The Manufacturing Industry: Shijiazhuang DeLin Industry and Trade Co Ltd - Essay Example

? Lecturer: of company: s of Employment: Internship Program Narration of the Firm, Shijiazhuang DeLin Industry and Trade Co. Ltd is a large Chinese company that specializes in the manufacturing industry. It is a company that benefits from the economies of scale due to its large capital base and a very good management structure based on the efficiency of corporate legal entity. Based on the strength gained from the former strong companies in the industry like Shiwan Jianguo Ceramics Factory, Shiwan Porcelain Tile Factory, the company gained a lot of basic momentum and is therefore accredited for quality products in the ceramics industry. Over the more than 20 years it has been in operation in the industry, it has gained super advantages in terms of the logistics, the production technology and dissemination of information to the market in terms of its sales and marketing ability (SDITC). The company has a history of production of only quality products and does not reciprocate on quality in the market. This goes hand in hand with promotion of excellence in the market that it operates in. some of the products that the company produces are; ceramic tiles, carpet tiles, floor tiles, mosaic marble and many different types of tile products. With an employee total range of 100-500 at any one time in its operation, the company has developed to become a high stake in the industry and with the slightly over 20 years of operation, it has developed a very strong manufacturing in technology based production. Its sales and marketing to the market is also a very efficient strategy in that the company has good customer relations which have made it dominate the Chinese market for a good length of time. Therefore, undertaking internship at such a company exposes the subject to very objective experience in the respective field of study. With its technology applications, the company introduces the learner to the most current methods of sales and marketing. Description of Work Experiences A typical day week was comprised of a range of activities that were carried periodically either on day to day basis or weekly basis. There are those activities that were based on appointments and had to be referred to on a weekly basis. As a sales assistant at the company, there was a vast range of activities that were relevant to the course which was being done. One of the duties was that of an assistant sales staff work at the company. In this capacity, the work involved constituted helping potential customers to access purchases at the company. Tracking customers was another sales activity that was involved in at the company. This was tracking the orders that the company was to implement. When a company was having a pool of activities involving the use of orders, there was need to get a follow up activity that was used to make the customers be able to create continuous sales activities in the company. Tracking of the orders is used to make a follow up on the orders made to customers so that there is no single lost market for the company. Communication is very important in marketing. This marketing and sales is based on the fact that one is able to communicate and convince the customers to be able to purchase and be able to purchase again when another chance like that presents itself. Sound communication was therefore important in tracking the customers in their whereabouts and then initializing the programs that would make a positive transaction between the company and the customer. Once some of the business activities had been initialized, it was necessary creating a link through the available communication channels at the company to make sure that new sales opportunities are created to new customers. This was created through enough business networking through the internet and all the technological sources available. Development of new customers is a very strong progressive step towards the development of the company sales. In creation of new customers, there is always need to create a safe and sound networking procedure. A safe and sound procedure is that one which would give security to the customers so that they do not lose their trust in the company as well as creation of their profiles with the company. New markets and particularly customers are accessed by use of all the communication networking procedures for instance through phone calls, letters and brochures, as well as company catalogues. This reminds them that they are part of the company and are cherished in terms of the company plans. Analysis of the market data is very important. This helps to create knowledge of the customer tastes and preferences as well as the expected changes in the same tests. It helps the company know the shifts in the demand of the products in the market sop that supply can be regulated. Therefore, the learning about the market helps create a feedback system that can be used to trace back the developments that are used to create supply of exactly what is on demand at the market. Most of the work was done on a weekly basis since it was not possible to handle all the duties on a daily basis. At the company, every day of a sales staff member starts with an overview of the previous day’s work that would take up the issues of following up the customers and other clients so that their initial contact orders could be processed. As stated earlier, some of the duties also involved creation a weekly follow up of the activities in the company. However, the records that were kept for each customer were valid enough to give a leadership on the next steps in terms of the follow up. Portfolio Description The student portfolio in the experiences that were gained during the internship created a very indelible formation of the student that was at the company. There was creation of situations and experiences that were able to bring out and exemplify the reality of the beliefs, skills, qualifications the area of specialization. It was a creation of trying to make it possible for the student to experience the difference between being in class and being at the place of work to apply the knowledge that was achieved. These whole experiences as well as the educational knowledge of the sales assistant constitute the entire personality professional portfolio. Therefore, when compiling the whole piece of all the happenings between the education received and the experiences at the company, then there is an almost completion of the portfolio creation of the whole experience. Obstacles Faced During the Project The components of the task or assignment are based on the day to day collection of the activities that came up at the company during the one month internship. The obstacles encountered in the creation of this project are related to the problems that were experienced in the field. Since one is an account of the other, there has to be a direct relationship but there was a sound guidance by the management of the company on how to handle some of the issues with the clients. The first problem that was categorical of this project was that of classification of the sections of the project parts. This is in line with the changing demands of the clients. Some of the clients were a bit too fickle and they kept changing their instructions. There was always a problem trying to clarify a project as a milestone or a project in continuity. Therefore, in preparation of the assignment, there is also a problem trying to create the right information for the right section of the report. The second project problem was in relationship to the client lateness in communication. There are certain instances when sales is a timely issue and lack of prompt communication is an issue of concern. Therefore, when there is a high rate of customers getting late with their communication, there will always be a shift in the plans which to a large extent interferes with the schedule of the whole department. This assignment was therefore highly affected by customer responses to their individual to the department in the company. Having done some of the projects at theoretical level, it was worth noting that as a sales assistant, there is always the idea of thinking that all the projects could be done in the same way. However, all the customers come with their own specifications and times would come when a customer would end up trying to cancel a project that was already underway. There was always a shift from one to the other based on the personal prescriptions required by the customer. Many of these challenges were overcome by asking the seniors and those who have had prior experience in the same field to advice accordingly. Their task was however limited to the advice since all the experience was required to create a competitive sale person in future. Relationship between the Project and Coursework at UD There were several relationships between the project and the coursework at the UD. There was a direct relationship between the coursework and the practice that was being undertaken at the company. For instance, one of the duties at the company was tracking orders. In this assignment at the company, this duty was the order of the day. Depending on whether the orders were postponed or urgent, there was always a way of looking at the records to verify the orders and create a follow up exercise tops the customers. One of the topics at the UD is tracking of orders and making of recommendations about how to effectively handle these tracked orders and the respective customers. Effective and ethical; communication is a very important aspect of any business venture. In the company, there was always a need to communicate to the customers and relay the latest information about their orders. This was also coupled with the fact that the customer is the boss of the company and satisfaction means more benefits to the company. The same communication especially ethical communication was a basis for sales knowledge at the UD. It was similar in that the theoretical; knowledge as expressed by human resource experts has the ability to create customer loyalty to the company much like effective products would. Collection and maintenance of the market data was part of the coursework at the UD as well as the practical work on the field. This was learnt through information and data collection methods at the company. This was a direct similarity that was creating more know-how on how to analyze the wealth of the market in terms of the demand needed. Lessons from the Experience The lessons from this experience stem from the fact that experience is different from the theoretical work that was covered in class at the college. In handling the company clients directly, there is always something that every employee in the company was to strive to maintain; the good public relations of the company (Michaelson and Mccord). Public relations are a good part of a business and are the core element that attracts the clients to the company and possibly retain them. The second lesson learnt from the assignment at the company is that there is a very high economy of scale when the business has maintained a good market reputation in the market. Therefore there is always the need to create more avenues for a continuous progress in accessing high level markets given the economic and technological advantages of the company. In dealing with the customers, there is a high sense of patience that ids required so that they are maintained. The customers come from different backgrounds and have different definitions of etiquette but for the sake of the company, there is always need to create a link between them and the company. Therefore, as opposed to the rules in learning institutions, there is a more practical approach to issue at the company that in learning. Evaluation of the Internship There were many lessons that were learned during the internship experienced at the company. The first lesson is that business is not all about profits but creation of a continuous brand in the market. Though profits may come a long way in being realized, it is worth maintaining the good impact in the market is a key to the development of a good market size and economies for the company. In the business world, the interaction criteria and maintenance of a given legacy is a paramount issue. The legacy crates an advantage for the company in the market. The company here has maintained a high level of technology and therefore it has a very positive creation of loyalty in the market. The business world is also a competitive world. Therefore, the sales department that is directly associated with the customer contacts is a paramount issue both to the business and the market as a whole. The business also has internal and external economies that dictate its operations and these effects must be adhered to for the business to remain relevant in the market. Lastly, the business world is a creative and dynamic world that must be maintained through several methods (Michaelson and Mccord, n. p.). Moreover, the means in business determines the end of the business. Maintenance of good customer relations for instance and development of the technological ability of the company is essential for the future of the company. Sound guidance given to the junior staff members as well as new staff members enables maintenance of both business and corporate strategies of the company. The ceramics industry in China, unlike other countries is a very developed industry. The industry has premium and innovative products that attract a lot of visitors from all over the world in the name of professionals, traders, agents, developers as well as designers. These gather in networking events and create an exchange program that makes sure that makes sure that there is always quality added to the products. All these are showcased at the ceramics China, an exhibition for all the exhibitors that have a passion for the value of the industry. Therefore, a good company reputation such as that one held by Shijiazhuang DeLin Industry & Trade Co. Ltd is very vital. It is also a competitive industry that all the companies in it strain to maintain a good reputation so that there is a continuous loyalty maintained by the customers. The company has been able to maintain a high status quo in the industry in that within the 20 years of operation; it has become one large company that benefits from internal and external economies of scale. More -over, it has a very strong and able management especially the sales management team that has kept in touch with the latest value in technology and hence a high investment in value. Business Concepts Learnt Business concepts and practices can be unilaterally implemented if there is an understanding of the practical concept after learning the theoretical concepts. There are so many practical concepts that were learned during the internship. One of the things learnt is that the business concepts are practically applicable but the correlation is not so direct that there has to be an adjustment. Learning of the business concepts is very important in that there will be the ability to withstand the pressures that are cognizant with the work that they are to do. Another business concept that is in directed cognizant with the work learnt at the college is that there is ethical maintenance in the field (Michaelson and Mccord, n. p.). Ethics are a part of the sales team in that there is a direct connection with the customers. This was purely concept application in that there was a clear interaction with the practical concept application with the world. Poor application would mean hurting the business in that as was realized, the ceramics industry in China is so developed that a little slack in the maintenance of the customer would mean a drop in business. The internship has the ability therefore to equally hone the skills of an individual to increase the confidence of the sales assistants as well as the ability to effectively handle the value of the customers. With the technological competence of the company as well as the dynamic technological world, there is a direct relationship between the communication skills achieved and the field ability to handle the customers. Suggestions for Improving the Internship The internship at the company was very objective given its position in the market. There was an all-round exposure to all sorts of sales practices which made it possible for the intern to get the necessary challenges and guidance to finish the program successfully (Michaelson and Mccord). However, there are improvements that can be made so that the program can become more objective. The first improvement is the provision of financial benefits to the interns. Much as they may not earn as much as the other sales assistants who are in the company on permanent basis, provision of some stipends will make sure that there is a high motivation to try and compensate for the high cost of living. Secondly, there is need to improve is increment of the internship duration. Therefore, the program is supposed to be elongated so that there is a high experience and knowledge so that there is a high level of competence in the interns. The site supervisors and the student mentors are supposed to be made highly available so that there is a high level of motivation to the students. In the case given, there is a general guidance which is not a personalized issue. Conclusion The case report is very categorical of the specifics in a successful intern program carried out at the prestigious Shijiazhuang DeLin Industry and Trade Co. Ltd in China (SDITC). The case report has highlighted the description of the competence of the firm. It has also described the internship program that was undertaken at the company. The portfolio program is very important in the development of the experiences that were obtained at the company. This was highlighted in view of trying to evaluate the internship program which was undertaken. Work Cited Michaelson, Larry K. and Mary Mccord. "The Integrative Business Experience:A Practical Approach for Learning by Doing." Journal of Applied Learning in Higher Education 3 (2011): 25-43. Print. SDITC. "Company Profile." Shijiazhuang Delin Industry & Trade Co.Ltd. 27 June 2010. Web. 23 April 2013. . Read More