Internship at Landmark Presentation

Introduction

• The need to merge theory with practice prompted me to seek an internship position at Landmark Group;
• My objective was to benefit from the prolific work culture of Landmark Group, one of the biggest companies in the region;
• In my eight weeks as an internship at Landmark, I did assignments that were related mostly to the marketing sector.

I joined the Landmark group as an intern. Most of my internship experience was spent in the marketing department. Being in a workplace setting for the first time, and working with a multicultural workforce, excited me. This report is a course requirement that describes my eight weeks as an intern at Landmark Group.

Internship Objectives

• Understanding the work environment of a corporate organization;
• Understanding the work principles of a professional environment;
• Deciding whether marketing meets my career expectations, or not;
• Utilizing my expertise in marketing;
• Analyzing my proficiency in the professional environment and seeking new areas for improvement;
• Enhancing my communication skills;
• Getting experience in organizing a project.

My objectives as an intern aimed to improve my professional skills through career development and planning. Landmark Group gave me the opportunity to pursue these objectives.

My Expectations

• I knew that an internship program at Landmark Group would help me to achieve my career goals and improve my expertise in marketing;
• I wanted to participate in developing making strategies, organizing projects, and doing research in product and service promotion;
• Through this internship program, I wanted to learn to be effective (professionally), improve my communication skills and become a knowledgeable organizer and strategist;
• I also wanted to improve my communication in English, through this internship.

I had high expectations before joining the internship program at Landmark Group. I knew this internship program would help me to achieve my career goals and improve my marketing expertise. I wanted to follow an internship in the marketing field because of my interest in this area. My interest lay in promoting brands, products and services through media and advertisement and sometimes through meeting companies’ responsibilities.

Introduction to the Organization

• The Landmark Group is a Bahrain-based company, founded in 1973;
• Landmark Group specializes in retail marketing and hospitality across many countries in the world. It is among one of the top leading companies in India and the MENA region;
• The company offers various products, including apparel, cosmetics, interior decoration products, footwear, baby products and consumer electronics;
• Landmark is also the major non-food importer into Jebel Ali Free Zone. It delivers around 63,000 containers in this area every year.

Micky Jagtiani started the Landmark Group with one store called “Mothercare” in Bahrain. Since then, the group has excelled in the retail sector, for almost 40 years. It has developed as one of the most prolific and gigantic retail organizations in the Middle East region and India. The company offers various products, including apparel, cosmetics and beauty products, interior decoration products, footwear, baby products and consumer electronics.

Corporate Values of the Group

• The core values of Landmark Group include a passion for excellence, business integrity, human capability improvement, and meeting changing customer needs and demands.
• Creating exceptional values for its customers.
• The company’s philosophy revolves around listening, adapting, and delivering exceptional values.
• Pursuing a strong and adaptive entrepreneurship culture.

The corporate values of Landmark Group tap into the hard work of the company’s employees. The company also strives to improve the lives of its customers and employees, most of who come from humble backgrounds.

Landmark’s Business Segments

• The Landmark Group has 25 owned brands and over 40 internationally franchised brands;
• The company has around 1,800 outlets across the world;
• The Landmark Group operates its business through big and expanded retail setups, with anchor stores in big and popular malls;
• The Bahrain-based company operates through three main business sectors around the region.

The Landmark Group has been working in the field of retail business for about 40 years. It has around 1,800 outlets across the world. The company operates its business through big and expanded retail setups with anchor stores in big and popular malls. The company also operates through three main business sectors around the region.

Landmark Retail

• Center Point;
• Baby shop;
• Splash;
• Shoe Mart;
• Lifestyle;
• ICONIC;
• Sports one;
• Emax.

Established in 2005, Center-point is the umbrella brand of the Landmark Group. Baby Shop was an earlier entity established in 1973. It offers “baby” products. Other brands in the Landmark retail segment include Splash, Shoe Mart, Lifestyle, ICONIC, Sports one and Emax.

• Home Centre;
• Home Box;
• Max;
• Shoexpress;
• Landmark shops.

Landmark Group also runs its retail business through a wide range of clothing and footwear franchises, such as Landmark International, New Look Koton, Reiss, Funkyfish, Lipsy, Shoe Mart International Footwear Division, Ecco, Kurt Giger, stride rite, FABI, and Vaiencia. Other segments in its retail platform include Homecenter, Homebox, Max, Shoexpress, and Landmark shops.

Landmark Hospitality

• The Landmark Group operates the landmark Hospitality through its franchises and parent company;
• Landmark Hospitality offers fine and informal dining, centers for family relaxation and entertainment, health clubs and beauty salon and health spa;
• The company also offers medical centers and budget hotels through its parent company and its franchised brands.

Landmark Hospitality concentrates more on services like hotels and gyms. Furthermore, this segment offers fine and informal dining, centers for family relaxation and entertainment, health clubs, and beauty salons.

Landmark India

• The Landmark Group started its retail venture in India in 1999 after establishing new Lifestyle Stores in the country;
• Most of its Indian Subsidiaries are in lifestyle stores.

Besides the Middle East, India is the only other market that has accommodated many Landmark stores.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• The four pillars that provide strength to the Landmark Group are its strategically planned businesses, efficient operations, effective logistics planning, and committed employees.
• The Landmark Group has a centralized strong IT system.
• Diverse employees.

Landmark has many strengths. For example, the ‘ Key Man’ policy has supported the growth and success of the group over the past 40 years. Moreover, the association of the Landmark Group with its people plays a significant role in the strategic success of the business. A strong IT system and an efficient logistic planning have also supported the business’s growth.

Weaknesses

• Restricted market knowledge;
• Increased competition restricts market growth.

Opportunities

• Product Diversification;
• Global brand expansion.

Threats

• Increased consumer choices;
• Demanding Quality Standards.

Despite being a strong retailing the brand, Landmark Group has a restricted market knowledge that mainly centers in the Middle East region (and the Indian Subcontinent). Intense competition from other international brands also restricts its market share growth. However, product diversification and global brand expansion pose numerous opportunities for the company.

To sustain growth amongst the tough competition in the international market, the brand can diversify its retail business into other categories like food and real estate. To make the brand popular in the international market, the group can focus more on the global expansion of its brand.

Lastly, ample choices before the consumers in the retail market pose great threat to the popularity of the brand. FDI in retail sector could enforce quality standards.

My Internship Activities at Landmark

• I joined the landmark Group as an Intern;
• I spent eight weeks working in the marketing department;
• My duties spanned across different departments;
• My job description included undertaking marketing and advertising activities and social media planning.

I joined the retail and hospitality sector of the Landmark Group as an intern. I only worked for two months and performed various duties related to marketing and other departments. These activities complimented my goals and expectations from the internship program.

Social Media Initiative

• Helping the marketing department in social media engagement;
• Drafting and editing programs for social media channels;
• Monitoring social media web analytics;
• To present reports for departmental growth;
• Preparing marketing plans;
• Linking social media tools to the websites.

My responsibility was to assist the marketing department with social media engagement. Moreover, I was also involved in drafting and editing social media programs . I also had the responsibility of monitoring social media web analytics, weekly. I prepared a marketing plan for the sale promotions of the brand products. I used the social media strategy for developing the marketing plan progressively. My activities included linking social media tools to the websites. The objective was to encourage customers to visit the websites. We also tracked social media tools for obtaining feedback for our efforts and asked for suggestions to improve our services.

Marketing and Advertising Activities

• Create innovative marketing strategies;
• Prepare marketing reports;
• Collect data and maintaining records;
• Marketing Strategy Formulation;
• Product promotion;
• Research product reviews.

The marketing team of the Landmark Group has diversified roles and responsibilities. Different departments of the company have explicit rules for different consumers. I engaged with the marketing teams constantly to suggest fresh and innovative ideas for marketing and social media campaigns.

Human Resources

• I started my internship at the HR department before moving to the marketing department;
• I learned interviewing techniques;
• I understood important presentation techniques;
• I gained knowledge regarding the importance of proper verbal communication.

I started my internship at the HR department before switching to the marketing department. I did many interviews with job applicants, corrected their language responses, and sometimes called them to complete their application forms. Being in this department made me understand that confidence and motivation are important principles in the workplace environment. Recruiters concentrate on this point by focusing on body language. The company did not accept applications of applicants who had poor verbal communication skills. Indeed, good verbal communication, especially in English, was needed to get into a multinational company like Landmark. Some people applied without knowing the company’s business model. They did not get the job.

Reflections

• I learned the strengths and weaknesses of Landmark’s business operations;
• I identified the company’s opportunities for growth;
• People-focus is Landmark’s strongest asset;
• My internship experience developed my personality and increased my confidence to pursue marketing, as a career.

The Landmark Group has consistently performed well in every market situation. It has also demonstrated great significance for its customers, all over the world. Working with a dynamic employee group gave me an insight into the strengths and weaknesses of its business and operations. I further tried to identify certain opportunities and threats that can inhibit or support its growth. The idea of considering people as Landmark’s strongest asset is the key contributor to its success. However, it needs to focus on promoting its brand, globally.

Internship Positives

• My internship experience helped me to develop my communication and computer skills;
• I realized the importance of team-work;
• I discovered my personal strengths;
• I learned how to be passionate;
• By gaining a strong professional experience, I developed a strong confidence in my career;
• I understood the value of real work experience and how it contributed to my problem-solving skills.

Through my internship, I developed my communication skills and learned some new computer skills. I also realized the importance of team-work in this regard. Since I worked in a multinational company, being open-minded was essential to my success.