FB Business English ASEM

Emotional Branding

2012-02-07T01:44:00.000-08:00

1. What is the definition of emotional branding?
2. How does emotional branding work in this ad Cadillac CTS Ad?
3. Watch the video and answer the questions below:

a) Finish Mr Robert's quote: ”You feel the world through ... ”
b) Finish Mr Robert's quote: ”That's what's next, the brands that ... ”
c) What is a "love mark" in Mr Robert's definition?
d) A brand that has an iconic place in your heart. Explain.
e) How is the brand Cheerios related to emotional branding?
f) Finish Mr Robert's quote: ”You can built mystery... ”
g) What did Mr Roberts say about Tide as a brand?
h) How did Song Airlines use the concept of emotional branding?
i) Was the advertising campaign successful? Why?
j) How does the video end? What is the conclusion of the video?

4) Independent task: Watch the video below and write a 350-500 word essay with the title:
"How companies use emotional marketing to turn customers into passionate brand advocates".

BBC World Challenge Competition

2011-12-09T03:56:00.000-08:00

1) Read about BBCWorld Down to Business Competition and answer the questions below:
- What kind of businesses does World Challenge competition target?
- What is a sustainable business?
- What is the mission of the competition?
2) Read about the competition rules - what are the 4 criteria used by Judges to select the Shortlist, based on the information provided in the nomination?
3) Read and watch about three winning projects. Which one do you like best? Write a short 200 word summary about the project and explain why you chose it.
- The Only Way is Up
- Tech Crunch
- Mongolia's Snow Leopard Enterprise

Identifying important features of a BAR graph

2011-11-30T09:01:00.000-08:00

Watch the video and answer the questions below:

1. What does the tutorial focus on? What will it show you?
2. What does the graph look at?
3. How long should be the essay describing the graph?
4. There are too many graphs in this chart. What could be done to solve this problem?
5. How many courses had the highest percentage?
6. What information in the graph is significant?
7. What can you say about the % of students who were dissatisfied with the course?

How to write an executive summary

2011-11-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

Watch the video and answer the questions below:

1. Where is the executive summary placed?
2. Finish the sentence: "The executive summary is the highly condensed ..."
3. When should it be written - first, while drafting the business plan or last?
4. What should you include in the brief if the business is new?
5. What should be the length of the summary?
6. Finish the sentence: "The brief should compel the reader to ..."
7. Now watch the "How to write an Executive Summary in 5 steps".
8. What are the 5 questions a summary has to answer?

Why is selling hard work?

2011-11-22T05:23:00.000-08:00

Watch the video and answer the questions below:

1. Frank works in sales. What exactly does his organisation help companies and public authorities solve?
2. Why is selling hard work?
3. What do their customers want?
4. What do they expect?
5. Finish the sentence: The bigger the deal, ...
6. What is like a movie preview? Why?
7. Finish the sentence: Even the best solution ...
8. Why do you sometimes need to say no?
9. "My boss doesn't like dead horses". What does it mean? Check the online dictionary.
10. What does his insist on?
11. Finish the expression: "He says it's the extra mile that ....". What does it mean?
12. What does Frank hate the most?
13. Why is Frank in sales even if it hard work?
14. We work together through thick and thin, said Frank about his team. What does it mean?

Dragons Den - How to best present your business plans

2011-04-21T02:06:00.000-07:00

First, check out Dragons Den official BBC page:

1) What is the show format?

2) What are the 8 rules of the show?

3) Who are the Dragons?

4) What are the basic business terms we need to know?

Now, let's watch the Dragons in action!
a) Magic Whiteboard Project
b) Magic Wand
c) Worst Business Ideas
d) Steve Jobs on the show
e) Nova Flo Idea
f) Hungry House
g) Unsuccessful Presentations
h) Most expensive Project
i) Anti-snoring Shirt
j) Electric Egg Cooker
k) Paint Rollers

FB10 F VoiceThread Project

2011-04-14T03:03:00.000-07:00

1) Olga and Ugly Models New York
2) Cristina Business Ethics
3) Tatiana Good manners in Business Situations
4) Ecaterina Cultural Differences
5) Lucia World Savings Day
6) Cornel Ann Scheiber

Business Collocations

2011-04-04T02:50:00.000-07:00

Let's see how good you are with Business Idioms and collocations: take the following Online Business Idioms Quiz and check your score. Then, write down all the new idioms you found in the quiz and discuss them in class. Good luck! 1) Collocations with the word "Money" 2) Dictionary of collocations: Search the words: "earn", "profit" and "target" 3) Business English collocations 4) Useful Business Vocabulary 5) Business Idioms 6) American English Business Idioms 7) Fun Business Idioms Hometask: take the following Idiom QUIZ: Business and post on the blog the new idioms you lerned - no less than 8. Enjoy!

Banking in the Future

2011-03-24T02:38:00.000-07:00

1) Watch the 3 commercials and find out what they have in common.

Which one did you find the most comprehensive / convincing? Why?

- PNC Bank

- Virtual Money

- E Wallet

2) Team work: make summary for one of the videos below. Which banking related problem is being dealt with in the video? What are the solutions offered?

-Banking the Unbanked

- Virtual Wallet

- Pay Pal intro / What is Pay Pal

- Future of Banking industry

- Bank of the future

3) Answer the following questions:

What is virtual banking?

What is the origin of online banking?

What are brick to click banks?

What are the advantages of online banking?

What are its disadvantages?

Did you know? Shift Happens ...

2011-03-17T04:02:00.000-07:00

1) An official update to the original "Shift Happens" video from Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod, this June 2007 update includes new and updated statistics, thought-provoking questions and a fresh design ( Read about Karl Fisher and visit his blog The Fisch Bowl Have a look at the statistics used in the video "Did you Know?" Write down the most interesting ones)

2) Independent work: Watch a relevant video Did you know? Human Capital edition 2009. Answer the following questions:
- How many emails are being sent every day? What does this tell you?
- How much time would an average worker spend on checking emails? What does this tell employers?
- Why do organizations spend $130 billion a year on spam?
- How many social networks users are employed?
- Why is Social Networking called a "productivity killer"?
- What is India's major export now?
- Finish the sentence: If every Indian sent home $100 ...
- How many employees prefer to work by email rather than face to face?
- In 2020 that figure would be ...?
- What is being checked: daily / monthly / half yearly / once a year?
- How much does the human capital represent of total expenses of a company?
- How is China going to influence the English speaking candidate market? What does it mean for potential employees?
- How many jobs will today's learners have by the age of 38?
- Finish the statement: Half of what a student learns in his/her 1st year ...
- What kind of organizations are, in this context, limited in their potential? Why?
- If Facebook was a country, it ...
- What is the conclusion of the video?
3) Independent Research: Read about The Drivers of Employee Engagement at the workplace and find out how employers can use this concept to motivate their employees work better. Answer the following questions:
a) How does IES (Institute for Employment Studies) define engagement?
b) Give 5 more elements that define engagement at the workplace.
c) How was engagement measured in the 2003 IES survey?
d) Name the most important engagement challenges.
e) Give a short description of the IES Engagement Model. Draw the necessary conclusions.
f) Which 3 questions in the list 12 Questions to Measure Employee Engagement are the easiest and whoch 3 are the most difficult to answer? Explain why.

Millenium Challenges in Moldova

2011-03-16T04:15:00.000-07:00

The Government of Moldova signed a five-year economic development Compact Agreement granting $262 million with the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to Moldova on January 22, 2010 .Read the article about The Millennium Project in Moldova and answer the following questions:

1) What will The Compact assistance be used for?

2) What is the main objective of the Compact Program?

3) What does The Program consist of?

4) How much was allocated for The Transition to High Value Agriculture and the Road Rehabilitation Projects?

5) What do the program management and oversight costs include?

6) What is the purpose of The Transition to High Value Agriculture Project?

7) What plans does the project include?

8) What will improving access to credit for agricultural projects and a technical assistance package co-financed by the United States Agency for International Development support?

9) What does The Road Rehabilitation Project include?

10) Which benefits will the repairs have?

How many households will benefit from the project?

Team Work:

Team 1 Create a short summary of The High Agriculture Project
Team 2 Create a short summary of The Road Rehabilitation Project

E-Business in Moldova

2011-03-10T01:36:00.000-08:00

More and more Moldovan customers prefer to buy and sell things online rather than going to markets and outdoor fairs. Today we are going to visit three of the most popular websites and rank them in the criteria below. At the end of the lesson you will have to decide which website is the best option for e-business in Moldova and explain why. I. Give the sites a score from 1 to 5

( 1 being unsatisfactory, 2 - poor, 3 fair, 4 - acceptable and 5 outstanding. )
999.md e-bun.md Makler.md
1) Which website has the best structure? (How clear is it from the home page what the site offers and where you can find the necessary information?)
2) Which site has the best visuals: icons, pictures, banners, etc
3) Ease of access - which website is the most user-friendly? (how easy is it to find the right product for clients, especially those who are not advanced Internet users)
4) Variety of services (which site offers a wider variety of products and services?)
5) Product information (which site offers a more detailed information about the products or services to be provided?)
Add up your scores and decide which site is the leader on the Moldovan market. Explain why.

II. Now, please write a short list of recommendations for each site - what can be improved / changed / enhanced / adapted / added / removed ?
Contrast and Compare: Check the Best Business Websites in 2010-2011 and compare with the Moldovan ones: 20 Best Business Websites

III. Next, let's read the expert opinion about what makes a good business site. Chose the article you like best and create a short 350 word summary.
Article 1: 35 Deadly Website Sins That will Kill Your Business!
Article 2: What makes a good business?
Article 3: 14 Steps to Good Business Website Design
IV Watch the video "Did you know 5.0" and write down the most interesting statistics.

Pepsi - Cola Wars

2011-02-22T09:13:00.000-08:00

One of the most interesting battle between a market leader and a market challenger is represented by the Pepsi - Cola wars. The Cola Wars are a campaign of mutually-targeted television advertisements and marketing campaigns since the 1980s between soft drink manufacturers Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo Incorporated.

First, let's watch the following ads. Please rank them from the most to the least convincing one:

1) Coke Vs Pepsi

2) Pepsi versus Cola Ad

3) Joy of Pepsi

4) Coke / Pepsi Italian

5) Vannila drink

Second, read the article Cola Wars and answer the following questions:

What did Coca-Cola and Pepsi particularly focused on? Give examples.

What was Pepsi's positioning motto?

How did the Pepsi Challenge blind taste tests work?

What was Pepsi Stuff all about?

Who won in the Atlanta Olympics Pepsi – Cola war? How?

What did Pepsi Stuff in 2005 & Coca-Cola retaliated with Coke Rewards have in common?

Now, let's watch the Cold War Pepsi - Cola. Watch each part twice and create a short summary whichy would include its main points. Get ready to talk about each section for over 3-4 minutes.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Best Moldovan Brands in the "Trademark of the Year" Competition

2011-02-10T03:49:00.000-08:00

One of the most essential parts of the "Made in Moldova" project is a yearly competition which aims to promote and recognize the best brands in Moldova called "Trademark of the Year".

1. What is a trademark? Also check the Business Dictionary for the same term.

2. Read the first page of the "Best Trademark" project and explain what the following information refers to:

- Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova

- annually

- role of corporative image of companies,

- 700 /14 regions

- 150

- vital part

- many attendees at the event

- yearly edition

- 2 talented students

3. Which, in your opinion, are the 3 most important objectives of the competition?

4. Name three winners of the following categories:

- "APPRECIATION OF THE CONSUMERS"

- "Patrimony of the Republic"

- Professionalism Criteria TRADE MARK "EXPORT"

- Professionalism Criteria TRADE MARK "PROFI"

- Professionalism Criteria"REBRANDING"

- "REPUTATION AND TRUST" TRADE MARK

Read the following news and answer the questions below:http://totul.md/en/newsitem/22190.html

1. How many Moldovan companies have won the grand prize – the Golden Mercuryhigh professional award – within the Trademark-2010 competition?

2. How many projects participated in the competition in 2010?

3. What was the competition novelty?

4. Which joint companies were marked for their trademarks?

5. Which state official congratulated the competition laureates andwished them keeping the goods and service quality at the same levelin the future?

6. Which exclusive right does the participation in the competitionprovide its winners with?

7. Which organisation organised the competition?

8. How old is the The Trademark of the Year competition?

Skype Linkup with North Carolina

2010-11-15T01:35:00.000-08:00

Last week we started an online collaboration with our American partners from Forsyth Tech Community Co llege in North Carolina, USA using Skype linkup. Our wonderful American host, Suzanne Stafford, Professor of Macroeconomics at Forsyth Tech Community College suggested we let the American and Moldovan students get to know each other better using Skype and also start working together on an international exchange. Our main topic of discussion was sources of information for students interested in reading about the current news in the world. We mentioned CNN Money and BBC Financial as our main resources. Our special guest last week was Olesea Fortuna, the Executive Manager of American Councils Moldova and the Open Wo rld Program Coordinator. Mrs Fortuna talked about another similar Skype project in collaboration with North Carolina wine makers who taught Moldovan entrepreneurs about marketing strategies in US: "Recomandări Strategice în Marketingul Viti-Vinicol ".

Banca Mondială îşi deschide uşile pentru Studenţii de la ASEM

2010-10-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Pentru a le deschide studentilor ASEM de la Facultatea de Bănci şi Finanţe perpective noi asupra posibilităţilor de a studia economia în baza studiului de caz, am organizat o masă rotundă cu tema: „Banca Mondială– proiecte de dezvoltare economică în Moldova: istoric şi perspective actuale” avîndu-l ca invitat special pe Domnul Victor Neagu, reprezentant al Băncii Mondiale Moldova, Departamentul Relatii Externe. Evenimentul a fost găzduit de către noul Centru American de Resurse (ARC) administrat de către Secţia pentru Cultură şi Presă a Ambasadei SUA la Chişinău. Studenţii au aflat ..... (Read more here)

Writing an Argumentative Essay

2010-09-26T12:15:00.001-07:00

1) Watch the 2010 World Bank International Essay Competition 2nd place winner and answer the following questions:

- Why do you think it receved the second prize?

- What type of essay is it?

- How does the author support his point of view?

2) Download the PDF file and take the quiz then check your answers.

3) Now let's practise how well you can use connectors. Take the QUIZ.

3) What is a thesis? Watch the video and write your own, detailed definition.

4) Watch the Video Essay "A Scenic America" and write your opinions about the essay in 150-200 words.

Ratings of Molovan Companies

2010-09-19T04:32:00.000-07:00

What are 10 most expensive companies in the Moldovan Stock Exchange? Which companies are leading with the highest market value in 2010 ? What are the most efficient banks in Moldova? Read and find out for yourselves.

Magenta Consulting - Research in Moldova

2010-05-12T04:44:00.000-07:00

Dear FB students,

We have discussed a lot about international business projects, but not too much about how business is being approached in Moldova. Meet Magenta Consulting - suring 2009, Magenta Consulting has carried out 62 researches that have been based on 18.840 interviews, over 470 mystery shopping situations, 115 in-depth interviews, 68 focus groups, 42 store-checks, 16 feasibility studies and 8 industrial analyses of the Moldovan market.

Select one of the following studies and write a short response essay: 1st paragraph - a summary and the 2nd - your personal opinion / analysis / interpretation / prognosis, etc.

1. The Moldovan consumer is chosing commercial centers over markets

2. Social Networking and Advertising

3. Most preferred advertisement means in Moldova

4. Awareness of Magazines in Moldova

5. What are the expenses reduced during crisis?

Voicethread Projects

2010-04-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

This week we have been working on our Voicethread Projects. Let's have a look at each of them and decide together which projects are the best! Evaluating the following: organisation, creativity, how the topic was presented, research (Did the student use data, numbers, satistics, etc?). Good luck!

1) Elena Effective Advertising
2) Marina Nokia versus Apple
3) Cristina Toyota's Problems
4) Eugenia Cadbury- World's Chocolate Leader
5) Sabina Best Business Opportunities in 2009
6) Cristina R. Top 10 Most Profitable Companies in USA

7) Max Apple's new product: the iPad

8) Tatiana Most Influential People in Moldova 2009

Video Resumes

2010-04-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

Dear FB students,

one of the projects we have been working on is creating video resumes. It's tie to decide which project is the best! Check on the following links and send us your opinion: which one did you like best? Why? Pay attention to: organisation, creativity, English fluency, vocabulary, structure and sense of humour! If you were an employer, who would you rather give a job to?

1) Resume 1 Sanda
2) Resume 2 Victoria
3) Resume 3 Cristina V.
4) Resume 4 Radu
5) Resume 5 Elena
6) Resume 6 Cristina R.

Apply for Business for Youth

2010-03-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Dear FB students,
I am strongly encouraging you to apply to Business for Youth this year
Read more about the project, download the application and see what the participants from previous years had to say about their experience on their blog: http://bfy2010.wordpress.com/ or on the ACCELS Moldova official webpagehttp://www.americancouncils.md/
Let me know in class if you need help or more info. I wish you ALL the best of luck!

Social Corprate Responsibility

2010-03-15T00:13:00.000-07:00

o1) Vicabulary work

a) What is social responsibility?

b) What is the difference between social and corporate responsibility?

c) What is the history of the "Corporate social responsibility" term?

d) What is the significance of this term?

e) What are the positive benefits of SCR?

f) What are the negative aspects?

2) Whatch the Video and Explain the concept of Corporate Responsibility

Read the "Corporate Social Responsibility"article by Mallen Baker and answer the following questions:

a) How does the author of the article define CSR?
b) How does The World Business Council for Sustainable Development in its publication "Making Good Business Sense" by Lord Holme and Richard Watts define CSR?
c) How is the concept traditionally understood in United States?
d) What are the two aspects of their operations companies need to answer?
e) What is the “outer circle” stakeholders are taking an increasing interest in?
f) What is the European model more focused on?
g) Why does the author of the article believe this model is more sustainable?

3) Now read the CR facts published by BNET and answer the following questions:

a) What do 94% of company executives believe regarding Corporate Responsibility strategy?
b) How are companies in Europe and Japan different from those in Australia, New Zealand/Aotearoa and Asia?
c) Arrange the following companies according to the rate of corporate Responsibility reports they publish: US, Australian, British, Japanese,South African companies.
d) How does the author of the article prove that the financial contribution to society in the form of taxes has plummeted?
e) What is being reported about corporate profits in 2006 and 2007?
f) What about pay for top executives?
g) What do the following refer to: a day / in a year, 37% / 3.3%. ?

4) Study Cases:

1. IBM
2. Nokia
3. Vodaphone (Video Report)
4. McDonald's
5. Western Union
6. Orange

7. Moldcell
8. Mobiasbanca (Download the report and read pages 29 to 33)

Moldovan Business Project - a SWOT analysis

2010-03-12T12:09:00.001-08:00

Steve Jobs has just launched the new iPod, while the Moldovans invest in the following project "Tarancuta":
Whatch the video and answer the following questions:
a) What is your overall opinion of the invention and its effectiveness? Why was it invented?
b) How many samples has the inventor sold so far? Who are his customers?
c) Would you invest in such a project? Why? Why not?
Now, you are going to work on a SWOT analysis of this project. Please analyze it according to the following system:
1) SWOT analysis template
2) Free SWOT Examples
Based on your own SWOT, please answer: IS THIS PROJECT WORTH INVESTING MONEY IN? Why? Why not? Good luck!

Ten things you didn't know about Money by TIMES

2010-02-25T03:26:00.000-08:00

As the U.S. Mint releases a new $1 coin on Nov. 19 — this one commemorates former President Zachary Taylor — TIME traces the history of banknotes from ancient China to modern cocaine dens.
Here are 10 fun facts about money that may surprise you: Do you know the Origin of the $ sign? What does the expression "Dirty money" really mean? How many years can a bill used? When and where was the first ATM mashine installed? When was the first paper money issued and much much more!

Starting a Successful Career

2010-02-20T02:32:00.000-08:00

There are three things you need to do well to start a successful career:

1) Write an excellent CV / Resume

2) Put together a convincing Cover Letter

and

3) Pass a Job Interview

1) Tead the following guidelines on how to write a CV/Resume.

2) Do you have a personal statement on your resume? Learn about how to write one here.

3) Read about the pitfalls of resume writing, examine the "badly" and "well" written resumes.

4) Take the following tests to determine whether those are good or bad resumes.

5) Watch the Video on How to Write a CV/Resume

6) Learn about how to write a good cover letter: how many paragraphs should be there? what does the firt paragrpah contain? how about the second?

7) Read the following guidelines and select the three most important steps.
8) Chose the best WEB Templates.
9) What is a "creative resume"?

Business Briefs

2010-02-16T23:37:00.000-08:00

Dear FB students,
Please take the time to browse through the following Busness Briefs: they have some very interesting artcles on various business related topics. We will work in three teams this time: read the articles and write a 300 word summary:

Team 1: on "Emotional Branding"

Team 2: Facebook - faced dismissal (pages 17-18)
Team 3: Global Luxury Survey
Team 4: The G-8 Summit
Team 4: TIME's Person of the Year - 2009

Writing a Business Brief

2010-02-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

Dear FB students,
this is a short guide to writing business briefs. Use it to complete our next assignment.
Writing a Business Brief

Let's learn some new vocabulary!

2010-02-10T03:15:00.000-08:00

This week we will work with various online resources to boost our vocabulary. Your talk is going to be the following: collect 10 new business English words from the Finance / Banking and Accounting area and post them on the blog in the following format:

new word - definition - synonyms - example

For example: Overheads

Definition: business expenses, such as rent, that are not directly attributable to any department or product and can therefore be assigned only arbitrarily.
Synonyms / Idioms / Expressions: Also called burden fixed costs indirect costs oncost.
Example: We have to cut costs in order to reduce overheads.

As resources, you will use the following three websites:

1) YouTube: Video 1 Video 2 Video 3
2) BusinessEnglisSite : Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Test 5 Test 6
3) Accounting for Beginners: Read the article and answer the following questions:

* What are assets according to the article? * What do you know about fixed assets? * What are liabilities? * What is equity? * What are the three basic financial statements that you need to understand to run your business? * What is an Income Statement? * What is the cash flow statement?

Famous Study Cases - Summarising Long Articles

2010-02-08T04:57:00.000-08:00

For FB-28K Students: This week we are working on how to write summaries:
These are guidelines and examples you could use before writing your own summary:
Writing a summary - 8 easy steps.
Academic Summary.
Read the following study cases and write a 300 ord summay then present it to the rest of the class. Don't forget the structure of a summary and the eight steps you should follow while writing one.
1) Coke versus Pepsi
2) Pizza Wars
3) Benetton
4)Absolute Vodka
5) Calvin Klein
6) Cadbury Dairy Milk's Advertising Campaigns in India
7) Apple's Marketing Campaigns: From 'Get A Mac' to 'Why You'll Love a Mac'
8) Coca-Cola’s “Open Happiness” Campaign: A Model for Global Marketing?

BBC Business News Europe

2010-02-07T00:26:00.000-08:00

Dear FB students,
reading about the latest business news in Europe and in the World is going to be an important part of our course this semester. the best resource for you should be BBC / Business , where you can find lots of great articles and videos on the most recent financial issues in Europe. Don't forget to check on the Video news section of the website. Check on what Toyota boss had to say about the car issue we discussed in class. Other interesting stories:
1) In Paris, the customer is not always right
2) Latvia economy reels in recession
3) Europe protects Italian pizza brand from immitation
4) Could Greece be expelled from Eurozone?

Please post your sumaries of the artices you enjoyed most under this post, so that your colleagues have access to this information as well. See you in class!

The 4 Ps of the Marketing Mix

2010-02-02T05:33:00.000-08:00

Dear FB students,

TIMES 100 presents a series of case studies which show all the business studies theory you need to know in practice. By studying real life business case studies, you will see how business and marketing work and therefore learn quicker. Each of the following case studies show a different aspect to business and marketing that you can use as a revision tool for your business studies.

1) What are the four Ps of the Marketing Mix (also check the BBC explanation of the four Ps)?

2) The Marketing Mix of Manchester United 3) Nivea Promotion 4) Motorola 5) Ford

6) MacDonald's Monopoly Game 7) Levi's Marketing 8) World's most expensive Ad: Honda Acord

9) Most expensive TV ad by Guiness

Now watch the video and answer the following questions:

a) When was the term "marketing mix" made popular? b) Which three examples of products did the presenter mention? c) Why did the presenter claim that "place" is everywhere? d) How is the consumer empowered in the 21st century? e) How are the four Ps transformed arrording to the Consumer-Side Marketing (list all 4 of them)? f) How does the presenter define "position"? g) What is targeting? g) How did Colgate and Crest fight against each other? h) Give 4 examples of the most important demographic segments in Moldova. i) What did Coca Cola do in the 1990s as part of their "Always Coca Cola" campaign (give examples)? j) What was their increase in sales in just 5 years?

Facebook charges the "king of spam"

2009-11-24T23:57:00.000-08:00

I am sure all of you have, at least once, faced unpleasant consequences of spam accumulating in your inbox. According Today, a California court awarded Facebook $711 million in civil damages against Sanford Wallace, the notorious sell proclaimed “spam king” who is also known by the derisive nickname “Spamford.” The court found Wallace guilty of violating the CAN-SPAM act, and he could face time in prison if convicted.
To find out more, read the following articles:
Momento 24 , Just Search , TechnoCom
An article about a Canadian woman who lost her employee benefits because of a facebook photo on Time CNN
Did you know that Facebook is considered to be the next best thing after Google? Do you know how old its founder is? Watch the video and share your thoughts with us:

'CEO of the Decade' by Fortune Magazine

2009-11-09T01:02:00.000-08:00

On Monday, November the 9th, Fortune Magazine selected the CEO of the Decade: read the following article to find out who created one the most valuable companies of our times - a real groundbreaking technology leader. Why did that person receive this title? Who are the other business people he/she is compared to? Which company is more valuable than Google? What is its current value? Other related articles published by:
ARS Technica
TalkiPhone
Do you want to see what Bill Gates had to say about that? Watch the video and share your impressions with us:

Professional Networks - LinkedIn

2009-11-06T05:21:00.000-08:00

Most of you have an Odnoklasniki or a Facebook account. It allows you to keep in touch with your friends, upload your favourite pictures and learn about the most important events in your community, country, university, etc. There is another spcial network which aims to connect people inside professional communities. Potential employers use it to contact potential employees - check on LinkedIn, a website which helps people empower their resumes and connect to the job market around the world. According to BBC, network has 23 million members worldwide and is constantly growing. CNN Money claims that if you don't connect to LinkedIn, you are left out! This is what professionals think of LinkedIn, this is WHY you should learn about LinkedIn and this one is LinkedIn in plain English: The interview with its founder Hoffman can be watched HERE:

Our Power Point Presentations

2009-10-27T12:53:00.001-07:00

This is a collection of all our presentations from last semester - feel free to use it as a resourse or simply have fun watching what your colleagues have done. Great job, everybody! See you next semester.

Get your SlideShare Playlist

World's Happiest Countries

2009-10-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

Which are world's happiest countries according to Forbes? How is |happiness evaluated?|How does the unemployment rate and the country's GDP affect the degree of "happiness"? Which are the happiest European countries? How about outside Europe? Why did the northern European countries come out looking so good? Read FORBES article and share your thoughts with us - enjoy!

Best Countries for Business in 2009 - where is Moldova?

2009-10-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

Forbes has published its annual rating of best countries for business - this time for the 2009 year.The Best Countries for Business ranking looks at business conditions in 127 economies. This is not a tally of economies with the highest gross domestic product growth or lowest unemployment. Rather, the goal is to quantify for entrepreneurs and investors the oft-qualified dynamics of international economies and make it usable for planning and investing purposes. New to the top 10 this year: New Zealand, Australia and Norway. Falling out of the top 10: Finland, Ireland and Switzerland.

As you know, last year Moldova landed on the 90th place. Read Forbes new list and tell us if this year our country went up and down and why. What is your prognisis for 2010?

Top 2009 Brands

2009-09-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

Brandz has already published the Top 100 Brands list for 2009. Compare this year's list with the one we read in class (Brandz 100 Top Brandz 2008). Which brands went up and which ones went down? Why?

Video Resumes - A Fast Growing Trend

2009-08-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

While looking for a summer job for an international company dealing with online educational projects, I couldn't help noticing how difficult it was to make my resume stand out in the wide variety of CVs and highly professional educators like me also looking for work. Then I discovered this great tool which can empower your creativity and imagination while convincing your future employers that you are the best they can hire: video resumes!

These are several samples of the video resumes my students created as their final project for our summer intensive Business English course. Enjoy the videos and get inspired!
Sanda C. Video Resume - Looking for a job in the Marketing Sector
The Resume of the Modest yet Awsome David Merhe
A very professional resume for a marketing expert

Some Moldovan companies require the Euro Pass format which you can find here: EuroPass
If you heve never seen a cover letter, then you should check the following website: Free Professional Cover-Letters for Job Seeking Professionals

There are two easy tools you can use to create your Video Resume:
1. Photo Story for Windows
(go to the official website and watch the tutorial on how to make a movie using this tool here)
2. Windows Movie Maker (how to use the tool YouTube tutorial).
Good luck with your video resumes and see you in class!

Moldovan Wine Industry

2009-05-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

Moldova Wine Industry

View more presentations from daniMD.

Learning from Donald Trump

2009-04-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

"The Apprentice" is an American reality television show hosted by Donald Trump, a famous business magnate. Billed as "The Ultimate Job Interview," the show stars sixteen to eighteen businesspeople competing in an elimination-style competition for a one-year, $250,000 starting contract of running one of business magnate Trump's companies. Even Arnold Schwarzenneger was involed in the show!!!What did he say about his success story in US - what is the KEY to success according to Schwarzenneger?
Take your time to watch the video and list the 4 business tips for young entrepreneurs Donald Trump is describing. Can you name them?

Financial Forecast for Eastern Europe

2009-04-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

According to Russia Today and the report they published on March, the 9th, 2009,"The European Union has rejected a 190 billion euro bailout for Central and Eastern European members in deep economic crises. Now the prospects for Eastern Europe are gloomy at best." Watch the following video and tell us more about:
- Which country scored the worst result among the 27 EU countries (a drop of more than %10)
- Which country's economy is "laying in ruins" (its GDP dropped by %20) and why?

What do you think of the Business English Course you took this semester?

2009-04-22T00:36:00.000-07:00

Dear FB students,
I would appreciate if you could take a few minutes to take the following survey I put together to get some feedback from you. The results of the survey will be used to improve the overall quality of the course and will help me select the appropriate teaching methods and materials for the rest of the semester. Please be honest - your name will not show up in the survey results :)
Thank you and see you in class next week.
Click Here to take survey

Let's share our Voicethread Projects

2009-04-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

Dear ASEM FB students and Forsyth American Partners: this week we are going to share our wonderful Voicethread Project. Your task is to choose 3 PROJECTS you liked and

LEAVE text or voice COMMENTS to at least 3 other projects done by your colleagues!

Let's see which project will get the biggest number of comments; by the end of the project I will assign 3 diplomas to:
- the most original and creative Voicethread Project
- the most entertaining Voicethread project
- the best English narration Project.

Good luck - we are looking forward to hearing your comments on our projects!
Project 1 The World under the Heel (by Alina )
Project2 E-Banking ( by Anatoli)
Project3 The Most Powerful People of Moldova (by Anastasia )
Project 4 Corruption ( by Olga )
Project 5 How does the crisis affect SPORTS (by Stas)
Project 6 Remittences (by Liza)
Project 7 Sweatshops - How big brands violate the world (by Alex)
Project 8 Corruption in Moldova (by Natalia)
Project 9 Sweatshops (by Marina)
Project 10 The End of the World (by Diana)

Project 11 The Tale of Two Brothers: Adidas / Puma (by Iana)

Project 12 Recycling in Moldova (by Aliona)

Project 13 Women in Business (by Valeriu)

Welcome to our Business Exchange Voicethread Project

2009-03-28T03:18:00.001-07:00

Dear Forsyth Technical Community College students - welcome to our Moldova-US Business Voicethread Exchange project. Please take your time to find out more about our universities:
ASEM (Moldova) and Forsyth Technical Community College (USA)
Task 1: Let's get to know each other better before we start our exchange - please leave an introductory message as comment on this post:
- Tell us your name,
- where you are from
- what aspect of the Business Microeconomics your are especially interested in
- do you have any special hobbies, interests you would like to share with us
and - what you expect to learn from this collaborative project with Moldova.
Good luck and see you online!

Just for fun - Money trivia

2009-03-25T09:30:00.001-07:00

Just for fun - read the following Money-Trivia website and share with us 5 fun facts you learned about money. Choose from the followinf categories:
1. Money Doesn't Grow on Trees? - Fun Money History
2. Seed Money - The Making of Currency
3. Don't Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is - Dirty Money

Other Trivia here:
- Paper Money Trivia
- US Money Trivia

Should Moldovan winemakers seek other markets?...

2009-03-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

It is well known that Russia and the former republics are Moldova's main target when it comes to wine exports. According to the latest data provided by Moldova-Vin, wine exports over January-November 2008 have increased by 51% compared with the corresponding period last year. Exports to the CIS states totaled US$152 million, up 56%. Russia imported Moldovan wine products worth US$56 million, Ukraine and Belarus – US$41 million and, respectively, US$40.6 million.
Let's not forget though that Moldova's dependency on this market has its own disadvantes; in 2007 our economy suffered enourmously due to Russia's banning of both Moldovan and Georgian wines. My questions to you is: should Moldova keep exporting its wines to Russia and CSI or start looking for other markets as well? Do we have an alternative? According to Moldova-Vin we .... Read the following report Moldovan Wine Exports and answer the questions below:
- Where did Moldova export alcoholic products worth US$2.947,4 millionin the first half of 2008?
- What does Agroindustrial Agency “Moldova-Vin” say about the first-half wine exports to Romania compared with the corresponding period last year?
- Which country is Moldova’s second largest European import partner?
- Which country is the second?
- How much did Moldova export to Poland over January-June 2008?
- Did the wine exports to the Czech Republic increase or decrease and by how much?
- How much did Moldova export to the EU?

World's Richest People according to Forbes

2009-03-24T03:29:00.001-07:00

For those students who are working on their presentations related to World or Moldova's richest people, have a look at the following videos and the links posted below. Let us know if there is anything surprising related to the Forbes' list of billionaires as listed per country (in %):
- Russia
- US
- India
- Mexico
How old are the top 50 people in the list? How many women are there in the list? Who is the youngest self-made billionaire in the world?

Other related videos:
Top 15 Richest people
How richest people in the world spend their money

Business Etiquette - Dos and Don'ts

2009-03-22T05:48:00.000-07:00

In class we discussed some of the most common business etiquette do's and don'ts. A special attention has to be paid to exchanging business cards - isome parts of the world, a business card is considered an extension of a person. Etiquette coach Syndi Seid goes over the do's and don'ts of presenting and receiving a card. Watch the video carefully and tell us if there was anything surprising you learned about exchanging cards with Asian busienss people and not only.

Other relevant videos: The Etiquette of Business Dining

Other tips here: Business Etiquette PPP

The Crisis of Credit Videos

2009-03-17T03:14:00.000-07:00

Catea has just sent me the links to thsese great videos on The Crisis of Credit (Part 1 and Part 2) - take the time to watch both videos and answer the following questions:
- How is the "World Financial Crisis" defined in the video?
- How is Wall Street connected to the 'houses on Main street'?
- Who did did the investors answer "No thanks!", when and why?
- What can cause banks to go crazy with leverage?
- How does leverage work?
- What is a collateral debt obligation or "CDO"?
- What is a credit default swap?
Engloy the videos and be ready to discuss them in class.

Nash Equilibrum - what Moldovan politicians could learn from "A Beauriful Mind"

2009-03-10T03:35:00.000-07:00

Here is a real challenge for you! We discussed in class how the Moldovan government is not exactly creating a friendly-entrepreneurial environment for young people. You all agreed that because every single member of the government cares only about his or her interests and is struggling hard to protect their assets / business ventures, it makes sense that our country is not making any significant progress (so far at least). You have probably all watched "A Beautiful Mind" and the unforgettable performance of Russel Crow and his explanation for the "equilibrium theory" - Read the following article carefully and answer the following questions:
- What did John Nash say about Adam Smith's theory?
- What did John Nash get a Nobel Prize for?
- What could our Moldovan business people and members of the parliament learn fron Nash's equilibrum theory?
- What long and short time impact could it have on the Moldovan economy in general and on the way young people do business in Moldova?
For your reference: Watch the Yale University Lecture on the equillibrum theory.

Forbes Best Countries for Business

2009-03-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

Which countries top Forbes' 2008 list of best countries for business? Some of you probably think of Canada or USA or China. Think again, on the very top we have: Denmark, which rose three slots from last year, Ireland (up 19 places to No. 2), Finland (up four to third place), the U.S. (down three to fourth) and U.K. (up five to fifth). Big movers like Ireland, Estonia (No. 10, up 24 spots) and Saudi Arabia (No. 47, up 37) have limited bureaucracy standing in the way of entrepreneurs hoping to do business within their borders. To read more, check the Forbes website. Take each country in the top 5 and tell us how they got on top:
- Why did US go down from place #1 in 2008 to place #4 in 2008?
- How is Finland's governemnt contributing to its country's eceonomic growth?
- Who is Anders Fogh Rasmussen and what did he decide to do about taxes and why?
- Which country organised a referendum in order to centralize power within E.U. through strengthening of the presidential role and creation of a new foreign-policy post?
- What could Moldova learn from these countries?

The "Lightbulb" and how inflation affects Moldovan people

2009-02-27T12:42:00.000-08:00

One of our very talented Moldovan young director ans screen writer, Igor Cobileanski has created a short-length movie entitled "When the lights go out" -
1) What is the leitmotif of the movie?
2) How does inflation affect everyone in this movie? Why do people agree to bet?
3) How is the topic of 'corruption' brought up in the movie?
3) How do you like the English-Romanian translation of the American's doctor speech in hospital?
4) Did you enjoy the movie? Why? Why not? Do you think this Moldovan director is a promising film creator?

What World Bank has to say about Eastern Europe and the World Crisis

2009-02-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

Why did Latvia’s prime minister and cabinet resign on Friday?
Why did leaders of Europe met over the weekend in Berlin?
What did World Bank President Robert Zoellick have to say about Western nations and the economies of Eastern Europe?
Are Western banks more focused on their core markets at home or are more willing to extend the needed credit to the east?
Read the Article published in the CSMonitor on February the 23rd and find out the answers.

Which country succeded in avoiding the World Crisis?

2009-02-23T04:26:00.000-08:00

According to Wasshington Post, while the United States reels from the global financial crisis, with credit markets still frozen and stock prices careening from highs to lows, Canada has remained relatively insulated.Canadian banks have not gone shaky like their American counterparts, economists and other experts said. There is no subprime mortgage or home foreclosure mess. And while the United States fears a prolonged recession, Canadians have remained relatively sanguine, convinced that they are in a good position to weather the economic tsunami from the south.
Read the following article and answer the following questions:
1. Why did Michael Gregory, chief economist at BMO Nesbitt Burns, an investment firm, say: "We will be pulled down, not as deep, not as long"?
2. How are Canadian banks different from American ones and how did that help them avoid the crisis?
3. How does the World Economic Forum rate Canada's banks compared to those of Sweden and Luxembourg.

Sweatshops in Europe - is Moldova included?

2009-02-18T12:45:00.000-08:00

In class we discussed about Nike's sweatshops. Read the article published by Business Week and answer the following questions:

- Is Moldova mentioned in the article as one of the European countries practicing sweatshops based production?
- What does the European Textile Assn claim about the U.S. and Europe global apparel consumption?

- What is Fair Labor Assn?

- What does John Greene, the head of codes of conduct for C&A in Brussels, one of Europe's largest clothing retailers, have to say about the issue?

- What is the Clean Clothes Campaign?

Moldova - # 90 out of 120 Best Countries for Business according to Forbes

2009-02-18T12:24:00.000-08:00

According to an article published by Forbes in June 2008, Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe despite recent progress from its small economic base. It enjoys a favorable climate and good farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, the economy depends heavily on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, and tobacco. Moldova's dependence on Russian energy was underscored at the end of 2005, when a Russian-owned electrical station in Moldova's separatist Transnistria region cut off power to Moldova and Russia's Gazprom cut off natural gas in disputes over pricing. Russia's decision to ban Moldovan wine and agricultural products, coupled with its decision to double the price Moldova paid for Russian natural gas, slowed GDP growth in 2006. However, in 2007 growth returned to the 6% level Moldova had achieved in 2000-05, boosted by Russia's partial removal of the bans, solid fixed capital investment, and strong domestic demand driven by remittances from abroad.

Read more on Forbes' official website and come up with your own prediction - how about 2009? Is Moldova ging to climb or go down Forbes' list?

Forbes: Corruption is the enemy of wealth, trust and justice

2009-02-15T10:50:00.000-08:00

I have just read a very interesting article on corruption by Forbes. Have a look at the World Map Corruption Distribution:

- Identify Moldova's place and rating - any surprises there?

- What do you think of the world distribution of corruption?
- Which countries are placed on the top and which are on the bottom of the scale?

- Do you agree with Michael's Johnston's quote that "Corruption is the enemy of wealth, trust and justice"?

- How do you explin this: Australia was among the world's most corrupt countries 100 years ago; now it is among the least?

- How can we fight it in our country?

"Make it in Moldova"

2009-02-14T12:31:00.000-08:00

" Make it in Moldova " - Moldovan investment promotion campaign on BBC

So this is the way Moldova is trying to call new investments and new foreign capital to increase it's economic situation. Here we see an optimistic example to show our situation of our country, of living here. It is the best way to show how moldavian people are.
If Moldova is not developed country it doesn't mean that this country don't wont to increase it's level of economy and the level of general situation. Moldavian people is actively participating in implementing new ideas, new technologies and all kind of new stuff in our economy and in our culture.

" Let's Make It In Moldova "

Watch this video - what do you think about this video?
Make a comparison with the video of World's Bank about Moldovas situation and "Moldovan investment promotion campaign" video.
How do you think what is the best video for Moldova to improve wellbeing?

Obama's Plan to fight the crisis

2009-02-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

Read about Obama's plan to fight the world crisis.
Do you thin this plan will help the US economy to avoid recession?

If there is a silver lining to the current sorry state of our economy and financial markets, it is that the Obama administration and Congress are likely to bend over backwards to make life a bit easier for taxpayers. Their focus will be on restarting our economy, and increasing taxes won't help. Eventually, of course, taxpayers will be stuck with the bill. More here:

Watch the following video - what does the author have to say about Obama's plan?

Top 100 Moldova Business - which bank made it in the list

2009-02-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

Visit the Top 100 Moldova Business website and find out which bank got into the top 100 businesses in the country. Answer the following questions:

1) Which bank is recognized as the leader in the banking sector of Republic of Moldova?

2) Which are the two big categories of customers the organization structure of MAIB is set up on?

3) What did the bak create in order to ensure a more efficient and qualitative catering of the commercial customers?

4) What is the bank's network? (branches and representative offices)

5) Do you agree with the authors of this website? Why? Why not? Is there another Moldovan bank which should have gotten in the list? What are the criteria for selecting a top bank?

The Net Profit of the Banking System in Moldova - 2008 review - 2009 prediction

2009-02-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

According to the Moldavian Business Portal in 2008, net profit of the banking system of Moldova amounted to 1 billion 270,3 million leis ($ 120,6 million), having increased by 16,9% as compared with 2007. Review the numbers posted on the official website and answer the following questions:

1. Did the share of foreign investments in the capital of the banks amounted or decreased in 2008?

2. How about the total assets of the banking system of Moldova ( refer to the net loan portfolio)

3. Which sectors accounted for the greatest share of the total loan portfolio:

- loans to agriculture and food industry

- loans for industry and trade

- mortgage loans for construction and development

4. Did the deposits increase or decrease in 2008?

World Bank in Moldova - New Projects

2009-02-08T09:43:00.001-08:00

I have just come across an article from the the World Bank official webpage, where Moldova is presented as the "poorest country in Europe". Check the following link and let me know what you think - is the World Bank's plan to invest in Moldova going to help? More here

IMPROVING MOLDOVAN INFRASTRUCTURE—Moldova faces many obstacles in its path to modernization—among them a crumbling infrastructure. One government program supported by the World Bank gives communities grants for repairs they choose, as long as they pitch in, too.

HELPING MOLDOVAN WINE EXPORTS—Wine making has a long tradition in Moldova. In Soviet times and afterwards, Russia bought almost all of Moldova’s wine. Today, Moldova is looking to expand its traditional export market by seeking new buyers in Europe and Asia. The Moldovan government, with help from a World Bank program, is assisting wine companies to find new markets.

BUSINESS START UPS IN MOLDOVA—The former Soviet nation of Moldova is still adjusting to its transition to a market economy: Economic output plummeted between 1991 and 1999. Despite strong growth in the last few years, nearly a third of its citizens are impoverished, and unemployment is high. But a government program supported by the World Bank is helping to create income earning opportunities in rural areas like Glodeni—a county where half the work force is out of a job.

The World Bank (WB) & The International Monetary Fund (IMF)

2009-02-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

This is a clip from the documentary "The New Rulers of The World" by film maker John Pilger. Take your time to watch it and share your comments:
1. What did you think of the image of the World Bank presented in the video?
2. What are the arguments that supprt the author's point of view on the WB and the its IMF control most of the world's cash flow?
3. Do you agree or disagree with John Pilger's point of view?

The History of the Banking System

2009-02-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

We started watching in class the first part of a great video on how the banking sistem started. Feel free to share your comments on this blog. Answer the following questions:
1. What do you think of the movie - is the way the banking system presented here close to what you know about banking?
2. Was there anything you found surprising, shocking or unexpected in the movie?
3. What is the general image of the banking system presented here?
4. Do you agree or disagree with the basic concept of the movie?

Business Vocabulary - Great Online Resources

2009-02-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

I have found a great online resource I want you all to use in order to learn new vocabulary related to Banking and Business in general: Business English Pod
YouTube is also a great resource - it features a series of videos presentations and slideshows on the basic business vocabulary for EFL/ESL (English as a Second/Foreign Language) students. Check out the following video and let me know what you think.