Individual Reflective Report - Term Paper Example

PART A: INDIVIDUAL REFLECTIVE REPORT The proposal presentation that I provided after the research done by our group had some parts that could have improved if we looked at them from a different perspective. The main focus of this report is to reflect on our proposal from its research, problems faced by group members and the main presentation. The introduction of the main topic was not brought out well since C & J Company, which produces Clarks, is a company that has a wealth of historical information and milestones. This was not included in the introduction making it shallow. The choice of topic was well thought out with regard to the percentage of market share held by Clarks compared to other brands. However, there was a wide range of brands to choose from which posed as a challenge. Many competitors under the same market, for example, M&S and Sports Direct that also command a better part of the market in both volume and value could have been a good choice as well. If Clarks covers 8% of the market share, the rest of the 92% should have been analysed deeply and clearly in the competitors’ category with regard to their volume and value share. Merits The merits of the proposal can be attributed to the thorough research that was done about coming up with the topic and engaging the team members with it. The idea screening and market research questionnaire was well thought out. The questions addressed the key points around the Clarks footwear; its demand, market niche, target audience and pricing. In the market niche and target audience I think we should have included examples of advertising fashion magazines like ELLE, Glamour and Cosmopolitan as a marketing strategy for the company. This is because the age of the target audience is 18-35 and people in this age bracket read these magazines. Furthermore, celebrities who wear these shoes, for example Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and Rihanna are a great pull to the social and electronic media marketing strategies. We should have mentioned the social media sites that have been integrated with Clarks for marketing purposes. For example, Clarks is associated with Facebook and Twitter which has been incorporated in their proprietary website to promote the brand (Clarks.co.uk, 2014). The SWOT analysis was well done with the main points about the business coming out clearly. However, we could have expounded on the threats column by mentioning the rival companies and the comparing the prices of their products. Under Strengths, we should have included the reason why the shoes are of high quality that is having them made in Vietnam. The other strength we should have incorporated is that the product has increased the number of their Directly Operated Stores that is a defensive strategy by taking the volume share control in the market. In the weakness section I believe most of the facts were left out, For example we left out that a big chunk of income has always been got from retailers who have a tendency to give the same experience to consumers without showing the dissimilarities between the brands they sell. Also Clarks have margins that are squeezed, as the sellers often tend to move the low price pressure onto Clarks (Cps.gov.uk, 2014). Limitations and Drawbacks There were some limitations and drawbacks during the research and presentation of the proposal. Firstly the group presentation was not satisfactory and one main aspect that brought us down was the group dynamics. There were some members of the group who did not completely understand the gist of the topic and fumbled with their explanations. There was also one member of the group who never attended all research meetings, which were very informative for in-depth analysis of the topic. Since I attended most of the meetings, comparing this group with the others that I have been a member of made it clear that this one was uncooperative. Looking back at the events led me to the realization that the group members had the idea of probably expecting me to lead them. Perhaps I should have been keener on this development and take the leadership responsibility. I also felt at times that the team members did not follow my opinions and this frustrated my efforts and had to be addressed formally by one of the members. For example, I had the idea that we take the questionnaires to people working in private offices but this was shut down. After this was addressed, we realized that most employees in private offices gave us a lot of positive information with reference to the questionnaire. Lessons Learnt The lessons learnt by engaging in this project have been very helpful since they have been a real eye-opener in many perspectives. Among others, the proposal piece was very enlightening and informative in nature and again working with deadlines helped in structuring our schedules in an organised manner. The main problem, which was the epicentre of the whole proposal, was coming up with a topic to dwell on. If one of the members never presented the idea that we eventually chose, we would have ended up engaging our study on a different brand of a leading innovation and creativity. Another thing is that our hypothesis was not clearly brought out because it looked like it was multidimensional and we had to narrow it down to specific factors. The hypothesis was dynamic initially because of the broadness and intensity of the topic of study that we had settled for. If this went on smoothly from the onset, I believe we could have finished the proposal way before the expiry of the deadline that almost caught up with us. This could have led to loss of marks and eventually affecting our grades in the final project. I think the group I was working with were initially disappointed by the fact that we were unable to find the topic of discussion on time and this ate up our time. After we narrowed down our focus on this topic, we realized afterwards that we ignored many relevant aspects of the topic that were related to it in a wide scope. These elements were very important to build the story we were focussing on and enriching it with such aspects could have built up the story to a much higher level. As a group, we reached a decision to split responsibilities amongst all members. Research and Presentation I feel that the project proposal was completed very late. This is because we had to work as a group so as to harmonize every aspect of the proposal. Working independently was not easy because my team was so inclined to working together than splitting responsibilities. This made it difficult to come up with a clear hypothesis of the project and this aggravated the density of the story hence editing became a problem. Working with the team in editing the whole proposal made it difficult in picking the main points to load onto our proposal, as this was time-consuming when deciding unanimously. I could say our thinking was hindered to a certain level. The second thing is that the team did not prepare psychologically with the presentation. None of the team members had enough content to explain the valid points during the presentation. I have now come to the realization that the questionnaires have to be thoroughly analysed to come up with positive and reliable results. Finally, the rehearsal for the presentation was not done and this affected our main presentation. Therefore, I have come to a conclusion that rehearsals are very important before doing the presentation. This makes it easier during the real presentation as this saves time. Teamwork The events surrounding the proposal were a great learning skill for me. Everything was unpredictable but unfolded with ease when we worked as a team. I also reflect on the team members experiences and it is also evident that the team has learnt a great deal to be careful with the hitches that might come up in the next proposal. Even though we had difficulties with regard to finding new topics to deal in, the pressure was well handled by our team members with maturity and optimism. But I still have the feeling that the idea could have developed fast if we took chances with the topics we had chosen before. With my observations I have come up with an analysis of each group member’s role with the help of Belbin group scores in the table below: Team Role Contribution Allowable Weakness Team Leader Creative, Imaginative and Confident Over-optimistic, and ignores credentials Main Researcher Organized, Thorough and Meticulous Manipulative and offloads his own work to others Coordinator Mature, delegates effectively, critical thinker Does not keep time, overthinks Team Worker Clarified goals, sober and strategic Prone to provocation, can be over critical Implementer Explores opportunities, engaging and develops relationships Lacks drive and ability to inspire others Specialist Free thinking, generates ideas, judges rationally Inclined to worries and reluctant to delegate PART TWO: REBUTTAL OF THE GROUPS PROPOSAL This part of the essay explains why the proposal was shoddily done and is not suitable to be invested in any company’s project. Firstly the proposal has no clear hypothesis that the project focusses its objectives on and this will hold back the final results of the project. This will complicate the whole project since the hypothesis should be a clear statement that holds together the whole proposal and is a foundation to it. If the hypothesis is not transparent enough, the proposal will look more complex. Secondly, the history of the company was not deeply analysed being a company that has been in the market for as long as over a century. For a proposal about a company’s products to be deemed complete, the company’s profile must be well explained so as to distinguish it from others and also open up the reader’s mind about which kind of business proposal he or she is engaging with. Initially, I thought that the proposal was dealing with a small company that is just coming up owing to the fact that the notes on “about us” was very shallow. Swot Analysis The SWOT analysis done for this proposal is very weak. In general, the points given for every part of the SWOT analysis are not sufficient to give an analytical approach of the market. For example, under “opportunity” and “threats”, I believe poor research was done because the main points were left out. Under strengths, only two points were listed. Clarks is a shoe brand that has lived through ages meaning it has manoeuvred its way through difficult times. The opportunities should be enough to qualify it as a strong brand. Footwear is a vast and increasingly spread business, which is anchored and propelled by a multitude of demographic lifestyle and fashion tendencies. Another important point they left out is that tendencies in lifestyle have had a rising trend as more individuals have disposable income. Hence, the company can use this advantage and their shoes to appropriately fit in the category of the young and fashion-sensible professionals. One of the threats is that the retail market is flocked with companies selling the same products. Another vital threat I felt they left out is that there are many substitutes to deal with. Since Clarks is also a fashion brand, the company is confronted with the threat that the product may run out of fashion in the near future (Turner, 2011). In my opinion, the SWOT analysis of any product in the market is the most important research area and brushing on it does not add any value to a business project. However, including the SWOT analysis of the Clarks marker was a thoughtful idea and I commend them for that. Research Process and Presentation I feel this proposal was done hurriedly and presented because it is incomplete with no conclusions. Without a conclusion in a proposal shows that the whole story noted from the first chapter to the last is vague and there is nothing to deduce from it. Conclusions wrap up every part of the proposal that has been argued about. This proposal does not conclude anything and this is probably because of neglect or there was no time to include it. The proposal also does not have any objectives outlined in it. For me, the most significant thing to do before going deep into a proposal is jotting down the objectives. I feel that this imbues the purpose of the project, and without it, the proposal has no foundation. Alternatively, for a proposal to qualify as of quality, the main points are usually repeated in different chapters so as to capture the attention of the reader. Having read this proposal, I wonder where the main points are because for me, the most significant points are either not in the proposal or it is the whole of it. In my opinion, a project proposal should have a detailed programme of activities for the project or even sample parts of a comprehensive project schedule. I feel like this proposal highlighted these portions partly while neglecting other important ones. For example then activities’ timetable is not there and no time stamps on the proposal. This shows that the proposal is incomplete with vital information that should guide the project. Similarly, I feel that there are very few interested parties that are involved in planning included in the proposal. In my opinion this should be clearly brought out so as to give each of the involved parties’ duties to be carried out by them. Merits I feel that the proposal was written in a clear and concise way. It expresses its opinions to the reader as it helps him or her to get a clear understanding of the problems and the proposal. The topics have a condensed topic name, with summarizing statements and headings leading the reader on. Similarly, the questionnaires have sufficient data with proper questions that are directly linked to the investigative study. The contents of the questionnaire have enough information to cover the objective of the study thus making it very suitable for the project. Demerits The proposal has some flaws in it. This is evident in the way it has been prepared. Initially, I noticed that there was not enough details in every aspect of the proposal. I feel that this leaves us with the suspense about what could have happened next or if there are extra attributes to the topic in question. For example, in the analysis of the questionnaires, the pie charts clearly represent the outcome of the questionnaire survey but there is no explanation about why the percentages resulted into the shown numbers. For me, the most significant aspect about a proposal is that the commitment of all involved parties is evident; for example: letters of commitment. This proposal does not show anywhere with the above. The use of money should be clearly outlined in the proposal so as to plan the budget in time and with consistency. Similarly, a good proposal should undoubtedly explore the arrangements of all project staff and advisors to take part in the project and if it is captured in the proposal. If this is not included, it may perhaps mean that the proposal lacks monetary and advisory back-up to run it thus making it weaker for the project. Investing in such a proposal creates the risk of losing money to the project, which might be a red flag for its completion. Conclusion In conclusion, I could simply say that this proposal is misplaced with regard to the fact that most of the components of a quality proposal are not in it. I can advise that the proposal be ignored or revised to capture the right details, which will reflect the results of the project. The proposal was done shoddily with major parts essential for quality purposes left out. This kind of proposal will lead to a failed project if applied on the ground. After going through this experience, I believe I have come out better than I was before concerning teamwork and working in a homogenous way. I rarely work in a team of more than two people because I do feel it is a crowd already but I have realized that the course brought a new style of doing assignments and this build up my self-esteem and I could share ideas freely without fear or shyness. In my opinion Even though I have brought down most parts of the proposal, I concur that the topic chosen for study is a rich topic which can yield good fortune if put to task. The knowledge will be essential to me as a practitioner because I am not yet confident about the proposal but I have a positive feeling it will pick up if put up for trial. Bibliography Adjustable, H. (2011). Adjustable Heels the Risk Free Selection. Available: https://adjustableheellifts001.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/adjustable-heel-lifts-the-risk-free-selection/. Last accessed 20th Nov 2014. Aldo Shoes., 2012. About Aldo. Retrieved 03 29, 2012, from Aldo Shoes: http://www.aldoshoes.com/ca--‐eng/culture Bassot, B. n.d. The reflective journal. Brockbank, A., & McGill, I., 2007. Facilitating reflective learning in higher education (2nd Ed.). Maidenhead, England: McGraw Hill/Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press. Clarks Originals., 2012. Our Story. Retrieved 03 25, 2012, from Clarks Originals: http://clarksoriginals.com/our--‐story/ Clarks.co.uk, 2014. Shoe SALE – Clarks Winter Shoe Sale. [Online] Available at: http://www.clarks.co.uk/ [Accessed 8 Dec. 2014]. Early year’s reflective journal. (2006). Auchtertarder, Perthshire: Mindstretchers. Get Outside Shoes. 2012. Get Outside --‐ Clarks Originals. Retrieved from Get Outside Shoes: getoutsideshoes.com Haymarket, 2001. Profile --‐ Clarks. Retrieved 2012, from Marketing Revolution: http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/67621/ Higher Education Academy, 2009. Reflective Learning. Available: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/hlst/resources/a-zdirectory/reflectivelearning. Last Accessed 01 May, 2013. Johnston, G., 2009. The superintendent's planner a monthly guide and reflective journal. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press. Jorgenson, O., 2008. A reflective planning journal for school leaders: With insights and tips from award-winning principals. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Lam, E., 2011. Economy. Retrieved 03 28, 2012, from Financial Post: http://business.financialpost.com/2011/12/05/canadas--‐middle--‐class--‐being--‐hollowed--‐ out/ McCracken, G., 2006. Who Is The Celebrity Endorser? Cultural Foundations of the Endorsement Process. Journal of Consumer Research, 310--‐321. McGrath, M., & Johns, B., 2009. The special educator's reflective calendar and planning journal motivation, inspiration, and affirmation. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press. Stevens, D., & Cooper, J., 2009. Journal keeping how to use reflective writing for effective learning, teaching, professional insight, and positive change. Sterling, Va.: Stylus Pub. TOMS, 2012. TOMS Company Overview. Retrieved 03 29, 2012, from TOMS: http://www.toms.ca/corporate--‐info/ Tuckwell, K., 2011. Integrated Marketing Communications (3rd Ed.).Toronto: Pearson Canada. Turner, A. 2009. Recipe for teaching: A reflective journal. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press. University of Kent, 2013. Reflective Learning Study Guide. Available: http://www.kent.ac.uk/learning/PDP/reflectivelearningstudyguide1112.docx‎. Last Accessed 01 May, 2013. Ursula Lucas and Leng Tan, 2007. Developing a Reflective Capacity Within Undergraduate Education: the role of work-based placement learning. York: Higher Education Academy. Read More