BUSINESS ENGLISH

FORM 1

Presentado por: Juan José Bueno and Edilberto Cifuentes

BARRANQUILLA/COLOMBIA

2022
It is required that you can develop and present a guide for leaders about how to handle and
coach each generation at work (Colombian context only)

- BABY BOOMERS

Born after World War II. They are perceived as being highly loyal repeat customers, having
considerable available income and time due to retirement or being close to retirement. They
are the building block on which most of the major chain hotels around the world have built
their business on, with the help of a successful Colombian company that emerged at the time
on MARCH 16, 1949 – ARGOS - The Company of cement Argos arises, becoming one of the most
important and representative companies of the Colombian economy of all time. An important
characteristic is that the BB Loyal to brands and at that time Colombia experimented a lot with
technology in order to obtain a perfect cement mix.
- GEN X

Sandwiched between the Baby Boomers and Generation Y, Generation X is the best educated
and the first technologically savvy generation in history. They are more tolerant and value
individuality. These people tend to have realistic expectations and are family-oriented. If Baby
Boomers are starting to wind down and Generation Y is starting to power up, Generation X is in
full swing and the main market for health around Colombia. On MARCH – 4 – 1964 - COOMEVA,
with the inspiring leadership of Dr. Uriel Estrada Calderón, and a group of 27 doctors founded
the Cooperativa Médica del Valle, COOMEVA, with the intention of jointly offering financial and
insurance services, under the nature of savings cooperatives. and credit. Gradually the
successful model was attracting more associates. First doctors, then related professions and in
1967 it opened the link to all kinds of professionals.
Value individuality
- GEN Y

Often characterised as demanding, not brand-loyal and immune to traditional marketing

channels, Generation y represent a large and lucrative market, but also a complex and
contradictory consumer segment for Colombia. That year was very important for Colombia
because the soccer team was presented in the World Cup 1990, and there was a lot of social
commotion related to drug trafficking and armed groups followed by the many companies that
emerged in that generation. Although agreement on profile and numbers does not exist,
Generation Y workers make up roughly 25% of the world population. It is one of the largest
generational categories in the world. In contrast, Generation X is roughly 21%, and Baby
Boomers roughly 18% of the world population” (GenerationY.com, 2015). one of the best
examples would be:
Studio F Group is a Colombian company founded in the city of Cali in 1994, which is dedicated
to the textile industry. It is considered one of the largest in the sector in Colombia.
In the nineties it was a difficult time, due to the economic crisis that was beginning to appear.
They wanted to show that you had to put your chest to difficulties and, incidentally, position
yourself as a fashion landmark. but they knew how to get ahead by giving
The magic touch of youth and modernity, enough to remain solid at a time when the clothing
industry was having a hard time.

It started with four stores in Cali. Today it has 344 points of sale for its Studio F and Ela brands
in 8 markets in Colombia, Mexico, Chile and Panama, as well as franchises in Costa Rica,
Ecuador, Guatemala and Peru. The group's commercial network is also made up of 96 corners
in department stores, such as Falabella (in Colombia) and Liverpool (in Mexico).
- GEN Z

Each generation is more complex than the previous. Generation Z is no exception, “they’re
smarter than Boomers, and way more ambitious than the Millennials” (Kingston, 2014).
Considered “the most complex shopper of all time” (Davies, 2013; FITCH, 2015), by 2020, today’s
14-15 year olds will make up 40% of US, Europe and other BRIC countries population, and 10%
for the rest of the world. A paradox in itself, the Z-consumer has a very short attention span but
a sharp and hyper-informed eye, they live in a constant state of partial attention and information
overload, “logged into multiple platforms across a mosaic world of their own making” (Davies,
2013). The adolescents of 2010-2018 are growing up in a complicated economic, socio-cultural
and environmental landscape, marked by a prolonged global economic crisis and rising
unemployment rates, social media outbursts, technological innovations gone to the extreme and
accelerated consumerism, multiplied environmental catastrophes and accelerated resource
depletion, a bigger than ever world population and growing social inequalities and disparities,
alarmingly high rates of depression and anxiety, global obesity and a long string of health and
terrorist scares etc.
On December 14, 2002, the first Juan Valdez store opened its doors at the El Dorado
international airport in Bogotá, with which we began the materialization of the dream of making
visible the work of the Colombian coffee grower and the quality of Colombian coffee. They
currently have 335 stores in Colombia, 133 international stores and have a presence in 33
international markets.