MG 408 Graduate Challenge Report: Skills, Challenges, and Action Plan

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the MG 408 Graduate Challenge, detailing the various activities and challenges undertaken during a graduation event. The report begins with an introduction outlining the context of the challenges, which include the Apprentice Challenge, Presentation Challenge, and T-shirt Challenge. Each challenge is described in detail, including the tasks involved, such as debate topics, presentation topics, and t-shirt design. The report then focuses on the skills developed through these challenges, including communication, teamwork, time management, and business skills. An action plan is presented, outlining how these skills can be further improved. The report concludes with a list of references. The report reflects on the practical application of marketing concepts and business skills, providing insights into the student's learning experience and skill development during the challenges.

MG 408
Graduate challenge

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..............................................................................................................................................3
NAME OF CHALLENGES......................................................................................................................3
SKILLS....................................................................................................................................................5
ACTION PLAN........................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
In context with the graduation event of college various activities are performed to show
and enhance knowledge about market as well as certain brands. The knowledge was shown with
the help of different group activities as well as effective presentations. All the activities which
are performed have taken place with the help of E portfolio. The insights of various students
were taken on the pre-decided date of activities (Frohna and Padmore, 2021). The below report is
based on reflection which involves various kind of challenges like presentation challenge, T-
shirt, apprentice and many more.
MAIN BODY
NAME OF CHALLENGES
 Apprentice challenge
 Presentation challenge
 T-shirt challenge
 Hotel challenge
Apprentice challenge: -
In accordance with this challenge two topics were being provided by the university and
class was given with the choice to select from those. The two topics are: -
 Is corporate social responsibility is progressively becoming more of a marketing tool?
YES or NO?
 Should an international business follow HOST or HOME country norms for ethical
issues?

After selecting the topic the class has been divided into two parts as those students who have
chosen YES and those who have elected NO from first topic and in relation with second topic
students are divided into two parts based on their decision of HOST or HOME. In the classes
tables were arranged in context with all debate backgrounds.
I have selected the first topic which is about using corporate social responsibility as market tools
in current business situation. From this debate challenge I learnt many things about branding a
product and marketing within whole marketplace. CSR is defined as an activity which supports
all business operations on internal as well as external basis. In terms of the debate I examined
that CSR is an essential activity which is to be taken by business organizations in order to
enhance and promote their brand and to get positive publicity also. Besides this the activity is
highly accepted by recent customers as this shows preference of the organization towards
community as well as certain stakeholders.
Presentation challenge
In this challenge students were given to present a power point presentation on different
marketing concepts of an organization. In this the detailed information regarding marketing mix,
different strategies and policies are involved in order to promote the brand. Apart from this the
presentation is about explaining the marketing movement and also certain financial decisions
taken by the company so it is based on original extents also.
In accordance with this I chose TESCO and my power point presentation is about
strategies and schemes used by them to promote the brand and grasp maximum number of
customers (Storey and Wang, 2017). Through marketing strategies TESCO can build up their
brand value within whole marketplace and this helps in analyzing their business operations in
substantial way.
With the help of presentation challenge my knowledge got enhanced and understanding
about the importance of marketing in context with customer and brand enrichment. I knew about
the evolving marketing concepts which are mostly used by business concern in accordance with
promoting the business in potential market and within all likely customers.
T-shirt challenge
As per this challenge it is divided into two parts. The first part is associated with a test of
predicting the brand name or logo with the help of signifying a t-shirt. The second part involves
certain deliverables in which there are four sub-divisions that are further been explained as
below: -
 Design a logo or a brand to be used for a range of T-shirts and / or Sweatshirts
 Determine the potential target market for your products

 Create an excel print out of your financial modeling statement by explaining the numbers
of each product you would order to use your overall £200 budget
 Provide the information of power point
 In accordance with the budget of £200 is given from whom I had taken £180 as per my
fixed cost which will be for the product materials and rest £20 would be for advertising
and marketing. The variable costs of T-shirts are been explained as below: -
 Value T-shirt full color £5.00
 Value T-shirt mono print £3.00
 T-shirts full colour print £7.00
 T-shirt mono print £5.00
 Hooded sweatshirt colour print £16.00
 Hooded sweatshirt mono print £14.00
SKILLS
Communication skills: - As per the above mentioned topics there are various skills and
abilities which were improved by me and one of them was my communication skills. These skills
were used by me during the phase of all the challenges as this is the intermediary by whom I can
convey whole details to another party (Kurti and Dalipi, 2017). There is a theory behind this
which is called as Lasswell’s model. In relation with this model a method of effective
communication is been enhanced such as : Who
Says what
In which channel
To whom
With what effect
Teamwork
Team work is an action in which extra than individual member perform together in term
to attain some common objective in business. These skill was adopt by me during all challenges
as we are separated in group and assessments were provided within that simply. In terms to
generate harmony in group it is needed that each group members are provided suitable attention
or equal right of way to resolve issues. This model can be the understood with support of the
Tuckman’s Teamwork model, under this concept four stages of a group is the elaborated which
is a forming ( in that team were formed by teachers), storming ( group members begin to
complete work under group), norming ( this is the developing phase of work) as well last is the
performing ( in that performance of the challenge took place). In path of the challenges I realize
that I am not that capable to hold a entire group and manage harmony thus this prepared me to
face so lots of issues.

Time management skills
This skill was managed throughout journey of the challenges, as in terms to the perform
a time period limit was provided by faculty which we are needed to track being the student.
Pareto theory was follow within this which state that with support of the 20% efforts, 80%
assessment can be finished that means main concern is to be determined and significance of the
areas of given assessment is to be maintained in like way that time frame can be utilized in
effectual way along with the high outcomes (Mendez and Garcia, 2021). Within light of this 80-
20 rule, we have separated productive actions in the t-shirt or hotel challenge thus as to increase
efficiency of outcomes as well to get improved results in the similarity to other groups.
Business skills
Business skills consider leadership skills, issues solving skills as well presentation based
skills or exposure of the Excel. During the these challenges these skills played well-known role
as in the t-shirt challenge budget was the prepared with support of the Excel as well I faced a
many of difficulty as I am not capable to excel. In journey of these challenge I realized that in
issues solving skills I required to have some improvement as there were some issues which I was
not capable to resolve properly.
ACTION PLAN
This is the plan in which skill development plan is been elaborated
Skills Purpose How can skills be the
improved
Time duration
Communication
skills
This skill is the
obliging during the
presentation, debate
as well as t-shirt
challenge by the
which I was capable
to cooperate with
another persons or
connect in the better
way.
With support of
public speaking or
taking program on
interaction this skill
can be improved.
2- months
Teamwork This skill was With support of 1-2 months

supportive in t-shirt
challenge or
arrangement
challenge which made
out group more
effectual to work or
perform each
operation.
taking views of all or
every member group
work can be
improved.
Time management
skills
In the every challenge
time management
based skills are
having the prominent
role as each challenge
acquire a limit in the
which it should be the
completed.
By practising to the
complete provided
task in the time period
or properly delegation
of the ability this skill
can be enhanced.
1-3 months
Business skills In the t-shirt challenge
or presentation based
challenge this skill
performed huge role.
As financial based
data are to be
prepared or recorded
as well calculated
with support of excel
or in the t-shirt
challenge basis
leadership tactics was
followed in terms to
have effectual results.
By taking lessons for
the advanced excel
this skill is can be
enhanced my me in
terms to take long
time advantges in my
career.
2 months

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.
Frohna, J.G. and Padmore, J.S., 2021. Assessment of professionalism in the graduate medical
education environment. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 13(2s), pp.81-85.
Storey, V.A. and Wang, V.C., 2017. Critical friends protocol: Andragogy and learning in a
graduate classroom. Adult Learning, 28(3), pp.107-114.
Kurti, A. and Dalipi, F., 2017. Bridging the gap between academia and industry: Lessons learned
from a graduate it professional development program. In 2nd Annual International
Conference on Engineering Education & Teaching, 5-8 June 2017, Athens (pp. 27-27).
Mendez, M.P. and Garcia, N.N., 2021. Creating Virtual Learning Experiences Based on
Engaging Interactions and Collaborative Work in Graduate Programs: A Cognitive
Analysis. In Handbook of Research on Teaching With Virtual Environments and
AI (pp. 61-85). IGI Global.
Good, M., Marshman, E., Yerushalmi, E. and Singh, C., 2020. Graduate teaching assistants’
views of broken-into-parts physics problems: Preference for guidance overshadows
development of self-reliance in problem solving. Physical Review Physics Education
Research, 16(1), p.010128.
Qiu, Z.H. and Tong, M.S., 2017, December. Improvement on education quality of graduate
students facing the challenge of big data era. In 2017 IEEE 6th International Conference
on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering (TALE) (pp. 156-159). IEEE.