London Churchill College

ASSESSMENT FRONT SHEET

Programme: BTEC Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business

Unit Number: Unit 13
Unit Title: Personal and Professional Development
Unit code: T/601/0943
QCF Level: 5
Tutor Name: Matthew Noble
Email: m.noble@londonchurchillcollege.co.uk

Learner’s name and statement of authenticity

Learner’s Name: …………….. Learner’s ID: Date handed-in:

I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own. Where the work of others has been used to support
my work then credit has been acknowledged.

Signature: ……………………. Date: ……………

Key dates

Distribution date: 14/09/2015

Submission date: 07/12/2015
Return date: 4 weeks after submission

Introduction

The aims of this assignment are to measure the outcome of students’ learning in terms of
knowledge acquired, understanding developed and skills or abilities gained in relation to achieve
the learning outcomes. The assignment is comprised of several short essays to be written in
response to the instructions provided.

The beginning of each section should outline a general introduction to the broad topic with the
objective of providing a contextual background to the areas of discussion to follow. Relevant
references and academic quotes and the use of case examples are required as evidence of
broader reading and research.

This unit aims to help the learner become an effective and confident self-directed employee. This
helps the learner become confident in managing own personal and professional skills to achieve
personal and career goals.

ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENT:

This Assignment contains various class activities directed by your tutor. Students should attend
all of those class activities and are expected to submit work done as part of those class activities
and homework within their final submission.

Student Guidelines

BTEC HND in Business/ Unit 13: Personal and Professional Development / September 15 Page 1
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1. You should write this assignment in report style, although a formal report structure will
not be required.

2. Any text that is directly quoted (verbatim) from the Internet or other sources should be
clearly identified as such, e.g. Orwell (1948) wrote:

“’’It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen"”.

Please bear in mind that it is your own original writing, rather than direct quotes, that will
gain marks.

3. You should include a list of references to all cited sources using the Harvard referencing
system along with a bibliography if appropriate.
For further information on the Harvard Referencing System see;
http://efn.hud.ac.uk/studyskills/referen.html

4. Word limit: 2000 words.

LO1 (Task 01)

1.1, 1.2 & 1.3:

“Self-managed learning is something that managers should do and there are many
resources available to help them with this.”

Give reasons why you agree or disagree with this statement.

LO2 (Task 02)

2.1 What skills/knowledge do you already have and what skills/knowledge do you/will you
need? How did you decide this? Refer to yourself as well as either professional standards
or organisational objectives.

2.2, 2.3 & 2.4:

Devise a development plan for the skills you need. This must include activities for your
development both now and in the future.

LO3 (Task 03)

3.1 What happened when you came to carry out the “actions” you planned to take to further
your development? What issues did you encounter in attempting to do this? Discuss the
practical challenges you faced.

3.2 and 3.3:

How successful were these activities in helping you achieve your aims? If you could go
back and make your plan again how would it be different and why? Give logical reasons.

BTEC HND in Business/ Unit 13: Personal and Professional Development / September 15 Page 2
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3.4 What did you then do to change/develop your original plan? Explain this specifically in
relation to feedback you received and/or your answer to 3.2 & 3.3 above.

LO4 (Task 04)

4.1 Problem Solving

Think of a problem you believe should be addressed. (Ideally, the problem would be one
you have experienced in an organization for which you work or have worked.
Alternatively, it could be a problem you have experienced in the college.)
Put yourself in the position of a manager who would be responsible for every stage of the
problem solving process. How would you try and solve the problem?
(Explain why you believed the problem needed addressing and what you would do at
each stage in the process of solving it).

4.2 Communication

Produce three business emails which show that you can communicate in a variety of
styles and an appropriate manner at various levels. For example, one could be
persuasive, another one could be apologetic, and another could be for confirmation. You
should write them to different recipients. For example, one to a manager, one to a
customer, and one to an employee.

4.3 Time Management

Explain, using specific examples, how you manage your time effectively. For each
strategy you identify you should say why this is effective.

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In addition to the above PASS criteria, this assignment gives you the opportunity to submit
evidence in order to achieve the following MERIT and DISTINCTION grades
Grade Descriptor Indicative characteristic/s Contextualization
M1  Effective judgments have been To achieve M1 you need to
Identify and apply made show that:
strategies to find  Complex problems with more Ideally using theory: you
appropriate than one variable have been carefully explained the criteria
solutions explored you used to analyze and
 An effective approach to study evaluate different options
and research has been available to you when making
applied. decisions and why you chose
these criteria over others. For
example cost or speed.
M2  Relevant theories and To achieve M2, you will need to
Select / design and techniques have been applied show that:
apply appropriate  A range of methods and
methods / techniques have been applied
You identified your preferred
techniques  A range of source information learning style using the Honey
has been used & Mumford model and
 The selection of methods and explained clearly how this
techniques/sources has been impacted your planning.
justified
 The design of
methods/techniques has been
justified
 Complex information/data has
been synthesised and
processed
 Appropriate learning
methods/techniques have
been applied.
M3 Communication is appropriate for To achieve M3 the work you
Present and familiar and unfamiliar audiences and will need to:
communicate appropriate media have been used.
appropriate Present a current or future
findings version of your Curriculum Vitae
in an appropriate professional
format and highlight those parts
which are derived from your
personal and professional
development, as described
above.

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D1  Conclusions have been To achieve D1 you will need

Use critical arrived at through synthesis of to:
reflection to ideas and have been justified
evaluate own work  The validity of results has Explain, using theory and
and justify valid been evaluated using defined terminology, how your
conclusions criteria comments in answer to 3.3
 Self-criticism of approach has amount to effective “critical
taken place reflection”. (You would need to
 Realistic improvements have show that you understand the
been proposed meaning of “critical reflection”
and have consciously used
critical reflection in answer to
3.3.)

D2  Autonomy/independence has To achieve D2 you will have to:

Take responsibility been demonstrated
for managing and  Substantial activities, projects Show that you have taken
organizing or investigations have been responsibility for managing and
activities planned, managed and organising your activities
organized throughout the assignment by
 Activities have been managed employing an attractive table of
 The unforeseen has been contents, using an academic
accommodated referencing method well, and
 The importance of demonstrating an effective
interdependence has been approach to conducting
recognized and achieved. independent research and
presenting and explaining the
findings.
D3  Ideas have been generated and To achieve D3 you will have
Demonstrate decisions taken to:
convergent /lateral  Self-evaluation has taken place
/ creative thinking  Convergent and lateral thinking Draw attention to, and explain,
has been applied at least one way in which the
 Problems have been solved structure or presentation of your
 Innovation and creative through PDP employs either an original
throughout idea of yours or one something
 Receptiveness to new ideas is valuable that you have imported
evident from another type of planning
 Effective thinking has taken and which is not traditionally

BTEC HND in Business/ Unit 13: Personal and Professional Development / September 15 Page 5
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place in unfamiliar contexts. used in development planning.

Assignment submission instructions

1. Go to the following website: www.submit.ac.uk

2. Click on “Create an Account”
3. At the bottom of the page you will find a list: Students, Instructor, Teaching assistant. Click
on “Student”
4. On the new page you will have to provide this information:
 Class ID
 Class enrolment password
 Your first name
 Your last name
 Email address
 Your password (it must be 6-12 characters long and contain at least one letter and
one number)
 Select a secret question and write down your answer

5. Click on “I agree –Create Profile”

6. Done.
a. You are now registered and can enrol into other classes. In order to do that, click
on “Enrol in a class”. Enter Class ID and Enrolment password for that subject.
7. Please make sure you download and attach an assignment cover page from the e-
learning. Cover page can be found under “Instructions” tab of the student area (e-
learning).

If you still have any questions or need any help, please visit our Academic office.

Achievement of a pass grade

A pass grade is achieved by meeting all the requirements defined in the assessment criteria for
each individual unit.
Achievement of a merit or distinction grade
All the assessment criteria and merit grade descriptors need to be completed within a unit to
achieve a merit grade. All the assessment criteria, merit and distinction grade descriptors must be
completed within a unit to achieve a distinction grade.
Plagiarism and Collusion
Any act of plagiarism and collusion will be seriously dealt with according to the regulations. In this
context the definition and scope of plagiarism are presented below:
“Using the work of others without acknowledging source of information or inspiration. Even if the
words are changed or sentences are put in different order, the result is still plagiarism” (Cortell
2003).
Collusion describes as the submission of work produced in collaboration for an assignment based
on the assessment of individual work. When one person shares his/her work with others who
submit part or all of it as their own work.

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Extension and Late Submission

If you need an extension for a valid reason, you must request one using a coursework extension
request form available from the college. Please note that the lecturers do not have the authority
to extend the coursework deadlines and therefore do not ask them to award a coursework
extension. The completed form must be accompanied by evidence such as a medical certificate
in the event of you being sick.
Support materials

Textbooks
Sufficient library resources should be available to enable learners to achieve this unit.
Particularly relevant texts are:
Adair J — Effective Leadership (Pan Books, 1988) ISBN: 0330302302
Adair J — Effective Time Management (Pan Books, 1989) ISBN: 0330302299
Hartley P — Interpersonal Communication (Routledge, 1993)
Dubrin A — 10 Minute Guide to Leadership (John Wiley & Sons, 1997) ISBN: 0028614062
Glass N — Management Masterclass: A Practical guide to the New Realities of Business
(Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 1996) ISBN: 1857881079
Godefroy and Clark — The Complete Time Management System (Piatkus, 1990)
ISBN: 0749910445
Jay — How to Write Proposals and Reports That Get Results (FT Prentice Hall 2000)
ISBN: 0273622021
Mullins — Management and Organisational Behaviour (Pitman Publishing, 1996)
ISBN: 0415013852
Perkins — Killer CVs and Hidden Approaches (FT Prentice Hall 2001) ISBN: 027365246X
Journals
Harvard Business Review (Harvard Business Publishing)
Harvard Referencing System
We expect students to use the alphabetical or name-date method known as the HARVARD
system. There are two parts in this system:
1. Citation within text or body of the report:
In this the author's surname and year of publication are cited in the text, e.g. (Bond, 2004).
2. Reference List:
A reference list (of these citations) is included at the end of the assignment, in alphabetical order
by author. The reference list also includes additional details such as the title and publisher.
A bibliography lists relevant items that you have used in the preparation of the assignment but
not cited in your text. A bibliography should also be in the Harvard style and the inclusion of such
a list shows that you have read widely beyond the items you have cited.
Examples of citation within text or body of the report:
1. Cormack (1994, p.32-33) states that................

2. ............ This view has been supported in the work of Cormack (1994, p.32-33).
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3. Jones (1946) and Smith (1948) have both shown……

4. Corporate Author: 1st citation: Royal College of Nursing (RCN), 2007 2nd citation: RCN, 2007

Examples of listings in reference list:

1. Books with one author:
Redman, P., 2006. Good essay writing: a social sciences guide. 3rd ed. London: Open University
in assoc. with Sage.
2. Books with two, three or four authors:
The required elements for a reference are: Authors, Initials, Year. Title of book. Edition. Place:
Publisher
Kirk, J. & Munday, R.J., 1988. Narrative analysis. 3rd ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Page 11 of 12 BTEC HND in Business/ Managing Human Resources/May 2013
3. Books with more than four authors:
For books where there are more than four authors, use the first author only with surname and
initials followed by ―et al‖. The required elements for a reference are:
Author, Initials., Year. Title of book. Edition. (only include this if not the first edition) Place:
Publisher
Grace, B. et al., 1988. A history of the world. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
4. E-books
For e-books the required elements for a reference are :
Author, Year, title of book. [type of medium] Place of publication: Publisher
Fishman, R., 2005. The rise and fall of suburbia. [e-book]. Chester: Castle Press.
If available at website: Fishman, R., 2005. The rise and fall of suburbia. [e-book]. Chester: Castle
Press.
Available at: libweb.anglia.ac.uk / E-books [accessed 5 June 2005].
5. Journal articles
Author, Initials., Year. Title of article. Full Title of Journal, Volume number (Issue/Part number),
Page numbers.
Perry, C., 2001. What health care assistants know about clean hands. Nursing Times, 97(22),
p.63-64.
6. Newspaper articles
Author, Initials., Year. Title of article. Full Title of Newspaper Day and month before page
numbers of article.
Slapper, G., 2005. Corporate manslaughter: new issues for lawyers. The Times, 3 Sep. p.4-5.
3. Books with more than four authors:
For books where there are more than four authors, use the first author only with surname and
initials followed by ―et al‖.
The required elements for a reference are:
Author, Initials., Year. Title of book. Edition. (only include this if not the first edition) Place:
Publisher
Grace, B. et al., 1988. A history of the world. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
4. E-books
For e-books the required elements for a reference are :
Author, Year, title of book. [type of medium] Place of publication: Publisher
Fishman, R., 2005. The rise and fall of suburbia. [e-book]. Chester: Castle Press.
If available at website:
Fishman, R., 2005. The rise and fall of suburbia. [e-book]. Chester: Castle Press.
Available at: libweb.anglia.ac.uk / E-books [accessed 5 June 2005].
5. Journal articles

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Author, Initials., Year. Title of article. Full Title of Journal, Volume number (Issue/Part number),
Page numbers.
Perry, C., 2001. What health care assistants know about clean hands. Nursing Times, 97(22),
p.63-64.
6. Newspaper articles
Author, Initials., Year. Title of article. Full Title of Newspaper Day and month before page
numbers of article.
Slapper, G., 2005. Corporate manslaughter: new issues for lawyers. The Times, 3 Sep. p.4-5.
7. Journal articles from an electronic source
Boughton, J.M., 2002. The Bretton Woods proposal: an indepth look. Political Science Quarterly,
[online]. 42 (6), Available at: http://www.pol.upenn/articles (Blackwell Science Synergy) [accessed
12 June 2005].
8. Internet
National electronic Library for Health. 2003. Can walking make you slimmer and healthier?
(Hitting the headlines article) [Online]. (Updated 16 Jan 2005) Available at:
http://www.nhs.uk.hth.walking [accessed 10 April 2005].
The title of a web page is normally the main heading on the page.

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