Graduate Challenge Report: Marketing, Business Skills Analysis

This report presents an analysis of the Graduate Challenge, a program designed to showcase students' knowledge of the market and brands through group activities and presentations, facilitated by e-portfolios. The report details the challenges undertaken, including the Apprentice Challenge (debating CSR and international business ethics), Presentation Challenge (marketing strategies), and T-shirt Challenge (brand design and financial modeling). It also highlights the skills developed, such as communication, teamwork, time management, and business acumen, while referencing relevant theories like Lasswell's model and Tuckman's Teamwork Theory. Furthermore, it outlines an action plan for skill enhancement, specifying the purpose, methods, and time duration for improvement in communication, teamwork, time management, and business skills. The report concludes with a list of references supporting the analysis and findings.

The Graduate Challenge

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
NAME OF CHALLENGES............................................................................................................3
SKILLS............................................................................................................................................7
ACTION PLAN...............................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Under the graduation program of the college various activities were performed in order to
showcase knowledge about market and brands. This knowledge was shown with the help of
various group activities and presentations. These activities were taken place with the help of E
portfolio. On a pre-decided date these activities took place by which perception of various
students are taken. Details about these activities are elaborated in this report.
MAIN BODY
NAME OF CHALLENGES
 Apprentice Challenge
 Presentation Challenge
 T-shirt Challenge
 Hotel Challenge

Apprentice Challenge
Within this challenge two topics were given by the university and class is given with the choice
to select form those. These two topics are:
• Is CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) increasingly becoming more of a marketing
tool? YES or NO? (Grayson and Hodges, 2017)
• Should an International Business follow HOME or HOST country norms for ethical
Issues? (Murphy, Laczniak and Harris, 2016)
After taking the topic now the class has been divided into two parts; those students who have
opted for YES and those who have opted NO from first topic, and for second topic students are
divided into two parts based on their selection of HOME or HOST. In the class table were
arranged as per debate surroundings.
I have chosen the first topic which is about using CSR as market tools in recent business era.
From this debate challenge I learnt so many things about marketing and branding a product
within marketplace. CSR is an activity which supports the business operations from internally
and externally. Form this debate I came to know that CSR is an essential activity which is to be
taken by businesses in order to promote their brand and to get positive mouth to mouth publicity
as well. Furthermore this activity is highly accepted by current customers as this shows
inclination of the company towards society and other stakeholders.

Presentation Challenge
Within this challenge students were given to present a power point presentation on marketing
concepts of a company. Under which detailed demonstration of marketing mix, tactics and
strategies to promote their brand is included. Furthermore this PPT is all about explaining
marketing movement and financial decisions taken by that company so it is based on real
dimensions as well. )Abril and Rodriguez-Cánovas., 2016)
For this I chose Tesco and my PPT is based on marketing tactics and strategies used by
them in order to promote their brand and grab more customers as well. With the help of
marketing strategies Tesco can enhance their brand value within marketplace and this helps them
in evaluating their business operation in considerable way.
With the help of presentation challenge enhanced my knowledge and understanding
about importance of marketing in brand and customer enhancement. I knew the emerging
marketing concepts which are highly used by business concern in order to promote their business
in potential market and within potential customers.

T-shirt Challenge
Within this challenge it has been divided into two parts. One part was associated with a quiz of
guessing the brand name or logo with the help of demonstrating a t-shirt. The second part
included deliverables in which there are four sub parts that are elaborated as under:
• Design a brand/Logo to be used on a range of T shirts and/or Sweatshirts.
• Identify the potential Target Market for your products
• Produce an excel print out of your financial modelling statement explaining numbers of
each product you would order to utilise your £200 budget. )Khosiev and et. al., 2019)
• Provide this information on a PowerPoint
• With this context the budget of £200 is given from which I had taken £180 as my fixed
cost which will be for the product material and rest £20 will be for marketing and
advertising. The variable costs of the t-shirts are further classified as:
• Value T shirt mono print £3.00
• Value T shirt full colour £5.00
• T shirts mono print-£5.00
• T shirts full colour print - £7.00
• Hooded sweatshirt mono print £14.00
• Hooded sweatshirt colour print £16.00

SKILLS
Communication skills
In above mentioned activities there are various skills which were improved by me and
one of them is my communication skills. These skills were used by me during all these
challenges as this is the mediator by which I can convey information and other details to another
party. There is a theory pertinent to communication which is called Lasswell’s model. In this
model a way of convenient communication is been elaborated such as: Who
 Says What
 In Which Channel
 To Whom
 With what effect?
This theory is helpful to perform effective communication as it solves all the barriers which
could arise in the process of communication. Within all the challenges this was the major force
which made me successful. I am a very good communicator but in front of audience I started
stammering which loosen up my confidence and effectiveness to debate and give my PPT in my
level best. (Tao, 2017)
Teamwork
Team work is an activity in which more than one member works together in order to
achieve some mutual objective. This skill was used by me during all the challenges as we were
divided in the team and tasks were given within that only. In order to create harmony in the team
it is required that all the team members are given appropriate attention and equal priority to solve
problems. This concept can be understood with the help of Tuckman’s Teamwork Theory,
under this theory four phases of a team is elaborated which is forming ( in which groups were
formed by the teachers), storming ( team members started to work under team), norming ( this is
developing stage of task) and last is performing ( in which performance of challenge took place).
In the path of challenges I realised that I am not that proficient to hold a team and maintain
harmony so this made me face so many problems.

Time management skills
This skill was maintained throughout the journey of challenges, as in order to perform a
time limit was given by the faculty which we were required to follow being a student. Pareto
principle was followed within this which states that with the help of 20% efforts, 80% task can
be completed that means priority is to be decided and importance of areas of given task is to be
managed in such a way that time can be utilised in effective manner along with high results.
Within light of this 80-20 rule, we have divided productive activities in t-shirt and hotel
challenge so as to enhance efficiency of results and to get better outcomes in comparison to other
teams.
Business skills
Business skills include leadership skills, problem solving skills and presentation skills
and exposure of Excel. During these challenges these skills played prominent role as in t-shirt
challenge the budget was prepared with the help of Excel and I faced a lot of difficulties as I am
not proficient to excel. In the journey of these challenges I realised that in problem solving skills
I need to have some improvements as there were some problems which I was not able to solve
properly.
ACTION PLAN
This is the plan in which skill development plan is been elaborated
Skills Purpose How can skills be
improved
Time duration
Communication
skills
This skill is helpful
during presentation,
debate and t-shirt
challenge by which I
was able to interact
with other persons
and connect in a better
With the help of
public speaking and
taking seminars on
communication this
skill can be enhanced.
2- months

way.
Teamwork This skill was helpful
in t-shirt challenge
and presentation
challenge which made
out team more
effective to work and
perform all
operations. (Tripathy,
2018)
With the help of
taking views of each
and every member
team work can be
enhanced.
1-2 months
Time management
skills
In every challenge
time management
skills are having
prominent role as
every challenge
possess a deadline in
which it should be
completed.
By practising to
complete given task in
time frame and
properly delegation of
authority this skill can
be improved.
1-3 months
Business skills In t-shirt challenge
and presentation
challenge this skill
played a vital role. As
financial data are to
be made and recorded
and calculated with
the help of excel and
in t-shirt challenge
leadership tactics was
followed in order to
have effective
outcomes. (Cato,
By taking classes for
advanced excel this
skill can be improved
my me in order to get
long time benefits in
my career.
2 months

2016)

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Abril, C. and Rodriguez-Cánovas, B., 2016. Marketing mix effects on private labels brand
equity. European Journal of Management and Business Economics. 25(3). pp.168-175.
Cato, S., 2016. Weak independence and the Pareto principle. Social Choice and Welfare. 47(2).
pp.295-314.
Grayson, D. and Hodges, A., 2017. Corporate social opportunity!: Seven steps to make corporate
social responsibility work for your business. Routledge.
Khosiev and et. al., 2019. Development of a brand promotion strategy: management accounting
and comprehensive analysis. Indo American Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 6(5).
pp.10060-10068.
Murphy, P.E., Laczniak, G.R. and Harris, F., 2016. Ethics in marketing: International cases and
perspectives. Taylor & Francis.
Tao, T.A.O., 2017. The Reflection on the Communication of Chinese Culture Under Lasswell
5W Mode. DEStech Transactions on Social Science, Education and Human Science,
(ichss).
Tripathy, M., 2018. Building quality teamwork to achieve excellence in business
organizations. International research journal of management, IT and social
sciences. 5(3). pp.1-7.