exchanging heat and humidity between both types of air, which reduces

energy loss. This system can also be integrated with an air conditioning system. The

ventilation can work independently when the air conditioning is turned off.

Conclusion

Traditionally, Daikin was specialised in the area of large commercial systems (VRV), but

also in residential systems as these products have more or less been developed on the

basis of the same technology. In marketing terms, this is called direct expansion. In

addition, Daikin has always been active in the field of applied systems, but there the

company only managed to conquer a 3% market share. In January 2007, however,

Daikin acquired OYL Industries, the world‟s fourth largest manufacturer of applied

systems, strengthening the company‟s position in this product area. Moreover, Daikin is

more and more expanding its activities into fields related to air conditioning such as the

heating sector. Although it is a different sector, the company can use its knowledge of air

conditioning technology to develop these related products.


5. Customer profile Who are Daikin Europe N.V.‟s customers? And where are they located? This paragraph

formulates an answer to these questions. I obtained most of my information from

Daikin‟s Corporate Presentation and from the interview with Marketing Officer Kris

Jonckheere who I interviewed to gain more insight into the matter.

Although the actual users of Daikin Europe N.V.‟s air conditioning systems are shop

owners, industrial companies, private users, etc. − depending on the product category −

they are not the company‟s real customers. Instead, it are distributors who buy the

company‟s products and act as an intermediary between Daikin Europe N.V. and the end

users of the air conditioning systems.

As you can see in the left graph of figure 1.3, the majority of Daikin Europe N.V.‟s

customers (88%) are affiliated distributors such as Daikin A/C France S.A.S and Daikin

A/C Italy SpA, for example. They are fully owned subsidiaries of Daikin Europe N.V.,

which, in other words, means it is the company itself that is present in numerous

countries all over Europe. The remaining distributors (12%) are non-affiliates such as

Friganor in Norway and sales offices such as the Daikin sales base in Ireland. These non-

affiliate distributors are mostly situated in countries that Daikin Europe N.V. has only

recently entered.

What often happens is that an independent distributor is acquired and becomes an

affiliate. This vertical integration has truly become a trend in the air conditioning sector.

A recent example of Daikin Europe‟s vertical integration is the Dutch Itho Airconditioning

Fig. 1.3: Daikin Europe N.V.’s sales presence from Daikin (2006) Corporate Presentation


B.V., which had been a distributor of Daikin Europe N.V. since 1967 and was taken over

in April 2007 and renamed Daikin Airconditioning Netherlands B.V. In this way, Daikin

Europe N.V. will be able to influence the course of the Dutch company directly and

stipulate its marketing strategies.

Distributors of Daikin Europe N.V.‟s products include wholesalers, installers, mass

distribution channels such as the Spanish El Corte Inglés, home appliance shops such as

Krefel and architectural firms. Daikin Europe N.V. mainly focuses on installers in contrast

to mass distribution channels, for example. The latter purchase air conditioning systems

in larger quantities but at a lower price, with less profit for Daikin Europe N.V. as a

result, whereas the former buy smaller quantities but at a higher price. As installers need

to be able to compete with mass distribution channels, they offer a wider range of

products with more technical specifications such as a movement sensor, for example. In

mass distribution channels, the product range is limited and contains less additional

options. It needs to be mentioned that this focus in addition depends on the market

itself. In Southern Europe, for example, Daikin Europe N.V. concentrates its sales efforts

more on installers of residential equipment, where demand for these systems is much

higher due to the warmer climate.

In the graph at the right in figure 1.3, you can find the location of the distributors

expressed in percentages in respectively Europe (92%), the Middle East (3%), Russia

and the Commonwealth of Independent States (3%), and Africa (2%). As said in

paragraph 1 Daikin Europe N.V.‟s sales amounted to 1.5 billion Euro in financial year

2006. Of this record figure approximately one billion was obtained in only three European

countries: France, Spain and Italy. As a result, these three markets will continue to

receive the necessary attention in the future.


6. Presentation of competitors

As you have read in paragraph 4, the range of Daikin‟s air conditioning systems is

subdivided into four categories: residential, light commercial, large commercial and

applied systems. I have tried to use more or less the same division to give you a clear

overview of Daikin‟s competitors for each product category. Again, Marketing Officer Kris

Jonckheere provided me with valuable information.

Residential & Light Commercial

In this product range, three groups of competitors can be distinguished.

Firstly, there are the Korean companies such as LG, which is the largest manufacturer as

for quantity. Another example is Samsung which offers a considerably wide product

assortment. What these Korean competitors have in common is that they focus on a fair

price/quality ratio. This means that they are neither very cheap nor superior in quality,

but they succeed in keeping both these factors balanced.

A second group of competitors are the Chinese, who have founded many air conditioning

companies such as Haier and Gree. The marketing strategy that these companies have

adopted is offering their products at the lowest price possible. In other words, they try to

be the cheapest one.

The third group are the Japanese, to which Daikin belongs as well. Names of famous

competitors are Mitshubishi (Electric and Heay), Panasonic and Fujitsu. For these

companies high technology is the key to success. They develop advanced products with

many specifications, not to be the cheapest, but to be the best and most innovative one.

In this light, Daikin devised, for example, Ururu Sarara, the world‟s first split air

conditioner that humidifies and dehumidifies without an external water source.

Large Commercial

In this area of mainly VRV systems, the number of competitors is on the rise. Not only

other Japanese manufacturers are entering this market, but also Korean and Chinese

companies are starting to offer these products since they have smelt money. These

products have larger profit margins and are therefore more attractive to develop.


Applied systems

Here, it are especially the Americans that pose a threat to Daikin‟s product range.

Examples of competitors are Carrier and Trane. If you want to include European

competition, than it is also in this product area that European competitors can be found

as the remaining product categories are too expensive to be produced on European

grounds. It are especially Italian companies such as Aermec.

Others

As mentioned before, Daikin Europe N.V. is expanding its activities into areas related to

air conditioning systems. Consequently, the company is being confronted with new

competitors. With the development of Altherma, for example, Daikin Europe N.V. entered

the heating market and now also receives competition from companies such as Vaillant,

for example.


7. The company's position

Daikin Europe N.V. is clearly not alone in the air conditioning sector. Depending on the

product type, there are a number of global players that offer competition. It is up to

Daikin Europe N.V. to develop and present its products in a way that differentiates them

from its competitors.

Daikin‟s unique selling proposition comes down to a combination of two factors: quality

and innovation. The first factor is not easy to determine: at which point is one product of

better quality than another one? Moreover, many other Japanese companies manufacture

high quality air conditioning systems too. The second factor, innovation, means that

Daikin Europe N.V. aims to develop unique systems in each product category.

In residential systems, for example, there is Ururu Sarara − which I have already

mentioned twice before − the world‟s first split air conditioner that humidifies and

dehumidifies without an external water source. In the area of light commercial systems,

the round flow cassette − which puts an end to draught − is an innovation of Daikin

Europe N.V. Concerning large commercial systems, Daikin invented the VRV. What

makes this system unique is, for example, the automated charging and checking. Also

the first water cooled VRV is an invention of Daikin. In the area of large commercial,

Daikin was the first to develop a chiller that operates on inverter technology.

In the future, it will be hard for the company to keep on launching new products. The

company can, however, continue to refine the techniques it invented. Also the use of

alternative energy sources does spread the way for a spectrum of possibilities such as

connecting solar panels to an air conditioning system, for example.

Not only the upcoming decline of innovation is something Daikin Europe N.V. has to take

into account. There are also two other factors that threaten the company's position.

Firstly, there is the possibility that environmental regulations are approved that severely

damage Daikin Europe N.V. As air conditioning systems use much energy, emit CO2 and

often operate on refrigerants, Daikin Europe N.V. is aware of the possibility that rigid

laws could mean the end of many of Daikin's products. Secondly, there is the pressure on

prices. Many of Daikin Europe N.V.'s competitors manufacture their products in low-wage

countries, but also the price of precious metals such as copper are on the rise.


8. SWOT analysis

Strengths Weaknesses

History of success

Presence in numerous European countries

Product innovation

Possible decline of innovation possibilities

Opportunities Threats

Further expansion

Global warming & air pollution

Increasing use of alternative energy sources

Environmental regulations

Pressure on prices

Strengths

History of success

Daikin Europe N.V. was created by Daikin Industries Ltd., a company with more than 80

years of experience. Since its establishment in 1973, Daikin Europe N.V. has

continuously been growing and for 2010 the company even predicts to double its

turnover.

Presence in numerous European countries

In the 1990s the company started to expand by quickly creating affiliates in various

European countries. Also sales offices have been established which together with the

affiliates cover a large region in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Product innovation

In order to beat competition, Daikin Europe N.V. keeps on developing new techniques to

come up with the most innovative high quality products. Daikin Europe N.V. has also

developed total solutions: cooling, heating and controlling humidity, all in one.

Weaknesses

Possible decline of innovation possibilities

Daikin Europe N.V. has to anticipate a possible decline in innovations in the future. The

company has recently combined cooling with heating and in this way entered the heating

market. It is however unclear how quickly technology will continue to advance.


Opportunities

Further expansion

Although the company is already present in many European countries and even beyond

the European borders, there still remain markets to explore and acquisitions to be made.

Global warming & air pollution

As our climate is changing and the air becomes more and more polluted, demand will rise

for equipment that can provide cool and clean indoor air.

Increasing use of alternative energy sources

As people are starting to use alternative sources for energy like solar panels, for

example, it offers Daikin Europe N.V. the opportunity of developing air conditioning

systems that use these types of energy sources.

Threats

Environmental regulations

Daikin Europe N.V. has to take into account that as a consequence of the alarming news

concerning global warming, governments might decide to change regulations making it

impossible for Daikin Europe N.V. to keep on working as it has done up to now. Again, it

is up to the company to anticipate this possible threat.

Pressure on prices

The fact that several competitors of Daikin Europe N.V. are manufacturing their products

in low-wage countries could pose a serious threat to the company if prices continue to

rise in Europe. Moreover, precious metals that are used to manufacture air conditioning

systems are becoming more expensive.


Chapter 2: Graduate Recruitment

The reason why I chose graduate recruitment as the topic of this chapter, is that during

my internship at Daikin Europe N.V. I worked on a project in this area of human

resources management. On page 29 in the following chapter, you will find more details

on the assignment I was given and the report I wrote on it. In addition, I was personally

interested in learning more about this so-called war for talent which is raging fiercely

these days not only in our country but also abroad.

I would also like to note that it is important to distinguish graduate recruitment from

graduate selection. The first is about the efforts that companies undertake to attract

graduates - or students who are about to obtain their degree - in order to fill their

vacancies. Whereas the latter deals with the ways in which employers screen, test and

assess graduates who have already shown an interest in the vacancies that they are

offering. This chapter is mainly about graduate recruitment, although I chose to discuss a

few interesting methods used in graduate selection as well.

As there is a lot to be said about graduate recruitment, I limited myself to the

recruitment of white collar workers. Therefore, I will not discuss how companies are

trying to attract skilled technical workers, which represents another subdivision of labour

market communication.

I found most of my information in articles from online journal databases and on company

websites. Some of the information is typically oriented towards the British labour market,

but since Britain is more or less confronted with similar challenges as we are here in

Belgium, I believe these sources should not be neglected.

First, I am going to tell you something more about the labour market situation. Then,

you will read about what graduates are looking for in a job and an employer. You will

also find out more about what companies are offering graduates nowadays to attract

them to come and work for them. I will continue by discussing some recruitment

methods that are frequently used for approaching graduates. I will also briefly deal with

the concept of employer branding before elaborating on a few selection methods that are

used in the recruitment process. In the final part, you will read about what the future

may hold in store for students graduating in a couple of years‟ time.


1. The labour market situation

At first sight, things are going well in our country: the number of vacancies rose by 30%

in 2006 and 80% of all VDAB vacancies were filled (Mouton 2006a). Nevertheless, in

reality companies are complaining about failing to attract the right employees. One of the

various explanations concerns the continuous decrease of young potential employees

(Rasking 2007). In 2005, the number of Belgians aged 15-30 had already dropped by

5.8% in comparison to 1996. Furthermore, it is predicted that in Europe the proportion of

young people aged 15-19 will fall from 7 to 5 per cent by the year 2035 (Kandola et al

2001).

Although this is bad news for companies, it is not for young adults who have better

chances at finding a job: the unemployment rate among people up to 30 years old has

decreased by 18% in Flanders in ten years‟ time (Rasking 2007). Moreover, Belgium is

not an exception. If you look at Britain – where intensive surveying is carried out by the

Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) - graduate vacancies alone climbed by 16.7%

between 2005 and 2006 (AGR 2006). For this year, organisations even predict an 18.4%

increase on a European scale (AGR 2007).

All these figures clearly show that competition between companies for hiring the best

employees - and best graduates – is getting more severe than ever. Employers have no

other option than further developing their strategies for graduate recruitment.

2. What graduates want

Evolution of generations

The expectations of graduates who start looking for a job have clearly changed over the

years (Buckley 2002). While the Baby Boomers believed in the „live to work‟ philosophy,

generation X – those who are now in their thirties and forties – found that there was

more in life than working alone. Generation Y – now in their twenties - have inherited

this vision of working life: they aim at maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

As the Chief Executive of the UK Association of Graduate Recruiters, puts it: “this

generation of graduates works to live, instead of living to work.” Today‟s graduates read

about burn-out in the newspaper and hear about relationship problems on TV.

Consequently, they want to avoid these problems by means of flexible working

arrangements such as home working, flexitime and job sharing for example.


However, this hypothesis has to be put into perspective. In 2001, employment agency

Randstad started with the election of the most attractive employer of the year (Randstad

2007). This Randstad Award is the result of a survey based on the public opinion. People

were questioned about how important several criteria are in their choice of an employer.

In the survey of 2007 the work-life balance turned out to be more important to people

older than 25 than it is for those aged between 18 and 24 – which contradicts the

assumed generation difference.

Anyway, this balanced work-lifestyle on its own is not enough (Buckley 2002). Many

students want to stand on their own feet and need the money to do so. Furthermore, all

possible benefits that graduates may obtain from joining a company do not outweigh the

job content itself which has to interest them. Graduates want to feel good in what they

are doing.

Four types of graduates

The Belgian market research agency Synovate Censydiam conducted a survey into the

needs and wishes of recent graduates. As a result, the agency was able to divide

graduates into four different categories: challengers, social networkers, security

searchers and careerists (Mouton 2006).

Challengers – who make up 44% of all graduates surveyed - are young people who want

to explore their boundaries in a varied job. They want to work in a dynamic and young

environment and prefer to function independently. The international aspect of their

career is of high importance to them. Companies that challengers feel most attracted to

are, for example, Philips, Unilever and P&G.

The second group is called social networkers and represents 30% of the surveyed

population. These graduates are most interested in social interaction: meeting new

people and being on good terms with colleagues and superiors. They prefer to work in a

company with a flat hierarchy. Teamwork and open communication are important to

them. Also the organisation of extraprofessional activities is something that they value

highly. Examples of companies that social networkers would like to work at are Roularta

and Janssen Pharmaceutica.

A third category consists of security searchers who stand for 20% of the respondents.

After leaving the familiarity of their student life, these people are looking for a new form

of structure and security. Finding tenured employment is one of their main goals. They

want an experienced supervisor who guides them on their way. Security searchers prefer


to work in a company that enjoys a solid reputation such as Bekaert and Coca Cola, but

also the government and non profit sector appeal to them.

Careerists make up the last group of graduates and represent only 6% of the graduates

surveyed. These people like strong hierarchical companies where they can achieve a

certain status as they are working their way to the top. They like to carry responsibility

and feel the need to prove themselves. Money is definitely a stimulating factor to them.

Companies in the financial sector such as Dexia and Fortis are examples of desired

employers and so is IBM.

If companies keep these different types of graduates in mind together with their

corresponding needs, they can tailor their recruitment campaigns to a specific target

group and optimise their results.

Factors of attractiveness

Several factors determine whether a company is attractive as a future employer or not.

In the Randstad Award 2007 survey respondents could indicate how important each of

eight criteria is in their choice of an employer: salary, security, company health, working

atmosphere, job content, work-life balance, future possibilities and location. In figure

2.1, people aged between 18 and 24 are represented by the blue line. In comparison

with people older than them, they attach more importance to salary and future

possibilities and less to the company‟s financial health, job security and a good work-life

balance.

Figure 2.1: cobweb of important criteria in the choice of

employer according to age (from Randstad 2007)


A survey among UK graduates shows us that indeed security has become less important

(Kandola et al 2001). More and more, graduates are considering companies as „stepping

stones‟: they built their career by going from one company to another. The most

important factors of attractiveness for graduates include training and development

opportunities, the type of work and the type of people they have to work with.

Sector

Randstad conducted a survey in the light of its Randstad Award 2007 and found that for

people aged 18-24 their sector of preference are the media, valued highly for its working

atmosphere. Next is the IT sector, characterised by its high wages, job security, training

possibilities and future perspectives. At the third place is the world of banking and

assurances, an attractive sector for its work-life balance (Randstad 2007).

3. What employers offer

As the expectations of graduates have evolved, employers have had to adjust their

offering (Lovewell 2004). One of the factors that graduates take into account concerns

the benefits that they obtain from starting their career at a certain company. Figure 2.2

lists the top 5 benefits that came out of a survey conducted in Britain in 2004 by the

Association of Graduate Recruiters.

Top Benefits for Graduates

Pension scheme 87%

Training for professional qualifications 81%

Free/subsidised sports and leisure facilities 55%

Private healthcare 50%

Share options/schemes 40%

Figure 2.2: top benefits (from AGR Survey 2004)

Pension schemes are the most commonly offered benefit to British graduates. To start

saving for when you retire may seem a good idea to many graduates. Not all of them,

however, will understand the importance of this benefit. They will be more attracted by

interest-free loans – already offered by PricewaterhouseCoopers in Britain.

Training comes second in the ranking of top benefits. Although students have a

reputation of choosing partying over studying, most of them are ambitious and willing to

work hard. Therefore, many graduates are interested in knowing more about further

study opportunities that the company offers.


At the third place we find free or subsidised sports and leisure facilities. This position can

be explained by the work-life balance that graduates value highly and that companies

take into account. An example is the travel allowance of £500 that all employees of the

UK student travel organisation STA Travel receive each year. Moreover, after working at

the company for two years, all staff can take a three-month period of leave.

Private healthcare and share options appear to be offered less frequently to attract

graduates. This can again be due to the lack of immediate gain. The prospect of a trendy

company car can be much more tempting than the financial security of health insurance.

Besides these five benefits, numerous variations exist from travel allowances and free

child care to a free membership card at a sports club. Still, the attractiveness of these

benefits has to be put into perspective since only one-in-four graduates wants to start

working straight after obtaining a degree. The remaining three-quarters prefer to go

travelling, to work temporarily, or they are in doubt about what they want to do next.

4. Recruitment methods

To attract graduates with the right profile different methods are used, each with its own

strengths and weaknesses. Companies obtain the most effective result through an

integrated approach in which several of the following methods – non-exhaustively listed

and in random order – are combined.

Traditional job advertisements

Employers need to differentiate themselves in order to stand out in the pool of graduate

seeking companies (Booth 2003). The way to do so is not by composing glossy brochures

with smiling employees and a list of offered benefits. Students like to hear the truth

about what they may expect and this with a creative lay-out. UK multinational Diageo –

producer of alcoholic drinks – devised a pink brochure in cocktail menu style titled „The

Right Mix‟. Inside graduates could find information on the company‟s brands. In this way,

graduates were confronted with the drinks they were already familiar with in order to

make the link with the producing company as a potential employer.

Company websites

According to research of the Belgian accounting staffing agency Accountemps, company

websites, together with online vacancy databases, are the best graduate recruitment

instruments. (Mouton 2006b).


As the world of IT is constantly evolving, organisations have to keep up with new

technologies, which goes far beyond putting a brochure on the company website

(Kubicek 2007). It is now possible to turn a website into an interactive experience. For

example, UK company Transport for London has put flashy video fragments of graduates

on its website last year and saw the number and quality of candidates going up. The

company also developed an online „scheme matcher‟, a tool that by means of six

questions gives graduates an answer to what programme suits them best. In this way

graduates gain a clear insight into the different profile types that the company is looking

for.

Vacancy databases

Vacancy databases are frequently consulted by graduate job seekers (JIR 2006).

Monster.be - launched in 1999 – is an international job site which is successfully used in

Belgium. In 2005, its number of vacancies rose by 120% and its number of visitors by

27% in comparison to the year before. Graduates can also post their CV on the website

so companies can see which profiles are looking for a job.

Furthermore, a UK study conducted by Barkers HR advertising, City University Business

School and Konetic Recruitment showed that online recruitment may discourage female

graduates (Czerny 2004). According to the study, 25% of the recruiters surveyed had

witnessed a significant fall in female applications after moving their recruitment online.

Women appeared to feel more uncomfortable about the online recruitment process

because they did not find it personal enough. On the other hand, most graduates seem

to understand the benefits graduate recruitment holds for them and for the company. It

is mainly individual attention that is lost in recruitment online.

Internships/training

Another way of recruiting graduates is by offering them an internship. In this way,

graduates are given the opportunity to practice their knowledge and skills in a real

working situation. Training courses are becoming more popular as well (HR update

2007). For example, Business intelligence software producer SAS is organising a Summer

Boot Camp in Belgium this year. During a month of training, students will learn more

about this field of computer technology. In addition to a remuneration, they have the

chance of being offered a position at SAS or at one of the sponsoring companies. They

can also take an exam to obtain a certificate of the training course.


Relationships with universities

A trend that can be observed concerns the relationships between companies and

universities (Brooks 2005). Through their connection with educational institutes,

organisations can, for example, promote their internships. Other companies offer projects

for students to work on, which provides them with information on where talent lies. At

the same time, organisations raise awareness among students who may take them into

account when they start looking for a job. Guest lectures are another example of how

organisations can obtain information on future graduates to use in recruitment

campaigns.

Job fairs

Belgium‟s largest national job fair is Career Launch: organised by career medium Jobat

with 71 companies present and 6,000 registered visitors in Louvain in 2006 (Raskin

2006). As it is already the fair‟s ninth edition, it is clear that this recruitment method is a

successful one. Companies use a job fair to select a large number of potential employees

on one day, while graduates have the opportunity to approach several companies of their

choice in a relatively easy way.

Job fairs are also organised by the institutions of higher education themselves. Next to a

multitude of companies that are present, students often have the opportunity to have

their CV analysed and attend company presentations.

Job Days

Companies also organise their own open days to recruit new talent such as the Career

Opportunities Day of display manufacturer Barco (Barco 2007). In that way, graduates

can see for themselves what the company is like and obtain a first impression. They can

also talk to present employees and may even be asked to return for a formal job

interview.

Awards

A recent trend in the search for talent is creating a competition and rewarding its winner.

The Belgian advertising agency IAB, for example, is awarding a prize for the best

dissertation on a subject in the field of digital and interactive marketing. Again, it is the

company‟s intention to find new talent and to promote its name (IAB 2007).


Student sponsoring

Another relatively new recruitment method is student sponsoring. If you take a look at

the website of the student association of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics

Engineers in Louvain, you can see that they are actively looking for sponsors to finance

their activities (IEEE 2007). They have different degrees of sponsors according to the

amount of money they invest in the association: platinum (e.g. technology multinational

ABB), gold (e.g. steel factory Sidmar) and silver (e.g. internet bank Keytrade Bank). In

return the sponsor‟s logo is put on the shirts of the association‟s soccer team and on

posters for all events. In addition, company visits can be arranged, a reception can be

held, etc.

Special events

De Nacht van het Examen (The Night of the Exam) is an initiative of career medium

Jobat and newspaper De Standaard (AN 2007). During this eighth edition, 6,000 students

filled out 50 multiple choice questions at the cinema Kinepolis Antwerp, Ghent or

Louvain. Afterwards they could watch the avant-première of a top film. Prizes included a

car, bicycles, city trips, film tickets, etc. The 60 smartest participants were invited to an

assessment centre and were possibly offered a job by one of the event‟s sponsors. An

excellent way to attract many students, find the more intelligent ones and promote the

use of Jobat as the starting point of graduates‟ careers.

In the UK, Grey Advertising came up with the idea of setting up its own version of Big

Brother for one day (Wheeler 2003). The agency put 25 graduates inside the famous

house to test their creativity and ability to work in group. Afterwards the best performing

graduates were offered several job possibilities. Grey advertising admits, however, that

the event is mainly aimed at promoting the agency itself instead of finding excellent

recruits.

In imitation of speed-dating there is now speed-recruitment (Personnel Today 2004). In

London city institutions organised these face to face interviews of only ten minutes.

Other companies such as professional services firms Deloitte and KPMG tried out this new

cost-effective recruitment method.

New technological methods

The internet and other technological advancements have had a considerable impact on

the way in which recruitment is conducted in organisations.


UK Management consultancy company Accenture does not only have podcasts and

podscrolls – downloadable formats to play on screens of portable media players - but

also career blogs (Kubicek 2007). Also UK confectionery firm Cadbury Schweppes uses

these media as part of their graduate recruitment (Berry 2006). On these blogs

graduates can read about the experiences of current employees. Although there is the

risk that graduates read negative comments that employees have posted, positive

remarks come across as highly trustworthy.

Companies who are active in the field of technology have to come up with even more

innovative recruitment methods (Kubicek 2007). Google and Yahoo have developed an

online competition game, named Topcoder. Anyone can play but only the winner is

rewarded with a job at the company. Such games not only attract the attention of

internet loving graduates, it also gives the company an excellent instrument to separate

the wheat from the chaff.

Still, Accenture – with its podcasts, podscrolls and blogs – believes that these new

methods alone are not enough (Kubicek 2007). It is about creating a mixture of

traditional recruitment methods and new ones. The company believes that a face-to-face

interview, for example, is an essential part of recruitment.

5. Creativity

How are companies fighting the war for talent in Belgium? Well, it is mainly up to

recruiters to come up with a creative concept that grabs graduates‟ attention (ER 2007).

Marketing agency 24AM, for example, placed a large balloon with the data of the

company along the motorway, effective and not expensive.

Nevertheless, according to Laurent Lejeune of advertising agency Duval Guillaume,

Belgian companies are rather conservative and reluctant to resort to wild ideas (ER

2007). Currently, the challenge is to find an original way of communicating a job day, for

example, by means of a SMS campaign, an inventive mailing, a good website. It should

not get too spectacular as otherwise graduates would come to the event for the wrong

reasons.

Creativity should not be limited to an original idea for developing a recruitment campaign

(Rasking 2006). It goes far beyond that. For example, Belgian forklift truck manufacturer

Thermote & Vanhalst set up a network of neighbouring companies of the same sector to

exchange applicants‟ CV‟s and also organise a job day together.


6. Employer branding

In the world of marketing, the concept of employer branding is more frequently being

used (Bogaard 2003). Whereas a product brand has to do with values that are important

to customers, an employer brand has to do with values that are important to employees.

In other words, it is about that which attracts current and potential employees to come

and work in a certain company. The key to employer branding is consistency: the

company's communication and actions have to be in line with the values it stands for.

An example of employment branding is the slogan of UK super market chain Sainsbury's

„The only thing we label is our food‟ (Turner 2004). With this phrase the company wants

to stress its openness towards diversity. Another example is UK banking and insurance

group Lloyds TSB with „Your life, your career, your bank‟, which is used for internal

documents to staff members but also in graduate recruitment campaigns.

Companies are now examining how they can make their company the employer of choice

(Randstad 2007). A company can actively work on its image as an employer, but it has

to keep in mind that its own communication only affects 20% of its image; the remaining

80% is formed by what the company does and what it is involved in.

In the Randstad Award 2007 survey the notoriety of many leading Belgian companies

was measured together with their attractiveness as a work place (Randstad 2007). For

people aged 18-24, pharmaceutical company Solvay turned out to be the most attractive

employer followed by Janssen Pharmaceutica – the winner of the award – and consumer

goods manufacturer P&G.

7. Selection methods

There are several ways of reducing the large volume of applicants to a selection of the

most suitable candidates (Carless 2007). Many organisations combine different

procedures, which suggests that each method has its benefits and that no method on its

own provides enough information to make the decision of hiring the candidate or not.

Interviews

One of the most traditional selection methods are the face-to-face interviews, as well as

telephone interviews which are also frequently used (Silvester 2000). Telephone

interviews offer the advantage of reducing costs and providing access to applicants living

at a long distance. A UK study found that graduates interviewed by telephone received a

significantly lower score than when they were interviewed in person. Moreover,


applicants who were interviewed face-to-face after a telephone interview obtained a

higher score for the face-to-face interview. A possible explanation can be found in a lack

of nonverbal communication.

The importance of nonverbal communication has also come out of an international survey

of the accounting staffing agency Accountemps. It has shown that during application

interviews 23% of the managers surveyed pay more attention to the appearance of the

candidate than the content of what he or she is saying (Accountemps 2007).

Tests

More and more, employers are opting for online testing to obtain benefits such as

increased speed, lower costs, and a higher objectivity (Hall 2005). US company 3M has

received more applications since it brought its testing online, but the screening process

enables them to reduce the number of applicants they invite for an interview.

Nevertheless, employers have to pay attention to the security of tests, the standards that

are used and the control over the entire process.

Assessment centres

Today, assesment centres are one of the most popular selection methods that recruiters

use to check if applicants possess the skills and knowledge they claim to have (VDAB

2001). Through observation of the applicant‟s behaviour in practical assignments,

recruiters want to predict how he or she will function in real life. Although this selection

method is already frequently used in our country, assessment centres are even more

popular in the UK and Australia (Carless 2007).

MySpace and Google

With the help of the internet, companies can easily look up information on graduates

(Kubicek 2007). Many students have their own MySpace website on which they post

personal data and photos. Also Google and other search engines prove to be useful tools

for checking out potential employees. In the United States, the National Association of

Colleges and Employers (NACE) found in a study of 2006 that 11.1% of respondents

claimed to have plans to review profiles on social networking sites such as MySpace

(NACE 2006). Although 10% may not be a high number, 40% of employers were merely

undecided. In addition, more than 60% said that the information encountered on such

sites has at least some influence on the company‟s selection decisions.


8. What the future may bring

Since we live in times of technological progress and the internet is already used for

several purposes - among them graduate recruitment - it is not hard to imagine things to

be taken a few steps further. The first signs are already there: international directory

company Yell created a virtual world site, called Second Life, where people can create

their own virtual character and lead a „second life‟ (Kubicek 2007). This new life is not

only about having fun: the virtual world has its own economy and own currency. On this

site, Yell is also active in the field of graduate recruitment. Employees of the company

communicate with the inhabitants of the virtual world and refer them to Yell‟s jobsite.

The company recognises that this is not the most effective way of recruitment. The main

intention of the site is, however, to engage people with the brand in an innovative way

and reach people it otherwise would not reach at all. Second Life‟s success has not gone

unnoticed however. Vacature, for example, has built a Career City in the virtual world

where company presentations are given, workshops are held, and even after-work

parties are organised (Vacature 2007).


Chapter 3: Description of tasks

1. Project student sponsoring

As large multinational, Daikin Europe N.V. is always on the look-out for new talent to

enforce its staff. Currently, the company is making use of several methods of graduate

recruitment such as putting vacancies on their website, advertising on vacancy databases

and recruiting on job fairs. Student sponsoring, however, is not one of them. As you have

read in the previous chapter, sponsoring student associations is a relatively new method

being used in the field of graduate recruitment. First, I will explain what the assignment

entailed and how I proceeded. Then, I will continue with the feedback I received and

what I learnt from the project.

Assignment

I was given the task of developing a first outline of a student sponsoring plan, which

would then be presented to the manager of the HR department. It would be up to him to

decide whether Daikin Europe N.V. was going to invest in the sponsoring of student

associations or not. You can find the general planning of the student sponsoring project

on page 46. The second part on page 50 is specifically about what the sponsoring can

entail on the student associations‟ websites.

Execution

Before I could start looking up information, I defined the target student groups. As Daikin

Europe N.V. is mainly searching for engineers (industrial, civil and commercial) plus

economists, I drew up a list of the institutions that offer such education programmes and

this within the boundaries of West & East Flanders and Brussels. I excluded Antwerp,

Limburg and the Walloon provinces because it seems unlikely that students studying in

those regions would want to spend more than three hours a day on transport while there

are many other potential employers located nearby.

I continued by listing the student associations that were connected to the found

institutions and the corresponding study programmes. Moreover, I consulted the

associations‟ websites to find out more about their size, their activities and sponsors. In

order to select the most appropriate associations, I evaluated them according to four

criteria which each equalised a specific weight in the calculation of their final score.

Furthermore, the three associations with the highest score were selected as focus groups

that consequently would receive the largest budget. In comparison to what I found on


student sponsoring on the IEEE web site (see previous chapter), I created three types of

sponsorship, each with its corresponding benefits and budget.

When I finally composed the PowerPoint – frequently used at Daikin Europe N.V. for

many kinds of presentations – I realised I also needed to add some examples of

companies that are already sponsoring these associations to show the necessity of

investing in this kind of sponsorship. I also expanded on the aim of the project as this is

crucial information for the manager.

In part two, I wrote about how the sponsorship can be made clear on the associations‟

website. I noticed that on some of those websites banners of sponsoring companies had

been placed to attract graduates‟ attention. In addition, the banners often serve as a link

to the company‟s website or a separate job site created for graduates in particular. After

analysing such banners and job sites of a few companies, I came to the conclusion that

an original banner should be created which leads to a site targeted at graduates

specifically. I also added some details about possible content and lay-out of the job site.

Feedback

In the beginning, I put both parts in one document because it all concerned the same

project. However, I was given the remark that it would be better to split it up into two

parts as there was a clear distinction about the general outline which was to be

presented to the manager and the other part which at a first stage was less important

since it was a further elaboration on the first part. I agreed that it was better to deal with

the two things separately.

At first, I also had remained rather vague on the budget because I did not really know

how much a company is willing to spend on student sponsorship. I was given the remark

that in business it are the numbers that matter most, so I had to find out more about a

possible budget distribution. The site of the IEEE student branch with its subdivision into

three kinds of sponsorship and corresponding budget proved to be useful.

Evaluation

Although I already knew that every kind of communication has to be adjusted to a

specific target group, I was confronted with a few concrete examples in which it is

important to keep this principle in mind. It was also interesting to see how a company

constantly has to keep track of trends in the continuously evolving business world.


2. Intranet

Daikin Europe N.V. makes use of an intranet to provide its employees with the

information they need: who is who at the different departments, details on future events,

etc. Still, this information was rather limited and needed to be extended. When my

internship at Daikin Europe N.V. started, the HRM Planning Department had already

decided to set up a service desk for all HR related matters. This desk was to be

integrated into the existing intranet.

2.1. Setup of the HR Service Desk

In team, I worked on the content of the new service desk. The aim was mainly about

providing basic practical information, required documents and details of contact persons.

My task was to gather the information and the corresponding documents from the

appropriate people. I thereupon wrote texts, which were adapted by colleagues, then

printed and handed over to managers for approval and sent back for further adaptation.

After receiving the final approval, I put the data online with the programme Lotus Notes ,

which was also used for e-mail. You can see an example of a page being edited on page

53. In the end, the service desk was launched online as you can see on page 54.

2.2 Promotion flyer

Assignment

Setting up a service desk is one thing. Making sure people know about it and use it

another. Therefore, I was instructed to create a pdf-file that would be sent to all

employees via e-mail in order to promote the new HR service desk.

Execution

On page 55, you can see the first draft of the leaflet which I made in PowerPoint. I

started by coming up with a couple of questions that would attract the reader‟s attention

and that would make him recognise the need for information. In the middle of the page, I

wanted to high lighten the name of the desk. Beneath the exclamation, I formulated a

few informative sentences. Moreover, I added the different topics that the desk provides

information on and I added a box in which I put what was in it for the reader as this is

what the reader wants to know most of all. Concerning the lay-out, I opted for the use of

the existing intranet logo and colours, and I also inserted a small drawing from the MS

clip gallery to make the flyer more attractive.


Feedback

The feedback I received concerned the following aspects. First, the use of the personal

pronoun: in the questions I had used “you” while the use of “I” would make the

questions more straightforward. Second, the reference to the associated documents: it

was necessary to mention a document since this was one of the main reasons of

existence of the service desk. Third, the imperative sentence: it had to be clearly linked

to the questions and needed to state that the service desk was new. Fourth, the

enumeration of the topics: this was a good idea but needed to be done in a different

way. Fifth, the lay-out: the flyer had to be more graphical and attractive.

Result

After taking all of this into account and hearing the opinion of a few colleagues, I came

up with the flyer that you can see on page 56. The main adjustments concerned the

insertion of a thought balloon, the central imperative sentence and the picture in which

you can see where the desk is to be found on the intranet. This version was approved

and e-mailed as an attachment to all employees.

2.3 E-mail

The promotion flyer could only be sent as an attachment, so the e-mail itself needed to

be composed as well. At first, you would think this was an easy job, but in reality there

was a lot to consider. First, the text of the e-mail had to be written in Dutch as well as in

English, in order for foreign speaking employees to understand. Second, a choice had to

be made about what should be mentioned in the e-mail that is also present in the pfd-file

without being an exact copy of that text. In the final version (page 57), a few examples

of topics that are dealt with in the desk were given in the e-mail and also two people

were referred to as contact persons in case readers had any questions about the new

service desk.

2.4 Evaluation

I was surprised to see that the information for HR related matters had not been

centralised already, but was dispersed over several subdivisions. Another difficulty was to

get to know the programme Lotus Notes. As it is not user-friendly, the updating turned

out to be a time-consuming activity. The drafting of the promotion flyer, on the other

hand, was an instructive experience thanks to the valuable feedback I received.


3. Daikin Bon Dance Festival

On 7 July 2007 Daikin Europe N.V. organised a Japanese festival for its employees and

neighbours including their families. After last year‟s success, the company decided to

celebrate the festival once more, and this time on an even larger scale. As this event

demanded a lot of preparation work, I was given a few assignments to help with the

organisation and communication.

3.1 Volunteer distribution list

Since many hands are needed at a festival to provide people with food and drinks,

animation, etc., Daikin employees could volunteer to help at the event. A leaflet was

distributed among all employees and boxes were put at several locations in the Daikin

buildings for people to post their registration form.

I was given the task of processing the registration forms in an Excel file and drawing up a

first outline of the distribution list. It was important to keep track of the number of

volunteers and of the departments they worked at. These data were then discussed at

the meetings of the managers involved in the organisation of the event. When my

internship ended, the distribution list still had to be modified as the festival was a couple

of months away.

3.2 Translation of the invitation

The invitation for all employees and neighbours had already been composed (see page

58). My task consisted in providing the English translation for the Japanese employees

and other non-Dutch speaking guests. The main difficulty concerned the lay-out of the

invitation. For the Dutch version, a communication agency had been charged with the

graphic composition, but as there were only about thirty non-Dutch speaking invitees –

VIPs received a different invitation – this would not be the case for the English version.

As a result, I had to create the same lay-out in PowerPoint, which fortunately turned out

all right as you can see on page 60.

3.3 Website

I was also given the assignment of creating a website for the festival. First, I thought of

the general structure of the site and made subdivisions such as what?, for who?, and

practical info.


One of the advantages of a website as an information tool is that it offers a number of

extra possibilities, for instance:

I selected some twenty pictures of last year‟s edition so people could see what the

festival was going to be like.

Furthermore, I believed registration online would make it easier for people to

register but also for the Daikin employees who had to process the information.

This online registration form was created by a web design agency that also

created the rest of the virtual environment to put the text and visuals on.

Another advantage of a web site is that you can put much more information on it

than you can put on a written means of communication. For example, children

could register to participate in a special parade and on the site there was enough

space to explain where this parade originated from.

The uploading of document is also very useful. For example, children could bring

Japanese masks to the festival that they created beforehand. Models could be

downloaded and adapted to the children‟s own liking.

A last advantage of a web site is that the information on it can be changed at any

time. Before bringing the site online, it was placed on another address that my

colleagues and I could consult in order to go through it all and send our remarks

about what had to be changed.

If the site is still online, you can take a look at it on www.bondance.be.

3.4 Address database

As I have said, the invitation to the festival had already been composed, but it still

needed to be sent to all Daikin employees. I had to compile a database with all addresses

including the ones of temporary workers.

3.5 Accompanying note to the admission tickets

I also had to compose a note that was sent together with the admission tickets (see page

62). Moreover, I contacted the printing office for an offer and I placed the order.

3.6 Leaflet

A task that I could not complete due to a lack of time, concerned the creation of a leaflet

to guide the visitors at the day itself. You can find a first draft of this leaflet on page 63.

It was important that guests would have a map with the day‟s programme and activities.


3.7 Evaluation

What I learnt from my tasks concerning the Bon Dance Festival was mainly that

organising such a large event is no piece of cake: numerous people are involved and

plentiful things need to be done. For example, before a document is ready, information

has to provided by different departments, it has to be approved, then adjusted, then

printed and posted. It takes a lot of time and energy and that all for an event of one day.

Although my internship had already ended by 7 July, I was able to work at the festival as

a student. I was glad to see what the preparation had led to and what the festival was

really like. It turned out to be a great success as about 3700 people attended this event

of Japanese tradition.


4. Newsletter

Daikin Europe N.V. has two newsletters: Daikin Direct and Daikin Direct Europe. Daikin

Direct is a three-monthly magazine written in Dutch and distributed in Ostend & Brussels

only. It is limited to what happens in Daikin Europe N.V. and covers apart from the most

important facts and events also extraprofessional activities. All employees receive a copy

at home. Daikin Direct Europe, on the other hand, is a bi-monthly magazine distributed

at all European Daikin facilities and is translated into Dutch, English and Czech. All

employees receive a copy at home or at the office. Topics covered in this magazine are of

a more general nature and are aimed at informing and motivating employees about

targets and strategy. It was mainly to this magazine that my tasks were related. On

pages 65 and 66, you can see the cover of the April edition of both magazines.

4.1 Interview of Managing Director Daikin Portugal

I was given the opportunity to assist during the video interview of Mr. Matsuzaki, the

Managing Director of Daikin Portugal. Also a copywriter of the communication agency

that Daikin Europe N.V. works with was present. After the screen and sound settings

were in order, Mr. Matsuzaki answered the questions he had received in advance. Later

on, the copywriter mailed the first version of the article. As it needed to be shortened, I

went through the text and made some suggestions about what could be left out.

Afterwards, the article was sent to Mr. Matsuzaki for his approval.

4.2 Contest Daikin Direct Europe

Each Daikin Direct Europe contains a contest in which participants can win prizes such as

a mobile phone, an iPod,... The idea is not only to lighten up the rather „heavy‟ content of

the magazine, but also to see how many people are reading it and in which country they

work in. People can send their answers to a specific e-mail address or fill out the printed

reply forms that are distributed in the factories. My task was to draw up an overview of

how many people replied and to put the data in an Excel table.

4.3 Evaluation of Daikin Direct Europe

The data obtained from the contest in each issue of Daikin Direct Europe – four since its

launching at the end of 2006 – was used at the meeting of the editorial committee for

the evaluation of the magazine. I was glad to attend this meeting, which again was an

international one as representatives of Italy and the Czech Republic were present

through a video connection.


One of the outcomes of the meeting was the decision to hold a brief survey in order to

quickly obtain more accurate information than acquired through the magazine contest. I

was given the task of thinking of some basic questions for this survey. I started by

making a distinction between whether the respondent knows the magazine and/or has

read it (see page 67). Then, I inserted a question on the appreciation of the newsletter

by giving a score from one to ten. At the end, people have to indicate where they are

from and if they want to participate in the contest that is linked to the survey or not. I

also proposed to let the web design agency create a website where people can indicate

their answers and to write a programme that immediately processes the information and

puts it into tables, which makes Daikin employees no longer do this themselves and lets

them save time.

4.4 Other

I wrote a few short articles for Daikin Direct at the end of my internship that still had to

be revised when my internship ended. I also mailed with the communication agency

concerning the planning of the next edition. In addition, I read the proposal of creating a

management newsletter and made a few suggestions.

4.5 Evaluation

It was a pity that there was not enough time for me to interview the head of a new

department at Daikin Europe N.V., but I am grateful I was given the opportunity of

attending two video conferences and the one of the editorial committee in particular.

During that meeting I found it very interesting to see how ideas arose out of the

discussion and how the chairwoman steered the conference into the right direction. I now

also have a better idea of the different steps that are taken in the process of issuing a

corporate magazine.


5. Various tasks

5.1 Labour market advertisement

Among the smaller tasks that I was given was providing assistance at the filming of a

labour market advertisement. The ad was being made for local television in order to

recruit workers older than forty. It took several hours to have all the required aspects of

Daikin Europe N.V. on tape. The director gave clear guidelines to the cameraman about

what to film and from which angle. My job was to make sure both men respected the

safety rules at all times. A few weeks later the edited film with matching music arrived at

the company and I found it interesting to see how the fragments had been glued

together.

5.2 Annual report

For the annual report, I looked up appropriate illustrations for the texts that had been

written by the different departments of the company. I also remained in touch with the

communication agency that was working on the report‟s first version.

5.3 Request for a quotation of bilingual dictionaries

Already in the beginning of my internship I noticed that concerning translation

dictionaries, there was only one paper version for the whole HR department. When I

enquired if indeed no electronic edition was available, I was asked to mail Van Dale for a

quotation of their electronic English translation dictionaries. The matter would be

presented to the HR manager later on.

5.4 Management alumni event

I was asked to come up with a few ideas of how Daikin Europe N.V. could organise a

management alumni event. I wrote down some possibilities that would later on be

discussed.

5.5 Scientist frames

Each room in the Daikin Academy carries the name of a famous scientist or artist such as

Archimedes and Ensor for instance. In every room, a frame has been put with a short

story on that person. It is not a real biography but more a mix of some striking facts. I

composed a few more such as the one about Cézanne which you can see on page 68.


5.6 Other

Some minor tasks included short translations, carrying out a few adjustments on

PowerPoint presentations, sending e-mails on the part of my supervisor, etc.

5.7 Evaluation

Although some minor tasks yielded less apparent results, I learnt something from each of

them. Also the fact of going from one task to another and back again proved to be quite

an experience.


Chapter 4: Conclusion

When I look back at my internship at Daikin Europe N.V., I can say it was a truly

instructive experience. It gave me the chance of putting my theoretical knowledge into

practice. I had already composed documents – such as a leaflet for example – as a

course assignment, but in real life there are so many more factors to be taken into

account: the writing has to be read by other colleagues who are involved, it has to be

approved by people higher in ranking, if necessary adjustments have to be made and the

process has to be done all over again.

Working at a company is also very different from studying by yourself in your private

room. During the first days of my internship, I needed some time to adjust to the size of

the parking lot and also walking through the factory itself was highly impressive.

Moreover, a company is run by many people who have to interact with each other. They

need to work together as a team, and that team is at its turn part of a larger

department. In contrast to my expectations, everyone I met was quite friendly and

helpful. I learnt that adjusting was only a matter of time and in the end I realised I would

miss that place when those five weeks were over.

The whole of the MTB programme was in fact an intensive preparation for the internship

that followed. Courses such as marketing and accountancy were an asset because these

subjects provided me with a broader knowledge of the numerous aspects of business life.

Courses in business communication proved to be very useful because they did not aim at

improving my knowledge of the language itself but practice written and oral skills by

dealing with different communication types. Another MTB strong point was that the

learning process went beyond the courses alone: there were company visits that showed

me what went on behind company doors and numerous group assignments that made

me deal with different personality types.

All in all, I can say that I am glad I followed the MTB programme and did my internship

at Daikin Europe N.V. I believe it provided me with the necessary knowledge and skills to

enter the labour market and built out a challenging career.

Graduate Recruitment at Daikin 41 Bibliography

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Appendices

Project sponsoring student associations

Part one: General planning .......………………………………………………………………………. 46

Part two: Specific for websites ……………………………………………………………………….… 50

Intranet

Example of page being edited ..………………………………………………………………………. 53

Hompepage …………………………………..…………………………………………………………..……. 54

Promotion leaflet (first version) ………………………………………………………..………..….. 55

Promotion leaflet (second version) ……………………………………………………………….... 56

E-mail ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 57

Bon Dance Festival

Uitnodiging ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 58

Invitation ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 60

Note to admission tickets ………………………………………………………………………………… 62

Programma & plattegrond ……………………………………………………………………………….. 63

Newsletters

Daikin Direct ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 65

Daikin Direct Europe …………………………………………………………………………………………. 66

Daikin Direct Survey …………………………………………………………………………………………. 67

Other

Frame Cézanne …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 68

graduate recruitment - ghent...

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