17_Interviewing techniques
I know it sounds obvious, but you really must prepare before the interview. Find out as much as you can about the person you’re going to interview, and the subject matter of the interview. Prepare your questions in advance. Think about the order you will ask them. A rule of thumb is to ask questions about facts first, leaving opinion questions until later. Most people find questions about facts much easier to answer, so they start to feel more at ease. Spend a little time imagining how you hope the interview will go. Visualise yourself in the situation, introducing yourself, asking the first question.Think about where the interview will take place. Try to interview the person in a place which is appropriate to the interview – their place of work, for example. Interviewing a person on their territory can put them at ease, and also provide you with colour for your story.How you start the interview can influence how successful it will be. Be confident and courteous. Start by introducing yourself, and stating the reason for the interview. Set your ground rules. For example, you may want to insist that the interviewee says in advance if they want what they say to be off the record.During the interview, you should be polite but firm. Ask your questions in a confident manner, and listen carefully to the answers. Very often an inexperienced interviewer will simply go through their list of questions, not realising that some of them have already been answered. Use your list of questions as a base for the interview, not a rigid script. Ask follow-up questions. Ask for evidence to support any claims made by the interviewee. Don’t be afraid to ask ‘How do you know that?’ But never ask leading questions. Let the person say what they want to say, not what you want them to say.When ending the interview, you should go back over the main things that have been said. This gives you a chance to review your notes. You should then ask the interviewee if they want to add anything else. And finally, ask if you can contact them again should you need to.OK, so the interview is over, but you have one last task. As soon as possible, sit down and look at your notes. Are they clear? Is there anything else you can add to them? Do this while you can still remember what was said. And write down all the colour you can remember – about the person and the place.

18_Business and ethics
Today I’m going to talk about business and ethics. First I’ll look at what is meant by business ethics. Then I’ll examine the kind of ethical considerations companies need to address, how they can go about doing business in a more ethical way, and look at some examples of ethical business practices.So what are business ethics and why are they seen as important in today’s business climate? Business ethics relate to how a company conducts its business in order to make a profit. Although the primary goal of the company may be to make money, it also recognises that it has a responsibility towards the society in which it operates. The term ‘corporate social responsibility’ is often used, and nowadays many companies have strong corporate social responsibility programmes designed to help create a prosperous, inclusive society.Now I’ll look at some basic ethical considerations that a company needs to address. The first area is how the company treats its employees. All employees should be treated fairly and with respect. A company that cares for its workers’ welfare will tend to have a happier workforce and a lower turnover of staff. It is also important that workers are recruited on a basis of equal opportunity.The second area is how a company conducts its day-to-day business. In a manufacturing business, this includes how suppliers of raw materials are chosen and treated. A good example of this is the Fair Trade movement. This initiative ensures that small-scale farmers are paid directly and at a fair price for their crops. A company should also look at its policy on paying suppliers, and ensure that payments are made on time.Another ethical consideration is the impact the business has on the environment. Manufacturing companies should strive to ensure that production is clean and careful, and look for ways to minimise energy consumption and waste products.Finally, a company can also decide to give something back to the community it operates in. This can be in the form of ‘corporate giving’ programmes, where donations are given to community projects, or by initiating schemes to improve the local community and encouraging employees to work on these schemes.

19_Developing creativity
Presenter: Art and Business is an organisation that develops creative partnerships between business and the arts. Peter Jones is going to talk about the company’s ideas and tell us about some of their success stories.Peter, maybe you could begin by telling our listeners why Art and Business was created?Peter Jones: Well, in the twenty-first century productivity is no longer a matter of machines. The success of a company depends on its people and on the creativity of its people. It makes sense that the way to increase productivity is to stimulate creativity.Presenter: And what better way to stimulate creativity than through reading books.Peter Jones: Exactly. Every reader knows that a good book can stimulate the imagination and the intellect, get you thinking along lines you might not have thought of before, open up new worlds.Presenter: So, have you had any help in setting up the project?Peter Jones: Yes. The London Libraries Agency and an organisation called The Reading Partnership work with us on this project. We are trying to use the power of the written word to motivate staff in the workplace. In a recent survey seven hundred business leaders were asked which book had inspired them and had a positive influence on their career. They were able to choose any kind of book, any kind at all. Only about 40% chose a business book. Most people chose a work of fiction – a novel, a play or even poetry.Presenter: How can reading help somebody to become a more creative worker?Peter Jones: Successful managers need to be well-rounded people. They need active imaginations. When they interpret fictional scenarios, they are using their creativity. Readers combine imaginative skills with critical and analytical skills.Presenter: Are we talking about the right and left sides of the brain?Peter Jones: Yes. Our logical left side of the brain interprets the language of a book. The creative right side looks at the forms of expression. The left side analyses the plot while the right side is more interested in the relationships between characters – the emotional aspects.Presenter: How does this transfer to the world of business?Peter Jones: Creative ideas make businesses more competitive. Shared reading experiences improve communication and morale at work.Presenter: Can you give listeners some examples of how this scheme has been brought successfully into the workplace?Peter Jones: Employees at WH Smith have stuck poems and quotations above their desks for inspiration.Presenter: Well, WH Smith deals in books. What about other examples?Peter Jones: The telecommunications company Orange set up a project called ‘Talk Books at Work’. They discovered that encouraging employees to read helped them to develop their linguistic and interpersonal skills. Marks and Spencer has set up reading groups at work. The groups cut across the usual hierarchies and working relationships have improved greatly.Interviewer: We have with us in the studio Nicola Bayleigh, our social affairs commentator, to give us some perspective on the changes that have taken place in our working lives over the last twenty years or so. Good morning, Nicola.Nicola: Good morning.

20_Change Management Comprehension
Change management consultant:Before change there must be analysis. Organisational change is a costly and difficult business and there must be a real business need reason in order to change current practice. Typically, changes are attempts to reach new markets, to improve productivity or to cope with drastically reduced funding. A good analyst will identify the key problem.Once it's clear what change is required, a change strategy has to be developed. In other words, somebody needs to say what should be done. Sometimes the idea will come from a 'visionary' within the company, perhaps an imaginative and persuasive member of the management team. Otherwise, the company might bring in a consultant to help them find the right solution. Either way, management should also consult with staff at this stage. There should be meetings to help raise awareness for the need for change and to give employees a chance to suggest their own solutions.Next comes what's probably the most problematic stage: implementation. Above all else, making the planned change a reality requires communication. Staff will need to be informed of new procedures and, where necessary, trained in new skills. The most important member of the change management team at this stage is the 'gatekeeper'. It's their job to be available to staff to help them deal with problems they may be having with the changes and answer any questions, making the change as painless as possible.Finally, there's the consolidation stage. There needs to be a way to collect feedback from employees on how the change is being received. Because there will still be some resistance to the change even at this stage, someone needs to act as a 'champion' for the innovation. The champion gives encouragement and raises morale by congratulating everyone on a successful changeover and on what's been achieved.
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