MG408 Graduate Challenge: Skills, Business Angle, and Analysis

This report analyzes three graduate challenges: the apprentice challenge, the presentation challenge (Tesco), and the T-shirt challenge. It assesses the skills developed, including communication, teamwork, and time management, and analyzes each challenge from a business perspective, including branding, finance, and operations. The report applies teamwork theories such as Tuckman's model and Goleman's theory of emotional intelligence. An action plan outlines skill development and identifies areas for improvement. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of these challenges for career development. The report includes references to relevant literature and provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges, business angles, and personal growth.

Graduate Challenge
(T shift challenge and
tesco challenge)

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Apprentice Challenge..................................................................................................................1
Presentation Challenge................................................................................................................2
T-shirt Challenge.........................................................................................................................2
Analysis of Each Challenge from a business angle....................................................................3
Applying theory in relation to Teamwork...................................................................................3
Action plan..................................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
References:.......................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Graduate challenge can be defined as the challenges faced by the students in performing
the activities which helps them in a real time career or in management. Such challenges supports
students in learning and gaining the knowledge of business management and how to face them in
real time business operations (Fearon, van Vuuren, McLaughlin and Nachmias, 2020).
Therefore, the following discussions are made on the three major challenges such as apprentice
challenge, presentation challenge and T shirt challenge in order to learn the basic skills like
communication skills, emotional intelligence, teamwork, time management, meeting skills,
business skills and competencies developed by analysing of each challenge from a business
angle like branding, operations, finance and human resources, applying models and theories such
as Tuckman's model and Goleman's theory, action plan and proper findings and conclusion.
MAIN BODY
Apprentice Challenge
This challenge is about taking a real time experience from an organization that is
induction during a week. It is all about gaining the skills while working in the company like in
the form of internships or on the job training method in order to learn various skills such as:
(Jorre de St Jorre and Oliver, 2018).
Communication Skills/ Emotional Intelligence
Initially I had faced difficulty in communicating with a people in corporates but then I
started talking to the people and communicated with them on a daily basis during my training
period and now I can see improvement in me in gaining the skills of communication.
Teamwork
Initially I had faced difficulty in working with a team or a group of people in corporates
but then I started participating in a group and engaged with people on a daily basis during my
training period and now I can see improvement in me in gaining the skills of team work.
Time Management
Initially I had faced difficulty in managing time in corporates but then I started taking
deadlines on a task assigned to me on a daily basis during my training period and now I can see
improvement in me in gaining the skills of time management.
Competencies developed
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Initially I had faced difficulty in competing with a people in corporates but then I started
initiating in taking part in competition on a daily basis during my training period and now I can
see improvement in me in gaining the skills of competencies.
Presentation Challenge
This challenge is about giving the presentation in front of the people on an organization
that is TESCO, it's performance evaluation with current performance, current trends, swot
analysis and growth opportunities and recommendations in order to learn various skills such as:
(Singh, 2019).
Communication Skills/ Emotional Intelligence
Initially I had faced difficulty in communicating in front of group of people but then I
started speaking after a lot of practices on a daily basis during my rehearsing period and now I
can see improvement in me in gaining the skills of communication.
Teamwork
Initially I had faced difficulty in managing team while preparing for this challenge but
then I started coordinating and cooperating with a group on a daily basis during my rehearsing
period and now I can see improvement in me in gaining the skills of teamwork.
Time Management
Initially I had faced difficulty in managing the time because of the deadline mentioned of
delivering the presentation but then I started managing time any how and finished all my tasks on
a deadline on a daily basis during my rehearsing period and now I can see improvement in me in
gaining the skills of time management.
Competencies developed
Initially I had faced difficulty in competing with other group members but then I started
practising in accordance of competition on a daily basis during my rehearsing period and now I
can see improvement in me in gaining the skills of competencies.
T-shirt Challenge
This challenge is about developing a start up of T shirt in which activities like designing a
brand, logo, target market and budgeting has been performed in a group in order to learn various
skills such as: (Stillwell, Vermeesch and Scott, 2017).
Communication Skills/ Emotional Intelligence
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Initially I had faced difficulty in communication with other team members but then I
started initiating with them for new ideas and innovation on a daily basis during my preparing
time and now I can see improvement in me in gaining the skills of communication.
Teamwork
Initially I had faced difficulty in working with a team but then I started managing the
people by coordinating with them on a daily basis during my preparing time and now I can see
improvement in me in gaining the skills of teamwork.
Time Management
Initially I had faced difficulty in managing the deadline given to complete this challenge
but then I started making my own deadlines to complete my every task on a daily basis during
my preparing time and now I can see improvement in me in gaining the skills of time
management.
Competencies developed
Initially I had faced difficulty in competing with other people but then I started
developing competency skills in me on a daily basis during my preparing time and now I can see
improvement in me in gaining the skills of competencies.
Analysis of Each Challenge from a business angle
Branding
T shirt challenge can help me in corporates in the field of marketing and branding
because of the nature of activity such as designing of a brand, logo and target market.
Finance
T shirt and Apprentice challenges can help me in corporates in the field of budgeting and
finance because of the nature of these activities in maintaining the budgets and managing the real
time finance management.
Operations
Apprentice and Presentation challenges can help me in corporates in the field of
operations management because of the nature of these activities such as learnt operations at the
time of training period and delivering the presentation about TESCO gave the knowledge of
operations management (Succi and Canovi, 2020).
Applying theory in relation to Teamwork
Tuckman’s Model
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Forming
This phase gives the idea of the formation of the team by adapting with each and every
team members of the group who are formed together to complete a common task.
Storming
This phase gives the idea of the comfortableness within the team and starting knowing
each other well in terms of nature and working behaviour in order to coordinate with each other.
Norming
This phase gives the idea of division of work that who will do what work which means
assigning roles and responsibilities according to the skills and abilities of each and every person.
Performing
This phase given the idea of performance of the work or execution or implementing the
task together by focusing on work and relationship with each other in an efficient and potential
manner (Tomlinson, 2017).
Goleman’s Theory: Emotional Intelligence
Self awareness
I must be having the self awareness of what I am and what I have to do in my life such as
my strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Social awareness
The team I am working with, I must be having knowledge of them as well so that team
work could be done in a better way.
Self management
I must be having the self management skills so that I could first manage myself in order
to mange the whole team.
Relationship management
I should also focus in managing the relationship in order to coordinate and cooperate with
the team (Yusuf, Saitgalina and Chapman, 2020).
Action plan
Skill Current
Proficiency
Target
Proficiency
Course of Action Time period
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Time management 7 10 This skill can be
enhanced by making a
daily routine and
following it strictly for
proper achievement of
the routine in an efficient
manner.
45 days
Competition skills 8 10 This skill can be gained
by participating and
engagement in various
competitions on a very
frequent basis so that
competitive power can be
increased.
30 days
Communication
skills
9 10 This skill can be
improved by picking up
of any topic on a daily
basis and speaking and
writing on that for better
communication and
gaining knowledge as
well.
15 days
CONCLUSION
It is concluded that it is important to learn about various skills and abilities associated
with the challenges discussed, reason behind studying it's significance is that they assist the
students in gaining knowledge about various skills achieved by performing these challenges and
let them know about the importance in real time business management and most essentially in
their career development. It is necessary to learn about the challenges and skills attained through
them, it is significant to examine the challenges from the business point of view, it is essential to
determine the various models and theories on team work and emotional intelligence and building
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up of a action plan which involves skills, current proficiency, target proficiency, course of action
and time period taken to accomplish such goals and objectives in achieving such skills and
abilities. Hence, this report covers the reflection on these areas for better understanding of the
challenges, skills gain by them, from a business perspective, models and theories and action plan
related with it for better observation and identification of oneself.
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References:
Books and Journals
Fearon, C., van Vuuren, W., McLaughlin, H. and Nachmias, S., 2020. Graduate employability,
skills development and the UK’s Universities Business Challenge competition: a self-
determined learning perspective. Studies in Higher Education. 45(6). pp.1280-1297.
Jorre de St Jorre, T. and Oliver, B., 2018. Want students to engage? Contextualise graduate
learning outcomes and assess for employability. Higher Education Research &
Development. 37(1). pp.44-57.
Singh, M.K.M., 2019. International graduate students’ academic writing practices in Malaysia:
Challenges and solutions. Journal of International Students, 2015 Vol. 5 (1). 5(1).
pp.12-22.
Stillwell, S.B., Vermeesch, A.L. and Scott, J.G., 2017. Interventions to reduce perceived stress
among graduate students: A systematic review with implications for evidence‐based
practice. Worldviews on Evidence‐Based Nursing. 14(6). pp.507-513.
Succi, C. and Canovi, M., 2020. Soft skills to enhance graduate employability: comparing
students and employers’ perceptions. Studies in Higher Education. 45(9). pp.1834-
1847.
Tomlinson, M., 2017. Forms of graduate capital and their relationship to graduate
employability. Education+ Training.
Yusuf, J.E., Saitgalina, M. and Chapman, D.W., 2020. Work-life balance and well-being of
graduate students. Journal of Public Affairs Education. 26(4). pp.458-483.
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