ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Firstly, with the deepest and most sincere affection, allowing me to express my gratitude to all the individuals and organizations who have facilitated support and assistance throughou.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Firstly, with the deepest and most sincere affection, allowing me to express my gratitude to all the individuals and organizations who have facilitated support and assistance throughout the learning and research process During the time when I started studying at the school, I have received a lot of attention and help from my teachers and friends With the consent of Thuong Mai University and Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company I have weeks of internship at the company During the internship, I have drawn experiences and lessons for myself and also gathered useful information about the company's English-using areas With deepest gratitude, I would like to send to all the teachers in the Faculty of English in Thuong Mai University with the Board of Directors, officers and employees of Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company who have conveyed this valuable knowledge to me during my internship The internship report is made for a period of nearly weeks My first step into reality is still limited and there are many surprises so I cannot avoid shortcomings, I am looking forward to receiving your valuable comments and suggestions for my knowledge in this field Many thanks for all your help and best regard! Ha Noi, January 22nd 2021 (Student) Do Thi Thao Nguyen TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF IMAGES, CHARTS AND TABLES Image 1.1 Logo of Kinh Bac.,SJC Chart 1.1 The management apparatus of Kinh Bac., JSC Table 1.1 Business performance of Kinh Bac., JSC in 2017-2019 Table 2.1 Assigned tasks Chart 3.1 English-using proficiency of employees in Kinh Bac., JSC LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS No Terms JSC No HR R&D COGS SG&A English Meanings Vietnamese Meanings Joint Stock Company Công ty cổ phần Number Số Human Resources Nhân Sự Research and Nghiên cứu Phát triển Development Cost of goods sold Giá vốn bán hàng Selling, General& Chi phí Bán hàng Quản lý Administrative Expense doanh nghiệp INTRODUCTION Learning and practice must go together, especially for university and college students Because there is always a big distance between the theories provided in school and the application in reality; so the more a student practices, the easier for him to assimilate working environment and overcome obstacles at the beginning of his career in future As a senior of Thuong Mai University, I was given an opportunity to penetrate working environment, apply my knowledge at school in practice and improve soft skills in this internship During one month, I worked at Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company and got a lot useful experiences I had the chance to learn and work at Sales Department of the company My main duty was to assist in implementing the goals of the Department, which included various tasks depending on the daily activities of my colleagues and the head of the Department However, the foremost area I specialized in recommending and selling the company’s products or services to customers and using my knowledge about English for transactions in English It can be said that the more challenges this internship gave me; the more I improved myself in many fields The content of the report consists of parts: Part 1: Description of Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company Part 2: Internship process in Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company Part 3: The reality of using English in Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company Part 4: Suggested Thesis Topic PART 1: DESCRIPTION OF KINH BAC IMPORT - EXPORT AND INVESTMENT TRADE JOINT STOCK COMPANY 1.1 General introduction about Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company Image 1.1 Logo of Kinh Bac.,SJC Company's Name: Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company Registered Name: Công Ty Cổ Phần Đầu Tư Thương Mại Và Xuất Nhập Khẩu Kinh Bắc Abbreviation Name: KB., JSC Address: No 22, N3, 90 Lane, Nguyen Tuan Street, Thanh Xuan Trung Ward, Thanh Xuan District, Ha Noi City Founded year: 2005 Tax identification number: 0101849671 Phone: 0919659888 Fax: 8589091 Charter Capital: 35,000,000,000 VND (VND 35 billion) Total number of shares: 350,000 Par value of each shares: 100,000 VND Legal Representative: Duong Quang Thang Position: Chief Executive Officer 1.2 A brief history of the company Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company was established on December 2nd, 2005 as one of the pioneers in the field of electronics and electrical refrigeration The company was founded by members who lived, studied and worked in the Russian Federation They returned to Vietnam with national pride and desire to build the Vietnamese high-quality brand that meets the needs of domestic and international consumers In 2008, in order to maximize resources for development, Kinh Bac equitized the company with a development orientation in three areas: air, water and textiles During this period, the company officially sold air-conditioners, air purifiers, ventilators and vacuum cleaners as a M&E contractor In 2012, Kinh Bac., JSC invested in a factory to manufacture mechanical products and materials for cooling and air-conditioning The company also embarked on research and production of fiber products In 2016, Kinh Bac., JSC officially sold residential - commercial coolers In addition, the company also researched and developed energy-saving and environment friendly products Over nearly 15 years of non-stop investment and development, Kinh Bac., JSC has branches in regions, nearly 4,500 agents and distributors nationwide With the aim of pursuing "Brand for the community", Kinh Bac., JSC has constantly made efforts to research, develop and apply advanced technology to create quality products which protect people's health and be environmentally friendly 1.3 Products Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company is a multiindustry company Kinh Bac’s products are found nationwide, covering key business areas such as: • Distributing and trading in all kinds of coolers, water filters and household • • • • • kitchen equipment Producing fibers, synthetic fibers and textiles Producing and setting civil electrical products and other electrical equipment Trading and distributing industrial machines, equipment and spare parts Installation of water supply and drainage, heating and air conditioning systems Outsourcing, processing and coating metal In which, the main business lines and account for the majority of the company's revenue and profit are the distribution and installation of coolers, water purifiers for buildings, sells coolers, water purifiers and kitchen appliances The company specializes in importing and distributing various types of air-conditioner such as wall-mounted air-conditioner, ceiling-mounted air-conditioner, central air- conditioner, water purifier, magnetic stove and infrared stove of famous brands such as Daikin , Toshiba, LG, Mitsubishi, Samsung, Reetech, Funiki, Sharp, etc 1.4 Organizational structure The management apparatus of the company is organized in a unified system under the direction of talented leaders and a team of experts, consultants, engineers and workers with high qualifications and experience Up to now, the company has more than 900 employees and 13 departments 1.4.1 Organizational structure chart Board of Directors HR Department Accounting Department Sales Department Marketing Department Professional Department Customer Service Department R&D Department Import-Export Department Manufacturing Department Quality Department Shipping Department Purchasing Department (Source: HR Department) Chart 1.1 The management apparatus of Kinh Bac., JSC 1.4.2 Specific tasks of some departments - Director: Mr Duong Quang Thang is the head and the legal representative of the company He is responsible for organizing, operating the company's business activities, monitoring and approving contracts related to the company, supervising the departments under his authority At the same time he is also the representative who build and deal with the company's internal and external relationships - Sale Department: is the direct link between a company’s product or service and its customers and responsible for finding and reaching out to potential clients, convincing a person to buy products Besides, the role of this department is also to build professional relationships with an end goal of bringing in revenue - Marketing Department: is responsible for setting the strategic direction in terms of target market, developing advertising and promotion campaigns, and identifying markets for the product, positioning products, using market research and analysis to understand the interests of potential customers This department is also responsible for running campaigns to attract people to the business’ brand, product, or service of the company - Accounting Department: is responsible for recording and reporting the cash flow transactions of a company This department has some key roles and responsibilities, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, financial reporting, and maintaining financial controls - HR Department: deal with all the functions of the company that relate to its employees, responsible for onboarding, recruitment, the shaping of internal cultural initiatives, the tackling of disputes and the implementation of staff training In addition, this department is also responsible for maintain the efficiency among the resources, ensures that the costs of the company are kept to a minimum 1.5 General introduction about Sales Department 1.5.1 Duties of Sales Department When I joined the company, I had the opportunity to study and work in the Sales Department This department is included more than 30 employees with professional qualifications and business experience When I was assigned to work in this department, I have learned and experienced some specific jobs such as: • Developing and sustaining long-lasting relationships with customers • Calling potential customers to explain company products and encourage purchases • Maintaining an accurate record of all sales, scheduled customer appointments, and customer complaints • Answering customers' questions and escalating complex issues to the relevant departments as needed • Collaborating with the marketing department to ensure that the company is reaching its target audience • Preparing cost-benefit analyses for prospective and existing customers to determine the most suitable purchase options • Analyzing competitors' products to determine product features, benefits, shortfalls, and market success After the internship, with the enthusiastic help of the instructors and staff in the company, I have extended my knowledge and gained a lot of experience in using English and business Fortunately, I have been rewarded by the company for the many contributions to the company's revenue in the last month During my time as an intern of the company, I've learned a lot from the smallest duties to the biggest duties 10 1.5.2 Some business results in recent years Indicators 2017 2018 2019 Revenue 243,800,000 11,057,740,000 23,113,316,400 COGS 243,240,030 10,869,008,085 22,906,026,338 SG&A 113,352,898 266,743,860 601,712,468 Operating profit 112.734.612 170.605.439 1.058.684.826 Net Income 169,896,782 173,607,010 1,058,684,357 Unit: VND Table 1.1 Business performance of Kinh Bac., JSC in 2017-2019 (Source: Financial reports in 2017-2019- Accounting Department) This table shows the business performance of Kinh Bac., JSC during the period from 2017 to 2019 As a whole, there was a positive change in these factors To be more specific, the Revenue from 243,800,000 VND in 2017 up to 11,057,740,000 VND in the following year before reaching the peak of 23,113,316,400 VND in 2019 Net income from 169,896,782 VND in 2017 up to 173,607,010 in 2018 and increased to 1,058,684,357 VND in 2019 (making approximately a six-fold jump relatively to its initial figure in 2017) Obviously, the numbers partly indicate the positive development It can be seen that the company's business activities are progressing in a fairly good direction, growing in size, quality, revenue and profitability With the efficiency in the management, operation and appropriate building strategies, the company will have great developments and go further in the future PART 2: INTERNSHIP PROCESS IN KINH BAC IMPORT - EXPORT AND INVESTMENT TRADE JOINT STOCK COMPANY 11 2.1 Detail information about internship process During the weeks of my internship (from December 2020), I was given the opportunity to study and in Sales Department My job is a Sales Associate in the company Sales Associate practice is not simple, but also not too difficult as I thought This position has main responsibility for recommending and selling the company’s products or services to organizations, businesses and agents It is an expectation of most organizations that the Sales staff maintains a calm, courteous and professional demeanor at all times regardless of the visitor's behavior Therefore, I think that is a very enjoyable and interesting job During my internship in Kinh Bac., JSC, I worked full-time from Monday to Saturday And my working time table is dependent on the working time of the company Office time: - In the morning: From 8:00 a.m to 12:00 a.m - In the afternoon: From 14:00 p.m to 18:00 p.m No Week Week Time Main Activities - The first day on Monday, December 28th, 2020 I had an opportunity to meet with the head of guide department, the direct advisor, visiting around the company and socializing with everybody in the company - Meeting and working with the supervisor to understand the tasks to be done and schedule From December 28th, 2020 for the entire internship process to December 31st, 2020 - Learning about corporate culture, company rules, departments, functions of each department, main business lines, partners, etc - Assigned and worked as an office staff in Sales Department From January 4th, 2021 to - Learning and understanding information January 9th, 2021 about the company's products and services - Spending at least days to observe experienced staff and taking notes necessary things 12 Week Week From January 11th to 16th - Typing the documents and began my probation at the company - Making a list of potential customers and supporting other sales staff in daily work - Finding new customers on channels to sell the company's products and services - Responding to questions and providing information about company's products and services to existing customers and potential clients - Developing and maintaining positive business and customer relationships - Translating and photocopying necessary documents - Answering telephone and messengers from foreign customers - Participating in Sales Department’s weekly meeting - Continuing the job - Researching and analyze customer needs Coordinate with related departments to develop ideas, plan, build proposals, present and persuade clients - Building profiles, search and develop relationships with vendors for related campaigns, events and projects - Suggesting ways to improve sales such as From January 18th to 22nd planning marketing activities, changing the store’s design - Taking part in the company's monthly professional staff training course - Submitting my weekly report to my supervisor on every Saturday via email or social media - Receiving internship evaluation from the supervisor Table 2.1 Assigned tasks 2.2 The difficulties and learned lessons 2.2.1 The difficulties of the internship 13 First, during my internship, I was quite confused with the serious and punctual working environment Although I was equipped with almost full knowledge in the university, but when starting to work practically, I still felt confused and worried about having to get used to the new job and assignment that I never have tried before The workplace environment is very different from what I thought before and what I knew in university The pressure of experience, expertise and time also makes a new graduate like me feel quite nervous For example, jobs that require communication and dealing with clients, I hardly know what to because I don't have any experience with those skills When I saw the seniors working really well, I was quite confused and then it took me a long time to it Professional works and information refinement put a lot of stress on me when faced with them Second, Jobs such as receiving phone calls, handing over documents, meeting customers although not hard, heavy, but requires flexible communication ability However, communication is one of the challenges that makes me feel the most pressure When I went to the company and worked in such a professional environment, I was afraid to ask questions about something Besides, the lack of experience in skills such as communication, negotiation, dealing with customers, team work and problem solving flexibility also gives me a lot of difficulties Third, It was quite hard for me to put my English knowledge into practice I had to deal with many documents per day, however, I did not know many specialized vocabularies so it causes some difficulties for me in translating documents In addition, my limited English communication ability also makes me quite confused when facing problems from foreign customers Next, my office computer skills are quite limited When I had to draft administrative documents, I did not know what to In addition, I have studied at the University of Commerce for more than years, but I didn’t have much conditions to use an office machine such as printer, photocopy, fax, etc so I had to ask others to help Fortunately, they helped and guided me enthusiastically so that I could learn more quickly 14 Finally, in the process of performing the assigned work, I always pay close attention to observe and learn how to behave, communicate and work of the employees in the company Thanks to that, I can learn from experience for myself and better understand my work as well as my profession in the future, and apply them in real life and work 2.2.2 Learned lessons in internship Although the internship time is not long, it is enough for me to learn and accumulate some experience, ready for my new step First, through my internship, I got acquainted and exposed to a new environment, not a school environment that I have been with for many years, this is a new and completely new environment strange not only to me but also to many other interns During this time, I have learned a lot from the serious working style, the enthusiastic working attitude as well as the dynamic working environment In addition, I also learn a lot from the assigned job and the situations that happen during the work Second, I can extend my mind, broaden my knowledge during my internship Some of my skills such as speaking, communication, teamwork and problem solving have greatly improved For example, when I was a student, my weak point was giving presentations I can't speak fluently in front of everyone But now, through the process of learning and gaining practical experience during my internship, I can speak confidently in public, express my opinion, even persuade and give advice to customers in English In addition, through this time, I have a deeper understanding of the profession I have chosen, to confirm that my career orientation over the years is appropriate and correct Besides, during the internship, I have the conditions to practically contact with my work and career, applying the knowledge which I learned into practice can help me feel more confident when I graduate 15 Third, my office computer skills have also been applied during my internship I was familiar with the worksheet, payroll, excel, word, power point, etc Now, I can be more confident in using these skills to handle all situations about office informatics in the company Finally, with this internship, I have more conditions to expand my social relationships, in business, especially I have the opportunity to practice English, write business letters, use English as an communication tool During my internship, I not only interacted with the employees in the company but also with partners and customers of the company PART 3: THE REALITY OF USING ENGLISH IN KINH BAC., JSC 3.1 The reality of using English in Kinh Bac ,JSC Chart 3.1: English-using proficiency of employees in Kinh Bac., JSC In total 150 candidates who surveyed, 85.3% of whom have an intermediate or higher degree, 54.1% have a college or university degree, 19.6% of the candidates can communicate and use foreign languages at work and have at least one English certificate such as C1, TOEIC, IELTS, TOEFL, etc Meanwhile, up to 39.3% of whom only stop at B level English certificate or equivalent level, even just know a little, the rest of the candidates (41.1%) are only at elementary level, cannot communicate in English First, in each department, the staff's English proficiency and background are not equal For example, the staff in the Sales Department, Marketing Department, Import-Export Department have better English proficiency than Accounting Department or the Human Resources Department because the nature of work and the frequency of using English in those departments are different Second, some staff in Kinh Bac., JSC also make mistakes in English communication Listening and speaking skill are limited Some common errors in communication such 16 as such as using words and grammar inaccurately, pronouncing incorrectly or don't understand what customers saying This makes the company face many errors when consulting products thoroughly for foreign customers or creates many obstacles for companies when they need to communicate with foreign partners by phone or in person- meeting, they not express or convey ideas clearly There are many reasons such as vocabulary is limited, the ability to apply grammar is not flexible and English practice is not frequent, etc Finally, writing skills are also not really good Many employees in the departments still make mistakes in writing emails, contracts, reports or administrative texts The main reason is that employees tend to focus on short-term goals, exams and certificates to apply for a job than long-term future goals such as the ability to speak and use English at a higher level in their work 3.2 Proposing solutions to improve the quality of using English in the company After my internship at the company, I realized that the company needs to overcome some problems in recruiting and training English-using staff In order to improve the quality of English at workplace, I have a few recommendations: First, the company needs to ensure that the criteria for evaluating employees' English proficiency match the company's basic requirements The company needs to improve and refine more in the recruitment work, to ensure that the human resources input with English proficiency can meet the job requirements Second, the company can inspect the English proficiency of employees by periodic tests with a full range of skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, in many form such as multiple-choice, oral exam, roleplay, presentations and report writing in English, etc Third, English training and learning sessions can be organized regularly at the company will help employees improve their English ability, at the same time they can arrange actively their study schedule suit their personal schedule Besides, each 17 employee should have self-study morale, improve English skills for themself and realize the importance of English Next, the company should have a rewarding policies to encourage employees to work and improve English proficiency For example, the company can apply policies such as raised wages or promoted employees who have good English proficiency, built generous remuneration policies to attract good workforce both at home and abroad Finally, the company can link with universities to train high quality human resources and improve English standard input, choose reputable universities which have the strength in training flexible English-using sectors 18 PART 4: SUGGESTED THESIS TOPIC Topic: A study on difficulties in improving English listening comprehension skills for first year students of English Faculty at Thuong Mai University Reason: Most of first year English major students at Thuong Mai University said that English listening skills might be the hardest part of learning the language If you cannot hear it well you will find it hard to communicate or perhaps you cannot pass your listening examination for instance In fact, students often take the wrong way when listening and this leads them to the poor result Therefore, I want to help them find some solutions to improve their listening comprehension skills 19 CONCLUSION Going through the internship, I got many helpful knowledge and experiences for myself I not only had chance to put theories learning at university into practice, but also got many lessons from real working environment The internship is like a big test for me to find out all my strengths and weakness I have got so far Thanks to it, now I know what I should to better the essential skills for my future career The period of time working at Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company was truly meaningful to me I was given opportunities to try myself in different positions Moreover, working in a friendly and professional environment here, I was supported by all my colleagues and supervisors I learned from them the seriousness and dedication to work as well as the enthusiasm and friendliness I was also taught many things such as effective team working, time management and so on, which were important in life and career, I think Though I still had some curtain weaknesses, I felt satisfied with this internship since I tried my best to complete all tasks I was given In addition, it also brought me more good relations in work and nice friends in life Once again, I would like to thank Mr Duong Cong Thanh for your guidance as well as all of officer staff of Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company for supporting and creating favorable condition for me complete my training process and this report At last, I wish all of you a good health and success Thank you very much! Ha Noi, January 22nd 2021 (Student) Do Thi Thao Nguyen 20 ... introduction about Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company Image 1.1 Logo of Kinh Bac. ,SJC Company'' s Name: Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company Registered... English in Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company Part 4: Suggested Thesis Topic PART 1: DESCRIPTION OF KINH BAC IMPORT - EXPORT AND INVESTMENT TRADE JOINT STOCK COMPANY. .. 1: Description of Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company Part 2: Internship process in Kinh Bac Import - Export and Investment Trade Joint Stock Company Part 3: The