MG 408: Detailed Report on Skills, Challenges, and Action Plan

This report details a student's experience in a graduate program, specifically focusing on challenges encountered, skills developed, and an action plan for future improvement. The challenges included debate, presentation, T-shirt design, and hotel management scenarios, each designed to assess and enhance various skills. The report highlights the development of communication, teamwork, time management, and business skills. It provides an in-depth analysis of each challenge and the skills applied, along with strategies to enhance them further. The action plan outlines specific steps, start and end dates, and the importance of each skill, providing a structured approach to personal and professional development. The report also references relevant literature to support the analysis and conclusions, offering a comprehensive overview of the student's learning journey and growth.

MG 408

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..............................................................................................................................................3
THE CHALLENGE SECTION...................................................................................................................3
THE SKILLS SECTION.............................................................................................................................5
AN ACTION PLAN....................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Graduation program is done under the college where several activities are performed in
order to represent knowledge about brands and market (Tao, 2017). The knowledge under
graduate challenge were reflects with the help of several group activities and presentation.
Therefore, all these activities are taken place with the assistance of E-portfolio. This report
includes several challenges; skills and action plan so that more opportunity is enjoyed by
organisation. On the decided dates these activities are taken place in which organizer take the
perception of various students. All details regarding several activities are elaborated under
several aspects within this project.
MAIN BODY
THE CHALLENGE SECTION
Name of challenges
Debate challenge
Within this particular challenge a topic is to given by university and class that is:
 Is CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) increasingly become a marketing tool? (YES,
NO or MIDDLE)
After taking topic, class students are divided into three parts: those students opted for YES,
those who opted for NO and those who opt middle. As per this bifurcation class table were
arranged according to debate surroundings (Khosiev and et. al., 2019).
By involving in this debate challenge I have gained knowledge regarding CSR as
marketing tool in present business era. Within this I learnt several things about branding,
customer attracting, marketing a product in market. Therefore, CSR is an effective activity
that highly supports business operations in internal and external manner. By taking this topic
for debate I would know about CSR that reflects it is a prominent activity that are taken by
organisation in order to encourage customer purchase and promoting brand so that positive

publicity is to be done. However, this activity is mainly accepted by present consumers as it
shows loyalty of company towards society and their presented internal and external
stakeholders.
Presentation challenge
In this challenge student focus on present a power point presentation on current trends in
supermarket sector. In this several outline are presented to understand topic effectively that are
sustainability, newer store concept, personalized experience, private labels and loyalty rewards
(Sheehan, 2020). Furthermore this power point is all about presenting current how Tesco
performed since October along with financial performance of Lidl, Aldi, SWOT analysis of
Tesco, recommendation to regain market share and build profit performance.
This current PPT is based on current trends adopted by Tesco to regain market share and
building profit performance to grab more customers. Since October, Tesco has to focus on
improving sales, reducing cost etc. for this they also need to analyze SWOT analysis of TESCO.
Therefore, this analysis helps in taking financial decisions and earning profits as well.
With the help of presentation challenge I have to enhance my understanding and
knowledge about current trends that are present in supermarket sector so that high profitable
results are enjoyed. I knew current trend of supermarket that are highly used in business concern
to attract potential customers.
T-shirt challenge
In this challenge two parts are considered that are quiz for guessing brand name or logo
by taken t-shirt into consideration. The second part involves deliverables where several parts are
included that are:
 Design logo/ brand that is used in T-shirt
 Identify target audience of the products
 Produce excel print that represent financial modeling statement the represent the total
budget that costing £200
 Reflect this information as power point

Within this the budget of £200 is given in which £180 is my variable cost that is used to design and
print product and £20 is my fixed cost that is used for marketing and advertising. The variable cost is
further divided as:
 Value t-shirt full color £5.00
 Hooded sweatshirt print £16.00
Fixed cost is bifurcated into:
 Advertising leaflets £1.5
 Poster £2.00
Hotel Challenge
This challenge cannot done in the class as it was based on hotel management. It involves
work in hospitality organisation related to managing short term certificate courses. This hotel
management mainly involves catering service, front office service, tourism and specialization
etc. by involving in this challenge I was realized that my communication skill is good but team
handling skill is weak due to which several task are to be performed well.
THE SKILLS SECTION
Communication skills
In terms of above explained several challenged there are several skills that are improved
by me and in this one is the communication skill. This skill is mainly used in all above activities
as it represents as an essential tool for conveying information and several other details to other
person or entity (Frohna and Padmore, 2021). To effectively improved communication skill
Luswell’s model is to be used that represents the way of convenient communication in an
effective manner likes: Who
 Says what
 In which channel
 To whom
 With what effect?

It is an effective theory of communication and also helpful to effective communication by
providing path to solve barriers and raise process of communication. By involving all above
four challenges this skill is a major that is highly focused by me to become successful.
Although I am good in communicating information but in front of audience I start hesitate
and stammering that lose my confidence and effectiveness in debate and give PPT in my best
level.
Teamwork
Teamwork is a type of activity in which more than one person works together to attain
mutual objectives. This skill is mainly used by me at all above presented challenge as we were
divided in a team and according to it activities are given to complete it with cooperation of
teamwork. To maintain harmony within team, it is very essential that every member of team
gives proper attention and equal priority to the task for solving issues (Sunindijo and Kamardeen,
2020) This issue effectively understands with the help of Tuckman’s team development theory in
which four stages are included: Forming (In this groups are developed and formed by teacher),
Storming (in this team member start to work under assigned team), Norming (this represent
developing stage of task), and Performing (within this challenge under performance took place).
Within this I realized that I am not much proficient to handle a team and maintain collaboration
due to this I could face several issues in completing the activities.
Time management Skills
This skill is prominent skill that was maintained throughout the whole journey of
challenges. It is so because task is to be performed within set time frame that was provided by
faculty that is needed to follow as a student. In this Pareto principle is to be followed that states
20% of efforts, 80% task can be completed that represents priority is decided and importance of
presented area is to be managed in such a manner so that time is utilized in an effective manner
to get the positive outcome. By taking focus on 80-20 rule we have bifurcate productive and
important task in t-shirt and hotel challenge so that efficiency within results are attained in
comparison to other team.
Business skills

Business skill mainly represents leadership skills, presentation skills, problem solving
skill, exposure of excel skill etc. While involving in above challenges these skills are highly
prominent mainly in t-shirt challenge where budget is prepared with the help of Excel. In this I
faced lot of difficulties because I am not proficient to developed an excel sheet (Bravin, Carrasco
and Kalichman, 2020).. While involving in these challenges I released that I have to work on
problem solving skill because there are several problems that I am not able to solve it
appropriately.
AN ACTION PLAN
It is a plan in which skill development plan is to be discussed:
List of skills How the skills be
improved
Importance Start and end dates
Communication skill The communication
skill is to be improved
by taking regular
seminars and
participate in
presentation activities
helps in developing
communication or
interacting skill.
The main importance
of this skill is that it is
helpful at time of
presentation, debate,
t-shirt and hotel
challenge. It is so
because due to this I
was able to
communicate with
other person and
connect in efficient
manner.
1-5-2021 to 2-7-2021
Team work This skill is to be
improved by taking
views on each and
every member.
This skill is highly
beneficial in t-shirt,
hotel and presentation
challenge that make
team more effective to
work and perform all
13-5-2021 to 13-6-
2021

challenges.
Time management
skill
By effectively focus
on assigned task in
presented time frame
along with appropriate
delegation of work
helps in enhancing
time management
skill.
In every above
explained challenges
time management
skill play a prominent
role because every
project has a deadline
in which the projects
is to be completed.
17-5-2021 to 1-9-
2021
Business skills By taking regular
online and offline
classes for enhancing
knowledge regarding
advanced excel helps
in providing long term
benefits.
In terms of hotel, t-
shirt and presentation
challenge this skill is
highly essential and
plays a vital role. In
this financial data are
to be recorded and
calculated with the
help of MS Excel and
in T-shirt and hotel
challenge this skill
helps in solving
management related
issues to present an
effective result.
1-5-2021 to 1-7-2021

REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Bravin, J., Carrasco, J. and Kalichman, M., 2020. Ethical foundations for graduate students in the
psychological sciences. Translational Issues in Psychological Science. 6(3). p.247.
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.
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.
Sheehan, M., 2020. Learning by Doing: The Challenge of Aligning Theory and Practice in
School-Based, Post-graduate, Teacher Education Programmes. In Teacher Education in
Globalised Times (pp. 261-272). Springer, Singapore.
Sunindijo, R.Y. and Kamardeen, I., 2020. Psychological challenges confronting graduate
construction students in Australia. International Journal of Construction Education and
Research. 16(3).pp.151-166.
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).