Why has the agreement been questioned both in the EU and South Korea

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INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

CASE STUDY (20 Marks)

Google, the leading Internet search engine based in the US, started providing its services in China in the year 2000. Though the company became one of the leading search engines in the Chinese market, it started losing its market share rapidly to the local players like Baidu. In order to remain competitive, Google decided to launch a Chinese website www.google.cn and agreed to censor the content, in January 2006. Though Google was criticized by the industry experts for its decision to censor the content, the company defended its stance by claiming that providing censored results was better than not providing any details at all. However, soon Google started facing problems, and its website was blocked several times for its quality of censorship, spreading obscene content etc. The company remained second to Baidu in the local search engine market. Google's other services like YouTube, Blogger, and Picasa were also blocked. By the end of 2009, Google realized that its website was being attacked and the attacks originated in China. Google also found that Gmail accounts of some of the advocates of human rights in China were broken into. In January 2010, Google reported that its corporate infrastructure had been subjected to a targeted attack from China and announced that it would not censor its results anymore and was ready to shut down its Chinese operations, if required. The events leading to its decision to stop censoring the search results in China, adversely affected Google's operations in China.

Answer the following question.

Q1. Discuss the business and regulatory problems faced by multinational companies in China. 

Q2. Examine the reasons for media censorship in China. Q3. Give an overview of the case

Case (20 Marks)

Progressive Chemical Industries Ltd, is engaged in Manufacturing and export of specialty chemicals, having turnover of Rs 300 crores. The Company is growing and having good export orders. The CEO is in mood to expand the business and aiming to reach turnover of Rs 1000(thousand) crores in next 5 (five) yrs. The CEO is worried about the increase in input costs and workers demands. Union has threatened to go on strike indefinitely. Union has demanded 50% increase in salary and other benefits, But is not agreeing to link it to productivity. It has also raised issues like unsafe, hazardous working conditions, leakage of poisonous gases affecting the health of workers. The consultant has advised the CEO to be strict and take strict action against the erring employees and be ready to declare lockout if situation warrants.

Answer the following question.

Q1. Prepare a draft agreement for the above situation which could be acceptable for Management and Union.

Q2. As a HR Head how would you convince the Union and workers?

Q3. Do you feel management policies/practices are right?

Q4. What are the various laws which could be applicable in the above problems?

CASE STUDY (20 Marks)

EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Steven Vanackere representing the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), and the Korean Minister for Trade Kim Jong­Hoon today signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the EU and South Korea. This FTA is the most ambitious trade agreement ever negotiated by the EU and the first with an Asian country. Today’s signature signals a significant step on the road to its implementation and is one of the main events of the EU­Korea Summit taking place in Brussels today. "The agreement between the EU and South Korea marks a significant achievement in improving our trade links. It will provide a real boost to jobs and growth in Europe at this critical time. This wideranging and innovative deal is a benchmark for what we want to achieve in other trade agreements", said Commissioner De Gucht. "Tackling the more difficult non­tariff barriers to international commerce can cut the costs of doing business as much if not more than getting rid of import duties." The text of the FTA was initialed between the European Commission and South Korea on 15 October 2009. Since then the text of the Agreement was translated into Korean and 21 EU languages. All EU Member States have signed the FTA ahead of today's official signing ceremony. The date of provisional application will be 1 July 2011, provided that the European Parliament has given its consent to the FTA and the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council implementing the bilateral safeguard clause of the EU­South Korea FTA is in place. The EU Member States will have to also ratify the agreement according to their own laws and procedures. One study estimates that the deal will create new trade in goods and services worth €19.1 billion for the EU; another study calculates that it will more than double the bilateral EU­South Korea trade in the next 20 years compared to a scenario without the FTA. The agreement will remove virtually all import duties between the two economies as well as many non­tariff barriers. It will relieve EU exporters of industrial and agricultural goods to South Korea from paying tariffs. Once the duties are fully eliminated, EU exporters will save € 1.6 billion annually. Half of these savings will be applicable already on the day of the entry into force of the Agreement. The FTA will also create new market access in services and investment and will make major advances in areas such as intellectual property, procurement, competition policy and trade and sustainable development.

Answer the following question.

Q1. What are the objectives and contents of the recent free trade agreement signed between the European Union and South Korea?

Q2. What are the economic underlying principles of this agreement?

Q3. Why has the agreement been questioned both in the EU and South Korea?

Q4. Why are Japanese businessmen worried about the agreement? Why are Japanese policy­makers trying to sign a similar deal with the EU?

CASE STUDY (20 Marks)

The cases discusses, UK based home improvement retailer, B&Q's foray into China. B&Q entered the Chinese market in the year 1999 by opening a store in Shanghai through a joint venture with Home Decorative Building Materials Limited, a Shanghai based property developer. At that time, the Do­it­Yourself (DIY) concept had not gained popularity in China. Overcoming the initial challenges, B&Q was able to establish itself firmly in the Chinese market. B&Q modified its stores to suit the Chinese consumers and introduced the concept of 'Buy­it­Yourself.' The company's growth coincided with the rapid infrastructural development in the country, and increased activity in the housing sector. The rapid growth of the Chinese home improvement industry led several leading international companies like IKEA to expand their operations in the country. By late 2006, B&Q faced stiff competition from foreign as well as local companies like Orient Home. The case examines the entry and expansion strategies of B&Q in China and how the company is positioned to face increasing competition in the Chinese home improvement industry.

Answer the following question.

Q1. Analyze the entry and expansion strategies of B&Q in China.

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Why are Japanese businessmen worried about the agreement Why are Japanese policy¬makers trying to sign a similar deal with the EU

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INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

CASE STUDY (20 Marks)

Google, the leading Internet search engine based in the US, started providing its services in China in the year 2000. Though the company became one of the leading search engines in the Chinese market, it started losing its market share rapidly to the local players like Baidu. In order to remain competitive, Google decided to launch a Chinese website www.google.cn and agreed to censor the content, in January 2006. Though Google was criticized by the industry experts for its decision to censor the content, the company defended its stance by claiming that providing censored results was better than not providing any details at all. However, soon Google started facing problems, and its website was blocked several times for its quality of censorship, spreading obscene content etc. The company remained second to Baidu in the local search engine market. Google's other services like YouTube, Blogger, and Picasa were also blocked. By the end of 2009, Google realized that its website was being attacked and the attacks originated in China. Google also found that Gmail accounts of some of the advocates of human rights in China were broken into. In January 2010, Google reported that its corporate infrastructure had been subjected to a targeted attack from China and announced that it would not censor its results anymore and was ready to shut down its Chinese operations, if required. The events leading to its decision to stop censoring the search results in China, adversely affected Google's operations in China.

Answer the following question.

Q1. Discuss the business and regulatory problems faced by multinational companies in China. 

Q2. Examine the reasons for media censorship in China. Q3. Give an overview of the case

Case (20 Marks)

Progressive Chemical Industries Ltd, is engaged in Manufacturing and export of specialty chemicals, having turnover of Rs 300 crores. The Company is growing and having good export orders. The CEO is in mood to expand the business and aiming to reach turnover of Rs 1000(thousand) crores in next 5 (five) yrs. The CEO is worried about the increase in input costs and workers demands. Union has threatened to go on strike indefinitely. Union has demanded 50% increase in salary and other benefits, But is not agreeing to link it to productivity. It has also raised issues like unsafe, hazardous working conditions, leakage of poisonous gases affecting the health of workers. The consultant has advised the CEO to be strict and take strict action against the erring employees and be ready to declare lockout if situation warrants.

Answer the following question.

Q1. Prepare a draft agreement for the above situation which could be acceptable for Management and Union.

Q2. As a HR Head how would you convince the Union and workers?

Q3. Do you feel management policies/practices are right?

Q4. What are the various laws which could be applicable in the above problems?

CASE STUDY (20 Marks)

EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Steven Vanackere representing the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), and the Korean Minister for Trade Kim Jong­Hoon today signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the EU and South Korea. This FTA is the most ambitious trade agreement ever negotiated by the EU and the first with an Asian country. Today’s signature signals a significant step on the road to its implementation and is one of the main events of the EU­Korea Summit taking place in Brussels today. "The agreement between the EU and South Korea marks a significant achievement in improving our trade links. It will provide a real boost to jobs and growth in Europe at this critical time. This wideranging and innovative deal is a benchmark for what we want to achieve in other trade agreements", said Commissioner De Gucht. "Tackling the more difficult non­tariff barriers to international commerce can cut the costs of doing business as much if not more than getting rid of import duties." The text of the FTA was initialed between the European Commission and South Korea on 15 October 2009. Since then the text of the Agreement was translated into Korean and 21 EU languages. All EU Member States have signed the FTA ahead of today's official signing ceremony. The date of provisional application will be 1 July 2011, provided that the European Parliament has given its consent to the FTA and the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council implementing the bilateral safeguard clause of the EU­South Korea FTA is in place. The EU Member States will have to also ratify the agreement according to their own laws and procedures. One study estimates that the deal will create new trade in goods and services worth €19.1 billion for the EU; another study calculates that it will more than double the bilateral EU­South Korea trade in the next 20 years compared to a scenario without the FTA. The agreement will remove virtually all import duties between the two economies as well as many non­tariff barriers. It will relieve EU exporters of industrial and agricultural goods to South Korea from paying tariffs. Once the duties are fully eliminated, EU exporters will save € 1.6 billion annually. Half of these savings will be applicable already on the day of the entry into force of the Agreement. The FTA will also create new market access in services and investment and will make major advances in areas such as intellectual property, procurement, competition policy and trade and sustainable development.

Answer the following question.

Q1. What are the objectives and contents of the recent free trade agreement signed between the European Union and South Korea?

Q2. What are the economic underlying principles of this agreement?

Q3. Why has the agreement been questioned both in the EU and South Korea?

Q4. Why are Japanese businessmen worried about the agreement? Why are Japanese policy­makers trying to sign a similar deal with the EU?

CASE STUDY (20 Marks)

The cases discusses, UK based home improvement retailer, B&Q's foray into China. B&Q entered the Chinese market in the year 1999 by opening a store in Shanghai through a joint venture with Home Decorative Building Materials Limited, a Shanghai based property developer. At that time, the Do­it­Yourself (DIY) concept had not gained popularity in China. Overcoming the initial challenges, B&Q was able to establish itself firmly in the Chinese market. B&Q modified its stores to suit the Chinese consumers and introduced the concept of 'Buy­it­Yourself.' The company's growth coincided with the rapid infrastructural development in the country, and increased activity in the housing sector. The rapid growth of the Chinese home improvement industry led several leading international companies like IKEA to expand their operations in the country. By late 2006, B&Q faced stiff competition from foreign as well as local companies like Orient Home. The case examines the entry and expansion strategies of B&Q in China and how the company is positioned to face increasing competition in the Chinese home improvement industry.

Answer the following question.

Q1. Analyze the entry and expansion strategies of B&Q in China.

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What would have been the drawback of the XYZ Company prior to 1991

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Organizational Behavior

Introduction: XYZ ­An Organizational Perspective (20 Marks)

The Pre­OD Scenario: Our Strengths and Areas of Concern In the years 1990­91 XYZ had grown into the largest Indian HARDWARE company with revenues of over Rs. 1100 crores and racing towards achieving its vision of being global top ten. As pioneers in the industry, XYZ’s strengths included on time delivery, premier position in the industry in terms of revenues, focus on training programs, quality initiatives, use of good technical tools and procedures and encouragement of individual excellence in performance.However, XYZ’s was also, at that point in time, grappling with a few areas of concern with regard to its operational paradigm. Mounting revenue pressures: The pressure to retain its strong premier position led the organization to tend towards shortterm revenues, and relatively lesser efforts were being put into medium and longterm markets and activities (such as products and building up knowledge). Though XYZ’s built relationships with individual customers, Relationship Managers largely tended to focus on obtaining short­term projects – there was lesser investment on aligning to long­term objectives of customers. The approach, by and large, was of reactive project management and we were yet to espouse the approach of architecting proactive solutions for the customer. Selectivity in projects: There was a tangible tension at, XYZ’s between generating revenues and organizing strategically, on basis of technology and business areas, impacting selectivity in projects accepted. Pressures from customers on schedules was resulting in faster delivery and hence, snowballing into further pressure on future schedules. Focus on specialization: There was diffusion of expertise and we were yet to focus on building strategic expertise in individual centers. Employees were rotated across domains and skills in the interest of learn ability as well as for meeting requirements. In a sense, there was heightened focus on Voice of the Customer, in comparison to the Voice of Employee. Efforts on Experimentation & Innovation: The management at XYZ’s felt that by and large, employees tended to go straight by the book. Though Dr. De Bono’s techniques were introduced and employees trained on these techniques to encourage innovation, there was a need to scale up on perceived rewards for experimentation. Rewards and Recognitions: The reward structure at XYZ’s was, at this point in time, primarily focused on individual performance and we were yet to explore the institutionalization of team based rewards at the organizational level. Inter group co­ordination & knowledge sharing: Sharing of knowledge was very centre­oriented, and although, informally, best practices spread by interaction and word of mouth, we were yet to evolve a formal system which would capture these for ease of replication across projects. Multiple centers and multiple projects within the same centre ended up resolving the same sort of issues, resulting in avoidable rework. Branding and PR: Image building endeavors were not yet an area of focus and, in a subtle way, this affected the sense of pride of employees. Among educational institutions, this meant greater difficulty in terms of attracting quality talent, which further aggravated stress among the few key performers in the organization. By the year 2002, management felt the conscious need to bring in changes in our 3 | P a g e approach to the aforementioned areas, in order to align more closely with the customer, business and market requirements at an organizational level. 

Answer the following question.

Q1. List the various reasons in Organization xyz , which lead to its development?

 Q2. If the organization had not invested in its employee, would they have developed?

Q3. Site few examples of Indian companies, similar to XYZ mentioned above?

Q4. What would have been the drawback of the XYZ Company prior to 1991?

Case (20 Marks)

Dolly Daleja continued to drum her fingers on her desk. She had a real problem and wasn’t sure what to do next. She had a lot of confidence in Sunny Master, but she suspected she was about the last person in the office who did. Perhaps if she ran through the entire story again in her mind she would see the solution. Dolly Raheja had been distribution manager for Raheja Industries for almost twenty years. An early brush with the law and a short stay in prison had made her realize the importance of honesty and hard work. Raheja had given her a chance despite her record, and Dolly Raheja had made the most of it. She now was one of the most respected managers in the company. Few people knew her background. Dolly Raheja had hired Sunny Master fresh out of prison six months ago. Dolly Raheja understood how Sunny Master felt when Sunny Master tried to explain his past and asked for another chance. Dolly Raheja decided to give him that chance just as Henry Raheja had given her one. Sunny Master eagerly accepted a job on the loading docks and could soon load a truck as fast as anyone in the crew. Things had gone well at first. Everyone seemed to like Jack, and he made several new friends. Dolly Raheja had been vaguely disturbed about two months ago, however, when another dock worker reported his wallet missing. She confronted Sunny Master about this and was reassured when Sunny Master understood her concern and earnestly but calmly asserted his innocence. Dolly Raheja was especially relieved when the wallet was found a few days later. The events of last week, however, had caused serious trouble. First, a new personnel clerk had come across records about Jack’s past while updating employee files. Assuming that the information was common knowledge, the clerk had mentioned to several employees what a good thing it was to give ex­convicts like Sunny Master a chance. The next day, someone in bookkeeping discovered some money missing from petty cash. Another worker claimed to have seen Sunny Master in the area around the office strongbox, which was open during working hours, earlier that same day. Most people assumed Sunny Master was the thief. Even the worker whose wallet had been misplaced suggested that perhaps Sunny Master had indeed stolen it but had returned it when questioned. Several employees had approached Dolly Raheja and requested that Sunny Master be fired. To her dismay, Dolly Raheja found that rethinking the story did little to solve his problem. Should she fire Sunny Master? The evidence, of course, was purely circumstantial, yet everybody else seemed to see things quite clearly. Dolly Raheja feared that if she did not fire him, she would lose everyone’s trust and that some people might even begin to question her own motives.

Answer the following question.

Q1. Explain the events in this case in terms of perception and attitudes. Does personality play a role?

Q2. What should Dolly Raheja do?

Q3. Should she fire Sunny Master or give him another chance? Explain your answer with reasons.

Q4. Explain the differing perceptions at Raheja Industries?

CASE (20 Marks)

Tata Cummins Limited (TCL) is a 50­50 joint venture between Tata Motors and Cummins Engine Co., Inc., USA. Tata Motors is the largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in India, and Cummins Engine Co. is the largest 200+ HP diesel engine manufacturer in the world. The Joint Venture was incorporated in October 1993 and commercial production commenced on January 1, 1996. The vision of TCL is to be widely acknowledged and bench­marked as one of the best companies in the world. The company, thus, abides by the following core values: ­ Care for customers Obsession for quality Care deeply about people Do what's right and not what's convenient Guarantee product leadership Responsible citizenship Relentless improvement TCL is a QS 9000 company. TCL Jamshedpur boasts of state­of­the­art, fully air­conditioned diesel engine plant, with a computerized Building Management System for safety and energy conservation. The plant has five major components manufacturing lines for Cylinder Block, Cylinder Head, Connecting Rod, Crankshaft & Camshaft, with the best measuring and gauging instruments to assure Consistent Quality. TCL has very strong systems and IT infrastructure for controlling and facilitating its operations. To further increase overall efficiency and visibility of information, Oracle Applications and a web­based Supply Chain Management System have been implemented in June 2000. Products The low emission Diesel Engines manufactured by Tata Cummins are for use in a new generation of Tata Motors Ltd's Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles. The engines conform to EURO­I, EURO­II & EURO­III standards for emissions. The 78 to 235 Horsepower engines have a high power to weight ratio and will enable Tata Motors Ltd. access new markets worldwide with its advantage of emissions, power, oil consumption and durability. Plant Tata Cummins has a modern manufacturing facility located adjacent to Tata Motors Ltd., designed by Kevin Roche, John Dinkeloo Associates of USA and C. P. Kukreja Associates of Delhi. The unique plant comprises a fully air­conditioned 182 x 186 m building with pre­cast concrete coffer roofing and 15 x 15 m bays. The North and South walls are of glazed curtain glass. Features such as a PLC controlled Fire Detection / Suppression System, Skylights and Building Management System ensures high levels of Safety and Energy efficiency. Organizational Strategy At Tata Cummins, the organizational strategy is designed by the leadership team which includes the top management and the department heads. The department goals are then formulated in accordance with the organizational goals. These goals are reflected in a document called 'Goal­Tree'. The tree also contains the action plan, the schedule for achieving the goals, and the persons responsible for achieving them. As per the Goal­Tree, the three organizational goals for 2005 are: ­ Grow Sales to 853 crores Improve PBIT by 10% over last year and achieve 25% ROANA Achieve and Sustain the respect of all Stake Holders The organizational goals are broken down to the strategies. The initiatives for implementing the strategies are then identified. The responsibility for implementing these initiatives is then assigned to respective departments. Further, the tentative deadlines are also reflected. The targets are reviewed quarterly.

Q1. Do the core values, really influence and have a impact on organizational development ?Explain.

Q2. Is organizational development depended internally on employees and externally influenced by customers? Discuss

Case (20 Marks)

Sunder singh had studied only up to high school. He was now 32 years of age, lived alone in a rented room, and worked together eight hour shift at on e petrol pump, then went to the other one for another eight hour shift. He had a girlfriend and was planning to marry. One day when he returned to work, he got a note from his girlfriend that she was getting married to someone else and he need not bother her. This was a terrible shock to sunder singh and he fell apart. He stopped going to work, spent sleepless nights, and was very depressed. After a month, he was running low on his savings and approached his earlier employers to get back his job, but they would not give him a second chance. He had to quit his rented room, and sold the few things that he had. He would do some odd jobs at the railway station or the bus terminus. One day, nearly two years ago, he was very hungry and did not have any money and saw a young man selling newspapers. He asked him what he was selling and he told him about Guzara(an independent, non profit, independent newspaper sold by the homeless and economically disadvantaged men and women of this metro city). Sunder singh approached the office and started selling the newspaper. He did not make lot of money, but was good at saving it. He started saving money for a warm jacket for next winter. He was reasonably happy; he had money to buy food, and no longer homeless and shared a room with two others. One day, with his savings he bought a pair of second hand Nike shoes from the flea market. Sunder singh is not unique among low income consumers, especially in large cities, in wanting and buying Nike shoes. Some experts believe that low income consumers too want the same products and service that other consumer wants. The working poor are forced to spend a disproportionate percent of their income on food, housing, utilities and health care. They solely rely on public transportation, spend very little on entertainment of any kind, and have no security of any kind. Their fight is mainly for day­to­day survival.

Answer the following question.

Q1. What are the features of low income consumers?

 Q2. How would you differentiate a low income consumers and high income consumers?

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What the company needed for their staff How they fulfilled it

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Business Communication

CASE STUDY (20 Marks)

Shoppers ‘Delight’s large retail store, had above­ average quality and competitive prices. It advertised its retail promotions in local newspapers. Its TV advertising was mainly aimed at building store image and did not address retail promotions. The management knew it well that they had to advertise their retail promotions more, but they did not feel comfortable with the effectiveness of present efforts and wanted to better understand the impact of their present promotions. To better understand the effectiveness of the present efforts, a study of advertising exposure, interpretation, and purchases was undertaken. Researchers conducted 50 in-depth interviews with customers of the store’s target market to determine the appropriate product mix, price, ad copy and media, In addition, the stores image and that of its two competitors were measured. Based on the research findings, different product lines that would appeal to the target customer were selected. The retail promotion was run for a full week . Full-page advertisements were released each day in the two local Hindi newspapers, and also in one English newspaper that devotes six pages to the coverage of the state. Each evening, a sample of 100 target market customers were interviewed by telephone as follows:1 .Target customers were asked if they had read the newspaper that day .This was done to determine their exposure to advertisement.2.After a general description of the product lines, the respondents were asked to recall any related retail advertisements they had seen or read.3.if the respondents were able to recall, they were asked to describe the ad, the promoted products, sale prices, and the name of the sponsoring store.4.If the respondents were accurate in their ad interpretation ,they were asked to express their intentions to purchase.5.Respondents were also asked for suggestions to be incorporated in future promotions targeted at this consumer segment .Immediately after the close of promotion,500target market customers were surveyed to determine what percentage of the target market actually purchased the promoted products. It also determined which sources of information influenced them in their decision to purchase and the amount of their purchase. Results of the study showed that ad exposure was 75% and ad awareness level was 68% and was considered as high. Only 43% respondents exposed to and aware of the ad copy could accurately recall important details, such as the name of the store promoting the retail sale. Just 43% correct interpretation was considered as low. Of those who could accurately interpret the ad copy ,32% said they intended to respond by purchasing the advertised products and 68 per cent sad they had no intention to buy. This yields an overall intention to buy of 7%.The largest area of lost opportunity was due to those who did not accurately interpret the ad copay. The post­ promotion survey indicated that only 4.2% of the target market customers made purchases of the promoted products during the promotion period. In terms of how these buyers learned of the promotion,46% mentioned newspaper A(Hindi) ,27% newspaper B (Hindi),8% newspaper c( English), and 15% learned about sale through word-of-mouth communication. The retail promotion was judged as successful in many ways, besides yielding sales worth Rs.900,000.However ,management was concerned about not achieving a higher level of ad comprehension, missing a significant sales opportunity. It was believed that a better ad would have at least 75% correct comprehension among those aware of the ads. This in turn would almost double sales without any additional cost.

Answer the following question.

Q1. Give an overview of the case

Q2. How do you think survey helps to determine the preferences and other needs of consumers?

Q3. Prepare a survey questionnaire of any company of your choice?

Q4. Surveys are suitable of certain types of products and brands. Comment.

CASE STUDY (20 Marks)

Do you have good telephone etiquette (or manners) at work? Do you know the right thing to say when answering the phone in English? Do you get nervous when you have to call a business and speak English? Speaking on the phone and having proper business telephone etiquette in English is something that takes practice. It is difficult to do because you can’t see the person that is speaking. You have to train your ears to listen closely in English to what the caller is saying or asking for. Below you will find many common English phrases that are used when calling a business or answering a business’s phone. Answering the Phone: • Good Morning, Thank you for calling ABC Company. How can I help you today? • Good afternoon, this is Stephanie. How may I direct your call? • Thank you for calling Peterson’s. • Marketing Department. Evelyn Speaking. How may I help you this afternoon? Asking for the Caller’s Name: • Who is calling? • Can I get your name, please? Introducing yourself: • This is Kelly Erickson from West Marketing. • Hi, this Paloma from Tidy Cleaning Service. • Hello, my name is Janet. I am one of your customers. Asking to Speak with someone: • Is Paulo Rodriguez available? • Can I speak to the head of the marketing department? • Is Mary Smith there? • I’d like to speak to the person in charge of the upcoming Gala. Person Caller Wants to Talk to someone that is Not Available: • Mr. Berg is not taking calls right now. Can I take a message? • I’m sorry; Ms. Thorsen is in a meeting until 10. Would you like to call back again later? • Jonathan is out today. Can I forward you to his voicemail? • He’s with a patient right now. Would you like to hold? • She’s on the phone now. Can I have her call you back later? Transferring/Connecting the Caller to Another Person: • Please hold, while I connect you to him. • I’ll put you through to Mr. Shapiro’s phone. If you get disconnected for some reason his direct extension is 4562. • I’m connecting you right now. Problems: • I’m sorry I can’t hear you. Could you speak a little louder? • I’m sorry, I didn’t get that. Could you repeat yourself?

Answer the following question.

Q1. Give an overview of the case.

Q2. Discuss the good Telephone Manners and their importance in business communications.

CASE STUDY (20 Marks)

The challenges of communicating with nine previously independent businesses spread across a number of countries and speaking three different languages (English, Dutch and Papiamento) were significant. Hamlet had no single tool that would enable her to communicate across all the different territories. Email servers on the same network were only operational in the businesses in the English-speaking locations (Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica), whereas the businesses in the Dutch Caribbean (Curaçao, Bonaire, Aruba and Sint Maarten) were operating different email platforms. While Hamlet concluded that there were fewer cultural differences between the countries than she had anticipated, she found that employees were more connected to the local business brands they worked for rather than seeing themselves as members of a larger group. So it was vital to Hamlet that the solution she implemented gave her the ability to communicate the group’s new vision, mission and values in a consistent and engaging way. She also needed to ensure that communications did not come across as “Trini­centric” (Trinidad being the location of the Head Office of the group) or come across as imposing to employees. Hamlet’s research into a software solution that would allow her to communicate more effectively with the distributed workforce led her to the SnapComms internal communication software and in July 2012 Guardian implemented four of the communication channels — Desktop Alert Software, Scrolling Desktop Tickers, Employee Newsletter and Internal Staff Survey tool. Instrumental in her choice was the fact that she could deploy the internal communication tools immediately and would have no ongoing reliance on her IT department to administer them. Hamlet has been pleasantly surprised by the fact that the SnapComms software delivers on its promise and really is as easy to use as it is claimed.

Answer the following question.

Q1. How it was possible to communicate across multiple languages and platforms? Explain.

Q2. Discuss about Snap Comms software.

CASE STUDY (20 Marks)

This company is a voice and data company, providing innovative market leading products, services and customer focus to the business, government, wholesale and residential sectors. They have the backing of and are wholly owned by one of Australia’s largest telecommunications company. They wanted to: Ensure staff had the information they needed when and where they needed it. • Cut through email clutter as well as reduce email traffic. • Remind staff of corporate messages, our business strategy and staff benefits. • Be able to alert staff immediately a situation arose. • Let staff know about our current marketing campaigns and customer offers. How a leading telecommunications company used the SnapComms tools to meet its objectives The company adopted the Snapmag tool to circulate a digital newsletter “Info line”. In addition, a desktop pop­up message was designed to have the same look and feel as the magazine and is used to notify staff when editions are published. Hence staff working in any location and at any time of the day or night know it’s there.

Answer the following question.

Q1. What the company needed for their staff? How they fulfilled it?

Q2. Give an overview of the case.

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