Homework answers / question archive / Group Business Project Components for Each Stage Group Stage (5,000 words) Think of this as a report that is written for a client (whether or not you have one) • • • • • Identifies the problem / opportunity that is being investigated o You can think of this almost as a report you could deliver to your target firm that builds a case for something they should do (maybe they should hire you to do it too!)

Group Business Project Components for Each Stage Group Stage (5,000 words) Think of this as a report that is written for a client (whether or not you have one) • • • • • Identifies the problem / opportunity that is being investigated o You can think of this almost as a report you could deliver to your target firm that builds a case for something they should do (maybe they should hire you to do it too!)

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Group Business Project Components for Each Stage Group Stage (5,000 words) Think of this as a report that is written for a client (whether or not you have one) • • • • • Identifies the problem / opportunity that is being investigated o You can think of this almost as a report you could deliver to your target firm that builds a case for something they should do (maybe they should hire you to do it too!). o Context analysis of company, its sector and market (drawing on published secondary sources such as Mintel, Statista, company annual reports. Thomson One Banker, FT, Bloomberg) ? This should be used to support framing of your research problem Literature review o Background literature to support your research, e.g. Omnichannel marketing, Prosumers, ? What does it say? • Be concise, and translate what you find into language that “normal” people can follow – you are writing for managers here, not academics. o For instance, something like: “Academic research has found that X and Y are important because Z (cite). That is relevant to our current problem, because…” • You don’t want a deep dive into detail here. That will go in your academic appendix (i.e., your individual report that you’ll write in August – see below) ? Things to think about: Has this lit been used in this sector? If so, to what extent and for what kind of topics? What is the current understanding of key topics based on: • Academic/managerial literature • Systematic observational evidence (via your own direct observation, or via secondary information sources, such as review websites) Primary research (note that you are not required to collect any extra data when you move to the individual stage of the project, as most likely you won't have time for this; therefore, optionally, you might want to consider any extra measures or design elements here that could give you some more degrees of freedom later). All primary research has to be approved IN ADVANCE by your supervisor o Design ? Describe your data collection procedure (interviews, focus group, etc), making clear why this method is appropriate for pursuing the answers you need to find. You should include your instrument as an appendix (i.e., your survey questions, your interview guide, etc). Make sure your supervisor has checked this for any ethical issues (see the email for the MSc programme team about this) o Results & analysis ? Non-exhaustive, but driven by trying to answer direct managerial problems. It is important to be transparent in your reporting – don’t just show how your results support your final conclusions, but also be honest about how they might challenge them too. Recommendations for your target firm o A really thorough job will weight these for a receiving manager by (where appropriate): ? Priority ordering ? Implicit trade-offs ? Short / medium / long term ? Etc Don’t forget the bibliography Individual Stage (3,000 words) • • • • • Choose an academic area that intersects with the project o Can be specific theoretical constructs: ? E.g., Power, Trust, Self-brand connections, Big middle, Segmentation o Can be broader question that have been studied a lot ? E.g., Work on internationalisation could be framed as a number of possible questions you could choose: How could this solution be taken to a new country? What adaptations would a firm from a different country have to make? Etc. Deep literature dive o What does the academic literature have to say about this issue? o How do they organize their understanding of it / what constructs do they use to parse relevant situations? o Do they parse it the same way you did? Should they? Discussion: o Theoretical implications?probebly you are not agree?your thought? ? Could your case study be used to alter/advance any of the lessons from the literature? • Does it suggest that the prior literature has missed something? • That the literature has something wrong? • That one explanation or another in the literature is more plausible? • Does it just confirm what “everybody already knows”? o Implications for practitioners ? If you observed issue X in your project: • Are other firms going to see that same issue? • What types of firms would most likely experience them the same way? • Would/should they be able to draw similar lessons? • How would the lessons need to adapt or evolve? o Any of the above might involve a deeper dive into the data your group collected. ? Maybe there are some variables there didn’t fit with your direct recommendations ? Maybe you can break your data down by a different category or variable that says something that is relevant now that wasn’t to your initial company report (e.g. comparative analysis of different age groups / gender) ? There is no need to gather any new data at this point. Reflective lessons about the group component of your project (indicative length: 400-500 words) o Part of being a “reflective practitioner” is working out why you are a better manager now than you were at the start of this project. In job interviews they will often ask “tell us about a time when you…”, so you can think of this as trying to prep future answers to that question o Things to think about here (you don’t have to cover all, and the emphasis you put on any is completely up to you – there isn’t a right answer, just your most thoughtful and interesting one): ? Working in a group ? Gathering data :easy ? Analysing data ? Trying to draw lessons ? Trying to incorporate academic insight with practical questions ? Other Don’t forget the bibliography…. #reclaimthestagecamaign #reclaimthestage The Brief: Marketing & Promotion Caption T he Reclaim The Stage campaign highlights the issues facing performing artists profoundly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The campaign also presents an opportunity where performers can express the hopes and fears for the future. There are 3 stages within which performers can come together, access practical support and funds to complete projects. The beneficiaries are musicians, actors, spoken word performers, dancers and writers. *See separate campaign flyer The marketing campaign will need to reach and engage 3 specific groups: 1. Performers 2. Consumers 3. Industry Funders and Sponsors Current partner organisations - 1 The Musicians Union The Birmingham Symphony Hall Pizza Express Birmingham College of Music #reclaimthestagecamaign 3 Stage Campaign Stage 1: Raise Awareness-#rejuvenate • Social media campaign using short video from artists reflecting on the Pandemic experience • Create a website and registration landing page • Launching a crowdfund campaign • Setting up a round table webinar event to increase the awareness to issues discussed. • Creating an official launch event with live performance ticketed event and streaming date to be confirmed Stage 2: Empower -#reinvent • Promote workshops and enrol coaches and mentors • Pilot workshop series to support creative performers and artists reimagine projects • Promote Industry organisations and individuals to sponsor equipment, venues and resources to enable project completion. Stage 3: Go Create-#reclaimthestage • Promotion of projects and participating organisations • Allocation of campaign funds to projects • Showcasing the projects via performance or media promotion. T he ASK: We are looking for a fresh edgy marketing approach to a campaign that tackles an unprecedented situation, performers have been prevented from doing what feeds their souls and pays the rent. The uncertainty associated with when they could return to the stage has had a dramatic effect of their wellbeing and creative production. Now is the time for performers to re-evaluate and reconnect with their audiences. The campaign will seek to engage them, listen to them and enable them to return with projects that showcase their talent. The marketing needs to connect with the consumer to show them what it takes to have what we have taken for granted, which until the pandemic was a constant stream of entertainment, music and theatrical performance. The consumer needs to become part of the #reclaimthestage journey and solution by supporting the fundraising and purchase tickets to live events. Consumers also need to recognise that artists can’t just flick the switch and step back onto the stage and deliver an exceptional performance, like any other industry employees need to supported and valued to get the best results. The campaign also needs to connect with industries within the sector to rally them to pool their resources and support emerging talent, enabling them to complete new projects. The biggest challenge is that this should not be a flash in the pan campaign, it’s got to cultivate and create change in a sector industry that is crying out for better inclusivity and diversity. We want funders and sponsors to share the vision as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility and enable the campaign to travel across major UK cities showcasing regional 2 #reclaimthestagecamaign talent and build a platform that enables performers to thrive, take risks, push boundaries and inspire a new generation of performers. We are looking for a marketing professional to create a strategy that connects with consumers and rallies the crowdfund and prompts the industry to support its own talent stream. There are many stories reflecting the issues faced by individuals dependant on a thriving entertainment sector, the campaign needs to make the connection on an emotional level. What is the story of hope and how can performers adapt to a post Covid world of entertainment. The marketing strategy will need to be costed so that the costs can be included in the campaign fund raising figures, this will need to include the cost of a social media consultant and associated promotional costs over various platforms. #Reclaimthestage Proposed dates: Stage 1: April-July 2021 Stage 2: April-September 2021 Stage 3: September 2021-September 2022 3 RECLAIM THE STAGE A SERIES OF EVENTS & WORKSHOPS FOR ARTISTS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR EFFECTED BY COVID-19 Problem: Solution: The impact of the COVID-19 on the entertainment sector has been colossal. It poses long term damage to the industry most particularly on those in the early stages of their creative careers. A series of events and workshops supporting participants to reignite the creative flame during an exceptional period of uncertainty. A team of professionals have come together to raise £100K enabling 100 rising artists in the entertainment sector to Reclaim The Stage! Apart from a total loss of income, creative performers are faced with an uncertain and unrecognisable future, it is this combined with isolation that has taken its toll on artist’s mental health. The #reclaimthestage project addresses the personal impact of the pandemic and enables candidates to regain motivation with confidence to implement practical measures and techniques to reinvent their careers. It provides opportunities for them to get projects completed exploring new ways of reaching their audiences. Reclaim The Stage a three phase project: 1 2 3 Raise Awareness – #rejuvenate Empower – #reinvent Go Create – #reclaimthestage • #ReclaimTheStage social media campaign £17.5k raised through a Lottery grant for coaching and mentoring workshops. Rolling out of Reclaim The Stage across the major cities and towns in the UK - gathering industry professionals and mentors. Allocation of funds for artists to complete projects and the provision of industry professionals and mentors. • Crowdfunding campaign • Working alongside local and national creative industry support groups • Reclaim The Stage launch event January 29/31 2021 at Birmingham Symphony Hall. A showcase of performers from Birmingham. The city’s venues select 3 performers who are at the beginning of their careers to share their talent on the Symphony Hall stage. Online and a socially distanced ticket buying audience will contribute to the project phase. The Symphony Hall will stream the event through their social media with a global reach. How: A powerful series of online workshops offering wraparound support within a peer group, reinforced by a team of professional coaches, mentors and psychologists. Empowering artists to rebuild and reinstate motivation and gain confidence to return to creativity and performance. This programme is offered free however, to access the course the participants are required to make a pledge to the programme of a skill or service that will enable fellow artists to deliver completed projects. This skill can be in the form of producing, writing, performing, music, artwork, filming, assembling equipment, transport… just to name a few possibilities, but the pledge must be made. Workshops and coaching provide meaningful practical measures to create new pathways to creative productivity in a pandemic climate. Participants are given tools and techniques to manage anxiety, channel positive energy and become highly productive again. The workshops start at a point of “Where we are?” to “where we want to be?” 100 #reclaimthestage candidates will be selected from across the sector to create a powerful peer group each having pledged to pay forward with a skill or service, reinforcing commitment to the programme with positive outcomes and contributing to completed projects which might have been shelved due to the shutdown. It provides participants with the power to create positive outcomes in an uncertain landscape. “On top of the sadness and anxiety of the virus situation, every musician I know is facing bankruptcy” Miriam Davis – violinist “We’re all on the seat of our pants, hand to mouth, we live that kind of existence” John Mitchell – musician About Us: Heather Taylor Oonagh McDonnell Co-Founder Co-Founder Heather has many years in the music industry managing and forging relationships across artists, producers and managers. Representing artists P. P. Arnold, Eric Bibb and Gregory Porter. A creative and serial career changer not always by design. Following a period of working overseas Oonagh returned to the UK on a quest for employment. Armed with her resumé of experience and qualifications, doors remained closed. As a result she transferred her skills and worked on a documentary meeting Heather. Contact: contactreclaimthestage@gmail.com As Oonagh worked in the creative industry she realised the parameters of the ‘pale, male, stale’ club and Itsherstory was born. The organisation reflects her values and aspirations highlighting everyday stories about women and the challenges they face. Contact: oonagh@itsherstory.uk.com