Animation Company - Essay Example

Internship Paper For my internship, I have chosen to train in a small animation company in Munich called Umbruch. They cater to companies and television outfits that outsource their animation projects. Umbruch employs less than 20 people and has been family-owned since its inception. Since I am from Berlin, they arranged for my accommodation in duration of my stay in the city. This paper outlines my experiences in working for Umbruch as an intern and relate the knowledge I have learned to economic finance, marketing, among other business concepts. The application process was a little strict but went faster than I expected – faster perhaps in comparison to the application process in a larger company. For this stage, I have been in communication with the owner, Inka Kardys and a support staff that handles human resources administration (Kardys is also the manager and would be my immediate supervisor throughout my internship). Here, I was asked to provide a lot of personal information as much as I was required to provide my skills and capabilities. There was a lot of focus on the interview and afterwards, it was all formality. I passed and was requested to relocate, then start my training. I started to work at Umbruch in July 1, 2009. I was required to deliver at least 40 hours per week just like any of their ordinary employee. I have to be in the office at 8 in the morning till 5 in the afternoon. I have to work there five days a week. As previously mentioned, I worked for Kardys, the firm’s manager. And so my responsibilities were mainly to assist her as he does her managerial duties as well as other tasks that she would assign me to do. From July until August 16 2009, the last day of my internship, I was subjected to a structured training which covered those duties that are related to all the operations of various departments in the company. For the first half of week, I underwent orientation and familiarization of the workplace. The orientation focused on the nature of the company and how individual employees could contribute in the firms organizational objectives. It was very thorough and by the end of this stage, I have a fairly sufficient knowledge in regard to the company, their products and services, how they work and the organizations’ goals and objectives. During this stage, I noticed that the process seem to want to inculcate in the employee the corporate culture and organizational values which I found to be important in how I dispensed with my duties and responsibilities as an employee. It was all very clear to me from the very beginning, so I felt very little confusion when I started to work. I was quite surprised to find that even though the company was small, they were already very organized and systematic. In addition, they were able to cultivate an environment that is conducive to creative work and innovation. Again, I noticed this from the outset. Needless to say, I was quite comfortable and quickly adapted to the workplace. In retrospect, I think such circumstance happened because of their focus on personal aspect of the employee selection process. Now, that I think about it, I remember that once my interview with Inka Kardys was through she told me that they have a very specific profile requirement for the employees in Umbruch. It appears that I did fit in the profile and that this success in the selection procedure saved the company and the employee the unnecessary struggles in regard to issues of new employee adjustment to the workplace. My observation about the team that makes up Umbruch is that, although they were few, they are very creative and they, certainly, have excellent technical knowledge. I learned a lot from this people in regard to creative production as well as in marketing management. In addition, I also acquired several management techniques from Kardys. As has been cited previously, this case in Umbruch has been encouraged by its organizational culture. For example, there is no isolated cubicle for each of the employees. Their desks and chairs, although designed differently do not have the characteristics that would reflect a hierarchy within the organization. The manager’s desk, for instance, is not much bigger or more expensive than those of the other employees’. In addition, all employees address each other on a first-name basis. Even Kardys, for one, would be called Inka by her subordinates. This organizational culture I think is very effective not just because the company is a startup organization and hence, small. As it is, the culture eliminates barriers to creativity by democratizing the interpersonal relationship in the workplace and dispensing with the formality and rigidity of a strictly hierarchical organization. The work satisfaction and the pride in their company made the employees identify with the company and this is translated in their enthusiasm to pursue the companies objectives. As a result, Umbruch is able to boast of a particular brand and identity in their product, which is characterized by the innovation and low cost. In regard to my responsibilities, I was given an outline of what Miss Kardys does every day since I was expected to be familiar with it and assist her in fulfilling the routine. At times, I would be tasked to assist in managing a project by coordinating with all the personnel involved in the production process. In addition, I would also be called upon to check whether the quality meets the set standards or to determine whether animation projects are proceeding according to the timetable and the project objectives. Through these experiences, I was able to practice those theories I have learned in project management at school. I learned, for example, that there are many factors that could hamper a project that could not be foreseen theoretically or during its planning stages. Here, I found that sound decision-making based of well established management principles are crucial to address this challenge. Another important aspect that I learned from Umbruch in the context of the firm as a small startup company is that employees are required to multi-task. For example, I was expected to do menial work such as answering the client inquiries through the phone. Then I would be asked to follow-up on some marketing prospects who were needed to be contacted. These experiences allowed me to learn invaluable insight in regard to responsibilities and work from both the employees’ and the management’s perspectives. In my conversations with the employees and Inka Kardys herself, I learned that Umbruch started really small and in the past have struggled quite hard just to become profitable. It was hard to make money. But upon my entry to the firm, the organization was quite stable and based on the number of their accounts, I can say, is flourishing even during this rough times. I believe that this has something to do with the sound business management that effectively addressed: 1) the company’s philosophy of delivering excellent and creative products and services for a competitive price; 2) the establishment of a corporate culture that would enhance the prospect of achieving the corporate objectives of excellence and profitability; 3) the problem of outsmarting the competition (including the bigger players in the market) by constantly offering innovative output. There is a focus, in regard to management, on the selection, training and retaining of good employees. The employees of the company are Umbruch’s assets and they drive the firm’s advantage over the competition, which are dominated by large players. Umbruch’s management has a policy in place that would recruit and maintain the best people and it is quite successful today. Read More