The Participant is asked to assume the role of acting General Manager of Wholesome Foods Ltd, a market leader in the manufacture of ready-made meals. The items to be faced in this In-Basket typify those which would normally face a middle manager. Examples include personnel, administrative, general management, Health & Safety and financial issues.
Competencies: Problem Analysis
The Participant assumes the role of a Trainee Manager working for a new public sector agency, the Wellbeing Agency. The Participant is asked to deal with a range of typical public sector issues and stakeholders. Issues include standard day-to-day management and administrative tasks relating to budgets, purchasing, staffing challenges and liaising with various external and internal stakeholders.
The Participant assumes the role of a Business Start-Up Advisor working for the Business Advice Centre (BAC). The BAC’s purpose is to provide assistance and advice to customers who are planning to start, or have already started, their own business. Armed with an information pack and a pre-appointment summary sheet, the Participant must meet with a customer who is interested in starting their own catering business. During the appointment, the Participant should gather as much information about the customer’s business as they can, provide advice where appropriate, and make referrals where required to specialist departments within the BAC. The appointment can take place either face-to-face or over the telephone.
The Participant assumes the role of a newly appointed Public Relations (PR) Account Manager at Lewis & Cohen and is asked to meet with a client in the white goods sector to discuss spend on the clients products over the coming year. They have a target for securing business, but the client has their own budget constraints and their own ideas about what PR policy should be pursued, so negotiation is needed. There is also the opportunity to build a good working relationship for the future. The Participant does not require any prior knowledge of PR to complete this exercise.
The Participant takes on the role of a Sales Representative for Aquasoft, a supplier of water purifiers and softeners, which are usually sold directly to the public. During this exercise the Participant has to make a sales call to a prospective customer and is expected to close a sale. The Participant is supplied with an adequate amount of product information, associated costs and main selling points. No specific technical knowledge is necessary for this exercise.
The Participant assumes the role of Business Development Manager for Conquest Executive Concierge Services. This is a relatively new company and the Participant’s role is to establish and cultivate relationships with clients. Conquests services were recently trialled by a global marketing company, Market-Global. Whilst the trial was largely successful, there are some concerns that need to be addressed before Market-Global will agree to a wider arrangement for the use of Conquests services. The Participants task is to meet with the Finance Director for Market-Global to discuss the effectiveness of the trial, rebuild a positive relationship with the client, explore Market-Globals broader requirements and opportunities for Conquest to offer greater support, and to gain some commitment on taking forward the wider arrangement.
The Participant assumes the role of a newly appointed Key Account Manager for the confectionery supplier Cammons. The Participant is required to meet with the Assistant Merchandising & Display Manager for a large general merchandise retailer, Gerry Sturges, who is also new to the role. The Participants aims are to: build an effective working relationship with Gerry Sturges, and to establish a working relationship which is mutually beneficial. They are also tasked to secure agreement from Gerry on a number of commercial objectives. A basic understanding of commercial measures, eg market shares, is required.
The Participant assumes the role of a Call Centre Operative in the Customer Support Centre of Stenham Bank. The Bank provides a range of services including credit cards, holiday insurance, current accounts and on-line banking. With the help of a personal brief the Participant will answer the telephone to a customer who has queries regarding: a claim on their insurance policy; the range of services available; and a complaint about the service. The Participant must ensure that the outcome of the call is positive for the customer and that the action they agree is within the Companys specifications.
The Participant plays the role of a Financial Controller for Churchill Motors Ltd, a medium-sized garage offering the full range of garage services including buying and selling cars. The Participant, using the facts and figures provided needs to agree or negotiate terms with the Sales Director, who is keen to close a reasonably large sale with a prospective customer. This entails establishing the parameters of the deal, so as to protect the garages financial position.
The Participant assumes the role of a Trainee Store Manager working for a major international retailer, EuroBargain, which has numerous hypermarkets across Europe. In this exercise the Participant is required to meet with a customer who has had negative experiences of both the stores products and services. The Participant must address the issues raised by the customer in order to ensure that the customer’s faith in EuroBargain is restored.
