Professional Development Portfolio for Business Management and Law

BUSINESS MGT AND LAW 1
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND LAW
By (Student’s Name)
Professor’s Name
College
Course
Date

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND LAW 2
Contents
1. Introduction......................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1 Definition and Overview of PDP...............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1.1 Definition............................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1.2 PDP – value of the PDP.....................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.2 Learning style.........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3 Goals..........................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3.1 SMART Goals....................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2. Self- appraisal...................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.1 My SWOT analysis – reflection................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.2 Motivation..................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3. Analysis/Discussion on (Academic/Transferable) Skills Relevant to Goals...........Error!
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3.1 Definition and Overview of Academic and Transferable skillsError! Bookmark not
defined.
3.1.1 Team work..........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1.2 Communication..................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1.3 Problem solving..................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.2 Skills Development strategies....................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.2.1 C.R.E.A.M learning strategy..............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
4. Conclusion........................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.1 Personal Development so far.....................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
5. References........................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
6. Appendices.......................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
6.1 Action plan.................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
6.2 CV..............................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
6.3 Action Plan................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
6.4 Learning Log Error! Bookmark not defined.

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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO
1. Introduction
As a student of business management there are skills of importance that I need to undertake
(Cottrell 2013). These skills not only help in achieving success in the future career but are also
important in helping note important things within the business management course. Identifying
such skills and objectives is made rather easy with the presence of learning plan. The learning
plan that helps achieve such objectives has to be developed in a report form. This report is
referred to as a professional development portfolio. It is through the professional development
portfolio that all, including eye is able to mirror my personal targets and developmental skills
that I require in being manager. This essay is therefore a professional development plan showing
that will help me achieve success not only during my training in the University but also during
my career life. At the end of the paper, in the appendix, there is an action plan, learning log and a
CV. The three are supposed to shade more light on my management skills and what I am seeking
to gain.
1.1 Definition of a PDP
To achieve anything successfully, we have to plan, especially those aspiring to be
managers. Therefore, personal development portfolio is a plan developed by a manager or a
manager student that helps in achieving specific goals. Apart from writing it so that it offers a
clear guide on how to achieve such goals, it is used as proof of the milestones that one has
already covered towards achieving their goals. Our goals for this case are the management skills

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that one shall have gained. A PDP is therefore our mind but functioning in the future (Coon &
Mitterer2013).
Parts of a PDP that include action plan, CV and logical ends are supposed to help monitor
individual progress while acting as a support element for where we want to go. The process of
preparing a PDP in itself gives upcoming managers skills. Research skills, self-analysis, goal
setting, decision making and reflections are skills that one gains through the preparation of a
PDP.
1.2 Value of a PDP
Professionally
It helps is setting goals that one really needs to achieve throughout the learning period. It
helps a student focus on their future career and involve themselves sufficiently enough to do the
same. With such skills the student is marketable enough to the career market. It also helps
student to become skilful enough so that they are able to catch up with the latest developments in
the field of management (Coon & Mitterer2013).
Academically
During the duration in University as time progresses there is tendency of losing hope
among students. It is therefore prudent that students are always motivated on the best things they
should do in order to achieve such success. The PDP is therefore a good motivator as it always
reminds the student to stay on track and not to lose focus.
Accomplishment of each step towards the students’ goals might be a perfect motivation
that the student needs to keep it going.

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Like mentioned earlier, the PDP academically offers skills to the students that help the
student develop. From critical thinking skills to physical oriented skills, the PDP suits the
students with important skills for facing the career future.
1.3 My Smart goals
Goals are target that an individual who wants to be successful must have. For the
mnemonic SMART, It a short form that guides in making the goals more suitable and achievable
(Dempsey et al. 2017) Goals that are not smart might make us not achieve what we really want at
the end of it all. The SMART mnemonic therefore stands for specific, measurable, attainable,
realistic and timely. My SMART goals therefore in achieving my business management skills
include;
a) Developing skills in team work and team leader skills.
b) Academically achieve a second class upper honours degree from the University
c) Register for a certificate of certified managers course at the end of second at the
University
d) Improve my interview skills on business management interviews
e) Take an extra course in safety certificate level.
2. SELF –APPRAISAL
After creating goals there is need to start an honest evaluation and self-reflection on the
skill already present that will make me achieve the goal. Analyses of these personal skills also
help determine which areas to work on more often in order to achieve the relevant goal attained
to each skill. Self-appraisal can be done through the following criteria’s: skill audit, swat

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analysis, pest analysis and motivational analysis. Below are self-analysis based on the mentioned
criteria.
2.1 Skill audit
Communication skill as a manager
Communication skill is one of the most important skills in management. Information needs
to be communicated from a manager to the rest of the stakeholders (Vukomanović, Young and
Huynink 2016). I have to mention that this is a skill that I really lack. Being an introvert I prefer
doing this to myself and involving only those that are inside my circle. However, being that I
need to be a manger it is important I learn it as soon as I can.
Team work skill
Another skill that I really need to improve on is how I should work with others. I prefer
working alone since I assume I produce the best things. However team work make things easier
and therefore I have to learn this skill as soon as I can.
Critical analysis skills
One of the gifts I have. I have the ability to manipulate situations critically and unearth the
underlying structures of issues. This is a skill that might help me understand my fellow team
members. It also helps me in handling exams and personal tests given by the teacher in the class.
2.2 SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths

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My strength skill has been learnt from personal interaction with people. I have leadership
skills. I gained leadership skills from my experiences in the previous learning institutions that I
have been too. My reputation has always been built based on my leadership ability
Weaknesses
I have a lot of weakness in handling my emotions. In one word I would refer to myself as
temperamental. I lose the handle quit easily and end up fighting with a lot of people. I have
engaged a lot of people in verbal wars. That I didn’t think were necessary for me too really.
Opportunities
I have the opportunity to learn on how to improve my skills in teamwork and
communications that will help me become teamwork oriented individual. There is also an
opportunity to learn about myself and improve my leadership skills through knowing how to
manage my anger.
Threats
I have threat in balancing my health and academic life. I suffer from a cardiac infection
making it difficult to balance times to spend on my academics and the ones to spend on hospital
bed undergoing several heart check-ups. If I learn about time management I might balance well
my health and academic life.
LEARNING STYLE ANALYSIS
Lecture learning method
I prefer learning from being lectured than the rest of the learning style. When I attend
lectures interaction between me and the lecturer or my fellow students is minimized. Being a
person who hates academic interactions, through lecturing I get the concepts even better.
Discussion

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I am not a discussion kind of guy. I hate discussions since they are interactive and one has
to not only listen to the other but also grasp the idea from another person, analyse all of them and
decide on which one to use. I prefer solo decisions that are easy to make and affect one person
and not whole group of people (Foucault et al. 2016).
Motivation
Motivations are all about having that extra push that is got from getting personal
development. Internal motivation is normally occurring when there is no external reward but an
individual there is the urge that you feel should keep you going Coon, D. & Mitterer, J. O.
(2013). My motivation is intrinsic since I have a passion for business management. Business
management develops my academic and professional skills and therefore I do not require an
external form of reward for me to get motivated.
3. Professional Academic skills to be motivated
There are skills that will help me achieve my professional goals. Qualities like teamwork,
communication, writing and oral skills, critical analysis skills and problem solving qualities are
key towards helping them achieve my goals.
3.1 Academic and Transferable Skills.
Academic skills that can help get future employment after getting through with education
of the course are very important. The academic skills which I possess that help achieve my goals
include; strength in decision making and time management. It is critical thinking that helps
manage things at a workplace and even in the University when you become a team leader.
Transferable skills are those skills that are personal and non-academic which build ones
relationship with others (Cottrell 2015). For instance the team work skills needed to analyse and