BBS003-1 Business Communication: Lucy Gough Stylist Report

This report analyzes the business communication challenges and strategic solutions for Lucy Gough Stylist, focusing on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing demand for online courses. The report begins with an introduction and a summary of the case study, highlighting the business problem of declining sales and the need for strategic actions. It then explores the business problem through SWOT and PESTLE analyses, identifying the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as well as the impact of political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors. The report examines the impact of potential strategic solutions, focusing on the adoption of online classes through digital platforms, which led to increased enrollment and positive financial results. The reflection section discusses the importance of self-reflection for personal and professional development, skills acquired during the module, and the application of models like Kolb's reflective cycle, Belbin, and Tuckman to improve employability and teamwork. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for innovation and adaptation in business operations to ensure sustainability and success.

Business Communication

Table of Contents
Part-1................................................................................................................................................3
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Summary of the case study.........................................................................................................3
Exploration of business problem.................................................................................................4
Impact of potential strategic solutions........................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................7
Part-2................................................................................................................................................8
Reflection.........................................................................................................................................8
References......................................................................................................................................12

Part-1
Introduction
For an organisation to successfully and sustainably exist in market it is important that
effective changes are made in business functions and operations so that the changing demands of
market can be fulfilled efficiently. It also help the businesses in gaining competitive advantage in
market along with increasing their customer base so that sales can be increased along with
enhancing their profitability and productivity (Bhardwaj, Crocker and Wang 2018). In this report
the effectiveness of a business in dealing with problems so that they can sustainably exist in
market will be discussed so that strategic approaches can be applied and problems can be
efficiently dealt with.
Summary of the case study
In this report the case study related with Lucy Gough Stylist is discussed which is a
business that help aspiring stylists in learning everything about interior designing, mood board
techniques, creating a basic portfolio and in building concepts through real life case studies so
that they can become better stylists. The business witnessed a downfall in its growth and
progress during the coronavirus outbreak as the businesses were shut down and the classes
related with interior designing were cancelled which lead to increased loss to the business. It is
important that strategic actions are taken so that the business condition can be improved and it
can continue to exist sustainably in the market (Foss Frederiksen and Rullani, 2016). The
business scenario of Lucy Gough Stylist can be analysed by using effective model like SWOT,
PESTLE and Porter's five forces model etc. so that the impact of various factors on the business
can be analysed along with identifying the problems related with the business.
SWOT analysis

Strengths
 Increased demand for courses related
with interior designing so that
decorations can be done. Improving living standard of people
which lead to an increase in demand for
designing.
Weaknesses
 The courses can become successful
when a large number of students enrol
in the course.
 Designing requires highly innovative
and technical thoughts so that designing
can be effectively done.
Opportunities
 Increased digitalisation can give the
business boost in its sales as the courses
can be taught online. More number of people prefer online
classes which can also help in reaching
to a large number of people irrespective
of their distance and time.
Threats
 The outbreak of coronavirus has lead to
decrease in the sales of business due to
lock-down and least contact among
people.
 Increased competition in market can
lead to decrease in the sales of
business.
PESTLE analysis: It is a strategic management tool which can help in determining the impact of
external environmental factors on Lucy Gough stylist: Political: UK is politically stable nation which can help Lucy Gough stylist in increasing
the sales of the company. Economical: UK has a stable economy with people having high living standard along
with high income which can help Lucy Gough stylist in increasing its business. Social: The people in UK are highly fashionable which is increasing the demand for
interior designing course among people (Hinault and Lemaire 2016). Technological: The technological advancements in UK can help Lucy Gough stylist in
using digital technology to increase its business reach. Legal: The company can follow all the laws related with business to successfully survive
in UK market.
 Environmental: The company can take the advantage of outbreak of coronavirus
pandemic so that it can use digital platforms and increase its customer base.

Exploration of business problem
The problem which is being faced by the business is related with decrease in the sale of
classes for the course of interior designing which has increased losses for Lucy Gough stylist. In
order to deal with the business problem it is important that efficient solutions are found so that
profits can be earned continuously by attracting prospects and converting them into customers. In
order to deal with the situation of coronavirus lock down it is important that online classes are
taken through digital platform so that students can be enrolled in online classes and they can be
given lectures regarding interior designing (Norris-Tirrell and Clay, 2016). It is important that
strategic solutions are found for dealing with such problem so that the effectiveness and
efficiency of business in the market can be increased.
Impact of potential strategic solutions
In order to deal with pandemic situation which has lead to decreased sales of the business
of Lucy Gough stylist it is important that strategic solutions are found so that the problem can be
dealt with in an efficient manner. Based on the above discussion it can be said that the business
is facing problems because of the situation of lock-down due to the spread of COVID-19
pandemic. Because of the lock-down the business is facing a downfall in the enrolment of
students for interior designing course leading to a decrease in the profits of company along with
decrease in the number of its customers. In order to deal with this situation in an efficient manner
it is important that strategic solutions are found so that they can be analysed based on their
effectiveness in achieving the goals of company (Van Aken and Berends, 2018). From the many
strategic solutions identified best solution must be found which can be applied by Lucy Gough
stylist so that highly effective results can be achieved. The best solution which is selected by the
business is use of digital platform so that the situation of decrease in the sales of company due to
outbreak of COVID-19 can be handled in an efficient manner.
The impact of the strategic solution on the business has been positive as Ms Gough
launched the self-paced course in mid-May and within two weeks of starting the online course
has already attracted 112 students from as far as Canada and Poland. The increased use of digital
technology can help the business in reaching to a large number of customers irrespective of their
time and distance which can increase the sales of company. It can also help in increasing the
brand image of business in market with an estimated increase in the profits of up-to £20,000 so
that the profitability of company can also be enhance. Thus the increased use of digital

technology and the increase in demand of e-learning globally can give businesses the opportunity
in enhancing their reach to a large number of customers along with increasing their profits. Also
the use of digital marketing techniques can help in attracting a large number of customers so that
the sales can be increased along with improving the way in which businesses exist in the market.

Conclusion
From the above report it can be said that businesses need to bring innovation in their
processes and operations so that they can deal with changing situations in market and survive
sustainably. This can also help them in attracting new customers while holding on to existing
customers so that they can help the company in increasing its sales along with improving its
brand image in the market. New technologies can also be implemented in the company which
can help increasing the efficiency of company in market along with dealing with the changing
conditions in an efficient manner.

References
Books and Journals
Bhardwaj, G., Crocker, A., Sims, J. and Wang, R.D., 2018. Alleviating the plunging-in bias,
elevating strategic problem-solving. Academy of Management Learning & Education,
17(3), pp.279-301.
Foss, N.J., Frederiksen, L. and Rullani, F., 2016. Problem‐formulation and problem‐solving in
self‐organized communities: How modes of communication shape project behaviors in
the free open‐source software community. Strategic management journal, 37(13),
pp.2589-2610.
Hinault, T. and Lemaire, P., 2016. Age-related changes in strategic variations during arithmetic
problem solving: The role of executive control. In Progress in brain research (Vol. 227,
pp. 257-276). Elsevier.
Norris-Tirrell, D. and Clay, J.A., 2016. Strategic collaboration in public and nonprofit
administration: A practice-based approach to solving shared problems. CRC Press.
Van Aken, J.E. and Berends, H., 2018. Problem solving in organizations. Cambridge university
press.

Part-2
Reflection
In order to effectively develop self employability reflection plays an important role as it
help in identifying personal skills and abilities along with the areas which needs improvement so
that continuous development can take place through effective learning. Reflection plays an
important role in the personal and professional development of an individual as it help in
evaluation of work and activities done by an individual so that the efficiency in completing the
work can be analysed. Based on my personal learning experience while studying the module it
can be said that I have used my skills and abilities in an efficient manner so that I could acquire
the knowledge about various subjects taught during the module along with improving my
capabilities so that my effectiveness in dealing with situations can be enhanced. During the
module I have acquired a variety of skills like communication, numeracy, ICT, problem solving,
team working skills etc. which can help in enhancing my employability.
I have continuously developed these skills by using effective models like Kolb's
reflective cycle through which my problem solving and communication skills improved. In this
model there are four stages which must be followed so that continuous learning can take place
which can also help in identifying and improving the weak areas so that overall development can
take place. As per this model it is important that first the experience needs to be gained in
relation to a work like studying, learning, communicating etc. The next stage is related with
reflecting on the experience which is achieved by reviewing the experience based on good or bad
so that the effectiveness of a person in dealing with situation can be analysed. After this the
learning experience is analysed or concluded so that new idea or concept related with the
experience can be developed which can help in developing learning of a person. The final stage
of this cycle is implementation of new ideas or concepts in dealing with similar situations in the
future so that better experience can be generated which can help in continuous development of
an individual. I use this cycle effectively so that I can become better in my problem solving skills
and communication skills so that I can become better along with improving my employability.
These skills are required in making an individual competitive in market and in gaining desired
job in desired company as wit the help of these skills effective decision can be made and better
relations can be made with stakeholders of company. Thus while learning this module I have

continuously developed my skills which can help me in increasing my employability in market
and can also help in my career development so that I can become successful and satisfied with
my job.
While learning the module I have also learnt about the effective use of models like Belbin
and Tuckman which can help in improving my team working skills so that I can work effectively
with others which can also help in enhancing my employability. In businesses team working
skills play an important role so that projects can be completed effectively by the team members
by improving coordination among them along with improving effective communication so that
desired results can be achieved. I have learnt efficiently about the use of these models so that I
can work with others and collaborate with them so that the roles and responsibilities can be
performed and targets can be achieved on time. With the help of Belbin model I can manage the
team in an efficient manner by delegating work among them depending on their characteristics
and abilities so that they can perform the work in desired manner. Based on this model there are
nine team roles which can be allocated to team members like Shaper who are the people who
accept challenges are dynamic in nature and encourage the team members to improve their work.
Implementer are the people who believe in practically implementing the ideas so that the team
members can use their skills and abilities in achieving the goals which are to be achieved by
performing actions. Completer-finisher are the people who ensure that the projects are completed
thoroughly by looking for any errors or mistakes so that the project can be completed in an
efficient manner. Coordinator are the ones who help in coordinating the work among member
and take responsibility of the work so that it can be completed in the manner desired. Team
worker are the people who provide support to the team members so that effective cohesion
among team members can take place which can help them in working together. Resource
investigator are the people who are innovative and curious and they explore options available so
that best option can be selected in solving problems. Planter are the people who have innovative
ideas and who help in coming up with new solutions to a problem so that they can be solved
efficiently. Monitor-Evaluator are the people who analyse and evaluate a situation so that
effective decision making can be done. Specialist are the people who have specialised knowledge
regarding a problem so that they can efficiently get the work completed.
I can use the above model in an efficient manner so that the roles among team members
can be effectively dealt with which can help in completing the project on time along with

establishing effective communication among them. Use of Tuckman model can also be done so
that effective team can be formed through stages like forming, storming, norming, performing
and adjourning so that team work can be completed on time. These skills are thus very important
in improving employability skills so that I can get employed in my desired firm and get my
desired job so that I can achieve high job satisfaction. I also need to continuously reflect on my
capabilities so that I can develop my skills related with communication both verbal and written
which can be evidenced by improvement in my ability related with classroom discussion,
presentation and report writing.
With the help of SMART framework I can continuously improve my skills and become
highly capable in acquiring job that I want. SMART framework is a tool which can help me in
efficiently planning the ways of achieving desired goals in the time desired. An action plan
which can help me in improving my skills effectively are:
Skills Steps that needs
to be followed
Resources
required
Success criteria Time required
Communication
skills
These skills are
important so that
better decisions
can be made. I
need to improve
both verbal and
non-verbal skills
so that
information can
be understood in
the manner
desired.
Use of books and
journals, help
from teachers,
participation in
discussion,
presentation etc.
Improvement in
the ability of
doing discussion
in classroom,
improved
presentations and
report writing so
that better marks
can be scored.
1 month
Problem solving These skills are
important for
taking effective
decisions and can
With the help of
teachers, books,
effective analysis
of information
Improvement in
gathering of
information and
its analysis so that
1.5 months

be improved by
improving critical
analysis and
thinking so that
situations can be
analysed
effectively.
through
continuous
practice etc.
assignments can
be made effective
and highly
understandable.
Team working I can make use of
Belbin and
Tuckman model
so that effective
team working can
take place and
work can be
completed
efficiently.
I need to take up
more projects so
that I can develop
my skills related
with working
within a team.
Improved
efficiency with
which team work
is completed on
time and effective
results are
achived.
1 month