Executive Summary
This report has effectively reflected the working and learning process of the previously conducted challenges. The previously conducted challenges include the T-shirt challenge, the apprenticeship challenge, and the presentation challenge at the organisation LSST and Tesco. Moreover, the report helps in highlighting the skills used for the completion of these challenges. The skills used here are communication skills, time management, emotional intelligence and presentation skills. This report thus acts as a self-reflection after conducting the challenges. Lastly, a SMART action plan has been conducted to identify the skills which are required for improvement in the future perspectives.
Introduction
In this reflective report, there will be a discussion about the three challenges that I have encountered, such as the Apprentice Challenge on LSST, the Presentation Challenge on Tesco, and the T-shirt Challenge. Furthermore, discussing their branding and marketing strategies, operational aspects, such as resource management, execution, and financial considerations, like costs, pricing, and more. After that, some of the skills that are required for this study will be explained, such as communication skills, emotional intelligence, presentation skills, teamwork, and more, with a discussion of their areas of improvement and strengths. Lastly, there will be an action plan provided to further improve these skills. I have learned about the LSST college during the Apprentice challenge, and also gained knowledge about the company, Tesco, regarding the presentation challenge. By doing a SMART action plan, I realised the skills that I am confident about and the skills that I need to improve in future situations.
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Section 1: Challenges Analysis
Apprentice Challenge
This challenge involves identifying the LSST’s external and internal environment, which actually includes the current trends of the education sector in the UK. Some of the current trends in the educational sector include digital transformation, increased competition, and a shift towards skills-based learning (McCarthy et al., 2023). Our teams are tasked with identifying various types of opportunities and problems, and then suggesting a new initiative to address those issues, such as implementing online course analytics, along with providing support to support their plans. The business analysis of this challenge includes branding strategy and decisions, which actually focus on the organisation's strengths to attract particular target markets. Financial considerations involve the launching of new products, staff training, marketing expenses, and more, along with operational aspects, such as defining respective roles, ensuring proper technology, and acquiring the necessary resources. Using the PEST (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological) framework, the organisation’s external factors have been examined, considering all the government policies, economic conditions, regulatory requirements, technological advancements, and more. Using SWOT analysis, LSST’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats have been identified, which will help the company to formulate a strategic plan to capitalise on opportunities while preventing the risks.
Presentation Challenge
The presentation challenge for Tesco would actually address several issues and propose a strategic plan for the company to address some contemporary business problems. It involves intense competition, meeting the demands for sustainability and online shopping, evolving customer behaviours, maintaining profitability, and supply chain disruptions. Our team has been provided with the task to conduct market research on the current trends going on in the UK market within the same supermarket industry. Therefore, develop a strategic consultancy group and provide recommendations to the upper management of the company. The company's core message is to provide its products and services with value, convenience, and quality across all touchpoints. Tesco has faced various types of issues regarding its brand, with intense competition and customer loyalty. This strategy needs a strong brand reputation to offer a strong customised user experience (Shastri, 2025). It had followed a strong logical flow, which was followed by a SWOT analysis, which is identified as the micro-environmental analysis to determine its strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities. The business logic of this challenge is based on sustainable growth, achieving long-term goals, and highlighting the core strengths, such as operational efficiency and customer data, while adapting to external pressures. The Academic concepts applied are the SWOT analysis to understand the internal factors influencing the company.
T-shirt Challenge
This challenge is conducted for the practical business simulation performed to replicate the process of launching a new product in the intensely competitive market. Our team has first conducted the market research of the market where the new product will be launched. Next, starting from choosing the design of the products, sourcing the production, and creating a business plan, which includes marketing, pricing, and operational strategies. Executing the required plan to increase sales and profitability within the given market, and lastly, to analyse the final results of the project using the main concepts (Tarmizi, 2021). Our team has chosen a design that matches the particular niche audiences, which would be visually unique, appealing, and represent the core values of the brand. The cost analysis and pricing strategy involved the target market, which highlights the profit margin. Rather than just targeting the general customers, our team has focused on a particular niche market, which helps to develop the marketing efforts more efficiently. Some of the academic concepts that are applied to this challenge are market positions, whether as a high-quality, affordable, and niche market or the expensive ones. Tesco has recently made a strategic decision to divide the prices across the products, which not only captured customer attention but also set a robust leading financial performance (Ozan, 2024).
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Section 2: Skills Reflection
Gibbs' model of reflection can be defined as the six stages, which help professionals and individuals by providing a structured approach and critical self-reflection. The six stages are as follows: description, evaluation, analysis, feelings, conclusion and action plan for personal development (Harmon, 2024). Using the Gibbs reflective model, the skills that are demonstrated for those challenges are explained below.
Description
In this group project, the team aimed to develop three challenges, facing difficulty in aligning ideas with innovation and meeting deadlines, as it required communication skills. During the meeting on the deadlines, the team became more stressed and tense as different viewpoints clashed, as it requires emotional intelligence. In conducting those challenges, the team has faced some issues, which result in conflicts and misunderstandings, requiring teamwork. For the initial submission of the project report, our team missed the deadline, which requires time management skills. By doing the presentation challenge for Tesco, our team has gained knowledge and is quite confident regarding presentation skills.
Feelings
I felt stressed and pressured as we missed the submission deadlines, our team was facing conflicts among each other, and there was a communication gap. So, the initial stages were quite difficult for me, but after some time, we became habituated, and the project was improving. Later, I felt motivated and influenced by the collaborative atmosphere and the surrounding opportunities, which helped me to communicate with others smoothly.
Evaluation
I took the initiative to develop a clear and concrete document and work schedule, which has improved our time management skills, along with organisation, collaboration, and active listening skills. This has worked well for me, and my approach aligns with the Shannon-Weaver Model of Communication, where the receiver is me. To align with Goleman's Emotional Intelligence Model, I managed to take the self-awareness by resolving the conflicts and redirecting the conversation back. Our team has experienced different phases while doing this project, starting from storming to norming, and performing, which aligns with Tuckman's Stages of Group Development model.
Analysis
For the communication skills, active listening, conciseness, and clarity are the two strengths that we adopted. Public speaking and nonverbal communication are the points of improvement for me in the future. For time management skills, my strength was prioritising the urgent and important tasks, and organising them with a work schedule. Long-term planning and procrastination are the two aspects that I need to improve in myself.
Conclusion
In future projects, communication skills, time management, emotional intelligence, teamwork, and presentation skills will be properly examined to ensure a seamless execution of the project.
Action plan
The action plan is done below this section.
Section 3: Action Plan
|
Specific |
Measurable |
Achievable |
Relevance |
Time bound |
|
To effectively use presentation skills in academics |
Delivering a presentation at least 5 times a week and collecting feedback from my teammates. |
Focusing on the contents, knowing the material, highlighting the core message, and creating simple visuals, while maintaining confidence (SlideModel, 2025). |
It improves the overall communication skills, leadership and persuasion skills, along with audience engagement, and more (Sellers, 2022). |
1 month |
|
To use time management skills to meet the deadlines |
Completing the tasks within the written schedule for at least five days continuously in a week. |
Creating a schedule, prioritising tasks, tracking my time, and breaking large tasks into smaller ones. |
This skill increases productivity, stress management, improves confidence, prevents missing deadlines, and improves work-life balance (My Hours, 2025). |
3 months |
|
To use the emotional intelligence skill for self-awareness |
Practising journaling and self-awareness for 10 minutes to reflect on my emotional reactions. |
Focusing on self-awareness through triggers, emotions, and managing them with tools and techniques, such as journaling and mindfulness (Miller, 2020). |
It helps to improve self-awareness, enhance social skills, empathy and motivation (Cherry, 2023). |
2 months |
Table 1: SMART Action Plan
(Source: Created by the learner)
Conclusion
To conclude the report, there has been a detailed discussion about the three challenges that I have performed, such as the Apprentice challenge, the Presentation challenge, and the T-shirt challenge. In the apprentice challenge, there has been an explanation of the branding and marketing strategies, with operational aspects, such as execution, resource management, and planning, as well as some financial considerations, such as pricing methods, costs, and more. For the presentation challenge, there has been a discussion about the stakeholders' considerations, branding and message strategies, and more, with some marketing principles and communication theories. In the T-shirt challenge, there has been an explanation of the cost analysis and target market considerations, with market positioning and various strategies. Lastly, there will be a reflection on my personal development skills, such as teamwork, communication skills, time management, emotional intelligence, presentation skills, and more, discussing the role with examples. Lastly, there has been a SMART action plan conducted to identify and analyse further skills improvements.
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