An Association of Marketing Students®

OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORY
Retail Merchandising 
Management Level

INSTRUCTIONAL AREA
Professional Development

PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS

PROCEDURES

1.	The event will be presented to you through your reading of these instructions, including the Performance Indicators and Event Situation. You will have up to 10 minutes to review this information to determine how you will handle the role-play situation and demonstrate the performance indicators of this event. During the preparation period, you may make notes to use during the role-play situation.

2.	You will give an ID label to your adult assistant during the preparation time.

3.	You will have up to 10 minutes to role-play your situation with a judge (you may have more than one judge).

4.	You will be evaluated on how well you meet the performance indicators of this event.

5.	Turn in all your notes and event materials when you have completed the role-play.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 

1.	Assess personal interests and skills needed for success in business.

2.	Explain employment opportunities in business.

3.	Explain the possible advancement patterns for jobs.

4.	Make decisions.

5.	Describe career opportunities in retailing.

EVENT SITUATION

You are to assume the role of merchandise manager for a unit of The Toy Store, a large chain of toy stores located throughout the southwestern United States. The regional merchandise manager (judge) has asked you to interview three potential candidates.

The regional manager (judge) was scheduled to interview candidates for the position of assistant merchandise manager trainee in your store. A schedule conflict has made this impossible, and the regional manager has asked you to do the interviewing. Your particular store is a designated training store for potential management trainees. 

Information about that you obtained from the interviews is listed below. Based on the information, you will recommend one applicant for the position of assistant merchandise manager trainee. You will be required to provide the rationale used in the selection process in a meeting with the regional merchandise manager (judge).

Applicant #1 
	Currently working as an advertising trainee for the store’s largest competitor
	Has excellent math and clerical skills
	Present supervisor is pleased with the applicant’s performance
	Relates well to people
	Displays a temper 
	Appeared to be very alert and ambitious

Applicant #2
	Presently working in a toy sales position in a large department store
	Has excellent academic credentials
	Independent, works alone
	Quiet disposition
	Appears to be ambitious
	Said very little during the interview

Applicant #3
	Has been a salesperson for this company (The Toy Store) for five years
	Displays above average math and clerical skills
	Very neat and meticulous 
	Likes to gossip
	Very confident during the interview
	Good disposition
	Appears to lack ambition

You will present your final selection to the regional merchandise manager (judge) in a role-play to take place in your store’s office. The regional manager (judge) will begin the meeting by greeting you and asking to hear the rationale used to make your final selection. After you have presented your decision and rationale and have answered the regional manager’s (judge’s) questions, the regional merchandise manager (judge) will conclude the meeting by thanking you for your help.

JUDGE’S INSTRUCTIONS

DIRECTIONS, PROCEDURES AND JUDGE’S ROLE

In preparation for this event, you should review the following information with your event manager and other judges:

1.	Procedures

2.	Performance Indicators 

3.	Event Situation

4.	Judge Role-Play Characterization
Participants may conduct a slightly different type of meeting and/or discussion with you each time; however, it is important that the information you provide and the questions you ask be uniform for every participant.

5.	Judge’s Evaluation Instructions

6.	Judge’s Evaluation Form
Please use a critical and consistent eye in rating each participant.

JUDGE ROLE-PLAY CHARACTERIZATION

You are to assume the role of regional merchandise manager for The Toy Store, a large chain of toy stores located throughout the southwestern United States. You have asked the merchandise manager (participant) at a particular store to interview three potential candidates.

The position of assistant merchandise manager trainee is open in this location, which is also a designated training store for potential management trainees. 

Information about that the merchandise manager (participant) obtained from the interviews is listed below. Based on the information, the merchandise manager (participant) will recommend one applicant for the position of assistant merchandise manager trainee. The merchandise manager (participant) will be required to provide you with the rationale used in the selection process.

Applicant #1 
	Currently working as an advertising trainee for the store’s largest competitor
	Has excellent math and clerical skills
	Present supervisor is pleased with the applicant’s performance
	Relates well to people
	Displays a temper 
	Appeared to be very alert and ambitious

Applicant #2
	Presently working in a toy sales position in a large department store
	Has excellent academic credentials
	Independent, works alone
	Quiet disposition
	Appears to be ambitious
	Said very little during the interview

Applicant #3
	Has been a salesperson for this company (The Toy Store) for five years
	Displays above average math and clerical skills
	Very neat and meticulous 
	Likes to gossip
	Very confident during the interview
	Good disposition
	Appears to lack ambition

The merchandise manager (participant) will present a final selection to you in a role-play to take place in the office. You will begin the meeting by greeting the merchandise manager (participant) and asking to hear the final selection and the rationale. 

During the course of the role-play you are to ask the following questions of each participant:

1.	Do you feel we have the three best candidates out there for this position or should we look elsewhere?  If we need to look farther, what will our next step be?

2.	How can we help the candidate you selected be a great long-term employee?  What areas do you feel need to be developed?

3.	Why are highly developed interpersonal skills important in the business world?

After the merchandise manager (participant) has presented a selection and has answered your questions, you may conclude the role-play by thanking the merchandise manager (participant) for the help.

You are not to make any comments once the role-play is over except to thank the participant.

JUDGE’S EVALUATION INSTRUCTIONS

Evaluation Form Information

The participants are to be evaluated on their ability to perform the specific performance indicators stated on the cover sheet of this event and restated on the Judge’s Evaluation Form. Although you may see other performance indicators being demonstrated by the participants, those listed in the Performance Indicators section are the critical ones you are measuring for this particular event.

Evaluation Form Interpretation

The evaluation levels listed below and the evaluation rating procedures should be discussed thoroughly with your event chairperson and the other judges to ensure complete and common understanding for judging consistency.

Level of Evaluation	Interpretation Level	
		
Excellent	Participant demonstrated the performance indicator in an extremely professional manner; greatly exceeds business standards; would rank in the top 10% of business personnel performing this performance indicator.	
		
Good	Participant demonstrated the performance indicator in an acceptable and effective manner; meets at least minimal business standards; there would be no need for additional formalized training at this time; would rank in the 70-89th percentile of business personnel performing this performance indicator.	
		
Fair	Participant demonstrated the performance indicator with limited effectiveness; performance generally fell below minimal business standards; additional training would be required to improve knowledge, attitude and/or skills; would rank in the 50-69th percentile of business personnel performing this performance indicator.	
		
Poor	Participant demonstrated the performance indicator with little or no effectiveness; a great deal of formal training would be needed immediately; perhaps this person should seek other employment; would rank in the 0-49th percentile of business personnel performing this performance indicator.	

JUDGE’S EVALUATION FORM
RMML-01
State Event  3

DID THE PARTICIPANT:

1.	Assess personal interests and skills needed for success in business?	
POOR	FAIR	GOOD	EXCELLENT	
0, 2	4, 6, 8	10, 12, 14	16, 18	
Attempts at assessing personal interests and skills needed for success in business were inadequate or unclear.	Adequately assessed personal interests and skills needed for success in business.	Effectively assessed personal interests and skills needed for success in business.	Very effectively assessed 
personal interests and skills needed for success in 
business.	
	
2.	Explain employment opportunities in business?	
POOR	FAIR	GOOD	EXCELLENT	
0, 2	4, 6, 8	10, 12, 14	16, 18	
Attempts at explaining employment opportunities in business were inadequate or unclear.	Adequately explained employment opportunities in business.	Effectively explained employment opportunities in business.	Very effectively explained employment opportunities in business.	
	
3.	Explain the possible advancement patterns for jobs?	
POOR	FAIR	GOOD	EXCELLENT	
0, 2	4, 6, 8	10, 12, 14	16, 18	
Attempts at explaining the possible advancement patterns for jobs were inadequate or unclear.	Adequately explained the possible advancement patterns for jobs.	Effectively explained the possible advancement patterns for jobs.	Very effectively explained the possible advancement patterns for jobs.	
	
4.	Make decisions?	
POOR	FAIR	GOOD	EXCELLENT	
0, 2	4, 6, 8	10, 12, 14	16, 18	
Attempts to make decisions were weak.	Adequately made decisions.	Effectively made decisions.	Very effectively made decisions.	
	
5.	Describe career opportunities in retailing?	
POOR	FAIR	GOOD	EXCELLENT	
0, 2	4, 6, 8	10, 12, 14	16, 18	
Attempts at describing career opportunities in retailing were inadequate or unclear.	Adequately described career opportunities in retailing.	Effectively described career opportunities in retailing	Very effectively described 
career opportunities in 
retailing	
	
6.    Overall impression of the participant’s skills and performance?	
POOR	FAIR	GOOD	EXCELLENT	
0, 1	2, 3, 4	5, 6, 7	8, 9, 10	
Demonstrated few skills with little or no effectiveness.	Demonstrated limited ability to link some skills effectively.	Effectively demonstrated specified skills.	Demonstrated skills in a confident, articulate and integrated manner that meets the highest professional business standards.	

Judge’s  Initials 		TOTAL SCORE