The Global Engagement section includes several WebQuests related to different steps in international commercial exchanges and business negotiations. It aims to develop a challenge-based learning environment fostering cooperative learning through guided discovery. With this kind of active learning, which offers VET students a variety of sensory experiences, they can investigate issues and obstacles that actually exist in the real world of business.
Marketing campaign
Your enterprise is about to launch a new product, and in preparation, you are in charge of planning a marketing campaign to introduce the new product.
Understanding your target group when releasing new products or creating marketing campaigns is important. Using data and knowledge about different target groups and what is important to them is an important part of making a successful business.
In this webquest, you get to explore your enterprise, target group segmentation and analysis and finally plan your marketing campaign for the product release.
- How to determine your market position
- How to identify your target audience
- Setting goals and planning
- Create a campaign for the product launch
- Launch product/advertising campaign
Market and target group analysis is important for any enterprise wanting to launch a new product, market services to a new target group, or enter a new country. In this quest, you can choose whether you are launching a new product or launching a product to a new market abroad.
It is important to do the work and have the knowledge from analysis to make strategic decisions about marketing or new additions to your enterprise´s product range.
- To succeed in the competitive market, you need to know your enterprise’s unique value proposition and how it stands out from the rest. A SWOT analysis is a powerful tool that can help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. By conducting a SWOT analysis, you can discover your enterprise’s core competencies, address its challenges, leverage its potential, and avoid its pitfalls. A SWOT analysis can also help you craft a compelling positioning statement that showcases your enterprise’s distinctive advantages.
SWOT Analysis Explained – Forbes Advisor
2. Market research is essential for understanding your target audience and their preferences. By watching this video, you can learn different methods to conduct market research and find out who your potential customers are. You can choose the method that suits your enterprise’s goals and resources. Once you have identified your target audience, you need to analyse their wants and needs to figure out how to market your new product.. Knowing your target audience is crucial for designing effective marketing campaigns that resonate with them and persuade them to buy your product.
3. A marketing campaign is a strategic and systematic way to promote your product or service to your target audience. To create a successful marketing campaign, you need to plan ahead, set a clear goal, and follow up on the results.
Plan and set a goal for your advertising campaign/product launch, if you have data from the past use that for setting your goal. These resources can be useful for making the plan for your product launch/campaign.
SMART
4. Now it is time to make the campaign itself. It requires creativity, knowing your audience and cultural awareness.
You can use these resources for inspiration:
Storytelling: VIDEO
5. It is time to launch your campaign after the campaig. Remember to evaluate the results, did you reach your goals? If not, can you find an explanation?
Knowledge (being aware)
- Elements required for making strategic marketing decisions
- Basic market research
Skills (being able)
- Create a Swot analysis
- Do market research
- Choose a target group
- Set goals and following up
Attitudes (appreciate to perform)
- Data is important for making a strategy
Through this WebQuest you have launched a marketing campaign for a new product or entered a new country. You have learned that knowing your enterprise and its position in the market and your target group are important aspects of being able to be successful. You have learned about setting goals and how it is important that you can evaluate those goals.
What did you learn from the SWOT analysis?
How did you decide on your target group?
Is your campaign reaching its goals?
How is the process different from what you usually do when launching a campaign?
Communication with external PEs
In today’s interconnected world, businesses face various hurdles when engaging in international trade. Cultural differences, language barriers, and geographical distances can either hinder or facilitate success in the global marketplace. In a Practice Enterprise, you face many of the same challenges.
Connecting to a new partner abroad is exciting and interesting. Your own expectations and wish to present things perfectly, may however be a hindrance and make you feel uncertain about the call/meeting.
In this quest the focus is getting ready to make a connection abroad and how to remain calm and hopefully excited about making a connection abroad.
- Research the culture
- Introduction
- Preparing for a call/meeting
- Practice/roleplay
- Make contact
In this scenario you are employed by an enterprise who wants to make new connections or get in contact with an existing partner from abroad. It is your first time contacting someone internationally.
Another option is you are preparing to join an international event in the Practice Enterprise Network PEN Worldwide for the first time.
PEN Worldwide – Events & Competitions
- Research the culture
Before making contact, it is important to try to understand some basics about the culture in that country. Significant things to research include formal vs informal, workplace hierarchy, things to avoid, significant events, national holidays. Not all is equally important, but how formal you should be is worth keeping in mind.
It is ok to make mistakes, we all do, but having some basic cultural understanding will give you a better platform for successful international cooperation.
Do some research about the country with whom you wish to do business to gain some knowledge about the culture in the country.
For a basic overview of Cultural Business Etiquette
Use google or another search engine to find resources about doing business in the target country.
You can search for terms such as, national holidays in the country, business etiquette in the country, workplace hierarchy in the country.
2. Introduction
Depending on your enterprise´s previous relationship with the business partner, it may not be as simple as calling a guy from sales. How will you present your company? Send an introduction email, call them, contact on social media – there are multiple options.
Here is a link with inspiration for how to introduce your enterprise:
Introduce your Company
Decide how you want to introduce your enterprise and prepare the material you need.
3. Preparing for a call/meeting
The first thing to do when preparing for a call/meeting abroad potentially in a foreign language is to make a glossary of important words in the area of which you want to communicate. If you are presenting a new product it could be delivery terms, payment terms, invoice, due date etc. These words could also be considered key words, even in your own language.
Make a word list of the most important terms relevant to what you will be calling/meeting about.
Your own expectations may lead you to feel some stress before a phone call or meeting, it is normal, particularly when you are the one performing/presenting. This resource contains tips for staying calm during any kind of presentation, the video is about phone calls specifically but the tips are universal.
Link
If you are making a call in a foreign language these tips may help on the language side of things, for some people these tips can help them make calls in their native language
4. Practice/roleplay
Now you have done research, have an idea of your enterprise presentation, prepared a word list for your topic and had advice on how to beat stress about presentation and how to make a call in another language. It is time to put everything together and grab a colleague to do a practice/roleplay where you get to go through the call/meeting/presentation you intend to do. This will let you practise and give you valuable feedback.
5. Make contact
It is time to make contact for real, whether that is by letter of introduction or through a phone call. Remember that your confidence doing this will grow the more you try. If you feel like it is still hard, start with lower stakes and while it sounds simple remember to smile. Call about simple questions such as, when can you deliver the order we placed on the marketplace, can you send us your catalogue, what colour/size options do you have for this product etc
Knowledge (being aware)
Cultural differences in and outside the workplace
Ideas for presenting your enterprise
Skills (being able)
- To overcome stress about presentations/phone calls/meetings
- To make contact with an international enterprise
- To find relevant vocabulary
Attitudes (appreciate to perform)
- Differences in culture
- Practise to improve confidence
There are many ways and reasons for making contact internationally. Global contact is exciting and a great experience. Being stressed when having to perform is natural particularly if you have to communicate in a foreign language. Through this WebQuest you have learned about cultural awareness, made a glossary of key words, and decided how to present your enterprise. Finally you have practised how to make calls or do meetings with a colleague, and if you have done step 5, you have made your first contact with an enterprise from abroad.
Did anything about business culture in your target country surprise you?
Was your introduction effective?
How did the roleplay contribute to the preparation?
Did you successfully make contact?
What was the outcome of making contact?
Commercial services I
A Practice Enterprise not able to participate in a trade fair in-person can partner with a PE from a different country to be represented at the fair. This offers trainees a great opportunity for cross-cultural contact as well as learning business etiquette with preparatory work of analysing and taking on another company’s ethics, values, image and practices. Commercial representation also gives an opportunity to increase PE commercial activity for both enterprises, as well as opening up new markets.
You have been contacted by a PE from another country that cannot participate in-person at your national Trade Fair. They have asked your PE to represent them at the fair and to market and sell their products as a commercial representation service.
Your task is to determine whether there is a sufficient benefit to the partnership and to determine how you can adequately represent the other PE and their products/services, how to market, how to make the sales, and most importantly, how to build the partnership.
You will have to:
Analyse the company’s business, model, products and services, customers, marketing mix to determine the value of a partnership. You will first have to do the following prior to the trade fair:
- Qualify the partnership and determine if it is of benefit for your PE
- Present your partnership agreement offer for the representation
- Close the sale by getting the partnership agreement signed by both enterprises
4. Prepare a marketing plan for the other company’s products/services and start prospecting
Representing another company at a trade fair can be tricky if you do not have a clear map for your sales process. In order to ensure a positive partnership experience, you are going to prepare a Sales Process Road Map.
For this WebQuest, we will assume that there is a sufficient benefit for your PE that you have agreed to enter into a partnership agreement and to represent another PE at an upcoming trade fair.
- First start by selecting a PE from your current PE supplier list that you’ll be representing;
- Next determine what products/services you have been asked to represent (from the catalogue of your current supplier);
- Then take time to prospect the potential customers who you would be selling to at the trade fair;
- Develop a marketing plan outline for how you will present the value of the products/services you will be selling;
- Elaborate the terms of an agreement with the PE you will be representing, including the financial compensation structure.
Knowledge (being aware)
Sales processes and roadmap
Identification of business opportunities
Product/service marketing mix
Cross-cultural business differences
Skills (being able)
- Selling yourself and your skills
- Drawing up a sales road map
- Preparing an effective two-party agreement
- Negotiating agreements
Attitudes (appreciate to perform)
Effective communication
Handling stressful situations
Taking on new challenges
Language and cultural competences
Critical thinking
Commercial representation puts your sales pitch and negotiation skills to the test. You will get to experience different languages, cultures and business etiquettes, all while building your commercial process knowledge. The interactions with the represented PE and with your new customers will teach you soft skills that can readily be put to use in the real world when it is time to sell yourself – whether at a job interview or for negotiating the price for a new flat or a new car. Sales skills are life skills that we use everyday without even realising!
Commercial representation is actually two different stages of sales in one. First, you have to sell your service and come to an agreement with the company you will be representing. Then you will have to actually sell the products/services of the represented PE successfully enough to have a financial advantage from the partnership. A double-edged sales challenge for your PE, which could be doubly rewarding!
Commercial services II
A service is defined as a performance or set of services of an intangible nature that involves the interaction between the customer and the service provider. Every entrepreneur and every company needs to search for and find the best suppliers for their business.
Relying on quality suppliers is a difficult but very important operation for the objectives of a company. The wrong supplier often has serious consequences and high costs for the company.
Task: Your PE is looking for a reliable and professional supplier for a specific service, such as the organisation of an advertising campaign, a company safety consultancy, an employee training course, international transport, travel arrangements, website and social media management, search engine optimization (SEO), etc.
Your task is hence to find the most suitable supplier among those identified, i.e. the one that best meets the needs of your PE.
The search for the best supplier must consider two main parameters:
- the quality of the service and the supplier
- The affordable cost is proportionate to the budget available.
Note: If the service requested concerns the company’s presence in a foreign market, it may be strategic to look for the supplier in that territory, paying attention to the reliability parameters of the country as well as the supplier, the payment methods and any currency exchange.
There are a few basic steps in the process of finding a service, so follow them carefully when implementing your task:
- Search for service providers through databases and web search engines
- Analysis of website information and supplier reviews
- Selection of some preferable providers, taking into account reviews and information
- Request for a quote from two or more suppliers, clearly specifying the characteristics of the requested service
- Analysis of estimates, comparison of costs, times and methods of payment, and the quality of the proposal received
- Acceptance of the proposal and contract for the purchase of the service
Knowledge (being aware)
- Commercial transactions and the main international payment methods
- The commercial contract
- Country-markets (for countries of interest)
- Basic Basics of International Law
- How search engines work on the web
- Business etiquette of the Country you are trading with
Skills (being able)
- Search for information on the web (ICT skills)
- Draft a request for a quote letter for a service
- Draw up a proposal for a national and/or international contract
- Communicate in english or in the language of the Country you are trading with (language skills)
Attitudes (appreciate to perform)
- Data analysis and selection skills
- Punctuality and self-organisation
- Effective communication
You’ve learned how to choose a vendor, how to draw up a service contract, and how to communicate with your company’s vendor. To this end, you have applied your knowledge, skills and personal attitudes to a complex task, which real companies are often called upon to tackle.
We encourage you to continue your journey as an “entrepreneur” and further develop your skills.
What do I think I learned from this experience?
How did I feel while working?
Have I actively collaborated and communicated effectively with others?
Have I been able to make decisions and choices in a convinced and shared way with others?
Did I have any difficulties during the accomplishment of the task? If so, how did I overcome them?
What can I still improve on?
Note: In the case of foreign suppliers, in particular for non-EU countries, the risks associated with the country system should not be overlooked. For this reason, foreign transactions require a certain amount of caution in the definition of contractual clauses. The most common types of risk are:
- Commercial risk;
- Currency exchange risk;
- Political or country risk
Commercial outsourcing and subcontrating
Outsourcing is a business practice in which services or company functions are hired out to a third party on a contract or ongoing basis. It therefore involves a cooperation agreement between the outsourcer and a company already in the market.
The principle on which it is based is to make others do what they do better than we do, in order to reduce costs and free up resources to invest in the core business.
Outsourcing risks: placing a company in a situation of great dependence on suppliers, so the search for companies must be based on solid partnership and relationships: trust of both actors, convergence on objectives, and effective commitment.
Some of the criteria used in choosing new partners can be summarised below:
- quality standards
- adequate organisation and financial capabilities
- professional seriousness.
Your company is looking for the most reliable and sustainable partner to carry out a business function to be outsourced, such as personnel management, accounting, commercial representation at a trade fair, etc.
Finding stable and reliable partners is a very important operation for a company. An unreliable partner often leads to a loss of image and reputation, with serious consequences and high costs for the company.
Research and identify the most suitable outsourcer, i.e. the one that best meets the needs of your PE, to entrust it with an important part of your PE business.
The search for a reliable partner must take into account three main parameters:
- the quality and reliability of the partner
- its financial and economic capacity
- its pricing policy
- the convergence of objectives between the two companies and mutual trust.
Follow this indication and find the most reliable partner to outsource part of your PE activities, you can choose, as highlighted, which part of the process you wish to outsource (i.e. personnel management, accounting, … )
The steps in the process of finding an outsourcer partner for the assignment of a service are as follows, please follow them carefully to implement successfully your task:
- Analysis of the weaknesses of your company and identification of the service(s) to be outsourced
- Communicating your needs and expectations to potential partners
- Analysis of information about potential partners and selection of some
- Meetings (with two or more potential partners) to define the characteristics, methods, costs and payments of the outsourced service
- Choice of the most reliable partner based on the outcome of the meetings
- Conclusion of the outsourcing contract
Knowledge (being aware)
- Principles of Business Organization
- The Outsourcing Contract
- Basics of International Law
Skills (being able)
- Analyse your PE’s processes
- Select the best one from several offers
- Negotiate the economic and organisational terms of an outsourced service
- Draw up an outsourcing contract
Attitudes (appreciate performing)
- Ability to analyse and make decisions
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Effective communication
You have learned how to analyse and choose a partner to whom you entrust an important part of your work process, and you have experienced how to draw up an outsourcing contract. To this end, you have applied your knowledge, skills, and personal attitudes to a complex task that real companies are often called upon to tackle.
We encourage you to continue your journey as an “entrepreneur” and further develop your skills.
What did I learn from this experience?
How did I feel while working?
Did I actively and effectively collaborate and communicate with others?
Have I been able to make decisions and choices in a convinced and shared way with others?
Did I have any difficulties during the accomplishment of the task? If so, how did I overcome them?
What can I still improve on?
Note: In the event that outsourcing is requested to a foreign partner, it is necessary to pay attention to the reliability parameters of the country as well as the partner.
Multinational events
The goal of multinational trading events is to increase international trade between Practice Enterprises. These events include Intensive Trading Events and Practice Enterprise Trade Fairs, and can be held online or in-person.
Before, during and after the event trainees learn and test a variety of skills. Before the event, trainees learn how to distribute roles, work in a team and plan their event participation. During the event they test their sales pitch and negotiation skills and the commercial processes of order processing. They get to experience different languages, cultures and business etiquettes. The interactions teach them soft skills that can be put to use in the real world of business. After the event, they learn about post-event follow-up and turn lessons learned into improvements at future events
A Trading Event has the goal of creating connections and transactions between PEs. It can take place in-person or online using videoconferencing, order taking and marketing, and does not require setting up a stand or booth. Trading Events organised by the Worldwide Practice Enterprise Network are held on an online platform that allows trainees to use video conferencing tools of their choice and provides them with time slots in which sellers agree to be online and conduct sales conversations and negotiations and to carry out commercial orders. These events give Practice Enterprises an opportunity to grow their international network and to create new contacts.
Your PE wants to participate at a PEN Worldwide online Trade Day. There is an opportunity to create new connections, boost international trade and create new long-term trading partnerships.
Your task as a PE is to prepare as best as you can for the upcoming international Trade Day.
- Prepare a participation flow chart and document where you outline the following:
- team task distribution
- preparation processes & documents
- timeline & flow of the processes (before, during and after the event)
- Select the event team that will be preparing and participating at the event
- Choose if you participate as a visitor or an exhibitor
- Create an event preparation working document with a flow chart (you can for example use templates on Canva), or you can use an event or project management platform such as Trello or another of your choice (here you can manage tasks and distribution)
- If you participate as an exhibitor, ensure you have enough staff for both the selling and buying processes
- Divide the preparations to pitch your product portfolio, including the elements of the selling process
- Review participating PEs (if available) and prepare the following:
- Vocabulary and language – learn about their business culture
- Practise possible interactions and scenarios with your teammates
- Look at the product portfolio and at what could be interesting for international customers
- Look back at your participation and take away some lessons learned and use these to improve for future events
- Close and follow-up on any unfinished matters (outstanding invoices, orders or requests)
Knowledge (being aware)
- Cross-cultural business norms
- different digital tools
- event planning elements
- event stages – before, during and after
Skills (being able)
- Teamwork
- Event planning preparation
- Digital skills (using video conferencing platform & setting up an exhibitor or visitor account)
- Carry out commercial processes
- Foreign language competences
- Cultural and business etiquette awareness
- Learning by doing – follow-up & evaluation of event
Attitudes (appreciate to perform)
- Effective cultural and linguistic communication
- Handle stress and unpredictable situations
- Take on new challenges
- Language and cultural competences
Preparation and participation at an international Online Trade Day puts your preparation, team work, digital skills, negotiation, business culture and language skills to the test.
You can experience different languages, cultures and business etiquettes, all while building your commercial knowledge. The best way to become skilled and good at participating and exhibiting at online Trade Days is actually trying it first and then taking some valuable takeaways from it. There is no better way of learning about events than actually participating. Start with small steps and participate as a visitor. Learning by doing is the key when it comes to online events especially and you will use many of the digital skills that you learn in your future career in the real business world.
- Did you find it easy to distribute the roles and prepare for the event?
- What were some of the challenges that you faced during the event?
- After the event, did you find some things you could improve for next time?
Other operation activities I
A job interview is your opportunity to make a strong impression on a potential employer and showcase why you are the best candidate for the role. Landing a job at a multinational company requires understanding international business and preparing for interviews suited to working globally. This WebQuest will guide you through the process of getting ready for a successful job interview.
Your task is to thoroughly prepare to interview for an overseas job at a multinational corporation that matches your cross-cultural skills. This involves:
- Researching international markets
- Developing interview responses for global roles
- Practicing your video interview presence
- Understanding business norms abroad.
- Research the multinational company and its worldwide operations, supply chains, cultural values and global industry.
- Carefully read the international job description, including foreign language ability and willingness to relocate.
- Develop stories demonstrating your international experience, language skills, and adaptability to overseas work. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses.
- Prepare thoughtful questions about the company’s global expansion plans and international opportunities.
- Rehearse over video for a virtual interview, paying attention to eye contact, voice tone, and background.
- Investigate international business dress codes and online interview norms in different cultures.
- Review time zones and key facts about the company’s global presence right before the call.
- Greet the overseas interviewers positively, avoid idioms, clarify unfamiliar references respectfully. Visualise yourself successful.
Knowledge (being aware)
Understanding of a multinational company’s global presence, its mission and values
Knowledge of international industry and overseas job functions
Awareness of cultural norms and expectations abroad
Knowledge of how to structure responses using the STAR method
Second language proficiency for target country
Skills (being able)
Ability to research the global company and role
Skill in identifying relevant international experiences
Proficiency in answering cross-cultural interview questions clearly and concisely
Capability to come up with thoughtful global questions for the interviewer
Skill in rehearsing for virtual interviews
Ability to interpret overseas business attire norms
Attitudes (appreciate to perform)
Appreciation for multicultural understanding required globally
Respect for diverse cultural and business practices
Confidence in cross-border communication skills
Enthusiasm for overseas travel and relocation
Proactive learning approach toward international competencies
Openness to understanding different perspectives
Preparing for a global job interview requires adapting traditional approaches. Use this WebQuest to research internationally, develop global experiences for your CV and best position yourself to start a multinational career.
What global cultural differences did you notice in your company research?
What international job interview norms stood out as being different from your home country?
Were there any language or cultural references the overseas interviewers made that you did not understand? How did you handle that?
What were your biggest learnings from preparing and undergoing this international hiring process?
Reflecting on the experience will help you continue growing your global mindset and skills.
Other operations activities II
As a Practice Enterprise, you will likely face various logistics issues when fulfilling orders and managing inventory. Exporting and importing internationally can pose additional challenges. In this webquest, you will research common logistics issues, analyse their impact, and develop solutions to implement in your Practice Enterprise.
- Identify frequent logistics issues
- Analyze the impact of these issues
- Develop solutions to implement in your Practice Enterprise
- Practice resolving a logistics issue scenario
- Research typical logistics issues like shipping delays, inventory mismanagement, inaccurate demand forecasting, customs clearing, etc. Make a list of issues you may encounter.
- For 2-3 key issues, analyze how they could negatively impact your supply chain and operations. Consider financial, operational, and customer impacts.
- Propose solutions to prevent or mitigate these logistics issues in your Practice Enterprise. Be specific on how you would implement the solutions.
- With a partner, role play scenarios where a logistics issue arises and practice resolving it through the solutions you developed.
Knowledge (being aware)
- Types of transportation modes and providers
- Pros and cons of different transportation methods
- Common logistics issues and their causes
- Impact of logistics disruptions on operations and finances
- Logistics management principles and best practices
Skills (being able)
- Conduct research on transportation providers and rates
- Analyze complex information to compare options
- Develop logistics plans and solutions to issues
- Calculate costs of different logistics options
- Apply negotiation tactics in provider discussions
- Diagnose and troubleshoot logistics issues
Attitudes (appreciate to perform)
- Appreciation for importance of logistics in business operations
- Meticulousness in logistics planning and execution
- Persistence in resolving unforeseen logistics issues
- Assertiveness in negotiating rates and resolving provider issues
- Responsibility in minimizing environmental impact of logistics
- Ethical approach to logistics providers and customs processes
Logistics issues can significantly disrupt your practice enterprise’s operations. By proactively identifying potential issues, analyzing their impact, and developing preventative solutions, you can avoid many problems and maintain a good customer satisfaction level. The role play gave you experience quickly diagnosing and addressing issues as they arise. Use the knowledge from this webquest to build resilience into your logistics process.
What logistics issues seem most likely to impact your Practice Enterprise?
Which proposed solutions do you think will be most effective?
What challenges did you face in the role play scenarios?
How would you further improve your logistics issue response plan?