During this module I learnt a lot about balancing my personal, but also the group, workload. As I had multiple other courseworks to complete beside this one it was vital that I gave each coursework equal time and dedication which meant I massively improved my personal organisation skills - a great soft skill to carry on into any industry. 

I also learnt that communication is a valuable tool when working in a team environment as when it comes to independent work, whenever there are any issues I usually rely on myself to find out the answer and improve myself. However, in a group as we communicated we were all able to help each other with our weaknesses almost instantly which allowed us to get through our individual coursework segments quicker, and more efficiently. 

I was the team leader for the group and spent the first group meeting delegating the segments of the coursework between the group, focusing on which segment appealed to each individual regarding their preferences and personal strengths. For my segment I focused on the critical evaluation of financial ratios and non-financial information in order to draw conclusions as to which company was a better investment. As this segment took up a large percentage of the grade I took up a slightly larger word count. I also supported my teammates in peer reviewing their work and offering suggestions and improvements where certain things had been missed or could be written about in greater detail. I also offered advice and support to my peers in the A320NEO segment.

For future courseworks where I must work in a group I would like to improve my digital communication and team organisation as making sure that team meetings worked for everyone, even myself, was a challenge due to busy schedules and even when the team meetings were scheduled some people didn’t get the notification and therefore were unable to attend. In future group work I would also like to calculate each team individual's specific strengths and weaknesses to ensure they have the best possible segment of work that benefits them academically. Although that is something I did relatively successfully this time around, with hindsight there are still some segments I would have delegated to different team members so their strengths were being played to. 

This is the second group project I have worked on this academic year and this one was much more organised with greater communication than the last. Overall it has been a good learning experience that has allowed me to improve on my personal organisation and scheduling skills and group communication skills. There is some room for improvements in future group works however, this could change depending on who I am working with and my personal workload and schedule at the time. 

What are my coursework contributions?
Team leader, Saffron equally delegated responsibilities among all four members. My part of the coursework was the recommendations and limitations. My section linked to the critical evaluation completed by Saffron and I had to recommend which company would be better to invest in. As well as this I also had to include the disadvantages of why financial ratios may not be the best to use when evaluating a company. 
I ensured that I attended most if not all the team meetings so that I could get feedback on my work if needed. 

What would I do differently?
Despite the hard work, If I was required to work in a group in the future, I would ensure that I manage my time more effectively. As I had many other courseworks to complete all at similar times, I would ensure that next time I would give equal time to each of my courseworks so that I am not overwhelmed with the workload.
If I had managed my time more effectively then I feel that I would have been able to give 100% into all my courseworks. Time management is an important skill that I need to work on as it would not only benefit me at university but it will also benefit me when in a work environment.

Final thoughts:
This was my second group project that I had to work on this year. This group project allowed me to further improve on my knowledge as well as learn skills that I would need to be successful in the future. Overall this group project has allowed me to review my skills as well as see what I could do as an individual to ensure that I can contribute well to group projects in the future. 

 

During the course of this module, I have learnt the importance of communication in regard to group work which can also be implemented in the professional workspace. Strong communication is the backbone behind a successful group and team, therefore weak communication has a significant impact. 

 

My contribution towards this group coursework was the executive summary toward the Board of Directors of Turkish Airlines. As well as highlighting the core operations behind British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. It was vital this section was accurate as it was the beginning of the group coursework. As this sectioned linked throughout the coursework, especially towards the end, finding the SWOT of both companies which linked was important. Additionally, I actively tried to make an effort in messaging in our teams meeting, trying to find suitable days to meet and discuss our progress for our group work. In addition to this, I attended the meetings which were allocated by the group leader asking for feedback of my draft works. 

 

Although the group work went well, I believe I could have made certain improvements to achieve my overall best. One of the main improvements I could have made is to balance my time management skills alongside other assignments to be as efficient as possible. In addition to this, to improve my SWOT analysis on both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, I could have used more sources to develop my draft as this would have given me a better overall understanding on both airlines. I could have also worked alongside my group and exchanged ideas before writing. This would have made my group feel valued as well as given me a better understanding of the writing style of the coursework.

 

Final thoughts:

Although this was my second group work of the year, I believe it is a skill I am developing. I was able to work alongside my classmates and understand the strengths of others and work alongside. Although improvements could have been made, I believe I was able to develop my understanding with working as a team as well as my understanding of financial information. 

For the group assignment we were all required to get into teams and deliver an analysis and interpretation of the provided company’s financial statements through the form of a report. We were each then delegated sections by the Team Leader (Saffron) following an initial group meeting where we each discussed the brief and our strengths and limitations in order to ensure that every member of the group had a role they were working comfortably with. As our group consisted of five members, I was paired with another team member (Desi) and agreed that it would be logical for the both of us to carry out the Capital investment Appraisal.

Since I was not as familiar with all of the group members, I wish that I had utilised the task as an opportunity to improve my communication skills with my colleagues in an effort to create a stronger collaboration on my end which in turn would have made better communication especially when running into difficulties. In addition to this, if given the same opportunity I would manage my time more effectively as towards the end of the group work there were a few problems regarding the numbers being produced from the formulas which meant changes were being made later than intended. The section that was being done by my fellow colleague and I, was dependent on the conclusion being done by my other team member (Fatima) meaning she was held back but due to her adaptability was able to have the task completed. To prevent this I should have created a stricter timetable that took into account the personal schedules and other academic commitments of Desi, Fatima and myself to prevent last minute changes being made close to the deadline.

Overall, I feel that the quality of work produced by my fellow team members is reflective of the hard work and time each individual has contributed. The commitment made by Wasim, Fatima and Saffron to get their sections completed ensured that work was submitted in a timely manner despite the setbacks from the problems Desi and myself ran into with our section. Moreover this, having a team who were able to comprise and a patient team leader made it easier to finish.

Despite the challenges encountered, in the end I have gained a number of lessons from this tasks and learned the imperative nature of communication at every given opportunity to prevent possible errors within a piece of work so that group members can be informed of any challenges ahead of time in order to work effectively within a group lead task. I was additionally able to strengthen my Capital Investment Appraisal skills due to the wider reading Desi and myself used to aid us in developing a firmer understanding capital appraisal techniques. 

From the outset, we established clear lines of communication and set expectations for how we would work together to complete the project. We held regular meetings to discuss our progress, delegate tasks, and ensure that everyone was on the same page. However i wasn't able to attend most of them in person due to personal circumstances. (will make sure to attend as much as I can in future group work). This open and transparent communication allowed us to avoid any misunderstandings and ensure that everyone was able to contribute their best work.
As we worked on the project, we also had the opportunity to improve our financial management skills. We had to analyze financial statements, calculate ratios, and interpret financial data to make informed decisions and recommendations. Through this process, we gained a deeper understanding of key financial concepts and how they apply in real-world business scenarios.

One area where we could have improved is in the allocation of tasks and workload. While we were generally able to work collaboratively and support each other, there were times when certain members of the group were overloaded with work. In retrospect, we could have done a better job of identifying these imbalances early on and redistributing tasks to ensure that everyone had an equal workload.
Another area where I could have improved is in the depth and thoroughness of our analysis. While we were able to complete the project successfully and make informed recommendations, there were times when our analysis could have been more robust. In retrospect, we could have spent more time researching and analyzing the data to ensure that our recommendations were based on a solid foundation.
Overall, the group coursework for the Financial Management module was a valuable learning experience that allowed us to develop and improve upon a variety of important skills. Through effective communication and collaboration, we were able to work together to complete the project successfully. While there were certainly areas where we could have improved, we were able to learn from our mistakes and apply these lessons to future projects. By taking the time to reflect on our experience, we can continue to grow and develop as individuals and as a team.