reading information:

Welcome to the Webuwrite Academy boardroom. This is the orientation meeting for prospective interns.

Melanie Michaels: Well, hello there, prospective interns. Welcome to Webuwrite Academy. I’m Melanie Michaels, and I’m the internship director here at Webuwrite. If you become a Webuwrite intern, you’ll be reporting to me. You’ll also be working closely with some of the people in this room, who you’re about to meet. I’d like to start by introducing you to our CEO, Angela Camper.

Angela Camper: Thank you so much, Melanie, and welcome, prospective interns. I’m Angela Camper, and I’m very proud to say that I founded Webuwrite Academy in 1998. As an intern for Webuwrite, you’ll have a hands-on role in creating and marketing the best online writing courses in the country. You’ll also be part of Industraville’s fastest growing company, and that’s another thing I’m very proud of. If you become an intern for Webuwrite, you’ll be in very good hands with Melanie, and you’ll definitely learn real world skills that will benefit you in whatever direction your career takes you.

Brad, why don’t you tell these folks about the marketing division?

Brad Hayes: Thanks, Angela! Well, my name is Brad Hayes, and I’m the Vice President of Marketing here at Webuwrite. Here in marketing, we’re in charge of finding new markets for our writing courses, and we’re also in charge of marketing all of our terrific new products to our existing customers.

We’re looking for two kinds of interns—general marketing interns, who will help get out the word about our great products; and public relations interns, who will help build Webuwrite’s reputation both online and offline.

Angela: Brad, can you tell us about what you’re looking for in an intern?

Brad: Sure. Well, my good buddy Jill Kaplan-Zuckerman over here keeps razzing me about how marketing is all about the bottom line and doesn’t care at all about the quality of classes.

Jill Kaplan-Zuckerman: Thanks, Brad.

Brad: But you know what? Great classes and profitability go hand in hand, right, Jill? I’m looking for interns that can come up with creative ideas on how to market our great classes and for promoting Webuwrite to the community. Oh, and one thing I need in an intern—great writing skills. People think that marketing is all about personality, but in reality, what’s even more important is that you know how to put your ideas down clearly on paper and that you understand how to use words to reach an audience.

So, Jill, why don’t you tell these bright-looking folks all about course development?

Jill: Um, well, thank you Brad, my good buddy. My name is Jill Kaplan-Zuckerman, and I’m the Vice President of Course Development. My division is in charge of actually making the classes that Brad’s division sells. We’re looking for instructional design interns.

Melanie: Jill, can you explain what instructional design means?

Jill: Sure. Instructional design is the process of creating courses that meet the particular demands of a client. At Webuwrite, our clients include schools, corporations, and everyday people who want to learn how to write better. I’m looking for interns who have creative ideas about how to design writing classes. Also, like Brad, it’s very important that my interns have strong writing skills. It’s impossible to design a class if you don’t know how to write well.

Meera, do you want to tell our prospective interns a little about IT?

Meera Agarwal: Thanks, Jill. I’m Meera Agarwal, and I’m the Vice President of the Information Technology Division. IT is also looking for two kinds of interns. First, we’re hiring Web Strategies interns. Web Strategies is responsible for making sure that courses work smoothly from a technical standpoint. Jill’s division is responsible for making the courses, and we’re responsible for making sure the courses are easy to navigate.

The second kind of IT internship involves being a liaison between Webuwrite and our partner company in Singapore, Singapore Tech Solutions. Melanie, have you been able to get them on the line?

Melanie: I think so, Meera. Alvin, are you there?

Alvin Lim: I’m here, Melanie! Hello there, prospective interns. My name is Alvin Lim, and I work for Singapore Technical Services. We’ve been partnered with Webuwrite for the past year. We’re responsible for all of Webuwrite’s technical support needs. When someone is having problems with a course, the number they call comes to us in Singapore.

Melanie: Alvin, some of the interns are going to be working with you remotely. Can you tell the prospective interns what they will be doing in this role?

Alvin: Well, we need someone to be a liaison between Webuwrite and Singapore Technical Solutions. We’ve only been working together for a year, and we’re still figuring out a process that works as well as it should. We also need a steady flow of instructions from Webuwrite that tell us what to say to callers when they contact us for help.

Brad: So, interns, for those of you with lousy writing skills, an internship with IT would be a good idea.

Meera: No, Brad, that’s not true at all. IT professionals must have strong writing skills because they need to convey complex material to people who lack an understanding of technology. And the interns who are going to be working with Singapore need especially good writing skills because they’ll need to write instructions for the people on the phones.

Brad: All right, Meera, never mind (sarcastically). Writing skills are very important for IT professionals. But interns, if you can’t write, you can always get a security internship.

Tyler Sanchez: Actually, Brad, security interns need to have good writing skills, too. Hello, interns! I’m Tyler Sanchez, and I’m the Director of Security here at Webuwrite. As you know, this office isn’t located in the best area of town, so we’re in charge of making sure that employees and company possessions are safe. Writing skills are important because we’re always writing instructions and procedures documents with important information for employees.

Um, I think we’re almost done… oh, Jeff! It’s your turn.

Jeff Taylor: Thanks, Tyler! I’m Jeff Taylor, and I’m the Director of Human Relations here at Webuwrite. I’m also Melanie’s boss, so you might find yourselves interacting with me and some point!

Things are pretty crazy down at HR. This company is growing really quickly, which means that we’re hiring new employees constantly! We need interns to help with the hiring process, which includes advertising new positions, doing background checks, educating employees about benefits and company policies, and so forth! We need interns who have experience working in busy environments, and who are very good with working with detailed information. Oh, and writing skills are essential! In HR, we’re all about conveying information clearly and accurately to our employees.

Melanie: Thanks, Jeff! OK, prospective interns, here’s what happens next. You’re going to be applying for an internship here at Webuwrite. When you apply, it’s important to keep in mind what you just learned about the internship positions here. Next, you’re going to read some bios of the folks in this room, and that’s also important information to keep in mind when you apply for these internships.

Discussion Question:

Review the Webuwrite Academy Simulation (link available in the Resources). Choose a conflict between two individuals of the opposite gender. Discuss the following:

• Discuss to what degree you feel that gender, and the power dynamics related to gender, plays a role in this conflict. One helpful way to think about this question is this: If these individuals were both men, or both women, would the conflict play out a little differently?
• Explain how the relational theory of power relates to this conflict.