BMP4001: Developing Academic and Professional Skills - Presentation

This presentation provides an overview of developing academic and professional skills in the context of business management studies. It addresses the challenges of studying business management and thriving in professional practice, emphasizing the importance of effective academic and professional skills development. The presentation includes a personal SWOT analysis to identify key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, with a focus on improving team working skills. Actions to develop identified weaknesses are detailed, including joining an online teamwork course. The presentation concludes with a summary of professional development's benefits, such as gaining industry knowledge, boosting confidence, and the creation of a personal development plan with a timeline.

BMP4001 Professional & Academic Skills
Assessment 1 - Individual Presentation

Developing Academic And Professional Skills

Content
• Challenges of studying business management and thriving in professional
practice (with appropriate examples)
• The importance of effective academic skills development
• The importance of effective professional skills development
• Identification of one skill that is particularly important – personal SWOT analysis
• Detailed example of the actions that would be taken to develop skills identified as
weakness in SWOT analysis

Introduction
• Professional and academic skill development is the way of developing
independent skills such as study skills, numeracy skills,
communication and many more.
• Professional development helps in making individuals competent to
their respective professions and excel within the same.
• This report deals with skill development while pursing for the course
of business management.

Challenges of studying business management and
thriving in professional practice (with appropriate
examples)
• Understanding and learning the concepts and working of business
management.
• It helps in creating countless opportunities while on the other hand,
there will be many challenges within the professional way of business
management.

• Being open to learn new things: Individuals learning for business
studies are mostly with a bit work experience can understand the
environment of learning from different members and friends.
• This can be challenging to open up with new people and opening the
mind to learn new things along with looking at things differently with
a different perspective.
Challenges of studying business management and
thriving in professional practice (with appropriate
examples)

• Working in team: This factor is very essential in the professional
context and is hard to develop team working skills.
• While studying for business management, one has to work on
assignments on individual as well as group level.
Challenges of studying business management and
thriving in professional practice (with appropriate
examples)

• Adjusting to new culture: Pursuing the course of business
management is about working within a new environment and adjusting
to new situations while making interactions with variety of people.
• I order to overcome this challenge, it is important to familiarise with
the new business culture and environment.
Challenges of studying business management and
thriving in professional practice (with appropriate
examples)

• Socialising: Networking and socialising are one of the most important
aspects within business studies while understanding the different
between the two.
• This will involve coming across different people from varied
backgrounds and possessing different interests.
Challenges of studying business management and
thriving in professional practice (with appropriate
examples)

• Business management helps in providing academic knowledge and
skills that will benefits for gaining the opportunity and understanding
the business as well as its specific areas.
• Along with the challenges, business management also results in
producing major benefits such as:
• Learning management skills: This is the highlight for learning
business management course and allows to form a valuable asset within
professional career path.
Challenges of studying business management and
thriving in professional practice (with appropriate
examples)

• Understanding various disciplines: It is important to keep the
knowledge window broad with the help of business management
course.
• It helps in understanding various business functions that will lead to
its success and will be able to specialise areas within.
Challenges of studying business management and
thriving in professional practice (with appropriate
examples)

The importance of effective academic skills development
• Professional and academic skills play a vital role as it makes individuals able in performing job roles in an effective
manner and helping out companies in accomplishing goals for which they work. By having academic skills students
can accomplish academic goals in an effective manner. There are number of skills that are common and can help out
individuals at both workplace and university. In addition, it can also be said that professional and academic skills
develop personality of individuals and boost their confidence. Some skills that can be beneficial in both fields include:
• Communication: It is one of the common skills that is vital and can help individuals in accomplishing their goals.
Communication is all about active listening, speaking and influencing others. An effective communication skill can
help individuals in attracting customers, gathering detailed information and making decisions accordingly. On the
basis of self-evaluation, I can say that I am good in this skill and I believe that this skill will make me able in
becoming a successful employee.

The importance of effective professional skills development
• Flexibility: It is an ability to adapt changing situations. Business environment is made up of number of factors and these factors
may change anytime. Employees and students have to change their style of performance as per the changing factors in order to
being in the competition. Individuals who find difficulties in adapting changes are less likely to become successful. Covid-19 is
one of the main example of changing factor that has affected businesses and students to the great extent but individuals who
have changed their style of performance and study, have become successful. I feel that I am good in this skill to some extent.
This skill will also make me able in performing functions even in averse situations.
• Time management: Time management is one of the other main skill that also plays a vital role. This is an ability of performing
number of functions in a timely manner. There are number of job roles in which individuals need to perform multiple tasks in a
given deadline and when they do not complete given tasks in a timely manner then it makes them frustrated. In this regard, I can
say that this skill can make individuals and students refreshed and tension free. On the basis of self evaluation, I can say that I
am lacking behind in this skill and need to improve this for being in the competition and accomplishing goals.

Identification of one skill that is particularly
important – personal SWOT analysis
Personal SWOT Analysis
STRENGTHS
• I am great at oral communication which helps in
developing networks that are important for my
professional life.
• I posses the ability to pick new skills easily while
putting great attention to details.
WEAKNESSES
•I do not work well in teams and work better as
individual.
• I lack in team working skills that are important
for my chosen professional life.
•It is hard for me to focus well on work when
working in a team.
OPPORTUNITY
•There are many resources that will help me in
improving the communication and team management
skills.
•This is an opportunity to improve and develop in the
areas I lack.
THREATS
•There is high competition and better candidates for
my position in the professional development path.
One skill that is particularly important, but I am weak at: is team working skills.

Detailed example of the actions that would be
taken to develop skills identified as weakness
in SWOT analysis
Areas to improve Importance Activity Timeline
Team working skills Teamwork skills helps in bringing people close and bonding
with them. It motivates in getting things done and. Team work
helps in making progress within group project and overcoming
the obstacles. In addition to this, team work helps in building
coloration with other individuals and solve difficult issues. It
creates an opportunity to brainstorm ideas and exchanging
them within the team. This results in understanding various
perspectives and learning new things from one another. With
team working skills, one can find the best solution towards a
problem.
This can be done by joining an online
course on team work skills.
6 months.

Summary
• It can be concluded that professional development helps in gaining
knowledge and insight of the chosen professional industry.
• It helps in maintaining the motivation while boosting confidence and
credibility.
• Personal development plan is made to improve the area of lacking and
setting a desired time line for the same.

References
• Adams, R.V. and Blair, E., 2019. Impact of time management behaviors on
undergraduate engineering students’ performance. SAGE Open. 9(1).
p.2158244018824506.
• Mishra, S.K. and Mishra, P., 2020. Functional Aspects of Communication
Skills for Professional Empowerment. Journal of English Language and
Literature (JOELL). 7(1). pp.79-85.
• Wilkins, S., Hazzam, J. and Lean, J., 2021. Doctoral publishing as
professional development for an academic career in higher education. The
International Journal of Management Education, 19(1), p.100459.

Thank you