Final Reflective Report
The 5,000 word final Reflective Report is a summary of your learning from your iInternship. It should reflect and build on your 10 monthly Learning journal entries submitted as your final assessment.
Your Reflective Report should be structured around the four MBAIB Key Managerial skills.
MBAIB Key Managerial Skills
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Negotiating skills
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Leadership
·
Problem solving
·
Change management
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In order to prepare your Reflective Report (see below) you will need to develop, summarise and add to your Learning Journal entries. The structure of each section is for you to decide – this is Postgraduate study – but students in the past have found the following template helpful. Remember to focus on your learning in relation to a particular skill – which might have developed through several different but related experiences. Do NOT try and catalogue all, or even the most important, experiences you have had during your Internship – this usually results in a ‘fail’.
Structure of a Reflective Report
(Word length ‘guides are indicative only of the maximum length that each section should NORMALLY be. You may vary these at your own discretion but remember that marks are earned for analytical work rather than description)
Introduction (guide 500 words)
Who you are; what are the key skills and abilities you bring to the Internship post; any relevant past experiences?
What does your Internship job involve? Your Job description and person specification (if available) will be key documents here. They may be included as Appendices and should not be included in the Word Count.
Does your organisation have an Appraisal system? Describe it; is it a good one? (What does the literature suggest a ‘good’ appraisal system should look like for an organisation like the one you work for? How does yours compare? Do you agree with the literature or not?) Have you had an Appraisal? What did you learn from the exercise?
What opportunities does the Internship offer for you to develop and demonstrate:-
·
Leadership skills
·
Negotiating skills
·
Problem solving skills
·
Change management skills
Your internship should allow you to develop and demonstrate the four key managerial skills listed above in order to achieve the learning outcomes of the Professional Practice Course.
Each of the skills is open to wide interpretation and your analysis below should relate to your experience of each of the skills in the context of your Internship. Marks will be awarded for depth of understanding (breadth of reading); ability to synthesize models of good practice; ability to analyse your own performance in relation to your model of good practice; ability to draw valid conclusions from your analysis; and make appropriate recommendations for your own and your organisations development. Description should be kept to the minimum necessary to support your analysis.
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Leadership (guide 1,000 words)
In this and the following four sections you must:-
1.
Develop a model of Leadership appropriate to your position in your organisation.
This will involve you in the use of a wide range of sources from the literature. It is usually best to start with the ‘classics’ (usually books) which cover the skill generally and then work through recently published books, refereed journals and web sources to look for literature which discusses the latest developments; particularly in relation to the circumstances and/or industry you are working in.
2.
Analyse your performance in comparison to that suggested by the model you have derived from the literature.
Use whatever evidence you have – your own perceptions of your performance, Appraisal Reports, comments from colleagues, managers, and clients etc to work out your strengths and weaknesses; how you have developed; and what you still need to work on. It is the quality of your analysis (your ability to be a reflective learner) rather than evidence of ‘good’ performance that will earn you marks!
3.
Comment on the usefulness of the model and its appropriateness for you and your organization’s circumstances.
Demonstrate originality and insight by suggesting possible improvements and/or developments for you, your organisation and the model i.e. what research needs to be done to further improve our understanding of this area of managerial practice in this type of organisation.
Negotiating skills (guide 1,000 words)
As for ‘leadership’ above but with reference to Negotiating Skills.
Problem solving skills (guide 1,000 words)
As for ‘leadership’ above but with reference to Problem Solving Skills.
Change management skills (guide 1,000 words)
As for ‘leadership’ above but with reference to Change Management Skills.
Reflective Practice (guide 500 words)
What does reflective learning mean to you? Look at the literature on Reflective Learning and derive a model of ‘good practice’ that you (should) have followed through your Internship. Did you follow it? Did it work for you? Did some features of the ‘model’ work better than others? If so comment on those that worked well and those that you think did not? (You should aim to look at at least three authors’ writings on Reflective Learning; their supporters and their critics. All should be properly cited and included in your bibliography. Obviously the more sources you look at the better your work is likely to be. You should aim to do this reading early in your Internship so that you can put your ‘model’ into practice. Cross refer to your Blog assessment on reflective learning.)
Evaluate the model of reflective learning you have produced in the light of your own experience. How would you improve it?
Conclusion (guide 250 words)
Summarize your reflections on your learning and development through your internship.
Recommendations (guide 250words)
Make between 2 and 5 practical and implementable recommendations that derive from and link to your previous text.
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