Professional Identity and Practice

This report examines the importance of ongoing professional development for different stakeholders in an organization, using Cox & Kings Travel (UK) as a case study. It analyzes employer expectations of skills and competencies, assesses personal abilities, reviews learning theories and approaches, and constructs a development plan for a marketing manager role. The report also includes a mock job interview and evaluates its strengths and weaknesses. This content is available on Desklib, a website that provides past papers and solved assignments for students.

UNIT 3
PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
AND PRACTICE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Key benefits of ongoing professional development for different stakeholders in
organisation.................................................................................................................................3
P2 Investigating professional employer expectations of skills and competencies......................4
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................5
P3 Assessing own abilities, skills, and competences for a specific job role...............................5
P4 Reviewing a range of learning theories and approaches used for personal and professional
development processes................................................................................................................6
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................8
P5 Constructing a development plan...........................................................................................8
LO 4.................................................................................................................................................9
P6 Mock job interview................................................................................................................9
P7 Evaluating key strengths and weaknesses of an applied interview process.........................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
For any organization it is very important to have skilled and goos employees working
with them as this will help in achieveing their aims and targets effectively and can also enhance
their performance as well. Present report will focus on Cox & Kings Travel (UK) which is
operates their business in travel and tourism sector. It was established in 1758, founded by
Richard Cox and is one of the longest established travel companies. Cox & Kings Ltd. has
operations spread across 22 countries and 4 continents. This report will focus on explaining the
importance of ongoing professional development for different stakeholders and employer
expectations of skills and competencies. On basis of that evaluating own abilities, skills, and
competences will be analysed and reviewing the range of various theories and approaches.
Further, it will also develop a development plan in order to enhance own skills. Moreover, this
will also discuss about the job interview and reviewing its strength and weaknesses of that
process.
LO 1
P1 Key benefits of ongoing professional development for different stakeholders in organisation
For an organization to perform well in their respective industry it is crucial for them to
have a good and effective ongoing professional development plan which will assist them in
enhancing the performance of their employees effectively. There are various stakeholders of Cox
& Kings Travel (UK), for example, employees, government, competitors, tourists, local residents
and companies, etc. which has huge importance in their business to enhance it (Wald and et.al.,
2015).
There is a huge benefit of ongoing professional development plan for the organization
which help the different stakeholders of Cox & Kings Travel (UK), respectively (Wald and et.al.,
2015). Some benefits are explained below:
 Keeps record of recent change in industry: This is the most important factor which can
have a huge impact on any organization as it will help them in having all the knowledge
of their industry and understanding all the recent changes that is happening in their
sector.
 Helps to track and implement all the latest technological development: In my opinion
ongoing professional development plan will also assist in tracking the latest tools and
technology which they can use in their organization in order to increase their sales and

production effectively. This will be very beneficiary for the employer in order to operate
its business.
 Stay ahead of competitors: Having a good knowledge of competitors present in the
industry can help Cox & Kings Travel (UK) a lot in giving them a huge competition by
delivering the best service as compared to them.
 Helps in maintaining knowledge and skill: For the employees of Cox & Kings Travel
(UK), this is the best method that can enhance their knowledge and skill with respect to
their work. Having good knowledge of the work helps the organization to increase their
performance of the company. This will also assist in increasing the brand value of the
organization.
 Advance employee skills: According to my own learning and experience I feel, having
advanced employee skills can give the employer a huge benefit in the business as with
this practice they can improve the quality work of their staff members effectively. This
will be very helpful for the employees to focus on their abilities with the help of which
they can enhance their working capabilities (The Top 10 Benefits Of Ongoing Staff
Training And Development, 2014).
 Build confidence and credibility: In accordance with my experience having confident
and motivated employees in the organization is very useful for the firm in order to
achieve their aims and targets. It also helps them to build credibility as they continue to
gain new skill sets and certificates. Having encouraged employees is very beneficiary for
the organization (Morgan, 2017).
 Helps in improving efficiency: This ongoing professional development plan also helps
in improving the efficiency of their employees which can help them to enhance their
performance in order to gain competitive advantages. This will allow the staff members
to get opportunities to learn from others in the training and development process (Moss,
Gibson and Dollarhide, 2014).
P2 Investigating professional employer expectations of skills and competencies
This is very useful for the employer or for the organization to have a good knowledge of
their operational management and they must understand the skills and competencies of their
employees who are working with them. As this will assist them in addressing all the issues and
problems effectively in order to achieve their aims and objectives efficiently. Identifying the

professional expectation of the employer plays and important to make a good revenue and profit
for the organization with the help of which they can enhance their services which they deliver to
their customers. These expectations of skills and competencies will aid their employees to work
more hard for the company to achieve their target (Novakovich Miah and Shaw, 2017).
There is a huge role of ongoing professional development in the organisation as it has
helped Cox & Kings Travel (UK), to generate new and innovative ideas that can be implemented
in the organization to increase the customers rate and overall revenue as well. For Cox & Kings
Travel (UK) it is very important to have a good understanding with their employees and
customers as well. Investigating professional employer expectations of skills and competencies is
very helpful process for the organization in order to enhance their presence in the industry. In
thei way they can increase their business by attracting more customers to buy their services. By
focusing on them a good overall revenue can be generated effectively by the organization
(Broadbent, 2015).
LO 2
P3 Assessing own abilities, skills, and competences for a specific job role
There is a huge need of having all the skills, abilities and competences in order to
perform good in the job assigned. This can be achieved by evaluating own skills respectively as
it will be a great technique to improve self quality and skills. For a manager in the organization it
is mandatory to have certain skills and qualities which can help them in managing all their work
effectively in the company. Utilizing the information gathering, management and analysing
techniques from the observation will be very helpful (Novakovich Miah and Shaw, 2017).
This can be achieved by evaluating own strength and weaknesses, as in this way I can
enhance my performance in order to improve my skills for the job role of marketing manager in
travel and tourism sector. To identify or investigate own abilities, skills, and competences, Swot
analysis model will be the best method to apply as this will help in giving the most appropriate
information (Wenger-Trayner and et.al., 2014).
SWOT Analysis: This process will help in analysing my overall quality by identifying my
strength and weaknesses, respectively.
Strength Weaknesses

 For a good marketing manager in travel
and tourism industry it is very
important to have a good knowledge of
certain skills.
 I have a good communication skill
which can be very helpful for me in
interacting with customers effectively.
 Good managing quality which is a must
in a marketing manager in this industry.
Weaknesses on which I have to work on are as
follows:
 I have to work on my speaking skill as
it is required the most for the post of
marketing manager.
 Other than this, I also have to work on
knowledge skill as well.
 Should have a good command over
skills like, Problem solving.
-Critical thinking,
-Ability to promote change,
-Organisational skills,
-Able to develop ideas, etc.
Opportunities Threats
 Working on all the strengths
effectively, it will help in gaining all
the opportunities that is present in the
industry and which can help in
increasing the business effectively.
 This will also help in attracting more
customers to buy organization's
services and products (Broadbent,
2015).
 Having good opportunities in the
industry aids in generating a good
overall revenue and profitability rate as
well.
 If I do not focus on my weakness then
it will help in creating a threat for the
organization.
 There are various competitors that are
present in the industry, so in order to
deal with that it is important to work on
all the weaknesses effectively
(Broadbent, 2015).

P4 Reviewing a range of learning theories and approaches used for personal and professional
development processes
For a good and effective marketing manager of travel and tourism industry, it is very
essential to understand various learning theories and approaches which can help in enhancing the
personal and professional development processes effectively. Over the years many theories have
been developed to examine the processes involved in learning. Most learning theories
concentrate on the significance for the way that learning is delivered (Wenger-Trayner and et.al.,
2014). There are various approaches which can be used for improving the personal and
professional skills, such as,
 Behaviorist Approach: This is the best approach which can be very helpful in improving
performance of an individual, respectively. The behaviorist approach helps to keep
concentration around the beliefs which can help in understanding appropriate behavior
which can be understood by repeating a task constantly combined with feedback from the
facilitator. As these feedback helps in addressing all the weaknesses effectively in the
organization which they can improve accordingly (Learning Approaches, 2014). Positive
feedback helps in encouraging or boosting the confidence and reinforces success whereas
negative feedback and immediate correction aid in discouraging the repetition of a
mistake or undesirable behavior. Content based instruction is based on learning and
behavioral approach of individuals. This helps the person in acting and execution action
according to steps suggested. Learning is a crucial part of behavioral approach which
derives reason behind individual action over certain situation. Applying this approach
will help in achieving required aim and target effectively which can be used for
increasing the organizational business in industry. One of the main ways to use the
behavioral approach to learning in training and teaching is to specify clear behavioral
objectives at the start and then supply learning opportunities that ensure that the
objectives are met.
 Social Learning Approach: This can be also considered as an important approach for
the individual to improve his or her personal and professional development skills
respectively. This approach helps in learning from processes like, by observing other
people directly or indirectly. This can help in evaluating own qualities as a marketing
manager and self capabilities as well. There is basically three different stages in the basis

of which this can be achieved effectively, such as, firstly, having a good attention is the
key requirement in this theory or approach (Learning Approaches, 2014). Secondly,
having good observation power can help in understand them more accurately and thirdly,
this approach helps in implementing all the observed quality in themselves in order to
monitor own capability. This approach helps in placing a huge importance on the learning
process of the individual in the organization through interpersonal interactions, either
face-to-face or in a team.
 Humanistic Approach: This is an example of cognitive theory which basically focuses
on active mind in processing learning opportunities and developing. This approach helps
in observing the way in which the society operates. This can be a good approach or
process in order to learn and improve personal and professional development,
respectively. This process also helps in interacting with other individuals as well which
can be very helpful for the organization and for the individual as well (Learning
Approaches, 2014).
Among all these models and theories, behaviorist approach can be the best approach to
have a good command over personal and professional development process for the individual as
it will help maximum in enhancing the overall performance (Broadbent, 2015).
LO 3
P5 Constructing a development plan
Development plan is a process which is used to analysing all the qualities which can
include both, strength and weaknesses in an individuals and what are the measures that will be
taken in order to enhance those skills effectively which can be used in improving their overall
personality. This development plan to enhance chosen skills and competencies within a specific
work context. This plan also be very helpful in achieving the desired goal and objective for an
individual (O'Brien and Bates, 2015). Development plan on the basis of own abilities, skills, and
competences for a becoming a good marketing manager in travel and tourism industry,
respectively:
Professional Development Plan of a Marketing Manager:
Skill for
Improvement
Resources required Development
Opportunity
Progression Time Required

Speaking skills To improve this
interacting with as
many people as
possible will help a
lot in improving this.
This will help in
having a positive
response during the
employment time.
To check her
progress, taking
feedback from
others will be great
option for
evaluation.
This will take around
2-3 weeks approx.
Problem solving skill To better this skill
solving problems and
issues effectively by
talking to the seniors
will help a lot
(O'Brien and Bates,
2015).
This will help in the
future to enhance her
capabilities in
working.
To check the
progress, evaluating
the final outcome
can help them
(Williams, 2014).
It will require time
period of 2 weeks
approx.
Team working skill For this, working
with various team
will be a great
options to deal with
this situation.
This will help them
in improving the
speed in work.
Continuously
practicing is the
only option to
check the progress.
This will require
time period of 2
weeks approx.
Analytical Skills For this, she can
make decision on
which she will
analyze her
capability.
This is very
important and can
help in taking
effective decisions
for the firm.
This can be checked
on the basis of the
results of her
decisions that has
been taken (O'Brien
and Bates, 2015).
This will require
time period of 3
weeks approx.
Communicating Communication skill
is quite good in me,
but in order to
improve it, taking to
different people with
different background
Will help in
interacting with
people confidently.
Keep talking with
various people and
other and with the
managers of other
organization as
This will require
time period of 2
weeks approx.

can be a great choice
(Williams, 2014).
well.
LO 4
P6 Mock job interview
Having a good and effective CV can help an individual to get better opportunitoes for the
career. Applying for the post of marketing manager, it is very important to have an updated CV.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Name: XYZ
Mobile No.: 0123456789
Mail I'd: [e-mail]
Summary
I am very passionate about my work and puts my full efforts in it. I love to work for an
organization which understands my hard work and appreciate it. I love to work daily to enhance
the brand of the company through creation and execution of communication plans with two
main goals, i.e., improve customer experience and generate leads.
Highlights
 New Customer acquisition.
 Stakeholder Relationship.
 Account management.
 Multi media marketing.
 Good knowledge of market trend and technology.
Experience
I have a 2 year experience of marketing manager in ABC company which was a travel
and tourism organization. I have a good knowledge of tourism market and can use them in
identifying customer's demands.
Education

 Bachelors in marketing in 2016.
 MBA in Marketing in 2018.
 6 months training in XYZ company.
Skills and strengths
 Good knowledge of subject.
 Exceptional presentation skill and public speaking skills.
 Fluent in English, French and German.
Mock interviews for Pet loving Travel sales executive
1. What do you know about Pets Pajamas Company?
2. What made you chose this job profile?
3. What's the best thing you like about dogs?
4. What are your opinion on traveling with pet dogs?
5. Which quality of yours will make you the best candidate for current job role of a dog
loving travel sales executive?
6. If chosen, what contribution do you make in our travel services?
P7 Evaluating key strengths and weaknesses of an applied interview process
On the basis of above mock interview, there were so many strengths and weaknesses
which can be identified easily and evaluated in order to improve the interview process,
effectively (Marañón and Pera, 2015). This process will help in evaluating self performance
which can help in improving own overall performance. Key strengths and weaknesses of an
applied interview process is explained below:
 Strength: The biggest strength of the applied interview process was that it helped in
evaluating the actual capability of an individual. Having a good idea of the job
description before going into your interview can be a great help for the candidates
(Cruess and et.al., 2015). This process of applied interview has helped in increasing the
confidence level as well which assist in encouraging self in giving all the correct answers.
Transferable skills are my strength which helped me in interview like communication
with the help of which I was successfully able to interact with interviewer and share

about my love for pets and traveling. I also discussed my strength like influencing
customer by my approach of traveling.
 Weaknesses: These are two of the most common responses people give when asked what
their weakness is. Potential conflict issues and possible insubordination are sometimes
the results of a person being a perfectionist. It is very important to evaluate self weakness
effectively so that it becomes easy for the individual to work on that weaknesses
effectively (Underwood, 2015). Further, in interview I analyzed that I lack numeracy
skills and problem skills which sometimes leads to confusion where I lack time
management.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that it is very important for an organization to
have skilled and knowledgeable employees who can help them in achieving their aims and target
effectively. Present assessment has explained about the importance and benefit of ongoing
professional development and self-directed learning to enhance professional identity and career
opportunities which is very helpful for the organization to enhance their performance in the
industry. Further this has also discussed about own skills, experience and competencies using
SWOT analysis which is very grateful for an individual to improve personal skills effectively. It
has also developed a professional development plan with the help of which reviewing the skills
and competences, respectively within a specific work context, i.e., marketing manager of travel
and tourism sector. In the last section of this report, a mock interview will be conducted for the
post of marketing manager and reviewing the key strengths and weaknesses of that applied
interview process will be discussed.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Cruess, R. L. and et.al., 2015. A schematic representation of the professional identity formation
and socialization of medical students and residents: a guide for medical educators.
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Marañón, A. A. and Pera, M. P. I., 2015. Theory and practice in the construction of professional
identity in nursing students: a qualitative study. Nurse Education Today. 35(7). pp.859-
863.
Morgan, A., 2017. Cultivating critical reflection: educators making sense and meaning of
professional identity and relational dynamics in complex practice. Teaching Education.
28(1). pp.41-55.
Moss, J. M., Gibson, D. M. and Dollarhide, C. T., 2014. Professional identity development: A
grounded theory of transformational tasks of counselors. Journal of Counseling &
Development. 92(1). pp.3-12.
Novakovich, J., Miah, S. and Shaw, S., 2017. Designing curriculum to shape professional social
media skills and identity in virtual communities of practice. Computers & Education. 104.
pp.65-90.
O'Brien, W. and Bates, P., 2015. “Looking and feeling the part”: developing aviation students'
professional identity through a community of practice. Teaching in Higher Education.
20(8). pp.821-832.
Underwood, M. J., 2015. Understanding professional community and professional identity
through the experiences of Bahraini teachers working with British teachers in a partnership
project.
Wald, H. S. and et.al., 2015. Professional identity formation in medical education for humanistic,
resilient physicians: pedagogic strategies for bridging theory to practice. Academic
Medicine. 90(6). pp.753-760.
Wenger-Trayner, E. and et.al., 2014. Learning in landscapes of practice: Boundaries, identity,
and knowledgeability in practice-based learning. Routledge.
Williams, J., 2014. Teacher educator professional learning in the third space: Implications for
identity and practice. Journal of Teacher Education. 65(4). pp.315-326.
Online

Learning Approaches. 2014. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/learning-approaches.html>