Interview of “Global Business” Series Competitions Champions

Interviewer: Xu Nuo, Liu Yaxin, Lv Siying, Zhang Siyu

I: interviewer

L: Liu Xiarui( Business Practice Competitionchampion team captain)

J: Jiang Qirui( Business Negotiation Competition champion team captain)

Z: Zhu Ziwei( English Speech Contest winner)

I: Why did you choose to attend the “Global Business Journey” series competitions among various competitions, as April is a competition month of SWUFE.

L: This competition is our school’s fine quality activity, and I attended it when I was a freshman. The team was consisted of freshmen, and we came up with so many ideas that we couldn’t decide a precise direction. I was a bit of passive at that time, and we were regretful that we didn’t enter the semi-finals. This year, I want to try again with full preparation.

J: The “Global Business Journey” Competition is a brand activity of our school, which gains high popularity. I had no time to attend the activity during my freshman and sophomore year, so I decided to seize the chance this time. On the one hand, I wanted to experience academic atmosphere of our school. On the other hand, I wanted to compete with other students from other schools and show our school’s mien.

Z: I like to attend speech contest from childhood, and I am interested in it very much. What’s more, the form of the speech contest attracted me, so I decided to attend it.

I: It’s all known that a good team is the key to success. Could you please tell us about how do your team divide the labor and help each other?

J: My teammates are chairman of Economics School and vice chairman of CYL Committee in Economics Information Engineering School, who are my friends I met from CYL Committee work. Our team divides the labor depending on everyone’s major and specialty. For example, some are good at communication, while some do well in presentation. The most important thing is to communicate with my teammates and maximize their abilities.

L: Our team has gradient, which consists of one junior, two sophomores and two freshmen. What’s more, there are three students coming from School’s Student Union, adhering to the organization’s conscientious attitude. Two freshmen can come up with ideas, and they will listen to advice modestly, avoiding divergence arising.

I: As a champion team, you must have done full preparation before the competition. Could you please tell us about what you have prepared?

J: Besides searching information and consulting teacher, the key preparation is borrowing a book about business negotiation, and we finish reading it in two days before the competition. Through the whole process of the competition, several theories learnt from the book play an important role.

L: Firstly, we selectthe direction of our paper, after consulting teachers and senior, we draw the outline and asking teachers for advice. When we are troubled we will consult teachers for inspiration to improve the outline. Then we divide the labor of writing and consult teachers for improvement.

I: Difficulties implyvictory, failure breeds success. What difficulties have you met in the whole process, and how do you resolve it?

L: Difficulties came from selecting topic. Basically, quality paper is supported by amounts of data. However, FTZ was established in the last year, and we can only find data of Shanghai, which are not accurate to the FTZ. Thus, we use three indicators of trade competitiveness provided by teacher in the semi-finals paper, the data are not accurate, and the reality conflict with our intention of writing empirical paper. When it comes to the final, we find that the Business Practice Competition not only focus on academic element, but also pay attention to practicality. When we converse the idea, the way to success is brighter.

Z: The final highly demands in professional knowledge. Because I major in Financial Law, I am poor at business knowledge. Moreover, my English writing skill is relatively weak, so it is difficult for me to write speech draft. Even worse, it is right in the mid-term exam stage, limitation in time is more challenged to me. However, I still squeeze out enough time to search relevant information, expanding my professional knowledge and preparing for the speech.

I: How can you perform in such calm, relaxed, elegant, confident and smart way on the stage?

L: I am very nervous at the beginning. The experience in Student Union and participating in many activities benefit me a lot. I have hosted School’s Welcome Party in the first year, and then I have attended many recitation competitions, which makes me have feeling on the stage. I even feel excited standing on the stage now. Calm and elegant performance is accumulated by many chances. What’s more, attitude also plays a significant role. We intend to be the winner when we team up, but that is not so important when we come to the final, the attitude is relaxed.

Z: In fact, I am a little frightened when I attend the speech competition for the first time. Therefore, I make my mind to change myself. I seize every available opportunity to attend various activities organized by the college, such as speech competition, radio host, which provide me with a platform to exercise myself. Now I gradually build self-confidence and my desire to show my self-style is more intense.

I: What do you value most via participating in the “Global Business” Competition?

J:Hard-work correspond growth. I have attended some competition like “Going to the Countryside”, essay contest and so on, it was the first time for me to attend the competition of business negotiation. I met some friends in the competition, including an opponent. In addition, we communicated with several teachers through the competition, which made us learn a lot.

Z: Experience and friendship. Through the speech contest, I have a better understanding of business, expanding my knowledge, broadening my horizon, enriching my self-restraint and accumulating more experience. On the other hand, I make a lot of like-minded friends taking advantage of the opportunity. The other five finalists are all excellent and enthusiastic. There are many topics could be talked among us, and we even set up a QQ group for better communication.

I: Each competition is a memorable experience. What’s your most memorable thing throughout the course of fierce competition?

J: I am probably impressed by the “makeup”. Though the behavior has been expected to be joked, and many people greet me with “Hello, chairman Jiang”. But I believe that it likely many dramatic things will happen in the court of business negotiations. It’s not a serious and strong logical competition, but it’s more like a show. It’s really interesting. It also let me understand why the business negotiation competition can be an iconic event of the whole competition.

L: The final presentation includes creativity mark, and our presentation form is inspired by a career plan competition. We rehearse on the day before the competition, and we don’t finish until 1 a.m., the process of reciting drafts and practicing is more memorable.

I:Review the whole process of “Global Business” Competition from participants’ angle. What’s your assessment of it?

L: The competition is run better and better, and it is upgraded to a provincial competition. Though it’s precipitate this year, while other colleges don’t hold the competition at the same time, the representatives from other colleges watch the competition. Hopefully that it can be a really provincial competition next year, which values more for participants’ endurance and School’s brand promotion. But hope that three papers demanded in preliminaries, semi-finals and finals are not totally different. It is too hard.

J: I think the competition is very good, and it is the pride of our School. Though I have been in CYL Committee and haven’t contacted with School’s work. When others asked about the International Business School, the competition should be said as one of the outstanding achievements of our School.

Z: I think planning organization does a great job, but the impacts of the competition remain to be further expanded. For example, we can make it to be an inter-college competition, communicating with Sichuan University, Electronic Science and Technology University and on, which makes more students participate in and influence will be further expanded. It is well worth to wait.

I: As a champion, do you have any experience to share with the next contestants?

L: Firstly, you should pay attention to team’s gradient when you team up. You should have someone convinced in your team. In a fullfair circumstance, everyone holds his own belief leading to no complete solution made. Communication needs cost, and it will lower the degree of team implementation, so we need gradient to ensure it. Secondly, I have mentioned a lot about resources advantage, the full use of resources can be more effective.

J: As for Business Negotiation Competition, compared to Students Union work for example, it’s like chairmen go to negotiate with other schools for benefit. How could you take the full use of internal resources and contact with external resources to exchange more resources from other schools. Then, the leader, who fully trusts his teammates and believes that they can do the best. When it’s necessary, leader can let them do it by themselves, however, as a leader, he must have his own idea and be able to control the direction.

Z: I think the key in speech contest are appeal and vigor. Speech is unlike speaking, it’s more likely to express a kind of spiritual inspiration. As a speaker, you should make effort to inspire audiences’ enthusiasm, making audiences integrate into the environment and taking them into the world you are trying to present, which forms an interaction.

Translated by Wang Yuejia