From Bon Voyage to Bienvenidos: The Impr...
Murray, Meghan; Mo...
From Bon Voyage to Bienvenidos: The Impromptu Communication Challenge
Murray, Meghan; Moriarty, Brian
BC-0319 | Published June 2, 2026 | 16 Pages Exercise
Collection: Darden School of Business
Product Details
This in-class exercise sets up a communication challenge for students. The accompanying teaching note outlines how to open the class session, conduct the exercise, and identify key learnings. In this exercise, students are expected to announce to their team that they will be moving from Quebec & Canada, to Mexico City. It is designed to be an impromptu challenge with no preparation, creating a realistic scenario in which students must communicate convincingly under time pressure. It sets up the basics of the business and the team, giving students just enough information to act (write an email), but requires assumptions and personalization to be effective. Topics include persuasion, business strategy, channel choice, communication, and ethics. The exercise is appropriate for MBA and Executive MBA students and can be completed in approximately 60 minutes.
(1) Understand the concept of a CVC & how it can help companies in crafting innovation and growth strategies. (2) Consider the factors a company should weigh when developing an effective omnichannel sales strategy. (3) Discuss how to avoid channel conflicts by considering the specificities of various sales channels, including door-to-door sales, franchise models, proprietary stores, online channels, and third-party stores. (4) Explore the concept of a “customer-centric” strategy—including the opportunities and challenges it presents—and understand what can help business leaders implement this strategy effectively. (5) Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a multibrand, multichannel strategy, considering its value creation for customers, costs, demands in terms of management structures, opportunities related to the gathering of consumer data, and so on. (6) Discuss how retail groups and niche marketplaces can prepare to face competition from multiproduct marketplaces in the online space. (7) Delve into the dynamics of the beauty and cosmetics markets and understand how they can vary from one country to another.