I really enjoyed doing the Business Plan
assignment although I have gone through ‘thick and thin’ for this assignment.
However, it is actually the most exciting and driving assignment in the whole
semester for me. I was assigned initially as the F&B Manager for my group.
After deciding on the business, I became the R&D Manager, as our business
was not operating a restaurant but vending machines.
The ultimate skill that helped me complete
this assignment was Thinking & Problem Solving Skills. It is the initiating
point of our assignment. Our group came up with a really innovative and cool
idea which is a hot food vending machine. We strongly believe that in this era,
a business that solves problems is a good business. The idea came about when we
were all brainstorming of a crucial problem which students currently face. The
problem is that many students in universities these days have limited time to
eat. We take ourselves as examples, there are times where we actually have only
30 minutes break and that is definitely not enough to have a proper-seated
meal. Another problem is that, at peak hours, the restaurants are all crowded
and it is almost impossible to get a table.
Our last resort is the vending machine. Unfortunately, all vending
machines only sell drinks and snacks. Food sold in vending machine is not very
nutritious and ultimately is only a snack. Without this skill, we would not
even be able to start working on this assignment. We have successfully defined
and analyze the problem to arrive at an effective solution.
I am 100% confident that if our business is turned into reality,
it will definitely solve this problem and students all over will be ecstatic to
see this machine in their campus.
Next, it is interpersonal and communication
skills. I believe that without having these 2 skills our group will not have
such success on this assignment. It is due to our dynamic and eccentric personality
that contributed to the success of our assignment. Although, there are
respective departments such as Kitchen, HR, Finance, R&D and Marketing, I
never felt that our group was apart at any point of time. We organize meetings
almost every week to check on our progress and to ensure that everyone was in
one direction. Besides, as the leader of the R&D team, I always make sure
that my department is functioning efficiently. I delegate the tasks to my
members and support them whenever they face a problem. I never give a chance
for anyone to not be doing anything. I want to make everyone involved at all
time so that they will not be left out in terms of our progress. Our assignment
wouldn’t be fruitful if any of us are not being corporative. It was really good
energy in the group as everyone was always motivated and helping each other. I
am honored to be able to work with such great characters. I strongly believe
that with such a great concept and team, we can actually start our business and
run it by ourselves.
The other skill that helped me the most
individually in this assignment is intrapersonal skills. I was very positive
and driven to give my best in this assignment. I understand that I am managing
a very important task (R&D). As the leader of the team, I take full
responsibility on my team’s work. There are times where I actually annoyed my
team members but that is all solely to ensure that they are giving their best.
They do understand that as well. I believe that the R&D of the machine is
the foundation of this whole assignment. If it is done perfectly, the outcome
will be very favorable. Therefore, I put in lots of effort in my R&D
tasks/duties. I have managed my time well and always making sure that my work
is of top quality. In the whole assignment, I strived for perfection.
The only problem I faced in working as a team
is that, everyone has such great ideas and it is not easy to identify which one
we should go with. However, we managed this problem by having careful pondering
over the idea and decide which is the best/safest approach.
This subject has benefited me in numerous
ways. I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur and this subject truly gave me
a chance to think and act like an entrepreneur who is starting a business. I
really took the assignment like as though it was a business which I was going
to be involved in. I am now well equipped with how to start up a business, factors
influencing business, and calculate the risk involved in any forms of business.
I have a new perspective of looking at business after studying this subject for
1 semester. I am sure that my dream to be a successful entrepreneur is now
fortified with the knowledge I have gained from this subject.
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| Toughest task in the whole assignment |
