BSc (Hons) Business Management: Personal Development Portfolio

This personal development portfolio, submitted by a student pursuing a BSc (Hons) in Business Management, details the student's self-reflection on personal learning and development within the BMP4001 Professional and Academic Skills Development module. It includes a comprehensive analysis of transferable skills acquired, such as critical thinking, writing, and analytical skills. The portfolio employs methodologies like SWOT analysis, Belbin Team Role Questionnaire, and VAK tests to assess strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. It further outlines skills the student aims to develop in academic, personal, and professional contexts, supported by a personal development learning log and an action plan. The document also includes references and a CV, demonstrating the student's ability to apply learned concepts and plan for future career success.

BSc (Hons) Business Management
BMP4001
Professional and Academic Skills Development
Personal Development Portfolio
Submitted by:
Name:
ID:
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Table of Contents
Introduction p.3
Portfolio
Self-reflection on personal learning and development, and the
Transferable skills p. 3
Reflection on my personal learning and development pp. 4-6
Identification of the transferable skills I have already developed by
attending this module p.7
Skills I would like to develop pp.7-8
Personal development learning log pp. 9-10
Action plan pp.10-11
References p.12
CV p.13
Introduction
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Personal and professional development are ultimately about identifying opportunities to
improve one's success. Both personal and professional learning will revolve around the
acquisition of new experience in addition to existing skills. (Young Entrepreneur Council,
2019) Encouraging personal and professional development will improve people’s self-
awareness, time-management skills and motivation at the workplace and outside of it.
Continuous learning, on the other hand, is the concept in which workers are granted the
opportunity to blend learning into their daily jobs. It is about cultivating a habit of constant
learning and experiences that will allow them to be proficient in their work. Continuous
learning is a phase which lasts during one’s professional job and it also be extends to personal
strivings. It is important for everyone to incorporate daily habits focused on learning and
planning in order to improve constantly. (Vantage Circle, 2019)
This portfolio will describe and discuss the main concepts I have learn in this module
whilst also encompassing the importance of self-reflective practices. I have also provided
self-reflection on personal learning and development as well an account of the transferable
skills I have acquired in the duration of this course. Furthermore, I have given examples of
personal, academic and workplace skills which I would like to develop.
Self-reflection on personal learning and development and the transferable skills
The process of reflecting is the deliberate consideration of something. Reflection is the
process of examining and thinking critically regarding our experiences, attitudes, emotions,
and reactions, and then explaining or analysing them in order to benefit from them. Typically,
we do this by asking ourselves questions about what we accomplished, how we did it, and
what we learned of it as a result. My learning has been in constant flux during this academic
year and especially thanks to the newly learned and acquired skills I have adopted whilst
studying this module. Since the beginning of the module, I have learned of different theories
and analyses which can help me to understand myself and delve into other topics in-depth
which can benefit me immensely in the future. These theories have enabled me to reflect on
my learning and what are the skills which can make me stand out from others and what holds
me back.
Identification and reflection on my to personal learning and development
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In this module, I have learned how reflect effectively by using different types of analyses
and models.
SWOT Analysis.
SWOT Analysis enhances my ability to identify and eliminate any threats and weaknesses
I currently have or I am expose to in order to enhance my strengths and existing
opportunities. I have created a table below which illustrates what I believe are my currents
strengths and weaknesses and what are the opportunities I should think of that can lead to my
progression and accomplishment of my long-term goals. Owing to SWOT Analysis, I was
able to identify what are the aspects in my life I should change.
SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths
I am a very patient person and stand out
from the crowd with my calmness.
I am good at working under pressure.
I am creative and like inspiring others
with my ideas.
Weaknesses
I tend to overthink at times which can push
me back with my current affairs
Although I am good at working under
pressure, I sometimes tend to leave my work
for the last minute which can be bad time-
management and leave me more stressed.
Opportunities
Internships/Apprenticeships for business
students in the summer break
Usage of networking to gain insights into
my career goals
Managerial jobs
Learn a fourth language – German
Threats
People who have more experience and
confidence in themselves can be a potential
competitor
Being introverted can hinder my good
attributes to others
Belbin Team Role Questionnaire.
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The Belbin Team Inventory, also known as the Belbin Self-Perception Inventory, Belbin
Team Role Inventory, BSPI, or BTRI, is a behavioural measure. Meredith Belbin developed
these to assess affinity for 9 Leadership Styles, eight of which he found when researching
various teams at Henley Management College. The nine Belbin Team Positions are as
follows: Resource Investigator, Teamworker, and Coordinator (the Social Roles); Plant,
Monitor, Evaluator, and Specialist (the Mental Roles); and Shaper, Implementer, and Finisher
(the Thinking Roles) (the Action or Task roles) (Belbin, 2021).
The results of the test showed as predicted that I am a analytical person who is reserved
and critical. I like control and have a natural tendency to be more on the sensible and rational
side of things. I scored 19 percent on both ‘Analyst’ and ‘Completer’ group teams because
beyond everything else, I am a perfectionist thus I like doing everything right and in an
orderly manner. As I knew it from before, the test indicated that I am conscientious and
responsible for the achievements of team and feel deeply concern with errors and gaps in my
work. Moreover, I like to be the leader and organiser in the team but as I am perfectionist in
nature, I might appear to be impatient and impulsive. Overall, I think the test’s result are very
accurate to what I think I possess as personality traits and how I tend to carry myself when it
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comes to group work. I will work on my negatives as I believe I can fulfil my goals of being
a successful business owner in the future.
VAK TEST.
VAK test is an acronym which stands for visual, auditory and kinesthetic. It is designed to
determine if the student acquires knowledge most effectively by listening, viewing, or
transferring information previously learned. It is considered that each individual's learning
style is either auditory, visual, or kinaesthetic (tactile) of the right way for him or her to
understand.
I did the test and according to it, I am a kinaesthetic person. According to the results I am
a person who filter knowledge mostly through my senses and experiences, rather than
through what I see or hear when learning. The results indicate that I probably like physical
exercise, have a strong sense of contact, or enjoy discovering new experiences spontaneously,
as well as I approach travelling with an awareness of how things make me feel, physically or
emotionally. I highly agree these results yet I must admit before the start of the test I thought
I might be a visual learner as my style of studying and learning to always read things through
and ask myself questions about the materials I have gone trough from my lecture slides.
Identification of the transferable skills I have already developed by attending this
module
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Critical Thinking Skills - Critical thinking is the ability of a person to reason logically
and rationally, recognising the logical relationship between concepts. More specifically,
critical reasoning is the source of dialogue and reflection. Instead of taking concepts and
theories at face value, critical thinkers rigorously challenge them. By using the VAK model
and Team Role Questionnaire, and reflecting on the results conclusively, I have evaluated
that I have developed Critical Thinking Skills which are so important to have nowadays and
as they are transferable skills, they can be applied to many areas in m life such as my
academic studies and in my workplace setting.
Writing skills – Writing skills are important for every communication. They are useful
when someone wants to convey a message to others and reach a wider audience of people. In
my case, I demonstrated that I have significantly developed my writing skills by completing
this report by writing my own resume or CV without grammatical errors or spelling mistakes.
That being said, bad writing skills produce unpleasant first impressions, and often readers
will respond negatively immediately to spotting a spelling or grammatical error. As one
example, a spelling error on a commercial web page could lead potential customers to
question the website's and organization's reputation. Thus, it is important to be literate and
have excellent writing skills. (skillsyouneed.com, 2011)
Analytical skills – Analytical skill refers to the capacity to effectively analyse a scenario,
dilemma, or question. Analytical skill is highly comparable to logical reasoning ability.
Skills I would like to develop during my academic studies, personal life and the
workplace
Academic Skills – When it comes to my academic skills, I would say there is still huge
development that should be done to be satisfied with my academic skills. I have learned a lot
during this academic year, my reading and writing skills are still not polished. I hope I will be
fluent in my English skills by the end of my Bachelor degree.
Personal Skills - I hope that in the next few months, I will be more focused and find ways
to improve and develop my soft skills as they are as important as professional skills.
 Teamwork – I strive to learn to work more efficiently in a team as for now, I
prefer being a leader and sometimes dismiss others as my equals.
 Time-management is the practise of managing and consciously controlling the
amount of time expended on particular tasks, with the goal of increasing success,
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reliability, and productivity. I hope to learn to work on tight schedule and do
everything as written on my to-do list.
Professional Skills - One of the most important skills which I am willing to acquire is
flexibility as it is quite importance in the corporative world to be patient and to
comprehend alternative viewpoints.
Personal development learning log
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Date of event What was the
development activity?
What was I
expecting to
learn?
What have I
learned?
How will I apply
this learning?
02.05.2021 SWOT Analysis I expected to see
visually what are
my current
weaknesses and
threats.
Where should
focus in order to
develop myself
personally and
professionally
I aim to use SWOT
Analysis in my life
occasionally to reflect
on my weaknesses and
what are the potential
threats in order to
change them into
opportunities.
04.05.2021 CV creation and
writing
I expected to
learn how to write
well-put
professional
Curriculum Vitae
I learned that
there are
different types
of CVs and that
it is not easy to
put experiences
into paper
resume.
I will continue
using this knowledge
in my life when I need
to present my written
CV.
06.05.2021 Referencing I expected to
learn how to write
in Harvard
References style
accordingly.
I learned
different style of
writing and how
Harvard style
and what should
be written
chronologically.
Knowingly of how
to writing using
Harvard referencing, I
will be able to write
my assignment and
express this skill
outside of university
in my master’s degree.
07.05.2021 Writing skills I expected how
to master the art of
writing.
I learned how
to write in a
formal and
logical way.
11.05.2021 VAK Model I expected to I learned that
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learn what a VAK
model is and how I
can apply it in my
reflection and
learning.
I am
kinaesthetic
person and that I
learned moment
and experiences.
Action plan
What do I want
to learn?
What support
and resources
will I need?
What do I
have to do?
How will I
measure success?
Target date for
review?
Academic skills
Books oriented
towards study
skills
development
Read books
and write down
what I need to
learn in order to
develop my
academic skills
and focus on new
words
My grades will
reflect my progress. 15.09.2021
Teamwork
Find a job
which requires
working in a team
and learn to like
working with
other people
Be patient and
open-minded
By feeling
accepted and
appreciated by a
group of people in
an organisation.
30.10.2021
Time-
management
Using other
people’s guide on
YouTube on how
to be more
disciplined.
I need to keep
a daily record of
errands and
important things
to be done during
Every day will
be recorded and if I
stick to this habit
for three months,
they I have
28.09.2021
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the day and
accomplish them. achieved my goal.
German
I will by self-
learning book for
learning German
and use websites
such as Memorise
By completing
weekly tasks and
learning new
words and
phrases.
I hope to go to
Berlin in November
and to be able to
speak in German to
a certain extend.
10.11.2021
Build
Confidence
Read books
and listen to
podcasts on
building
confidence
Practising
meditation,
working out,
voicing my
opinion
I will feel
successful in my
task from my
overall mindset on
life and my ability
to believe in
myself.
01.01.2022
References
Belbin | Engage and develop the talent around you (2021). Belbin. [online] Belbin.com.
Available at: https://www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles.
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Vantage Circle (2019). Why Continuous Learning is Important in this Era. [online]
Nurture an Engaged and Satisfied Workforce | Vantage Circle HR Blog. Available at:
https://blog.vantagecircle.com/continuous-learning/
skillsyouneed.com (2011). Writing Skills | SkillsYouNeed. [online] Skillsyouneed.com.
Available at: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/writing-skills.html.
Young Entrepreneur Council (2019). How to Encourage Personal and Professional
Development in the Workplace. [online] Inc.com. Available at: https://www.inc.com/young-
entrepreneur-council/how-to-encourage-personal-professional-development-in-
workplace.html.
CV
Dimitar Parov
616-618 High Road Leytonstone E11 3DA
[phone] • [e-mail]
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Personal statement
Kind to people and extremely discipline, able to work to result. Dedicated and
hardworking with internal drive to deliver excellence. Tactical team builder with strong
background in training and team development. Tech-savvy person skilled at developing
complex solutions and possessing strong creative thinking skills, high energy and integrity.
Intermediate in English and fluent in Russian and Bulgarian.
Key Skills
 Experience in mentoring and leadership
 Good for teamwork
 Disciplined and well organized
 Interest in foreign languages
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Employment History
Sells manager in Bauhaus, Sofia
(July 2011 – September 2020)
Achievements and responsibilities:
 Work with the customers and delivery of goods to their home.
 Acceptance of the goods in stock in the store.
 Working with wholesale companies and clients, invoicing of goods.
Door Supervisor, Beauty Zone, Sofia
(December 2009 – March 2011)
Achievements and responsibilities:
 Protecting the security and safety of the clients and the personnel at a busy perfume
shop.
 Monitoring for and acting on all suspicious sightings or potential criminal activity.
Sells manager in Nova Brasilia, Sofia
(March 2005 – June 2009)
Achievements and responsibilities:
 Loading cartons of coffee Nova Brasilia in a truck and delivering them to customers.
 Providing natural rebates to customers and invoicing trade discount.
Education
High School
First High School, Sofia
(September 1988 – May 1992)

Hobbies & Interests
I collect old stamps and coins. I also enjoy playing football, beach volleyball and table tennis.
References
References are available upon request.