Interview about Developing Entrepreneurship - Assignment Example

Developing Entrepreneurship Report This report has taken a new venue in the interview process. This interviewer decided to take advantage for the globalization that is permeating nowadays in which corporations are doing business. S/he (you) decided to enter into this realm of using another instrument to conduct business in this case it was the interview that was performed in Mexico City, Mexico from London, England via today´s new state of the art of communicating – the computer and the internet. This interviewer will pose the questions asked and their responses in narrative style. The interviewer will also give outsourcing information to give this interview a roundabout perspective. Who is the manager? This report is based on an interview performed to Engineer Claudia Spindola. What is her position and what is the name of the company? She is the Sales and Project Manager at Tecnología Intercontinental, S.A. de C.V. (TICSA). What methodology did this interviewer use? This interviewer communicated with Engineer Spindola from England to Mexico using one of the state of the art technologies. S/He (you) used the yahoo messenger voice to communicate. S/He (you) and the interviewee used microphones and speakers to talk and listen. The interviewee was contacted through a mutual friend and Engineer Spindola agreed to acquiesce to this entrepreneurship interview report. The mutual friend was present to introduce them and translate information using a two-way mode of communication, English/Spanish-Spanish/English, whenever it was needed. The mutual friend was also able to listen to Engineer Spindola´s conversation, since the speakers were on and the engineer has a loud voice (as she identified herself). What is the history of TICSA? TICSA started fifteen years ago. How did they start the business? It started by selling water pumps. Did they have a business plan? Since Engineer Spindola has only been at TICSA for a little over two years she does not know if the company started with a business plan. The original owner is still head of the company and he is from the United States of America. When was TICSA founded? TICSA was founded in the late 80´s in Mexico City. What is the focus of TICSA? TICSA specialises in the design, construction, and start-up of wastewater treatment plants and process water treatment plants. How many people work for TICSA? TICSA is staffed with approximately 80 people, primarily engineers from six different nationalities. At the time Engineer Spindola remembered only four. What is their specialty? They are, generally speaking, based in four groups: Engineering, Construction, Sales and Technology, and Administration. What is the organisational structure? The organisation is composed of three departments: Sales, Projects, and Administration. Who does what in the organisation? The Commercial Director is Engineer José Primelles and he is in charge of the commercial construction. The Sales Manager is Engineer Stefano Sacchi who is in charge of the sales equipment, and the Technical Manager is Engineer Victor Flores who is in charge of the technical matters concerning the construction and the wastewater system to be employed. Is there a management team? There is a management team composed of the managers from the different areas and specialties. Did they identify the competition? Yes, they did identify the competition. TICSA is a young and new company. It knows who the leaders are in the market. What was their start up activities? They started their business activities selling water pumps. How did they acquire the funding? Engineer Spindola does not know how they acquired their funding. Is there a risk analysis? Yes, there is a risk analysis in that which they are involved with since it is highly sophisticated and technically oriented. What does TICSA´s portfolio include? TICSA´s portfolio includes many national and international companies, such as: breweries, soft drink bottlers, paper and pulp manufacturers, chemical and petrochemical firms, pharmaceuticals, and food processing firms. How do they visualise themselves in the future? They visualise themselves as a growing company since their international clients continue to grow, having delivered projects in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Where are they headed? They are always seeking the best technologies that are available. They have to meet stringent parameters based on their field experience: cost effective solutions; minimal maintenance; easy to operate and monitor; and the systems have to be reliable and stable. Many of these technologies are under exclusive licenses or representations, including aerobic and anaerobic processes, electro dialysis, ionic exchangers, and filtration devices. TICSA´s products are normally designed and built on a turnkey basis system. They have worked on a limited scope and are open to alliances with other firms, especially with the municipal sector (government). There are several sub-sections within the company. These are as follows: The Aerobic Activated Sludge: is simple to operate; has low maintenance and operating costs; has 96% removal of BOD; has superior water quality; loads up to 200,000 lb COD/day; and, there are over 600 plants operating worldwide. The Aerobic Trickling Filter: has low maintenance and operating costs; removes up to 80% of BOD; has compact footprint; and, there are over 1,000 plants operating worldwide. The Anaerobic Treatment with Biothane ® Technology: has compact design; low maintenance and operating costs; minimal sludge production; has energy payback; loads from 2,000 to 200,000 kgCOD/day and over; and, has over 250 plants operating worldwide. The Aeration Equipment: has Parkson biofuser; Parkson aeration panel; invent silikoflex; and, the mixing equipment is the invent hyperboloid. Where have they been on a national and international level? For the wastewater treatment system TICSA has the soft drink bottlers and they have been in various states in Mexico and in San Jose, Costa Rica. For the breweries they have also been in several states in Mexico and Honduras. For the pulp paper industry they have been up to this date only in Mexico. For the food industry they have been in various states of Mexico; Philippines; and, St. Petersburg, Russia. For the chemical/petrochemical industry they have only been in various states of Mexico. For the pharmaceutical industry they have also been in various states of Mexico. For the textile industry they have also only been in various states of Mexico. For the sanitary effluent they have been in several states of Mexico and in Panama City, Panama. Where is TICSA as a business positioned in Mexico? TICSA is in the top ten list of water treatment in Mexico. It is expected to continue to grow and expand their wings globally. How does Engineer Spindola perceive TICSA? According to Engineer Spindola working at TICSA is very comfortable since in general, the employees have a nice human quality. When she was asked what negative aspects, did she perceive in the company, she was silent for a moment and when she continued she said, there are none. She very enthusiastically said that everything was positive. That the human quality was prevalent and that there is a good working spirit. In this interviewer´s opinion the interview went well, especially because the techniques that this interviewer used were the state of the art of doing business using the internet. There was a sense of commitment and seriousness of what TICSA does and how they wish to continue being leaders in their field of expertise. Concerning the pros and cons of TICSA coming from a manager´s point of view, Engineer Spindola could have exaggerated concerning the cons. As someone who has been in the business field, it is understood that no enterprise is exempt of negativity nor is it exempt of having its share of problems to be solved so that the enterprise has a “smooth” run of affairs. During the conversation Engineer Spindola had several telephone calls concerning project sites, resource materials, and coordination of events, which interrupted the interviewing process. This was an expected behaviour coming from a busy business manager. She said she was very busy, especially since she is the Sales and Project Manager. This interviewer suggested to her that she needed to have more personnel working with her. As you have already noticed the projects that TICSA has had over the fifteen years are spread out in Mexico and in other parts of the world. In this interviewer´s opinion, Engineer Spindola is an entrepreneur, although she is an employee in this company. She handles herself very well and gracefully, very straight forward, and knowledgeable of what she is doing to maintain the company in its leading position with the possibility to excel in their venues. TICSA is growing in Mexico and is known to be as one of the top ten companies in the construction and wastewater treatment. It is a company that is developing projects on an international basis. Its growth internationally is becoming known and appreciated. Their personnel that assume leadership roles live at the different construction sites for months until they finish the project(s). This gives them an opportunity to hire different people according to their experiences at different sites leaving a good impression in the community. Management is also serious about the international businesses they are working with, to the extent that they encourage their management personnel and those that work with them with foreign customers, to enrol in English classes to learn and improve their English knowledge and skills. They have English classes two times a week. This is why this interviewer decided to interview a manager of a small company at a different geographic location. This is up to par with the globalization process and communication needs. It is talked about how small the world has become because the travelling is not necessarily a need. There are ways to communicate: audio conferencing, video conferencing, and using the internet (such as this interview has been an example). This interviewer believes that it is not only important to learn a language but the idiosyncrasies pertaining to the different countries, such as: customs, traditions, cultures, idiomatic terms, and history. These elements are important to obtain positive business transactions. Diversity is important to the workforce as well. In this case TICSA has employees from six nationalities. The engineer at the moment could only remember four of the countries/continents they came from: Mexico, Italy, Africa, and Nepal. WHATEVER IS IN RED IN THIS DOCUMENT SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED BY YOU. I DO NOT KNOW YOUR GENDER THEREFORE I WROTE FOR YOU TO DECIDE S/HE (SHE OR HE). ERASE THE RED AND CHOOSE THE GENDER BEFORE SUBMITTING. Read More