Reflective Journal on Business Management: Course Reflections

This reflective journal offers a detailed exploration of business management principles, drawing on the author's experience as a restaurant manager and insights gained from a related university course. The journal delves into four key areas: the importance of business consulting, the distinctions between junior and senior consultants, the structured approach of the consulting process (especially in employee management), and the significance of communication and negotiation skills. The author reflects on how these concepts have been applied in their role, highlighting the value of expert advice, the nuances of different consulting approaches, and the importance of effective communication for both employee and customer satisfaction. The journal concludes with an affirmation of the course's impact on the author's understanding of business management and its practical application, emphasizing the development of strategies for business growth and the effective handling of both internal and external stakeholders.

Running head: REFLECTIVE JOURNAL ON BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Reflective Journal on Business Management
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
1. Reflections on Business Consulting.........................................................................................2
2. Reflections on Business Consulting Practice...........................................................................3
3. Reflections on the Consulting Process.....................................................................................4
4. Reflections on Communication and Negotiation.....................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
Working as a business manager has turned out to be an enthralling and exciting
experience for me. Business management is a multi-dimensional process and there are many
factors that need to be taken into consideration when working as a manager (Barry 2017). I have
been engaged in professional service as a manager at a restaurant in the last three months, a
restaurant that is situated in my locality and which I have been visiting ever since I was a child. It
was overwhelming therefore, for me to land a job as a manager at this particular restaurant and I
must admit that the course which I attended on business management and practice at university is
something that has greatly come to my aid and assistance while performing the role of a manager
at this restaurant (Botha et al. 2016). In this particular report, I will reflect on four topics that
were taught to me as part of this course that have helped me a lot in my work as a restaurant
manager, and which I believe, will continue to help me in the future as well, regardless of the
enterprise or industry in which I work as a manager.
1. Reflections on Business Consulting
The importance of business consulting is something that I really got to understand when
doing my work as a manager. Business consulting as this course has taught me, involves the
provision of expert advice to business owners and managers on a wide range of operational
issues (Cokins 2017). While working as a manager at the restaurant, in the initial days, I thought
I would be able to take on all the challenges that come with the job on my own. I was not going
to take any external help or assistance in order to do my work with the proficiency and the
competency that was desired from the same. However, as the days rolled on, and the

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management of inventory and employees not to mention the customers appeared to become more
of a tedious and challenging affair, I came to realize the crucial importance of business
consulting, and the need to reach out to experts every once in a while in order to understand how
business affairs were to be run. The general business appraisal of the company and long term
strategic growth were two of the areas in which I sought help and assistance from business
consultants (Derr and Delong 2018). While a lot of the work that is done by consultants is
something that we can do on our own as managers, the provision of expert advice when running
business operations, especially during a peak business season, is something that turns out to be
efficient and convenient. The advice that I received in terms of expert guidance helped me to
determine the type of business growth that the restaurant was facing, the key challenges that lay
ahead of the business and how the business ought to be valued overall, so that operations could
be undertaken towards its growth and expansion rather than its contraction. Particularly, the
expert guidance that I availed with respect to employee management at the restaurant is
something that I believe will come to my aid not only in my present role as restaurant manager
but later on in my managerial career as well (Linton and Solomon 2017).
2. Reflections on Business Consulting Practice
The ways by which I should make a distinction between the work that is done by a senior
practitioner or consultant with the work that is done by a junior consultant is something that this
course has taught me and which has proven to be of great help to me in my role as a restaurant
manager. The entry level consultants are people who are characterized by a great deal of
enthusiasm. They have excellent skills in communication for the most part, and are willing to
provide suggestions and guidance that may be considered to be out of the box and a bit radical to

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say the least. The people skills, analytical skills and organizational skills of entry level
consultants is something that can really come to the aid of a business organization that is looking
to grow and expand in the best way possible. I for one, was quite taken aback by the advice and
the suggestions that I received from the junior level consultants, and implementing some of this
advice, especially with respect to restaurant ambience and client retention have turned out to be a
success, leading me to admire the work and the practice of such entry level consultants
considerably (Gummeson 2017).
When it comes to the services that are provided by senior consultants, what I came to
understand about the work they do is that they are more structured in their approach to business
management and practice. The senior consultants who I consulted were people who cannot be
regarded as risk takers and the suggestions or the advice that they had for me bordered along the
lines of being cautious and careful for the most part. The senior consultants turned out to be far
more empathetic than the junior consultants, and client management policies and suggestions as
forwarded by such consultants are those that have successfully helped me in the crucial task of
customer or client retention at our restaurant. I have learnt how to tread the path towards
business progress and growth with caution and I am grateful to the senior consultants who I have
turned to, for their guidance and suggestions (North and Kumta 2018).
3. Reflections on the Consulting Process
The type of assistance that I have required with respect to the work that I do as a
restaurant manager as revolved less around the management of clients and more around the
management of employees. As such, the consulting process for me had to be structured and
organized. I was taking help from both senior and junior consultants not only to understand the

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type of polices and schemes that I ought to introduce in order to attract more attention or more
custom rather for the business, but also to learn how the employees of the organization ought to
be managed. The restaurant where I work as a manager is serviced by 30 odd employees, all of
whom are my subordinates and who are working under my supervision. It is a challenging task to
manage so many employees at a given time which is why the suggestions and the advice that the
senior and junior consultants had for me turned out to be very useful. I was given specific advice
on how to avoid labor trouble at the restaurant (Parris et al. 2016). This, along with the crucial
job of employee retention is something that I learnt about in the best possible way through the
work that I was seen to do at this restaurant at a manager. I was briefed on the specific forms of
behavior that I need to adopt or use when approaching employees working under by supervision
and giving them instructions on a day to day basis. I was told about how disputes ought to be
managed at the time of availing consultant advice on the running of a restaurant and this is
something that really helped me out. Till date, the people working under my supervision have
not complained about me being a bad boss, and I am glad to say that the work environment
which prevails in the restaurant is one that is quite harmonious. I hope to keep it this way by
making use of more expert advice down the line, as and when required (Parris et al. 2016).
4. Reflections on Communication and Negotiation
The key aspect of communications and negotiation in business is something that I have
learnt to carry out with perfection after having attended this particular course. Indeed the lesson
on communication and negotiations has taught me about the soft skills that need to be exploited
when dealing with employees and customers alike. I know well enough by now, how to strike a
deal and how to avoid an issue from escalating to the point whereby it becomes difficult to

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handle the issue anymore. The way by which communication needs to be undertaken and the
specific things that ought to be avoided when engaging in business communication have been
conveyed to me well enough through the course that I attended on business management. I have
come to learn and to understand the ways by which ideas need to be conveyed and the ways by
which orders need to be imparted so as to avoid coming across as too harsh or aggressive. When
it comes to dealing with the customers who visit the restaurant on a day to day basis, I have to
say that the course on communication and negotiation has proven to be very useful for me. I have
learnt how it is that the customers of a business enterprise and that too a restaurant, have to be
kept happy and appeased at all times (Raut et al. 2019). It is the people who come to dine at the
restaurant who bring custom to the restaurant. Hence it is important to deal with them in the best
and most polite way possible especially in instances where they appear to be dissatisfied with the
services that they have been offered. The course on negotiation and communication has taught
me about the strategies that I need to take and the offers that I need to make in the event that
customers appear to be angry with the service at the restaurant, so that they are made to forget
their inconvenience and are given a service or a compensation that makes them want to back and
visit the restaurant again (Uhl and Gollenia 2016).
Conclusion
`The course that I have attended has thus helped me to understand and learn about many
aspects or dimensions that are associated with the process of business management. I have come
to learn and to understand about the strategies that ought to be undertaken in order to ensure that
a business grows and develops in the best way possible. Business management as this course has
taught me has varied dimensions to it, and there are multiple approaches that need to be adopted

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in order to deal with employees in the best way possible. I have learnt by attending this particular
course about the way by which business consultants, both senior and junior can come to the aid
and assistance of managers as part of the business process and I have learnt to understand the
difference between the type of guidance and suggestions that are offered by both consultants. I
have also learnt about when it is that expert guidance ought to be sought and why it should be
sought, while also learning about the key strategies and communication techniques that need to
be brought to the table to keep employees and customers happy.

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References
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business management. B. Erasmus, J. W. Strydom, & S. Rudansky-Kloppers (Eds.). Oxford
University Press Southern Africa
Cokins, G. 2017. Strategic business management: From planning to performance. John Wiley &
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framework for responsible business management. Management Decision

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Raut, R. D., Mangla, S. K., Narwane, V. S., Gardas, B. B., Priyadarshinee, P., and Narkhede, B.
E. 2019. Linking big data analytics and operational sustainability practices for sustainable
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