While I have fostered a passion for a number of fields related to business, the area that captured my attention was that of managerial and strategic consulting. I chose to focus on this facet of my professional experiences, as it not only makes up a significant part of my academic life, having completed multiple courses directed specifically acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge, such as International Marketing Consulting and Small Business Consultancy, but also led me to extracurricular activities, driving me to compete in a variety of competitions across the globe.
In the following incidents, I shall examine and reflect on three pivotal experiences that were essential in shaping my current skillset and approach to business case solving. First, I shall begin by reviewing my participation in the ASES & GUCS Case competition, where my team was not only awarded 1st place and Best slides but I was also voted Best speaker and Best teamworker. Next, I will present a strategic report created within the context of my Small Business Consultancy class. Finally, I will analyse my participation in The Velvet Revolution's 28th anniversary debate. Acting as a representative for the Economics society, I utilised my investigative skills and analytical abilities to defend our motion in favour of the free market as well as delivering a tailored speech to a diverse audience.
In the following incidents, I shall examine and reflect on three pivotal experiences that were essential in shaping my current skillset and approach to business case solving. First, I shall begin by reviewing my participation in the ASES & GUCS Case competition, where my team was not only awarded 1st place and Best slides but I was also voted Best speaker and Best teamworker. Next, I will present a strategic report created within the context of my Small Business Consultancy class. Finally, I will analyse my participation in The Velvet Revolution's 28th anniversary debate. Acting as a representative for the Economics society, I utilised my investigative skills and analytical abilities to defend our motion in favour of the free market as well as delivering a tailored speech to a diverse audience.
Ases & Gutic Case competition
In 2018, the ASES and GUCS came together to host their 3rd instalment of their yearly case solving competition. Students compete against each other in teams of 4 to find the best solution to a real-life business case for a Scottish start-up. Having previously competed as part of a team in the 2017 Montreal PwC case competition, I opted to compose a specialist team to compete in this event. Given that this would be the first time I had lead a team at a case competition, this was a demanding task.
First, I began by conducting several rounds of research on Case competition best practices. I cross-referenced a number of top placing presentations from the world championships to gain a better understanding of frequently reoccurring models and frameworks. Following this, I reached out to individuals in my network who competed at an international level, who provided guidance on how to break down the challenge and structure the pitch delivery. As time is limited within such competitions, I opted to preload the maximal amount of work possible before the competition itself. Thus, I distributed specific roles according to individual specialisation and prepared a broad outline. In addition to this, I constructed a tailor made crash course for our non-senior and non-business members. In this manner, I familiarised the team with standard consultancy models and created a template to execute our analysis as efficiently as possible during the case itself.
Despite a number of audio-visual failures on the venues equipment, our team delivered a highly engaging presentation to the judging panel and audience. Following their deliberation, our team was awarded 1st place of over 25 teams by the judges. In addition to this, I was deemed best speaker by popular vote and our team was also awarded best slides. Moreover, the founder of the company deemed our solutions to be so effective, that he went on to integrate a number of our recommendations for these additional features, delaying the release date, for them to be present on launch.
Strategic expansion report
During my Senior Honours Year, I devoted my energy towards courses focused on business consulting. As a result, I undertook the course Small Business Consultancy, where my group was tasked with completing a strategic expansion report for a business operating within the disability accessory industry. The company was interested in expanding into international markets and needed of guidance with regards to future growth strategies. As this was the first time I had ever come into contact with clients outside of Business games, this was a novel situation for me and therefore a significant challenge to overcome
I began by conducting a series of in-depth interviews with the client aimed at obtaining a clear image of their success metrics and expected deliverables for the project. Having understood their needs, I then interviewed the founder and marketing manager to ascertain what assets the company had access to. Next, I toured a number of local retailers to obtain primary data on the associated market as well as discover industry best practices and peculiarities. Finally, I researched the characteristics of their proposed markets to ascertain the business potential and risks associated with expansion to such countries. Through cross-analysing these factors, I formulated a growth strategy recommendation and provided a framework for ongoing distributor communications.
Through our in-depth analysis of company resources and capabilities, as well as our efficient presentation, the client was thoroughly satisfied with the quality of our analysis, our presentation and solutions. This resulted in our team securing an A2 grade for both the presentation and our report. The judging panel went on to qualify our work as outstanding and indicated that our performance was superior to that which would have been expected of Masters’ level students.
I began by conducting a series of in-depth interviews with the client aimed at obtaining a clear image of their success metrics and expected deliverables for the project. Having understood their needs, I then interviewed the founder and marketing manager to ascertain what assets the company had access to. Next, I toured a number of local retailers to obtain primary data on the associated market as well as discover industry best practices and peculiarities. Finally, I researched the characteristics of their proposed markets to ascertain the business potential and risks associated with expansion to such countries. Through cross-analysing these factors, I formulated a growth strategy recommendation and provided a framework for ongoing distributor communications.
Through our in-depth analysis of company resources and capabilities, as well as our efficient presentation, the client was thoroughly satisfied with the quality of our analysis, our presentation and solutions. This resulted in our team securing an A2 grade for both the presentation and our report. The judging panel went on to qualify our work as outstanding and indicated that our performance was superior to that which would have been expected of Masters’ level students.
Velvet revolution debate
The Velvet Revolution (also known as the Gentle revolution) is the name given to the non-violent transfer of power that took place in Czechslovakia from November 17th to December 29th 1989. To celebrate this event, the Glasgow university Czech and Slovak society, Glasgow university communist society and Adam Smith economic society came together to organise a number of keynote speeches as well as a themed debate, under the motion “This house believe the free market has caused more harm than good over the past decade.” Given my position as 4th year representative for the Economics society and my established experience as a public speaker and presenter, I was selected as part of the team to refute the motion. However, due to the fact that I had never participated in an official debate before, presented me with a number of challenges.
In order to prepare for the debate, I arranged meetings with a number of Glasgow’s global debating team, where I discussed the proper format, structure and content of such a debate. Then, I investigated the topic in depth to familiarise myself with typical arguments and counter arguments on the matter. Following this, I met with my teammate to define what arguments each of us would run over the course of the debate and decide on their order. I utilised this opportunity to construct my speech in a manner to encourage POIs (questions from the opposition), that could easily be undermined and would serve as a means to further solidify our position. Finally, I refined my speech by presenting to a number of my peers, whose feedback was key in refining my pacing and intonation.
The outcome of the debate was a resounding success. Indeed, our team was deemed the winner through a landslide majority of popular vote. Through our tightly interlaced arguments and teamwork, we had constructed a highly convincing argument that had significantly impacted the audience and staff alike. Additionally, the organizing team approached us to thank us for not only providing an entertaining and convincing debate, but one that was also highly informative both with regards to the velvet revolution and ongoing issues related to free market regulation.
In order to prepare for the debate, I arranged meetings with a number of Glasgow’s global debating team, where I discussed the proper format, structure and content of such a debate. Then, I investigated the topic in depth to familiarise myself with typical arguments and counter arguments on the matter. Following this, I met with my teammate to define what arguments each of us would run over the course of the debate and decide on their order. I utilised this opportunity to construct my speech in a manner to encourage POIs (questions from the opposition), that could easily be undermined and would serve as a means to further solidify our position. Finally, I refined my speech by presenting to a number of my peers, whose feedback was key in refining my pacing and intonation.
The outcome of the debate was a resounding success. Indeed, our team was deemed the winner through a landslide majority of popular vote. Through our tightly interlaced arguments and teamwork, we had constructed a highly convincing argument that had significantly impacted the audience and staff alike. Additionally, the organizing team approached us to thank us for not only providing an entertaining and convincing debate, but one that was also highly informative both with regards to the velvet revolution and ongoing issues related to free market regulation.