Developmental                
 

 
e-­‐portfolio  
BUSINESS  SKILLS  FOR  LEADERSHIP  
  –  MAN127  
 

Gloria  Mastromauro    
 

Student  ID:  Q10488367  

 
Contents

1.0  Introduction  ...................................................................................................................................  2  

2.0  Essential Postgraduate Study Skills  ............................................................................................  5  

3.0 Professional Identity  ....................................................................................................................  8  

4.0 Stress Management  .....................................................................................................................  10  

5.0 IT Skills  .........................................................................................................................................  12  

6.0  Conclusion  ....................................................................................................................................  14  

References  ..........................................................................................................................................  16  

Appendix 1.0 – Critical Thinking Factsheet  ...................................................................................  20  

Appendix 1.1 – Critical Thinking Video  ......................................................................................  22  

Appendix 1.2 – Critical Questions  ...............................................................................................  22  

Appendix 2.0 - CPD  ...........................................................................................................................  24  

Appendix 2.1 – SWOT Analysis  .....................................................................................................  25  

Appendix 2.2 – ESE Test  ...............................................................................................................  27  

Appendix 3.0 – 5 Stage Model (Gross)  ............................................................................................  29  

Appendix 4.0 – Google Calendar  .....................................................................................................  31  

Appendix 4.1 – David Allen’s Diagram  ........................................................................................  33  

Appendix 4.2 – BBC Scotland  .......................................................................................................  34  

Appendix 4.3 – Yoga App  ..............................................................................................................  34  

Appendix 5.0 – Excel Spreadsheets  ................................................................................................  35  

Appendix 5.1 – Online Blog  ..........................................................................................................  38  

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1.0 Introduction
 

In this developmental portfolio I will reflect critically on four areas of study

undertook in this unit, which are: integrated IT skills, essential postgraduate study
skills, professional identity and stress management. I will gather examples from
the course work, case studies and any other relevant experiences or material to
conduct a thorough critical analysis of how these added up to my personal
learning. I will also analyse the relevant literature in order to have a general
theoretical framework with which I can support my arguments and strengthen any
points I make.

The main areas of reflection include personal learning points, which means how
the elements add up to contribute to successful management and leadership and
how I developed my own abilities and the strategies used to do this. Designing and
building a portfolio is a useful way to plan and review personal achievements;
there are many benefits of producing a developmental portfolio, such as:

• Generate a sense of achievement

• Carry out in depth self-evaluation
• Strengthen understanding of myself as a practitioner
• Allows me to become more critical

(Ramsay and Sweet 2008)

The framework I have chosen to apply to reflect back and analyse the four areas of
study is Gibb’s reflective cycle (See Figure 1 below). Using this model has proved
to be really effective because it has allowed me to learn from my experiences by
analysing and evaluating them. As a matter of fact, as Williams et al. (2013) state
reflective practice is a means to effectively unite theory with practice, by
developing learning and knowledge.

A fundamental characteristic of reflective learning is that it is a process through

which people can learn more about themselves (Forrest 2008). Following Gibb’s
reflective cycle I will go through six stages during my reflection, which are: the
description of what happened and what that made me think about, evaluating
what was good and what was bad about the experience, analysing the situation,

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looking for what I could have improved and finally prepare an action plan of what I
would fix to do better in the future.

Figure  1.  Gibb's  Reflective  Cycle  (1988)

The first area of study I’ve chosen to reflect upon is essential postgraduate study
skills, because these represent some of the main aims that postgraduate students
should strive for and develop (Davies 2011). The pillar and foundation of these
skills is critical thinking, which is the ability to evaluate an issue and find a
solution to it. The word critical refers to the fact that a thoughtful process is
applied and every option is weighted up as part of the procedure (McMillan and
Weyers 2013).

Critical thinking also enhances other skills and is the basis for successful continuing
professional development (Arp and Watson 2015). For this reason the second area
of study I decided to analyse is how I developed my professional identity. A
fundamental part of this process is enhancing self-management skills and stress
management, which I will talk about in more detail in the section. In the modern
world it is almost impossible to not experience stress in the workplace; for this
reason there are some techniques that are helpful to reduce the level of pressure

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and anxiety. Each individual has to find the strategy or ‘quick fix’ that works for
him/her (Eisen et al. 2008).

Another skill I developed thanks to one of the university lectures is IT, which is a
very important skillset to have for leaders who want to be in an advantageous
position by understanding the forces that are changing the landscape of work. As a
matter of fact, although some characteristics of what makes a good leader are
common to both a good leader and a good leader in the digital world, some of
them are still different. For example it is important to have a good knowledge and
competency with digital technologies to succeed as a leader nowadays and be
aware of what image you show of yourself on social media (Trilling and Fadel
2012). I have learnt to develop a professional social media profile e.g. LinkedIn, in
order to exploit the advantages of these platforms to impress employers.

The next section will deal with essential postgraduate study skills because, since
they are the pillars of master level studies, it is important to develop them first
before moving on to different ones.

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2.0 Essential Postgraduate Study Skills
 

Essential postgraduate study skills are undoubtedly very useful for students but
developing them is also beneficial in the workplace (Currie 2005). One of the
aspects I improved through my time at university is critical reading, which has
helped me a lot in terms of the time I spent conducting research. By becoming
more critical in your reading you spend less time reading yet learn more in the
process (Cameron 2009). During the times in which I struggled due to imminent
deadlines and not enough time to read all the textbooks I wanted to, I decided to
use a simple technique to speed up the reading process and find relevant
references and quotes, instead of wasting time scanning through irrelevant
material. This tool is called SQ3R (the acronym stands for Survey, Question, Read,
Recall, Review), and it is a well-known strategy that I applied to all the different
types of reading (See Figure 2).

Figure  2.  Study  Skills:  SQ3R  (1946)

In the first stage you scan the material by reading the introduction of the chapter,
the headings, subheadings and summary, in order to have all the background

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information you need to make a judgement on the text (Passaglia 2003). The
second part is to ask yourself the following questions, in order to have a purpose
and be more active in your reading.

• What do I already know about this subject?

• How does this chapter relate to the assignment question?
• How can I relate what I read to my own experiences?

(Skills You Need 2015)

Then just read, recall the main points so you don’t forget them (for example I used
the technique of highlighting relevant information with different coloured pens
and take notes by paraphrasing in my own words) and finally review, which is
simply an evaluation of the process. Thinking back and reflecting upon my past
university work I realise that, by using techniques to read critically, I considerably
improved the way in which I conduct my research and also find more relevant
information. This method has significantly helped me find better quality material
and save time to focus on other aspects of the assignment. In the future I will
always use this skill I learnt, as it is not only beneficial, but it also involves
reflection as well as reading, which stimulates the critical thinking process too.

Critical thinking and critical reading are the foundations of learning and personal
development (Andrews 2007). To develop my critical thinking I found that
watching a video that the university posted on the Mycourse page and reading a
booklet on the Solent critical thinking method was very beneficial (See Appendix
1.0 and 1.1). Using these tools has now become a habit for me, and in
retrospective I can see how much they have benefitted me compared to when I
used to just accept what authors said.

After developing critical thinking skills, the next step is to apply these to written
work, which can be considered a continuation of critical reading. It is essential to
be critical when writing up an assignment because, when carrying out a great
number of reading the attention can be drawn on different viewpoints, and from
these bias can be an issue (Bowell and Kemp 2010). For this reason, upon
reflection, I found that being critical and balance various authors’ opinions is the

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best way to support my own argument, by presenting their strengths and
weaknesses, striving to be open-minded, and justifying my argument.

I also discovered a relevant diagram in the second lecture of the Business Skills for
Leadership unit (See Figure 3.0), which places extra emphasis on the importance
of justifying everything side-by-side.

Figure  3.  Essential  Skills  for  Postgraduate  Study  and  Beyond  (2015)

Thinking independently is a further aspect of being critical, and an essential

postgraduate skill. According to Watson and Reissner (2014) postgraduate students
are expected to think independently, meaning that they should be able to
scrutinise materials such as case studies, presentations etc. that are not only their
own work, but also other people’s. To be able to do that, after reading chapter 2
of these authors’ book, I realised I needed to further develop my critical mind-set.
So reflecting back on my undergraduate work I looked at some of the essays I
produced in the past years and asked myself some critical questions (See Appendix
1.3). Keeping a reflective log has also proved to be beneficial for me to learn from
my past mistakes and consider how to avoid repeating them in the future.

In conclusion critical reading, thinking and writing are the foundations of

postgraduate study, CPD, managerial work and leadership (Lau 2011). By
developing these skills I feel more confident as a student and most importantly in
the workplace, as they are really valuable to become a good leader. After

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reflecting back on how I learnt about these essential postgraduate study skills I
improved my CPD plan, which I will deal with in the next section on professional
identity.

3.0 Professional Identity

 

‘Professional identity is defined as one's professional self-concept based on

attributes, beliefs, values, motives, and experiences’ (Ibarra, 1999; Schein,
1978 cited in Slay and Smith 2011).

Developing my professional identity has been an important journey which is still in

progress, as a matter of fact I have used a tool throughout my years at university
which is an action plan for my CPD (continuing professional development) to help
me with planning and achieving my goals. A CPD is a useful technique to help
maximise someone’s potential and it is based on setting SMART objectives
(Friedman 2013). I have written up one every year to compare how things have
changed and what of the things I had planned to do I have actually done. As you
can see from my latest CPD (See Appendix 2.0), I started by analysing my current
situation, then moved on onto my career goals and achievements, I have analysed
the possible issues and devised a timeline as a plan of action (See Figure 4).

Figure  4.  CPD  Cycle

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Reflecting upon the advantages of writing up my CPD I realised that it helped me
in many ways. First of all it enabled me to build my confidence and credibility by
seeing my progression step by step and things I achieved; it also proved to be a
beneficial tool for my training and development, by continually updating my
skillset. As a matter of fact one of the benefits of writing up a CPD is that it
encourages you to be more efficient by reflecting back on your learning experience
and move forward (Bubb and Earley 2007). In the future I will definitely keep using
this tool, which is more beneficial when it is a continuous process, so that it
empowers individuals to be in control of how they fulfil their objectives and when
they want to achieve them (Megginson and Whitaker 2003).

Another way in which I developed my professional identity was by using a SWOT

(strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis (See Appendix 2.1).
This tool is very helpful to focus on your strengths, minimise your weaknesses, take
advantage of opportunities you have identified and turning threats into possible
opportunities (Jones and Loftus 2009). In conjunction with the SWOT analysis I
have taken the ESE (Employability Self Evaluation) test, which was worthwhile as it
encouraged me to become more aware of all the different aspects that surround
employability and to think of ways in which I can develop myself in these areas
(See Appendix 2.2).

With hindsight these tools have proved to be a beneficial way for me to start
developing my professional identity, in fact they have enabled me to identify my
weaknesses and strengths and how I can use them in terms of employment. In the
future I will keep exploiting these to always be aware of the possibilities I can use
to my advantage and the threats I have to work on to turn into strengths.

Developing self-awareness is also an important part of how I grew my professional

identity. Lash (2002) identified that great leaders possess the capacities of self-
reflection and insight and most of all, the ability to control their emotions. The
way in which I did this was by writing a reflective log, which helped me keep a
record of how I was feeling in certain situations, analyse what I did to address
these emotions and critically look back at how I felt after it had happened. As for
the way in which I tried to control my emotions, I decided to use the 5-stage
model developed by Gross (2001), with a particular focus on the last step of

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changing your response (See Appendix 3.0). Practically this meant that whenever I
felt negative emotions I took deep breaths and closed my eyes for a few seconds; I
found that thinking about why I felt that negative emotion for a few seconds
helped calm me down. Looking back, knowing my emotional triggers proved to be
very beneficial to avoid facing problems and negative emotions and in the future,
with more practice, I believe I will be able to control my feelings better and turn
negative emotions into positive ones.

4.0 Stress Management

 

‘The difficulty with stress is both understanding when it is present and

calibrating how much of it there is’ (Theobald and Cooper 2011, p. 23).

Stress is a personal factor that affects each individual differently and it is

circumstantial, meaning that sometimes it is easy to manage, while other times it
is really hard to cope with. Recognising stress in us and other people, as well as
finding ways to manage it, is a fundamental part of any manager’s job (Sears
2014). I found that learning how to identify and manage my stress has proved to be
very beneficial during my time at university, as it helped me cope with the
pressure of assignments deadlines and planning. There are two types of strategies
to keep stress under control: quick fixes and longer-term fixers. One quick fix I
used was to plan a daily to do list beforehand (See Appendix 4.0); organising my
work in advance helped me stress out less, because I was able to keep track of
what I got done each day and make sure I was meeting every deadline.

Colour coding and mind mapping were also tools I used to make doing work easier,
as they help make connections and see the bigger picture (Armstrong 2014). Among
the longer-term fixes I found that using the diagram by David Allen on getting
things done was very helpful in organising my work in order to avoid getting
stressed out (See Appendix 4.1). Another long-term strategy I used to manage
stress was the Stephen Covey’s second quadrant technique, which was worthwhile
to use for managing my time and work, meaning that I avoided getting too stressed
out (See Figure 5 below).

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Figure  5.  Stephen  Covey’s  Second  Quadrant  

Time management is a very important skill to develop in order to be able to

manage stress more efficiently (Hafner et al. 2014); as a matter of fact by using
techniques to plan my work and organise my time I realised that I was getting less
stressed out and overwhelmed by my emotions. In the future I will keep using
Google calendar to plan and schedule my work and organise what I have to do in
order of priority. Another useful source I used to learn how to keep my stress
under control was the brain smart initiative on the BBC Scotland’s website (See
Appendix 4.2). The use of games, as well as brainteasers was a good way of
managing stress and understanding the causes of it.

By reflecting upon the causes of my stress at university I realised that the events
that caused it mostly for me were the arguments I had while leaving in a shared
accommodation and the pressure of meeting all the deadlines on time. As for the
first one I decided to express myself and talk about it by moaning about my
housemates to my family and friends; in fact as Losyk (2005) states, acknowledging
a problem and releasing emotions by crying or moaning about them represents a
first step to overcoming them. As for the second problem I realised that among the

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quick fixes I could use going to the gym to release the stress and pressure and
download a yoga app to calm me down and exercise every day (See Appendix 4.3).

Stress can impact the way in which we work and can have a serious repercussion
not only on our career, but also on our relationships (Lehrer et al. 2007). As
Hiriyappa (2013) said, the first step to manage stress is to understand where it is
coming from. By looking back on my time at university, during my undergraduate
course I used to get stressed out really easily. With hindsight using the stress
management tools mentioned above helped me achieve better results and be
physically healthier. In the future I will continue using both long term and quick
fixes in order to keep my stress under control and monitor my emotions. Being able
to manage stress is an important skill for a leader and after developing this the
next section deals with IT skills.

5.0 IT Skills

IT is a fundamental resource that enables organisations to work across the world

and managers and employees both need to know how to use information
technology in order to complete their daily jobs (Clarke 2005). In this section I will
reflect on the importance of developing IT skills for effective management and
leadership. Nowadays technology is everywhere and developing IT skills is very
important to access information efficiently and manage your social media presence
(Scollard 2007).

Microsoft Excel is perhaps one of the most required software in every workplace,
and for this reason it is very important for every leader to know how to use it to
complete everyday functional tasks (Fairhurst 2015). Looking back at my two work
placements last summer I understand how important it is to know how to create
and update Excel spreadsheets as well as turning data into charts. I found that the
practical lectures I attended at university this year on IT skills proved to be very
useful to me, as I learnt how to produce excel spreadsheets and I got to complete
various exercises to get used to create charts and histograms (See Appendix 5.0 for
spreadsheets examples).

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Learning how to use Excel allowed me to build charts, to unlock the potential of
various data, compare values and lists, identify trends (with the histograms) and
bring data together in only one place, that can be accessed online from anywhere
(Walkenbach 2011). Because of globalisation and the fact that companies are
becoming more and more international, managers are finding themselves in the
situation of not having a team of people physically in an office, but a virtual team
(Zofi 2012). For this reason it is very important to have the right skills to be able to
manage an international team of people online, by using the latest technology in
order to share information effectively and quickly.

An important part of developing IT skills is to be able to adapt and be change

friendly (Moody 2006). As a matter of fact with all the new channels with which
customers can interact with a brand it is fundamental that the manager knows how
to use them. In order to develop my digital skills I keep up to date my social media
platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc., and I set up a blog last year
with two classmates where we discussed ethical issues. I found that keeping an
online blog helped me stay connected with people in the business world and
interact with them, and one of my blog posts was made blog post of the week by
Behind the Spin, an affirmed PR blog (See Appendix 5.1). In the future I will keep
posting and updating my professional profiles, in order to exploit digital
opportunities to my advantage and make connections.

Successful managers in every organisation have to learn how to use the

technological assets they possess, in order to be able to collect significant
information and data to communicate for strategic planning (Rickaby 2007). The
way in which I developed my IT skills was through practice, and in hindsight the
lecture on how to use Excel was the most beneficial tool for me. This skill added to
my CV will be very valuable and help me in my future career and personal life.

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6.0 Conclusion

In conclusion I can say that the experience gained through writing up this portfolio
is invaluable as it benefited me in terms of giving me both workplace skills and
understanding how to use them. Reflecting back on my experiences, as well as
reading my reflective log, has proved to be a beneficial way to analyse what
achievements I have made and in hindsight see what I could have done differently.
Without doubts the skills I expanded will be handy to me for my future job and in
developing further my continuing professional development. Although I have
written a CPD and carried out a personal SWOT analysis, there are still some
aspects of my future that I’m not entirely sure of and after gaining more work
experience I will be able to complete those.

Looking back I have realised that the most valuable aspect I learnt from writing
this portfolio is the importance of reflection in self-development, particularly in
planning and in terms of overcoming barriers. Looking back at all the lectures I
attended and writing about what I learnt from them mixed with my personal
experiences outside university has helped me see the bigger picture and practically
apply the knowledge and theories studied. It has also assisted me in my journey to
develop myself, providing me with a tool to highlight my weaknesses and
strengths, to understand how to maximise my potential and take advantage of
opportunities.

All four areas of study analysed in this portfolio helped me develop my professional
identity and enrich my skillset. Essential postgraduate study skills were
fundamental to develop for my success at master’s level, as they represent the
pillar of level 7. Critical thinking, critical reading and critical writing were very
important aspects to further expand in order to develop myself personally and
professionally. Secondly understanding the factors that influenced my professional
identity proved to be extremely beneficial, as they showed me what I needed to
do in order to achieve my goals and improve myself. Learning how to recognise and
manage stress was also very crucial to my personal reflection, because previous
episodes of stress prevented me from performing well. Finally learning how to
exploit my IT skills was interesting and useful because it showed me how important

14  
 
these are in today’s world and how fundamental they are to be a successful
leader.

Eventually, reflecting back on the whole experience, I have found that it proved to
be very beneficial and worthwhile, because it forced me to look at specific aspects
of myself I would have never done otherwise. Developing these aspects will be
crucial to my personal growth and professional identity, which is definitely a
process I will continue in the future.

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Appendix 1.0 – Critical Thinking Factsheet

20  
 
  

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Appendix 1.1 – Critical Thinking Video

URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6OLPL5p0fMg

Appendix 1.2 – Critical Questions

 

 
Applying the critical questions to the example of work I produced during my
undergraduate course below has made me realise that I didn’t ask myself these
questions while reading and citing what authors said.

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As a matter of fact, by critically looking at this piece of work I realised that I
wasn’t being critical enough, but merely descriptive.

23  
 
Appendix 2.0 - CPD

Current  situation  (Where  I  am  now:  Academic  achievements,  experience/s  and  strengths)  
MSc  International  Business  Management  student  
Really  enjoying  most  of  the  modules  
Recently  graduated  in  BA(Hons)  Public  Relations  and  Communication  with  a  First  Class  Honours  
degree  
Have  become  more  confident  in  communicating  with  people    
Career  goal/s    (Where  I  want  to  be:  Meaningful  career  goal/s  –  whether  employed  or  self  
employed)  
Currently  considering:  
• Working  abroad  when  I  finish  education  

• Doing  a  PhD  

• Working  in  the  PR/business  sector  

Routes  to  achieve  goal/s  (Main  options,  broad  steps  towards  my  goal/s)  
• Gain  valid  experience  in  the  sector  by  working  in  an  International  agency  abroad  

• Master  degree  –  PhD  (exploring  options)  

• Gain  useful  contacts  by  improving  my  professional  network  

 
Issues  (What’s  stopping  me,  challenges  to  deal  with)  
• Time:  Maybe  it’s  better  to  do  a  PhD  after  gaining  some  relevant  work  experience  in  the  
sector  of  PR/management  

• Finding  the  best  jobs  and  successfully  apply  to  those  

• Deciding  whether  to  gain  experience  first  or  doing  a  PhD  

 
Actions  (Specific/Stretching,  Measurable/Motivating,  Achievable/Agreed,  Realistic,  Time  
bound)  
Action     By  when  
1  Use  some  decision  making  tools  from  www.mindtools.com  to  check  which  goal   10  January  
is  my  current  top  option  
2  Research  and  contact  two  people  currently  studying  for  a  PhD  and  two  people   1  March  
currently  doing  work  experience  abroad  to  see  what  is  best  to  do    
3  Make  two  high  quality  applications  per  month  for  summer  work  placement    End  of  
March-­‐  
Beginning  of  
April  
4  Look  and  apply  for  PhD  or  jobs  abroad   1  June  
 

24
 

 
 Appendix 2.1 – SWOT Analysis
STRENGTHS (Internal, you)
• What do you both do really well?
• What do you really enjoy doing?
• What do others see as your strengths?
• I possess good writing skills; thanks to the
knowledge gained through my undergraduate
and postgraduate courses as well as work
placements I can write good essays, reports,
press releases, and PR campaigns.
• I have got good time management; as a
matter of fact I have good planning skills and
like to organise everything to know how much
time I need to spend on it. Working with live
clients has made me improve my time
management skills as well as in my work
placement, where I had to produce work in a
short time.
• I am creative; I like to think creatively and
outside the box. This skill has proven really
useful in many group projects at university,
at both undergraduate and master’s level.
• I work and communicate well in groups and
got good interpersonal skills (as the ESE test
informs, See Appendix 2.2); I've learnt during
my time at university how to handle group
work as well as individual. In my work
placement I had to communicate to different
groups of people on the phone and face to
face; this has helped me to increase my
confidence.
• I am fluent in two languages, which are
Italian and English. I am currently studying
Spanish and I know a bit of French. Speaking
more than one language is an important skill
when it comes to working in an International
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WEAKNESSES (Internal, you)
• What do you find really difficult?
• What could you improve?
• What are others likely to see as weaknesses?
• I'm not a natural leader; this is one of my
main weaknesses but despite this, I can turn
this weakness in a strength because when I'm
in a situation where I have to be the leader I
will be.
• I don't like confrontation; I get stressed really
easily and can't handle confrontation really
well. After taking the ESE test (See Appendix
2.2) I learnt that resilience is an important
aspect, and learning to face rejection and
confrontation is important.
• Lack of long term relevant work experience;
I've had only two work experiences in the PR
industry last summer, this could become an
opportunity though, to connect to contacts I
have made at my work placements on
LinkedIn.
• Industry knowledge and skills; as the ESE test
results state (See Appendix 2.2) it’s really
important to have a deep knowledge of the
industry you want to work in. However this
can become an opportunity, to demonstrate
to employers that I have undertook work
experience during summer.
 organisation especially, that’s where I hope
to work in the future.
OPPORTUNITIES (External)
• What opportunities are open to you?
• What trends could you take advantage of?
• How can you turn your strengths into
opportunities?
• Attend networking events to feel more
comfortable around people in the work
industry. Attending this kind of events has
proved to be really important because it has
helped me to have an insight in what working
in the industry is like and to make new useful
contacts. The ESE test (See Appendix 2.2)
shows that having a professional and personal
network is really important to build your
credibility.
• Gaining work experience during summer was
a very good start to my career. I need to
continue gaining more experience in the
sector I want to work in particularly.
• Emerging demand for people who speak more
than one language is a good opportunity for
someone who is fluent in more than one
language and is willing to learn others. I could
use my strength of speaking more than one
language and turn it into an opportunity,
when in a job interview the company works
internationally or has offices around the
world.
26
THREATS (External)
• What could stop you achieving your potential?
• What is your competition doing?
• What threats do your weaknesses expose you
to?
• Other people who are better at public
speaking; I am not 100% confident in public
speaking yet, but this can be also an
opportunity. As a matter of fact I can get
better at it by practising and gaining more
work experience.
• Many graduates; there are many graduates
looking for jobs after university and this can
be one of the main threats. However this can
turn into an opportunity, as a matter of fact a
solution to this could be to stand out from the
crowd by showing creativity, a good and
strong CV, and experience in the sector.
• Changing professional standards; the
workplace nowadays demands different skills
from employers that need to adjust to
changes. The skills learnt at university and
work placement are very useful to turn this
threat into a strength.
Appendix 2.2 – ESE Test

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28  
 
Appendix 3.0 – 5 Stage Model (Gross)

29  
 
This 5-step approach is one that you can readily adapt to the most characteristic
situations that cause you trouble. Knowing your emotional triggers can help you
avoid the problems in the first place. Being able to alter your thoughts and
reactions will build your confidence in your own ability to cope (Whitbourne 2015).

Available from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-

age/201502/5-ways-get-your-unwanted-emotions-under-control

30  
 
Appendix 4.0 – Google Calendar

October 2015 – Google Calendar Screenshot

November 2015 – Google Calendar Screenshot

31  
 
December 2015 – Google Calendar Screenshot

January 2016 – Google Calendar Screenshot

32  
 
Appendix 4.1 – David Allen’s Diagram

 
 

   

33  
 
Appendix 4.2 – BBC Scotland

 
 

Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/brainsmart/

 Appendix 4.3 – Yoga App

 
 

34  
 
Appendix 5.0 – Excel Spreadsheets

 
 

35  
 
  
 

 
   

36  
 
  

 
 

 
 

   

37  
 
Appendix 5.1 – Online Blog

 
 

38  
 
  
 

39  
 
  

 
 

Available from:
https://thepursuitofethics.wordpress.com/2014/12/02/cyber-bullying-freedom-of-
expression-or-harassment/

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