Introduction to Personal and Professional Practice - Essay Example

? INTRODUCTION TO PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE Unit Unit School Introduction The following is a reflective essay that evaluates my individual development during the module. It gives an overview of my learning up to date since starting University. The paper includes the description of my experiences and a discussion of learning in the University and my part time job. It also gives my personal reflection, my learning needs and opportunities in the future. It offers an action plan that includes time scales to ensure continuing development in the identified learning areas. As a student at the University of Central Lancashire, I got the opportunity to learn different things that were related to my academic and personal experiences. Responsibility and Initiative in the marketing class During the module, I have learned the importance of responsibility and initiative. Responsibility refers to being accountable for decisions and actions, and University students are expected to be responsible and take initiative in their tasks (Baker, 2009). I have had to initiate conversations with members of the faculty, make intelligent choices about the courses to take and critically decide which marketing-related clubs I needed to join. University is very different from high school, and as much as there were several advising programs in the University, many decisions were left in the hands of the students. I was faced with a responsibility over my life and I had to take initiative so as to ensure successful completion of my course. University was also quite different from home since I had been used to letting my parents make the choices for me. I needed to learn how to become independent, confident and accountable for all my actions. These needs were preparing me for the future since after school there are many opportunities that require responsibility and initiative: family life and working life. Physical, emotional and mental wellbeing The marketing department puts an emphasis on building an all- round student in physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. I discovered that there were numerous number of sporting and gaming activities that would keep me fit in all aspects of my life. I made time for regular physical activities such as playing badminton and taking swimming classes. Also I ensured that I took a balanced diet since there was nobody to make the choices on my behalf. So far I have learnt about the best ways to choose activities that can contribute to one’s overall wellbeing. Being a vegetarian meant that I had to maintain a good balance of all food groups. I joined the Christian group so that I could get a religious identity, and this gave me spiritual nourishment. I participated in several Badminton and Chess competitions whereby I won five awards, and that success made me realize that I was good in those two sports. The process of making wise decisions about my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellness gave me a basis for future responsibility over my wellbeing and that of others. Course work and Time management I realized that the main obligation that I had in the University was my academic career. Marketing course required that I participate in community- based projects, school- based projects and all events organized by marketing department. It also needed more studying hours than other subjects since it covered a wide range of topics. I had several non- academic activities that would compete for my time but I realized that time management was key to ensuring that I balanced all of them. I had a problem understanding that my course required more than just the allocated class time. However, I talked to a faculty member and he advised me that I needed to do more personal studies so that I could research and understand what I had been taught in class. At the University, we had work-study jobs that students would do during their part time, and I decided to do them too since they would prepare me for employments in future. As I did my studies, I took up a part time job in a large organization. I was working in their marketing department where we would design various marketing strategies for the company products. Personal Ethics Personal ethics was the first issues that I dealt with as I worked in the organization. The Company emphasized on the need to follow all personal and organizational codes of ethics. According to Baker, (2009), the main personal values and elements that one can use in an organization are integrity, honesty and moral conduct. These aspects of personal ethics are very important since they include how someone carries on with his/ her private life. Integrity refers to loyalty, maturity, respect, trust, wisdom and compassion. Honesty also plays a major role in personal ethical behaviour since it reflects in people’s deeds. Intellectual honesty and social honesty help people to build trust with other people in our relationships. Also I ensured that I carried myself with moral uprightness and dignity in all the company dealings. This used to help me in dealing with confrontations or personal disagreements and discrepancies that were common in the marketing department. Conduct and organizational ethics As I worked in the organization, one of the main workplace values in the organization is accountability. Accountability is an essential part of the organization since it makes each stakeholder to become accountable for their actions. It extends to time keeping during reporting times and break times. It also covers taking responsibility for one’s wrong-doing and taking the initiative to reverse any damages in order to reach a resolution. Also, employee conduct is valued in the organization to ensure that every employee show appropriate behavior dress in appropriate attire and be professional in all dealings. Also, team work, integrity and dedication are crucial values that characterize the organizational culture. Integrity includes honesty dealings in all operations while team work and dedication refer to collaboration among employees in order to work hard successfully. Theory learning and practical Application of Knowledge In the University, I had been learning so much in the various subjects that I was studying, and applying this knowledge was quite cumbersome at first. I needed to relate the knowledge that I was reading back in school with the reality that I faced in the work place. For example, the knowledge that I had acquired in my marketing class could not be applied all at the same time. I needed to work closely with other people who had been working in the marketing department for a long time so as to understand the most appropriate application of theory in practice. Marketing concepts seemed to revolve around customer satisfaction and profitability of the organization. I started finding ways to understand the practical application of theory in practice as I joined marketing teams in new product development, segmentation, targeting, positioning and brand development. I participated in outside marketing with the team members and gained much experience in the field of marketing. Corporate Social Responsibility The organization undertakes several measures to ensure that it guards the welfare of the society as a whole while maintaining its profitable businesses. I started participating in all the social responsibilities that the organization had ventured into. The organization was involved in solving social problems in the community, and this gave me an opportunity to work closely with the community. The organization assisted the society in charities, education and arts. For example, it had been participating in creating new infrastructures for elementary schools around the areas of its operations. By lifting the standards of living for the community, the company managed to maintain a base of loyal customers. As an organization, we used to go to the surrounding communities and assist the less fortunate by donating foods, clothes and other basic necessities. An organization that is socially responsible respects the environmental aspects of its operations since the society and the country as a whole usually depend on natural resources (Baker, 2009). That is why it had taken up measures to ensure there was extreme reduction of environmental pollution. Also, due to the heavy trucks that the organization uses, it has succeeded in ensuring that they do not bend transportation rules, an act that would lead to destruction of the surrounding infrastructures. It has also taken up sensitization measures to create awareness of the use of biodegradable materials in production. This aspect of organizational management made me learn the importance of the surrounding communities in our lives. Identification of learning needs While studying at the University of Lancashire, I realized that I needed learning needs in leadership areas. I participated in various societies, clubs and sports yet I had not wanted to become a leader of any of the University groups. I had a problem determining how one should lead a group of many other students. Whenever elections were conducted among the students, students were asked to nominate themselves for the said positions, and then the other students would vote to elect the best candidate. Whenever this proposal was made, I would feel the urge to nominate myself but unfortunately, I undermined my leadership capabilities. That is when I realized that I had learning needs in leadership areas. Also, as I studied, I realized that I had a problem reading and revising at night, yet I had dedicated day time to the scheduled class times and the part time job. I had a problem allocating enough time for personal studies and this became a learning need. I needed to know how I would manage my time properly so that I could balance the academic work, extracurricular activities and my part time job. At the work place, I participated in various group activities, but I realized that I had learning needs in the areas concerned with creativity and innovation. Whenever faced with a particular business challenge, I would not be creative enough to know how to handle the situation. In a big organization, an employee may be faced by varying challenges that need creativity to solve rather than the rule of book (Baker, 2009). Also, in marketing, employees were required to be very innovative so that to form a competitive edge against other business competitors. I realized that I did not possess these two attributes, and they were my learning needs in the organization. Skills and Opportunities for the Future After a reflection of my experiences in school and at work place, I realized that there are skills that I could use to continue effective learning. These skills will ensure that I can handle various opportunities in the future, whether in school or at work place. For example, the issue I had in school with leadership could be solved by increasing my involvements with leaders from various clubs and societies in the University. Teaming up with these leaders can enhance my confidence, and I can easily learn leadership qualities from them. Also, a short course on leadership may assist in understand all leadership requirements. About balancing school work, extracurricular activities and part time job, I can use time management skills to ensure that none of the activities is neglected, and that academic work takes the first priority. Having discovered that I am unable to study effectively at night, I can now try revising early in the morning before I start my classes. Creativity and innovation can be learned through research and experience. Reading materials can offer a wide range of ideas about dealing with different situations in marketing. This can then be enhanced more by using reflective practice to understand all situations that one has dealt with in the past and finding the best way of dealing with each and every challenge. Action Plan and Time scales To handle the identified learning needs and challenges, it is important to create a time plan on how one is going to handle the issues (Baker, 2009).. I can learn much about time management within one month. This can be achieved by creating a strict timetable that I will have to follow all through the month. After one month, I will have gotten used to the routine and every activity in the schedule will have fallen in place. The leadership skills may take approximately two months to learn so that I can understand the leadership qualities by taking a one- month leadership course. I will then involve myself with various leaders in school and at work so that I may learn directly from them. For creativity and innovation, I will make it a continuous learning process since research and experience must be continuous so as to achieve the desired effects. With time, experience will enable me to understand situations whenever I am faced with a challenge. Conclusion I have had a lot of experiences in the University of Lancashire, and those experiences have enabled me to identify my learning needs through a reflective analysis. I have understood different areas that are important in school life and working life especially time management, leadership qualities, ethics, overall wellbeing, creativity and innovation. The various experiences that I have gone through have shaped me in such a way that I can now venture into future opportunities with confidence and knowledge. I have been able to discover the skills required in continuing with effective learning, and I have also created a realistic action plan. Reference Baker, MJ 2009, 'Personal professional development', Marketing Review, 9, 2, pp. 99-113, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 April 2012. Read More