RESEARCH REFLECTION REPORT-2012

RESEARCH REFLECTION REPORT

Prepared By,
Abdul Saleem Kadakkot
No: 0121DODO1011
Master of Business Administration
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Date of Submission: 22th September 2012
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Student Name: ABDUL SALEEM KADAKKOT

Student ID No: 0121DODO1011

Research Reflection Responses Marks

Report

Research Methods One of my ambitions is to be an entrepreneur. Moreover I

and Processes would like to work with good business consultancy, because
it would help to gain more knowledge and would get
How and why have you
chosen/decided on the different experience in business world. But as student I have
research methods and to learn more about business in practically rather than reading
process which you are
books. I was very interested to learn and understand about the
using/ have used for the
development of your real Companies and to know about what are they doing in
major project? practically in different perspective.
In my MBA final semester I got different chances and
How would you 15
describe these to: options to know and to learn about the business reality in
1) A reader of your terms of dissertation. There were different options such as,
major project 1. Business Development Proposal
2) A future Employer
2. Integrated Case Study

(Max: 550 words) 3. Dissertation

Here I selected integrated case study of the Orion Foods,
because, it feels like live employer rather than just an
imagination. It would give more practical experience than
just reading a book. In fact, this selection gave me a different
experience. Actually, Orion food is a Malaysian young and
growing Company and currently they are facing different
challenges and issues from the business environment. Here
they are facing difficulties in managing some of the issues in
different areas of their business. I hope that this case study
will boost my knowledge and experience in both
academically and also practically, because this is what we
learned from the lessons, How to manage and lead a
Company forward, how to solve business issues, how to
manage and reduce risks, how to analysis business and its

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environment, how to prepare business plans, and how to

implement plans in different areas of the business.
As a reader of this project, this would help to know what kind
of issues and challenges are facing the Companies now, there
are different ways to solve problems but how it can be solved
in better way. Then it would help to know how to identify the
current position of the business or where are they now by
using SWOT analysis, then usages of PESTEL frame work to
analyse the business environment, moreover helps to
recognize the Porter’s five forces frame work for industry
analysis. Further, It would help to know how to make
SMART objectives and action plans for implementation and
for the Companies’ success.
As a future Employer, it would help to evaluate current
business, how they are strong, weakness, what are kind of
threats they will face future and what are the opportunities
they have to use through SWOT analysis. It would support to
do environmental and financial analysis for a Company to
know whether strong or weakness in their current financial
position. In truth, it would support to learn how to manage a
Company by forecasting. Then the PESTEL analysis frame
work would help an employer to know future trends for the
Company so that they can utilise their strength to move
forward by reducing weaknesses. A Company can achieve
Competitive advantage by identifying the Porter’s five forces
frame work that would help to achieve competitive advantage
through industry analysis.
We know that Some Companies are successfully managing it
and some of them are becoming to failure. This report would
help to gain more knowledge about the business environment
and what kind of challenges are facing more practically.
Anybody can understand the value of strategy and strategic
planning to move forward a company by this report.

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Literature and Theories or literatures are important to support our project. It

Sources would provide more strength to our major project. Here I
used different theories and literature from different books,
1) What are the most
important websites, journals, magazines, case study material and so on.
theories/literature I used different theories like,
sources/evidence
Porter’s five forces model, SWOT analysis method, PESTEL
sources which you
are using to justify analysis method, theories of growth strategies, Critical
your research and Success factors, Balance Scorecard, Gantt chart and so on.
major project
Porter’s five Forces framework was originally developed as a
2) Why are these way of assessing the attractiveness of different industries. It
15
sources important can help in identifying the sources of competition in food
and fundamental to
industry. The SWOT analysis method explains the major
your work?
issues from the business environment and the strategic
(Max: 550 words) capability of the Company that are most likely to impact on
strategic development. This is an analysis of the strength and
weaknesses present internally in the organization, coupled
with the opportunities and threats that the Company faces
externally. It is important to build up an understanding of
how changes in the macro environment are likely to impact
on the Company. The starting point can be given by the
PESTEL framework which can be used to identify how future
trends in the Political, Economical, Social, Technological,
Environmental and Legal might impinge on the Company.
Next is about growth strategies, there are different levels of
strategies such as, corporate level strategy, business level
strategy and operational level strategy to lead forward a
Company. Here we used different levels of strategies for this
major project. That is important to understand which
characters are of particular important to success of the
company. These are known as Critical Success Factors.
Critical factors are those product or Company features that
are particularly valued by a group of customers and therefore,
where the Company must excel to outperform competition.

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Here we used CSFs for this major project. Then here we used
Balance Scorecard as part of performance monitoring and
management in different perspectives such as financial,
customer, internal process, and learning and growth. At last
but not least is about Gantt chart, this is a type of bar chart
that illustrates the project Scheduled and work over the
period.
2) This sources and theories would provide strength to major
project. It helps to do easily and give a structure with proper
evident. It provides a framework for the total project with
professional manner. Further it helps to do straight forward
analysis with simple explanation. Every reader can easily
understand this project by using these sources. If anybody has
any doubt on their readings they can refer as mentioned in the
project reference column. They can easily clear their doubts
at any time and it would help to gain detailed knowledge
about the topic.

Your Knowledge Major project and research helped me to gain different

knowledge both academically and practically. I hope that the
What key areas of research process will improve the quality of our work. As an
knowledge have you
MBA student I hope that the research and major project are
gained from
undertaking your important, because it provides wide areas of knowledge from
research and the major different areas of the business environment. The major
project?
project touching different functional areas of the business
Indicate why these are such as, marketing, finance, human resources, Information
so important to you? technology, Corporate Strategy, Research and Development, 10
and so on. The research helps to solve the different existing
(Max: 400 words)
problems on the case study with prove.
Business is meaningless without knowledge. Major project is
important because it provides different learning like, firstly,
how to prepare report, we know that the importance of
preparing reports in the business world. Then how to identify

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and solve the problems, as mentioned in the case study the

Orion Foods faces different problems in their different areas
of the business such as problems in product presentation, lack
of information Technology, marketing, staffs, and so on.
Then how to make research questions and how to achieve
research objectives, there are different questions in a
Company like identify where they are now, current
performance, what would be their future, and so on. Then it
helps to learn how to do different analysis and evaluate a
Company by using different tools like, SWOT analysis,
Porter’s Five Forces frame work model, and PESTEL
analysis. Then the project helped me to learn how to
implement change management and its difficulties, problems
while implementing changes, factors need to consider when
we implement changes, etc.. then learned about different
growth strategies like operational level, business level and
corporate level strategies, How a Company can move forward
by using different strategies, different business level
strategies such as, No frills, low price, hybrid, differentiation,
focused differentiation, further how to gain competitive
advantages in this competitive market, then this major report
helped to learn importance of critical success factors. This is
essential to understand which features are of particular
important to success of the company. Then it assisted me to
know the importance balance scorecard for performance
management in four perspectives such as financial, customer,
internal process, and learning and growth. At last but not
least, how to prepare Gantt chart for the prepared plans and
scheduled work over the period. We know that this is a
competitive business world. Here we need to know all these
business terms and its implementation. It would help to
improve the business performance while implementing right
way.

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Your Learning Education is one of the important parts of success in today's

business world.
what are the most
Master of Business Administration, research and major
important
aspects/examples of project helped me to gain different skills and learning. An
learning and/ or skills MBA degree and this major project are very helpful for those
which you have gained
position in management and those who dealing with business
from:
activities. i have gone through different functional areas of
1) Undertaking the the business and it helped me to learn more about marketing
MBA programme
and more terms in the marketing like, marketing
2) Following through
your research, and environment, marketing communication, direct marketing,
3) Applying your sales and sales management, segmentation, targeting and
knowledge and position, market research, 7 P's in the marketing, international
what you have
learnt in your major marketing and so on.
project then the financial analysis and management gave different
10
concepts like, about financial objectives of the firm, how to
(Max: 400 words)
analyse a company through different ratios, shareholder value
analysis, long terms and short term financial objectives,
capital budgeting, sources of finance, cost of capital,
corporate governance, company stakeholders and so on,
Next is about information system management. Here I
learned the importance of information system in a Company.
There are different levels of information system available in
the market to support the business activities. there are
different theories about information management and
security, information system strategy, information technology
management, data base management, implementing and
running the information system, and so on.
Then the managing human capital assisted me to learn about
human resource management at work, basic HR concepts,
HRM responsibilities, performance management, strategic
human resource planning and management, job analysis and
recruitment, selection, training and development, employee
relation and motivation, and so on.

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After that the strategic management helped me to gain

different terms and its application. Such as, concept and the
importance of the strategy, strategic decisions, strategic
business unit, different levels of strategy, vocabulary of
strategy, strategic management and operational management,
elements of strategic management, strategic position and
choices, strategy in to action, challenges of strategic
management, and so on.
Moreover the International business gave me different
learning experience. It taught me different concepts like,
different international theories, globalization, globalization of
market and production, drivers of globalisation, trade and
investment barriers, role of technology in international
business, gave an idea about global economy, managing the
global market place, concept of world trade organization,
IMF, foreign direct investment, and so on. In brief, The
Master of Business Administration Program and major
project helped me to gain different knowledge and
information. Moreover I could apply many concepts which I
mentioned above in my assignments. Then the works on the
case studies gave me another experience. I Hope that it would
boost my knowledge and career as well.

Critical thinking and What I feel in this research is, analysis part and mission 2016
Your Ideas plan are major parts in this assignment. Here I spend more
time to make analysis and prepare a plan for the Orion Foods.
In carrying out your I have done financial analysis to know their current financial
research, your analysis, position and their future risks, then the SWOT analysis
your evaluation of
helped me to know where are the Orion Company now by
evidence, and in 10
identifying or analysing strength, weakness, opportunities and threats. Then
proposing conclusions, the PESTEL Analysis helped to understand about the
what has been the most
business environment by analysing Political factors,
important discovery, or
piece of evidence, or Economical factors, Social factors, Technological factors,
theory, or view point,

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or critical idea, or Environmental Factors and Legal factors. Moreover the

critical addition, to Porter's five forces framework showed me about the food
your knowledge, or
industry trends and helped to identify the competition in the
other item of
importance and why? food industry as well. This is how the analysis part helped me
to know more about the Orion Food and the Food Industry as
(Max:400 words)
well. That is why analysis part is one of the major parts in
this dissertation.
Then I consider the vision 2016 and change management
plans are another part of this assignment. Vision 2016
provides a road map and it gives a long term planning for the
Orion Company to move forward. Vision 2016 expresses
through different categories such as, profit, people, portfolio,
partners, planet, and productivity. It provides a direction and
destination point for the Orion Foods. Otherwise they may
deviate from their common objectives. then the change
management plans are critical for this assignment. Because
there are different issues in Orion’s current business
performance as mentioned in the interview with different
functional managers of Orion Foods. It was very challenging
process to recommend the different change process. They had
problems each functional areas of their business. So we can
understand the importance of change management process
and re engineering process for the Orion Company and for
this assignment as well.
As a theory part I hope that the Balance Scorecard and Key
successful factors are important in this dissertation. The
Balance Scorecard retains the financial metrics as the
ultimate outcome measure for the Company success. But this
is the metrics from three additional perspective- customer,
internal process, and learning and growth that proposed as the
drivers for creating long term shareholder value. That is
important to Orion foods to measure and evaluate their
performance. Then the ‘Critical Successful factors’ theory is

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one of the major part in this assignment. Because that is

important to identify and understand which features and
factors are of particular significant to success of the
company. So these are some major and critical parts in this
assignment.

Barriers met The research and major project gave me different experiance.
here I faced different difficulties and barriers during research
What were the main
and major project. mainly spend lot of time to do research, it
difficulties and barriers
which you were faced took more time to gather right information from more number
with in: of references. then I faced wrong information and comments
during my research process. Some information dont have
1) Undertaking your
research, and proper auther, publised date and time, title and so on. felt
2) Completing your borring to read more and more books and journals because of
major project
getting right information and data. then i found some un-

(Max: 400 words) autherised website that anybody can add and change its
content and details. It affected my research process very well. 10
What I feel is that, There are lot of infomation and data
available but it is difficult to select right evident for the right
place.
one of the major problems was limitation on words while
doing my major project. here i have to complete all report
with in 12000 words. Information and data availabilty on the
internet were very less as a private limited Company namely
Orion Foods. they have proper website but they did not
mention about further details about their employees,
customers, marketing and sales, finance, research and
development, new strategies and plans, and so on. but the
case study material helped me a lot to do this major project.
the case study material gave more detail about the Orion
Foods. here the interview with different functional managers
gave me a detailed idea about the Orion foods. Another

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problem was time period. i have to submit the major project

by september 7th 2012. There is a time boundary even though
we have more than 3 month time. then i faced difficulties and
take time to make plan for what to write and with in a
particular time period. The Analysis part made me very busy
and sensitive with starting problem. I was wondering how to
start and where to end. Then I got a flow and analysis part
started with financial analysis, Industry analysis, Swot
analysis, and end with PESTEL analysis. Then the problem
was with proposed plan of action, here I again stucked up.
Then I started to search for how to prepare a proposed plan of
action. Here i took more risk to get read books and searching
on the internet. Then slowly I got data from both books and
websites. I read lots of books and websites for writing about
Change management, balance scorecard, Critical Success
factors and growth strategies. Here I faced difficulties to
make it brief as we have limitations on 12000 words.

Your Professional Education is one of the important part of success in today's

Development business world. I have gained different business management
skills, academic ideas and lessons while doing research and
What are the most
important business and major project.
or/ management skills I could learn and gain different business management skills,
or academic ideas or
academic lessons, and ideas while doing my major project.
lessons which you have
learnt from undertaking Such as,
your research and your 10
Planning- I have done different planning for this major
major project- and
project including 2016 plan for the Orion foods. It helped me
why?
to learn how to prepare and make a plan for the Company’s
(Max: 400 words) future.
Then the Organising and Co-ordinating- the Organising and
Co-ordinating are another parts of the management skill.
Here the arrangement of the major project work and within a
time period with proper structure taught me to how to

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organise and co-ordinate a planned process.

Then the Problem identifying- As mentioned in the case
study material, the Orion foods faced different problems in
different areas of their business. It was challenging to find out
their problems in each functional department.
Problem solving- next step is to solve the existing problem
after identifying their actual and current problems. Here I
identified many problems in their existing business and
suggested different ideas to solve their problems. I hope that
gave me another experience as a business consultant.
Strategy development- Strategy development and strategic
planning are major skills in the business management. There
are different levels of strategies such as business level,
operational level, and corporate level. Here I could suggest
various strategies in different levels of the Orion foods. This
major project helped me to learn how to implement each
strategy for the success of the Company.
Then the time management and pressure are other factors in
the management. This major project taught me how to
manage time even though I had other activities during the
project time.
I hope these all skills and abilities are important in both
business and life, because we are facing different challenges
from the environment. These above skills would improve the
quality of person. He can work easily; he or she can manage
time without pressure, here need to consider the importance
of planning. We can reduce risk with proper planning.
Here we have to be ready to face any problems and needs to
take it as a challenge to successfully achieve it. These skills
will improve the quality and ability of a person even it is a
manager or an employee.

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Objectives Research and the work which I have done in the Master of
Business Administration programme helped me a lot to do
Based on your research
this major project.
and work which you
have done in the MBA i have learned different things in MBA program. there are
programme and its use various papers and modules in this course. such as, Marketing
in major project, what
Management, financial management, Information System
were and how far have
the objectives of your Management, Managing Human Capital, International 10
major project been Business, Corporate finance, Research Methodology, and
achieved?
Corporate Strategy. These subjects helped me to learn

(Max: 450 words) different functions and activities in a Company. Learning in

each subject supported me to do this major project. Because
this major project is not only related with single topic or
single subject but also touch with all subjects in different
perspective.
I have gone through different functional areas of the business
and it helped me to learn more about marketing and more
terms in the marketing like, marketing environment,
marketing communication, direct marketing, sales and sales
management, segmentation, targeting and position, market
research, 7 P's in the marketing, international marketing and
so on. Marketing module helped me to solve different
marketing problems and could recommend marketing ideas
for the Orion foods
Then the financial analysis and management gave different
concepts like, about financial objectives of the firm, how to
analyse a company through different ratios, shareholder value
analysis, long terms and short term financial objectives,
capital budgeting, sources of finance, cost of capital,
corporate governance, company stakeholders and so on, It
helped me to do financial analysis and forecasts for the Orion
Company. I hope this financial analysis and forecasts boost
the quality of the major project.
Next is about information system management. Here I

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learned the importance of information system in a Company.

There are different levels of information system available in
the market to support the business activities. there are
different theories about information management and
security, information system strategy, information technology
management, data base management, implementing and
running the information system, and so on. There were
different problems related with the information system and
information technology in the Orion Foods. We know the
importance of information technology in this modern world.
This module helped me to recommend different information
systems, and securities for the Orion’s better movement and
standards.
Then the managing human capital assisted me to learn about
human resource management at work, basic HR concepts,
HRM responsibilities, performance management, strategic
human resource planning and management, job analysis and
recruitment, selection, training and development, employee
relation and motivation, and so on. The Orion faced various
human resource problems as well, related with employee
turnover, work place rules, job description and so on. This
module helped me to recommend different ideas based on my
learning from MBA program. Then the Corporate strategy
helped me a lot to prepare long term plans and to recommend
Corporate, business level, and operational level plans for the
Orion Company
In turn the Master of Business Administration Program
helped me to improve the quality of the major assignment
and I hope that it would support to my career as well.

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Findings and This major project explains and provides different findings,
Outcomes recommendations, conclusions for the Orion Company. This
would help me or a future employer to learn more about the
How useful and or
feasible are the Orion foods.
findings, the study helped me to findout differernt problems that the
recommendations,
Orion faces currently and various opportunities for their
conclusions, or
outcomes of your major future business. such as importance of foriegn exchange in 10
project to you and or to their current business, work place rules, importance of
a future employer?
information technology and systems in the Orion Foods,

You must justify your significants of marketing and staffs in their current business,
answer with specific Role of the logistics management in the Orion foods as
examples. international Company, new performance appraisal and

(Max: 450 words) review system to evaluate the orion foods and so on. as a
future employer this would help to know where are the Orion
foods now, what are the problems they facing currently, what
are the important things to implement immediately to ensure
their performance, what are the major plan to solve existing
problems and what is the next step to be taken.
Then I could recommend varios ideas and opportunities
based on the findings and analysis for the Orion Company.
SWOT analysis helped me to findout strength, weakness,
opportunites and threats of the Orion Foods. it suppoted me
to recommend increase and maintain their strength and try to
reduce weakness, different opportunities to utilise and threats
that they may face future. it would help the Orion to know
better about their current business. Further, it showed an
opportunity to UK market for the Orion foods.then the
PESTEL analysis helped me to findout differernt challenges
from the environment and it assisted me to recommend that
the future trends for the Orion foods. In business that is about
achieving advantage above competitors. There are many
things in the environment which control the competitiveness.
Then the Porter’s Five forces framework Industry analysis

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assisted me to recommend gainig advantages over the

competitors for the Orion foods. It would help to identify the
orion better for a future employer. They can prepare plans
and implement strategies based on these analsysis for the
Orion’s betterment. It would help to boost the Orions’
performance globally.
Then the Conclsion part expresses that the Orion has
differernt opportunities to grow globally. the Orion Foods
expressed their interest in the UK market in the case study
material. Here this project shows a well study about the
trends and opportunities in the UK market with graphical
representation and proper sources of evidence. This would
help a future employer to learn and study about the
opportunities and trend in the UK market. After that they can
plan and implement planning and strategies for their forward.
. Moreover this study helped me to learn more about
differernt analysis and its implementaion, how to prepare
plans and strategies for the Company, how to conclude with
different ideas recommendations.

Total 100

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