Reflective report

BUS3034 Individual Reflective Report Matthew Richardson 081222553
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BUS3034 MANAGEMENT PRACTICE BUSINESS GAME
INDIVIDUAL REFLECTIVE REPORT
MATTHEW RICHARDSON 081222553
Word Count: 2,5050

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I would like to start this reflective report by saying that I am extremely
grateful for being given the opportunity to take part in this module because it
was completely different to all my other modules and provided a new, exciting
and practical approach to learning. I major in Economics, which is an extremely
abstract subject that focuses on theory to help explain and understand how
economic agents can affect the state of the economy, both at a micro and macro
level. However, particularly in macroeconomics, theory can only get you so far in
terms of predicting the future and measuring the extent of consequences of a
particular action. All we can do in economics is predict the most likely outcome
and estimate the multiplier affect of an action, which is extremely, and in most
cases impossible to measure. This module, however, gave me the opportunity to
experience different aspects of running a business where decisions were made,
actions were taken and the affects of those decisions and actions could be
directly observed and measured. There was no vagueness or abstract thinking
about what might have been the cause of specific outcomes. Outcomes could be
observed and directly linked back to the decisions made and actions taken. We
could therefore accurately predict outcomes of future decisions. This practical
approach to learning is the main reason why I personally, enjoyed this module.
This module appealed to me because it claimed to give students the
opportunity to be directly involved in the most important managerial decisions
that would ultimately lead to the success or failure of a business. To be given this
level of responsibility in a business is an extremely rare opportunity for people
our age. Although the business and its environment is only a simulation,
lecturers and last year’s participants claim that the simulation is very accurate
and well recognised by business academics. This amount of responsibility in
decision-making, coupled with observable actions would ultimately test my
ability of running a business. This was an opportunity that I did not want to miss
as I wish to work in a managerial position and one day, hopefully, own my own
business.
This module also offered the opportunity to work in a group, which is
different to my other modules that are mostly centred around 100%
examinations with a large emphasis on individual study. I thought working in a

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group would give me the opportunity to meet more people that had similar
ambitions to my own and who wanted a similar career. I thought working in a
group, in a situation this module provided, would help establish new friendships
and possibly important contacts for future business ventures. Group work is also
a great way to improve those imperative skills that are fundamental to working
in a business environment. Social, communication, listening, decision-making,
organisation, time keeping and reflective thinking are just some of the key skills
that I thought this module would help me develop and that could ultimately lead
to my success in the work place, socially and professionally.
The shareholder business meeting was also something that greatly
appealed to me. I have never experienced a shareholder meeting, and practicing
a shareholder meeting is extremely valuable, particularly because I want to one
day be responsible for the running of a business. Other modules offer
presentations in different subject areas, mostly to test your understanding of a
certain topic, which is good for developing your understanding, but offers little
practical experience for someone wanting to manage or own a business. This
module offered a practice meeting that would give great insight into standard
business practice and is completely relevant to my future in an organisation. To
be able to take part in a meeting where my teams decisions, actions and future
strategies are critically discussed is an opportunity that not all students are open
to and something that would put me at an advantage when going to a “real”
shareholder meeting.
Before the weekend began each team member was required to take a
Belbin Team Roles Test. We had to answer a series of questions about ourselves
in a team context. The Belbin findings stated that I possessed the characteristics
of a team worker. A team worker is categorised as someone who is sociable,
rather mild and sensitive. They can be seen as the member who brings light
heartedness and informality to a group. I was very surprised at these results as I
considered myself to be more of a leader, or decision maker, where I would take
charge and make my opinions very clear. However, after meeting my team
members I found my self-analysis to be slightly inaccurate. There were clearly
two people in my group that were much more authoritive and confident than I

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was. These two took charge from the start and were clearly better suited to what
I thought my role in the team would be. As the group meetings and decisions
progressed through the weekend, I found myself fitting more and more into
Belbin’s team worker classification. I was very aware of tensions or
disagreements in the group and found myself trying to “lighten” the situation, by
either changing the topic or making a joke. I felt my contributions were not seen
as annoying or unhelpful, but seen as a way of progressing through or avoiding
an unnecessary confrontation.
I realise that disagreements within the group was inevitable and that in
most cases it was beneficial to work through a problem properly. It’s good to
hear everyone’s points of view about a certain decision or process as it
determines how a future situation or person should be addressed most
appropriately. It also establishes boundaries of how far you can take a situation
or person without compromising their feelings. At the start of the weekend
there were clashes and disagreements and making the first set of decisions took
us all the time that was allowed. However, our decision making process
quickened with every round because we were able to compromise with each
other more quickly and move past those petty and unnecessary disagreements
that took up time and much needed energy. As a team worker I think I
contributed to the speed of our decisions by being the person who avoided these
disagreements where they were hindering our performance. This is a strength
that would make me popular and effective in the workplace. However, I think if I
want to be a successful business owner or manager I need to work on my
authoritive side and be confident enough to take charge from the beginning. This
is something I would like to work on and I think something that will come from
further experience in working in a group.
We decided that our company was a structurally flat, spaghetti
organisation, as far as management was concerned. We did this for many
reasons. The first being that we didn’t want to put people in charge of
departments that did not appeal to them (especially when it come to the
accounts!). We also all felt that by putting people in charge of one department

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would decrease the benefits that this module offers. To be in charge of one
department would mean that you wouldn’t experience running a business in all
areas. I think if we placed people in charge of departments we would not have
realised the interconnectedness of an organisation and how one department’s
decisions would affect another department. Departments would have had
different goals for each quarter and almost all the time we found that sacrifices
in some areas of the business was necessary for the success of other areas, that
took importance at a particular time. I feel that if we separated into departments
we would not see a common goal clearly and arguments would arise between
heads of departments. We also thought that by putting so much responsibility on
one person might lead to arguments and stress because people would be more
pressurised to make no mistakes, which can often lead to mistakes. We didn’t
want to cause alienation or want anyone getting upset that they made a mistake.
Rather we wanted everyone to be involved in every aspect of the business where
if something went wrong, we were all to blame.
We also decided that more and more organisations are structured in a
non-hierarchical way where informality and communication are at the heart of
the company, especially for smaller businesses. However, although a lot of
businesses are flat, structurally, most organisations, especially large, traditional
organisations are separated into departments with a clear hierarchy. It was
likely, given our company was reasonably large and in the manufacturing
industry that it would have a hierarchy structure. Therefore, it may have been
better to separate into departments for this particular type of business.
However, we thought it would be better to make all the decisions together
because no one in our group had had this level of responsibility and experience
in running a business and we also wanted to avoid alienation.
Having studied of the company’s history, we wanted to establish main,
long-term goals before making any decisions. We collectively decided that our
main goals were growth in the size of the firm, increased quality of the products,
increased efficiency and most importantly a higher share price. We decided to
focus on those areas, departments and processes within our firm that would get
us closer to achieving these main goals. I think it was extremely important to

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make these goals clear to everyone in the group. It avoided confusion and
increased efficiency by not dwelling on areas that were seen as less important at
that particular time. Although these were our long-term goals, after every
quarter we set new short-term goals, which depended on the quarterly results.
Our first set of decisions was basically aimed at improving all areas of the
company. We wanted to increase spending on research and development,
increase wages, machine efficiency, the size of the work force and plant size etc.
Once the results of these decisions could be observed and the extent of the
proportionate effects from a particular decision could be measured, we were
able to go through all the areas of the company and make decisions with
increasing confidence and effectiveness.
This type of strategy can be classified as a trial and error. We would make
decisions based on previous observations and became more and more accurate
with our decisions and the effects those decisions had on certain areas of the
company. However, although this strategy did work overall, there were
problems with it. The main problem was our ability to predict what would
happen when a decision had to be made. For example, when we faced a large
amount of left over stock. We weren’t sure whether this was down to inefficient
salesmen, over production, bad distribution of goods or even the prices. Because
we didn’t know the cause of the problem it was difficult to agree on a strategy to
decrease stock. So, as a democracy we voted on what we thought was the most
likely cause of the problem and a decision on how to improve it. Most of the time,
especially in this example, it was a combination of all these things that affected
left over stock and it was down to trial and error to try and correct the problem.
When we got the quarterly results we were able to see whether our decisions
were correct and therefore able to any problems in the same area more quickly
and with greater accuracy in the following quarters.
Although this type of strategy is time consuming, we did get better at it
and by the end we were able to make decisions very quickly and effectively. It
was also probably the only strategy we could adopt because none of us had ever
made these types of decisions before. Although we all take business modules and
study different types of strategy, none of us have been exposed to this level of
detailed decision making for an entire company and could never make decisions

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with much confidence. We simply had to learn through our mistakes. One
mistake that I will never forget was inputting the wrong figures into the
computer for the simulation. We decided to keep using supplier 3, however, it
was my turn to input the decisions into the computer and accidentally typed
supplier 0. I was so embarrassed to make such a silly mistake, but my team
members were fully supportive and we learnt that we should double check what
we enter into the computer (and that I shouldn’t be allowed near the keyboard!).
I learnt a valuable lesson that day, and that was to be careful and to check any
form of work that I am doing that could affect the performance of not only
myself, but also other group members, employers, and hopefully on day, my
employees. Although it was a mistake, it turns out that switching to supplier 0
was extremely beneficial to the company. We had been struggling with a large
order backlog and by switching to a lean or just in time strategy we were able to
fulfill all our orders and decrease the cost of storing stock at the same time.
As a team, our group got on very well and we proved to be fast and
effective when making our decisions. However, some of the other groups I know
did not get on so well. We were thrown together into a group with people that
many of us had never met before. With so many groups and so many people
there are bound to be people that do not get on. If a group are put together and
do not get on, it could hinder the performance of the group from the beginning,
when people do not know each other and each others boundaries. I suggest a
team-building day. This could range from a day of team building activities or a
compulsorily meeting where group members simply meet for the first time. This
would enable groups to form a bound more quickly, or if they do not bound well,
establish a civilized relationship. This would not hinder the performance of the
team or anyone’s enjoyment of this module.
This module will put me at an advantage when it comes to job interviews
as it provides interesting conversation and will make me stand out above other
employees. This module has given me great insight into my strengths and
weaknesses, when comes to running a business and working in a team, all before
actually going into a formal workplace. It has improved my communication,

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social, time-keeping, listening and decision-making skills. Even by writing this
report I have learnt the process of self-reflection, something that is imperative to
self-awareness and self-improvement. It has shown me that I am able to avoid
unnecessary conflicts and that I have the ability to bring light heartedness to a
situation when it needs it. The meeting has offered valuable experience and will
make me more confident when I have to talk to employers or owners of a
business. Most importantly, this module has given me the opportunity to realise
my weaknesses. I am now able to focus on and improve those characteristics that
will make me a successful businessman.
References:
Parker. Glenn.M, (2008). Team Player and Team Work. John Wiley and Sons.
Websites:
Rajput Brotherhood. (2008) Henry Fayols Principles of Management. Available
from:http://www.rajputbrotherhood.com/knowledge-hub/business-
studies/henry-fayols-principles-of-management.html
West M. (1984) Effective Teamwork; Belbins Team Role Theory. Available from:
http://www.srds.co.uk/cedtraining/handouts/hand40.htm
Kendra Van Wagne. (2005) Leadership Theories - 8 Major Leadership Theories
Available from:
http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm,
Appendix:
Belbin Findings:
Team Member Team Roles
Javier Gascon Martin Shaper (Team Worker)
Kate Lischke Implementer (Coordinator)
Naomi Littlefair Completer-Finisher (?)
Andrew McIntosh Team Worker (Plant)
Matthew Richardson Team Worker (Coordinator)
Grace Sivey Coordinator (Completer-Finisher)

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