Reflective Journal: BA Business Studies, Personal Development Module

This reflective journal documents a student's experience in creating a PowerPoint presentation on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the challenges businesses face when implementing it. The student utilizes Gibbs' Reflective Cycle to analyze their learning process, detailing the description of the presentation, their feelings during the project, an evaluation of positive and negative experiences, conclusions drawn, and an action plan for future improvements. The student reflects on their role as a team leader, highlighting the development of skills such as communication, time management, and IT skills. The journal emphasizes the importance of patience, problem-solving, and the application of the Gibbs reflective model for personal and professional growth. The student also discusses the challenges faced and the steps taken to overcome them, resulting in a comprehensive evaluation of the learning experience and a plan for future endeavors.

Reflective Journal

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Main body........................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Employability skills are considered as set of various skills that are highly required to be
owed by every individual in order to have appropriate job and with the help of these skills
individual can easily perform their job role in appropriate manner (Husebø, O'Regan and Nestel,
2015). In current report, Gibbs reflective model will going to be used for expressing overall
experience related to the project done in the past. Reflection based learning also helps learners in
enhancing their own understanding over skills that are good or required to be developed for the
future growth.
Main body
Corporate social responsibility is considered as the effective initiative taken by the
businesses in order to place their contribution towards the development of society in appropriate
manner. CSR activities helps businesses in developing their positive image in front of the society
that further helps them out in attaining success quicker by gaining competitive edge in adequate
manner (Potter, 2015). This present report is the continuation of the first part of the overall
assignment in which I have developed power point presentation over the topic Corporate social
responsibility and the challenges which are faced by businesses while implementing within their
organisation. Development of the effective presentation requires lots of efforts and skills which
makes it worth. Also, by performing this presentation I have developed range of skills and gone
through numerous of experiences that have made me learnt many things. In order to express my
overall learning experience I will be using Gibbs reflective model that includes various stages
which clearly expresses overall experience of mine while making presentation on CSR.
Gibbs reflective cycle was given by Sir Graham Gibbs in the year 1988 in which he
expressed that this cycle depicts learning can be easily gained by experience or performing the
work (Smith and Roberts, 2015). By making use of this cycle individual can easily go through
his/her own experience associated to particular situation or event. It also aware individual about
what they have done during the situation, how effectively they have reacted, what were there
positive side or skills, which were low areas etc. In order to examine my own experience related
to this presentation developed on the topic corporate social responsibility. All the stage of this
cycle is explained as below:

Description: This is the first and foremost stage in which appropriate description is
provided on the actual situation or activity that has been performed by the individuals
(Sekarwinahyu and et. al., 2019). With reference to the present topic, I have developed
presentation on the topic corporate social responsibility and challenges that are faced by business
associations while implementing CSR for contributing in the development of the society. In
order to develop an effective research I have gone through lots of research and also taken help
from the superiors and teachers in order to develop my own understanding over the formulation
of PPT. Also, I have asked my teacher to finalise the team for the presentation too and divide the
roles and responsibility among each team member in order to reduce the chances of conflicts in
the near future when we will be actually working together for making PPT on the stated topic. In
this, my tutor has basically assigned me to perform as the team leader who will be leading
overall team during whole project. The main reason behind my teacher’s choosing me as the
team leader was my effective leadership skill and soft relations with the batch mates which have
realised the tutor that I can easily tackle whole situation and complete project with the
collaborative and coordinating behaviour.
Feelings: It is the second most stage of the Gibbs reflective cycle which provides details on
the overall feeling of the individual while performing the work in particular situation
(Harerimana, 2018). While, emphasizing my own experience related to the project that is making
of PPT, it can be said that said that during my initial days of the project I was very happy and
excited towards the work as I have got the role of team leader during overall project but still with
the passing time the overall excitement have transformed into tension. The main reason behind
was that the things were not that much easier how it was looking from the starting time. This is
so because, it was very difficult to maintain interest of each and every team member in the work
as with the passing lots of conflicts, issues etc. occurring due to variations in interest and
working pattern. The overall situation have tested my patience level as well as team working
skill a lot and also realised me that I have to develop this skill of mine in adequate manner so that
I can easily complete the overall project that is make effective PPT without facing any sort of
issue related to delay in project submission.
Evaluation: This is the third stage which emphasizes on providing explanation that
whether the experience was good or not (Snowdon, 2018). This simply includes positive and
negative experience related to the project or situation from which an individual has gone

through. If it is talked about my own experience related to the project, it can be said that the
overall experience related to the project that is making of PPT was good as I got opportunity to
prove myself as the good leader but still at same some of my experience were negative but still
they have taught me many skills which will support me developing my own improving myself so
that I can easily attain success in my personal as well as professional life in the future. While
focusing on my positive experience, it has been realized by me that as a team leader as I was
good and very corporative towards my team member which simply means that my team
members were feeling free with me and providing me effective support in the completion of
whole work. I have also analysed that my soft speaking skills that is communication skills have
contributed a lot in developing my relations with the team members. Also, it can be said that my
time management skill were also effective which have provided support in completion of the
project within the provided time frame and attain higher scores. On the other hand, if it is talked
about negative experience related to the same, it can be said that my technological skills that is
IT skills is not that much good which have created lots of issues for me in developing effective
and attractive PPT. Also, my problem solving skill were also not effective which means that due
to my extra polite behaviour it was difficult for me to resolve conflicts and other issue that
aroused within the team while making PPT on corporate social responsibility. From the overall
analysis related to the same it can be said that I have taken help from my superiors and teacher
for improving my lack area. This guidance have helped me out in developing my IT skills and
problem solving skill which will directly support me conducting more effective work in the near
future.
Conclusion: This is the fourth stage which specifies the actual conclusion drawn from
the overall experience (Waltz, 2019). After evaluating overall experience and identifying what
was positive and negative in whole journey, it can be said that overall experience related to the
same was good as I got to learn lots of skills like IT and problem skills. Apart from this the
overall experience has also developed and groomed me as the team leader and provided me
guidance about the ways through which I can easily develop myself and become effective leader
who will further work more effectively when ever will be assigned with the similar kind of
responsibility. Also, I have realized that patience is most important thing that me owned by me in
every life situation in order to attain success in the future.

Action Plan: This is the last stage, in which appropriate action plan has been formulated
by the individuals so that they can easily perform the similar kind of work whenever it is
assigned to them in the near future (Khatijah, 2015). According to my own experience, it can be
said that whenever I will get opportunity to work as the effective team leader in the near future
then I will try to remain little bit strict with my team members so that they will follow each and
every instruction of mine. In addition to this, I will also take some classes related to IT so that I
can improvise my weak skill and use it effectively while making good presentation.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of overall information expressed in the above reflective report, it is concluded
that Gibbs reflective model is an effective model which is supportive for individual in determine
their strong skills as well as weak skills. Also, the framework contributes in emphasising on the
weak areas that are required to be developed by individual which further supports them in
enhancing chances of attaining more number of opportunities which leads to success.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Husebø, S.E., O'Regan, S. and Nestel, D., 2015. Reflective practice and its role in
simulation. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 11(8), pp.368-375.
Potter, C., 2015. Leadership development: an applied comparison of Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle and
Scharmer’s Theory U. Industrial and Commercial Training.
Smith, J. and Roberts, R., 2015. Reflective practice. Vital Signs for Nurses: An Introduction to
Clinical Observations, pp.222-230.
Sekarwinahyu, M., Rustaman, N.Y., Widodo, A. and Riandi, R., 2019, February. Development
of problem based learning for online tutorial program in plant development using
Gibbs’ reflective cycle and e-portfolio to enhance reflective thinking skills.
In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1157, No. 2, p. 022099). IOP
Publishing.
Snowdon, K., 2018. Humour in reflective practice. Journal of Paramedic Practice, 10(4),
pp.144-146.
Waltz, C., 2019. Impact of Reflective Practice within a Residency Program on New Graduate
Nurse Satisfaction, Stress, Support, and Retention Rates.
Khatijah, L.A., 2015. The effect of reflective journal writing on the academic performance of
nursing students.
Harerimana, B., 2018. Reflective Practice for Professional Development Among Nursing
Instructors. Teaching Innovation Projects, 8(1).