Business and Management: the Choice of Academic Studies - Essay Example

Reflective Report Table of contents Introduction 3 Academic Skills 3 Reading 4 Writing 5 Mathematics 6 Skills related to career 7 Decision-making 7 Working with groups 7 Communication 8 Motivation 9 Time Management 9 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction The choice of academic studies is usually based on a person’s existing skills but also on his plans in regard to his professional development. Personally, I’ve chosen the Course ‘Business and Management’ in order to increase my skills on my favorite professional field: the managerial field. Initially, I thought that my existing skills would be adequate for covering most of the needs of the modules involved. Soon, I’ve realized that I had to improve my skills in many areas, even in those that I considered as already highly developed, such as reading and writing. In fact, it seems that my academic skills, as developed during my studies in the past, have been adequate for helping me to respond to the needs of daily life but could not help me to face the demands of professional environment. The educational institute I’ve chosen uses learning practices that help learners to become efficient not only in regard to academic tasks but also to tasks related to the workplace. Also, the assignments delegated to learners, as individuals or as groups, are structured in such way so that decision making and initiatives, by the learners’ side, are encouraged. In the Personal Development Programme, which is part of the Course I’ve chosen, students have the chance to monitor their progress in regard to their academic and career-related skills. This report has been prepared for showing my progress as of the skills mentioned above. Literature has been employed, along with my experiences in the class, in order to show the level at which the Course has helped me to improve my performance both as a learner and as a future employee in a managerial role. Academic Skills When referring to academic skills reference is made to specific aspects of a person’s capabilities. Three seem to be the most important academic skills in educational institutes of all levels: ‘reading, writing and mathematics’ (Oakland and Harrison 2011, p.94). My personal status, in regard to these skills, is analyzed below using appropriate literature. Reading In general, reading is considered as one of the most critical academic skills. Indeed, it is not possible for a learner to respond to the needs of his learning programme without achieving a continuous improvement of his reading skills. As noted in the study of Downing (2013) each learner has to monitor his progress in regard to his reading skills; such task can be developed through a schedule customized accordingly. Personally, I have not employed such schedule during my studies. However, I have tried to identify my weaknesses in this field and to incorporate appropriate measures for addressing them. In fact, during my studies I found that I would need to change my approach in reading a text. Instead of focusing directly on the text itself I should primarily check the text’s context and key direction, as of the main idea promoted. Shapiro (2011) noted that a person cannot develop his ‘reading skills without focusing primarily on his prereading skills’ (Shapiro 2011, p.213). Apart from the common reading requirements, such as use of grammar and spelling, the understanding of a text’s central theme is a vital part of the reading process (Shapiro 2011). In the past I used to emphasize on reading as related to grammar; every time I had to deal with a piece of text I used to read it rapidly trying not to make grammar-based mistakes. However, such approach has not been the right one. Actually, it is not possible to understand the actual meaning of a text without having developed comprehension skills. It is possible for this reason that many people at academic level identify, for the first time, their inability to use pieces of text for responding to questions or for preparing summaries/ reports (Hernandez-Gutierrez 2008). During the course I had the chance to work with a high volume of texts for responding to the tasks assigned by the tutors; these texts referred to various management-related fields, such as marketing, finance and law. Under the guidelines of the tutors I had changed my approach in regard to reading focusing both on the general context of the text and its format/ grammar. In this way, my comprehension skills have been highly improved. In the future I would find no difficulties in dealing with texts in order to prepare business documents of various types, as this task is indispensable part of any managerial role. Writing Often, writing, as an academic concept, is not given the appropriate attention. In fact, writing is usually related to the development of a piece of text; no reference is made to the characteristics of the particular piece of text or to the skills of the writer (Brosig and Kas 2008). However, when relating writing to a specific area, then specific terms need to be met. For example, academic writing denotes high skills in using grammar and in employing appropriate syntax for expressing ideas with accuracy (Brosig and Kas 2008). Academic writing also implies the use of ethical rules in regard to the research developed before writing a piece of academic text (Brosig and Kas 2008). In the professional field, writing can be related to various other activities, such as the publication of documents online, the market research and the business audit (Koutsantoni 2007). Until my entry in the specific course I had not realized the above aspects of writing. I always thought writing as a key means for expressing ideas, but without focusing in other issues, such as ethics or referencing. During the course I had the chance to learn all aspects of academic writing but also to realize the value of writing in career. Indeed, in all modules, including finance and marketing, learning has been highly based on papers organized according to the rules of academic writing; papers commonly used in a business environment have been also delegated to students. For example, in the finance module I had the chance to prepare business reports, presentations and forecasts; in the marketing module I have been involved in group-based projects, such as marketing plans and advertising campaigns. Moreover, in the law module, the tutor had helped me to understand the rules of legal writing, especially in regard to referencing and the use of case law. Mathematics As a field, mathematics is often considered as important only for those who are willing to study economics. However it has been proved that people in all professional areas, including those who are going to work at lower levels of the organizational hierarchy, need to have basic skills on mathematics (Maxwell 2006). In addition, the educational institutes that aim to secure the professional success of their students need to focus on all aspects of jobs related to those institutes’ courses (Wang et al. 2013). In the course I’ve chosen, i.e. business and management, mathematics is quite important. For example, it is not possible for a business report to be prepared without checking primarily the financial performance of the business in regard to the business sectors related to the report. For this reason, finance, as a module, is incorporated in the course I’ve chosen. In this way, students become familiar to mathematical calculations that will be useful to them in their daily tasks as managers, no matter the level of their job in terms of the organizational hierarchy. In my case, my personal skills on maths have been at average level. Through the course I had the chance to learn another aspect of maths; maths is not just a tool for developing calculations. It can be a critical tool for understanding the strengths and the weaknesses of a business, an issue which is of primary importance in management. Skills related to career Decision-making Decision-making, as a process, is not standardized. It can be based on evidence or it can be developed instantly. Also, the effects of decision-making on daily life can be differentiated (Dhami et al. 2012). In a business environment the consequences of decision-making can be severe. For example, taking a wrong decision, when having to give orders to followers, can destroy a leader’s career (Stewart et al. 2002). In this context, understanding the role and the implications of decision-making is critical for all individuals, no matter their career choices. During the course that I’ve chosen tutors have helped students to realize the aspects of decision-making in the following way: students have been offered guidelines for developing the tasks assigned to them but without limitations as of certain aspects of the tasks, such as the resources chosen. In groups also, emphasis has been given to the freedom of each member of the group to state his view and to take initiatives; also, collaboration and trust have been highly encouraged aiming to make students to value group-work, as this mode of work is quite common in modern businesses. Personally, through the Course I have improved my decision making skills not just in regard to academic tasks but also in regard to my future professional choices. Working with groups Working with groups can be a challenging task, even for people who have exceptional communication skills. The reason is the following: each group needs to be appropriately organized so that it can achieve its mission: the completion of the project/ task assigned to the group (Hayes 2002). Indeed, large groups, being more difficult to be organized and controlled, are often less effective than small groups (Hayes 2002). In any case, working as a member of a group can help an individual to become more socialized, to increase his self-esteem and to control his concerns in regard to the success of the tasks in which he participates since he has the support of the other members of the group; in fact, it is easier for groups to retrieve solutions to difficult problems and to promote innovation (Jaffe 2006). Through my participation in group-based projects, as part of my Course, I realized the value but also the risks of group work. Personally, I highly value cooperation and communication, as parts of group work, but I had never realized that groups cannot be uncontrolled. In any case, my participation in group tasks helped me to become more efficient in exchanging information and in listening to others. These qualities could highly help me in the future, as a member of a business, at the level that group work is indispensable part of most business strategies. Communication The most common mistake when referring to communication is the belief that communication implies the discussion with other people in regard to various issues. In practice, communication can be also developed through texts (Guffey and Lowey 2010); for example, an adverting message is a tool of communication, meaning that through this message the marketer promotes his idea to the public. In the tasks assigned to me, personally or as a member of a group, during my Course, the various aspects of communication have been highlighted. For example, in one of these tasks I have to state my view in regard to the advertising plan that would be most appropriate for promoting a product in a new market; in another task, I had to prepare a presentation for explaining the phases and the risks of a marketing strategy. In other words, through the tasks assigned to me I had the chance to realize the actual framework and role of communication; this allowed me to increase my creativity in identifying methods for securing communication, a practice that could also significantly help me in the workplace. Motivation Usually motivation refers to the motives used by an individual when having to take a decision. In practice, motivation can have many implications. For example, motivation is not always based on existing criteria; it can be also based on ‘expected benefits/ outcomes’ (Zbilgin 2009, p.282). Being aware of the aspects of motivation can help an individual to become more effective in achieving targets, a fact common in leaders. Indeed, a leader is not able to motivate his followers unless he can understand their needs and their expectations (Lock 2004); also, the leader needs to be capable of estimating the response of his followers to the motives offered to them in order to increase their performance or to support a leader’s choice (Lock 2004). In addition, it has been proved that ‘the achievement motivation can be learned’ (Lock 2004, p.184). Personally, I have experienced such case during my studies. More specifically, in all modules, tutors have tried to explain to students the value of motivation, as related especially to the achievement of targets. As a result, I realized that setting targets and working as hard as possible for achieving them is a critical part of any individual’s life. Such approach would be quite important for me in the workplace. Being motivated to achieve my targets I would be more competent in facing daily challenges and in setting priorities, as this practice is critical for limiting risks related to daily work. Time Management The allocation of time for completing tasks can be quite difficult, not only in the academic field but also in the workplace. Indeed, unexpected changes in one’s daily schedule or delays caused by non-controllable factors, such as weather conditions, can set the completion of tasks on time under severe risk (Griffin and Van Fleet 2013). Time management also address another issue: is there a time point that it is mostly appropriate for developing a specific task? Time management can help to identify this time point, if necessary, so that the completion of the task is secured (Cook 2009). During the Course the tutors have used the following practice: each time they assigned a task to students they explained the time management issues involved. Also students were giving guidelines for improving their time management skills; for example, time schedules have been suggested to students for developing each part of the task assigned to them. Personally, I tend to face problems in managing time effectively. However, during the Course my time management skills have been significantly improved, a fact mostly related to the tutors’ guidelines and support. Conclusion Achieving personal development during academic studies can be difficult, especially when learners do not have relevant knowledge on the subjects of their study. However, an educational institute that focuses on the personal development of its students is able to retrieve solutions for helping students to cover their learning gaps. My case is an example. In the academic institute I’ve chosen emphasis is given both to the academic and the career-related skills of students. In this way, students are appropriately prepared for entering the job market. Indeed, through my participation in this business and management course I had the chance to improve my communication and group-working schemes, which are of critical importance in management-related roles. I have also managed to increase my performance in regard to basic academic skills, especially reading and writing. As a result, my self-esteem has been increased, a fact that makes me more confident to keep improving my self in regard to all skills related to my academic studies, as these skills are vital for my career as explained above. References Brosig, M. and Kas, K. (2008) Teaching Theory and Academic Writing: A Guide to Undergraduate Lecturing in Political Science. Leverkusen: Budrich UniPress. Burrow, J. and Kleindl, B. (2012) Business Management. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Cook, S. (2009) The Effective Manager: Management skills for high performance. Cambridgeshire: IT Governance Ltd Dhami, M., Schlottmann, A. and Waldmann, M. 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(2004) Taking Charge of Your Career Direction: Career Planning Guide. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Maxwell, N. (2006) The Working Life: The Labor Market for Workers in Low-skilled Jobs. Kalamazoo: W.E. Upjohn Institute Oakland, T. and Harrison, P. (2011) Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-II: Clinical Use and Interpretation. San Diego: Academic Press Shapiro, E. (2011) Academic Skills Problems, Fourth Edition: Direct Assessment and Intervention. New York: Guilford Press. Stewart, J., McGoldrick, J. and Watson, S. (2002) Understanding Human Resource Development: A Research-based Approach. London: Psychology Press Wang, Q., Cheng, Y. and Liu, N. (2013) Building World-Class Universities: Different Approaches to a Shared Goal. London: Springer Science & Business Media. Zbilgin, M. (2009) Career Choice in Management and Entrepreneurship: A Research Companion. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Read More