CPD1102: Professional Development and Ethics - Assignment 2 Report

This report, submitted by Afzal Pyar Ali, details a professional development and ethics assignment, focusing on the IT field. The report begins with a self-introduction, outlining the student's background, skills, and career objectives. It then delves into megatrends and challenges within the IT industry, including the impact of Industry 4.0, demographic shifts, and globalization. The student sets personal goals aligned with industry demands, emphasizing skills in MS Office, problem-solving, and teamwork. Ethical considerations and professional values are also addressed, including policies on IT use and the importance of ethical conduct. A competency assessment is conducted using a competency matrix, and a summary of competencies improvement and professional development is provided. The report includes references and a bibliography, demonstrating the student's research and analysis of the subject matter.

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Professional development and ethics (Assignment 2)
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Table of contents
Section 1.....................................................................................................................................3
Self-introduction....................................................................................................................3
Section 2.....................................................................................................................................5
Megatrends and challenges....................................................................................................5
Section 3.....................................................................................................................................7
Goals......................................................................................................................................7
Section 4.....................................................................................................................................8
Ethics and professional values...............................................................................................8
Section 5.....................................................................................................................................9
Competency assessment.........................................................................................................9
Section 6...................................................................................................................................11
Competencies improvement/professional development summary.......................................11
References................................................................................................................................13
Bibliography.............................................................................................................................14

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Section 1
Self-introduction
I am Afzal Pyar Ali, born on 11th October 1990. I hail from Australia, however, my
nationality is Pakistan. I can speak Urdu fluently, as it is my mother tongue. My objective is
to expose my talents in an ambience of challenging and enduring environment. This is in
terms of expanding the scope and arena of thinking skills and judgmental capabilities. My
preferred subject is IT. I like this subject a lot, as it helps me to explore my abilities in a
proper manner. In 2016, I passed my master degree at network systems and
telecommunications from Swinburne University of Technology. I also hold a CCNA degree
in networking, which I received from CISCO. In 2012, I completed a bachelor’s degree
course in Engineering (Telecommunications) from National University of Computer and
Emerging Sciences, Karachi. Prior to this, I did an intermediate course in pre-engineering
from Commecs Institute of Business and Emerging Sciences, Karachi in 2008. The roots of
these lies in the matriculation degree in science from Progressive Public School, Karachi in
2006.
The domains of my skills and expertise are IT and management. In the field of
management, I am competent in dealing with the issues and problems. I feel that I can work
under pressure and do multi-tasking, which enhances the scope and arena of my professional
abilities and capabilities. In the IT and networks, I have hands on experience of Windows
Server 2012 R2, disaster recovery, advanced level networking, Wi-Fi infrastructure along
with hardware and software. I can proudly say that I possess effective computer skills, which
is reflected through my competency in MS Office, Packet Tracker, Adobe Photoshop,
software. I have command over software installation and solving the issues in hardware and
software. I can also edit the audio-visual contents.

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I have participated in various Competitions, which have broadened my adjustability
skills. I have experience in volunteering the performance of the marketing and placement
team in FAST NUCES. I was also a part of the workshop conducted by FAST NUCES
regarding Printed Circuit Boards.
Currently, I am working as an IT manager at Education Access, Australia from 2016.
Here, my job is to keep a track of the daily backups by providing support to the users. Before
working in Education Access, I used to work at Pax Institute of Education as an IT Support
and Network Administrator from June 2014 to August 2016. Here, my duties were to look
after the infrastructural development through the maintenance of Windows and network
management services. I also worked as a Resident Engineer at Jaffer Brothers Private Limited
from April 2014 to June 2014. Specifically, I was appointed as an IT support analyst at Aga
Khan University Hospital, Karachi. I provided support to the users by troubleshooting,
diagnosing and solving the network related issues and problems. From Oct 2013 to Feb 2014,
I served as a volunteer in IT department of AKU Secondary Hospital. Here also, my duties
were to ensure the smooth functioning of the computer systems. I also worked as a Freelancer
in IT IT networking.
From Jan 2011 to June 2012, I was a part of final year project in Dream World Resort.
Here, I worked as a solution provider of Light management and controlling systems,
especially wireless. I studied the structure of WLAN network, conducting projects on water
pumping bores and looked after the controlling units of the generators to be set up in the
rooms. It was in March 2004, when I started working in Prince Apartment Religious
Education Centre. I was responsible for initiating IT infrastructure through resolving the
issues related to hardware and software.

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Section 2
Megatrends and challenges
In the IT industry, Industry 4.0 has revolutionized the operations. The manufacturers
have implemented this technology in the plants. This program covers cloud computing, data
analytics among others. This technology has proved beneficial for enhancing the decision
making process and adjustability for fostering continuous improvement in the standard and
quality of the operations. Strategic planning in this case has proved to be a remarkable
approach in terms of achieving higher competitive edge than the contemporary industries
(Ehrenfeld 2016). One of the innovations in this context is that of the artificial intelligence in
cloud computing, which requires consumer devices for collection of data beyond the sphere
of the factories. Typical evidence of this lies in the offshore marketing, which deals with
processing of data from the internal to the external environment.
The data, which is processed to various databases, makes the cloud storage more
appealing for the clients and the customers. The major drive behind this is the effective in-
house storage solutions. Here, mention can be made of Google Cloud Platform, which has
enhanced the security in terms of storage. Cloud storage is now one of the preferred option
among the business, as it is cost effective and reduces the burden of IT overheads in the
factories. Bungenberg et al. (2018) opines that industry 4.0 is actually considered to be the
future of manufacturing, as it is an effective tool for analysing the market situation for
making sales estimation. The industry personnel are of the view that by 2020, over 30 billion
devices would be connected to the Internet. Based on the current scenario, two megatrends
have been identified:
Demographic shifts

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Fluctuation in the conditions have added an ombre shade to the prediction of future.
The critics have mixed opinions regarding catering to the needs of the middle class, which is
growing at a rapid rate. Investments in the talent management adds to the value proposition of
the industry. Consideration of technology in this aspect is a planned, reasoned and strategic
step towards diversifying the thinking skills and judgmental capabilities of the staffs (Kovács
and Kot 2016).
Globalization of the future markets
Technology has adversely affected the operations of the businesses. This situation has
compelled the scientists to predict that the exports would triple by the era of 2030. Example
can be cited of the developing countries like Brazil, Russia, India and China, which is
estimated to encounter drastic growth in terms of GDP. Estimations are also high for the
countries like Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Nigeria in terms of high market
share. Consistency in maintained in the position of US, which tops the list regarding
emerging as the biggest investor in big data analytics. Kiel et al. (2017) is of the view that
plans regarding adoption of the advanced technologies and materials yields positive results in
terms of achieving higher competitive advantage.
Challenges
Market incorporation is one of the biggest challenges, which the IT industry faces.
As a matter of specification, there is a disproportionate relationship between the rate in which
the technologies are adopted and their incorporation into the existing markets. Examples can
be cited of artificial intelligence and voice controls, which have been installed but there has
not been any evaluation of their impact on the market. One of the other challenges is finding
the prospective talents. As the labour market is largely distributed, the competition is higher.
The need is to establish remote teams and strong workplace culture (Bungenberg et al. 2018).

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Risks are also evident in the application of artificial intelligence. In this case, strategic
planning is needed for reducing the intensity of the potential risks.
Section 3
Goals
Like other industries, IT industry is also a challenging and competitive one. Hardware
and software are integral parts of the industry, enhancing the profitability through efficient
execution of the operations. Economies of scale and insatiable demands ensures the growth
(Kovács and Kot 2016). As the operations are based on computer, therefore, I need to be
fluent and flexible with the MS Office functions, especially Word and Excel. I am competent
in performing the functions of MS Office, packer tracker, Wireshark, Adobe Photoshop
among others. I have strong command over soft installation and am capable of diagnosing the
hardware problems. I am also experienced in editing the contents of the audios and videos.
All these skills are needed by the staffs for executing the allocated duties and responsibilities
without any kind of interruptions.
According to the current trends, the employers search for candidates, who are flexible
and have sound knowledge of the application programs, software, system programs and
others. There are various roles, into which the candidates are employed (Kiel et al. 2017).
Mention can be made of software engineer, business analyst, technical support, network
engineer, technical consultant, technical sales, project manager, web developer, software
tester among others. For fulfilling the responsibilities, the essential skills needed are as
follows:
 Analysis
 Logical thinking
 Teamwork

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 Ability to collect data and analyse
 Good communication skills
 Persuasion
 Sensitivity
 Presentation skills
 Problem solving skills
 Management of the projects
Based on this, I can say that I have problem solving skills. I possess the capability of
working under pressure, which is one of the main requirements of the companies operating
under the IT industry. This is in terms of achieving successful completion of the operations
within the stipulated time. Moreover, being able to work under pressure is assistance in terms
of enhancing the productivity.
My goal is to work under challenging and competitive environment for broadening
the scope and arena of growth and development. I have chosen the field of IT and
Networking, as it provides the scope of exploring with the avenues, which I can avail for
achieving personal and professional growth.
Section 4
Ethics and professional values
I think ethical approach in performing the tasks is necessary for attaining respect from
others. This is in terms of enhancing the leadership skills, abilities and competencies. All of
the educational institutions, companies and organizations have adopted policies, which
smoothens the practices in information technologies. I can make mention of the general
policy on use of information technology. Adhering to the standards and protocols of this
policy enhances the awareness about the efficient and judicious use of technological gadgets

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(Arciniega et al. 2017). One of the important components of this policy is the access, which
covers the staffs, clients and the customers. This reflects equality, which, I feel is necessary
for averting the instances of conflicts, discrimination and harassments.
I also feel that Computer Misuse Act is needed for avoiding the illegal issues and
scandals. Within this, I can also make mention of local laws and requirements, which are
copyright, trademark, privacy, obscenity among others. The candidates are exposed to these
requirements once they are employed. I have also learned about the Computer Fraud and
Abuse Act and Electronics Communications Privacy Act, which prevents the illegal
behaviours. I can also make mention of the Ethical Code of Conduct, which is vital for
enhancing the standards and quality of organizational behaviour. Affirming to the arguments
of Ehrich et al. (2015), I also think that compliance with the resource limitations is also
necessary in terms of preventing the wastage of resources.
One of the other issues, which I need to cater is that of privacy in terms of extracting
and analysing the information. I have heard that most of the staffs intend to copy other’s
work without acknowledging. This process leads to serious consequences in the form of
termination. I think the personnel need to save the secret and confidential codes in separate
folders, which cannot be hacked easily. Here, tactful approach is needed in terms of fostering
the security within the information stored. I also think supervision is needed while the
technicians are operating the devices. This is to ensure whether he is fixing the issues in such
a manner that the issues do not occur again.
Section 5
Competency assessment
Taking the help of Competency Matrix, I can present my self-analysis on the aspects
of management and leadership. This matrix has five stages, which are: unconscious

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incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, unconscious competence and
shared competence.
Fig: Stages of competency matrix
(Source: Farmer and Ramsdale 2016)
The first stage is that of unconscious incompetence, which is overcome through the
means of feedbacks. I share my plans with the peers, trainers and supervisors, which
enhances my awareness about the competencies, which I need to improve. These feedbacks
help me to transcend into the domain of consciousness, although my incompetencies do not
go away at once. For this, I need explicit reference to the external sources, which would
upgrade the standards and quality of my preconceived skills, expertise and knowledge.
Consistency in the gaining knowledge assists me to penetrate into the stage of conscious
competence, where I start to gain competence over the skills, which I need for executing the
tasks in accordance to the requirements. This penetration is apt for enhancing the gained
experience. Evaluating this experience is assistance in terms of achieving an insight into the
Unconscious incompetence
Conscious incompetence
Conscious competence
Unconscious competence
Shared competence

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unconscious competencies. This evaluation is needed for improvising on the competencies,
which I perform under the influence of the unconscious mind.
Sharing the gained knowledge with others is assistance for me to reduce the
knowledge gaps. The interactions broaden my thinking skills and judgmental capabilities,
which is needed for implementing creative design thinking into the solution for fixing the
issues in the hardware and software. Along with this, I can cite the competency of dealing
with people, which I feel, plays an important role in enhancing the awareness about the self-
strengths and weakness. According to the current trends, the industries search for candidates,
who are competent in dealing with the instances of conflicts. I think indulging in group
discussions would help me to improvise on Socio-cultural competency. Countering this, I can
say that I am competent in management skills, where ability to work under pressure needs
special reference. Sound knowledge of the computer basics is an advantage in terms of
improvising on the competencies.
Section 6
Competencies improvement/professional development summary
After analysing the self-competencies, I came to the conclusion that I need to improve
my communicative skills. As I have the capability to deal with the issues, getting a platform
would help me to a great extent. Indulging in interaction with the team members, trainers and
supervisors would act assistance in terms of detecting the areas, which I need to improve.
Here, lack of self-confidence is one of the huge challenges, which acts as an obstacle. This
sharing would develop within me the skills of mutual understanding, which is needed for
exposing teamwork in the process of executing the projects. Evaluation of my performance in
the group discussions through the means of personality tests would be a planned and reasoned
action in terms of detecting the areas, which I need to improve for attaining personal

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development. Routinizing the activities by setting time limits would inculcate within me the
skills of time management. Executing consistent evaluations would be effective for upgrading
the standards and quality of approaching the duties and responsibilities. This routinization
would be essential in terms of gaining self-organizational skills. If I expose negligent
approach towards evaluating my performance, it would be a threat towards attaining
professional growth and development.
Attending workshops, lectures and seminars on different IT concepts would upgrade
the domains of my knowledge, skills and expertise. I also think that getting admission into
the personality development courses would enable me to get prepared for facing the external
challenges. Taking part in sports events would enhance my fitness and concentration level. If
I maintain consistency in evaluating my performance, I feel that I can upgrade the standards
and quality of approaching the allocated duties and responsibilities.