Introduction
In Zhu and Bargiela-Chiappini (2013) opinion, in order to develop personal and academic skills, one needs to strengthen the factors at which the individual is good. On the other hand, the aspects in which one person lacks knowledge needs to work on. The person needs to enhance their personal skills to achieve the objectives of an individual. The concerned person needs to set the target through which one can achieve the desired academic and research skills. One needs to make plans through which the individual can actually achieve those targets. In this assignment, the plans which will help me to brighten my career and future through personal development will be delivered.
Task 1
a) In order to develop the plan regarding the academic and research skills, I need to find out the strengths and weaknesses of myself. By focusing on my strengths, I may achieve the targets of my life. By considering the weakness factors, I can work on this weakness to achieve the targets of my life. The personal skills which I have are logical thinking and optimistic behaviour. These strengths help me to make better plans in order to enhance my research skills. The forces also include good decision-making ability, which allows me to do something which will contribute to my development. The weakness in me which prevents me from achieving the target in my career includes extreme stubbornness. My ignorant behaviour is also one of my weaknesses as I am much lethargic and hesitant while communicating with others which can hinder my development in personal skill.
In Zhu and Bargiela-Chiappini (2013) opinion, there are certain strengths and weaknesses in my academic skill needed to assess while developing the plans regarding educational and research skills. The strengths include listening skills, creativity, problem-solving nature and ability to think critically. I try to research the topic which the professor gives. As I have the listening ability, I take notes from ongoing lectures. However, several weaknesses prevent me from achieving excellence in the academic field. These weaknesses include time management which affects my academic career thoroughly. I cannot also learn a foreign language which pushes me backwards. Even my competency with the English language is low and can be considered one of my academic weaknesses. The lack of concentration while studying works as my weakness.
b)
Targeted skills | duration | plan | Reviewing the process |
Improving time management | Three months | In order to manage the time properly, I can make a to-do list every day so that I can achieve the daily targets. Another plan that I can develop for time management is to sleep early and wake up early, which will provide me with better fresh thinking and manage the time properly. | My friends and professors can review the plans that are working or not as my friends can tell me whether I am arriving at the places on time. Even my professors can check whether I am submitting the project works on time. Another plan can be reviewed through my parents to assess whether I am sleeping early or not. The to-do list can be reviewed by myself after achieving each item; I have to mark it to check whether I am following the to-do list. |
Competency in the English language | Four months | I can join the course English language to enhance my compatibility with the English language. As the professors give a lecture on the English language, to understand the note, I need to have competency in the English language to understand the note. Another plan in order to increase my competency in the English language, I will read English story books which will help me to get knowledge regarding the particular language. I will join a language group where many people are trying to work on their English language. I will talk to more people in English to improve my communication and English speaking ability. | My improvement in the English courses can be reviewed by the teachers there. Peers and friends can review even the plan for joining the language group. |
Enhance of concentration | Two months | In order to increase concentration, I can join yoga classes. I can do meditation in-home regular basis. | The concerned plan will be reviewed to-do checklists. |
Acquiring initiatives | One month | In order to acquire the power to take the initiative to state the conversation, I will join the personal development class in which I will gain the confidence to start a conversation. I will try to talk confidently in front of the mirror in my home to gain the initiative power to start a conversation with professors. | In order to review the improvements in m, the supervisors of the personal development class can help in this. Even my professors who are teaching can also review this matter. |
Specific |
|
Measurable |
|
Achievable |
|
Realistic |
|
Timed |
|
Task 2- Note-Taking
In the opinion of Waddock and Lozano (2013), for a student, note-taking is one of the important components to enhance academic and research skills. The student needs to take note from a variety of sources. In the opinion of Giacalone and Promislo (2013), the taken notes are being paraphrased and summarised in order to work on the weaknesses. When attending any class, I need to take notes of the lectures of the professors. The student has to take the key points mentioned by the professors, and then the concerned student needs to paraphrase the taken notes to make them useful.
In the opinion of Rasche et al. (2013), while taking notes from different source information, the concerned student needs to have good listening power. Without active listening power, it will be difficult to take running notes of the professors. In the opinion of Waddock and Lozano (2013), to highlight the key points while reading a book, the student needs to have the reading strategy. Thus, to enhance the power, find out the student’s key points to improve the note-taking skills. After identifying the key issues, the student needs to paraphrase and summarise the taken information.
To be able to take proper notes from the different source information, the student needs to have active listening skills. In Giacalone and Promislo (2013), there is a certain process through which a student can take the notes properly, which will ultimately help the concerned student get good marks. The student can use acronyms while taking the running notes. Certain symbols can be used by the student while taking notes. Even the student can use shorthand writing while taking notes from the professor’s lectures.
Through reading, the student can also acquire different notes, which will ultimately help the student to get the good key points. As opined by Thomas (2013), active reading includes reading loudly so that the student can hear the voice. Through this process, the student can understand the subject matter thoroughly. Then the student can paraphrase it to identify the important information. Then the student needs to summarise the translated portion to synthesise or comprehend the subject matter. Active listening power can be acquired through proper eye contact during conversation. Body language is needed to focus to concentrate on what the professor is saying. In the opinion of Giacalone and Promislo (2013), finally, the student needs to review the taken notes to complete the notes taking process. The running notes or paraphrased version need to be re-read by the student to find out anything lacking. If any flaws are being found out, then the student can clarify these things to the professors.
Task 3- carry out an academic research project
In the opinion of Huang and Chiu (2015), in order to do a research project, the academic researcher needs to collect information from primary and secondary sources. In the opinion of Hayati et al. (2013), the academic researcher needs to make a research plan to carry out proper research with a standard process. In this assignment, the academic researcher has researched the marketing strategy of a new product of KFC in the London market.
The research plan
Time frame | Activity for conducting the research |
1st week | The academic researcher has collected the secondary data |
2nd to 4th week | The concerned researcher has developed the literature review |
5th to 7th week | The academic researcher has produced the research methodology. |
8th to 11th week | The researcher has collected the primary data through fieldwork |
12th to 14th week | The collected data has been analysed |
15th to 17th week | The researcher has provided the conclusion and recommendation on the chosen topic through this research |
18th to 20th week | Proofreading |
20th to 21st week | The first draft has sent to the professor |
22nd to 23rd week | Submission of the research project |
The researcher has used both types of data, primary and secondary data, to conduct the concerned research. Preliminary data have been collected through fieldwork which includes the interview session and survey of different respondents. As the research has been done on the London food market, the mid-level marketing managers of KFC have been chosen for conducting the interview session. The survey has been completed with the customers of KFC. The secondary data are being collected through other existing literature. In order to collect the primary data, the academic researcher has to design the questionnaire for the interview session. In the questionnaire, the researcher has avoided the leading questions. The researcher has collected both qualitative and quantitative data for conducting the concerned research. In the opinion of Roberts‐Holmes and Bradbury (2016), for the survey, the researcher has designed close-ended questions where the number of respondents and the number of participants are being mentioned. In order to collect the secondary data, the researcher has done desk research. The researcher has made different notes to record the information. The researcher has created the reference list from where the secondary data are being collected.
In the opinion of Chen and Huang (2014), while doing the research, the researcher has created the plan where the researcher has identified the actions which are undertaken to conduct the particular investigation. The concerned researcher set the list of activities after checking the deadline to conduct the research properly. The researcher has made the objectives which are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed. To avoid any kind of problem, the researcher has reviewed the plans that are being made by the researcher. The researcher has drafted the research project by providing the references of the sources from which the researcher has collected the data. The researcher has avoided plagiarism. The researcher has submitted the researcher to the professor for proofreading.
In the opinion of Chen et al. (2015), the produced work in the form of the research, the researcher has made sure that the research work has met the objectives of itself. The researcher in this research has maintained the quality of language by using the standard of English. Through this concerted research, the referencing skill of the researcher has developed. Thus, it can be understood through the researcher’s work that the concerned research has provided every aspect of the research skill of an academic researcher. In order to acquire a brighter future, the academic researcher needs to develop the need for educational and research skills, which also contribute to the better career of the academic researcher.
Task 4
As in task 1, the personal development plan has been mentioned, which include the weakness of one individual and the plans to recover those. The flaws I have found out in me are the lack of concentration and lack of competency in the English language. This also includes the lack of ability to manage time properly, which hampers the work of an individual. In order to work on my weaknesses, I have made plans for personal and academic skill development. According to the finding, to gain a brighter future and career, students need to provide the make with the action plan to achieve the identified target.
As I lack time management skills, I have made a plan to make a to-do list to check my daily activity properly. Thus, the action will include the wake-up time, the study time, times of lectures which I need to attend, the time of the project work and the data collection time. A checklist of this to-do list will be made to check whether I have completed every assignment on time or not. After completing the tasks, I will mark the completed task. If any of the tasks cannot be completed on time, then the plans will be reviewed, and the to-do list will be modified.
Competency in the English language is one of the identified weaknesses for which the action plan needs to be made as I have decided to join the language group and the English language course. The action plans for increased compatibility with the English language include thorough research on the better place of the English education. Then I will join the class where I will get wider knowledge regarding the English language. The language groups will also join where I will interact with more people to enhance my spoken and written power.
Concentration is one of the major issues that I am facing to develop my personal and academic skills. As I have decided to do regular meditation, my action plan will include the early waking-up. This will help me to get more time for doing meditation. As I lack concentration while attending the lectures of the professors, this action plan is much required. While taking the running note, the attention is much needed by me, so by doing meditation every day, I will try to acquire more concentration by doing meditation every day.
As I lack initiative power, the action plan to enhance the confidence in taking the initiative while starting a conversation is required. For the lack of initiative power, I cannot ask the queries I have regarding the study to the professors, which directly impact my career. This action plan includes the joining of the personal development class by verifying the information of the course. After joining the class, I will have to talk with the other students who come there to make their personal skills better. I will try to start a conversation in front of the mirror to bring confidence in myself to take the initiative to start a conversation.
By making the action plan, I can work on the weakness to acquire academic and personal skills. The strengths which I hold in me can also be focused on while making this action plan so that by boasting the resilience in me, I can work on the weaknesses too. Thus, in this section of the assignment, the action plan based on the weaknesses and strengths have been made.
Conclusion
In this assignment, the need for academic and research skills to get a brighter future has been mentioned. In the opinion of Zhu and Bargiela-Chiappini (2013), my strengths and my weaknesses have been mentioned. My strengths are positive behaviour and logical thinking. In the opinion of Rasche et al. (2013), good decision-making ability has also been considered as one of the strengths. The weaknesses include the lack of initiative power, lack of competency in the English language, lack of concentration and lack of time management skills. Thus in this assignment, the plan to work on the weakness has been made. The significance of note-taking and the components used to take running notes and reading notes have been provided in this assignment. The use of shorthand, symbols, and acronyms for note-taking has also been mentioned to enhance the academic researcher’s skill to conduct research work also been developed in this concerned assignment. The data collection process and research project plan have developed. The action plans on target, which has been identified previously, have been mentioned in this assignment through which I can work my weaknesses. Thus, through this assignment, the skills regarding personal and academic development have been mentioned, which will help make a better career for an individual.
Reference List
Journals
Chen, C.M. and Huang, S.H., (2014). Web‐based reading annotation system with an attention‐based self‐regulated learning mechanism for promoting reading performance. British Journal of Educational Technology, 45(5), pp.959-980.
Chen, S.C., Yang, S.J. and Hsiao, C.C., (2015). Exploring student perceptions, learning outcome and gender differences in a flipped mathematics course. British Journal of Educational Technology.
Giacalone, R.A. and Promislo, M.D., (2013). Broken when entering: The stigmatisation of goodness and business ethics education. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 12(1), pp.86-101.
Hayati, A., Jalilifar, A. and Mashhadi, A., (2013). Using Short Message Service (SMS) to teach English idioms to EFL students. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(1), pp.66-81.
Huang, Y.M. and Chiu, P.S., (2015). The effectiveness of a meaningful learning‐based evaluation model for context‐aware mobile learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 46(2), pp.437-447.
Rasche, A., Gilbert, D.U. and Schedel, I., (2013). Cross-disciplinary ethics education in MBA programs: rhetoric or reality?. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 12(1), pp.71-85.
Roberts‐Holmes, G. and Bradbury, A., (2016). Governance, accountability and the datafication of early years education in England. British Educational Research Journal.
Thomas, G., (2013). A review of thinking and research about inclusive education policy, with suggestions for a new kind of inclusive thinking. British Educational Research Journal, 39(3), pp.473-490.
Waddock, S. and Lozano, J.M., (2013). Developing more holistic management education: Lessons learned from two programs. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 12(2), pp.265-284.
Zhu, Y. and Bargiela-Chiappini, F., (2013). Balancing emic and etic: Situated learning and ethnography of communication in cross-cultural management education. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 12(3), pp.380-395.
