(MBA600 )-Unlocking Professional Growth: Reflecting on MBA Skills and Capstone Module Learnings

MBA600 – CAPSTONE
ASSESSMENT THREE – REFLECTIVE ESSAY
INTRODUCTION
Developing skills required for professional advancement, regardless of the careers, requires
keen emphasis on self-reflective practices and application of the skills gained through
professional courses (Cottrell, 2017). Modules such as Capstone provides students with a
unique opportunity to showcase the learnings gained from reflective practices as well as
academic rigour throughout the MBA program. In this report, the summary of key reflective
practices, skills gained from the Capstone subject and the learning from pursuing MBA is
included (Hawkins, 2015). A specific emphasis was directed towards usefulness of the key
employability skills gained from MBA program and capstone module in particular, in the
future endeavours as a part of my professional journey in the future.
SUMMARY OF REFLECTIVE CAPABILITY AND LEARNING
The development of essential employability is one of the important aims of pursuing MBA
program in prestigious international universities (Aaker, 2014). With the help of several
modules that I undertook during the program, I was able to enhance my knowledge and
understanding in several key areas. I will consider the opportunity to undertake capstone
subject as the culmination of knowledge acquired through several modules and a chance to
demonstrate the key skills gained through the program. I have developed theoretical skills
while studying for capstone program as I had to go through several strategic frameworks for
organisational strategy, industry analysis of the airline industry, sources of competitive
advantage for the selected organisation Lufthansa Group and approaches to enhance value
offered to the customers (Henderson, 2016). From the capstone module, I have experienced
that the seemingly unrelated subjects covered during the MBA program made sense while
using them together. For any business organisation, it is important to adapt strategies for
marketing, leadership, CSR, project management, operations and people management. The
capstone module helped me to gain better understanding of how all the strategies related
to various aspects of the business help the organisations to improve their overall
1

performance when used together. The interconnectedness between these theories is well
understood by me with the help of this module (Cascio, 2014).
The selection of appropriate frameworks by managers to resolve strategic issues is one of
the important critical success factors of any business. From this module, I understood that
the business managers can choose from wide range of strategies, approaches and
frameworks that suit their business needs (Hawkins, 2015). From the review of the
strategies adapted by chosen organisation Lufthansa Group such as differentiation strategy
to achieve competitive advantage, I gained keen insights on various aspects related to
building competitive advantage and the overall approaches that businesses can use to
achieve their goals. Hence the applied skills and the practical skills were further
strengthened with the help of this module. One of the challenges that I faced during this
module is to select the right strategies to apply in order to conduct an effective industry
analysis and strategic analysis of the chosen organisation. I had to reflect upon my learning
acquired through several modules and apply it in the capstone module which further
improved confidence (Griggs et al, 2018). I have developed a strategic mindset with the help
of this program by improving competencies of knowing, doing and being by gaining
knowledge and applying it to practical business scenarios.
PERSONAL REFLECTION ON LEARNINGS FROM CAPSTONE SUBJECT
One of the important takeaways from the capstone subject during the fag end of the course
is the opportunity of me to exhibit my critical thinking skills and how I have been able to
apply my learning from previous modules (Cameron, 2016). It not only prepared me for
future course of learning but also enhanced my knowledge and reinforced my confidence in
the skills and knowledge I have acquired from the past few years. Personally, I feel that
undertaking the capstone project helped me prepare for the challenges that I am likely to
face after going into the real business world. As this opportunity helped me to apply key
theories and learning to analyse business strategies of global companies such as Lufthansa
Group, I gained significant insights about various key aspects including competitive
advantage, industry analysis and dynamic capabilities for sustainability (Bassot, 2015).
2

One of the important learning from the capstone module include sharpening the research
and reasoning skills. After the selection of the case study organisation, I have conducted
extensive review and research using various secondary sources such as books, journals and
articles published on the internet (Henderson, 2016). The annual reports of the Lufthansa
Group are also made use of in order to use the pertinent information and analyse the
strategies adapted by the organisation to gain competitive advantage in the highly
competitive airline industry. After completion of the capstone module, I will feel very
confident in facing interviews and answers questions with confidence as I have acquired
good knowledge of strategic management theories, approaches for competitive advantage
and value creation methods (Aaker, 2014). I will also be able to demonstrate my analytical
skills through my capstone project and I consider this an important opportunity in the MBA
course to start and advance my professional career in the near future.
Apart from the four key skills learned from the Capstone subject such as analytical,
theoretical, applied and practical skills, I managed to improve my knowledge and
understanding of several important elements of an organisation (Cameron, 2016). I have
understood how strategic knowledge is used to attain and sustain competitive advantage by
the business organisations in the real-world environment. Studying various materials to
complete my capstone module helped me improve my learning in the areas such as
innovation and growth and its usefulness in building inimitable competitive assets to
succeed in the highly competitive airline industry (Griggs et al, 2018). By understanding the
business models used by the global organisations such as Lufthansa group, I understood the
nature and complexity of business operations in the regional and the international markets.
Leadership and communication is among the important areas of any business that will help
improve growth and profitability by enhancing overall performance of the organisation.
Through this capstone module, I studied about various leadership styles, their advantages
and limitations and their influence on employee performance and organisational
performance (Hawkins, 2015).
As a part of the capstone module, I studied the competition strategy adapted by the case
study organisation Lufthansa group and understood how sources of competitive advantage
are identified by organisations in the global business environment (Cottrell, 2017). The
importance of constant research and development activities to explore areas of future
3