Module code: |
BMA4000-20 |
Module title: |
The Business Environment |
Assignment: |
A2: Individual Reflective Performance Report |
Word count: |
1500 (+/- 10%) |
Student Name:
Student ID:
Table of Contents
Introduction
In this report I will reflect on the strategies that I employed in solving problems arising from a fast fashion business case, particularly the process of getting a product to market. The analysis is based on the observation of my performance in a group that involved problem solving during seminar discussions, and the application of various business frameworks. I will analyse my contribution towards the group work process using Tuckman and Jensen’s model and also, using strategic business theories such as Mintzberg and Porter.
Gibbs reflective cycle
Gibbs' Reflective Cycle is a structured framework for reflection, guiding individuals through six stages: the elements of description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan (Adeani et al., 2020).
1. Description
The case study was based on a private limited company dealing with the fast fashion industry where the key problem is to meet market requirements for cheap, fashionable clothing with growing social and environmental issues. The main concern was whether the company could achieve profitability without compromising sustainability as well as ethical production (Baah et al., 2021). In the seminars, we were required to do a SWOT analysis, define competitors, study customer characteristics, both demographic and psychographic, and come up with a promotional strategy that meets the market needs and addresses the environmental concerns that are often thrown at fast fashion brands.
Tackling Tuckman and Jensen’s model, we implemented the working with groups at the various stages of group development. Specifically, at the “forming” stage, visions and responsibilities were defined, except for specializing in strategic issues, some members wanted to discuss profitability, to which I countered, we need to implement more emphasis on the sustainable development goals (Hamid et al., 2023). However, by the time when the work reached the “performing” phase, the direction we had to take was clear, sitting in front of a computer analysing data and formulating recommendations.
2. Feelings
When I first looked at the case study, it was a combination of enthusiasm and nervousness on my side. The most interest project was the one related to sustainability in the context of fast fashion However, I felt quite doubtful of my ability to address this since I felt that I lack sufficient knowledge regarding sustainable practices. This uncertainty was further exacerbated when we started talking about the different possible solutions because I hadn’t quite figured out where the line was between being overly moralistic and being fiscally responsible for a fast fashion business.
I found some relief in works within the group, yet at the same I felt that kind of frustration as well. First, I was worried that agreement might not be possible because some of us had totally opposing views on how the company’s sustainability issues should be addressed. As the discussion proceeded, positive emotions increased, particularly when my information concerning customer psychographics and competitive positioning was accepted, and our team incorporated it into the overall assessment. Lastly and most importantly, I realized that with people around me talking, each aspect of the problems was explained in a way that I did end up finding it relatively helpful to organize my own thoughts in the end.
3. Evaluation
Looking back at the exercise, I have been able to note strengths and weaknesses of how the case study was handled. On the positive side, the group work format allowed everyone to contribute a great number of ideas and this enriched the number of final concepts that are offered. For instance, while some members can stress that recycled materials should be used, others realized ways that the confirmation of this was going to happen since they launched their campaigns on Instagram and TikTok. This has largely contributed towards the formulation of multi-faceted strategy given the vary diversity of opinion.
But this process was not entirely smooth and there were some obstacles noted on the way. Disputes can be present at the beginning of the group discussion, and that impeded our progress. The conflict or “storming” stage of Tuckman and Jensen was also blatantly visible as there was disagreement on the priorities with some arguing for reasonable profits and others for social responsibility (Zirar et al., 2023). While this conflict positively contributed towards achieving balanced recommendations, it negatively affected the time taken and caused discomfort in the group.
4. Analysis
Some of the business frameworks that were used while making the strategic decisions during the case study were more beneficial than others. This was especially utilised in SWOT analysis since it pointed to the fact that the company needs to concentrate on the internal factors including its strength of shorter production cycles and quick adaptability to market conditions (Puyt et al., 2023). It acknowledges its strengths, as well as areas for improvement such as lack of sustainable initiatives which informed our recommendations on Ethical sourcing for raw materials and reduction of wastage.
Nevertheless, I experienced some difficulties in employing Mintzberg’s theory of strategy, especially when it comes to the contradiction between the concepts of operation and sustainability. When I proposed that the company goes for ethical suppliers as well as incorporating recycle materials into its production process, it was unclear to me whether these solutions where feasible financially. Due to this ambiguity it was challenging to fully assimilate sustainability into our general strategy without resorting to insufficient profitability, which was a major drawback in this study.
As for the evaluation of the competition, it is crucial to explain that Porter’s Five Forces contributed, especially in the analysis of the customers’ bargaining power (Adelakun, 2020). From the above discussion, it is understood that consumers are gradually aware of the deterioration of environment conditions and the fast fashion brands have to respond the similar requirement from the consumers, which might be the threat and opportunity coexists for the company.
5. Conclusion
This is a critical evaluation of various aspects where could have customized my strategy when working on the case study. First of all, I see the necessity to improve my knowledge about sustainable fashion and ethical sourcing. Although I was aware of these problems on a basic level I did not have a detailed understanding of them meaning that I was unable to come up with more fresh, viable solutions which would also be cost effective. Besides, I could have played an active role in controlling the group discussions during the storming stage with an aim of making members arrive at the right decision at the earliest time possible. This would have also saved a lot of time in conflict and enabled the group to concentrate on improving on the strategic advice given.
In future case studies, I will seek to improve my abilities in managing conflicts of interests, for example, profit and sustainability in business within the sectors like fast fashion.
6. Action Plan
To address similar business challenges in the future, I have developed an action plan that I will follow:
Step 1: Extend literature review and synthesis regarding sustainable fashion and supply chain management that focuses more on business cases where companies have implemented sustainable fashion practices and responsible sourcing while continuing to generate profits (Peters and Simaens, 2020).
Step 2: Develop better skills as to how to communicate and handle conflicts within a group in order to avoid getting stuck during the “storming” phase of the group work. This can be done to ensure that time does not end up being spent on dealing with disputes, with more time for analyses being produced instead.
Step 3: Always use SWOT, PESTLE and Porter’s Five Force analyses at the concept development stage so that there is clear understanding of the firm’s position before developing solutions.
Step 4: Incorporate data analyses into the analysis process in order to apply the data of consumer behaviour and marketing trends for the marketing and strategic executive decisions.
Step 5: Sustainability and business strategy should provide opportunities for learning that are on-going in nature, such as attending industry workshops linked to the topic or reading academic literature on sustainability and business strategy (Mian et al., 2020).
References
Adeani, I.S., Febriani, R.B. and Syafryadin, S., 2020. Using GIBBS’reflective cycle in making reflections of literary analysis. Indonesian EFL Journal, 6(2), pp.139-148. https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/IEFLJ/article/view/3382
Adelakun, A., 2020. Should Porters Five Forces have value in businesses today. Computing for Business (BSC). https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew-Adelakun/publication/340771629_Should_Porters_Five_Forces_have_value_in_Businesses_today/links/5e9c998ca6fdcca78928352e/Should-Porters-Five-Forces-have-value-in-Businesses-today.pdf
Baah, C., Opoku-Agyeman, D., Acquah, I.S.K., Agyabeng-Mensah, Y., Afum, E., Faibil, D. and Abdoulaye, F.A.M., 2021. Examining the correlations between stakeholder pressures, green production practices, firm reputation, environmental and financial performance: Evidence from manufacturing SMEs. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 27, pp.100-114. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2020.10.015
Hamid, S., Hussain, D.K., Yaakob, A.F. and Rahmat, N.H., 2023. A Study of Relationship of Factors in Tuckman Model. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v13-i6/17185
Mian, S.H., Salah, B., Ameen, W., Moiduddin, K. and Alkhalefah, H., 2020. Adapting universities for sustainability education in industry 4.0: Channel of challenges and opportunities. Sustainability, 12(15), p.6100. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156100
Peters, J. and Simaens, A., 2020. Integrating sustainability into corporate strategy: A case study of the textile and clothing industry. Sustainability, 12(15), p.6125. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156125
Puyt, R.W., Lie, F.B. and Wilderom, C.P., 2023. The origins of SWOT analysis. Long Range Planning, 56(3), p.102304. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2023.102304
Zirar, A., Muhammad, N., Upadhyay, A., Kumar, A. and Garza-Reyes, J.A., 2023. Exploring lean team development from the Tuckman’s model perspective. Production Planning & Control, pp.1-22. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2023.2275693
