Description of Workshops - B2B Symposium 2009
Workshop
A - 9:50 am - 11:00 pm
“Business Etiquette”
The Art of Delegating
Speakers:
Moderator: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
As noted by author Gerard M. Blair “delegation is a skill of which we have all heard - but which few understand. It can be used either as an excuse for dumping failure onto the shoulders of subordinates, or as a dynamic tool for motivating and training your team to realize their full potential”.
Delegation underpins a style of management which allows your staff to use and develop their skills and knowledge to their full potential. Without delegation, you lose their full value. As the ancient quotation above suggests, delegation is primarily about entrusting your authority to others. This means that they can act and initiate independently; and that they assume responsibility with you for certain tasks. If something goes wrong, you remain responsible since you are the manager; the trick is to delegate in such a way that things get done but do not go (badly) wrong.
The objective of delegation is to get the job done by someone else. Not just the simple tasks of reading instructions and turning a lever, but also the decision making and changes which depend upon new information. With delegation, your staff has the authority to react to situations without referring back to you.
This workshop is geared towards providing you with information regarding what should be delegated and what should not be delegated. Lastly, you will be provided with some of the “best practices” for mastering the art of delegating.
Workshop B - 9:50 am - 11:00 pm
“Business Opportunities”
Owning a Business Franchise – Is It For You?
Speakers:
Moderator: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Technology has made it easier to own a franchise. Good software systems help to replicate and spread franchise operations, as well as for franchise owners to keep track of their businesses wherever they are. An unstable economy has also made the franchise model look more appealing with its entrenched systems and sales history; between 2003 and 2005, about 900 new franchising business were launched in such diverse fields as real estate, art education, construction and health care. Today there are an estimated 760,000 U.S. franchised establishments generating more than $1.5 trillion in economic activity and producing one out of every seven jobs, according to the franchise association.
However, the truth is that hundreds of franchisees fail each year. The most frequent causes:
• Lack of sufficient funds
• Poor people / management skills
• Reluctance to follow the companies business formula
• A mismatch between franchisee and the business
• Mismanagement of expectations of the key to success with a particular business
• And, perhaps surprisingly, an inept franchisor
Come to this workshop and discover if getting involved in a franchise is a good opportunity for you.
Workshop C - 9:50 am - 11:00 pm
“Business Opportunities”
How You Can Benefit from President Obama's Stimulus Funding
Speakers:
Moderator: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
The 2009 stimulus bill signed by President Obama, is a mixture of a number of different programs. It is full of tax cuts for businesses - large and small alike - and for individuals as well as federal payments to citizens intended to stimulate the economy. Some of the programs covered by the stimulus program are as follows:
Transportation Infrastructure:
- Modernizing Roads and Bridges
- Improving Public Transit and Rail
Energy:
- Smarter Energy Grid
- Green Job Training and Energy Efficient Schools
Science, Technology, & Innovation:
- National Institutes of Health
- Broadband and Wireless Service
Health Care:
- Providing Health Insurance for Unemployed Workers
- Modernizing the Health Care System
Education:
- More Affordable
- Investing in Early Childhood Development
With the U.S. economy in the worst condition since the great depression its important to the nation as a whole to be able to find and get access to the stimulus programs that have been developed to help. Attend this workshop to learn how you can benefit from President Obama's stimulus bill as it impacts the Massachusetts economy.
Workshop D - 12:35 pm - 1:45 pm
“Business Etiquette”
Strategies To Become a Skilled Negotiator
Speakers:
Moderator: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Authors Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever highlight in their book “Women don’t Ask - Negotiation and the Gender Divide” that women are 4 times less likely than men to initiate negotiations and more than twice as apprehensive about it! They also note in their book that women tend to undervalue their worth.
In her book “Designed for Success” Ms. Dondi Scumaci notes “Negotiation isn’t just about money. That’s just the beginning. There is more at stake here than the size of your paycheck. We can also negotiate for the things that make us worth more and things that make our jobs and lives more satisfying”.
Some of the many issues that we can – and should negotiate for are as follows:
• More challenging responsibility
• More rewarding work assignments
• Greater authority
• Greater flexibility and/or control in the methods to do our job
• Training and professional development
• Better resources and tools
• Help at home
The many of benefits of improving your ability to negotiate are obvious. We get more of what we need and want. Come to this workshop anticipating that you will receive information and resources to help make you become a better skilled negotiator.
Workshop E - 12:35 pm - 1:45 pm
“Business Opportunities”
Doing Business with three Major Corporations Seeking to Do Business with Women Owned Businesses
Speakers:
Moderator: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Massachusetts remains a fantastic place to do business. In a report on May 1, 2008 by Robert Gavin of the Boston Globe, the Massachusetts economy expanded at a healthy clip in the first three months of the year despite a national economic slowdown, breaking with the recent past when the state suffered longer and deeper recessions than the rest of the United States.
The University of Massachusetts indicated recently that the state's economy grew at a 3.2 percent annual rate, about five times faster than the 0.6 percent national rate reported yesterday by the Commerce Department. During that period, Massachusetts employers added 4,600 jobs, even as companies nationwide cut more than 200,000.
Given that the Massachusetts economy continues to be a great place to do business, the question becomes how your organization can be positioned to benefit from it. This workshop presents three organizations that have year-round business opportunities with a variety of products and services. Panelist will present their various business opportunities with the hope that your organization can benefit from them. Workshop participants are encouraged to bring plenty of business cards to network with workshop panelist and other workshop participants.
Workshop F - 12:35 pm - 1:45 pm
“Business Capital”
Available Funding to Grow Your Vision
Speakers:
Moderator: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Panelist: TBD.
Why is it difficult for start-ups and growing businesses to access capital for growth? Because lenders typically feel that businesses in existence less than two years are a high credit risk, leaving entrepreneurs no alternative than to finance their ventures creatively. Creative financing for start-ups and growing businesses is nothing new. Some examples include:
• Sam Walton received a loan from his father-in-law
to start Wal Mart Stores; and
• Spike Lee borrowed money from his friends and family, used personal savings, and credit cards to produce his first movie
Regardless of whether you’ve been in business for two days, two months, two years or twenty years, the critical components of accessing capital for growth are the same. Each of our invited panelists for this workshop has a variety of financial services available. If you want to obtain a financial product to fund your current operation, or help fund a new business venture, then this workshop is for you. Workshop attendees will be provided with ample time, during and after the workshop, to ask questions and obtain added information.
About our Luncheon Speaker - 12:40pm until 1:25pm
The 10 Commandments to Help Women Succeed in the Workplace
Speaker:
TBA.
Background: You thought it was just your imagination – but its not. Women do face unique challenges in the workplace. The business world is not always fair, the rules are often unspoken, and the path for success is not well marked.
Recent research conducted by the ASTD market research department conducted surveys with more than 7,000 people in 2007, providing a broad view of salaries across nine areas of expertise in the workplace learning and performance field. As in previous years, the 2007 survey shows there is a large salary gap between men and women in the profession. Men make more money at every level and are more likely than women to hold higher-level positions.
Ms. Dondi Scumaci, during our “Power Networking” luncheon, will give you some meaningful tools to help you take charge of your future and help you achieve the business satisfaction you deserve. Attendees of this luncheon will learn how to get ahead in today’s workplace and make an impact to the organizations you serve and the lives you touch.
About our Afternoon Panel - 2:05pm until 3:20pm
How Top Corporate Executives Are Adding Value
to Their Corporations in a Tough Economy
Speaker:
TBA.
BOSTON – Nov. 30, 2007 – A major research study released by Babson College and The Commonwealth Institute finds that woman-led businesses in Massachusetts are strong engines of economic growth, consistently outperforming national and state growth rates for each of the six years that the study was conducted. The top women-led business in Massachusetts: 2006 results study found that woman-led businesses are key drivers of Massachusetts’ revenue and employment as well as strong sources of philanthropic activity. The companies reporting revenues in the survey generated $10.2 billion, and together, all of the companies surveyed employed more than 24,000 people in Massachusetts.
We invite you to come and receive information regarding how top corporate executives are adding value to their organizations during a tough economy. You will hear the good and the bad as they lead their prospective firms. As well, time will be provided to take questions from the audience.
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