BUSN4100 Business Research Methods For Innovation Meetings

t opportunities for all. The codes of practice for meetings include the following.

Before Meeting:

• The participants shall have the prior information regarding the meeting schedule.
• The venue of the meeting shall have safety measures incorporated in it.
• In case of absence of the meeting chairperson, an alternate chairperson shall be selected before the execution of the meeting.
• The participants must be provided with the meeting agenda before the meeting is carried out.
• All the participants that may be unable to attend the meeting shall inform about their absence in advance along with a proper reason of absence.
• In case of any cancellations, the participants shall be updated one week in advance for the regular meetings and 24 hours in advance for urgent meetings.
• The modifications in the meeting agenda shall be circulated in advance in the form of an addendum.
• The participant must being all the referencing documents if a particular evidence or information is to be presented by the participant during the meeting. 

At the time of Meeting:

• All the attendees shall be provided with the freedom of speech and it must be respected for one and all.
• The code shall be followed by all the meeting attendees.
• The chairperson must ensure that the meeting is carried out adhering to the legal norms and policies.
• The participants must maintain the decorum and the questions that are raised must not hurt the sentiments of any of the participant present during the meeting(Pinsent Masons LLP, 2015). 

Post Meeting:

• The meeting notes shall be prepared covering the accurate details of all the discussions.
• The sharing of confidential information and details associated with the meeting shall be sent as an attachment in the email.

There are a few procedures that have been prepared in order to make sure that the above codes of practice are realized.

• The participants must be provided with a formal invitation for the meeting and the key discussion points must be clearly stated in the invitation.
• Invitation shall be sent and circulated seven days in advance and there shall also be reminders and alerts that must be sent out.
• The facilitator of the meeting must arrange for the minute taker for the meeting who shall be provided with the responsibility to note the key points of the meeting.
• The minutes of meeting shall be sent out to all the participants after the completion of the meeting.

3 Public Meetings

There are a few legislative requirements that must be met for the public meetings.

Before Meeting - Rules for Notice:

• There must be a notice that must be circulated for all the participants of the meeting informing them about the time and venue of the meeting along with the agenda of the meeting.
• The details regarding the meeting shall be circulated through press releases or with the aid of emails to the media and community organizations.
• The notice must be circulated to the public for more than 24 hours and the emergency meetings must be cancelled in less than 24 hours(ORS, 2017). 

During Meeting - Meeting Standards

• Meeting standards for a particular country shall be explored and the meeting agenda must be set up accordingly.
• Legal requirements and norms must also be met on the basis of the specific legal policies and rules. 

After Meeting - Minutes of the Meeting

• The minutes of the meeting shall include the information, such as meeting schedule, venue of the meeting, number of members that will be attending the meeting, purpose of the meeting and agenda of the meeting.
• The minutes of the meeting must be sent to all the team members within 7 days of the meeting. In case of the urgent meetings, the minutes must be circulated within 72 hours and for the voting it must be in less than 42 hours(FOIC, 2008).

4 Legislations & Other Meeting Requirements

The following legislations can have an impact on the meetings.

Health and Safety Requirements:

• The meeting room or venue that is selected for the meeting must have adequate health and safety measures.
• The venue must have the measures, such as fire extinguishers, first aid kits, scope for emergency evacuation, properly lit environment, fresh air and suitable arrangements for water and snacks.
• The choice of the venue for the meeting must be taken on the basis of these requirements and the decision may have an impact on the need for transportation along with the overall cost for the company.

Organization requirements:

• The organization must make sure that there are arrangements done for the execution of the meeting successfully and the organizational needs, such as transportation, catering, documentation etc. are met.
• The venue shall be booked in advance and in case of any cancellations, the organizers shall be informed in advance. All of these arrangements will impact the budget of the company (ISC, 2012).

Meeting requirements

Before the actual execution of the meeting, there are a few requirements that shall be met and these are as listed below.

• The meeting purpose must be clearly stated and the meeting agenda shall be designed on the basis of the same.
• The meeting participants must be identified and specific roles to be covered during the meeting must be assigned to them.
• The final decision regarding the selection of meeting venue and slot must be taken.
• The set of processes that must be carried out during the meeting must be taken in terms of the discussion strategies and methodologies.
• The meeting attendees shall be verified on the basis of their identity and their role during the meeting.
• The meeting participants must have the meeting agenda available with them and they must also prepare themselves accordingly(Rebori, 1994).
• The meeting room or venue that is selected for the meeting must have adequate health and safety measures. The venue must have the measures, such as fire extinguishers, first aid kits, scope for emergency evacuation, properly lit environment, fresh air and suitable arrangements for water and snacks.

Participation requirements                       

There are a few requirements associated with the meeting participants as well that have been covered below.

Meeting organizer

• Shall be equipped with the access to the meeting venue.
• Must be provided with the meeting agenda and key points to cover during the meeting.

Key presenter

• The documents required for reference and presentation shall be available.
• Must be provided with the names, details and roles of the meeting attendees.

Minute taker

• Must have the information regarding the meeting schedule and venue.
• Shall be provided with the tools and equipment to record the meeting discussions.

Meeting leader

• Must be provided with the meeting agenda and key points to cover during the meeting.
• Shall be provided with the names and details of the meeting attendees.
• Shall be provided with a document listing the codes of practice(Webster, 2011).

Decision making authority

• Shall have the concepts and ideas for decision making.
• Shall be provided with factual data and information for effective decision making. 

Resource requirements

The resources that would be required for the conduction of the meeting shall include the following.

• Seating arrangements for the human resources.
• Catering facility shall be equipped and made available to make sure that water and snacks are available for the resources.
• Meeting tools and equipment, such as projector, microphones, computer systems and servers shall be made available.
• Health and safety measures and facilities shall be made available for the attendees of the meeting.
• The budget must be estimated for the meetings and the necessary funds shall be arranged.
• Human resources will be required for the execution of the meeting to perform various roles.

Managing Cultural Differences

There are differences that the people from a number of varied cultures view time. However, there are also cultures in which people do not tolerate the wastage of time and it is considered rude to come late for meetings or other events. These cultures are termed as monochromatic in Japan. In cultures like these, any of the interruptions during the meeting are not entertained. However, in certain cultures such interruptions are considered as normal in Latin America and Middle East. Due to such varying cultures, there can be certain conflicts that may emerge. The following steps shall be taken to avoid and resolve these conflicts.

• There shall be a specific slot that must be reserved for questions and answers round.
• The attendees shall be allowed to enter only 15 minutes prior to the actual start time of the event.

There are other challenges that may come up due to the difference in the culture and behaviour of the people. The attitude that may be considered good in a particular culture may not be considered good in the other culture. For instance, the difference in the power distance may appear as a prime challenge.  The conflicts like these can be treated with the measures as listed below.

• The organization must keep a slot reserved for the presentation of different opinions and views so that none of the attendees may feel offended. The Six Hat Thinking System may be used for this purpose.
• There shall be a chance provided to every attendee to speak up about their views which may be positive or negative in nature. There must not be any conflicts in this regard.

Documentation

Meeting Schedule

References

FOIC, 2008. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT: Public Meetings Guide, Connecticut: FOIC.

ISC, 2012. Manage meetings, s.l.: Australian GOvernment.

ORS, 2017. FAQ on Notice Requirements for Public Meetings , s.l.: LEAGUE OF OREGON CITIES.

Pinsent Masons LLP, 2015. Company meetings. [Online]
Available at: https://www.out-law.com/page-8201
[Accessed 1 AUg 2017].

Rebori, M. K., 1994. HOW TO ORGANIZE AND RUN EFFECTIVE MEETINGS , s.l.: University of Nevada.

Webster, D., 2011. A Client’s Guide to Company Meetings, Resolutions and Decision-Making, s.l.: Russell-Cooke LLP.