M. Uhrich and Associates - Paris & Boston

Introduction - About M. Uhrich and Associates

 

Experience and Dependability yields VALUE

 

Mark Louis UHRICH

M. Uhrich and Associates

13 ter Avenue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
78600 Maisons-Laffitte, France

Tél: +33 6 6061 5128

 

info@muhrich.net

 

 

 

    ➤ NEW: "Being International"                                               ➤ NEW: "Market Share: How much do you want?"  

 

Introduction

About M. Uhrich and Associates

M. Uhrich and Associates, is an independent professional practice in consulting and training — both in companies and in higher education. The areas of expertise include:

Corporate, International, and Commercial Strategy

Business-to-Business Marketing and Sales

Cross-cultural Business and Teamwork

Organization Effectiveness and Revitalization

The Successful Management of People and Teams

In essence: functional expertise in international business, marketing, and sales with specific competencies in people management and training and a passion for helping organizations succeed.

Based near Paris France, Mr. Uhrich works in conjunction with international collaborators in France, the United States, and other countries. The slogan that was adopted years ago with the creation of the activity is “Helping organizations achieve their objectives”. This continues as the central theme today.

 

I invite you to contact me to discuss your needs and how we, myself and my associates, might be able to help you in achieving success in your objectives.

On Twitter  and   Facebook

 

In Management Consulting and Audit

Experience and Dependability yields VALUE

Mark Louis UHRICH

M. Uhrich and Associates

13 ter Avenue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
78600 Maisons-Laffitte, France

Tél: +33 6 6061 5128

info@muhrich.net

 

 

In Management Consulting and Audit

For clients who seek to develop their business, aid is offered in the following areas:

International and Commercial Strategy

Business-to-Business Marketing and Sales

Cross-cultural Business and Teamwork

Organization effectiveness and Revitalization

Pedagogic Engineering

As needed, the conduct of this work is aided by the added expertise of an available network of resources .

In providing service to my clients with management consulting and audit, I believe that the important characteristics are:

• Experience: The knowledge and experience gained as an operating manager and through work with clients provides understanding and expertise.  The expertise of an experienced trainer plus constructor & coordinator of programs.

• Perspective: The experience gained in multiple situations allows for the ability to see the larger picture and how the pieces fit as a part of the whole.

• Objectivity: Having neither a specific agenda nor interest in a specific solution provides the ability to perform evaluations and make recommendations that are in the interest of only the client.

•  Flexibility and adaptability: In contrast to some, fixed methodology and solution templates are not used. Rather, each client is treated as unique and their situation treated using the tools and methodologies that are best adapted.

• Diligence: Providing value to clients requires careful and thorough work with attention to details.

 

These are the characteristics and values that I seek to provide to clients — experience and dependability that clients can trust. 

I invite you to contact me to discuss your needs and how we, myself and my associates, might be able to help you in achieving success in your objectives.

In Management Training

Experience and Dependability yields VALUE

Mark Louis UHRICH
M. Uhrich and Associates

13 ter Avenue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
78600 Maisons-Laffitte, France

Tél: +33 6 6061 5128
Mark.Uhrich@muhrich.net

 

 

In Management Training

 

My professional experience is in the sectors of marketing, sales, and international business. In these areas, I have achieved notable results.

When I speak with my collaborators and managers — both current and former — it is my skill in managing people that is most mentioned.  They speak of my ability in aiding organizations that are experiencing difficulties. Possibly, my greatest competence is in managing people. They also cite my related abilities in coaching and explaining.

I learned management first as a practitioner and then by specific study of the topic and as a professor of organizational behavior and management in major schools of management.

Thus, with the functional skills in marketing, sales, and international business, my passion is bringing out the best in people and organizations.

This is a skill and passion that I share with others in my training activities for my clients. These training activities focus in the related area of:

Managing people and teams

Organization improvement

Marketing and Sales

 Topics include:

Line and Middle Management

Strategic Management

Management of Change

Sales Management

Strategic Use of Goals

Strategic Marketing

This work is provided both directly to clients (a registered professional trainer in France) and through collaboration with other professional training companies — depending on the situation. 

 

Sample Clients: (Either direct or as subcontractor)

Aelia
Groupe Bull
Gemalto
EURESAS
Total

  

I invite you to contact me to discuss your needs and how we, myself and my associates, might be able to help you in achieving success in your objectives.

In Education

 

Experience and Dependability yields VALUE

 

Mark Louis UHRICH
M. Uhrich and Associates

13 ter Avenue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
78600 Maisons-Laffitte, France

Tél: +33 6 6061 5128
Mark.Uhrich@muhrich.net

 

 

In Education

Mr. Uhrich teaches at several business schools in France, Europe, and the United States. 

➢    Skema (Ceram) Business School - Masters programs    (www.skema.edu)

• Corporate Strategy
• B2B Marketing
• Essentials of Marketing Management
• Dissertation Tutor

➢   EMLV  - Ecole de Management Léonard de Vinci
                            (www.emlv.fr   or  www.devinci.fr )
        Retired Associate and Coordinating professor:

• Coordinating Professor responsible for the program in B2B Marketing - created and managed.
• Also drives several other initiatives.  Coordinated the development and implementation of a completely revised 3rd year program — totally in English and focused internationally. 

➢    ESSEC     (www.essec.edu)

• International Marketing
• B2B Marketing
• Dissertation Tutor

➢   IPAG Ecole Supérieur de Commerce     (www.ipag.fr) 

• International Marketing, Business Simulation  

➢    NEGOCIA       (www.negocia.fr)

• International Marketing and Export Techniques, Global Marketing and Communications
• B2B and Services Marketing

➢    Laurea University of Applied Sciences – Finland  (www.laurea.fi )

• International Sales Negotiations
• Sessions in B2B marketing and strategy

➢    CNAM/Institut International du Management (Ceprim - Executive MBA)

• B2B Marketing

➢    ESCP Europe (Paris)   (www.escpeurope.eu)

• Diagnostic and management of strategic change
• Past instructor in Strategy and Organizations

➢    Suffolk University, Boston & Dakar (www.suffolk.edu ): Adjunct professor

• International Marketing
• B2B Marketing
• Cross-cultural business and management

➢    ESLSCA – International Graduate Programs:  Former professor

• Strategy
• Strategic Marketing
• B2B Marketing and Sales

➢    Douai Business School:  Former professor

• B2B Marketing and Sales
• Cross-cultural business and negotiations
• Strategic Marketing

 

I invite you to contact me to discuss your needs and how we, myself and my associates, might be able to help you in achieving success in your objectives.

Partners and Collaborations

 

Experience and Dependability yields VALUE

 

Mark Louis UHRICH
M. Uhrich and Associates

13 ter Avenue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
78600 Maisons-Laffitte, France

Tél: +33 6 6061 5128
Mark.Uhrich@muhrich.net

 

 

 

 

The Network

Partners and Collaborations

My years of professional experience have taught me that I cannot do everything by myself. It is through collaboration with others that I achieve creativity and have access to needed expertise and resources. Therefore, it is my philosophy to work in collaboration with others.

This concept of working in networks as the future of professional work, has been developed by a number of authors — including notably the books by the futurist Charles Handy where he develops the future of work as networks of collaborators.

Thus, in performing my work for clients, I may work directly and individually, or draw on resources of associates to meet needs. As the circumstance warrants, I also may work as a part of, as a resource, for another organization where, to the client, I appear very much a part of that organization (which I am). The specific form used depends on what best supports the needs of the client.

 

 

 

I invite you to contact me to discuss your needs and how we, myself and my associates, might be able to help you in achieving success in your objectives.

About the work that is performed

 

Experience and Dependability yields VALUE

 

Mark Louis UHRICH
M. Uhrich and Associates

13 ter Avenue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
78600 Maisons-Laffitte, France

Tél: +33 6 6061 5128
info@muhrich.net

 

 

 

About the Work that is Performed

 

The work that is performed falls into three broad categories:

• Management training in companies
• Education in schools of business & management
• Consulting for organizations

The specific areas of expertise include:

• International and Commercial Strategy
• Business-to-Business Marketing and Sales
• Cross-cultural Business and Teamwork
• Organization Effectiveness and Revitalization
• The Successful Management of People and Teams
• Pedagogic Engineering and Coordination

In essence; functional expertise in international business, marketing, and sales with specific competencies in people management and training and a passion for helping organizations succeed.
This work is provided both directly and through collaboration with organizations who are active in the appropriate sectors of activity.  This is detailed more specifically in the pages relating to those activities.

I invite you to contact me to discuss your needs and how we, myself and my associates, might be able to help you in achieving success in your objectives.

About Mark Uhrich

Experience and Dependability yields VALUE

 

Mark Louis UHRICH
M. Uhrich and Associates

13 ter Avenue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
78600 Maisons-Laffitte, France

Tél: +33 6 6061 5128
Mark.Uhrich@muhrich.net

 

 

About Mark Louis Uhrich

Mark Louis Uhrich, French-American, has more than 35 years of professional experience in international business, marketing, sales, and management plus many years of experience in teaching, consulting and professional training — helping organizations achieve their objectives.

Originally from the United States, he worked in several companies and industry sectors - notably 19 years with Digital Equipment Corporation where he held a variety of successful positions in marketing, sales, and management in both the domestic and international operations of the company.   In these positions, he was generally responsible for starting new businesses or rebuilding existing businesses.

Located in Paris since 1992, he has a practice in consulting and training — both in higher education and in companies.   His areas of expertise include:

• International and Commercial Strategy
• Business-to-Business Marketing and Sales
• Cross-cultural Business and Teamwork
• Organization Effectiveness and Revitalization
• The Successful Management of People and Teams

In essence: functional expertise in international business, marketing, and sales with specific competencies in people management and training and a passion for helping organizations succeed.

He teaches at several business schools in France, Europe, and the United States — including the Skema Business School, Ipag Business School, Negocia, the Laurea University of Applied Sciences in Finland.  He is an Adjunct Professor at Suffolk University in Boston and has taught at both the Boston and Dakar campuses.

Mr. Uhrich is retired Associate and Coordinating Professor at the Leonard de Vinci School of Management in Paris (EMLV) where he constructed and managed the very successful program in B2B Marketing as well as drive several other initiatives.  This included coordinating the development and implementation of a completely revised 3rd year program — totally in English and focused internationally.  Additionally, he has taught at ESSEC, ESCP Europe, ESLSCA, Cnam/Ceprim and others.  A more complete list of schools and courses is given on the page In Education.

In management consulting the emphasis is on aiding clients in their development of their strategy to achieve success – especially in international development, improved effectiveness in sales, and organizational improvement.

The company training activities focus in the related area of managing people and teams.

• Line and Middle Management
• Strategic Management
• Management of Change
• Sales Management 

He is a registered professional trainer in France.

Professional memberships include the French marketing association ADETEM and the American Chamber of Commerce in France where he is Co-Chair of the Training and Education Task Force.

An accomplished public speaker, he is recognized with the "Advanced Communicator - Silver" award in the Toastmasters International program of public speaking.  

Mr. Uhrich holds a MS degree from Northeastern University in Boston and has studied business management in both the United States (Babson) and in France at INSEAD.

Market Share: How much do you want?

>>home <<

 

How much market share do you want for your business? 30%? 50%? 80%? All of it?

Gaining market share for your business has advantages. As you build share, you are more known and your reputation increases. People chose to do business with you because you are so well known and “obviously” must be the best. Selecting to do business with the market leader gives customers a sense of security of making the right choice – the safe choice.

Having a large market share also gives you the advantage and makes life more difficult for the competition. A large market share probably means that you have more revenue and, therefore (presumedly), greater resources that your weaker competitors do not have. Given enough advantage in market share, you set the rules and your competitors are squeezed into increasingly weak positions.

And, the argument goes, higher business volume gives scales of economy — lower costs which then lead to higher profit margins.

But increasing your market share is not always easy. And, in fact, it might not be desirable. 

Gaining market share is easy when your current share is relatively small. Increasing that share from 5% to 10% to 15% is relatively easy. You “merely” need to target the right customers (or segments), communicate a well focused value proposition, and service them well. So far so good.

But at some point, gaining more market share starts to become more difficult. Your competition fights back. (Life was easy when you were small and they did not notice you.) And, as you seek to win increased numbers of customers, it becomes more difficult to satisfy their differing needs. You begin to need to be “all things to all people” — not easy to do. (I know that I can't.)

And the cost of each increase in market share goes up. Yes the higher business volume does give you better economy of share and, hopefully, better margin. But each additional percent increase in share becomes more difficult – both in effort to win and potentially the need to lower your price in response to competitive counter attacks. 

You can reach a point of diminishing returns. Although your profit may increase with increased market share, you reach a point where the cost to gain additional share approaches (or exceeds) the profit that you gain. The cost and effort required is not justified by the incremental increase of profit that you might obtain. You can actually get to the point where your overall profit goes down with increased market share.

So, how much market share do you want? What is the 'optimum' amount? That depends on your objectives and strategy. Only you can decide that. The 'optimum' market share is where you get the maximum profit return for each additional amount of money spent. It is probably where the effort and incremental cost is beginning to approach the incremental gain in profit that you gain. You certainly do not want to go to the point where you get no increased profit for an increase in share — or where profit decreases.

In the end, it is you who is running the business and you who decides.

And, remember, having competition is good. You want to have competition. More on that topic in another posting.

 

Mark Louis Uhrich

Maisons-Laffitte, France, 23 February 2011

©Copyright Mark Uhrich

 

What is Marketing?

>>home <<

It is the start of a new academic year and I am preparing a marketing basics course for an incoming group of masters students. It is an intensive (4 day) pre-semester course intended as an introduction or review (depending on their background) to bring everyone up to level.

This brings to mind the question “What is marketing?”

When asked that question, many people will respond: “advertising” or “merchandising” or “analysis” or “phoning” or “selling” or something else. Those are components of the field of marketing – tools to achieve objectives. But they are not, in themselves, “marketing”.

Marketing is connecting the capabilities of your organization with the needs & wants of a selected group of customers – hopefully for mutual gain.

The components include:

• Understanding your organization — what it can do, what it is good at, and its objectives,

• Understanding the market — groups of potential customers, characteristics, needs and preferences, and the size of the market segments,

• Understanding competition — what they are capable of and good at, their objectives and strategies, and their positioning in the market,

• Designing the market strategy for your organization — company or other entity:

  • What markets you select to serve,

  • What value you will bring to your customers,

  • With what product — physical or service,

  • How you will position yourself in the market — your differentiation and why customers will chose you,

  • What objectives you seek to achieve,

  • How you chose to produce your product and deliver it to customers, and then

  • The marketing programs to achieve the objectives. This will include your use of the tools — product, price, promotion, and sales/distribution methods.

A number of years ago, Regis McKenna published his classic article “Marketing is Everything” (HBR, Jan-Feb 1991). In it, he concluded that marketing encompasses all the activities of a corporation (read entity) and is the job of everyone. Indeed it is.

But mostly, marketing is how to understand customers, connect the organization to customers, and bring value to both.

Are you adding and building value? Are you really marketing? Or, are you simply engaged in marketing tactics?

 

 

Mark Louis Uhrich

Maisons-Laffitte, France, 31 August 2010

©Copyright Mark Uhrich

 

Being International - 3: My Contribution: "On Being International" - Abstract

Being International - 3   (previous page)  (start of series)

My Contribution: “On Being International”

I am very pleased that my paper "On Being International" has published in the book " "Glocal" Working - Living and working across the world with cultural intelligence", Bertagni, La Rosa, Salvetti, Editors, published by Franco Angeli.


Here is the abstract for my contribution. Many of you may identify with what I have written. Likely many have had similar experiences and could equally contribute your observations on the subject. My hope is that people will find my experience and the insights that I have gained to be useful.


In subsequent postings, I will continue with thoughts on the subject of being international – some extracts from my paper and development of new material. I won't post everything from my paper, of course. (For that, you will need to buy the book.)

On Being International

Reflections on living an international life – with observations and suggestions

By Mark Louis Uhrich

 

Abstract

 

Being international can run the range from traveling to different countries, to being on assignment in other countries, to immigrating to another country and becoming integrated into that other culture.  In all variations, it can be immensely enriching.  But, at the same time, there are risks of failure – both personal and professional.  Accordingly, it can be important to develop an understanding of the risks and the factors for achieving success in “being international”. 

This paper explores the dimensions of being international.  In it are profiled aspects of the experience, an examination of reasons for difficulty, and a development of what is involved in achieving success in the international environment.  These are related to personality factors, skills, and environmental factors.  The insight is developed from the perspective of the personal experience of the author, study on the subject, and observation of numerous people in several countries.

Using what has been learned, the author presents practical guidelines for both individuals involved and for organizations seeking to have people succeed in the international environment.  He also presents the richness of being international and offers encouragement to those who have an interest in being so.

 

Being International - 2: About the book "Glocal" Working

Being International    (previous page)

About the book: “Glocal” Working – Living and working across the world with cultural intelligence

First some background about the book.

The book “Glocal” Working is a collection of papers and is divided into two sections

1. Paradigms and Models  

2. Experiences and Best practices

with contributions from 25 authors on the subject.

For more information: "Glocal" working  or  FrancoAngeli.

With permission from the editor, here is an overview of its scope and contents.

INTRODUCTION

“Glocal” working: a short introduction©

Barbara Bertagni, Michele La Rosa and Fernando Salvetti

 

To live and work in our “glocal” (global & local) world, we have to be innovative as “outsiders” able to see the same things in many different ways. Being an “outsider” is both a challenge and a competitive advantage. If we see and think differently about a business need, a problem, or a market’s niche, we have a good chance of coming up with an out-of-the-box approach - one that’s original, unique and competitive. So we need some cross-cultural intelligence.

Cultural intelligence is the ability to bridge and benefit from the cultural complexity of people with different nationalities, professional backgrounds and fields, personalities and organizational cultures. Cultural intelligence combines the emotional, cognitive and practical dimensions of cross-cultural encounters and ensures more effective and fulfilling cross-cultural collaboration. Cultural intelligence means being skilled and flexible about understanding a culture, learning more about it from ongoing interactions with it and gradually reshaping your thinking to be more sympathetic to the culture and your behavior to be more skilled and appropriate when interacting with others from the culture.

Today cultural intelligence is a big challenge; the cognitive paradigms, the relational schemas and the value systems among cultures have been shown to vary significantly, not only among different countries, but also among professional people working in the same corporation. For instance, people from different cultural backgrounds are likely to have different attitudes towards hierarchy, ambiguity, achievement orientation, time and working with others.

Do we know how to understand the implicit, basic assumptions that guide people’s behavior in different areas of our world? Do we know how to interpret the explicit norms and values that guide a foreign society? Starting with these questions, or with similar ones, we may draw up a scheme useful in understanding a new business context and, at the same time, develop our own cognitive maps - intellectual flexibility, creativity, ability to innovate – in the “glocal” world. We must learn to be like Proteus – flexible enough to adapt with knowledge and sensitivity to each new cultural situation that we face.

We are all becoming “glocal” people and everyone can learn to be more culturally intelligent.  

---

© Extracted by permission of the editor.

CONTENTS

“Glocal” working: a short introduction, Barbara Bertagni, Michele La Rosa and Fernando Salvetti

First Part – Paradigms and Models

Think locally, act globally: cultural constraints in personnel management, Geert Hofstede

Three cultures of management: the key to organizational learning, Edgar Schein

The cultural metaphoric method: description, analysis and critique, Martin Gannon

Cultural intelligence: a concept for bridging and benefiting from cultural differences, Elisabeth Plum

Cultural codes: birth of a notion, Clotaire Rapaille

What is cultural intelligence?, Brooks Peterson

Anthropology and epistemology for “glocal” managers: understanding the worlds in which we live and work, Barbara Bertagni and Fernando Salvetti

Second Part – Experiences and Best practices

On being international: reflections on living an international life: with observations and suggestions, Mark Louis Uhrich

France - US comparisons: some comparisons between France and the United States, Mark Louis Uhrich

Skills for global business: cultural intelligence & business development, Fernando Salvetti

“Glocalizing” visual communication in organizations: when and how to adapt visual communication to local standards, Sabrina Bresciani and Martin Eppler

Generation Y and “glocal” working, Lorenzo Cantoni, Emanuele Rapetti and Stefano Tadini

Drumstorming music: a percussion and training experience based method, Vittorio Simonelli

What instruments and practices for the management of a multicultural staff?, Helena Karjalainen

Cross-cultural coaching, Barbara Köhne

Be innovative and learn how to learn! Cultural intelligence to a better learning, Fernando Salvetti

Knowledge sharing + Networking = Product’s Innovation (x 2… x 3… ∞), Fernando Salvetti

What is global and what is local? A theoretical discussion around globalization, Jean-Sébastien Guy

Global / Local services, Fernando Salvetti

Managing in Asia: conflict, incomprehension, or successful relations? The difficulties encountered by Western expatriate managers in Asia, Pascale Reinhardt

Living “glocally” with literacy success in the US Midwest, Loukia Sarroub

Glamour and honor: going online and reading in West African culture, Wendy Griswold, Erin Metz McDonnell and Terence Emmett McDonnell

Wal-Mart: a glocalized company, David Towers

Next:  My Contribution: "On Being International"