Services of a Business Association for its Members Objectives Contents Structures Nucleus-International.net Nucleus-International.net
Dec 25, 2015
Services of aBusiness Association
for its Members
Objectives
Contents
Structures
Nucleus-International.netNucleus-International.net
The chamber's and its employees’ tasks
• To help the SME in the– foundation– development– modernization– expansionof his enterprise
• To offer support in his day-to-day activities
The structure of services
Inform ation T ra ining
Ind ividualC onsulting
G roupC onsulting
C onsulting S upport
S ervic es
Objective of the Service “Information”
• To facilitate members’ access to information to everything what is important for business decisions (laws, market developments, suppliers, staff, technologies, management techniques etc.)
• Key question: which information isrelevant for the businessmen?
Task of the business association
• Collect, filter and select relevant information
– Negative example: distribution of the consumer rights law
– Positive example: focus on the important subjects of the law to each given branch (bakeries, joiners, etc.)
Information
Members
Information spreading: Instruments
• Letters, brochures, newspapers, and magazines of the association
• Publications in newspapers, radio, TV• Speeches and seminars• Personal contacts of ACI employees and
member businessmen(telephone, meeting, company visit)
Training and Counselling Objectives
• Stimulate thinking and learning processes of the entrepreneur to– benchmark his performance– develop new ideas– identify alternative solutions
• Key question:What to change / improve?
Training and Counselling Objectives
• To help the businessmento introduce changesin his enterprise
• Key question:How to do it?
Individual Counselling : Characteristics
• Meeting of two persons:Businessmen + Consultant
• Focal point:The relationship between them
• Instrument:Psychology
Individual Counsellor: Tasks
• Create a trustful environment• Start up a discussion,
i. e.: using “Wh-”type questions• Identify the problems
– subjectively, seen by the businessmen– not objectively, seen by the consultant
• Adapt the “language” of the entrepreneur
Individual Counsellor: Tasks
• Search / elaborate alternative solutions together with the entrepreneur
• Eventually search on the market for the for new know how sources
• In the best case, the entrepreneurfinds the solution on his own
• The decision is made by the entrepreneur
Group Counselling: Characteristics
• Meeting of some persons:Group of SMEs + Consultant =“ Nucleus”
• Focal point: Knowledge and experience exchange amongst entrepreneurs
• Instrument: Methodologies forworking groups:- Action Learning- Metaplan - GUT and many more
Group Counselling : Tasks
• Initiate and manage a communication process amongst SMEs = Moderation
• Focal point: the group dynamic• Objective:
– identify common problems together – organize the activities defined by the Nucleus
(courses, visits to suppliers, fairs, etc.)
Group Counsellor: Tasks
Strategy:• Steer the discussion to
problems which the SMEs can solve on their own (internal causes -great chance of success)
• Avoid those problems the SMEs can not solve by themselves(external causes - poor chance of success)
Group Counsellor: Tasks
• At the “right” moment– actively take part in the discussion– contribute with
- questions, - ideas,- experiences,- comparisons,- proposals
= Consultancy
Group Counsellor: Tasks
Observation:• The group dynamic and the action learning
/ experience sharing process have priority• Moderation without
consultancy is ineffective forthe SMEs / the group
Group - Individual Counselling: Effects
Individual Counselling Group Counselling
High Costs Low Costs
Limited credibility (consultant)
High credibility (businessman)
Low quantitativ effects
High quanittativ effects
Treatment of specific problems
Treatment of common problems
Characteristics of Training
• Carry out courses and seminars on key subjects for the development of the affiliated members’ enterprises
Characteristics of Support
• Support SMEs by services which help to save time and money
• Take advantage of the groups’ strong bargaining power to get advantages and discounts on purchases and services for the individual SME (e.g. health insurance plan)
Final Conclusion: an ACI is a Service Enterprise
• So it needs:– Orientation on members’ needs = Marketing– Business leadership and management– Qualified staff = professionals– Employees familiar with the affiliated
members’ enterprises– Chairs with nails!
The difference between ...
• A “club” of businessmen– spends 70% of its budget
into social activities
• A “business association”– invests 70% of its
resources into its service area (staff)
Nucleus-International.net
• This file is part of our material to present and illustrate our activities to professional and elected officials of business associations, personnel from technical cooperation projects, and other people with an interest in this field. We are involved in a constant process of elaborating and improving this material, and targeting it to the demands of specific groups.
• You may use, copy, and change this file as you like (we do not insist on a copyright).
• We would, however, like to ask you for the following: please send us a copy (as a file or printout) and additional information if you use the file or parts of it.
• Thank you!• The Nucleus-International.net team