TEEN TYCOONS

PROGRAMME 4: BUMBLES

ACTIVITIES

Guidance

The programme can be used as the focus of a stand-alone lesson, or as a starter for learning about aspects of the business and working world, whether through direct or indirect experience.

These activities support a variety of individual, paired and group work and can be chosen and adapted to suit the needs of the students involved.

This programme focuses on the need for planning, and some promotion techniques.

The questions and discussion points in 'Before viewing' might better come after viewing if the group is very new to business and enterprise concepts.

Before viewing

Points for discussion and research:

What do these business terms mean?

• Entrepreneur
• Marketing
• Promotion
• Target market
• Corporate
• Agenda
• Delegation
• Sales pitch
• Promo-pack

What is the difference between a poster and a flyer; marketing and promotion?

If you don't know, watch out for them while you're watching and try to define them afterwards. Look them up if you still don't know.

What do you already know about running a business? Have you every tried? What happened? Does anyone among your family and friends run a business? What do you think are the main advantages of running your own business? What are some of the disadvantages?

After viewing

To view 4Learning video clips you will need Windows XP/2000 and Windows Media Player 9, 10 or 11. Unfortunately, the clips are not supported on Macintosh computers.

The video clips may contain a few seconds of extra material at the beginning and end. We have therefore included opening and closing descriptions to help identify the intended scene.

What makes an entrepreneur?
Clip one: 04.24 – 05.34

• Opens with the narrator saying, 'Sarah and Adam waste no time and, with no budget but brimming with ideas and experience, set off for Bournemouth.'
• Closes with Sarah saying, 'I think that's where a lot of people go wrong.'

What personal qualities and skills do Sarah, Adam and Michael possess that make them successful entrepreneurs? Think of some key words that describe an entrepreneur. Do they need any formal qualifications? Did Adam or Sarah have any? How might qualifications help someone run a successful business?

[If students have watched other programmes in the Teen Tycoons series, as well as revisiting some of these questions, they could consider whether additional qualities and skills are revealed in this programme.]

Promotion
Clip two: 12.37 – 13.18

• Opens with the narrator saying, 'It's the start of week two.'
• Closes with Kerry saying, 'It's quite clean, which I always quite like.'

What did Kerry think of Michael's promo-pack? What items would you expect to find in it if you wanted to know more about Bumbles? List the different methods that were used to promote Bumbles. What else could Kerry and Barry have done?

Choose a type of business that you might like to run. Plan a promo-pack for it and sketch out some designs for some of the items.

Sales pitch
Clip three: 13.50 - 15.30

• Opens with the narrator saying, 'Sarah's arranged for Kerry to pitch for business at a language school.'
• Closes with Kerry saying, 'If it goes well, then I think it'll give us a real boost.'

Did you think that Kerry made a good sales pitch to the language school principal? What would she have done before she met the school's principal? What should she do after the meeting?

In pairs, role-play a sales pitch (for Bumbles or another type of business), with one person playing the salesperson and the other the potential client. If you're the salesperson, think of what you need to say to persuade the other person to buy what you're selling. If you're the potential client, think of what you want and what you're prepared to pay for it. When the meeting is finished, share the experience with others in the group. What was easy and what was difficult about it? Potential client – would you have bought what was on offer?

Meetings
Clip four: 15.19 - 17.54

• Opens with the narrator saying, 'It's evening. Time for Adam to pin Kerry down about Bumbles' chaotic meetings
• Closes with the narrator saying, 'Kerry has drawn up an agenda.'

Why were Bumbles management meetings so poor? Why is this poor practice happening? What does Adam suggest that Kerry, Barry and their manager do to improve things? Do you think that future meetings will run so well?

Do you agree with Adam and Kerry that the meetings should be weekly? What would be the advantages? What disadvantages might there be?

Draw up an agenda for a weekly meeting of the Bumbles team. Include the regular items that should be discussed as well as one or two matters that must be resolved at the meeting. Find out what meeting 'minutes' are? What bits of information must they include to provide an accurate record of a meeting?