segunda-feira, 29 de agosto de 2011

The New kind of Administrative Assistant

Our first English Lecture for the Executive Secretary Committee at Amcham was a success. We intend to repeat it and present topics for discussion and interaction so as to promote networking, desirable skills and fluency in English.

Nowadays, the so called "secretárias executivas" in Brazil can decide for an upgrade in their status in the companies, as they assist managers and CEOs entering in the global market. They can play the role of a business facilitator, being able to communicate in different languages and understanding cultural differences. There is, in fact, a demand for this pro-active employee who is able to translate their bosses and companies. Intraentrepreneurial skills, in fact. Entrepreneurs who act inside organizations. Caroline and Flavia at On The Road and Cenira at CNH are very good examples of this kind of professional. They are up-to-date and always searching for new opportunities of interaction.

A bit about Entrepreneurship....

Studies made on Entrepreneurship show that people can be taught how to develop the desired profile of an Entrepreneur, which means having an assertive an assertive and self-motivated attitude towards their goals and objectives. One characteristic of an Entrepreneur is internal locus of control. entrepreneurs believe they are not simply pawns of the environment where they are inserted, but rather, that the outcome of events and situations are susceptible to intervention. In other words, that they have the skills and capacity to intervene effectively in certain situations or influence events.

A window to discussion and participation:

I would like to ask the participants to post about their experience and what they would like to discuss in our next meeting! You can also post a bit about yourselves, like photos and interests!

9 JUNHO 2011

IN ENGLISH - Contrua seu futuro

O primeiro encontro em inglês será uma oportunidade de melhorar sua fluência e aprender mais a respeito das vantagens competitivas da carreira na área deSecretariado Executivo. A nova secretária executiva é aquela preparada para encarar responsabilidades extras e que não se importa em correr alguns riscos. Sendo assim discutiremos sobre esse setor de negócios e às oportunidades que existem nesse campo tão exigente.

LIANE GRASSI
On the Road
Mestre em Administração Estratégica pela PUC Paraná. Foi professora do curso deSecretariado Executivo e Relações Internacioniss na Universidade Tuiuti. É fundadora e administra a On The Road Curso de Idiomas desde 1993.

PRESIDENTE
Dâmaris Feld

An innovation is the successful commercialisation of an invention





On August 26th, I worked as an interpreter (English-Portuguese) for C2I at Cietep. It was about LCI (Low Cost Innovation). Frank Wagner and Flavius Sturm from Fraunhofer Institute for Engineering, in Stuttgart, Germany presented many case studies and some methodologies. The Value Curve, the Morphological Box, Story Tree, Core, Target Cost, Lotus Blossom and Kano proved to be very useful tools when deciding for innovative products to be introduced in an ever changing market. As it was a workshop, the participants could use the tools to create solutions and alternatives: different brand of wine, an alternative dinner and an electrical bicycle.

The Story Tree called my attention for its metaphoric quality, and therefore, educational properties. Comparing a business solution to a tree, you can imagine the soil, the branches, the weather it will be exposed to and the fruit it can bear. Fascinating concept! Not only organizations could benefit from that, but schools, teaching children how to think business.

And some tips....

When is the right time to think of LCI?

you see that certain customers are unhappy with the current (high price) market offerings (“Our customers are going for cheaper alternatives…”)
you feel that there are potential future customers, who cannot afford the current products.
(“This could be interesting for… if only…”)
the current products offered on the market are quite homogenous and/or come in extremes.
(“There is only… or…, nothing in between.”

Be innovative ... and make do!!!!



You can find more information about the Institute at www.rdm.iao.fraunhofer.de

...and if you have any experience on innovation to share, please do!