Role play

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 556.

Giving details about your organization

I'm with the Palmer Reece Group.

I work for Kitchen Interiors.

We make / manufacture / sell / install / deal with electrical products (fitted kitchens).

My company's based in …

Our head office is in …

I've been with (worked for) the company for five years.

We have branch offices / subsidiaries in …

Our turnover is …

We've got a workforce of …

Our company employ 200 people.

Listening

Listen to the conversation of two managers, which takes place at a conference. Reproduce it.

Situation:You are a manager attending an exhibition of office equipment. In the hospitality lounge you start talking to some other business people who are at the exhibition.

Working in groups of two or three, improvise a conversation similar to the one given above. Before starting the conversation read the following:

1. Choose a company or business organization. It may be real or imaginary.

2. Introduce yourself; say who you work for, what your position is in the organization and how long you have worked for it.

3. Give the following information:

a) what kind of business organization it is (e.g. private, public, sole trader, partnership)

b) its main business activities

c) location of its head office, branches / subsidiaries

d) turnover, profits, size of work-force etc.

4. Give any information about yourself, your job and the organization

Case study Victor Motor Company (VMC): Choose the right man for the job.

location Maybury

size medium-sized, sports car producing company – 2001 turnover

$50m

main markets exports 60 % of its output to USA and Canada, plans to increase

Sales to Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and the Middle East

new products super sports car, using latest advanced technology; to sell at

$100,000, aim to launch in 2005

main objective to treble turnover by 2006

future VMC face tough competition from rivals; labour relations could

become strained

memorandum MVC

To: All board members Date: 25.09.2003

From: Brian Lockle

Personnel director

Subject: Appointment of a new General Manager

As I am sure you are all aware by now, Anthony Hiller will be retiring at the end of this year, which leaves us a little over two months in which to appoint a new General manager.

The post is currently being advertised in both the national press and the leading trade magazines and I intend to begin the first round of interviews in mid October. The advertisements contain the following description of the General Manager's duties:

a. to have overall responsibility for the running of the plant;

b. to coordinate the work of the management team so that the company's targets and objectives are met;

c. to advise on new product development;

d. to negotiate with trade union representatives;

e. to accompany the Sales manager on overseas sales trips, whenever possible;

f. to represent the company when the Managing director is unavailable.

The right man for the job.

The problem

Two candidates, Jim Collier and Bernard Wheeler, are being considered for the position. The two men have been interviewed by

1. The Managing Director and a team of senior executives

2. An industrial psychologist, who has carried out a number of tests.

The candidates have also had lunch with the interviewing team and the industrial psychologist. The wife of Bernard Wheeler was present at the lunch.

Below are the candidates' curricula vitae, extracts from the psychologist's reports and the interviewing team's notes.

Curriculum Vitae

Personal Details

Name: Jim Collier Date of birth: 21.10 68

Address: 18 Acacia Drive Marital status: divorced

Cheadle Hulme Nationality: American

Manchester

Education

Qualification: Establishment Dates

Diploma I Business Los Angeles Adult Training 1991 - 92

Administration College

Work Experience

Position Company Dates

Formula One mechanic Lotus Racing Team 1987 - 88

Formula One driver McClaren Racing Team 1988 - 91

Sales Representative Houseman Automobiles 1992 - 94

(car dealers)

Sales Manager Houseman Automobiles 1994 - 96

Assistance Production Vauxhall Motors UK 1996 - 97

Manager

Head of Production Vauxhall Motors UK 1998-

Control

Extract from psychologist's report on Jim Collier

Mr Collier is a man of very high intelligence. He is creative, imaginative, and very good at problem-solving. When put under pressure, he kept cool and showed a sense of humor. Although he appears to be calm and cheerful, he is an emotional person. He is deeply dissatisfied with his personal life. He is still upset and shaken by the breakdown of his marriage to his English wife. Note: during interview it came out that he had been expelled from the schools for indiscipline.

Extract from interviewing team's notes on Jim Collier

Super-confident – at times almost aggressive; extremely ambitious – wants to have own car-manufacturing company one day; frank and outspoken in opinions; believes that “winning is the only thing that matters in life”; seemed to be a relaxed, calm personality; but admitted he could “blow his top” if people didn't do their job properly; in a letter of reference, a previous employer suggested he was “charming, but could be very moody when he didn't get what he wanted – not an easy person to work with”.

Curriculum Vitae

Surname Wheeler Age 42

First name Bernard Martin Marital Status Married

Dependents Three children

Address 229 Station Road

Solihull

Warwickshire

Telephone 056 45611511 (home)

021 656222 (work)

Education

M.A.in Engineering from Cambridge University 1988

Post-graduate Diploma in Management from the

London School of Economics 1994

Work History

Executive in Research and Development Department 1988 – 91

Phillips (electrical appliances)

Production trainee, Volkswagen (Birmingham) 1992 – 94

Production Supervisor, Volkswagen (Birmingham) 1994 – 96

Project Coordinator in Volkswagen / Nissan 1996 – 97

joint-venture project in Tokyo and Birmingham

Assistant Works Manager, Volkswagen (Birmingham) 1998 –

Extract from psychologist's report on Bernard Wheeler

Mr Wheeler has above-average intelligence. He is a logical person with good powers of reasoning. He has planned his life carefully and knows where he is going. He is not particularly creative. When put under pressure, he became ill-at-ease and finally lost his temper. He is devoted to his family. As he says, “They come before everything”. He is serious, with no apparent sense of humor. Perhaps this is because he was an only child, and his parents separated when he was young.

Extract from interviewing team's notes on Bernard Wheeler

…gave long, thoughtful replies; knew a great deal about Victor – well-prepared for interview; a patient man, polite but didn't take to him very much – not particularly likable, but showed strength of character; wishes to leave Volkswagen because of personality clash with his Works Manager; when questioned on this he said, “I prefer not to discuss the matter”; main ambition: to become a company director; in letters of reference, described as “efficient”, “dependable” and “self-reliant”.

Note: At the lunch, his wife didn't shine – nervous, unsure of herself and of limited conversation.

Instructions

Working in groups of two or three, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the two candidates. Decide who should be offered the position, noting the reasons for your choice. Compare your decision with that of the other groups.