Business Environment Reflection: Postgraduate Goals and Skills

This report is a reflective journal by a student pursuing postgraduate studies in Business Environment at Torrens University. The student reflects on their understanding of the business environment, which they define as encompassing both internal and external factors influencing business operations, including government policies, economic conditions, and global trends. The student discusses their past experiences, including an internship, and how these experiences have shaped their understanding of the skills needed for business leadership, such as empathy and time management. The report outlines the student's goals for the course, including developing critical thinking skills, soft skills, and effective time management strategies to meet academic and professional objectives. The student emphasizes the importance of analyzing the business environment to identify opportunities and threats and plans to learn from real-life examples and business journals. The report also highlights the student's approach to learning, including goal-setting, and the importance of adapting to different learning styles to achieve academic and professional success. References are provided to support the student's reflections and arguments.

Student Name
INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION(S)
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

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Statement of Intent
Reflective writing is one way which helps students to access their studies and relate
them with past experiences to meet future goals. Earlier I believed that business is all about
buying and selling goods and services to make profits, however, over the time I have learnt
that business comprises a set of activities like planning, organizing, controlling, staffing and
directing business effort to accomplish desired goals (Collins, 2012). With regards to it, this
reflective journal will discuss my understanding of business and how my course learning can
develop professional skills in me. I will also share some of my past experiences along with
revealing my plan to become a successful business leader.
The business environment comprises of factors which impact the business directly or
indirectly. Examples include government policies, global trends, natural factors, economic
conditions, etc. Economic principles can be considered as an environmental change occurring
due to global need in an ecological economy that requires human endeavours to satisfy
consumers need (Lahti, Wincent, & Parida, 2018). Whatever the case is, the success of an
organization rests in the hands of business leaders who are responsible for motivating team
members, set business goals and maintain a competitive business environment.
To become a good business leader, I will have to pose a diverse set of qualities and
skills which have made me choose this course in Torrens University. Since I have worked as
an intern in a small company before joining this course, my experience has helped me in
understanding those areas which require to be developed in me such as showing empathy
rather than sympathy. Since every business runs in a specific business environment, any
change in it may either bring an opportunity or a threat.

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A business environment can be defined as a combination of external and internal
factors which can influence the smooth running of a business including its stakeholders like
employees, suppliers, customers and management (Hans, 2018). Thus, I need to learn
developed ways through which business environment can be managed appropriately. Since
childhood, I have always shown interest in doing innovative things. My past academic
experience made me well aware that to perform competently, I must learn new ways through
which my innovative ideas could be transformed into success. Therefore, I chose to learn how
my future venture could be established competently with the help of my course learning.
I have learnt that before starting any new venture, the business environment needs to
be analysed thoroughly including internal and external environment to determine whether the
company can accommodate threats and opportunities. Ibrahim & Primiana (2015)
documented that a strong business leader requires building corporate structure and core
values so that strategy of the company supports labour division and economic conditions.
Therefore, to ensure that my course requirements are met, I plan to read more real-life
examples of successful business leaders and business journals to enlighten my knowledge on
opportunities and threats present in the business environment.
One thing which I observed is that there is a huge difference between a high school
and a university, particularly when managing academic responsibilities and time. When I was
in high school, everything was explained in words, starting from A-Z. But, in university, I
will have to discover what can be learnt from lectures and notes, including information’s that
needs to be evaluated and explored for further use. To manage and monitor my studies in
university level, I will adopt and implement time management skills so that my studies reach
to an effective conclusion (Miqdadi, ALMomani, Masharqa, & Elmousel, 2014). In my
school, I have seen many students often complaining that they do not get sufficient time to
compete with certain tasks and get frustrated as they are not able to make up to the deadline.

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But ones who excel time management skill get enough time to complete their assignments,
meet their friends and face no struggles at all.
Every person has a different learning style and there is no appropriate way to study
and apply any particular subject in professional life. However, I must be engaged in the
process of thinking about available data from diversified angles instead of solely depending
on the way’s lectures are presented in the class. This approach will help me to become a
critical thinker and prepare effectively for future tests and professional career. Other than
this, to become more strategic in future personal as well as professional life, I will consider
learning ways to develop soft skills in me. According to Cimatti (2016), soft skills are very
essential to be strategic in professional and personal life especially when the person seeks to
get a job in companies. I observed that to implement their core learning skills, most of the
recent graduate students are considering soft skills rather than hard skills so that their
theoretical understanding is applied practically in an easier manner.
To take ownership of learning and master the course understanding, students must be
aware of their overall short- and long-term goals. Therefore, while making short term goals, I
will track my success like assignment and test results rather than comparing my achievements
from other classmates. The goal-setting theory posits that goals impact performance by four
mechanisms including direction, effort, persistence and strategy ( Muñoz & Jojoa, 2014).
With regards to it, the direction will make me aware and focus upon gaining attention to my
efforts to reach short term goals along with avoiding irrelevant activities. An effort will make
me take resolutions on how I can meet shorter goals such as completing homework before
deadlines and reading additional materials related to course subjects. Persistence will help me
in focusing on goals that are extended over time.

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Since I am pursuing post graduate studies, my future goals will consider both effort
and directions for me. Regarding strategy development, I will use the training received in my
university as well as my past workplace experience in my future organizations. Accordingly,
my course activities and personal strengths will build a stronger self-development skill in me
and increase self-perseverance whenever I face problems in life and hence create possibilities
of being successful in professional life.

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References
Cimatti, B. (2016). Definition, Development, Assessment of Soft Skills and their Role for
The Quality of Organizations and Enterprises. International Journal for Quality
Research, 10(1), 97-130.
Collins, K. (2012). An Introduction to Business. Creative Commons.
Hans, V. B. (2018). Business Environment - Conceptual Framework and Policies.
International Educational Scientific Research Journal, 4(3), 67-74.
Ibrahim, R., & Primiana, I. (2015). Influence Business Environment On The Organization
Performance. International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research, 4(4), 283-
293.
Lahti, T., Wincent, J., & Parida, V. (2018). A Definition and Theoretical Review of the
Circular Economy, Value Creation, and Sustainable Business Models: Where Are We
Now and Where Should Research Move in the Future? Sustainability, 10(2799), 1-19.
Miqdadi, F. Z., ALMomani, A. F., Masharqa, M. T., & Elmousel, N. M. (2014). The
Relationship between Time Management and the Academic Performance of Students
from the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi, the UAE. Retrieved from
http://www.asee.org/documents/zones/zone1/2014/Student/PDFs/177.pdf
Muñoz, L. B., & Jojoa, S. T. (2014). How Setting Goals Enhances Learners’ Self-Efficacy
Beliefs in Listening Comprehension. HOW, A Colombian Journal for Teachers of
English, 21(1), 42-61.

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