Internship report at Lam ceramic company limited

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY - - INTERNSHIP REPORT Company: Lam Ceramic Company Limited Student: Nguyen Thu Trang Class: K55N5 Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Tra My Student code: 19D170329 Hanoi, 2023 INTRODUCTION In the current trend of international economic integration, the expansion and gradual adaptation of enterprises to domestic and foreign markets are objective inevitable trend This will pose many opportunities and challenges for businesses and for the whole economy Therefore, businesses have formed a dedicated sector to avoid falling behind the global integration trend, which is the Marketing department Hence, enterprises always focus strongly on their marketing activities’development Integrating with the trend, Lam Pottery Enterprise has been established with the aim of bringing cultural products to all parts of the country as well as to the international market By striving for economic development through worldwide trade and diplomatic relations, Lam Pottery always prioritizes and focuses on marketing, and English is an indispensable tool in that process English is no longer a "plus" factor but a criterion of primary concern, playing an increasingly important role in the success of this ceramic firm Understanding that close connection and the urgency of applying English in business, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to put my knowledge into practice After nearly month of experience at Lam Ceramic, thanks to the board of Directors and the Marketing department, I have been able to research specific situations to construct this report Once again, I would like to sincerely thank the teachers of the English Faculty of Thuongmai University as well as the staff of Lam Pottery for supporting me to complete this report However, due to the limited actual working time as well as my diminished knowledge, the report is not immune to errors For that reason, I am willing to receive suggestions and opinions from teachers to make my report perfect Hanoi, January 15th, 2023 Student Trang Nguyen Thu Trang i TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION i LIST OF TABLES, DIAGRAMS, PICTURES iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv PART 1: OVERVIEW OF LAM CERAMIC COMPANY LIMITED -1 1.1 General information about Lam Ceramic Company Limited 1.1.1.Information 1.1.2.Establishment and development 1.1.3.Mission – Vision 1.1.4 Company’s organizational structure 1.2 Information about the Internship Department. -5 1.2.1 Marketing activities of Ceramic Lam Enterprise -5 1.2.2 Evaluation of marketing activities of Lam Ceramic Enterprise PART 2: INTERNSHIP PROCESS IN LAM CERAMIC COMPANY LIMITED -11 2.1 Details of actual works assigned during the internship period 11 2.1.1 Assigned work -11 2.1.2 Details of main work performed -12 2.2 The difficulties and learned lessons during the internship 13 2.2.1 Difficulties 13 2.2.2 Personal experiences and learned lessons 15 PART 3: THE REAL SITUATION OF USING ENGLISH AT LAM CERAMIC COMPANY LIMITED -17 3.1 Describe the real situation of using English at Lam Ceramic Compay Limited -17 3.2 Suggesting solutions to the problems of using English in Lam Ceramic 18 PART 4: SUGGESTED THESIS TOPIC -19 CONCLUSION - 20 ii LIST OF TABLES, DIAGRAMS, PICTURES No Tables, diagrams, pictures Page Picture Lam Ceramic's official Facebook fanpage Picture Media publication of the program "Khai Xuan Nhu Y” 10 Picture Rank Lam Ceramic's visibility by keywords on Google 10 Picture Lam Ceramic's website interface 11 Picture Chart Lam Ceramic’s organizational structure 12 Table Assigned work by week 15 Table Lam Ceramic Store in Hoang Mai The process of posting on the media iii 11 16 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS No Abbreviations English Meaning CEO Chief Executive Officer Giám đốc điều hành HR Staff Human Resources Staff Nhân viên quản trị nhân lực Ads Advertising Quảng cáo Co.Ltd Company Limited Công ty trách nhiệm hữu hạn iv Vietnamese Meaning PART 1: OVERVIEW OF LAM CERAMIC COMPANY LIMITED 1.1.General information about Lam Ceramic Company Limited 1.1.1 Information - Company name: Lam Ceramic Company Limited - Address: 46/232 Tran Dien, Dinh Cong, Hoang Mai, Hanoi - Telephone: 0961 55 40 50 - Email: gomlambattrang.vn@gmail.com - Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/gomlambattrang - Tax identification number: 0107618374 - Website: https://www.gomlambattrang.com 1.1.2 Establishment and development Lam Ceramic Limited Liability Company, which is known as Lam Pottery, was established in 2016, stemming from the passion of Vietnamese people to bring the quintessence of the homeland to all parts of the country as well as to the international market For that reason, Ms Lam Thu Huyen (CEO), together with her fortifications, came up with the decision to establish Lam Ceramic Co., Ltd After years of establishment and development, the company's products have been widely sold through e-commerce platforms and showrooms in Hanoi In particular, with the trust of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, on 27/02 Ceramic Lam was honored to be selected as the visiting unit of Brunei Commerce Minister, Lim Jock Seng after the ending of the First Meeting of the Vietnam - Brunei Bilateral Cooperation Committee at the Government guest house Therefore, despite arising from "empty hands", Lam Pottery is always proud to be the manufacturer and supplier of high-quality Bat Trang ceramics to Vietnamese consumers and international ones 1.1.3 Mission – Vision - Mission: Lam Pottery always carries with it the mission of developing and preserving the beauty of the country's traditional culture as well as bringing perfect products to domestic and international customers At the same time, it always upholds the motto "A pottery market day is not equal to 30 minutes visiting Ceramic Lam" and excellently implements motifs: Top Beautiful porcelain top – Generating large orders – Completing products as fast as possible – Quality as desired – The best price in the market The company will continuously creates new values, new unique goods without losing the traditional beauty, all because of the vision to become a leading company in preserving and replicating the value of Vietnamese traditional products to the international market, contributing to the development of the domestic economy as well as that of the world - Vision: In the next years, Lam Ceramic is aiming to connect 20 million domestic and international customers and become a favorite brand of Vietnamese consumers 1.1.4 Company’s organizational structure CEO Marketing Department Sales Business Department Warehouse – Logistics Department Customer Service Department Administration – Accouting Department E – Commerce Chart Lam Ceramic’s organizational structure (Source: Administration – Accouting Department) Lam Pottery Company is operated according to a functional organizational structure, that is, the company is divided into departments based on their functions Specifically, there are main departments including Marketing Department, Business Department, Warehouse – Logistics Department, Customer Service Department and Administration – Accounting Department Each of these is guaranteed and operated by the head functional manager and the employees grouped according to their roles  Roles and functions of each department in the company:  Marketing Department: - In charge of marketing while managing activities such as targeting, customer segmentation, research, market forecasting and brand positioning, then setting out plans or marketing strategies and advertising ceramic products in the media to convey product information, attract potential customers, promote customer buying behavior and improve sales efficiency - Participating in researching market trends, consuming trends of domestic and foreign customers in order to develop ceramic products as well as draw assessments, conclusions and promptly come up with appropriate marketing strategies for products, meeting the needs of customers as well as the market - Helping build good relations with domestic and foreign press and media  Business Department: In charge of directly approaching customers as well as introducing and promoting ceramic products to customers The Business Department is divided into sectors: Sales unit (specializing in sales on social media channels: Facebook, Zalo, Tiktok and Website) and E-commerce unit (specializing in sales on e-commerce platforms including: Shopee, Lazada, Tiki) - Sales unit:  Developing strategic plans to reach and exploit potential customers  Organizing and carrying out business activities such as: consulting, answering questions about parameters related to products  Announcing costs and payment methods, shipping units and creating orders for customers when they want to transact  Taking care of the problems arising with the post-sale order such as: return, refund, ect - E-commerce unit:  Tracking number of visits and purchases as well as customer feedbacks on products and services to be able to change products and strategies, thereby handling problems arising from customers when buying through e-commerce platforms  Updating daily news and reports to understand important indicators, evaluate market trends, competitors as well as consuming behavior on e-commerce platforms, which helps the company come up with suitable adjustments and plans for its ceramic products  Administration – Accounting Department: - Carrying out activities related to financial management while developing plans for business activities, including tracking document books and preparing financial statements at the end of each accounting period - Checking revenue and expenditure activities, paying the state budget, ensuring and being responsible of the company's financial situation, drawing up the inventory of the company's assets and capital sources to provide timely and accurate solutions - Storing, preserving accounting books and securing accounting data  Warehouse – Logistics Department: - Researching market, selecting partners that provide quality ceramic materials - Ensuring that goods are well co-ordinated, circulated and preserved without cracking, chipping and streamlined when transported to warehouses, which helps facilitate inventory and import – export of goods - Inventory data must always be updated to ensure a smooth sales process and to manage the delivery in accordance with fast, complete and accurate delivery criteria  Customer Service Department: - Actively communicating with customers who have purchased products, asking for feedbacks, receiving information about customer complaints to be able to answer, understanding how customers feel about the products as well as giving directions to handle customer problems - Coordinating with the Marketing Department to create promotions for customers and give discount codes to guests on special occasions to increase the percentage of consumers returning to the company, which helps it sell more products - Monitoring the feedbacks of customers to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the products, thereby proposing better solutions to improve 1.2 Information about the Internship Department The marketing department always plays an important role in operating the company’s business activities because it has a direct influence on consumers and determines the success or failure of Lam Ceramic in generating the company's revenue Specifically, that important role is shown through advertising products and increasing sales, as well as promoting brand, thereby creating an image for Lam Ceramic in the eyes of domestic and international customers Furthermore, the explosion of social networks and the high application of 4.0 technology in life have contributed to the development of marketing in general and online marketing in particular Therefore, I chose the marketing department as an internship unit according to my major and future goals after graduation 1.2.1 Marketing activities of Ceramic Lam Enterprise In order to bring Vietnamese values to all parts of the country as well as to the competitive international market, the marketing team in charge of Lam Ceramic always actively promotes communication activities for the brand and products to make them known by a large number of international consumers These activities are integrated between popular communication tools such as Online Marketing (via Facebook platforms, Facebook Ads, Website, Email,…) and Offline Marketing at the store Online Marketing:  Facebook and Facebook Ads - Official Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/gomlambattrang of Lam Pottery currently has 17,000 likes and 17,000 followers until January 2023 - Facebook stays on top of every survey about the most popular social network for every generation It has the advantage of sharing contents and images It also has strict policies as well as copyright issues on online business Therefore, the company's products sold through the official fanpage on Facebook can be trusted and easily reached thanks to some Facebook sales tools website with the link: https://gomlambattrang.com/ Currently, Lam Ceramic is ranked No.1 in the number of search results on Google with the keyword "Bat Trang Lam Ceramic" Picture 3: Rank Lam Ceramic's visibility by keywords on Google The websie is delicately designed with harmonious colors based on the main colors of the logo Product samples are arranged specifically into each category and each content, which makes it easy for customers to find and choose Many best-seller products and promotions are highlighted in the middle of the website All of these above contributes to attracting users and embracing the psychology of consumers in order to boost revenue for the company Picture 4: Lam Ceramic's website interface  Email (Gmail) Not only serving Vietnamese people, Lam Ceramic is also honored to bring products to countries around the world For foreign partners, marketing via email is both inexpensive and also in line with their regular email checking habits Therefore, this is a great opportunity for Lam Ceramic to bring its products and services to the international market Customers can contact via official email: gomlambattrangvn@gmail.com The company's marketing staff will use email to market their products using gmail sources or online email data taken from the information of users logged into the Website Besides, Lam Ceramic can collect data through the order list or landing page Specifically, the staff will use Mailchimp, which is a free and automated email creation software, to create online email marketing campaigns The content once generated is automatically sent to a list of available leads The marketing department will then check the engagement through clicks, opens, email responses and opening links leading to the Official Website in emails As a result, marketing staff will send emails to these customers whenever there is a product launch or promotion, which helps the firm expand the foreign leads file and increase sales revenue in foreign markets Offline Marketing: Like other companies, Lam Ceramic implements offline advertising at its own points of sale The fact that the company opened showrooms in Hanoi, concentrating the central districts, broadcasts strongly and increases brand awareness to customers In addition, the decoration inside the stores follows the main color tone of the brand identity, which is blue - white - yellow Lam Pottery is also creative when leverage its logo design into the decoration of walls, display tables and shelves Picture 5: Lam Ceramic Store in Hoang Mai In order to promote sales, the marketing team also implements strategies, such as 15 – 20% discount for customers who buy directly at the store during major holidays of the year, or 1-for-1 purchase programs for the first customers as well as patrons of the store 1.2.2 Evaluation of marketing activities of Lam Ceramic Enterprise Strengths To bring Vietnamese products to all parts of the country as well as international customers, Lam Ceramic has been promoting some significant intensities of media power in its operation They can be mentioned as follows:  Firstly, the company has been taking advantage of the Facebook platform The official fanpage of Lam Ceramic is an online marketing form built on customers' favorite ceramic products As a result, the firm can reach customers using Facebook anytime, anywhere This platform is easy to access and control with a simple and easyto-use interface Besides, updating the analytics of likes and interactions is also uncomplicated without spending as much as other offline marketing activities  Secondly, the company always enhances the use of email for foreign partners to market products Currently, when automated mail writing software such as Mailchimp is growing, the form of email marketing is more and more flexibly applied by Lam Ceramic This form increases the ability to reach customers quickly without spending a lot of manpower  Keeping the lead files but consulting and customer care are still highly valued is how Lam Ceramic promotes its marketing power Just by visiting the website with easy-to-find link, searching keywords simply and quickly, the firm has caused great sympathy for fastidious customers  The company has reached a maximum number of customers with little or no use of social networks through banners or trade promotion discounts Weaknesses Although Lam Ceramic has taken steps in marketing its products, this activity is still incomplete in many aspects For online marketing, despite building a brand for years, the number of interactions and customers that the company has reached on social networking sites is limited The article content has not had a breakthrough and creation to capture the trend of the market and potential customers In addition, the fact that social networks are becoming more and more diverse, customers are also becoming more fastidious to shop and facebook's policies are increasingly restrictive is making it more difficult for the enterprise to access the market as well as the consumers Responding to customers through websites and emails is still unprofessional, emails are easily spammed and annoying due to the amount of spam emails spreading in the media, which can easily mislead customers Among a large number of competitors in the market, especially brands from abroad, spending high costs and efforts to maintain the ranking of the website has not made Lam Pottery's products stand out and convince customers Offline marketing such as banners or posters are still quite sketchy, while gifts are not diverse These issues happen due to the lack of human resources and the limited sources of the company 10 PART 2: INTERNSHIP PROCESS IN LAM CERAMIC COMPANY LIMITED 2.1 Details of actual works assigned during the internship period 2.1.1 Assigned work Working time: Monday to Saturday • Morning shift: 8:30 – 11:30 • Afternoon shift: 13:00 – 17:30 Address: 232 Dinh Cong, Hoang Mai During my internship at Lam Pottery, I was facilitated to develop basic skills, learn new knowledge and skills My duties are arranged and evenly divided over a month of internship as follows: Table 1: Assigned work by week Week Time Activities - Contact the company's HR staff and start the internship December 19, 2022 to December 24, 2022 process - Discuss the internship schedule with management, learn the rules and culture of the company - Get acquainted and observe how the departments work, especially the marketing department - Research and learn the way the department works - Write advertising articles on Facebook in Vietnamese December 26, and English 2022 to - Edit and create eye-catching product images December 31, - Collect data of the users accessing the company's 2022 website, then translate into Vietnamese and respond to customers’ feedbacks or aspirations in English 11 - Continue to create articles on Facebook fanpage in both Vietnamese and English, make it clear for customers about products for sales as well as convey the values that the January 3, 2023 to January 7, 2023 company aims - Take photos of new product samples to post on Facebook to run ads - Learn how to email marketing in English for foreign partners - Participate in weekly meetings of the Marketing department to hear suggestions from other employees as well as propose other marketing solutions - Research and use Mailchimp, which is a free and automated email marketing software) January 9, 2023 to January 14, 2023 - Write and translate gmail marketing content for potential customers, translate some English emails and answer some customer questions about the company's products - Translate some marketing-related documents from English to Vietnamese to help create suitable marketing strategies for the department - Join weekly meetings of the Marketing department 2.1.2 Details of main work performed Table 2: The process of posting on the media Preparation Create posts in English about ceramic products on Facebook -Theme: Promote new products -Category: Images, articles -Content: Provide product characteristics; update the economic market situation in general and the ceramic market in particular 12 Planning and Checking Create posts about ceramic products on the website - Bring information about existing products at the store as well as best seller ones and available promo codes Make a weekly post schedule - According to posting timelines: 8:00 am, 3:00 pm, and 9:00 pm Send the draft to the marketing manager for approval before posting - Send the finished draft to the manager by 5:30 PM the day before Post as planned - 8:00 AM: Post economic market updates - 3:00 PM: Post articles for promoting products Reply to feedback on fanpage - Collect closed orders and send the data to the manager by PM Posting Process Follow-up after posting Make weekly report - Make engagements and purchase statistics on two main platforms: Facebook and Website - Compare with last week's report 2.2 The difficulties and learned lessons during the internship 2.2.1 Difficulties 13 Trying my hand at economics for the first time after learning the knowledge in school, the internship was a great process for me to put what I learned into practice Besides, the process also helps me discover my strengths and weaknesses, acquire new knowledge and experience new tasks, with the dedicated support of colleagues However, difficulties are always an integral part of the process of learning and growing It can be said that difficulties are challenges, catalysts and a necessary and sufficient condition for me to explore and adapt during the internship Here are some obstacles that I encountered in the month of internship at Lam Pottery: Firstly, there is a lack of office information technology capabilities such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel Despite learning and testing computer skills at school, I realize that the skills I have are lacking a lot after applying them in practice The ability to use word and excel is limited in making weekly reports I also have to learn basic image editing skills through popular photo editing software such as Canvas and Photoshop,… Secondly, I not have enough knowledge of the market economy and encounter hazards in applying English skills to work Marketing inherently requires specific knowledge, but the fact that I have a limited vocabulary and a lack of up-to-date information has made it hard to write reports and posts on media platforms Moreover, with no practical experience, it is difficult for me to be flexible to handle some sort of situations Thirdly, initial communication is a sizable barrier to communicate with and persuade customers However, I realize that good communication at the workplace can help me get to know my colleagues better and receive support from them Last but not least, my time arrangement is not reasonable Some jobs require me to work faster to meet deadlines and at the same time, I still have to ensure quality Therefore, I have to organize my time properly as I am given multiple tasks in a day At first, I made some mistakes when spending a lot of time editing, organizing, and creating logic for a report, but gradually as I got used to the job, those things became easier Overall, each challenge during the internship was a new experience and an opportunity to learn for every undergraduate like me Importantly, through this internship, I had many opportunities to look back and achieve the missing expertise 14 related to language and economics as well as the soft skills applied Those are all valuable lessons that I have been taught 2.2.2 Personal experiences and learned lessons After the internship process, there are some valuable lessons I have acquired over the past weeks:  First and foremost, the internship gave me the opportunity to improve my English and apply my knowledge of economics that I gained at university I used them in writing and communicating with foreigners in real-life situations My interpreting skills also improved significantly through weekly translations As a result, I discover that using English in practice like this contributes to a significant improvement in my language ability  For marketing, lack of economic knowledge is a major difficulty What I absorbed in the university is not enough, which means the amount of knowledge needs to be constantly updated Therefore, I realize that I need agility and ingenuity to keep up with trends to capture customer psychology better Moreover, it is not advisable to rigidly apply only metrics for analysis, but also based on the psychology of target customers to make appropriate marketing proposals  Furthermore, through the internship process with the work of marketing on popular social networking platforms and websites today, I have understood how to use supporting software such as Mailchimp, manage fanpages or design contents to attract viewers  I realize that the most important thing about content creation is the content need to be posted on social networks or websites Especially in the competitive environment of marketing, each individual needs to understand unique ways of creating content to compete with others Instead of applying a standard formula, I learned to be proactive at work, actively ask questions and research materials to explore many other aspects of creativity In addition, everyone in the department is dedicated to supporting and allowing me to find and create new contents and new methods to serve the company's online marketing segment Therefore, I understand more about SEO, Youtube, Facebook Ads, which I have not previously approached and used directly  Besides, I also learned how to arrange my time properly after my internship 15