Academic Skills Module Assessment

This assignment assesses various academic skills. It includes an essay question on a legal topic for law students, a reflective summary using Gibbs' model focusing on group work experience and development of a key academic skill, and details about the UK EU Referendum.

Autumn 17
Academic Skills Portfolio (ACSK4001)
Name: Student Number:
Lecturer name:
Tutor name:
Degree studied:
This is your Academic Skills ONLINE Portfolio. Please save a copy on your computer and back it up regularly
(e.g. by saving it on your computer / in the cloud (e.g. Google Drive) / emailing it to yourself. You will receive a
printed copy which you should bring to all lectures and tutorials. However, at the end of the course, you need
to submit this electronic copy. Please refer to suggested word counts for each task included within this
portfolio.
The deadline for uploading the online portfolio is: Thursday 21st December
by 2pm
Assessed Learning Outcomes:
 Show evidence of understanding core components of academic literacy/skills.
 Apply critical thought to a range of tasks, and do so with a minimum of external guidance in
particular situations.
 To reflect, analyse and discuss strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities personally and
academically.
 Use appropriate technologies to facilitate the completion of self-analysis/reflection.

Week Table of Contents Page Learning
Outcome
Section 1: Portfolio Evidence
(These tasks will be drafted in class and are designed to inform the written tasks in section 1; Suggested word
counts are included in brackets where appropriate.)
1 Self-evaluation checklist 3 LO 3 & 4
1 Personal SWOT analysis (suggested word count: 200 words) 4-5 LO 3 & 4
2 Structuring your writing (including examples and evidence) 6-7 LO 1 & 2
3 Quantitative data analysis (suggested word count: 300 words) 8-9 LO 1 & 2
4 Evaluating sources and referencing (suggested word count 150 words) 10 LO 1 & 2
5 Synthesising and in-text citations (suggested word count: 250 words) 11 LO 1 & 2
7 Presenting your assignment (include screen shot) 12 LO 1
8 Editing and proof reading your portfolio: using the marking criteria to
get a first!
13-14 LO 1 & 3
9 Post-presentation reflection 15 LO 3 & 4
10 End of course self-evaluation checklist 16 LO 3 & 4
10 Personal development plan (PDP) (suggested word count: ) 17 LO 3 & 4
Section 2: Written Tasks
(These written tasks should be developed throughout the semester but completed in weeks 9-11)
1-10 Academic writing [degree-specific focus related to The UK’s exit from
The European Union] (900 words)
18-19 LO1
9 & 10 Reflective writing: summary (300 words) 20 LO 3& 4
Writing word count: Academic writing (900 words), Reflective writing (300 words) and a minimum of 600
words in total on the other tasks
(+/- 10%)
SECTION 1: PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 1: self-evaluation checklist
Below is a list of the skills you will need during your university and professional career. Tick( )the appropriate✓
box for each skill, according to how well you think you can do this.
Skills Do not
know
Find this
difficult/
Can
partially do
Can do this
well
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about this can’t do
this
this
Looking for information
Identify which books/journals/websites to use ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Select relevant parts of a text ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Evaluate sources ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Using sources
Acknowledge sources of information ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Synthesize information from more than one source ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Write a reference list correctly ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Avoid plagiarism ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Planning/ writing
Brainstorm ideas ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Plan written work ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Link ideas effectively ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Paraphrase & summarise ideas ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Write an introduction ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Write a conclusion ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Critically edit written work ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Independent study
Work independently (without lecturers) ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Work as part of a (study) group ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Oral presentation
Give a presentation on my work ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Brainstorm ideas with peers ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
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Discuss written work in a tutorial ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Deal effectively with questions ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
IT
Access the internet ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Use search engines ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Create word documents ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Use PowerPoint ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
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SECTION 1: PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 1: Personal SWOT analysis
Watch this video: HYPERLINK
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBOtnyt7BP4"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBOtnyt7BP4
In-class activity: In pairs conduct interviews to create a personal SWOT analysis.
Internal
STRENGTHS
[Things within my control]
WEAKNESSES
[Personal barriers; things stopping me, but still within my control]
1. Creative and innovative idea 1. Detailed approach resulting in more time being
consumed
2. Effective academic collection 2. Poor at handling stress
3. Conflict management and team work 3. Fear of public speaking
4 Top 5 Strengths/talents (Gallup test): strategic, focus,
empathy, discipline, and responsibility.
4.
External
OPPORTUNITIES
[People, resources, opportunities]
THREATS
[Things outside of my control]
1. Knowledge of Brexit would prove helpful in future business
life
1. Less objectivity in collecting data
2. Handling workplace conflict due to strength of conflict
management
2. Taking too long in research threatens adherence to deadlines
3. Building relationships 3. Diverse presence of information influencing analysis capabilities
4. 4. Apprehensions about feedback
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Discuss: how are you going to overcome your weaknesses and minimise the threats? (approx 100 words)
As I have public speaking fear, presenting the presentation which is created for this assignment before the
entire class would be the first step in removing this weakness. In order to stop the wastage of time, I would
prepare a time table and stick to it. This would also help me in handling the stress of deadlines. And another
step which I will take to reduce stress is to start mediating, which is a leading manner of dealing with stress.
Lastly, I will take all the criticism positively without being stressed about the same.
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SECTION 1: PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 2: Structuring your writing
During your lecture and tutorial you will learn how to group ideas and develop paragraphs to give structure to
your academic writing. You can use the outline below as a model, although others will be discussed in your
lectures and tutorials.
Title:
1.0 An introduction (150 words) [use evidence/ research throughout]
 What is your question about? (give the background to your topic)
 Include some detail on the topic (narrow your focus; what exactly are you focusing on?) Who are the
key ideas/ people involved/ organisations etc.?)
 What will your report show? Be specific [you should write this section last]
2.0 Discussion point 1: ……………………………… (300 words) [Use evidence/ research throughout]:
 Identify one point from your area of focus and say why it is a key issue.
 Describe how leaving the EU will impact on this
 What are the opportunities it could create?
 What are the possible problems?
 What can you conclude from this? What are the implications?
3.0 Discussion point 2: ……………………………… (300 words) [Use evidence/ research throughout]:
 Identify another point from your area of focus and say why it is a key issue.
 Describe how leaving the EU will impact on this
 What are the opportunities it could create?
 What are the possible problems?
 What can you conclude from this? What are the implications?
4.0 Conclusion (150 words) [refer back to key evidence/ research]
 Give a summary of your key points from 2 & 3
 Include a summary of your key conclusions from both 2 & 3
 What would you recommend needs to happen now?
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SECTION 1: PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 2: Structuring your writing
Write a detailed plan here for your report or essay – showing what information you are planning to put in each
section. Remember as you do more research this plan might change so keep it up to date to help you to write a
well-structured report or essay. You can find the subject specific topics in the assessment section of the GSM
Learn academic skills page.
In order to prepare the essay, I would initially finalize the topic on which I would be writing and this would be
the impact of Brexit in context of recruitment and retention. Then I would follow the structure which has been
provided in this file, where I would write an introduction in which the background of Brexit would be given.
This would be followed by discussing the two key issues regarding the changed visa requirements for the
employees, and for their families as well; and the second issue would be of escalation of competition. After
discussing these in detail, I will conclude the entire discussion.
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SECTION 1: PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 3: Presenting and analysing data
Presenting data
Cut and paste the graph you discussed in the tutorial here. You can find it on the Week 3 Academic
Skills page on GSM Learn. Remember to write a full Harvard or OSCOLA reference for it.
British Council (2016) ‘As Others See Us’. Available at: https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/as-
others-see-us-report.pdf (Accessed: 22 February 2017)
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PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 3: Written analysis of Data
Analysing data
Based on the graph looked at in the tutorial, first discuss, and then plan how to write an analytical
paragraph about your graph. You might want to include the following information:
1. A description your data (What is it? Where does it come from? What area is it focussing on?):
2. A summary on what the data shows in general
3. One or two areas of the data looked at in detail and an explanation of why you think they are
significant
4. The important trends and differences/comparisons in the areas you have chosen
5. Possible explanations for what the data is showing (remember to reference wider research to
back your ideas up)
6. A recommendation for further action that could arise from this data.
Individually write your data analysis as a paragraph (approx. 300 words). Remember to refer to the
graph/chart using correct OSCOLA or Harvard style in-text citation.
The figure presented above shows the impact of Brexit over the likelihood in carrying on a business in the
nation. This data shows that for the majority of respondents, i.e., for respondents from EU, global,
commonwealth and rest of the G20 nations, they would continue to remain indifferent towards Brexit. This
means that even with Brexit, the common view is that the business in UK would continue as had been going on
earlier. However, there were a number of people who did believe in the same resulting in impacting the
business in both a negative and positive manner. The people supporting the impact of Brexit on business in UK
were higher for the “less likely impact” in comparison to the “more likely impact” which shows the positive
outlook towards Brexit.
The major part of this figure is the makes no difference approach given regarding Brexit having no change over
the present business opportunities and position of UK. This is a major indicator towards the support of the
nations in UK even with Brexit being passed. This also silences the critics of Brexit who have opposed the same
by stating that Brexit would negatively impact the business in the nation. However, this data is very different
from the report which has been presented in section 2 as the same has shown that the business is going to be
affected in a negative manner, particularly with a hard Brexit. The difference in the two views could be
possible due to the dates of analysis of this aspect as the given figure had been analysed back in 2016 when
Brexit was just passed, and the report was presented in last parts of 2017, by which time, the impact of Brexit
became clearer. As a result of this, there is a need to again collect the data to show the true stance of the
present time.
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PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 4: Evaluating sources & critically engaging with texts
In your study groups, evaluate 3 different text from your reading list, or ones you have found. During class your
lecturer will give you questions to guide you through this process. You can find these texts on the Week 4
Academic Skills GSM Learn page.
Resource type:
(book, journal,
video)
& citation/reference
Text A Text B Text C
Authority CIPD HR Magazine Bloomberg L.P.
Currency 2016 Recent Work 2017 Latest Work 2016 Recent Work
Content Refined and detailed content,
highlighting the key areas for
the HR practitioners.
Highlights different
aspects of HR to be
considered in context of
Brexit.
Shows the negative
implications of Brexit
which were not detailed
in previous two readings.
Accuracy Highly accurate as
government source
Accurate due to the
detailed analysis
Accurate due to reliable
source
Audience General public and business
professionals
HR professionals Business professionals
Further notes/
comments
It presents a very detailed
analysis on the risk analysis,
recruitment positions and
Brexit management
capability.
Covers details on
recruitment and skills,
and immigration area.
Presents a new aspect
particularly from the
negative impact of Brexit
on businesses and the
emboldening of
lawmakers.
PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
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Week 5: Synthesising
In groups of 2 or 3: you are going to discuss the similarities and differences of different texts. You each need to
read and understand a text, tell your group about it, and make notes.
Write (in note form) the key ideas for the 3 different texts:
Text A:
In-text citation or OSCOLA footnote (Law): CIPD. (2017) Brexit workforce planning considerations. [Online]
CIPD. Available from: https://www.cipd.co.uk/news-views/brexit-hub/workforce-planning [Accessed on:
17/11/17]
Key ideas: The three key aspects which were detailed in this reading were the risk analysis, the recruitment
positions and Brexit management capability. It highlighted how the Brexit can pose a difficulty in the staffing
levels and in the ability of the organization in meeting its goals. The discussion also highlighted the
employment legislations which would be impacted due to Article 50 coming in force.
Text B:
In-text citation or OSCOLA footnote (Law): Jacobs, K. (2016) What does Brexit mean for HR? [Online] HR
Magazine. Available from: http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/what-does-brexit-mean-for-hr
[Accessed on: 17/11/17]
Key idea: This article discussed the standout issues for the companies, which included immigration,
employment law, culture and recruitment and skills, to show the impact of Brexit. A lot of data was used to
support the points presented in this reading, which made it more authentic. An important aspect raised was
on the key challenge of dealing with free movement of people and the possible changes of employment law
on hr policies.
Text C:
In-text citation or OSCOLA footnote (Law): Ross, T., and Meakin, L. (2017) U.K. Business Says Brexit Already
Having a Negative Effect. [Online] Bloomberg Markets. Available from:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-06/u-k-business-says-brexit-is-already-having-a-
negative-effect [Accessed on: 17/11/17]
Key ideas: Out of the three discussions, this discussion focused the most on the negative implications of
Brexit. And in doing so, it highlighted the impact of Brexit in context of damage to business even before the
Brexit is officially implemented. Again this article relied on figures to accentuate the points being presented.
Individually: write up a paragraph which synthesises (combines) the ideas you talked about with your study
group. Remember to include in-text citationsor OSCOLA footnote (Law) and link your ideas using linking
words! (Suggested word count: 200 words).
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PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 7: Presenting your assignment
At university, you are often asked to present your research. In week 9 you will deliver a short 10-minute
presentation (7 minutes delivery + 3 minutes for Qs) in class to a small group. You should base your
presentation on one key point (one main section/paragraph) from your assignment using the following
structure for guidance with suggested timings:
 Title page: including your name and title
 Give a very brief overview of what your 7-minute presentation will cover (30 secs)
 Introduction: Identify one point from your assignment and say why it is a key point (1minute)
 Briefly describe how leaving the EU will impact on this (1 min 30s)
 What is one potential opportunity it could create? (1 min 30s)
 What is one possible problem? ( 1min 30s)
 What can you conclude from this? What are the implications/ your recommendations?
(1min)
 You should refer to evidence/ research throughout your presentation.
 Be prepared to answer questions (3 mins) at the end of your presentation.
Provide evidence here to show that you have planned your presentation. This could take the form of
a detailed plan or PowerPoint slides.
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PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 8: Editing and proof reading your portfolio: using the marking criteria to understand how to get a first!
Good evidence Some evidence Insufficient
evidence
Knowledge and understanding of the subject
A. Demonstrates overall understanding of core
academic skills, evidenced both with the
portfolio tasks and academic writing tasks.
✓
B. Demonstrates independent reading and
research. ✓
C. Has an understanding of conducting primary
research (appropriate to level 4). ✓
D. Has a convincing introduction, arguments/
discussion and conclusion for the written
assignment.
✓
E. Demonstrates an understanding of the subject
material related to programme of study. ✓
Cognitive/ Intellectual skills
F. Clear and logical argument/ discussion and
structure. ✓
G. Shows evidence of applying critical thought to a
range of tasks. ✓
H. Has backed up discussion/ arguments with
evidence. ✓
I. Has evidence of some analysis and evaluation
(appropriate to level 4). ✓
Graduate skills for Life and employment.
J. Insightful reflection on own strengths and
weaknesses. ✓
K. Effective written communication skills (e.g. have
they written in an appropriate academic style?)
is the report/essay format successful? Is the
reflective writing appropriately written? Is it
✓
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professional?
L. Effective visual presentation. ✓
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Strengths:
Type 3 short bullet points here:
 Magnitude of data
 Detailed analysis
 Use of authentic sources
Areas of improvement:
Type 3 short bullet points here:
 Synthesizing the data
 Adherence to word count
 Reading of journals
PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 9: Post-presentation reflection
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At University and work you’ll often be asked to provide feedback, and reflect on your performance and that of
your peers and colleagues. Using the table below, write notes about your presentation. You should include any
points of interest in your reflective writing task in section 1.
Your groups’ comment
Content
(How clear, complete and informative
was the presentation?)
Audience Engagement
(How enjoyable / interesting did the
audience find it?)
Organisation
(How well-structured was it? How
well did the visuals support it?)
Professionalism
(How slick and professional was it?)
Your reflection
Content
(How clear, complete and informative
was the presentation?)
The content was relevant and exactly highlights the issue of
retention and recruitment problems which come with Brexit.
Audience Engagement
(How enjoyable / interesting did the
audience find it?)
With the use of images and attractive slides, the slide engaged
people and the use of graphs made the presentation even more
likeable.
Organisation
(How well-structured was it? How
well did the visuals support it?)
The structuring was one thing which I thought could have been
improved. But for that I needed more slides, which I could not. The
use of pictures lifted the presentation.
Professionalism
(How slick and professional was it?)
As no funny sounds and animations were used, the presentation
looked professional.
Action Points
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(What could you do better in future presentations?)
In future, we could take up detailed presentations so that more issues could be provided and more details
could be included. This could also be done by learning to bring the best summary of presentation by creating it
twice, to bring more precision to it.
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Week 10: self-evaluation checklist
You have reached the end of the course. Tick the appropriate box for each skill, according to how well you
think you can do this now. Has anything changed? This should help inform your reflective summary.
Skills Do not
know
about this
Find this
difficult/
can’t do this
Can partially
do this
Can do this
well
Looking for information
Identify which books/journals/websites to use ☐ ✓ ☐ ☐
Select relevant parts of a text ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Evaluate sources ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Using sources
Acknowledge sources of information ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Synthesize information from more than one source ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Write a reference list correctly ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Avoid plagiarism ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Planning/ writing
Brainstorm ideas ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Plan written work ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Link ideas effectively ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Paraphrase & summarise ideas ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Write an introduction ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Write a conclusion ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Critically edit written work ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Independent study
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Work independently (without lecturers) ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Work as part of a (study) group ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Oral presentation
Give a presentation on my work ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Brainstorm ideas with peers ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
Discuss written work in a tutorial ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Deal effectively with questions ☐ ☐ ✓ ☐
IT
Access the internet ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Use search engines ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
Create word documents ☐ ☐ ☐ ✓
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PORTFOLIO EVIDENCE
Week 10: Personal development plan (PDP) Specific- Measurable- Achievable- Realistic- Timescale- (SMART)
During your university and professional career you will be asked to write a PDP, or set your own objectives. This PDP (below) should include goals for the
development of your Academic skills after the completion of the module. Be specific when setting your goals and how you will achieve and measure them (use
SMART).
Week Goal Action Success criteria Completed
when by?
E.G To improve my ability to write in an academic style To record useful academic vocabulary when
reading academic texts. To use appropriate
language when I write an assignment
Feedback from peers and lecturers. April 2017
1. To remove my apprehensions in public speaking Take more chances and speak before
classroom
Feedback from teachers Feb 2018
2. Synthesizing data Write more, re write it and write it for a third
time to check for all the key points being
included.
Review from peers between the
first and the last written material
Feb 2018
3. Handling Stress Deal with tight deadlines and setting an aim of
presenting two days before the deadline
Date of submission being one week
before the actual submission.
March 2018
4.
5.
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SECTION 2: ACADEMIC WRITING
Report (all students except law)
Write your report here. You can find your specific question related to your subject area on the Academic Skills
page on GSM Learn in the assessment section.
Please us a word document (.doc) for this not a PDF or screenshot.
Remember your report must include the following:
1. A title
2. A clear subject related focus
3. Clear sections, including an introduction, discussion of one or two points and a conclusion
4. A clear, well written and academic writing style
5. Features of report writing such as headings
6. Correct Harvard style in-text citation
7. A correct Harvard style reference list
Title:
Introduction
Brexit was the result of a referendum which was placed before the citizens of UK and their
view was asked for in the matter on staying with the EU or on leaving it. 52% of the votes cast
showed the interest of people in leaving the UK (Hunt and Wheeler, 2016). Brexit left a lot of
uncertainties as a proper framework has till date not been drawn on what changes would be
resulted from this incident. This is particularly in context of the increased requirements in
conducting businesses in EU and UK, which earlier required unified and common permissions
only. The human resource departments have particularly been impacted owing to the
uncertainties surrounding the future. Even though these changes would not be brought
immediately, but these are imminent (CIPD, 2017a).
(Source: The Electoral Commission, 2016)
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In the following parts, this very aspect would be detailed, where the impact of Brexit in
context of recruitment and retention would be discussed.
Impact
The first hurdle in context of recruitment of staff relates to the tough work visa conditions. The
idea of a point based system has already been rejected by the prime minister as a replacement
of a work permit style scheme. This has a high possibility of limiting the migrants from EU in
context of coming in UK for long term purpose till the time they have proper and qualified job
offers. This is in addition to the restrictions which would be placed on the students from EU
member states from studying and travelling in the nation (Beech, 2017). In case the present
guidelines in context of non-EU worker family members are followed by the government, then
the citizens of EU, who enter the nation, would be limited to bringing their unmarried/ married
partners with them, along with the dependent children who are below 18 years of age
(Rullion, 2016). The present Tier 2 visa applications come at a cost in between the range of
£437 and £1,151 for the entry clearance which depends on the sub-category under which the
application has been made, and the time length of the person who would be working in the
nation. Another major issue relates to what would happen upon the end of the employment
contracts and in such situations where the employees would no longer be qualified person on
the basis of a revised immigration system. The CIPD reports are a proof that the sectors which
relied on the nations of EU are facing labour and skills shortage, where the employers are
predicting that the EU workers could leave the job in this very year (Beech, 2017). The figure
depicted the anticipated changes further put a light on the uncertainties related to this issue.
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(Source: CIPD, 2017b)
As per the reports of CIPD, with Brexit, 72% of the HR professionals were of the view that the
competition with regards to well qualified talent is likely to increase and 61% believed that
there would be a difficulty in the future in the matter of recruiting senior and skilled
employees, particularly for the period of next three years (CIPD, 2017c). With Brexit, the
labour market is likely to be worsened (Ross and Meakin, 2017). This survey was conducted
with around 1,000 HR professional and they stated that there would be recruitment difficulties
post Brexit. The survey also showed that around 75% HR professionals were facing difficulties
in recruitment and this is anticipated to get worse in the coming time (Jack, 2017). Another
aspect of this relates to the decline in attractiveness of jobs in UK, which has fallen not only for
the international recruits but also for the ones of UK. And this is coupled with the top
professionals of UK increasing their search in international roles. This is not the problem of a
single industry but is present in every industry. Around 90% of the law firm partners are
concerned regarding loss of talent to international firms; there has been a warning by the
engineering heavyweights regarding the shortage of skill of around 1.8 million; and this voice is
echoed by the CEOs of hospitality, construction, tech and banking. Apart from the recruitment
of talent, this problem is also translated in the other nations waiting anxiously to snap up the
recruits from UK, and included in this list are Singapore, Germany, France and Ireland who are
competing for the top talent of UK (Jack, 2017). The number of job seekers in UK, looking for
work positions out of the nation was doubled in just 48 hours after Brexit results were
announced. There was a noticed rise in the job seekers in Australia, Europe and US, and
Ireland alone noticed double the usual number of job searches particularly in the sectors of
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retail, transport, marketing, engineering and HR (Noble, 2016).
Conclusion
On the basis of the discussion carried above, it becomes very clear that the passing of 2016
referendum, which resulted in Brexit, has raised a lot of concerns for the HR professionals. This
is particularly in context of the recruitment and retaining of talent due to the uncertainties
which are coupled with. Due to the possibility of a hard Brexit, the talent pool of EU member
states working in UK has started looking for other alternatives in different nations, which has
posed as a major problem in context of retaining of talent pool (Forrest, 2017). The problems
associated with recruitment are also present in this context as the earlier benefits of being
associated with EU would no longer be available, which would mean no easy travel permits
coupled with difficulties in getting the families in UK, owing to high costs.
References
BBC. (2016) Brexit: EU spells out procedure for UK to leave. [Online] BBC. Available from:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36632579 [Accessed on: 17/11/17]
Beech, J. (2017) Hiring EU workers in a post-Brexit world. [Online] HR Magazine. Available
from: http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/hiring-eu-workers-in-a-post-brexit-world
[Accessed on: 17/11/17]
Brown, T. (2017) Tragedy & Challenge: An Inside View of UK Engineering’s Decline and the
Challenge of the Brexit Economy. Leicester, UK: Troubador Publishing Ltd.
CIPD. (2017a) Brexit workforce planning considerations. [Online] CIPD. Available from:
https://www.cipd.co.uk/news-views/brexit-hub/workforce-planning [Accessed on: 17/11/17]
CIPD. (2017b) Brexit impact on workforce trends. [Online] CIPD. Available from:
https://www.cipd.co.uk/news-views/brexit-hub/workforce-trends [Accessed on: 17/11/17]
CIPD. (2017c) Three in four HR professionals expect Brexit to escalate ‘competition for talent’.
[Online] CIPD. Available from: https://www.cipd.co.uk/about/media/press/050617-smarter-
uk-recruitment-required [Accessed on: 17/11/17]
Forrest, P. (2017) MBN’s take on The Impact of Brexit on HR, Recruitment and Business.
[Online] MBN Solutions. Available from: http://www.mbnsolutions.com/mbns-take-on-the-
impact-of-brexit-on-hr-recruitment-and-business/ [Accessed on: 17/11/17]
Hunt, A., and Wheeler, B. (2016) Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU.
[Online] BBC. Available from: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887 [Accessed on:
17/11/17]
Jack, L. (2017) Tapering Talent: The Impact of Brexit on Retention and Recruitment. [Online] ICS
Learn. Available from: https://www.icslearn.co.uk/blog/posts/2017/july/tapering-talent-the-
impact-of-brexit-on-retention-and-recruitment/ [Accessed on: 17/11/17]
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Noble, J. (2016) Brexit Summary: Reactions and recruiting trends HR and Business Owners must
prepare for leaving the EU. [Online] One to One. Available from: http://one-to-one-
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recruiting-trends-hr-business-owners-must-prepare-leaving-eu/ [Accessed on: 17/11/17]
Ross, T., and Meakin, L. (2017) U.K. Business Says Brexit Already Having a Negative Effect.
[Online] Bloomberg Markets. Available from:
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Rullion. (2016) Brexit - what effect will it have on the recruitment industry? [Online] Rullion.
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SECTION 2: ACADEMIC WRITING
Essay (Law students only)
Write your essay here. You can find your specific question related to your subject area on the Academic Skills
page on GSM Learn in the assessment section.
Please us a word document (.doc) for this not a PDF or screenshot.
Remember your essay must include the following:
1. A title
2. A clear subject related focus
3. Clear sections, including an introduction, discussion of one or two points and a conclusion
4. A clear, well written and academic writing style
5. Features of essay writing such as long developed paragraphs
6. Correct OSCOLA style footnotes
7. A correct OSCOLA style bibliography
Title:
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SECTION 2: REFLECTIVE WRITING
Summary (all students)
In both academic and professional settings you’ll often be asked to reflect on your learning and/or work
experience. Write a 300-word reflective summary (using Gibbs’ reflective model to help guide you) about your
experience of the Academic Skills module and what you have learned.
Your summary should include two paragraphs on:
 Your experience of working with a (study) group in an academic context. You should include
something you learned from the post-presentation reflection here (150 words).
 One key academic skill you have developed as a result of taking this module (150 words)
Remember to write in full sentences and use paragraphs
Title: The news of 2016 was filled with Brexit and till the time a proper framework is presented for
the same, it would continue to be an important issue. This is the reason why I was given this
task, I became eager to write on it. This was all the more important for me as I was able to
write on recruitment and retention which are a key aspect of human resource department and
this is one thing which interests me a lot. This made my experience even more exciting. After
the presentation made by me, I got positive feedbacks on my presentation from the peers
particularly praising the presentation made by me being interactive which resulted in the
audience being interested in my work. Also, the points which I summarized highlighted a very
important issue, as I particularly went into the details of family visa and the changed
requirements for the workforce coming from the EU.
This assignment has helped me in gaining the academic skill of putting down my thoughts in a
more skilled and proper manner. Due to the large number of data available on this topic, I
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often become overwhelmed by it. But by writing on this topic again and again, I was able to
refine my writings. I initially wrote a draft of 2200 words due to the amount of data available
but then I selected only the key writings and presented them forward for this assignment. This
assignment also helped me in dealing with my apprehensions of public speaking, as a result of
which, I could speak better before the class. My apprehensions were further removed due to
the praises I received for my work. This assignment also helped me in adopting the Gibbs
reflective model, where I chalked up a plan and worked on it after evaluating and analysing the
available data.
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