TUTOR’S COPY

CHAPTER 1: Communication - Meetings

1. WARM-UP DISCUSSION

Answer the following questions with your tutor.

(Tutor should help student express his ideas about the questions below.)

1. Discuss a time when you and your colleagues made a business decision during a meeting. How were you able to decide? During the hiring of our new co-worker, my colleagues and I had to choose between two great applicants. We sat down and listed the advantages and disadvantages of hiring each applicant.

2. How can you tell if an option or solution is good or bad? An important factor is the option or solution’s relevance to the goal. If it will help me achieve the main goal of the project, then it should be considered. But other factors, such as relevance, feasibility and costs, are also examined.

3. Were there times when you had to settle on only one option? How were you able to do it? Yes, I’ve had several experiences. What we do is we check each other’s rationale and the factors I stated earlier. But when both ideas are equally good, we try to find a way to incorporate both of them into one option.

UNIT 3: DECISION

4. Have you or your colleagues ever made assumptions about a problem? How were you able to correct your perspectives? Unfortunately, yes. But then, we decided to check the facts again, so we could be sure to verify if our assumption had a solid basis.

2. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

A. Please repeat after your tutor. Practice reading some common words, phrases and expressions below.

(The tutor may politely correct mispronunciations. Entertain questions from the student about the vocabulary words or ask the student if he/she wants to clarify something before moving on to the next exercise.)

Useful Expressions Sample Sentences

~ have come to a decision

After deliberations, the management has come to a decision.

~ should rule out this option.

This initiative will only cause delays. We should rule out this option.

keep ~ options open Thank you for your ideas. We have yet to hear from the other team, so for now, we’ll keep our options open.

reach a compromise Both ideas are good. Let’s discuss this further and we may be able to reach a compromise.

jump to conclusion/s We should verify our current data first. For now, let’s not jump to conclusions.

B. Construct a sentence using the ideas in each item. You may use the ideas in different orders.

(Tutor should assist student if he/she has difficulties in answering.)

Example:

time and money / we should rule out this option / costly

This initiative is costly in terms of time and money. We should rule out this option.

1. advice from the experts / keep our options open / feedback Based on everyone’s feedback, we should keep our options open until we hear the advice from the experts.

2. considerations / many / we have come to a decision After many considerations, we have come to a decision.

3. reach a compromise / both / beneficial Both ideas are beneficial to the company; let’s try to reach a compromise.

4. advice / consultant / jump to conclusion Let’s wait for the advice of the consultant. Let’s not jump to conclusions.

3. LET’S MAKE A DECISION

Read and analyze the following business problems and the supplied information. Using the suggested expression, make a decision based on the information given.

(Tutor should assist student by discussing the problem and the information provided below.)

Example:

Problem:

Political disturbances in the country are badly affecting the company’s industries.

Suggestions:

1. Declare bankruptcy. 2. Check and analyze the situation before making

drastic changes.

Expression: Let’s not jump to any conclusions.

Answer:

Let’s not jump to any conclusions. We need to analyze our current situation and focus on ideas that have basis. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

1. Problem:

The company wants to switch to a different telephone network for its office phones.

Restrictions:

1. Early termination of contract will lead to penalty.

2. Switching of telecommunications networks is needed because it is a cost-cutting initiative.

Expression: We should rule out this option.

Answer:

If the termination of our contract will only lead to penalty, it will defeat the purpose of the cost-cutting initiative. We should rule out this option.

2. Problem:

The company is deciding on which appraisal rate to implement for all employees.

Proposals:

1. An appraisal rate of 10% to be given as favored by the employees based on a survey.

2. An appraisal rate of 8% as favored by an analyst, who based it on projected company growth.

Expression: I have come to a decision.

Answer:

Based on the employees’ response to our survey and the analyst’s recommendation, I have come to a decision. It is best that we have an 8% appraisal rate so that the company can ensure that all employees will be able to receive appraisals for a longer period of time.

3. Problem:

There is a new product that needs to be promoted.

Suggestions (from two colleagues):

1. Promote it using social media. 2. Promote it using traditional media.

Expression: We may be able to reach a compromise.

Answer:

Both ideas are great in promoting the product. We may be able to combine both ideas for this project, and reach a compromise between using social and traditional media.

4. Problem:

The company is looking to invest in real estate to expand its businesses.

Limitations:

1. Currently, values of properties are still high. 2. On the other hand, a real estate company is

offering a good deal as a tie-up.

Expression: Let’s keep our options open.

Answer:

Because of high value of properties, we may not be able to push through with investing in real estate. Should we tie-up with a real estate company, our profits will not be solely our own. However, let’s keep our options open while we find better strategies.

4. CHOOSE A DECISION

Read and analyze two options to solve a business problem. Choose the best option to solve the problem. Support your decision with an explanation.

(Tutor should assist student by discussing the problem and the information provided below.)

Example:

Answer: To promote his store, David should conduct contests and give away freebies. I think this is the best and most feasible solution because it can instantly attract customers who might start patronizing David’s store.

1.

Answer:

JLF Mart could promote the store by providing loyalty cards that they could use for more promotions in the future. Aside from that, JLF Mart can continue with the negotiation with suppliers so that they can offer the best prices to all customers.

David started his own business as a convenience store owner. Currently, his sales are not as good as he expected.

David could conduct market research to understand his market’s needs. By understanding their needs, he might be able to provide better service.

David could improve his store’s promotion by using traditional gimmicks, such as conducting contests or giving away freebies.

1. JLF Mart is losing customer patronage because of the sudden price hikes of products.

JLF Mart can promote their store by providing loyalty cards that give special discounts to attract more customers.

JLF Mart can negotiate better deals with suppliers to maintain product prices.

2.

Answer:

I think it would be best for FlyAir to enter into a joint partnership. Aside from the lessened risk, FlyAir can ensure that their original business will not suffer if the profits from the new business venture are low.

3.

Answer:

It is important to know what the underlying reasons are for the bad reviews about the company. It will help solve the root cause of the issues and prevent them from arising again.

2. FlyAir aims to expand its operations. However, their capital for a new business is insufficient.

FlyAir can borrow capital money from the bank. Combined with their current capital, they can push through with the expansion.

FlyAir can enter a joint partnership with a more established company to lessen the risk in venturing to a new business.

3. Recently, Falcon Telecommunications has been receiving bad reviews that are affecting their sales.

Falcon Telecommunications can launch a marketing strategy that will trump the current bad reviews.

Falcon Telecommunications can establish a fact-finding committee to understand why there are bad reviews related to the company.

5. COMPLETE THE DIALOGUE

Read and analyze the following resumes below. Complete the following dialogue by filling in the blanks. You may also answer the bonus questions that follow.

(Tutor should assist student in analyzing the resumes below.)

Background of the meeting:

A multinational telecommunications company is hiring a new sales officer to market their new high-end cellular phones. Janice, head of the sales team, called a meeting to deliberate which of the two successful applicants should be chosen. Both applicants have passed the

screening tests and interviews.

David Young 118 N. Lawrence St.,

San Antonio, Texas 46173

Email: dyoung@axl.com

EXPERIENCE:

2008 – 2012 Administrative Officer

Emily Parker

emparker@chromex.com

4248 Columbus St., General Ave., Dallas, TX

2010 – 2012 Sales Officer

Primer Insurance Co.

Dallas, Texas

4.

Answer:

Nest-O should invest in better equipment instead. The cost of the equipment will be offset by the additional profits the company will get after meeting the client’s target.

4. Nest-O landed a big account that requires them to produce twice their current production rate.

Nest-O can buy better equipment to help speed up production.

Nest-O can hire more employees to double the speed of production.

Connect Telecommunications, Inc.

Austin, Texas

2007 – 2008 Intern, Human Resources Dept.

Connect Telecommunications, Inc.

Austin, Texas

EDUCATION:

2004 – 2008 B.S. Business Administrations

University of Texas

Austin, Texas

SKILLS:

• Computer proficient

• Good People Skills (building trust and respect,

productive interactions, etc.)

• Keen on details and organized

• Negotiation and Facilitation Skills

2009 – 2010 Account Executive

Uncle Chebby’s Restaurant

Austin, Texas

2008 – 2009 E-business Sales Executive

Sell-emall.com

Austin, Texas

EDUCATION:

2004 – 2008 B.S. Business Administrations

University of Texas

Austin, Texas

SKILLS:

• Good customer service and assertiveness skills

• Facilitation and Public Speaking skills

• Organized and willing to learn

Janice: Today, we will be reviewing two successful applicants for the sales executive position. Let’s start with David Young. What do you think of his educational background?

Student: David Young graduated with a Business Administrations degree last 2008. He graduated from a prestigious school in Texas.

Janice: How about his work experience? He has worked in the same industry as ours. How do you think will he perform in our team?

Student : He will certainly have background knowledge about our industry. However, his work experience is under the Administration and Human Resources department. Sales work is a very different from this.

Janice: Do you think his skills match the sales executive position or will we have to train him?

Bonus Questions:

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of hiring David Young? How about Emily Parker? Hiring David Parker would entail additional effort to train him. However, he has a good track record in staying with an employer. As for Emily Parker, there is less need to train her. However, we cannot be assured of her longevity in the company.

2. What are the factors that made you decide on the person you recommended? I considered the applicant’s skills and his commitment.

3. How about the factors that made you rule out the other applicant as an option? I considered her length of service in her previous companies.

Student : I think he has a foundation of skills needed in a sales position. We will need to further train him to develop his sales and marketing skills.

Janice: Let’s now discuss Emily Parker’s credentials. Kindly give me your opinion on her educational background.

Student : She has the same educational background as David Young. She also graduated in 2008 with a Business Administration degree.

Janice: Okay, good point. How about her work experience? Does it fit the job description?

Student : Yes, I think so. She has worked in different sales positions. However, she has a tendency to stay in a job for short periods of time.

Janice: I understand. How about her skills? Do you think she will be able to work well in our team?

Student : She has a good set of sales skills. She also had training from the different jobs she had in the past two years.

Janice : I see. So, between the two applicants, who would you recommend we hire?

Student : I would recommend David Young. He may have less work experience in sales but I think his skills are a fit for this position. Although we need to invest some time and effort in training him, we can somehow be assured of his loyalty.

Janice: Thank you for your input. I have considered them along with the results of our screening and interviews. I shall inform you once I have come to a decision.

4. If you were to deliver the decision to the Human Resources department or the sales team, how would you express the decision? I would be concise and direct. I would also provide a clear basis for my decision.

6. Q&A

A. Read the short article below and summarize the ideas presented in it.

(The tutor may politely correct mispronunciations. Tutor may check student’s comprehension by asking student to briefly summarize the article.)

Soar Mobile to Consider Selling Stocks

David Mayer’s start-up company, Soar Mobile, is in the spotlight as Silicon Valley giants

Yeeha! and Doodle officially announce their bid to buy out the successful albeit small company.

Both Karen Li and John Lawrence, CEOs of Yeeha! and Doodle respectively, have

reportedly been in talks with Mayer all month. Negotiations regarding the price and the

operational control have been underway since the beginning of this year. Several offers have

been given to Mayer in the past few years, but the CEO of the hugely popular Soar Mobile has

turned them down until recently.

Last year, Soar Mobile earned $30 million from advertising and click-to-pay ads as two

million US- and Canadian-based users enjoyed their services. The small start-up website’s user

numbers also continue to climb. This is an impressive feat for a business that started in Mayer’s

parents’ San Diego home in 2010. Business and technology analysts see greater success for Soar

Mobile in the next five years. Both Yeeha! and Doodle have high hopes in attaining Mayer’s

start-up business.

B. Read the profiles of the two companies that are planning to buy Soar Mobile. Using this information and the ones presented in the short article, answer the questions below.

(Tutor should assist student in analyzing the company profiles below.)

Company Profiles

Factors to Consider Yeeha! Doodle

Amount Offered for Soar Mobile:

3 billion dollars 5 billion dollars

Number of Stocks to Buy:

60% 80%

Who will be in charge of operations after

sale? Karen Li David Mayer

Other Factors to Consider:

• Has offices in New York City, San Francisco and Canada.

• Has a user base of 30 million. • Has state-of-the-art technology. • Wants all their products to be

similar. Follows a specific format (ex. color of website, logos, etc.).

Main website has email, news, chat and business functions.

• Has offices in New York City, San Francisco and Singapore.

• Has a user base of 40 million. • Has good technological partners in

different countries. • Offers Mayer operational control

for the project.

Main website has email, news, chat, business and social networking functions.

Guide Questions: (Assume that you are David Mayer)

1. Would you sell your start-up company? Why or why not? Yes, I would. It would be a good opportunity to expand my company without too much risk.

2. If yes, which company would you sell it to? If not, what would be your vision for Soar Mobile? I would choose to sell the company to Doodle. This is because I would still have input and decision-making capacities as officer-in-charge after the sale.

3. If you could get a better deal from Yeeha!, what would be your terms of negotiation? How about with Doodle? For Yeeha!, I would negotiate for additional control over the project. For Doodle, I would probably negotiate for a higher amount.

4. Pretend that you are in a meeting with the Yeeha! and Doodle CEOs. How would you express your intent to negotiate? I would express it in a serious and professional manner. I would provide my rationale for each negotiation.

5. Briefly express your decision before the CEOs of Yeeha! and Doodle. Good day! After many considerations, I have come to a decision. I have decided to go with Doodle’s offer, as their terms are more relevant to my goals for this company.