BSc Business Management: Personal and Professional Development Report

This report plan delves into the concepts of personal and professional development, offering definitions and exploring the value of short, medium, and long-term goals. It provides personal examples for each goal type and discusses the significance of a Personal Development Plan (PDP), constructing an example based on the student's objectives. The report further examines how the author, purpose, reliability, and relevance of a source impact its usability. Finally, it includes an evaluation of eight sources used in the report plan, assessing their author, purpose, reliability, and relevance to the topic. The report uses the course code BMP3001 Academic Skills and PDP Assessment 1.

Personal and professional
development

Table of Contents
Task One:..........................................................................................................................1
Definition of the concept of personal and professional development................................1
Description and discussion of the value of short term goals identifying at least 3
personal examples.............................................................................................................1
Description and discussion of the value of medium term goals identifying at least 3
personal examples.............................................................................................................1
Description and discussion of the value of long term goals identifying at least 3 personal
examples............................................................................................................................2
Description and discussion of the value of a Personal Development Plan and
construction of an example using my goals......................................................................2
Task Two:..........................................................................................................................3
Description and discussion of how ‘Author, Purpose, Reliability and Relevance’ affect
the use of a source............................................................................................................3
Task Three:........................................................................................................................4
References:........................................................................................................................6

Task One:
Definition of the concept of personal and professional development
Personal development is defined as the process which consists of the activities
with which an individual’s potential and capabilities are built. It facilitates employability
and leads to enhancement of quality of life thereby enabling individuals to realize their
dreams and aspirations (Krause, 2020).
Professional development is defined as the term that encompasses the processes and
activities undertaken by to improve the professional knowledge, skills and competence.
This includes formal education, specialized learning and advanced professional learning
to build professional competence and abilities (Watson, 2018).
Description and discussion of the value of short term goals
identifying at least 3 personal examples
A short term goal refers to a goal which is set to achieve something in near
future. These goals make an individual accountable for every step that he takes towards
his personal and professional development. Short term goals increase the awareness of
the person regarding their efforts, actions and skills (Kashefpakdel, 2020).
These are valuable as these serve as milestones in the journey of an individual and
help him achieve the long term goals. Further, with the help of short term goals, an
individual is able to gauge his progress by identifying his present state and the gap that
needs to be covered to reach the ultimate long term goals (Slayback, 2019). Therefore,
short term goals present a systematic breakdown of the long term goals.
Personal examples
 To increase productivity by 10 per cent within a month
 To apply for a job in the coming month
 To improve my oral presentation skills
Description and discussion of the value of medium term goals
identifying at least 3 personal examples
Medium term goals are a combination of short as well as long term goals. These
may be set to be achieved within a time period of 2 months to 3 years. These offer
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enough time to make significant progress in a gradual manner. While setting mid-term
goals, it is important to consider their importance as well as timeline.
These are valuable as they offer an opportunity to the learner to set a number of
goals over the course of lifetime. Further, with the change in priorities and values, new
mid-term goals can be formulated. Thus they provide flexibility to an individual
(Kashefpakdel and Ravenscroft, 2021).
Personal examples
 To pay off my student loans within 2 years
 To improve team working skills
 To learn to speak English fluently
Description and discussion of the value of long term goals identifying
at least 3 personal examples
These refer to those accomplishments which are set to be achieved in significant
time and require great amount of planning and efforts. In other words, long term goals
are delayed – gratification outcomes considering months and years. These are set for
several years ahead. They may be career, financial and personal goals.
The value of long term goals is determined by their importance for the career (Pascall,
2021). Since these are for long term, an individual is directed to start living with these
goals in his or her mind. In this way, they provide clear focus to the person and also
assist him in making sensible and valid choices.
Personal Example
 To become a leader in the hospitality sector
 To get a degree in my field of interest concerning hospitality and tourism
management
 To buy a house in a prime location within the city
Description and discussion of the value of a Personal Development
Plan and construction of an example using my goals
A personal development plan consists of an action plan for bringing improvement
in personal aspects such as education, career and skills (Robson, 2020). This is based
on the awareness regarding self-reflection, values and goal- setting.
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Personal development plan is valuable because of many reasons. It enables an
individual to develop a personal vision for the future (Britt, 2020). As the pan contains
concrete objectives to be achieved, it helps a person to draw a systematic strategy
using which the short, medium and long term goals can be achieved. Being a lifelong
process, the personal development plan is continually reviewed. In this way, it brings
continual improvement in the workplace knowledge as well as skills thus facilitating
ongoing employability.
Objective Activities
undertaken to
achieve the
objectives
Timeframe
(in
months)
Success criteria
To improve
oral
presentation
skills
 Taking part in
seminars
 Undertaking
courses for oral
presentation
skills
1 month To be able to deliver effective
presentations on varied topics
to a group of more than 20
people
To improve
English
communication
skills
Attending classes
and courses for
spoken English
3 months  To be able to speak English
without stammering
 To be able to use good
vocabulary while speaking
English
To improve
team working
skills
Participating in
team building
activities
4 months To be able to work on group
projects and achieve team
goals on time
Task Two:
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Description and discussion of how ‘Author, Purpose, Reliability and
Relevance’ affect the use of a source
 Author- This affects the use of a source as the level of expertise of the author
about a particular subject and its knowledge affects the source. Further, the
credentials of the author also impact the use of the source.
 Purpose- The use of a source will also depend on its purpose. This is because
with the help of it, the reader is able to determine whether the source contains
the information that is being searched for.
 Reliability- A source will only be used if it is reliable. It should contain
arguments, discussion and well- reasoned theory.
 Relevance- It is important to consider whether the source provides relevant
information about the subject.
Task Three:
An evaluation of eight sources I have used in the report plan
Sources Author Purpose Reliability Relevance
Newspape
r site
Hugo Britt Importance of
personal
development
and
professional
development
Reliable as it
provides a
well reason
argument as
to why
personal
development
is as important
as
professional
development.
Relevant as the
content relates
to the subject of
personal and
professional
development
Newspape
r site
David Robson Ways of
acquiring new
skills
Reliable as it
provides good
discussion on
learning new
skills
Relevant as it
provides new
insights into the
topic of personal
development
Newspape
r site
Adina Pascall Value of
employability
skills in
graduiate job
Reliable as it
provides a
reasoned
argument for
importance of
employability
Relevant as it
provides content
regarding goal
setting for
learners
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skills in
enabling the
students to
obtain a
graduate job.
Newspape
r site
Elnaz
Kashefpakdel
and Tom
Ravenscroft
To explore
benefits of
investing in
transferrable
skills
Reliable as
there is
adequate
discussion on
skills required
by young
people.
Relevant as it
provides content
on building skills
in young people
which promotes
their personal
and professional
development
Newspape
r site
Elnaz
Kashefpakdel
To explore
importance of
investing in
essential skills
Reliable as it
provides a
strong
argument
describing the
importance of
investing in
essential skills
in the current
time
Relevant as it
provides a base
for the
importance of
continuing
personal and
professional
development
which is the
topic of the
present report
plan.
Book Jason Krause To inspire
people for their
personal and
professional
development
Reliable as
the authors
discuss in
detail about
importance of
personal and
professional
development.
Relevant as it
provides content
related to the
topic of the
report plan
Book Chris Watson To provide
information on
skills that can
be adapted to
be successful
at work.
Reliable as
contains well-
reasoned
argument and
discussion on
professional
growth and
related skills
Relevant as the
content is on
personal and
professional
development
Book Zak Slayback To provide
guidance ion
personal
branding by
setting
Reliable as it
suggests the
importance of
setting
professional
Relevant as the
content provides
information on
the topic of the
present report
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professional
goals
goals plan.
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References:
Britt, H., 2020. 4 Reasons Why You Should Make Personal Development as Important
as Professional Development. [Online]. Available Through: <
https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/4-reasons-why-you-should-make-personal-
development-as-important-as-professional-development/ >. [Accessed on 11th
March, 2021].
Kashefpakdel, E. and Ravenscroft, T., 2021. Essential Skills for Jobs: how investing in
transferable skills supports greater outcomes for young people. [Online].
Available Through: <https://www.fenews.co.uk/featured-article/63387-essential-
skills-for-jobs-how-investing-in-transferable-skills-supports-greater-outcomes-for-
young-people>. [Accessed on 11th March, 2021].
Kashefpakdel, E., 2020. Now is the time to invest in essential skills. [Online]. Available
Through: < fenews.co.uk/featured-article/55676-now-is-the-time-to-invest-in-
essential-skills >. [Accessed on 11th March, 2021].
Krause, J., 2020. Opportunity Truth Personal and Professional Development Principles
to Help You Succeed. Solution Check LLC.
Pascall, A., 2021. Why Your Employability Skills are the Key to Landing a Graduate
Job. [Online]. Available Through: < https://www.fenews.co.uk/fevoices/64386-
why-your-employability-skills-are-the-key-to-landing-a-graduate-job >. [Accessed
on 11th March, 2021].
Robson, D., 2020. Online learning: how to acquire new skills during lockdown. [Online].
Available Through: < https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/19/online-
learning-how-to-acquire-new-skills-during-lockdown >. [Accessed on 11th March,
2021].
Slayback, Z., 2019. How to Get Ahead: A Proven 6-Step System to Unleash Your
Personal Brand and Build a World-Class Network So Opportunities Come to You.
McGraw-Hill Education.
Watson, C., 2018. Upskill 21 Keys to Professional Growth. Crown House Publishing
LLC.
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