The Portfolio is part of the academic programme of work you are required to complete for Co-operative Education.
It is designed to ensure that you are achieving the goals and objectives you planned for your Co-operative Education Placement.
· Apply concepts, models, frameworks, theories and/or technical competencies from your major, and other areas of study
· Use authoritative sources
· Provide in-text references in APA (6th Ed.)
· Update your Reference List with the full reference (APA 6th Ed.)
Throughout Co-operative Education you will be focusing on how you are achieving the BBus Learning Goals set out below:
Learning Goal 1: Be self-directed, reflective learners
Learning Goal 2: Be knowledgeable in their major field(s) of study
Learning Goal 3: Be critical enquirers and creative problem solvers
Learning Goal 4: Be able to make business decisions that take into account social, ethical, environmental and global dimensions
Learning Goal 5: Be able to work effectively with others
Learning Goal 6: Be effective communicators
Learning Goal 7: Be connected to business
The Portfolios are the next stage of the assessment programme that culminates in an Oral Brief and Final Report. In the Co-operative Education assessments you will critically reflect on, analyse and evaluate your development throughout the Co-operative Education Placement and work on and complete a topic of your choice.
You are required to address all of the points in each of the sections. You may either answer each point individually or you may choose to respond to all points in one discussion using paragraphs with appropriate headings and sub-headings.
Note: Do not delete any of the information or instructions from the template
Portfolio 1 Checklist
Writing up Portfolio 1
Please ensure that you read “Writing up Portfolio 1” document that is available on Blackboard under the ASSESSMENTS folder /Portfolio 1. This will assist you in completing this assessment.
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The aim of this Section is: · To prepare you to complete Portfolio 1. |
Reflection on feedback from your Learning Plan
THE TASK:
The feedback received from my Learning Plan has provided me with a number of guidelines of approaching this portfolio. One of the areas of my understanding stems from the need to manage and direct my own learning. While responding to this portfolio, I have learnt on how to use different key words to research and identify appropriate peer reviewed resources, and media resources. Most specifically, I can now direct myself as well as reflect on my learning approaches through theories and frameworks. In addition, I can now articulate my goals by creating a link between my learning experiences and goals. Furthermore, I am able to identify some of my future learning processes such as researching through secondary data.
Second, the feedback has made me understand how to apply appropriately my knowledge to different tasks and topics. For example, the knowledge from my major involves applying theories from management to my role as an office administrator. Currently, I can now conduct an insightful thinking about my personal attributes and some of the values that I need to add to me. For instance, some of the topical ideas that relate to my role include time management and cross-cultural communication.
The feedback on my Learning Plan has also made me gain a deeper understanding about my ongoing personal and professional development. Working as an office administrator involves interacting with diverse groups of employees from different cultural background. One of the areas of my future development would require understanding some of the challenges that managers experience when managing diversified work environment. The second understanding would focus on understanding the best approaches to use while responding to conflicts arising out of diversified teams.
A. Your Co-operative Education Role: being knowledgeable in your major field(s) of study by demonstrating the application of knowledge from your major(s) to your Co-operative Education Placement
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The aim of Section A is as follows: · To demonstrate how relevant the various theories and concepts from your major have been in completion of your tasks to date · To reflect on your performance to date |
THE TASK:
· Outline a comprehensive range of theory, concepts, models, frameworks and/or technical competencies. (Note: You must draw on authoritative sources using in-text reference).
There were a number of theories and frameworks that I covered in my majors. For example, one of the theories involves the management theory of Fayal’s six functions of management. In his model for instance, Henri Fayol found that management in organisations serve the roles of planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and coaching. Besides, he managed to add another sixth component of managerial. Similar to the work of Kummerow, Ying and Kirby (2014) for instance, distinguished the six general roles of roles of managers in an industrial enterprise through managerial, accounting, security, financial, commercial, and technical. Even though he defined five roles decades ago, they are still applicable in most of organizations. Furthermore, besides, being used at a managerial level, it is critical to note that I have managed to make use of the model in most of my tasks. For instance, Fayol recommends that managers need to forecast, plan, organise, command, coordinate, and control all activities. Based on the first principle, I have managed to plan and organise all my tasks.
Working as an office administrator is functions that require planning and organising. However, Fayol cautions that planning remain one of the hardest among the six functions. Besides, I have been able to achieve active participation in my administration roles. When it comes to implementation and time management, I have been able to link planning and coordination of resources in different departments. I now understand that any planning irrespective of the position where one serves, must consider available resources as well as personnel.
Office administration will also require that I command other employees by giving them clear instructions. Doh, Husted and Yang (2016) explain in his paper any employee can return positive performance when provided with clear instructions and consequently by respecting roles given to them. Most importantly, I understand that in order to become successful in my role, I must have a high level of integrity, communicate clearly with others that serve below me, and make decisions on a regular basis. These are the factors that administrators need to encourage employees. When an individual harmonises activities, there will be a high chance of achieving positive performance. My previous tasks have also involved coordinating different activities to stimulate motivation as well as instilling a high level of discipline among groups. According to Robbins, De Cenzo, Coulter and Woods (2015) this calls for a good leadership and communication.
Apart from Fayol theory of management, leadership theory is also applicable to my tasks while serving as an administrator. For example, leadership requires that an individual sets all goals and provision of clear instructions. According to Gimenez-Espin, Jiménez-Jiménez and Martínez-Costa (2013), is that any good leader need to understand best ways to maximise ability of everyone. This implies that I will have to know all employees working under me. Besides, this can also extend towards dividing jobs among employees.
· Explain how this knowledge from your major was relevant and guided you to complete your tasks.
The above knowledge from the two theories offered me with some guidelines on ways to complete my tasks. For example, while using Fayol model, I was able to plan by tasks ahead and control on wastage of slight time available to me. Planning of my tasks involved being flexible, accurate, relevant, and continuous. The process helped me unify my tasks. Robbins, et al (2015) explain that any effective planning require skills on ways to handle people. People in this case could include resources like time.
· If you found any gaps in your knowledge, discuss what you did to overcome this
I did not find any forms of gaps in my knowledge. Besides, in case I encounter any, I will consider conducting more secondary research through peer reviewed journals. This approach will help me apply some of the theories to my role. Furthermore, I will consider inquiring from other administrators that have worked in the same position and how they respondents to emerging issues.
Evaluate your performance to date:discuss and reflect on how well you perceive you have performed your tasks and other activities to date. You must use supporting evidence and/or examples of progress made.
My performance up to now has been great. I have I now in a position to apply a number of management theories and framework in my office administrative jobs. Furthermore, I have managed to undertake personality tests in order to understand my experience, perception, feelings, and sensitivity towards my environment. By developing extravert personality, I now understand that I can provide tasks that support other staff. I can also communicate with those around me.
I am able to evaluate my own life by analysing my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Even though I have previously overlooked my personalities, I can now acknowledge that that I am always proactive when assisting other people around me in case they need help. In addition, I now understand how to plan my daily tasks by writing them in my journals. Apart from my strengths, I have come to understand that my future role will depend how I will manage to utilize my opportunities and limit some of the threats likely to restrain me from accomplishing my goals. For instance, one of the opportunities I now have is gaining more experience from my position with the understanding that such experience will be an added advantage to my future career.
B. Your Professional Skill: communicate effectively in professional settings, working effectively with others including intercultural and diverse perspectives
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The aim of Section B is as follows: · To state (and revise if required) your TWO chosen goals and actions for your professional skills · To reflect on your progress and development to date in both of these chosen goals · To review how your planned actions are supporting your progress |
In your Learning Plan you developed TWO goals for your professional skills to work on during your placement. These related to you
In this section you will reflect on your placement experiences in your chosen aspects of your professional practice so far.
NOTE: You may have refined or revised your goal(s)from feedback in your Learning Plan, as well as your specific actions you have put in place to achieve your goal(s). Please include these updates in your reflection below.
THE TASK:
Goal ONE: Working effectively with others to make constructive contributions
State your specific aspect here: __one specific aspect that I have is acknowledging that time management the play a key role in any company. Consequently, coming late or failing to attend the place of work could become a major cause of inconvenience towards performance. Hang said that, having good time management behaviour is crucial in developing my personal ability to start working effectively with those around me.
Managing my time at my place of work will require that I come up with appropriate strategies and plans. Therefore, in order to achieve my goal, I will ensure that I set aside eight hours or more to have enough sleep time. A recent study conducted by Kenny (2014) found a positive correlation between the level of sleep and time management. For example, after collecting data from a sample of 136 respondents, the study found that a majority of people who set aside enough time to sleep at night, they had enough time of waking up to plan their daily roles. Consequently, majority of respondents that managed their time properly ended up achieving positive performance at their places of work. Similarly, a study conducted by Kristen (2015) found that that more than 40 people out of 300 were chronically late when managing their time. All the respondents had a habit of sleeping late past midnight and having difficulties waking up in the morning to plan for their day work.
I have managed to request my supervisor to assess my time management. I have undertaken such an approach with the understanding that external evaluators can provide a better evaluation of my progress. The fact that I have received positive feedback from my supervisor is a good indicator that I am able to manage myself in meeting my goals. Among the areas of evaluation for example, my supervisor looked at the time of arrival, my performance, and the time of leaving my work station in the evening. In addition, my supervisors indicated that I had improved in the manner I am able to engage in discussions.
Besides, my greatest weakness has always been failing to understand how to manage time. Some time I have found myself postponing some of my jobs until the following day or carrying my laptop from my place of work. While I would like to wake up early enough in order to arrive before I get held up in traffic, sometime I have found myself getting late. This has been occurring to me at the start of the week. Nonetheless, I will try to adopt a strategy proposed by Robbins, et al (2015). Robbins, et al recommend that time management can follow a three stage approach – knowing it, planning it, and doing it. During knowing it for example, one needs to have full knowledge about what is urgent and of high priority. The first process will require getting to understand what is urgent and of priority to accomplish during the day. The second step would involve planning it. According to the author for example, is that knowing the right content and being on top of what to accomplish helps one in separating the challenges likely to come up at the place of work. The fact that my workplace is likely to show a number of challenges, I will now need to be robust in scheduling my daily tasks. The third and last stage requires doing it. According to the author, is that the really content of the work to be completed could be stifled through unimportant trivia that keeps interrupting is whenever we want to execute pending jobs.
Goal TWO: Work with one’s own and other cultures and diverse perspectives in professional settings
Working among diversified groups. It is critical to point out that my current workplace entails diversity. Management has recruited different categories of people that come from different cultural and historical backgrounds. Currently, there are people from China, Britain, America, Italy, and Africa Americans. Such diversity has exposed to different aspects that we had never come across such as religion, language, ethnicity, values, norms, and behaviours. Even though I do not understand every language, it is critical to point out that it is better working in such a diversified environment than a heterogeneous environment.
I have planned to initiate cross cultural communication. The approach will assist me not only learn but also interact with staff from diverse background. Robbins and Judge (2013) explain that we cannot all travel using the same means of transportation. This could be translated to mean that even though we came from different races across the globe, we have blessings to come from different cultures that shape our language, behaviours, values, and norms. However, we can still manage to work in one organization. Furthermore, I will talk to friendly people from different ethnic groups who speak different languages to start teaching me simple words and signs.
My planned actions involved initiating cross-cultural communication that would enable me interacts effectively with other members working in different departments. My actions have made me make great steps towards communicating with other members that come from different cultural background. For example, I have learnt the best way to develop cultural sensitivity. For example, when I act as a sender of the message, I ensure that I understand other employees supposed to receive the message. I then encode the message in such a way that other employees can understand the final meaning (Deresky, 2014). Currently, I am in a position to understand that cultural sensitivity requires me to acknowledge other employees, their context, and the manner in which they are likely to respond to the context. Some of the key things I have learnt include not using slangs, slowing down, talking small, dressing up well, and speaking lower and slower.
Second, I am in a position to carefully encode messages when communicating with other staff members. Robbins and Judge (2013) explain that when it comes to translating the intended meaning into symbols to achieve cross-cultural communication, it is always important for the sender of the message to apply gestures, pictures, and words. Of course, I understand that training in language is invaluable. However, as an administrator, I ensure that I avoid using regional sayings as well as idioms when translating to other staff members who understand little of English language.
The most practical way that I have found myself doing this is using nonverbal language. Just as explained by Deresky (2014), is that language translation forms one of the process of encoding messages. During the encoding process when holding meetings, briefings, and enquiries with other employees, I always ensure that I achieve congruence between the verbal and nonverbal messages. I try as much as possible to remain objective and avoid depending on my personal interpretation. I remember that in a meeting concerning discussing with the project members, I had to give them my written summaries of verbal presentations and apply visual aids like pictures and graphs. Besides, I tend to move slowly, wait, and consider taking cues from employees.
I now understand on how to select the best mode of transmitting my messages. Deresky (2014) explain that the type of the medium one selects must be determined by the nature of message itself, the degree of importance, the context, as well as what the receive expects, and among other aspects. In most cases for example, I have found myself using instant messaging (IM), face-to-face conversations, videoconferences, telephone calls, meetings, reports, and emails. I use these modes because of the nature of the departments in the company.
Nonetheless, I am encountering some few issues that seem to prevent me from making progress. One of the issues involves barriers coming from semantics. I understand that words have different meanings to people that come from different cultures. The second issue comes from word connotations. This involves words implying different things in varying languages. For instance, when negotiating with other members from other countries, I find myself not able to move on. A word such as hai in Japanese implies “yes,” however; its connotation implies “yes, I am listening to you” instead of, “yes, I agree.”
C. Your Co-operative Education Placement Organisation and the environment it operates in: being critical enquirers and creative problem solvers.
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The aim of Section C is as follows: · To critically examine the impact of a current event or issue from your media log relating to your organisation · To reflect on your integration into your organisation · To provide evidence and discuss your personal work environment |
In this section you must:
· Support your answers with examples and evidence and reference using APA 6th Ed.
THE TASK:
The company belongs to energy supply sector.
Employee orientation
The event involves designing employee orientation programs that would help create awareness newly recruited employees. The event will be part of socializing new hires in order to make them acquire new knowledge, behaviors, attitude, and skills. Any effective onboarding program will help the company create an opportunity among employees to feel that we have welcomed them. The company will also prepare them using orientation sessions, trainings, information discussions, technology, and videos (Lawson, 2015).
The current internal environmental culture of my organization involves attention to details. For instance, management prefers using attention to detail dimensions to assist them determine expectations of the company from the staff. Currently the company expects that every employee is going to put in a high level of precision in order to analyse data from clients, and draw more attention when collecting data from customers. Based on the fact that the company specializes in gas products and refilling of cylinders, it is expected that management will treat all processes results with a high level of care.
Figure 1: Working in my office
Figure 2: Attending meetings and teamwork to discuss with other colleagues where necessary
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Picture 1 |
Picture 1 above shows my personal workstation as an office administrator. The picture implies that I can be allocated a single office to work alone without other staff around. This is typical in any other company that allocates staff quite time to work alone and accomplish the given responsibilities. Furthermore, while working alone in my office, I will have the responsibilities that will range from; · Managing and arranging for travelling and appointments of office high-level managers. · Managing different phone calls and correspondences such as packages, letters, or e-mails · Use financial, personal, and any other important data to create and update records and databases · Respond to all questions asked by employees that relate to HR issues · Track all office stock and supplies made from the supplies office and make orders where needed · Fulfil all human resource actions by documenting their actions and completing a number of forms, records, and logs · Updating of all internal HR databases · Working in liaison with the payroll department in order to assist them with employee information such as sick days, working schedules, and leaves of absence |
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Picture 2 |
Picture two shows that apart from working alone, my roles might also entail working as a team. As an office administrator, I will participate most of the time liaising with other staff members. I will consider conducting meetings, planning, and discussing forward on how to achieve strategies. Most importantly, engaging other employees will help me achieve my responsibilities as indicated in my job description letter; · Engage other members of the office in order to coordinate office activities and operations that would help secure efficiency and compliance to all policies · Ensure supervision of all administrative staff and divide responsibilities among staff to aid in performance · Assisting my colleagues whenever they need assistance · Ensuring that I supervise all work completed by staff and meeting them to discuss the way forward |
I agree to the following (please tick)
? Permission has been given by my workplace supervisor to provide this these images
? No private or confidential content has been included in these visual images
Note: If permission has not been granted you must describe your personal work environment in 2-3 paragraphs below
PLEASE NOTE: YOU MAY NEED TO RESIZE YOUR IMAGES TO UPLOAD TO BLACKBOARD.
D. Your Topic developing your skills as a critical enquirer and creative problem solver, being knowledgeable in your major field of study by demonstrating the application of knowledge from your major(s) to your Co-operative Education role, placement, or industry
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The aim of Section D is as follows: · To finalise and justify the working title for your topic · To demonstrate progress being made in researching your topic, with evidence of at least 4-5 appropriate resources |
In the Final Report you will be required to critically analyse and evaluate your chosen topic from your discipline perspective. This MUST be applied either to your role and/or your organisation and/or industry sector. This topic should develop your discipline knowledge beyond that acquired in your role and your skills as a critical enquirer and creative problem solver. You must demonstrate comprehensive understanding of your topic through research and apply it to your role and/or industry and/or organisation.
In your Learning Plan you listed your initial ideas on your area of interest from your discipline perspective. This is an opportunity for you to refine your topic and receive feedback from your Academic Supervisor. Your topic will be developed further in Portfolio 2, Oral Brief and Final Report.
Your role, organisation or its industry should provide context or background for your research. You must avoid disclosing any confidential information. You should only draw on secondary research i.e. relevant academic literature for your research and to support your discussion.
In your Learning Plan you identified 2-3 ideas for your topic. Select one idea from the feedback you have received (from your Learning Plan and your Academic Supervisor) and expand on the information you provided.
You must:
· Provide a working title for your topic (this is often best stated as a question)
What are the challenges that contemporary leaders and managers experiences when leading a diversified workplace?
· Provide a rationale for your topic with some detail
The above topic focuses on aspects of leadership management. While we understand that leadership and management are two different things, leadership involves giving directions to employees. Furthermore, they also set vision concerning where the company need to be in future. While on the other hand, managers’ design planning, leading, controlling, and organizing of ways that employees could achieve the set objectives. However, during their functions, leaders and manages work in diversified environment that tend to experience a number of conflicts. It is imperative to stud some of the challenges that leaders and managers experience while leading in contemporary organizations.
· Discuss how your topic is related to either your role, CPO and/or industry
The above topic will be important in understanding the key challenges that face contemporary organizations such as my organization. While companies are different in terms of the areas where the operate and size, one thing that is common in almost every company could be the challenges that leaders and managers experience when leading a diversified workforce. In addition, the above topic will require the use of different management theories. Most importantly, my role as an office administrator will involve interacting with diversified groups of employees that come from varying cultural background as well as historical background that differ in terms of language, values, behaviours, norms, and ethnicity. Even as I purpose to lead a department, this implies that I will be in constant interaction with a diversified team of employees. Understanding such challenges and the best way to counter them will offer me with a strong foundation to achieve positive performance. While at the same time, I will understand the best approaches to strengthen and sustain teamwork in my department.
· Identify and outline the supporting information you have gathered from your research including academic literature from your major. Cite and reference appropriately and add to the reference list at the end of this document. 4-5 authoritative resources are expected (250-350 words).
Patrick and Raj kumar (2012) outline that diversity at work place involves differences among between. Diversity consists of tenure, organizational functions, cognitive style, personality, gender, ethnic group, and race. Thus, diversity management involves the process that managers and leaders use when they want to create and maintain a health work environment where individuals value differences that exist amongst themselves. Patrick and Raj Kumar identified the following as barriers and challenges of managing diversified group; prejudice, discrimination, ethnocentric, stereotype, blaming the victim, backlash, and harassment. Strategies to deal with workplace conflict in a diversified group include increasing awareness and inclusivity.
Green, et al (20120 explain that major challenges that face managers in diversified groups are lose in personality, legal actions against organizations, complaints, lose in productivity. Furthermore, the study identified negative barriers and behaviours, discrimination, prejudice, and stereotype.
Nowacka (2017) focuses on challenges that occur among the contemporary organizations and managers. The findings revealed that intergenerational isolation occurring among staff from varying generations might lack a common ground. When this happens, it is likely to affect how managers create a healthy workplace environment as well as a positive organization that support positive performance. Consequently, this contributes towards lack of knowledge, fear, prejudice, and stereotypical thinking.
Robbins and Judge (2013); Nowacka (2017) recommend that managers can lead in such companies by creating a productive cooperation among intergenerational staff. Managers need to ensure that there occurs an appropriate work environment. Furthermore, managers also need to create opportunities and chances that allow mutual cooperation among staff from different ages.
References:
Refer to AUT Library on APA 6th: https://aut.ac.nz.libguides.com/APA6th
Deresky, H. (2014). International management: Managing across borders and cultures, (8th ed). Pearson
Doh, J, Husted, BW, & Yang, X. (2016). Guest Editors’ Introduction: Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Developing Country Multinationals. Business Ethics Quarterly, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 301-315.
Gimenez-Espin, J, Jiménez-Jiménez, D, & Martínez-Costa, M. (2013). Organizational culture for total quality management. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 24, 5/6, pp. 678-692,
Green, K, Lopez, M, Wysocki, A, Kepner, K, Farnsworh, D, & Clark, J. (2012). Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges, and the Required Managerial Tools. IFAS Extension University of Florida, pp. 1-3
Kenny, G. (2014). Thinking strategically: Your company’s purpose is not its vision, mission, or values. Harvard Business Review
Khosla, A. (2015). Impact of Organisational Culture on Organisational Performance. Journal Of Institute Of Public Enterprise, 38, 1/2, pp. 150-164
Kristen, J. (2015). Stakeholders theory- how they influence the business policy. Scholedge International Journal of Business Policy & Governance, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 14-17.
Kummerow, E, Ying, L, & Kirby, N. (2014). Organisational Culture: Concept, Context, And Measurement (In Two Volumes), New Jersey: World Scientific, eBook Collection
Kuusela, K. (2012). Diversity management –challenges and possibilities. Metropolia University of Applied Sciences Programme in Economics and Business Administration
Lawson, K. (2015). New employee orientation training. Association of Talent Development
Nowacka, M. (2017). Managing age diversity in the workplace –a challenge for contemporary organizations and managers. Vol. 1, No. 2, 113-132, June2017
Patrick, A, H., & Raj Kumar, V. (2012). Managing workplace diversity: Issues and challenges. SAGE OPEN, April-June 2012: 1–15
Robbins, P. S., and Judge, A, T. (2013). Organizational behaviour (15th ed). Pearson. https://bba12.weebly.com/uploads/9/4/2/8/9428277/organizational_behavior_15e_-_stephen_p_robbins__timothy_a_judge_pdf_qwerty.pdf
Robbins, S, De Cenzo, D, Coulter, M & Woods, M. (2015). Management: The essentials (3rd ed). Pearson Australia
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