Company Program - Student Guide

STU DEN T G UIDE
INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

STUDENT GUIDE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sponsorship
Exxon Mobil is the world’s largest publicly held oil and gas company, and is a global provider of the energy that
is critical to driving progress and improving the lives of people around the world. Alongside its dedication to find
safe, efficient and responsible ways to bring affordable energy to a global market, Exxon Mobil remains committed
to investing in the future and in corporate citizenship around the globe.
INJAZ Al-Arab gratefully acknowledge Exxon Mobil’s sponsorship of the development of our new flagship
Company Programs offered at both university and high school levels, across 14 nations in the Middle East and
North Africa (MENA) region. Exxon Mobil’s sponsorship is a reflection of their dedicated commitment to enhancing
the responsible business, innovation, creativity, and employability of young people in this diverse region.
Consultants
INJAZ Al-Arab expresses its gratitude to the consultants who developed the new Company Program. Their
expertise in entrepreneurship education, youth start-ups, and the Middle East and North Africa region has
significantly enhanced the quality of the university and high school Company Programs.
Lead Consultant
Dr. Haya Al-Dajani: Associate Professor, Futures Entrepreneurship Centre, University of Plymouth Faculty of
Business, United Kingdom
Associate Consultants
Dr. Ayman Ismail: Abdul Latif Jameel Endowed Chair for Entrepreneurship and Assistant Professor of Management,
School of Business, American University of Cairo, Egypt
Dr. Persephone de Magdalene: Associate Lecturer, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
Team Members
INJAZ Al-Arab gratefully acknowledge the following team members for their contribution to the development of
the university and high school Company Programs:
Senior Projects Manager

Ghadeer Zalatimo: INJAZ Al-Arab
Online Learning Consultant
Razan Bashiti: INJAZ Al-Arab
Reviewers
Mashael Al-Sahli: University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
Mariam Aziz: INJAZ Egypt
Izzy Mair: Attleborough Academy, United Kingdom
Research Assistants
Qamar Al-As’ad
Hala Najjar
English – Arabic Translator
Lana Dukhgan
Graphic Designer
Jumana Abdel Aziz
2 INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

STUDENT GUIDE
INJAZ Member Nations
INJAZ Al-Arab also gratefully acknowledges the following INJAZ national offices in the MENA region for piloting
the university and high school Company Programs:
• INJAZ Egypt
• INJAZ Morocco
• INJAZ Qatar
• INJAZ Saudi Arabia
• INJAZ United Arab Emirates
INJAZ Alumni
Thank you to all the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program Alumni who completed the evaluation questionnaire. Their
frank and thoughtful feedback about their experiences contributed to the finalized design of the university and
high school Company Programs.
Disclaimer
Company names, logos, descriptive information, and case examples used and presented in this guidebook were
selected by the Consultants for educational purposes only. They do not constitute any endorsement from any of
the companies or their products or services. These educational company examples may be changed over time,
and more localized company examples may be selected by INJAZ Bahrain Staff when localizing the content in the
Student and volunteer guidebooks.
3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Define It! Meeting 1 The INJAZ Bahrain Company Program 5
Decide It! Meeting 2 Decision-Making in Process 15

Meeting 3 Deciding the Idea 27
Design It! Meeting 4 Designing The Company Structure 32

Meeting 5 Financing the Start-Up Company 39
Develop It! Meeting 6 Developing the Idea and Production Planning 48

Meeting 7 Customer Development and Marketing 54
Do It! Meeting 8 Sales, Sales, Sales 58

Meeting 9 Sales and More 63
Meeting 10 Sales and Evaluation 67
Meeting 11 Liquidation and Reflection 71
Meeting 12 Competition Preparation 76

STUDENT GUIDE
Define It!
The INJAZ Bahrain Company Program
MEETING 1 5
INJAZ Bahrain Company Program
INJAZ Company Program

is a real journey, not just
a challenge to win

STUDENT GUIDE
Define It! Meeting 1
INJAZ Bahrain Company Program
Meeting Objectives
By the end of this meeting, you should be able to:
• Describe the Company Program process.

• Describe the Company Program Competition process.
• Define entrepreneurship related terms and explain why entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs
are important to the economy.
• Explain the general process of establishing a company.
• Understand and appreciate the role of brainstorming.
Introduction
INJAZ Bahrain Company Program has two main aims; first, to help develop your understanding of the world of
work and the spirit of entrepreneurship through the principle of ‘Learning by Doing’, and second, to encourage
you to think globally about your enterprising potential and activities. In joining INJAZ Bahrain Company Program,
you are now part of a growing and thriving community of ambitious, creative, resourceful and hard-working
young women and men who are keen on shaping and transforming opportunities across the Middle East and
North Africa region. There are many examples of successful and original companies set up by students in the
Company Program before you, and you are welcome to explore these inspirational achievements on the Online
Learning Portal (www.injazacademy.org/companyprogram) where your own successful company might also be
featured in the near future.
The Company Program is an entrepreneurial learning process of creativity, innovation, team work, planning,
discovery, action, and competition. By getting involved, you will learn about yourself and your team members,
discover your hidden talents, acquire new skills, and reap the profits of your hard work and determination.
Above all, the Company Program is a unique educational experience that we believe you will cherish for a long
time.
“Entrepreneurship is neither a science nor an art. It is a practice.”
– Peter Drucker,
management consultant, educator, and author.
MEETING 1 7
The 4 Integral Components Comprising the Company Program are:
✦✦ Mentoring and guidance throughout the program, which are provided by an assigned volunteer. The
volunteer is a qualified professional with substantial knowledge and experience that is relevant to your
learning and company development. The volunteer will do their best to help your team complete the
Company Program successfully, and on time.
✦✦ Class based action learning through 12 meetings attended by all team members and the volunteer.
Each of the 12 meetings will last approximately 90 minutes. Given the fast pace of the Company
Program, you are expected to and must ensure that you attend all 12 meetings. When in the meeting
you must actively participate, and work well within your team. Attendance at each meeting will be
registered in the minutes of the meeting.
✦ ✦ Complementary e-learning materials available through the Online Learning Portal

(www.injazacademy.org/companyprogram). These carefully produced and selected materials are
provided to support your learning, and are highly relevant to the Company Program process. You are
strongly encouraged to familiarize yourself with the Online Learning Portal (www.injazacademy.org/
companyprogram) and its contents to ensure that you can access the required materials quickly and
easily when needed.
✦✦ Competition at the national and regional levels. There are lots of teams across the Middle East and
North Africa region. Globally there are over 120 countries participating in the Company Program at the
same time as you are. Once all the teams complete the Company Program, there will be a national
competition in which your team is expected to participate. The team that wins the national competition
will participate in the annual regional competition where the winning teams from all the participating
nations from the Middle East and North Africa region will compete. The regional winning teams for this
year will be announced at the end of the regional competition.
Mentoring Complementary
E-learning materials
Class Based Competition
Action Learning
Company
Program

STUDENT GUIDE
The Company Program Process
The level of activity that is required from you and your team will increase as you progress through the Company
Program process, so you need to be well prepared and organized. The best way to deal with each meeting is
to prepare for it in advance by reading and researching the topics ahead of the meetings.
Do It!
MEETINGS 8-12
Develop It!
MEETINGS 6&7
Design It!
MEETINGS 4&5
Decide It!
MEETINGS 2&3
Define It!
MEETING 1
MEETING 1 9
The Company Program Competition
The Company Program regional competition is INJAZ Bahrain annual celebration of the achievements of its
students and their companies across the MENA region. There are two stages to this Competition: national and
regional. At both stages, student companies will make presentations to a panel of independent and carefully
selected judges who will evaluate the performance of all competing companies, based on the INJAZ Al-Arab
criteria. At the regional level, the judges’ panel will compare the performance of all finalists and identify a
winning team.
Competition Stages: Both the National and Regional Competitions comprise the following four stages:
All student companies that participate in the national competition must be prepared for the four competition
stages presented above. At each of these stages, the judges will assess the teams’ performance, based on a
set of relevant criteria. Meeting 12 is focused on competition preparation and there are materials available on
the Online Learning Portal (www.injazacademy.org/companyprogram) dedicated to this.
At the end of the national competitions, the winning teams will be selected and announced by the judging
panels. Each Member Nation’s winning team will then progress to the Regional Competition. If you get to this
stage, you must start preparing for it right away by considering and incorporating the national competition
judges’ comments and feedback, and by refining your content and materials for each of the four stages.
Company Program Competition Regulations

The Company Program Competition regulations apply to all participating Member Nations in the MENA region.
Student teams must make sure that they follow each of these guidelines in order to enter the national and
regional competitions.
Please P the points the volunteer explained and the ones you Volunteer I fully understand
have understood completely. explained this this
1. Company Program competition regulations

2. Financing your Company
3. Age range of participants in the Company Program
4. Language guidelines
5. Regional competition award categories

STUDENT GUIDE
ARAB ENTREPRENEURS:
Can you guess their names and their companies? Draw a line between each
entrepreneur’s photo, correct name and brand.
Remember to log in to the CP

Online Learning portal to watch
our short explanatory session
about Entrepreneurship
Lubna Olayan
Mohammed Jaffar
Zaha Hadid
Abdullah Absi
Amina Al Abbasi
Fadi Ghandour
Elie Saab
MEETING 1 11
Starting Up the Company
Over the next 11 meetings, you and your team members will have the chance to establish and run your
Company. With the volunteer’s guidance, you and your team members will work together to come up with a
profitable product concept to develop, market and sell through your own Company.
The following steps will mostly need to occur simultaneously rather than one after the other in order for your
team to complete them successfully. Therefore, you should start thinking about which of these steps you are
most interested in undertaking on the Company Program and be able to explain why. This will be useful in
Meeting 4 when your team will be expected to create a company structure and give members specific job roles.
INJAZ Bahrain Company Program Schedule Define It! Decide It! Design It! Develop It! Do It!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1. Collaborative brainstorming to come up with
a creative and innovative product or service
that will take the market by storm and initial
market research.
2. Structuring the Company so that all team
members know what is expected of themselves
and of each other. Giving individuals very clear
roles and responsibilities will make their jobs
more manageable and productive.
3. Determining the product or service to pursue.
4. Selling all Company shares.
5. Creating a prototype of the product (if relevant
to your Company).
6. Determining the finances and develop a
pricing strategy.
7. Conducting further Market Research to
collect ‘evidence’ about competitors, and
feedback from potential customers, buyers,
investors, partners and existing shareholders
about the business model, including the
product/service characteristics, pricing,
distribution channels etc and then revising
and finalizing the product/service.
8. Securing some advance sales.
9. Designing and implementing a monitoring
strategy.
10. Determining required volume of sales.
11. Designing and implementing the marketing
strategy.
12. Designing and implementing the social media
strategy.
13. Designing and implementing the sales
strategy.
14. Promoting and selling, selling, selling.
15. Liquidating the Company.
16. Competition Preparation.
17. Continuously reflecting and planning.

STUDENT GUIDE
Brainstorming
Within the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program, brainstorming is ‘a group process
designed to generate the greatest number of ideas from the members, to “We cannot solve our
address a specific interest or challenge or problem or gap in a given market problems with the
or industry’. Members think creatively to come up with new ideas that can same thinking we used
become solutions to the identified challenge or problem. Brainstorming is very to create them”
important to the entrepreneurial process as it generates more, and better, Albert Einstein
ideas than an individual thinking by themselves.
Brainstorming Principles:
1. Every team member and all their ideas are valuable and should be treated equally.
2. Every team member’s idea should be respected and included, rather than judged or criticized.
3. Creative (innovative) and original ideas should be encouraged.
4. The more ideas the better – it’s about quantity rather than quality at this stage.
5. All ideas are valuable, and must be included and written down.
6. Team members should try to build on, and develop each other’s ideas.
To begin the brainstorming process, between now and Meeting 2, all team members must brainstorm some
problems / challenges / market gaps, and ideas / solutions to resolve them through the Company Program. It
is also important to collect feedback about your suggestions from stakeholders such as potential customers,
buyers, investors, and partners. Doing so will help you and your team identify the product or service that you
will develop in the Company Program.
Step 1 Think about and write down at least 1 and maximum 3, problems/ challenges / market gaps, to resolve
through the Company Program.
Step 2 For each of the identified problems / challenges / market gaps, you need to write down at least one idea
/ solution that can be implemented in the Company Program.
Step 3 Collect feedback about each idea / solution from at least 5 stakeholders e.g. potential customers,
buyers, investors, and partners by:
1. Explaining the identified problem / challenge or market gap. Then, asking if they agree that this is a
problem / challenge or market gap that needs to be addressed.
2. Explaining the idea / solution to this problem / challenge or market gap. Then asking:
a. Do you think this is a good idea? Why?
b. How would you suggest it can be improved?
c. In your opinion, who would be the typical buyer of this product/service?
d. Would you buy one or more than one? Why?
e. How much would you be willing to pay for something like this? Why?
f. Have you seen something similar already available? Where? Do you know anyone who bought
it? Can you give me their contact details to speak to them?
3. Thanking the respondent and finishing by asking them if there is anything else they would like to
add?
Step 4 Evaluate the idea / solution based on the feedback collected by considering:
1. As a result of the feedback, what if any, changes need to be made to the initial idea/ solution?
2. Is the idea / solution worth sharing with the team? Yes or no, and why?
3. The refined idea.
Step 5 Write down all this information so it isn’t forgotten.
MEETING 1 13
Please take a couple of minutes to complete this checklist at the end of the
meeting. This will help you to keep track of how you are contributing to the
Company, and how the team process is progressing.
REFLECTION NOTES
Not at Great
all Extent
1 2 3 4 5
a. I fully understand the Company Program Process.
b. I fully understand the Company Program Competition, its

requirements and regulations.
c. I can confidently define entrepreneurship and why

entrepreneurs are important to the economy.
d. I can easily explain why entrepreneurship is important.
e. I can easily explain the process of establishing a company.
f. I will easily complete the brainstorming exercise before

Meeting 2 as I already have some ideas.

STUDENT GUIDE
Decide It!
MEETING 2 15
STUDENT GUIDE
Decide It! Meeting 2
Decision-Making in Process
Meeting Objectives
• Appreciate the energy and creativity required for brainstorming a socially or financially
(or both) profitable product/service and company.
• Appreciate and understand consultative decision-making processes in teams and
companies.
• Appreciate and understand the difference, but complementary, roles and functions
within a company.
• Appreciate the importance of the Company’s identity.
Introduction
This is the first meeting of the “Decide It!” stage. Today, we will learn about creating ideas through a process
called ‘brainstorming’, and you will discuss issues around team formation, roles and responsibilities, and
business management and planning. The first step in establishing a company is to think-up a viable product/
service idea to develop, sell, and generate profits from through the Company Program. The second step is to
look at the Company structure, and identify the necessary roles and responsibilities, so that everyone is able to
constructively contribute to establishing and developing the Company over the coming weeks.
Remember to watch the
short explanatory session
on Consultative Decision-
Making available on the
Consultative Decision-Making Online Learning Portal.
Throughout the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program you will be making lots of important decisions within your
team. The best approach to making good decisions is to involve everyone, equally in the discussions and
negotiations so that everyone can say what they feel and believe without fear of ridicule.
Remember, you must always treat your team members as you would like to be treated yourself i.e. with
kindness and respect.
Different opinions are valuable and useful to the consultation and decision-making processes, and everyone’s
contributions must be respected. If your team is going to be successful, you will all need to make sure that you
are willing to listen, and to try to understand opinions and ideas that might be different to your own.
A good rule to follow is the ‘ears to mouth ratio rule’: you have two ears and one mouth, so you
should spend 2/3 of your time listening, and only 1/3 of the time talking!
MEETING 2 17
Consultative Decision-Making Principles:
1. Be respectful – having a respectful and open attitude towards colleagues will improve your ability to
listen attentively, and to understand viewpoints that differ from your own
2. Pay attention – listen with respect and attention to your colleagues as they offer their views / opinions.
3. Ask questions – if you are unclear on a topic, or need further clarification, you should ask questions.
4. Negotiate – through negotiating you will identify team members who share you ideas or that don’t,
however is the key is to listen respectfully and ask need constructive questions that will help the team.
5. Vote – the very final stage of the consultation process is to vote. This allows each team members to
express their final view on the decision, by voting for or against it. The vote will be taken unanimously.
The votes are then counted by the volunteer in front of the students to showcase the idea that secures
the most votes. If the vote is a tie, the deciding CEO will have the final casting vote.
Brainstorming Continued …
As we concluded at the end of Meeting 1, brainstorming as a group is very helpful in generating more, and
better, ideas than an individual thinking alone. You will now continue your brainstorming group work to help
you decide on two product/service ideas to consider for the Company Program.
Brainstorming Consultation Short List
Assigned Team Members
Idea 1
Idea 2
Brainstorming Next Steps

Now that you have two possible ideas, the next step is to research, develop, and refine them further. This will
involve repeating the research process undertaken after Meeting 1, and gathering more research data, information
and feedback to decide whether or not any of these ideas are really worth pursuing on the Company Program.
You will work in small teams to undertake the research work, and will share the results of your work with the
rest of the group in Meeting 3.
As before, you will need to speak to stakeholders (such as potential customers, buyers, investors, and partners
etc.), to find out what they think of your proposed business idea - to remind yourself of the types of questions to
ask, see Actions to Complete Before Meeting 2 section. It may also be useful to locate and use other sources of
information such as competitors’ websites, Google Trends, Google Keyword Planner, Facebook analysis tools,
newspapers etc. There is lots of useful information freely available to you, so use it to your best advantage!

STUDENT GUIDE
At this stage, the information you need to gather for your idea includes:
a. Who are the prospective buyers? Are they wholesalers, end-users, retailers? and how many
of each type of buyer?
End user
The consumer who will buy your product/service directly from you and use it rather than sell
it on to others.
Retailer
Will buy your product in bulk and sell it to their consumers. Shops are an example of retailers.
Wholesaler
Will buy from you in bulk and then sell your product to other businesses rather than consumers.
b. How big is the market for this idea? Is the market opportunity worth the effort? Is the market
sustainable?
Think about how likely it is that the market will grow (or not) in the short term, mid-term and long term.
c. Is the product/service already available? Who is offering it? How is it selling and for how
much? How satisfied are the competition’s customers? In what ways is your idea better than
the competition? How can you compete in this sector and win? What is your competitive
advantage?
What distinguishes your Company from the competition?
d. Production and associated costs
The overall cost of producing the product/service.
e. Preliminary financials: number of items to be sold to break even, and to be profitable,

pricing, mark-up cost and selling price, profit margin. More information on these and how
to calculate them can be found in the chapter on Meeting 5.
Mark-up cost: A fixed amount or percentage, added to the cost of production, to create a profit
Profit margin: A percentage indicating how much net income is made on each $ of sales
Read more: www.investopedia.com/terms/p/profitmargin.asp#ixzz3a851gmaU
MEETING 2 19
Patents, Intellectual Property and Copyright:
These are legal terms with procedures to protect your ideas, innovations and products from theft
and copying. However, different countries have different regulations and processes so it is best to
speak to the volunteer about your country’s relevant laws and regulations.
Company Structure
In order to create a company around your chosen idea, you will need to assign roles Remember to watch the
short explanatory session
and responsibilities to your team members, based on the needs of the Company and on Organizational Structure
the personal interests and strengths of your team members. This process will be available online.
completed in Meeting 4.
A company is structured into different departments so that all the functions of the business process can
be properly fulfilled. The Company structure also outlines individual roles and responsibilities within those
departments (including the management structure) so that the Company’s work can be carried out efficiently,
and the employees can communicate with one another quickly and effectively.
Figure 2.1 below shows a mind map of the various necessary Company departments, with roles and
responsibilties.
Figure 2.1: Mind Map of Company Departments

STUDENT GUIDE
In order for company employees to work and communicate together effectively, they need to understand their
own, and everyone else’s roles and responsibilities. The number of employees in a company will determine the
number of roles that can be filled, and Figure 2.2 below shows the Company structure for a typical medium-
sized organization – its executive team, its departments and their directors, and its managers and their team
members.
DIRECTOR
FINANCE
Figure 2.2: Company Structure
Remember: you may not need to fill all the roles listed in Figure 2.2 - team members can fulfill multiple
roles as required, as long as everyone knows what they and all the rest of the team members do, and
the jobs that they are responsible for.
Executive and Director Job Descriptions

Here are a set of job descriptions that cover the executive team roles – Chief Executive Officer, and the
departmental directors – Finance, Human Resources, Sales, Marketing, and Product Development.
The job descriptions presented here are for executive roles which are the following:
- Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
- Director of Finance
- Director of Product Development
- Director of Human Resources
- Director of Marketing
- Director of Sales
Each of these roles represents a high level of responsibility and accountability. All executive and director roles
involve leadership, confidence, dedication and commitment, resourcefulness, hard work, excellent communication
skills, outstanding organization skills, people skills, creativity, and boundless enthusiasm and energy. These are
not roles for anyone expecting an easy job, or simply wanting to boss people about, or wanting to take credit
without doing the work. Individuals who take on these roles are expected to:
• Inspire and lead by example.
• Work hard to make sure that all the necessary jobs get done on time, and within budget.
• Ensure that all team members get the credit they deserve for their performance.
MEETING 2 21
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO)
Has overall responsibility for the Company and its performance. As such, it is the role of the CEO to ensure that:
• The Company runs smoothly, and that targets are met on time and within budget.
• Organizational targets are set and met within each department.
• The Company’s business strategy (organizational plan) is efficiently implemented and that performance
is monitored and evaluated through regular meetings with the executive team.
• The Company’s organizational values and reputation are upheld amongst staff, suppliers, customers,
shareholders and other stakeholders.
• Problems are identified and resolved quickly.
• The Company’s annual report is produced alongside the CFO and COO.
• All Company votes are finalized by casting the deciding vote if necessary.
DIRECTOR FINANCE
Has overall responsibility for the day-to-day management of all aspects of the Company’s finances. As such
the CFO’s role is to:
• Create and maintain accurate records of Company expenditure (purchases) and income (sales).
• Manage the Company bank account and all associated financial transactions.
• Control and forecast Company cash flow.
• Produce accurate and timely profit and loss statements for the executive team and volunteer.
• Collaborate with the marketing department on pricing.
• Collaborate with the production team on production costs.
• Meet regularly with the CEO and COO to monitor and evaluate performance and progress.
• Ensure that the CEO and COO are kept regularly appraised of all Company-related finances.
• Produce the Company annual report alongside the CEO and COO.
• Prepare the Company financials for fund raising and investment opportunities.
• Track all shareholders’ investments in the Company.
DIRECTOR HUMAN RESOURCES
Has overall responsibility for the staff employed by the Company. Without the co-operation and hard work
of the employees, the Company could not operate, and as such the HR director’s role is to develop and
implement an HR strategy to ensure that staff are:
• Organized so that they know what their individual roles consist of, and the responsibilities associated
with them, and understand how their roles fit into the wider organizational structure.
• Supported so that they know who to approach for help / advice, and understand the Grievance and
Disciplinary Procedures.
• Create, keep, and up-date personnel records.
• Co-ordinate and oversee disciplinary hearings.
• Monitor, measure, and report on HR-related input into the organizational plan (achievements,
developmental goals etc.).

STUDENT GUIDE
• Ensure compliance with regard to staff working conditions and practices, health and safety, quality
management, and general duty of care.
And, to:
• Manage the Company’s internal communications to ensure that all staff understand the Company’s
position in the market, and the impact this has on their roles.
• Create and manage regular reporting activity to the executive team.
• Manage the Company’s administration tasks, including but not limited to: preparing meetings and
setting them up, taking minutes at meetings and keeping a record of these, keeping an attendance log
to generate the payroll and sharing this with the finance department to arrange salaries accordingly,
and keeping track of each team member’s Shares Booklet.
DIRECTOR MARKETING
Has overall responsibility for planning, and delivering the marketing strategy, through which the Company’s
product/service is brought to the marketplace. As such the Marketing director is responsible for:
• Developing a robust and flexible marketing strategy that reflects the Company’s vision and brand.
• Implementing the marketing strategy in order to retain current customers, create new markets, and
protect the Company brand.
• Developing a Public Relations (brand management) strategy; a social media strategy; and a main-
stream media (radio, press, TV) strategy, within the overall marketing strategy.
• Delivering the marketing strategy within agreed budgets and timescales.
• Monitoring ongoing customer satisfaction and feedback (both positive and negative) through surveys,
calls etc.
• Creating and managing regular reporting activity to the executive team.
• Developing the Company’s trade booth design and building for the competition.
DIRECTOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Has responsibility for overseeing the Research and Development (R&D), design, safety, packaging, quality
control, manufacturing, and delivery of the product/service offering. As such, the Product Development
director’s role is to:
• Manage the creative processes associated with the R&D function.
• Oversee the design process that will facilitate production, packaging and delivery of the Company’s
chosen product/service.
• Ensure that the manufacture (of the product) is carried out safely, to the agreed price, and in a timely
manner.
• Ensure that the product meets and complies with the national / international relevant quality standards.
• Ensure that the product is approved by the INJAZ Bahrain office.
• Keep detailed records of raw materials received, and manufactured goods released for sale.
• Design and develop the packaging for the product.
• Carefully manage budgets and ensure that the product/service is delivered on time.
• Communicate information to the executive team in a way that facilitates inter-departmental
understanding of the product development process, and the impact of such on the work of other
departments.
MEETING 2 23
DIRECTOR SALES
Has overall responsibility if selling the produts, customer retention, and new customer development. As such
the Sales director’s role is to:
• Directly communicate and sells to customers (Business to Business /Business to Customers).
• Gain Customer satisfaction, through good customer care and service.
• High customer retention rate, by creating and maintaining long term relation with the customer
(Customer loyalty).
• Develop and deliver a Sales Strategy that encompasses sales targets, customer retention, and new
sales development.
• Plan and deliver the component parts of the Sales Strategy within agreed timescales and budgets.
• Create and manage sales administrative systems to accurately track stock levels, costs, sales, and
profits.
• Oversee the creation and reporting of financial information relating to sales to the CEO.

STUDENT GUIDE
Communication Channels within the Company
Effective communication is vital to the success of any company. Each and every Company member has a role
to play in ensuring that internal communications work successfully by:
a) LISTENING carefully to information received and acting on it appropriately.
b) ASKING for clarification on issues that are not properly understood.
c) DISCUSSING issues of contention (problems, disagreements, misunderstandings etc.)

with an appropriate director.
Communication Channels within the Company
Source: Bovee, Thill, and Schatzman (2004)
MEETING 2 25
Below are some recommendations to consider in order to facilitate communication within your Company:
• Regular (at least weekly) departmental, executive team and directors’ meetings.
• All 12 meetings of the Company Program are an opportunity for a Board meeting where each
departmental team can give an update of their department’s activity and performance to all team
members.
• Recording what is discussed and agreed at all meetings (writing the ‘minutes’) and uploading
these swiftly onto the Company’s electronic information sharing site such as google docs, for all
team members to access.
• Using email as a preferred communication tool – it is really helpful for keeping an accurate record
of information sent and received e.g. to whom, when etc.
• Executive team members should copy (cc) each other into all email and other correspondence –
again, this will help to keep track of what information has been passed on.
• Directors should copy all their department staff into emails and other correspondence – as above.
• When communicating across departments, the relevant departmental directors should be copied
into all correspondence – as above.
• Team members within a department should always copy their departmental director into all
correspondence – as above.
• Ensure that all emails are answered / acted upon within 24 hours – this helps to ensure that
questions / requests are acted upon quickly and efficiently.
• Anonymous complaints should be automatically disregarded – it’s really important for team
members to take ownership of any problems arising in the Company. If you are unhappy with
something, you must be willing to say so.
Complaints: When these happen, they are usually the result of poor communication. Conflict requires both
parties to be willing to resolve the problem – usually for someone to offer a meaningful apology, and for
someone else to accept that apology with good grace and be prepared to move on. Very occasionally, a
conflict cannot be easily resolved and it becomes a complaint or grievance. If this happens, you will need help
and support to resolve the issue:
a. If you are a team member, approach your departmental director in the first instance.
b. If the complaint is about your departmental director, then approach one of the executive team
members.
c. An approach can be made in person (face-to-face) or by email. If an initial email complaint to

a manager elicits no response, then a second email should be sent, copied to the CEO or
one of the directors. The purpose of informing the director, CEO or the directors is to gain an
impartial view of the situation and obtain a solution. The chosen manager can then arbitrate in
the complaint, and can suggest possible resolutions to the problem that will allow everyone to
feel that justice has been done, and that their voices and experiences have been heard.
d. Complaints should be made from a named member of staff to a named member of staff rather
than anonymously. This ensures the transparency of the process, as well as the safety and
confidence of everyone in the Company.
Remember: It only takes one
Any Company member can be relieved from his/ her responsibilities person to create a dispute,
and/ or dismissed from the Company, if they are not fulfilling their but it takes two (at least) to
responsibilities satisfactorily. To dismiss a director or a member of resolve it.
the executive team, a majority vote is required.

STUDENT GUIDE
Decide It!
MEETING 3 27
STUDENT GUIDE
Decide It! Meeting 3
Deciding the Idea
Meeting Objectives
• Appreciate the process required for brainstorming a socially or financially (or both)
profitable product/service and Company.
• Apply consultative decision-making processes in teams and companies.
• Appreciate and understand the importance of research and information gathering for
developing a viable product or service.
• Prepare and present a pitch about a business idea to the rest of the Company.
• Appreciate the importance of the Company identity.
Introduction
This is the second meeting of the “Decide It!” stage and will build on the work covered in Meeting 2. You will
need to discuss issues and make decisions as a team, and so it is vital that you learn to listen, discuss, and
negotiate respectfully with your team mates throughout the Company Program process.
The first, and possibly the most important, decision that you will make on behalf of your Company will
happen today – you will identify the most viable product/service idea for your Company to develop, sell, and
generate profits from. Those profits will be used to sustain and grow your Company, and make money for your
shareholders.
You will work in small groups to create a 90 second elevator pitch to persuade and convince the rest of your
team mates, and your volunteer, to choose your product/service idea as the one to adopt for your Company. The
elevator pitch should cover the following information which you should have collected after Meeting 2:
a. The idea (product/service) and the problem it is solving
b. Market size for this idea
How much demand is there for our product/service idea?
c. Who is our target market?
People most likely to buy our product/service?
d. What is our competitive advantage?
What distinguishes us from the competition?
MEETING 3 29
To find this out we need answers to these questions:
1. Is the product/service already available?
2. Who is offering it?
3. How is our idea better than what is already available?
e. How easily and quickly it can be produced and where?
f. How profitable will our product/service idea be to our Company? Why?
g. Summary of what the stakeholders said about our product/service idea.
h. Why our product/service idea will win the Company Program competition?
Once all the elevator pitches have been made, the team will discuss the various product/service ideas put
forward, and as a team, you will decide which one to choose for the Company Program. The consultative
decision-making process (which involves discussing the ideas, negotiating the best way forward, and voting
on the one you (collectively) think is best) should be quite simple, but if the team cannot reach a decision easily,
then a secret ballot should be used to ensure a decision is made.
Here are some questions and topics you should discuss when negotiating and deciding which ideas to keep
and which ones to eliminate:
a. Is the idea viable?
Is the idea worth pursuing? Is it feasible? Does it make sense? Can we build a successful
business around it?
b. What, if any, changes need to be made to the initial idea / solution?
c. The refined idea.
This is the revised, changed and improved version of the initial idea which comes about
after the research.
d. Is the refined idea worth pursuing? Yes / No and why?
And the agreed idea (product/service) is:

STUDENT GUIDE
Company Identity
The final task for today’s meeting is to start brainstorming a Company identity. The most important requirements
for the Company identity are the name and logo:
Company name: the Company will carry this name throughout the entire Company Program process.
It is important that you choose it wisely, and make sure that it reflects the Company members’ vision for
the Company, as well as the idea you’ve chosen to pursue, and the successful future that you are aiming
to achieve!
Some examples of types of Company names include:
a. Acronym: an abbreviation of a phrase or title that reflect the Company.

Examples here include AOL, ARAMEX, IBM and SONY.
b. Descriptive Name: proper nouns that describe what the product/service is about or what it does.
Examples here include Arab Bank, Etisalat, Hikma, Nahdet El Mahrousa, Talabat.
c. Personal or Family Name: in some cultures this is very popular.

Examples include Al-Futaim, Ford, Honda, Nestle´, and Zalatimo.
d. Senseless Name: a made up word that has no meaning, but may be memorable.
Examples include: Ebay, Google, and Skype.
e. Unrelated Name: a real word that is not related to the product or service offered.
Examples include: Akhtabout, Apple, Amazon, Juhaina, Jumeirah Group, Nike and Zain.
The Company name should be:
• Brief / short
• Creative and new
• Easy to pronounce in the customers’ language
• Legal
• Memorable and catchy
• National / international
• The ‘.com’, twitter handle and Facebook page should all be available for it
• Timeless instead of trendy
• Unmistakable on Google
MEETING 3 31
Design It!

STUDENT GUIDE
MEETING 4 33
Design It! Meeting 4
Designing the Company Structure
Meeting Objectives
• Appreciate and understand decision-making processes in teams and companies.

• Appreciate and understand the different but complementary roles (and their functions)
within a company.
• Appreciate and understand the different but complementary functions of each company
department.
• Establish a company.
• Identify and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses you bring to the team.
• Understand Company values, vision and mission.
Introduction
This is the first meeting of the “Design It!” stage and builds on the brainstorming, Company structure, effective
communication, and roles and responsibilities within a company, covered in earlier meetings. Starting a company
involves lots of decision-making, and this process can often be time-consuming and tough. Therefore, listening,
discussing and negotiating with your team members before arriving at decisions will be important throughout
the Company Program.
At this meeting you will make some very important decisions for the Company. You will structure the Company
so that it is effective, efficient, productive, profitable, and satisfies the shareholders. You will also draft the
Company’s values, vision and mission. A company is made up of its team members (staff or personnel) and the
characteristics, strengths, skills and weaknesses they bring with them. In order to help you identify the various
resources within your Company, this meeting will begin with a self-assessment exercise.
“
According to Sahar El Aida from Morocco’s SOS Cours, “Choose a company
department because you are interested in learning how it works and what it does
rather than because your friends will be in it, or because you think it will be easy.”

STUDENT GUIDE
Self-assessment
Please complete all the multiple choice questions by circling one of the three answer choices for each question.
You must choose the one option that most resembles you. Remember: there are no right or wrong answers!
1. a) I am realistic about everything I do. 8. a) I enjoy applying my talents to getting things done.
b) I enjoy working in teams more than working b) I enjoy tasks that involve other people the most.
on my own.
c) I enjoy thinking deeply about a task before
c) I like change and variety. approaching it.
2. a) I prefer logical thinking. 9. a) I like practical ideas.
b) I prefer working with new people. b) I am an open person.
c) I prefer ideas to details. c) I enjoy designing new things.
3. a) I am interested in facts and figures. 10. a) I like science subjects more than arts
subjects.
b) I am interested in people, their personalities
and opinions. b) I think about other people’s emotions when I am
interacting with them.
c) I am interested in creative thinking and the
bigger picture. c) I am ambitious.
4. a) My aim is to turn ideas into useful practice. 11. a) I like working with figures and numbers.
b) My aim is to know how ideas affect the people b) I am a compassionate person.
involved.
c) I often have innovative and creative ideas that
c) My aim is to create change. no-one has thought of before.
5. a) Being straight to the point is the best 12. a) I consider all the evidence before I make a
approach. decision.
b) Considering other people and the way they b) I am calm and tolerant when I work with other
feel is the best approach. people.
c) Being innovative and thinking ‘outside the c) I like to think of unusual solutions to problems.
box’ is the best approach.
13. a) My favorite kind of work is factual and
6. a) We should talk about things in a clear and functional.
practical way.
b) I am very outspoken about my ideas.
b) We should talk about things in a personal and
c) I am quick to spot new opportunities.
open way.
c) We should talk about things in an abstract 14. a) I am thorough in my approach.
and conceptual way. b) Being sociable is important to me.
7. a) I am pragmatic in my approach. c) I understand the links between ideas.
b) I am open about my emotions.
Remember to watch
the short explanatory
c) I am adventurous. session on Teamwork
available on the Online
Now add up the number of: Learning Portal.
(a) answers: (b) answers: (c) answers:
Which one of these are you?
The Practical Doer The Sociable Talker The Visionary Thinker
(A) (B) (C)
MEETING 4 35
Table 4.1: Personality Types and their Strengths
CEO FINANCE HR MARKETING PRODUCT SALES

DEV
Personality Type: The Practical Doer (A)
STRENGTHS Does the work Suited to Preparation & Market Methodical Will meet or
efficiently calculations, implementation research and detailed exceed sales
Logical
and in an accounting of organized & data research, targets
Methodical organized, and preparing systems, plans analysis, and design and
systematic way financial and processes implements development
Numeric reports practical
solutions
Organized
Monitoring and Monitoring and Monitoring and Monitoring and Monitoring and
Practical Monitoring and evaluation
evaluation evaluation evaluation evaluation
evaluation
Systematic
Personality Type: The Sociable Talker (B)
STRENGTHS Leads and Enthusiastic Great with Customer Considers the Convincing to
delegates about pitching people and service, usability and customers and
Caring confidently and for investment managing them networking, value of the great at selling
caringly social media product to
Considerate
customers and
Outgoing communicates
the product
Sociable and Company
well
Personality Type: The Visionary Thinker (C)
STRENGTHS Sees the big Creative in Creative Designs Proposes Thinks of

picture and crowd funding problem creative and creative and alternative
Ambitious visualizes the campaigns, solving unusual innovative selling outlets,
opportunities seeking advertising product/service concepts and
Creative and goals alternative and marketing ideas strategies
Impatient ways of campaigns
financing and
Innovative investment
Risk taker
According to Sahar El Aida from Morocco’s SOS Cours, “choose a company department
“ because you are interested in learning how it works and what it does rather than because
your friends will be in it, or because you think it will be easy.”

STUDENT GUIDE
Structuring the Company
As you select Company members for various posts and positions, if there is more than one candidate for any
position, then all candidates should be invited to give a 30 second presentation to convince the others why they
are the best candidate for the position. To determine the candidate, Company members should vote through
a secret ballot for their preferred candidate, and the candidate with the highest number of votes wins the
position. Candidates who do not secure the position they were running for, can consider applying for another
position in the Company.
MEETING 4 37
Defining the Company’s values, vision and mission and short listing the Company
name
As the Company now has a clear idea (product/service) to pursue in the Company Program, discussing and
drafting the Company values, vision and mission is important to ensure that all Company members are clear
about how to proceed. Combined together, the Company’s values, vision and mission drive the Company and
its operations. In Table 4.2 below you will be able to draft your Company’s values, mission and vision.
Nike’s Values, Vision and Mission 1 Now draft

Table 4.2
your Company’s
values, mission and vision here
VALUES: • Transparency is an asset, not

a risk
Underpin the Company and
• Collaboration enables systemic
guide its behavior. All Company
change
members are expected to adopt
these values and will be held • Every challenge and risk is an
accountable to them throughout opportunity
the Company Program. The • Design allows you to prototype
values are often made explicit in the future, rather than retrofit
the Company’s mission which the past
is shared with the Company • To make real change, you
members, the stakeholders have to be a catalyst
and anyone interested in the
Company.
VISION: To help Nike Incorporated and our

consumers thrive in a sustainable
This is what the Company strives economy where people, profit,
to achieve. It’s about your dream and planet are in balance.
of where you want the Company
to be in the future. The vision
drives and guides the Company
by describing what the Company
must achieve to be successful.
MISSION: To bring inspiration and innovation

to every athlete in the world.
In one or two sentences, the
mission clearly communicates the
Company values, purpose and
product/service. It is an accurate
statement of how the vision will be
achieved by the Company.
‫ــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ‬
(1) Taken from: https://brainmass.com/file/266021/view-attachment.pdf and http://www.naturalstep.org/en/usa/nike-s-core-values

STUDENT GUIDE
Design It!
MEETING 5 39
STUDENT GUIDE
Design It! Meeting 5
Financing the Start-Up Company
Meeting Objectives
• Appreciate and understand how to run and facilitate a Company meeting.

• Appreciate the different possibilities for financing a student Company.
• Understand and implement INJAZ Bahrain company, financing system.
• Understand and complete a cost benefit analysis, gross profit calculation, and break-
even analysis.
• Decide on an appropriate Sales Strategy.
Introduction
Through financial planning and the selling of the Company shares, this meeting will get you well on the way to
financing your Company.
1. Financing the Company Through Selling Shares

Starting any company involves financing its start-up phase. In order to get started and cover the start-up
expenses, you will need to raise some financial capital (money!). The volunteer will now go through the INJAZ
Bahrain Company Program Competition guidelines to inform you of the maximum authorised share capital
limit (the total amount of money that you are permitted to raise through the sale of shares). In some cases,
permission to exceed this limit may be granted if the justification outlined in the proposal is convincing enough.
Students might be asked to provide an audit report relating to the sale and management of your shares (and
shareholders), so please ensure that you keep accurate records of all shares sold, and any dividends paid/
losses made using the documentation provided.
The Company member with the highest sales of shares by Meeting 7 will receive a Company bonus
equivalent to the salaries of 2 meetings.
a. INJAZ Bahrain Company Program Competition Guidelines and Regulations
Between now and Meeting 8 you will need to sell all the Company shares according to the INJAZ Bahrain
Company Program Competition guidelines. The volunteer and the INJAZ Bahrain coordinator will advise you
on where and how to keep the capital you raise safe.
MEETING 5 41
b. The Process of Selling Shares for ALL Company Members
STEP 1
You have The Company Record Share and The Cash Receipt Booklets, it should be distributed equally to
each department as all members are expected to participate in selling shares.
STEP 2
With all company members, list the name of potential investors that your company would like to approach,
This may include companies and entrepreneurs. In additional to the company member’s families, friends and
teachers.
To decide which Company members should approach the potential investors, consider the members who:
1. Know most about the potential investor and their Company/ organization.
2. Have access to this potential investor.
3. Have least difficulties in reaching the potential investor’s location.
4. Will best communicate what the Company is about.
5. Will most likely convince the potential investor to buy shares in the Company.
STEP 3
When you make a sale, fill out the required information on the Company Shares Record. Make sure you
have all the correct information (ask your investor to check the details and sign to confirm that they have
read and verified the information). Accurate information is vital when determining possible share dividends
upon liquidation.
Fill out the Company Cash Receipt, and hand it over to the investor for his/her record. Shake their hand
and congratulate them on becoming a shareholder in the Company. Advise them on when they can expect
their first Company progress report, and check their preferred method of communication Ensure that you
record all Shareholders information, Such as Full Name, Amount received, Number of shares sold, Contact
details (Phone & Email).
Once its completed, Ensure that all company members provide the shareholder details and the collected
amount to the finance department.
The team will have until Meeting 8 to complete the selling of all shares, but the sooner you sell them, the
quicker you will have operational capital to start production!
a. Group 1: Led by the CEO, Human resources and Finance, to create a company template email to introduce
your company to the potential investors. Ensure that you give them all the information they need to make a
decision. The email may include the following:
1. Introduce your company and it’s Product/Service, and what problem does it solve.
2. State that you are part of the INJAZ Company Program, and that you will be competing with other
schools on a national level.
3. Encourage them to support your company and it’s mission.
4. State that they have an option of being shareholders or they can sponsor you a service, your company
would need.
5. State clearly the cost of each share.
6. Explain that profit or return share is not guaranteed, but in most cases, investors receive their investment
back, plus a share dividend.

STUDENT GUIDE
b. Group 2: Led by the Marketing, Sales and product development, to create a 90 second sales pitch for all
Company members to use when selling Company shares. The sales pitch should communicate:
1. Company name.
2. Company affiliation with the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program.
3. The number of students involved in the Company and which school they are attending.
4. A clear and attractive description of the Company, values, vision and mission.
5. The product/service.
6. The cost of each share.
7. The maximum number of shares investors can buy.
8. A statement that profit or return is not guaranteed, but that you will do your best to ensure that at the
end of the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program investors will receive their investment back, plus a share
dividend.
Remember the 5 Ps:
Elevator Pitch Proper Preparation
Prevents Poor
The 90 second elevator pitch is your opportunity to present your Company Performance!
as a viable business, often to potential customers who are hearing about
it for the first time. Therefore, it is vitally important for you to make a good
impression.
A good starting point will be the pitch that you developed in Meeting 5, and used during the “Develop It!” phase
of the Company Program. Remember – you only have 90 seconds to make the best impression you can about
your Company and its product/service.
Work with the pitch you have and discuss how it can be shortened and ‘sharpened’. By the end of this meeting
you should have an elevator pitch that all Company members are satisfied with, and that they can use when
they are selling the product/service.
When interacting with potential customers, you are representing the Company and the Company is being
judged by your appearance and behavior. Therefore, you must think about the Company’s values, vision and
mission to make sure that your presentation and behavior reflect them.
Some tips for you to consider when pitching:
• Dress in smart business dress that reflects the ethics of the Company.
• Look at the person you are interacting with, and speaking confidently
about the Company and your achievements.
• Learn the pitch agreed at this meeting so you can communicate it

naturally, spontaneously, and effectively without having to use notes.
• Be creative and excited about your Company and the product/

service so that your pitch will be memorable to potential customers.
For example, share a real customer story and use real feedback from
customers.
• Tell your Company’s story in an engaging way so that your potential

customers want to know more!
• You only have 90 seconds, so use your time wisely. For example, don’t waste time introducing everyone
individually. Rather, present yourselves as a TEAM or COMPANY as this will help the potential customer to
have confidence in what you are offering them.
MEETING 5 43
• Practice, practice, practice! Practice your pitch on each other regularly before you have to do the real pitch.
The more you practice, the more familiar and confident you will be when pitching to potential customers.
Types of Finance
There are three main types of finance available:
Debt
This involves borrowing money and then repaying it at a future date with interest.
Equity
This involves raising capital for the Company by selling Company shares to investors. In buying shares
and investing in the Company, shareholders become owners of a share of the Company (they own ‘equity’
in the Company). By doing so, they also share the risks (of loss of capital invested) and profits with the
entrepreneur / business owner.
Grants
Financial assistance offered by Government, or other institutions, support start-up companies and
entrepreneurs which, unlike loans, are never repaid.
2. Financial Planning
This financial tool will help you identify the costs and benefits that the Company will incur. You will also need to
understand the following terms in relation to your outgoings:
1. Fixed costs:
These do not change however many products you produce or services you provide.
2. Variable costs:
These do change as you increase or decrease the number of products or services you provide.
3. One-time expenses:
Can be either fixed or variable but have to be paid once only usually at the start-up stage. Examples include
company registration fee, legal fees, office furniture, and initial start-up market research and associated
consultancy fees
4. Ongoing expenses:
These can be fixed or variable costs and continue to be incurred throughout the life time of the business.
Examples include rent, utility bills, marketing expenses, and on-going research and development. When
discussing and negotiating the best retail price for your product/service, consider a pricing strategy such as
the ones presented here, and choose the one that suits your Company and product/service best:
To undertake the financial planning, start by determining the Company’s fixed costs by completing this table.
Underline the one-time expenses you identify, and circle the ongoing expenses you identify.

STUDENT GUIDE
Table 5.2: Fixed Costs
Total cost To be determined by Meeting 6 through the following departmental contributors

for the duration of
the INJAZ Bahrain EXECUTIVE FINANCE HR MARKETING PRODUCT SALES
Company Program TEAM DEV
1. Rent US$ 300 X X X X X X
TOTAL X = Task Leader

FIXED COSTS X = Task Contributor
On Table 5.2 below, identify the departments responsible for calculating which costs by putting an ‘X’ in their
box, as shown in the example.
Now determine the variable costs for the production of one unit of the product by completing Table 5.3 below.
Table 5.3: Variable Cost
Total cost To be determined by Meeting 6 through the following departmental contributors

for the duration of
the INJAZ Bahrain EXECUTIVE FINANCE HR MARKETING PRODUCT SALES
Company Program TEAM DEV
1.Raw materials for
making the product.
X X
TOTAL X = Task Leader

VARIABLE COSTS X = Task Contributor
And now you can calculate the cost per unit which is equivalent to:
Total Fixed Costs + Total Variable Costs = ____ cost per unit
__________________________________
Total Number of Units Produced
Try the above with at least three scenarios for the number of units that you would expect to sell. You will see
that as you increase the number of units produced, the cost per unit will go down because the total fixed costs
will be spread over a greater number of units. This is called ‘economies of scale’.
Clearly then, you need to sell each unit at a price higher than its cost, and you need to sell the total
number of units produced and more!
MEETING 5 45
Pricing
STEP 1:
Decide whether you will adopt a cost-plus pricing strategy or a value pricing strategy:
Cost-Plus Pricing
Setting a price by adding a fixed percentage to the cost of making the product or service. This pricing
strategy is often used for generic and unbranded products like groceries and apparel that can be easily
produced.
Value Pricing
Pricing based on the value to the customer, usually for highly branded rather than unbranded products,
luxury items or unique technology products/services. For example, the price of Nike trainers is more than a
pair of unbranded sneakers.
3. Determining the Gross Profit and Net Profit per Unit Sold
Gross Profit
Is the difference between the price and the variable costs of producing and selling your product. To calculate
it, use the following equation:
Gross Profit per Unit = Net Price per Retail Unit – Total Variable Costs per Unit
Total Variable Costs per Unit = Total Variable Costs

______________________________
Total Number of Units Produced
Gross Profit Margin

Is a percentage indicating the profit a company makes for each unit of sales. It shows the Company profit
as a percentage of the total sales revenues. To calculate it use the following formula:
Gross Profit Margin = Gross Profit

__________________ x 100
Total Revenue
Net profit
Is the difference between gross profit and total expenses including overheads, interest payments and taxes.
Net Profit per Unit = Gross Profit per Retail Unit – Total Expenses per Unit
Net Profit Margin

Is a percentage indicating the profit a company makes for each unit of sales. To calculate it use the following
formula:
Net Profit Margin = Net Profit

__________________ x 100
Total Revenue

STUDENT GUIDE
4. Break-Even Analysis
The break-even analysis will help you to decide on the number of units that must be sold for the Company to
cover its costs without making any profits (in other words to break even). To calculate the Break-Even Point,
you will need:
1. The total fixed costs
2. The total variable cost of producing one unit
And to calculate the Break-Even Point, use the following equation:
Break-Even Point = Total Fixed Costs

______________________________
Gross Profit Per Unit
Actions specific to each department:
CEO FINANCE
The Finance department, executive team and other interested students, should work together and experiment
with different possible net retail prices per unit to see how much gross profit per unit and net profit per unit
they will generate, and what the break-even point will be.
When thinking of these prices, be as realistic
as possible by considering existing prices for
similar products / services.
Table 5.4 High Price Scenario Average Price Scenario Low Price Scenario
Net price per retail unit
Total variable costs per unit
Now calculate: Net Price per Unit – Total Variable Costs per Unit and insert the answer in the row below as this is
the gross profit per unit.
Gross profit per unit
Total Fixed Costs
Now calculate: Gross Profit per Retail Unit – Total Expenses per Unit and insert the answer in the row below as this
is the net profit per unit.
Net profit per unit
Now calculate: Total Fixed Costs / Gross profit per Unit
Break-Even Point
(number of units to be sold by
the Company)
Now calculate: Break-Even Point / Number of Company Members
Sales Forecast
(Minimum number of units to be
sold by each Company member)
MEETING 5 47
Develop It!

STUDENT GUIDE
MEETING 6 49
Develop It! Meeting 6
Developing the Idea and Production Planning
Meeting Objectives
• Appreciate and understand the challenges in selling Company shares.

• Determine pricing and financial planning.
• Understand production planning.
• Confidently pursue market research and customer development.
Introduction
This meeting is the first in the “Develop It!” phase of the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program, and aims to get you
well on your way to developing your Company’s chosen product/service idea. In addition, you will learn about
production planning, and what it takes to get your product/service from a plan on paper, through design and
prototype, to something ready to be sold to eager customers.
(Each department will lead a section with the help of the volunteer).
1. Developing the Company’s chosen product/service Remember to watch

the short explanatory
videos relevant to
Between now and the end of Meeting 7 you will have the opportunity to develop and this on the Online
Learning Portal.
refine the product/service idea chosen by the Company in Meeting 3.
STEP 1
Remember the
In each department, discuss the chosen product/service by revisiting these points: Consultative
Decision-Making
a. What is the problem that the chosen product/service is solving?
Principles during
b. What is the size of the potential market? your discussions
(See Meeting 2).
c. Is it already available in the market? Who is offering it? How is our product/service
better than what is already available in the market?
d. How easily and quickly can we produce it? Where?
e. Who is likely to buy it?
f. How profitable would it be? Why? Do the financial forecasts seem right and realistic?
g. Why would it win the Company Program competition?

STUDENT GUIDE
Step 2
Each director should act as the discussion facilitator and a team member will need to take notes of the discus-
sion.
Each department will undertake a SWOT analysis in order to encourage a solid strategic plan for your company.
STEP 3
From now until Meeting 7, all departments will need to collect further evidence and feedback from potential
customers, buyers, investors and partners about the viability of this idea. This process is known as Customer
Development and will boost your confidence about your chosen product /service, and give you the opportunity
to improve it and perfect it. The process is exactly the same as the one you implemented earlier in the INJAZ
Bahrain Company Program following Meeting 1 and Meeting 2.
Be prepared to share the results from this research at Meeting 7.

It is advisable to approach potential stakeholders in groups of 3 or 4 rather than individually.
SWOT Analysis
SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is a flexible tool that helps you to
assess and formulate a strategy, or make a decision in any aspect of your business. It can be used to evaluate
a range of items such as a new product/service, or the Company`s internal and
Remember to watch
external strengths and weaknesses, and its environmental threats and opportunities. the short explanatory
session on this topic
It can also be used as a personal self-assessment tool. available on the Online
Learning Portal.
Internal Factors: Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths and weaknesses should be stated and used in conjunction with the opportunities and threats.
Strengths matter only if you can use them to exploit an opportunity or counter a threat. Similarly, a weakness
is problematic only if it relates to a threat. Strengths are beneficial to the Company and weaknesses can be
damaging. Many factors are taken into consideration when evaluating strengths and weaknesses and examples
of these are shown in Table 4.3 below.
External Factors: Opportunities and Threats
Opportunities and threats should be considered in conjunction with the strengths and weaknesses. For example,
there may be a new market opportunity but your business does not currently have the resources to exploit it.
At this stage of your Company Program journey you can use the SWOT analysis to challenge and evaluate the
product/service idea, and to reach optimum strategic decisions. As shows in Table 4.3 below, opportunities are
beneficial to the Company, and threats can be damaging to the Company.
“
According to Nacer Ait Benamara from Algeria’s Baby Care, “When finalizing the product idea, it
is important to remember that it must meet a need. Trial the product by putting yourselves in the
place of the consumer and trying to use the product. This process will help you to improve the
product.” Baby Care developed a device that allows the instant detection of high fevers in children
by launching an audible alert to warn parents. Despite the technical and strategic challenges
they faced, their attempts to produce an explanatory prototype for potential customers were
successful, and led to a more desirable and improved product.
MEETING 6 51
Table 6.1 SWOT Analysis Beneficial to the Company Damaging to the Company
S STRENGTHS W WEAKNESSES
• Low production cost • Many competitors
INTERNAL • Innovative idea • High cost production
(inside the Company) • Market dominance • Low quality
• High demand • Lack of resources
• Capabilities and resources • Lack of technology
• Monopoly on technology
EXTERNAL O OPPORTUNITIES T THREATS

• Market opportunity • New market entrants
(outside the Company)
• Increase in demand • Change in customer needs
• New technology • Unfavorable political change
• Favorable political change • New competing technology
3. Production Planning
Given the timeframe of the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program and the competition, it is really important that
your team produces a quality product/service on time, so that you can maximize sales between Meeting 8
and Meeting 11. Before you can proceed with production, you must have the INJAZ Bahrain office
approval for your product/service. This should have been completed by the executive team by now.
Whilst production planning is primarily the responsibility of the Product Development department, it will be
useful for all students to know how the product/service will be produced, so you can all be experts when selling
your product or service. As such, the CEO and Product Development director should engage the Company
in a discussion of the following points:
Product Development
• The selected production process.
• The quality-control procedures to be adopted.
• The Company’s production time line.
• The cost of packaging, labeling, and marketing the product/service. (This will have to be undertaken in
collaboration with the Company’s Finance and Marketing departments).
Purchasing Raw Materials
Working with the Finance department, the Product Development department needs to finalize the purchase of
the necessary raw materials. Tips for buying raw materials include:
• How much will be needed and bought for the first batch of production?
• How much will be needed and bought after the first batch?
Choose the lowest price that provides the
• Which suppliers will you buy from and why? quality and delivery time that you need.
• When will the orders be placed?
As early as possible so the supplier has
• Who will follow up, monitor and check on all deliveries in case plenty of time to source what you order.
any of the materials are damaged or missing?
• Who will order the necessary additional materials and when?

STUDENT GUIDE
Efficient Production Standards
Who will regularly update the following to monitor progress and revise the production plan accordingly?
• Production goals.
• Materials cost estimates.
• Quality-control procedures.
• Safety plans.
• Production processes.
• Production time line.
Health and Safety Guidelines
It is the responsibility of the Product Development department to ensure that the Company’s chosen product/
service complies with the national health and safety regulations as well as those of INJAZ Bahrain. Ensure that
by Meeting 7 the Product Development department develops stringent health and safety guidelines to share
with the Company.
Quality Control
The Product Development department must ensure that the Company’s product/ Remember to watch
service complies with high quality control standards. Ensure that by Meeting 7 the the short explanatory
videos relevant to this
Product Development department has developed a stringent quality control protocol meeting on the Online
Learning Portal.
to share with the Company.
Packaging
Discuss the design of an environmentally-friendly packaging solution that will promote the Company, enhance
the product’s appearance and appeal, and protect it during storage and distribution. There is a wide variety
of appropriate and functional recyclable materials, including cardboard and plastic boxes, canvas bags,
and wrapping in various sizes and shapes. Most importantly, the packaging should suit the product and its
functionality, and be attractive to the customers. It should also be reflective of the Company brand image that
you want to project in both the market, and to your customers.
MEETING 6 53
Develop It!

STUDENT GUIDE
MEETING 7 55
Develop It! Meeting 7
Customer Development and Marketing
Meeting Objectives
• Appreciate and understand the role of customer development in the development of a

company.
• Understand marketing.
• Make the links between the different and complementary functions within the Company.
• Confidently pursue customer development and marketing.
Introduction
This is the second meeting in the “Develop It!” phase of the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program. It will get you
well on the way to finalize the Company’s chosen product/service idea, and to finalize the marketing plan. It
is crucial to get the marketing plan right so the world will know about your Company and the product/service
it offers.
So, what is marketing? It is a process through which the product/service is introduced and promoted to
customers and stakeholders locally, regionally, nationally and/or internationally. Marketing lies at the core of
every successful Company, as almost all aspects of the Company’s success depend on it. Even if you have
the world’s best product/service, without effective marketing, no one will know about it and as a result, there
won’t be any sales!
Each department will lead a section with the help of the volunteer. Remember the
Consultative
As there are several actions to be undertaken in today’s meeting, based on the Decision-Making
departmental updates from Meeting 6 just discussed, the departmental updates Principles during
and actions for today’s meeting are combined, as shown below. your discussions
(See Meeting 2).
- Group 1: The CEO and product development department, to focus on the
production plan and process.
1. Collect all the product feedbacks from the Company members based on meeting 6 and the companies
and experts reviews, to Finalize the product’s upgrade.
2. Update the production plan, such as the number of units to produce, Time frame, Manufacture
agreement, packaging, etc.
3. It is vital for the production team to ensure that the product is produce in high quality, and to appoint a
quality control person to inspect each product before handing it over to the sale department.
4. Ensure that the first batch of the product is ready for distribution to the sales department on meeting 8.
- Group 2: The Finance and Human Resource Department, To updated the share sold details and amount of
Capital reached.
1. Update your record of the number of shares sold by each member, the amount received and complete
the list in case of any missing information related to the shareholders.

STUDENT GUIDE
2. Review and calculate the number of shares sold by each member to select the member with the
highest share sold, and come up with an idea as an incentive for his/her effort.
3. Record the available capital reached, and the remaining amount must be sold to finalize your capital.
4. Provide a financial budget for each department and determine the incurred expenses need to be paid
and decide when to pay.
5. Remember to documents all the above updates into your electronic shared folder.
- Group 3: The Sales and Marketing department, to set a marketing plan and selling approach.
1. Complete the marketing plan, to prepare for advertising the company and its product. By finalizing the
Company logo and all marketing materials such as business cards, Boucher, videos, Online posters.
2. Regularly update all Social media accounts, as these tools are very cost effective to engagement and
network directly with your customers.
3. Revise and finalize the selling pitch that will be used by all sale members to professionally sell the
product.
4. Agree on the selling points such as, exhibitions, school events, family and friends etc.
5. Communicate with all Company members to make sure they are using the Company logo and the
brand image at all times.
6. Remember to documents all the above updates into your electronic shared folder.
MEETING 7 57
Do It!

STUDENT GUIDE
MEETING 8 59
Do It! Meeting 8
Sales, Sales, Sales!

Meeting Objectives
• Confidently sell, sell, sell!

• Align and link the sales, marketing, finance and product development functions
of the Company.
• Plan the Trade Fair booth.
• Understand customer satisfaction.
Introduction
This is the first meeting in the “Do It!” phase of the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program. It will get you well on the
way to selling your Company’s product/service. You should be proud of your Company’s achievements so far,
all the challenges you have overcome since Meeting 1, and all the actions and activities that you have completed
since then.
Today’s focus is sales. This is the process through which you will generate revenue for the Company and create
profits.
Each department will lead a section with the help of the volunteer.
Trade Fair Booth
Prepare and organize your first trade booth in the school to practice the sell-
ing of you product with supervision of your volunteer before meeting 9. It is
also, an excellent practice to prepare for INJAZ Bahrain National Company
competition.
The trade booth is a way to enhance your sales and marketing, you can also reach
a wide number of potential customers who might be interested and want to ask questions about the product
or service. To start your first trade booth in school, all members must follow the below actions;
1. Select the date and time for the booth before meeting 9. It is advisable to choose a timing that is during
class breaks or school events, where all students and teachers are available.
2. The company members must take an approval from the school, and provide them with the company
requirements.
3. The sales department must provide all company members with the finalized selling pitch in order for
them to practice it and prepare for selling.
4. The marketing department must agree with the company members on the design of the trade booth
and to align all marketing materials with the company’s branding. - Team must use INJAZ Bahrain
Banner during the school trade booth.
5. All company members must spread the word regarding their trade booth to their classmates, teachers
and school faculty.
6. The sales department will be responsible of the number of sales generated during the trade booth,
and to provide the number of product sold to the marketing department, and the sales income to the
financial department.

STUDENT GUIDE
A successful sales strategy needs:
a) A good product/service.
b) Enthusiastic, realistic sales people.
c) The ability to know your market, and to appropriately target
your customers to create sales.
Selling Tips:
The best sales people are those who understand that the sales process is an interaction and exchange between
two (or more) people; in other words, sales should be approached like a friendly conversation with someone
you are familiar and comfortable with. Speak naturally, be interested in what your potential customer
has to say, be alert to their non-verbal signals, and smile!
1. Speak naturally and confidently – believe in the product or service you are selling, be excited
about it and talk about it as you would to your friends or family. There is nothing more off-
putting than being forced to listen to someone reciting a memorized script without any energy
or passion.
2. Be interested – your potential customer is a person not a walking wallet! Remember the ‘ears
to mouth ratio rule’ and listen attentively twice as much as you talk, that way the answers to the
questions that you ask will provide you with the information that you need to assess whether
your product/service might be useful to them or not. Think of yourself as a valued advisor who
wants to understand your potential customer’s needs, rather than a pushy salesperson who
is only focused on meeting the sales target. However, do explain to your customers that your
product/service will be available for a limited time as you are participating in the INJAZ Bahrain
Company Program, so they should make their purchase now. Be prepared to explain the
INJAZ Bahrain Company Program as your customers might ask you about this.
3. Be alert to non-verbal signals – just as with a conversation with a friend, you can use the
information being given by your potential customer’s non-verbal signals (body language etc.)
to assess their state of mind. Do they appear in a rush? Are they agitated, or relaxed and
engaged? There is no point trying to have a conversation with someone who is in a rush to be
somewhere else, it would be better to acknowledge the situation and suggest an alternative
time to meet and talk (if appropriate) e.g. “You look as though you need to be somewhere else
right now. Would it be better for us to meet tomorrow instead?” Equally, if they appear agitated,
it might be that they are feeling under pressure to buy, so giving them some space might be
a good idea e.g. “Would you mind if I leave you to browse for a moment while I deal with this
other customer?” or “I’ll leave you to browse, but please feel free to take one of our (business)
cards which has our web address on it and our full range of products” or “I’ll leave you to
browse, but please feel free to give me a shout if you need any further help or information”.
4. Smile – the interaction with the potential customer is about the customer deciding if your
product/service is right for them, and you allowing them to persuade themselves to buy it!
Smiling while you talk, when used in conjunction with the points above, will help you to stay
relaxed, and create a positive and non-threatening interaction based on trust and rapport.
5. Conclude the interaction with the customer warmly. Thank them for making a purchase
and remind them to contact you again to make further purchases. Give them your business
card or Company brochure and say for example “if you would like to make another purchase or
have any questions or need any more information, please don’t hesitate to call, email or visit our
website which showcases our full range of products / services. Our contact details are here”,
and point these out on the business card or the brochure.
MEETING 8 61
If the customer does not make a purchase, you should thank them for their interest in your product/service
and Company. You can then say something along the lines of “it’s been lovely speaking with you, and while
you’re thinking about making a purchase from us, please don’t hesitate to call, email or visit our website which
showcases our full range of products / services. Our contact details are here” and point these out on the
business card or the brochure.
In summary then, effective salespeople:

1. Listen to their customers.
2. Understand and appreciate their customers’ mindset and decision-
making processes.
3. Appreciate the importance between the selling price and the
customers’ perceived value of the product/service.
4. Have a few methods for interacting with their customers and
negotiating convincingly.
5. Know their product/service inside out and believe in its usefulness
to customers.
6. Are artful negotiators.
Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction measures the extent to which customers are satisfied with the product/service they
bought, and the experience they had when interacting with the Company. Satisfied customers are the
Company’s best ambassadors as they will talk about the Company and the product/service to their friends,
family and colleagues. They will also buy more from you and your Company.
Here are some tips to help you maximize your customers’ satisfaction:
1. Know your customers by name, and address them politely.

2. Deliver the product or service on time and when the customer expects it.
3. Help the customers carry their purchases to their vehicles.
4. Provide a full refund to any customer who is dissatisfied with the product/service they bought from you.
5. Accept the customers’ complaints politely and don’t be defensive – the customer is always right!
6. Provide an easily accessible customers service facility.
Excellent customer service combined with smart selling and a product/service that offers a unique competitive
advantage will ultimately lead to success.
It is important to collect customer satisfaction feedback to:
1. Improve the product/service to increase sales volume.

2. Enhance the Company’s reputation.
3. Improve the customer’s experience.
Customer satisfaction can be measured through:
1. A short questionnaire that customers can complete on paper or on-line once they have made their purchase.
2. Following up the customers with a telephone call or email asking them about their satisfaction.
3. Asking customers to upload their feedback about their experience on any of the Company’s social media
channels (Facebook, Linked In, Twitter etc).
4. Combination of all of the above!

STUDENT GUIDE
Do It!
MEETING 9 63
STUDENT GUIDE
Do It! Meeting 9
Sales and More
Meeting Objectives
• Confidently and successfully engage in the sales process.

• Monitor and evaluate the Company’s sales and marketing performance.
• Forecast the future level of sales and marketing required to achieve (ongoing) profitability.
Introduction
This is the second meeting in the “Do It!” phase of the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program. By now, you should
be well into selling your Company’s product/service.
Today’s focus is on monitoring and evaluating the sales situation. Therefore, this meeting will include an
evaluation discussion on what worked well when you were selling, and what requires revising. This will help the
Sales Department revise the Sales Strategy to be adopted from now on.
Share your experience on the school Trade Booth and discuss the below points:
Trade Booth evaluation
members to share their experience on the school trade booth, and discuss the below points with them:
1. Branding materials: Did the booth design and marketing materials supported the selling technique? What
additional tools would you need?
2. Selling pitch: Did the Company members presented themselves well when communicating with prospective
customers and while selling the product/service. was the pitch efficient enough or does it need revising?
3. Customer service: What services you have provided to the customers to make them feel that they need
your product? what was the customers feedback and reaction to your product?
4. Product Sales reach: How many product has been sold and to who many customers? how many new
orders has been placed? How much money you have gained?
Public Market preparation
Since you have experienced the selling in trade booth and dealing with customers under the volunteer’s supervision,
are now ready to enter the public market. Therefore you should begin preparing the below:
1. list down public selling locations, such as local exhibitions and market, shopping center and malls. This
may also includes companies that would be interested to support your company’s mission and buy your
product.
2. Nominate members who are most likely to convince and are excellent in pitching, to the public exhibitions
and malls you have agreed on, to approach them to support your company to provide you with free
MEETING 9 65
services and market location. state that you are part of the INJAZ Company Program, and that you will be
competing with other schools on a national level.
3. Use the Company members network, to approach companies in order to prompt sales.
4. Use your company social media’s network to market for your product and gain more customers.
5. Encourage your families and friends to use “word of mouth” approach to attract more customer.
6. Always updated the number of product sold to the marketing department, and the sales income to the
financial department.

STUDENT GUIDE
Do It!
MEETING 10 67
STUDENT GUIDE
Do It! Meeting 10
Sales and Evaluation
Meeting Objectives
• Confidently and successfully engage in the selling process.

• Evaluate the Company’s sales and marketing performance.
• Calculate the Company’s profitability and forecast financial performance based on
current performance.
• Measure customer satisfaction and use this data to regularly improve the product/
service, and enhance customer experience.
Introduction
This is the third and final meeting in the “Do It!” phase of the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program. By now, you
should be well into selling your Company’s product/service.
Similarly to Meeting 9, the focus of this meeting is to monitor and evaluate the sales situation. Therefore, this
meeting will include a discussion of what continues to work well when you are selling, and what requires revising.
This will help the Sales department revise the Sales Strategy to be adopted between now and Meeting 11.
As the operations in today’s meeting are based on the departmental operations from Meeting 9, below is a
sequential outline indicating the points that need to be addressed.
Public Market and Sales monitoring
Since you have approached the public market and reached out to the target audience, This meeting
focuses on sales monitoring, selling, selling and more selling.
1. Share your experiences in selling the product in the public exhibitions and malls.
2. Share your experience with the contacted companies.
3. Review and monitor social media activities.
4. Always update the number of product sold to the Marketing Department, and the sales income to the
Finance Department.
MEETING 10 69
Do It!
Liquidation and Reﬂection

STUDENT GUIDE
Liquidation and Reﬂection
MEETING 11 71
Do It! Meeting 11
Liquidation and Reflection

Meeting Objectives
• Assess and evaluate the Company’s performance.

• Understand the liquidation process and prepare to undertake this process by the
National Competition.
• Reflect upon your learning on the Company Program.
Introduction
The end of the Company Program is fast approaching, and the time has come to wind-up your Company.
In this meeting you will learn about the process of liquidating your Company, which will involve selling-off
remaining assets, paying all outstanding debts (including salaries and bonuses), assessing the level of profit (or
loss) made, and organizing the payment of dividends to your shareholders as required.
Process for Liquidating the Company Remember to log into

the Company Program
Liquidation is about dissolving a Company so that it stops operating, and it can be either voluntary or
compulsory.
Voluntary liquidation
This happens when the shareholders voluntarily choose to close a company
whether it is financially profitable, or if it cannot pay its debts (it is insolvent).
Compulsory liquidation
When the Company is forced to liquidate as it can no longer manage its debts.
Which type of liquidation do you think your Company is undergoing?

In order to voluntarily liquidate the Company, you will need to complete a series of tasks which begin now as
the Company will need to be liquidated by the National Competition at the latest. The INJAZ Bahrain office
will inform you of the deadline date. Please follow this checklist to familiarize yourself with the demands of the
liquidation process.
Calculating the Value of Each Share in the Company and the Process of Paying Shareholders
This section is really critical so please ask the volunteer for help if you are confused about anything.
All dividends (remaining monies and profits) should be shared amongst the Company’s shareholders according
to their share ownership. To do this, the students will need the total number of shares sold (available from the
‘Documenting the Company Shares Sold’ document), and the closing bank balance (available from the Cash
flow Statement).
The value of each share = closing bank balance / total number of shares
Once the value of each share has been identified, the Finance department should now calculate the dividends
they will pay each of their shareholders. To do this, They must review the company shares records.

STUDENT GUIDE
Ask the financial department to multiply the ‘value of each share’ by the ‘number of shares’ bought by each
shareholder in their Record, and to write this on the shareholder’s ticket in their Record. Once completed, they
will need to add up how much money they need to pay all their shareholders.
The Financial Department Director should double check all the calculations. The CEO and Volunteer must
review and sign the final figures.
When Company members pay their shareholders, all shareholders receiving cash must sign and date the
shareholder certificate create by the company, to show they have received their shares.
In order to voluntarily liquidate the Company, the students will need to complete a series of tasks which
should begin now as the Company will need to be liquidated by the National Competition at the latest.
1. The CEO must inform shareholders, any business partners and all stakeholders of the company’s liquidation.
2. The financial department should determine what incurred expanses need to be paid and decide when to
pay them.
3. The Company members must payback the shareholders, the share amount in additional to the profit made.
Please ensure that the shareholders sign on receiving the amount.
4. The Human resources department must finalize the employees record such as attendance, performance,
intensive, etc.
5. It is advisable that the sales department, sells the remaining products between now and the end of meeting
12.
6. All company departments, must finalize and update all task and responsibilities - This is vital for preparing
the company report and for the notational company competition.
Please take 5 minutes to complete this checklist when instructed by the

volunteer to do so.
REFLECTION NOTES
Not at Great
all Extent
1 2 3 4 5
a. My overall sales were better than I expected.
b. My sales techniques have really improved.
c. I am now very confident at making difficult decisions.
d. I am proud of what our Company has achieved.
e. I am sad that we have to liquidate the Company.
f. After this meeting, I feel confident about preparing for
the competition.
g. After this meeting, I feel confident that our Company
can win the competition.
h. I am looking forward to the Company Program
competition.
i. I am nervous about the competition.
j. I am sad that the Company Program meetings are
finished.
MEETING 11 73
Do It!

STUDENT GUIDE
Competition Preparation
MEETING 12 75
Do It! Meeting 12
Competition Preparation
Meeting Objectives
• Reflect on, discuss and evaluate the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program.
• Confidently describe and justify your chosen product/service.
• Confidently describe and discuss your chosen methods and processes.
• Prepare to compete in the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program National Competition.
Introduction
Congratulations to you and your team for completing the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program and arriving at this
final meeting! You are now ready to share your Company and learning journey with the wider INJAZ Bahrain
community, and to celebrate your achievements!
As you will recall from Meeting 1, in participating in the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program, you also agreed to
participate in the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program Competition, entailing both national and regional stages.
The first step is to participate in the national competition and if you win it, you will then be expected to represent
your country at the Regional INJAZ Bahrain Company Program Competition. Both competition stages involve
four steps:
1. A completed Company Report
2. Elevator Pitch /Public Presentation
3. Participation in the Trade Fair

booth
4. An interview with the judging

panel
This meeting is therefore dedicated to helping you and your team prepare for the competition.

STUDENT GUIDE
The Competition Stages
Stage One: Company Report

The Company Report is a comprehensive business document demonstrating what you have done and achieved
as a Company since you started in Meeting 1. This is an excellent opportunity to hone your report writing skills,
not only for the competition, but also for the world of work where you might have to produce such documents
regularly.
Ensure that the Company Report is attractive, creative and business-like. You
Remember to log into
want the reader to be impressed by the content and to want to read to the end. the Company Program
Include graphs, for example, a pie chart of your consumer demographic, or a graph Online Learning Portal
to view the materials
displaying the Company’s growth. However, be selective with images / photos and relevant to this
other visual tools as these should complement the information you are providing, meeting.
not distract from it.
This section presents the components of a Company Report, and as you go through them, you should find
that you already have much of the required information within the Company documents that you have regularly
completed during the course of the Company Program.
Here is a Company Report structure for your consideration:
1. Cover Page
2. Executive Summary
3. Aim of the Company Report
4. Company Structure
5. Values, Vision, Mission
6. The Product/Service Idea
7. Market Research
8. Production Report
9. Marketing Report
10. Sales Report
11. Financials
12. Reflection
The INJAZ Bahrain Office will provide the Company Report submission deadline, formatting guidelines and
specifications (number of pages, font type and size, margin size, spacing etc). Please ensure that you adhere to
these fully as otherwise, your Company Report may be disqualified from the national and regional competitions.
Producing the Company Report has to be a team effort, so here is a recommendation for each department’s
Company Report sections. You must now discuss and decide an action plan for completing the Company
Report.
CEO
1. Bringing together all the sections into one cohesive and conclusive business document that reflects the
Company and the INJAZ Bahrain Company Program process in the best light possible. Bear in mind that
each component of the Company Report has been delegated to a specific department, so it will require
skill and effort to bring the overall report together so it does not read as a series of completed ‘templates’!
Give yourselves plenty of time to make sure that the report flows and makes sense
2. Report structure and contents page.
MEETING 12 77
3. Aim of the Company Report: to share the Company’s start-up process and its subsequent progress.
4. Executive Summary (usually done at the very end so it includes all the sections). This should be one / two
pages long, and serves as a brief and interesting overview of the Company i.e. what it is about, and what
it has achieved. It needs to be succinct so write in short, clear sentences. Remember - this is the first time
the judges will read about your Company, therefore the Executive Summary needs to be interesting as well
as informative, and must entice the judges to want to read the whole Company Report in one go!
5. The SWOT analysis.
6. Results of the Market Research (include a section on the Competition Analysis).
7. Reflection: i) what worked well for the Company and, ii) what were the Company’s challenges and how
these were overcome. Whilst your successes are the most important thing to highlight, the likelihood is
that some aspects of your business journey did not go 100% to plan. If you have had problems along the
way, or there were specific hindrances to your growth, you should briefly mention them and show that you
and the Company members know how, and why, they came about. This will show that you have reflected
on them and learnt lessons from these experiences.
8. Create the Company’s future plan, to show that your company has potential growth and sustainability.
FINANCE
1. Finance Section - Present the financial statements to clearly show the Company’s performance. Include the
projections you made with guidance from Meeting Five and discuss them. Include:
a. A summary of the product inventory / service sold.
b. The Cash Flow Statement.
It’s very important that these figures make sense so double and triple check them, and have them
signed off by the volunteer!
HUMAN RESOURCES
1. Cover Page: detailing the Company’s identity information. For example:

• Company name, logo and location
• Country your Company is working in
• Year of operation
• Names of students
• Name of volunteer
• Date of compiling the Company Report.
2. Company Structure - who occupies which position in the Company, their profiles and achievements.
3. Volunteer profile.
4. Company processes, regulations.
5. Company Members’ satisfaction – this should include some comments from the personal learning reflections
that you completed in Meeting 11. Consider using a selection of comments to cover: management skills
developed, personal skills/competencies developed e.g. level of confidence etc., transferability of skills
developed e.g. use newly developed skills in a new volunteering role / consider a Business Management
course at University / start-up another company with friends from the Company Program etc.

STUDENT GUIDE
MARKETING
1. Describe how this was done and what it included: for example, description of the social media channels. If
not, provide screen shots of what they looked like when they were in operation.
2. Company values, vision, mission, logo and slogan or tagline.
3. The Company brochure, and any other marketing materials designed, developed and used should be included
and described.
4. Description of the Trade Fair Booth and photos.
SALES
1. Description of the Sales Strategy.

2. A photo of the Company members giving the elevator pitch and engaging with customers.
3. The volume of sales.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
1. The product/service idea and its development to the finalized product/service; description of the product/
service and how it was developed and produced.
2. Description of who produced it.
3. Images/photos of the product/service. Include images of your product if this is applicable - label the images
with the key features and design aspects that make it stand out. Sample below:
‫ــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ‬
An image from the Company Report of Bluewater Bio, a water technology company
(1) Can be found at http://www.cleantechinvestor.com/portal/documents/CT_Report_BluewaterBio.pdf
1
MEETING 12 79
Stage Two: Elevator Pitch /Public Presentation
In Meeting 5, you and your team, prepared a 90 second Elevator Pitch to use with potential customers. You
now need to develop this into a Public Presentation for the Competition. The purpose of the public presentation
is to inform the competition judges and a large audience including your friends, family, INJAZ Bahrain staff and
sponsors, and other stakeholders about your Company: the processes you adopted, the progress you made,
and the Company’s achievements.
In other words, you want them to know why your Company should win the competition. Therefore you have
to make sure that your presentation will be interesting, and memorable, that it stands out from the crowd, and
leaves a positive impression on the judges and the others listening to you.
Don’t worry too much about the minute financial details in your presentation as these should be in your Company
Report and will most likely be addressed during the Panel Interview. This presentation should be an engaging
summary of your key achievements, and should leave the audience wanting to know more!
You now need to work on putting together the public presentation so it is ready for the National Competition. If
you prepare well and practice this presentation over and over, you will get the timing right and will be confident
in your delivery.
The time limit for the public presentation will be in the Competition Guidelines. If you require further information
about this, please ask INJAZ Bahrain office.
Whilst it is recommended that only 1 or 2 Company members deliver the presentation, putting it together should
be a whole Company effort, and not the presenters’ responsibility on their own. Although the presenters will
often be the CEO or other member of the executive team, this is not a requirement, and it will be up to the
Company members, as a whole, to decide on who is the best member to present the Company.
Here are some tips to help you put together the pitch / presentation:
1. Decide on who will present. Consider who is the most confident and charismatic Company member on
stage, who can present the Company and communicate its value most convincingly and naturally in either
Arabic or English.
2. Review the elevator pitch guidelines in the Meeting 5 chapter.
3. Use engaging aids and props to complement the presentation. Be creative! Stand out from the crowd by
using multimedia, telling a real customer story, and / or presenting real customer feedback. For example,
use a poster or banner with the Company’s name and logo, photos of the product/service, PowerPoint
presentation etc.
4. Don’t read your speech - take the time to learn it, and make it sound
natural and spontaneous.
5. Dress in smart business clothes to reflect professional nature of your
Company, and its values.
6. Face your audience and project your voice when speaking - be
confident in your achievements and ability to win the competition.
Smile!
7. Since you only have 90 seconds, use your time wisely. Don’t waste
time introducing everyone individually, rather, present yourselves as
a Company with a distinct and interesting unique selling point. The
judges will be looking for evidence of your strengths as a team, and
your Company’s competitive advantage, so show them!
8. Practice makes perfect, so practice again, and again, and again! The
more often you practice, the more confident you will feel (and be!) on
the day.

STUDENT GUIDE
Stage Three: Trade Fair Booth
In Meeting 8 you and your team, designed a Trade Fair Booth. Please review the Meeting 8 chapter to refresh your
thoughts about Trade Fair Booths.
What is different this time, is that your Trade Fair Booth will be assessed by the competition judges who visit it.
Therefore, you have to make sure that the booth presents the Company in the best light possible:
1. Make it memorable: the judges will visit lots of booths, so make sure that yours will stick in their minds.
2. Get creative so that your booth stands out from the rest of the
booths in the Trade Fair.
3. Think about providing a quick demonstration of your product

or service, or a competition / give-away etc. that will entice and
attract those attending the Trade Fair to visit your booth.
4. Do not hide away behind the booth! Some of your Company

members should be walking around the Trade Fair, politely
inviting attendees to visit your booth – you could distribute
business cards with your allocated booth number, and link the
cards to a competition, for example, all business cards handed
in at the booth get entered into a prize draw.
5. Think of ways that the booth can make a positive impression on

the judges - try to appeal to more than just their visual senses:
provide samples that can be touched, consider making the
booth look great, smell delicious, or sound fantastic by playing
appropriate music etc.
6. The booth must exhibit your product/service, Company and its members confidently, not boastfully or
apologetically.
During the Panel Interview, the judges might ask you questions about your Trade Fair Booth so be prepared!
As a Company, you must now decide what to do with regard to your Trade Fair booth. You can either:
1. Alter and adapt your existing Company Program Trade Fair booth (finalized in Meeting 8) so it is up to date and
relevant to both the audience at the competition, and the judges.
2. Scrap the existing Trade Fair booth and design a new one.
Stage 4: Panel Interview

This is your opportunity to convince the panel of judges that your Company is a winner! The following are some
examples of what the judges will want to hear:
1. Your justification of the adopted strategies - why you did what you did.
2. Your justification of the rejected strategies - why you didn’t do certain things.
3. The Company’s actual performance and why this was so.
4. If you were to do the Company Program again, what would you do differently and why? – what you’ve learned
about business management from taking part in the Company Program.
MEETING 12 81
The judges will ask very detailed questions about your achievements and learning, so please ensure that you know
your Company inside-out in order to deliver confident and accurate answers.
This is a really important step in the competition process, so it is vital that you prepare thoroughly. All Company
members should familiarize themselves with all of aspects of the Company’s journey on the Company Program.
Completing the tables below will draw upon the reflective exercises from Meeting 11, and will help you to think
about, and prepare answers for the Panel Interview.
Once the tables below are complete, make sure you keep a copy of them safe so you can recall these reflective and
realistic points when you are questioned by the Panel.
Panel Interview Preparation Activity – The Successes
What? Why? How? Future Changes?

Write a short description of Think hard about why this What foundations were In the future, what will you
the success. was such a success and laid so that you had such a do to further this success?
write your answer here. success?
Success 1:
Success 2:
Success 3:
Add more successes ...

STUDENT GUIDE
Panel Interview Preparation Activity – The Challenges
What? Why? How? Future Changes?

Write a short description of Think hard about why this What are the pivotal In the future, what would
the challenge. was challenging - without aspects that could be you change to minimize
blaming anyone. changed or improved this challenge?
upon?
Challenge 1:
Challenge 2:
Challenge 3:
Add more challenges...
“
“The things that went wrong and the lessons learnt, even if it was 16 years ago, will
always stay in my memory. You have to take failure, embrace it, and analyze it looking at
all the pieces. It’s only when you look at your failure fully that you find your skills.”
– Ahmed El Alfi, CEO at Sawari Ventures.
MEETING 12 83
Whilst the Panel Interview can be intimidating, the judges are not trying to catch you out or grill you. They want a
deeper understanding of all the participating companies and how they operated, in order to be able to judge the
winners and their learning consistently and fairly.
Please remember that the Company Program process is a learning experience, and as such the judges will be
looking to assess where most learning has occurred, and how this was achieved.
Here are some tips to help you prepare for the Panel Interview:
• Be calm, confident, and concise - know what you want to say and why you want to say it. The only real
way to succeed in the Panel Interview is by ensuring that you have thought about and understood everything
about the Company. Therefore, if you are unsure of something, ask other Company members and your
volunteer for guidance. The more confident of your knowledge you are, the more relaxed you will be, and the
more professional you will appear.
• Dress appropriately and comfortably – you are a Company member with a significant role and
responsibilities, so look the part!
• Make eye contact with the judges when they are talking to you, and maintain good posture (stand straight,
and still). This will convey a sense of confidence and commitment that will really help. Remember to
also smile when appropriate.
• Some questions will be very specific to a Company department or function. In these instances it will be most
appropriate for the relevant and responsible Company member to answer these questions.
• Listen when your colleagues are being asked questions and contribute in a thoughtful and constructive way
when appropriate. Do not zone out, or butt-in: helping your colleagues will show good team spirit and a
commitment to collective success – all things that the judges are looking for!
• If a difficult question that no one is sure about comes up, do not be afraid to take some time to think about
the answer. Pausing for a few moments to think about it, taking a drink of water or even saying that you
need a few moments to think is preferable to launching straight into an answer that you are unsure of, and
getting lost along the way.
• Remember to reflect upon your personal development - let the judges know how the Company Program
positively changed you, and the ways in which it helped you to improve and expand your knowledge and
experience.
On behalf of INJAZ Bahrain, we wish you and
your team an entrepreneurially successful future!

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STU DEN T G UIDE

INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

Senior Projects Manager

2 INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

Define It! Meeting 1 The INJAZ Bahrain Company Program 5

Decide It! Meeting 2 Decision-Making in Process 15

Design It! Meeting 4 Designing The Company Structure 32

Develop It! Meeting 6 Developing the Idea and Production Planning 48

Do It! Meeting 8 Sales, Sales, Sales 58

4 INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

The INJAZ Bahrain Company Program

INJAZ Company Program

6 INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

INJAZ Bahrain Company Program

By the end of this meeting, you should be able to:

• Describe the Company Program process.

“Entrepreneurship is neither a science nor an art. It is a practice.”

✦ ✦ Complementary e-learning materials available through the Online Learning Portal

8 INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

Company Program Competition Regulations

1. Company Program competition regulations

10 INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

Remember to log in to the CP

12 INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

Step 5 Write down all this information so it isn’t forgotten.

a. I fully understand the Company Program Process.

b. I fully understand the Company Program Competition, its

c. I can confidently define entrepreneurship and why

e. I can easily explain the process of establishing a company.

f. I will easily complete the brainstorming exercise before

14 INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

By the end of this meeting, you should be able to:

Brainstorming Consultation Short List

Assigned Team Members

Brainstorming Next Steps

18 INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

What distinguishes your Company from the competition?

d. Production and associated costs

The overall cost of producing the product/service.

e. Preliminary financials: number of items to be sold to break even, and to be profitable,

Figure 2.1: Mind Map of Company Departments

20 INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

Figure 2.2: Company Structure

Executive and Director Job Descriptions

DIRECTOR HUMAN RESOURCES

22 INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

• Create and manage regular reporting activity to the executive team.

DIRECTOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

24 INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

a) LISTENING carefully to information received and acting on it appropriately.

b) ASKING for clarification on issues that are not properly understood.

c) DISCUSSING issues of contention (problems, disagreements, misunderstandings etc.)

Communication Channels within the Company

Source: Bovee, Thill, and Schatzman (2004)

c. An approach can be made in person (face-to-face) or by email. If an initial email complaint to

26 INJAZ BAHRAIN COMPANY PROGRAM

Deciding the Idea

By the end of this meeting, you should be able to:

a. The idea (product/service) and the problem it is solving

b. Market size for this idea

How much demand is there for our product/service idea?

c. Who is our target market?

People most likely to buy our product/service?

d. What is our competitive advantage?