Project Management Event - Practice Week

Hello Everyone,

I can't believe it's the 1st April today?! Where has the time gone?! The thought of having to submit the first full draft of my dissertation at the end of the month is absolutely frightening. For todays post I thought i would update you on my goings on recently…one of which was conducting a real life event for my Project Management Unit.

Last week myself and my Project Management team had to conduct our Business Management Battle with the first year business student during their third and final practice week of the year. We had been planning this event for the past four plus months and it was great to see it all come together and be such a success. Our event consisted of three major events which spread out across the week…A scavenger hunt, quiz and Dragons Den experience. Even though we planned three events, during the actual event we had to use our initiative and create a fourth event to spread over the time table which the lecturers issued to us…so as a team we decided on a SWOT analysis which would aid the first years in creating their pitch for the Dragons Den experience at the end of the week. Amongst all of this myself and my Project Management team were keeping a scoring systems which the students were aware of but had no idea on the criteria. It was an element which we thought really motivated the students to get involved and that element of competitiveness amongst the students really shone.

Overall the event went really well and the students were more involved out of all of their previous practice which was great to hear. Our event required a little more work and consideration as it was across a longer period of time but also because the University was our client (no pressure). We have had great feedback from the lecturers and they are considering using the event plan for future students which is quite exciting. The next stage is to complete a 1500 - 2500 word reflective report on the event and answer a few questions about how it went, how it could have been improved, how well the team worked together and so on.

The Project Management reflective report will be my last assignment of the year minus the remaining chapters of my dissertation. Once all of the written work is complete all i have left to do is three exams during May, wait for results and graduate in July! Ahhh!

Thanks for reading - Speak soon!

WhatsApp sold to Facebook

Hello everyone,

Whenever i have a free moment from my dissertation writing i always like to check what news is going one in the world. As a business student this is something i need to constantly be checking up on and keeping up to date with.

Recently i saw an article online about how Facebook has confirmed a deal to purchase WhatsApp. Facebook seems to be diving into all routes these days as a few years ago they also purchased the ever so popular Instagram App. Facebook announced that purchase of the purchase of the mobile message service WhatsApp in February, in a $19 billion deal that represents the social media company's biggest acquisition yet. I was interested to give the article a read not only because i use the App myself but also because it is something that can be raised in my Strategy and Change Management unit as Facebook are strategically changinging themselves to be dominate in their field. Clever clogs or what!

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, described five-year-old WhatsApp as an 'incredibly valuable' service that was well on its way to connecting 1 billion people around the world. The deal is a big bet for Facebook, which has until recently struggled to convince investors of its strategy for mobile. WhatsApp has more that 400 million users around the worlds and claims it is adding more that 1 million new registered users a day. To be honest, there is not one person i know who does not use the App themselves, i regularly use it and if you are connected to wifi abroad you can easily communicate around the globe. It allows unlimited free text-messaging and picture sending between users and is among the worlds most downloaded mobile apps. Facebook's successful bid comes after Google reportedly made a $1 billion offer for the company last year.

I think i need to start designing my own app…who knows, Facebook may want to purchase it from me in the future! Who wouldn't want over $1 billion in their bank account?!

What are your thoughts on the new acquisition.

Speak soon

Twitter Commerce

Hello Everyone,

Social media is a wonderful thing and can really aid businesses to grow. I am quite partial to it and i use all types of social media to help advertise my blog. I recently read an article on the Telegraph which spoke about how Twitter is planning to expand into an e-commerce platform also. I thought this was quite relevant to a unit i am studying in my final year which actually looks at E-Business Management.

Leaked documents have revealed that Twitter is planning to allow its 232 million users to buy products directly from the site, as part o a new online retail venture called Twitter Commerce. According to 'Re/code' which is a technology blog, Twitter is partnering up with US e-commerce site 'Fancy', which counts Twitter founder Jack Dorsey as an investor and board member.

Mock-ups of the e-commerce proposal show how Twitter users could make a purchase from seeing a tweet with a picture of a product and a button that says 'buy with Fancy'. Facebook has attempted a similar move in September 2012 when it launched their Gifts spin-off that allowed users to buy physical goods from the site. However, it scrapped the scheme after less than a year due to a lack of user demand…could this be the same for Twitter?

What do you think about Twitters new e-commerce venture?

Speak soon!

A Reflection...

Hello Everyone,

The other day i noticed that i only have around 11 weeks left at the University before i graduate and that seems so scary. As you may know i am in my final year currently writing up my dissertation and boy is it a task and a half. I always knew i had to do a dissertation but now i am actually writing one seems so surreal. So i thought i would conduct a small reflection post about why i initially chose the University of Bedfordshire. 

I am actually a Bedfordian myself so i didn't branch out far when opting to go to University. I applied to a variety of Universities and i got into all of my choices. When it came down to confirming my place i knew Bedford was the right University for me. When you think of a University on your doorstep you don't always assume it'll be that great…but for what i wanted to study and for everything i wanted out of University it was the best choice for me. You are going to have ups and downs and i did question the fact about not flying the nest and choosing to live away at University but overall i did make the right decision. 

The decision making process is something that we are constantly facing throughout my Business Management course. The application process was pretty easy although i think i can vouch or a lot of students who were in my class that we couldn't wait to see the back of UCAS. I chose similar courses at five different Universities but knowing i had the option to study at home, work and blog along side it just seems like the perfect opportunity. 

The University does offer some great resources which do come in super handy when writing assignments and revising for exams. Something i really like that the University has issued recently and i will be taking full advantage of is the Library 24 hour services. Sometimes working in an environment like the library is so much better than at home because lets face it there are lots of distractions! 

I actually filmed a video with the University answering a tone of questions so as soon as that it released i will post it on here if you would like to take a peek at that also. 

Christmas Break, New Year & Resolutions

Hello Everyone,

Happy New Year! I cannot believe another year has passed and seriously 2013 just flew by. The first though that crossed my mind when the new year came in was the idea that i will be graduating this year. Big reality check right there…where have the last 3 years gone?!This is my first post of the new year and I though I would talk about Christmas break, what I have planned in the new year and a few resolutions I have come up with…all keeping in with University of course.

The Christmas break was really great, however, the thought of going back to University now and not having a break until i finish in May is quite scary but I know it will all be worth it. The though of graduating in 6 months is really exciting and I cannot wait to set off into my next journey.

Being it is my final year I have had lots of assignments and dissertation writing to do and the new year will consist of more of this and everything else in between with dissertation interviews and exams. I have had lots of reading to do as I am in the process of writing up my Literature Review chapter for my dissertation. I am quite a perfectionists so I am literally going over and over everything else and literally stressing myself out…the joys of being a University student haha!

The biggest resolution I have this year is to graduate University with the hopes of a 1st degree (fingers crossed) or a 2:1 degree. I know I am trying my hardest and the though of graduating University in general with a high degree is really exciting. Interlinked with graduating is the though of what I will be doing after I finish my degree. At the moment I am a little unsure about what I actually want to do, I chose business because it was something I enjoyed and it could be linked with a wide variety of jobs and future prospects. I quite find myself the entrepreneur type so who knows what that might bring in the future.

Heres to an amazing 2014!

Portfolio Committee of Business Systems Meeting

Hello,

You may or may not know that i am one half of the Business Management Student Representation this year alongside my friend Kirsty. We attend regular meetings every two weeks where we share issues that other students have come to us with and basically find answers and get things resolved. Myself and Kirsty got an email about a Portfolio Committee of Business Systems Meeting which was taking place on the Luton campus last week (4th December) and we thought we would go along and give our input on the course and raise anything that other students have come to us with…pretty much a standard meeting, however, in the presence of more influential people within the Business School.

We were really looking forward to the meeting as it is something we have never done before and we were hoping for the best possible outcome. However, what we experienced was a steep learning curve in being able to get our points across and getting others to understand how passionate we felt about the issues in hand. It was a challenge to get our voices heard, especially when there are lots of other members of staff and students there voicing their challenges too. No one said that being a student was easy, but we did leave the meeting feeling a little disappointed as it hadn't been as successful as we had first hoped. Not one to be deterred, myself and Kirsty attend regular meetings and we are hoping to raise this issue and figure out why everything spiralled at the meeting. From a business perspective every side will have an opinion and it is a great learning opportunity on our part as when we graduate we would hope to be high up in businesses just like the committee. Communication is a vital component and it is something that is constantly required in business.

We will keep you all posted…

Burberry vs Apple

Hello Everyone,

The news about how Burberry Chief Executive is taking the plunge and moving over to Apple is no new news but i thought i had to write up a post about it. As an independent blogger who is closely linked to beauty, fashion and lifestyle i just had to include this on the business blog…the perfect combination of my favourite things…fashion and business.
Burberry chief executive Angela Ahrendts is leaving the luxury goods firm next year to join the technology giant which is Apple. A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to chat about the news in a Strategy and Change Management seminar and i thought it was just great. How someone so influential in the fashion world is moving over to such a huge company like Apple which is in a completely different market and sector really fascinated me. I totally feel that she will have some kind of beneficial aspect on the business as it is going to be something totally unique and different. Angela Ahrendts has been with Burberry for almost a decade and has been credited with turning it into a more globally recognised company.

Angela Ahrendts will have oversights of the strategic direction, expansion and operation of both Apple retail and online stores, which have redefined the shopping experience for hundreds of millions of customers around the world according to Apple themselves. Apple retail stores set the standard for customer service with innovative features like the Genius Bar, Personal Setup and One to One personal training to help customers get the most out of their Apple products…it makes you wonder about what they will think of next.  In an intriguing marriage of fashion and technology, Angela Ahrendts will arrive as Apple seeks to rev up a brand whose devices have become ubiquitous and whose stores have lost some of their initial novelty. Their are some rivals such as Samsung, Tesco, Sony and so on who have stolen taken some of Apples flair with distinctive products and glitzy marketing. There have been rumours about how Apple are planning a 'iWatch' which links within the fashion side and where Angela Ahrendts would have the upper hand advantage over other technology competitors. I for one am quite excited to see what she has up her sleeve and how she is planning to take Apple to the next level.

What do you think about the new Burberry vs Apple scenario? Do you think Angela Ahrendts will have an influential and positive affect on Apple?