STUDY AND

COMMUNICATION
SKILLS FOR BUSINESS

Task 1

1.1 Take notes and summaries the information gathered from the article read
BBC news article about Tesco charity scheme
a) Specific information conveyed within the article

Tesco, represent the country biggest grocery, with a scheme of expansion which is giving
unsold food to charities from warehouses to include some local stores.(Tesco,plc)

Leftover food from 10 of its UK stores will now also be available to local charities through
the UK food redistribution charity Fare Share. Tesco said of the 55,400 tonnes of food it
threw away in the last year, 30,000 tonnes could have been eaten. Most of this is currently
used for animal feed. (Tesco,2015)

Tesco is collaborating with Fare Share for making donations with the surplus food since
2012 such as items regarding bakery, vegetables and fruits and other such as salads and
sandwiches which is making up the shop wastage.

It is trialling an app with UK food redistribution charity Fare Share and Republic of Ireland
social enterprise Food Cloud that will allow store managers to inform charities of the
amount of surplus food held at the end of each day. (Tesco,2015)

b) Key arguments

Tesco is starting a scheme which could hand tens of thousands of tones of

surplus food from its stores to local charities as supermarkets come under
rising pressure to reduce waste. A new partnership with food redistribution
charity Fare Share will link Tesco store managers with local charities to hand
over unwanted food several times a week. The scheme has already been tested
at over 100 stores in Ireland and will go into an initial 10 stores in the UK
including outlets in Glasgow, Belfast, Merseyside and London.
2015)

(Tesco,

Tescos effort to tackle the problem of food waste comes as Lewis tries to
revive the battered image of the supermarket chain which has been tarnished
by a 263m accounting scandal and shopper complaints about high prices and
poor service.

c) Facts

That compares with annual pre-tax pr Tesco is to become the first British supermarket to
launch a bold new scheme to donate leftover food to charity, as their CEO admitted they
were not comfortable about throwing away thousands of tonnes of food every year which
could have been eaten by people in need. (Tesco,2015)

In April, Tesco reported the worst results in its history, with a record statutory pre-tax loss of
6.4bn for the year to the end of February.

Tesco is collaborating with Fare Share for making donations with the surplus food since
2012 such as items regarding bakery, vegetables and fruits and other such as salads and
sandwiches which is making up the shop wastage.

d) Opinion presented within the article

No-one wants to throw away food which could otherwise be eaten, we dont throw away
much food in our own operations, but even the 1% we do throw away amounts to 55,400
tonnes. This is potentially the biggest single step weve taken to cut food waste, and we
hope it marks the start of eliminating the need to throw away edible food in our stores.
said Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis.

Company chief Dave Lewis told The Huffington Post UK: A number of years ago we
identified that food waste was an issue for our business. Despite taking some measures to
prevent food waste, Lewis said the company didnt feel good about the fact that the
fluctuating demand for different food in supermarkets meant youre left with food that

passes its sell-by date but is still perfectly good for human consumption. This was
something we didn't feel comfortable about.
1.2 Compare and contrast Facts and Opinion
Tesco has started a scheme which is handling lots of tonnes of the surplus food from their
stores to local charities because the retail is coming under raising the pressure for reducing
waste.
On the other hand Dave Lewis, the chief executive from Tesco is saying that This is
potentially the biggest single step weve taken to cut food waste, and we hope it marks the start
of eliminating the need to throw away edible food in our stores. He is hoping that similar
schemes could be implemented in other countries where the retail is operating.
On the other hand Lewis thinks that this represent a solution which can be implemented in all
their stores who is embroiling an importnat overhaul of Tesco after dramatics pluge in their profit
and sales.(The Guardian,2015)
In contrast with this scheme Tesco is preparing for discussing the posibility of introducting the
legislaion for tackling the waste of food. Labour MP Diane Abbott tabled an early day motion
calling on the government to introduce legislation which would ban supermarkets from throwing
away food that is approaching its best-before date and instead make it available to charities.
(Daily Mail, 2015)
1.3 Evaluate the key arguments
The fact that Tesco is starting a new scheme regarding the surplus of food is a good argument
for their business because they are reducing their waste. By creating a new partnership for the
redistribution of the food, the managers of the stores will be able to hand over the unwanted food
various times a week. This scheme was tested in various stores across Ireland and in various
stores from UK.
New figures published by Tesco recently revealed that the company threw away 55,400
tonnes of food over the last year - around 30,000 tonnes of which was perfectly edible. Despite
everything that has been happening in the supply chain - and there is a lot - when you get to a
store, just by the vagaries of weather, you may have thought that you need X amount of

strawberries or salad, and then the weather turns and its not bought by customers. (The
Guardian,2015)
After several years of partnering with organisations to reduce their waste, the company is now
trialling a new way of making sure any food left over at the end of the day can be taken free-ofcharge by charities, through an app that alerts Tesco staff to nearby charities that need food.
Beforehand, the food would likely have been needlessly destroyed.

Task 2
2.1 Analyze the content of the business vide link
Main points
Certain effects of the declines in the price of the oil have been immediate and clear, picture
happy Americans at gas stations and frantic government officials in oil-exporting countries
forced to cut public budgets and consequently risk social and political turmoil. (YouTube video)
In Russia, for instance, the ruble has suffered a steep devaluation, stock-market prices have
fallen, the Central Banks reserves are shrinking, capital is fleeing the country, export revenues
are down, and foreign investment has practically dried up.
http://www.koranvideo.com/view-drop-in-oil-prices-could-reshape-world-economy-channel-4news/hddujHLG98Y.vid
Prices of oil which are low are reducing the producing incentives of the kind of extra-heavy,
extra-polluting oil which has been found at certain large reserve of the world oil which include
the reserves from Venezuela Orinoco river regions.
Due to upgrading and production costs which is high associated with the heavy oil, these
reserves development are likely to be postponed. The problem is the prices regarding the oil
which are lower one erode the viability of the economy cleaner viability sources of energy such
as wind and solar.

2.2 Notes of the video

The economy is the main reason for the worried of the most important leaders of the world.
Japan is in deep recession, Brazil is stagnant and the key economy in the euro zone is

struggling to grow.
Within the last months the price of oil has fallen and if continues to fall the whole dynamic of

the world economy could change.

If the price of oil is rising is significant for individual consume especially for people who are

having big cars and must fill the pump.

It also dealt a severe blow to the economies of the United States, Europe, Japan, and other oil
importers. The oil shock altered power relations between the worlds main geopolitical
players and created new ones

Task 3
3.1 Meaning of genre and business analysis
This case study represents a study of marketing because is presenting the elements of the
marketing mix of the Aldi Company.
The key arguments in the case study:

The objectives regarding marketing is growing the share within the market in the country
grocery;

Within the economical crisis the value money demand has been increased;
80% Aldi customers are having their base in shopping in other supermarkets too. They
are spending around 20 billion of pounds / year in their stores;

The strategies regarding the company marketing is focusing on generating the loyalty of
customers;

Aldi is focusing its efforts to encourage customers which already are being familiar with
their brand and are shopping often at Aldi.

Other key focus regarding the marketing strategy of Aldi is to demonstrate that the
company brand is equal quality with other retails.

3.2 Written argument

Aldis main marketing objective is to grow its market share within the UK grocery market.
With the economic crisis came an increased demand for value for money. Market research
identified that 80% of Aldis customer base also shopped at other supermarkets. These customers
spent around 20 billion per year in the other stores. Aldis marketing strategies therefore focus
on generating customer loyalty. Aldi focuses its marketing efforts on encouraging customers that
are already familiar with the brand to shop at Aldi more often. (Aldi,plc)
The marketing strategy of Aldi is to focus on demonstrate that the brand of Aldi is equal
quality to be well known like other brands such as Heinz and Fairy Liquid. All these represent
the marketing campaign of Aldis Like Brands which is providing the company the platform
for communicate their value and quality messages in an effectively manner.
Aldis immediate challenge for the Like Brands campaign was to increase market share from
2.3% to 2.5%. Although this sounds very little, the retail grocery market is very large. A single
0.1% is worth an extra 65 million revenue.
3.3 Cause and effect relationships
The cause: Because there is a competitive market which is constantly increasing Aldi focus its
attention on creating a strategy of marketing for increasing its market share and encouraging
loyal customers.
Effects: The effective public helped the company into creating positive press ensure.
By effectively presenting clear and using a communication media which is understood by
people the company was able to gain a large share within their customers market.
3.4 Academic hedging and cautions

It is often believed that academic writing, particularly scientific writing, is factual, simply to
convey facts and information. However it is now recognised that an important feature of
academic writing is the concept of cautious language, often called "hedging" or "vague
language". In other words, it is necessary to make decisions about your stance on a particular
subject, or the strength of the claims you are making. Different subjects prefer to do this in
different ways.
http://www.uefap.com/writing/feature/hedge.htm
Language used in hedging:
1. Introductory verbs:

e.g. seem, tend, look like, appear to be, think, believe, doubt,
be sure, indicate, suggest

7. That clauses

e.g. It could be the case that .

e.g. It might be suggested that .
e.g. There is every hope that .

8. To-clause + adjective

e.g. It may be possible to obtain .

e.g. It is important to develop .
e.g. It is useful to study .

3.5 End- Text referencing

The Harvard referencing system is having two components regarding its style: references intext and the referencing list which can be found of the end of the paper.
The in-text reference:
All the information sources must be acknowledged in the text of the paper;
In the Harvard author/date' style an in-text reference consists of family name of the
author/authors or name of the authoring body and year of publication.
http://guides.library.vu.edu.au/harvard

In-text reference is consisting of:

If people are quoting directly form the author or is being cited a specific idea or certain
information from the sources; people need to include the page number for the quote in theri intext reference.
The reference list:
All in-text references should be listed in the reference list at the end of your document.

3.6 Proofread the first paragraph

In the increasing competitive market, customers are having a great choice over where they are
buying their products and services. In order for the organization to meet its business objectives,
must find out what customers are requiring and after identify the appropriate way in which they
are able to satisfy these needs and wants.

Task 4
4.1 Skills needed for participating in working groups
Skills needed for participating efficiently into the working groups are:

The ability of explaining their own ideas

Expressing people feelings in an open way and non-threatening;
The ability of listening people;
Asking questions for clarifying other people emotions and ideas;
Sensing others feelings having as base the nonverbal communication;
Initiating conversations about the climate of the group or process if they are tensions brewing;
Reflecting on the interactions and activities of groups and encouraging the members of the group
for doing as well.

4.2 describe how you are giving other members of the group the opportunity to contribute
their ideas and opinions during your group debate

Groups work best if everyone is included and everyone has a chance to contribute ideas. The
group's task may seem overwhelming to some people, and they may have no idea how to go
about accomplishing it. To others, the direction the project should take may seem obvious. The
job of the group is to break down the work into chunks, and to allow everyone to contribute.
http://bokcenter.harvard.edu/working-groups
Encouraging Ideas
The objective is producing various ideas in a short time without necessary evaluate them. The
ideas are being listened with careful but are not being commented on and usually are being
written on large sheets in order for every people to see it. Is taking turns by going around the
group- hearing from everyone.
An important method is generating ideas through brainstorming. Individuals are mentioning
ideas in various orders (without others' commenting, disagreeing or asking too many
questions). Brainstorming is having an advantage which is represented by the idea to not
becoming associated closely with the people who are suggesting them.
This process encourages creative thinking, if it is not rushed and if all ideas are written down
(and therefore, for the time-being, accepted). A disadvantage: when ideas are suggested quickly,
it is more difficult for shy participants or for those who are not speaking their native language.
One approach is to begin by brainstorming and then go around the group in a more structured
way asking each person to add to the list.
http://bokcenter.harvard.edu/working-groups
4.3 Identify what you learned from contributions of other group members
I have learned various things such as:

I learned various things from one another;

I am able now to retain clear ideas of the objectives of the team;
I am working to keep my activities aligned with the objectives of the team;
I have gain knowledge and understandings about my role within the group and check out the
ambiguity areas which is leading to misunderstandings;

I have gained understandings that planning represent an important part of the activity of the

team and actively is doing this;

I am prioritizing my tasks and Im not getting distracted;
I am able to communicate with various members of the team in an honest manner;
I am dealing with my inter-personal issues as they are arising into the team;
I am understanding the conflicts because they are a normal part of working together in

dealing openly with them;

I am accepting the conflicts as they represent normal part of dealing in an open manner with

them;
I am accepting my role within the group- sometimes as leaders and sometimes as player of

the group;
Is remaining open to the idea during the solving of the problems;
I am seeing the mistakes as learning opportunities and learning from the feedback which I am

giving;
I am respecting people within the team and I am able to support them;
I am delivering what I agree on doing, on time and which suit best to my abilities.

4.4 Identify the different presentation skills and non-verbal communication skills
Non-verbal communications include facial expressions, the tone and pitch of the voice,
gestures displayed through body language (kinesics) and the physical distance between the
communicators.These non-verbal signals can give clues and additional information and meaning
over and above spoken (verbal) communication.
http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/nonverbal-communication.html

Reinforcing or modifying what is being said in words;

Conveying information about the emotional state;

Defining or reinforcing people relationships;

Providing feedback to other people;

Regulating the communication flow, for example by signalling to other people which they
are finishing speaking or are wishing to say something.

These interpersonal communications are not verbally expressed and can be called non-verbal
communication.
These include:

Body Movements

Posture

Eye Contact

Para-language

Closeness or Personal Space

Facial Expressions

Physiological Changes

4.5 Did you act as a moderator during your debate?

Yes, I did. My key duty was to watch the debate clock. If a debate goes over his time limit, the
moderator must interrupt and give the floor to the other side. The moderator must firmly ask each
debater to respect time limitations if it is a recurring problem.
4.6 Reflect on your personal performance
Increase Revenue various people are starting with revenue increase because represent the basic
goal. While the reason is the want to increasing revenue which is quite obvious, the making act is
an explicit goal which is encouraging people behavior.
Have Happy customers- We all want happy customers, so a great example goal is Have Happy
Customers. When customers are happy, that typically means your business is operating
effectively across all departments. Happy customers also help defend the business from
competitive threats and customer fatigue.(Aldi,2015)

Support the Community- Social initiatives focus a business on providing services and support to
the local, national, and global communities a business aims to serve. A goal like Support the
Community will have the entire team considerate of their obligation to be good corporate
citizen. (Aldi,2015)

REFERENCES
McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2003). Communication skills (2nd ed.). New Delhi:
Kuldeep Jain.
Nwalo, K.I.N. (2003). Reference sources and services. Ibadan: Centre for External Studies,
Univesity of Ibadan
Odini, C. (1999). Training and development of skills in changing information environment.
Library Management. 1 (2), 100-104
Defleur, M.L. & Dennis, E.E. (2005). Understanding mass communication: A liberal perspective
(7th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Katz, W.A. (2002). Introduction to reference work: Basic information services (8th ed.). New
York: McGraw-Hill
Kemoni, H.N. (2004). Melvin DeFleurs information communication model: Its application to
archives administration. African Journal of Library, Archives & Information Science, 14(2), 167175