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I'm disappointed with Nick


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Old 16-04-2009, 12:19
GerriP
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Plus it was the issue - either they really went for it and won or they lost because of this error. Also, there are some simple business points in thes eprogs and this was obviously one of them - watch the costs. You can see from James "stating the obvious" early on. Interesting (and typical) that the public sector person did not have a clue about costing - and why think that a salesman like Ben would know about costings? It was actually Yasmina's fault, but she had shown more potential in the earlier tasks.
It is essential that a Sales Exec knows about costings. At the most basic level you have to know how much the product you are selling costs so that you don't sell it for a loss.

But wasn't the argument for allocating costings to Ben that he was a Stockbroker?
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Old 16-04-2009, 12:22
GerriP
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And has anyone seen this product which already exists? Not exactly original afterall!
Only the honey chunk is the same. The surrounding soap smells completely different - Lush uses Ylang Ylang andGeranium and the Apprentice Soap used Citrus oils. Plus the above soap is manufactured in a massive long bar that you cut slices off to sell and the apprentice soaps were individually made. So not quite so similar!

Sorry - Lush Nerd lol
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Old 16-04-2009, 12:28
Socha
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I know, but seeing Yasmina's face when she realised her clanger, and her classic 'sh**!!' was a great TV moment - followed by Nick's 'well, I'll leave that with you then!' Great to watch, but yes, it did seem odd that he gave input at that point.
I guess so, but I think an ever better reaction would have been gained by keeping quiet, letting them sell at whatever price, make good sales and think they have walked it, then to be told in the boardroom about their mistake.
The programme is not about letting people trip up, watching them make mistakes and see how bad they feel in the boardroom when they realise they messed up.

It's also about how people handle mistakes, whether they are able to think fast, change strategies, etc...

Often enough you hear them say in the boardroom: I've learnt from my mistakes, I take on board what you say, I'll do it differently next time.
This time they had the opportunity to do that ON the show itself...
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Old 16-04-2009, 12:33
peely
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Nick didn't actually help them. If he were going to actually advise them he would have had to have told them before they produced it. He merely pointed out their mistake, as none of the manufacturing team realised or were going to, hence the rest of the team would never have known until they were in the boardroom. They would have had no chance as a team to try to make amends. Its a shame they didn't up the price, but people may not have bought it.
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Old 16-04-2009, 12:48
djdiffusion
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It is essential that a Sales Exec knows about costings. At the most basic level you have to know how much the product you are selling costs so that you don't sell it for a loss.

But wasn't the argument for allocating costings to Ben that he was a Stockbroker?
Let's be honest- none of them have a clue.
If the real business world was like that, the uk would be worse than what is it now!!!

It's all for the entertainment factor
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Old 16-04-2009, 13:08
GerriP
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Let's be honest- none of them have a clue.
If the real business world was like that, the uk would be worse than what is it now!!!

It's all for the entertainment factor
Very True!!

The other thing to remember is that the tasks they are given rarely bear relation to real business. Take Yasmina's previous successful Team Leader stint - in the real world she'd have tanked because there would have been no repeat bookings because of her Asda Smart Price food, but in Apprentice-Land she was deemed 'excellent'
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Old 16-04-2009, 13:50
GonzoTheGreat
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hence the rest of the team would never have known until they were in the boardroom.
The actual point is, the viewer would have realised all along there was no chance of one team actually winning, unless they edited it out .. and they couldn't edit it out because it was the main thing that affected the end result.

Besides, it made for a nice twist in the episode. Perhaps it would have been better if Alan Sugar had read out in the boardroom the results had the team used the cheaper oil and let them think they'd won .. and then said BUT instead of x you actually bought the more expensive x, meaning you made a loss. However its not really the BBC's thing to mislead contestants or viewers.
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Old 16-04-2009, 13:52
Sid_1979
 
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Nick should have kept his mouth shut.

He's there to assess, not assist.
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Old 16-04-2009, 14:15
yaruar
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But wasn't the argument for allocating costings to Ben that he was a Stockbroker?
He's a trainee stockbroker though, which roughly equates to making the tea and going out and buying sandwiches for the real traders and being alowed to watch what they do. If he's really lucky he'll be allowed to take notes for them when they trade in the afternoon and are too drunk to see what they are doing.
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Old 16-04-2009, 14:18
peely
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He's a trainee stockbroker though, which roughly equates to making the tea and going out and buying sandwiches for the real traders and being alowed to watch what they do. If he's really lucky he'll be allowed to take notes for them when they trade in the afternoon and are too drunk to see what they are doing.
No doubt part of the reason for his employers hiring him as a trainee would be his background and education. However, surely they'd expect some level of numeracy or the potential to have a good financial head?
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Old 16-04-2009, 14:27
Clatter
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It's far from the first time that N or M have stepped in and pointed out errors, and the fact that you may not have seen it more often could simply be down to the way in which the program is editted.
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Old 16-04-2009, 16:46
BelligerentBoss
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Only the honey chunk is the same. The surrounding soap smells completely different - Lush uses Ylang Ylang andGeranium and the Apprentice Soap used Citrus oils. Plus the above soap is manufactured in a massive long bar that you cut slices off to sell and the apprentice soaps were individually made. So not quite so similar!

Sorry - Lush Nerd lol
Points noted, but the principle of encapsulated honey in a soap bar is what i was trying to highlight.
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Old 16-04-2009, 16:50
BelligerentBoss
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He's a trainee stockbroker though, which roughly equates to making the tea and going out and buying sandwiches for the real traders and being alowed to watch what they do. If he's really lucky he'll be allowed to take notes for them when they trade in the afternoon and are too drunk to see what they are doing.
I don't believe he's even a trainee anymore, the firm seemingly fired him for keeping it from them until the very last moment. The word is, his colleagues were all glad to see the back of him.

That figures!
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Old 16-04-2009, 16:54
Tern
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Nick should have kept his mouth shut.

He's there to assess, not assist.
He would have taken the action he did under advisement from the production company.

No point whatsoever in blaming him.
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Old 16-04-2009, 17:43
missfrankiecat
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[quote=GerriP;31954641]Very True!!

The other thing to remember is that the tasks they are given rarely bear relation to real business. Take Yasmina's previous successful Team Leader stint - in the real world she'd have tanked because there would have been no repeat bookings because of her Asda Smart Price food, but in Apprentice-Land she was deemed 'excellent'[/QUOTE

Worse than that, in the real world the city firm would have sent them packing the minute they saw the so-called canapes and blinis and sent a runner to M&S for sandwich platters and the lunch people with added hair in the salad would be calling the lawyers not paying for it! There is no way Yasmina would have made a profit even as a one off.
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Old 16-04-2009, 18:15
Firespire
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Presumably both teams are provided with the factory bill before they leave so they can determine the selling price, the production company probably thought it would be better/funnier if Nick broke the news to them as them reading piece of paper doesn't make great TV.

The exact same thing happened with the 100 Chicken Pizzas, it was the quote of that series and did nothing to sway the result.
That was classic - 1 chicken per pizza.
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Old 16-04-2009, 19:28
cityoflights
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Why did he interfere with proceedings? He's never done that before!

The show would have been a lot better had they only found out the mistake in the boardroom
No.

His comments "leading them up the mistake path" were brilliant, and the highlight of last nights show.
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