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Acknowledgements
First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Gerry Conyngham and Dr. Theo Lynn for giving an excellent
introduction to NGM and helping me and the rest of the fellow NGM students along the way with
anything I needed. I would like to thank the whole of NGM lecturers, organisers, participants, students,
and friends for helping me achieve this feat. I would not have achieved this without the help of each of
the NGM lecturers: Mr. Terry O’Brien, Dr. Donal O’Brien, Mr. Graham Hunt, and Dr. Jennifer Farrell. They
helped me so much throughout the course of NGM and provided me with excellent feedback of my
work as I progressed through this masters. They were of great help with any problems I had and this
portfolio wouldn’t have been in the shape that it is if it wasn’t for their help. Finally, I’d like to thank my
family and friends who have both supported and helped me to create this portfolio. They have
supported me very well throughout this process as well as the whole master’s course. This is one of the
greatest milestones of my life and with the help of everyone mentioned it’s been just that bit easier to
get through it.
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Declaration on Plagiarism
Assignment Submission Form
This form must be filled in and completed by the student submitting an assignment
Name: Ainoras Liutvaitis
Programme: MECB
Module Code: MT5113
Assignment Title: NGM Portfolio
Submission Date: 6th June 2016
Module Coordinators: Terry O’Brien, Donal O’Brien, Jennifer Farrell, Graham Hunt
I declare that this material, which I now submit for assessment, is entirely my own work and has
not been taken from the work of others, save and to the extent that such work has been cited
and acknowledged within the text of my work. I understand that plagiarism, collusion, and
copying are grave and serious offences in the university and accept the penalties that would be
imposed should I engage in plagiarism, collusion or copying. I have read and understood the
Assignment Regulations. I have identified and included the source of all facts, ideas, opinions,
and viewpoints of others in the assignment references. Direct quotations from books, journal
articles, internet sources, module text, or any other source whatsoever are acknowledged and
the source cited are identified in the assignment references. This assignment, or any part of it,
has not been previously submitted by me or any other person for assessment on this or any
other course of study.
I have read and understood the referencing guidelines found at
http://www.dcu.ie/info/regulations/plagiarism.shtml ,
https://www4.dcu.ie/students/az/plagiarismb and/or recommended in the assignment
guidelines.
Name: Ainoras Liutvaitis Date: 6th June 2016
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Table of Contents
1 Introduction: Overall Reflection of My Personal Development During NGM .................... 5
2 Personal Development Plan................................................................................................. 8
2.1 Short Term Development .............................................................................................. 8
2.2 Long Term Development..............................................................................................10
3 Personal & Professional Career Development...................................................................12
3.1 School Enterprise Challenge 2015...............................................................................15
3.2 Silicon Stroll 2015: Current Trends and Future Insights ...............................................21
3.3 IBM Student Open Day 2015 .......................................................................................26
3.4 Web Summit - Free Careers Night ...............................................................................30
3.5 Presentation Skills by Frank Sweeney .........................................................................34
3.6 Time Management Workshop ......................................................................................38
3.7 Read a Book: Who Moved My Cheese?.......................................................................42
3.8 Diploma in Operations Management ............................................................................46
4 Digital....................................................................................................................................52
4.1 Start-ups & The Cloud - Leveraging the Power of the Cloud for your Business............55
4.2 Code Academy - Learn SQL ........................................................................................59
4.3 Code Academy - Learn jQuery.....................................................................................63
4.4 Code Academy - Learn PHP........................................................................................67
4.5 Code Academy - SQL: Analysing Business Metrics .....................................................73
4.6 Google Analytics Qualification......................................................................................78
4.7 Introduction to R Studio................................................................................................84
5 Business & Society..............................................................................................................90
5.1 SUAS Global Issues.....................................................................................................93
5.2 Talk by Breda O’Sullivan, Chief Economist from IDA Ireland........................................99
5.3 Talk by Killian Ford - “Ethical Dilemmas”....................................................................102
5.4 Intergenerational Learning Programme Mentor (4 Weeks).........................................105
5.5 Ethics of the Environment ..........................................................................................109
5.6 Watch a Movie - Inside Job........................................................................................113
5.7 Watch a Movie - Citizenfour .......................................................................................117
5.8 Jack McCarthy Guest Lecture ....................................................................................120
6 Research.............................................................................................................................124
6.1 Complete 3 Surveys...................................................................................................127
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6.2 SPSS Workshops & Assignment................................................................................134
6.3 Learn R......................................................................................................................142
6.4 Qualitative Analysis with John Connolly .....................................................................146
6.5 Netnography Research - Mary Loonam......................................................................150
6.6 The Analysis of a Research Method...........................................................................154
6.7 Article Review with High Research Content ...............................................................157
7 Summary and Final Thoughts...........................................................................................160
8 Appendices.........................................................................................................................161
8.1 Appendix A: Personal and Professional Development Overall Reflection...................161
8.2 Appendix B: Windows App Development and Promotion Report................................171
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1 Introduction: Overall Reflection of My Personal Development During
NGM
As I look back at my time in Next Generation Management (NGM), I can’t help to think to myself how
much personal development I’ve gone through in the space of two semesters. I never thought that a
module would challenge me like NGM did. The first feeling after finishing NGM is relief, the next is
realisation, the realisation that I’ve made it through one of the toughest modules ever. I hadn’t known
about NGM before deciding to do a masters in DCU, I only heard a few opinions of previous students.
From the start NGM challenged me to the limit, with four themes in the module, it means there is four
times the work as a normal module.
Every assignment, task, personal opportunity for development, and project challenged my ability to
think for myself, to be an independent thinker, to be a leader (when the time comes), to work with
groups constantly, this was one of the toughest and most rewarding time for me and my personal and
professional development. This portfolio is just the icing on the cake for, something to show for it, and
something that I can have with me for the rest of my life. It is really life changing this module is, I went
from being frustrated at every piece of work I do to having the capability to achieve more than I could’ve
imagined. As much as NGM challenged me I couldn’t help but see how much of benefit it would be for
me in the future. I took on the challenge and came out strong, and I’m proud of that. Personal
opportunities for development (PODS) are probably the hardest part of NGM.
Every activity I participated in I challenged myself, all for the purpose of personal and professional
development. Each theme of NGM (Personal & Professional Development, Digital, Business & Society,
and Research) was structured in a way to develop my knowledge and skills in each area. Each area
provided a different challenge for me, but I was able to improve on some type of way that helped me to
gain the knowledge and skills for my future career. I felt that each POD came with its own challenges
that required me to adjust both my thinking about subject at hand and the ability to reflect back on the
learnings. I felt that all of the themes of NGM provided me with some kind of development, whether I
learned a new skill or gained some kind of knowledge.
The most useful activities were the ones that I gained some kind of skill, for example attending
workshops or learning to code, or learning to use a new software. I think that I was able to gain enough
skills for my future career and it’s all evident in the personal opportunities for development that I
completed throughout the course of my masters. Reflections were sometimes harder than the actual
activity as I had to write everything that I learned from the activity and how it will be useful to me. There
were a few activities where I completed and sat down to write a reflection but I was unable to come up
with something useful that I learned or something that I could use in the future. All the activities which
are contained in this portfolio are the ones that I saw fit for my future career or something that I would
make use of in the future. The workload of NGM is something that I’ve never faced before and it
challenged me to my limits. On top of the PODS and the lecture sessions in NGM, there were a host of
assignments from each theme of NGM. Some of the assignments were ones that I gained new skills, for
example building a Windows App, and other ones include creating a personal development plan.
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One of the more useful assignments that I completed during NGM was called Digital Innovation
Creativity and Enterprise or DICE, this was like another module within the Digital theme of NGM. This
was where, along with a partner, I got to manage first year students as they completed a project. This
really challenged me because I’ve never had to manage a group so I was very nervous about this activity.
This was where another one of the skills that I gained from NGM. As I progressed through DICE, me and
my partner were able to manage the group and helped them to complete their projects during the
course of two semesters. Along with this was the PRINCE2 project management course, which was
helpful in managing the DICE group. I found that the Digital theme really challenged me because it
required me to step out of my comfort zone and learn new abilities that I had never had before. Project
management is a really good competency to possess and I believe I achieved a lot during NGM as it
taught me how do be an effective project manager. This will no doubt be useful in the future as my
preferred career choice is a business analyst. I would like to further develop my project management
competency but what NGM provided for me at the start was an effective introduction to project
management.
Personal & professional career development theme was the one that was personal to myself and my
chosen career. I hadn’t figured out what type of career I want head into until the second semester so it
was hard for me to choose what type of activities to do. In the first semester I decided to do activities
which were personal to me and something that I personally wanted to find out about. Few of the
activities in personal development were about improving a weakness that I thought I needed to
improve. It was a really good opportunity for me to engage in activities and events which were of
interest to me and I thought I would gain a lot from them.
Business and society theme was the toughest one for me because I had to answer some ethical
questions, and have the ability to say where I think organisations stand, for profits or wider society. This
was really hard for me at first but as I progressed along and gained more knowledge along with
attending guest lectures I was able to think critically and have the ability to give my own opinion in an
ethical dilemma. The research theme was something that I was always interested in because I enjoyed
the concept of research. I completed various activities which required me to get to learn a new software
for research, which I thought was extremely useful to me. Research is something that has to be done
either by an individual or a business, it is crucial in finding out about an organisations customers or what
effects does social media have on teenagers.
A big part of NGM is group assignments and activities and almost every assignment was group based.
This was something that I wasn’t very comfortable with as working with groups is very different than
doing it individually. Throughout the various assignments in NGM I got to know how to work within a
group and improve both my communication skills and group working skills. This is something I know will
be useful to me in the workplace as I will have to work with my co-workers and as part of groups.
Overall I feel that NGM was a critical module for the masters course because it involved so much
development for me as a student. I might not have liked that much workload and working with groups
but I did enjoy the type of development I achieved throughout the course of NGM.
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This portfolio allows me to showcase how I progressed and what kind of skills I gained from the four
themes of NGM. Even though it was hard work and required a lot from me it was worth it because I
know this is what’s going to get me a career. If it wasn’t for this module I probably wouldn’t have figured
out what type of career, I desired to get into.
The value of this module cannot be replicated and I believe that, along with my master’s diploma and
this portfolio, I will be able to achieve all my goals and get a career that I’ve always wanted. I know that
this is just the start of my development both personally and professionally, but it was an important
milestone in my life. My next big milestone is to get a career and to further develop myself. I believe
that I have what it takes to succeed and NGM was the first crucial step for me in that path to success.
I’m looking forward to starting my chosen career and I can’t wait to see what other big achievements I
could attain in the future.
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2 Personal Development Plan
This is a personal development plan which I drew up in order to showcase the competencies that were
fir for me and my chosen career. This included both short term and long term competency
development. These competencies were the ones that I needed to develop both for personal reasons
and for my future career. Some of these competencies will take just a month while some of the long
term ones will take up to 12 months to develop.
As part of NGM this was required because it allowed for me to write down what I wanted to develop in
terms of personal and professional. Some of these have already been developed quite well while others
are in progress.
2.1 Short Term Development
Competency to be Developed: Problem Solving
Rationale: This competency will help me to develop a better understanding about how to solve
problems. This competency will be useful in any career that I choose.
Proposed Development Action(s): In order to develop my ability to solve problems better. I will take
various self-assessment exercises that will increase my ability to understand how to solve problems.
Time Scale: 1 Month
Evidence of Completion: The various self-assessments tests I have completed; I have received results
of each test in my email account.
Reference to relevant POD/Reflection: A reflection that I have done based on problem solving has
outlined how I reacted to the results of each test.
Competency to be Developed: Project Management
Rationale: Project management is very important to develop because I will likely use it in the future
wherever I go. It’s important to understand how to manage project and project teams.
Proposed Development Action(s): I have done a host of project management modules and I’m
looking to improve it even more. I will also complete a Prince2 project management course to help
develop this competency.
Time Scale: 1 Month
Evidence of Completion: I have completed a PRINCE2 project management course and achieved a
pass grade. This was done as part of DICE module where I managed a group of first year students.
Reference to relevant POD/Reflection: I haven’t done a POD or reflection on this competency.
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Competency to be Developed: Communication
Rationale: It’s crucial to have good communication for me because it will help me with my team
members, in interviews and eventually in my career. I think that I don’t have very strong
communication so it’s important for me to develop it even more.
Proposed Development Action(s): This competency is and being developed throughout my time in
college. I have taken various PODs that will develop my communication skills.
Time Scale: 5 Months
Evidence of Completion: I have done various PODs that develop my communication. They include
SUAS Global Issues and ILP. These helped me to develop my communication skills by interacting on an
individual basis and within a group setting.
Reference to relevant POD/Reflection: As I’ve mentioned I have done PODs along with reflections for
SUAS and ILP. I’ve reflected on these PODS in the business and society sections of this portfolio.
Competency to be Developed: Strategic Thinking
Rationale: In order for me to be able to come up with ways of improving something, I need to
develop my strategic thinking. Any consultant needs to think strategically as it helps to identify what
areas could be exploited or improved.
Proposed Development Action(s): In order for me to develop this competency I need to participate in
various activities that will enable me think strategically.
Time Scale: 5 Months
Evidence of Completion: I have completed a few activities where I had critically assessed a research
article. This required me to think strategically and critique the article. I also completed an operations
management online course, which requires a lot of strategic thinking in order to complete.
Reference to relevant POD/Reflection: I have completed both PODS and reflections in the area of
strategic thinking by completing activities such as operations management online course.
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Competency to be Developed: Business Data Analysis
Rationale: This is a key competency because it will allow me to understand different business data
and make suggestions based on them. Consultants will need some form of data analysis as their
competency.
Proposed Development Action(s): I will improve this competency by completing Google Analytics
Qualification. This will help me understand how to analyse different forms of data.
Time Scale: 5 Months
Evidence of Completion: I have gained a Google Analytics qualification which can be found under the
digital section of the portfolio.
Reference to relevant POD/Reflection: Google Analytics Qualification is also a POD and a reflection
which I have reflected on and gave my learnings from the activity an evidence of completion.
2.2 Long Term Development
Competency to be Developed: Teamwork
Rationale: This is an important competency because teamwork is essential in my work and college.
It’s important to know how to work with teams efficiently.
Proposed Development Action(s): This competency will be improved by working with teams. In
college there are many assignments and projects that are team based, therefore I will be able to learn
from this.
Time Scale: 12 Months
Evidence of Completion: I have been participating in team based assignments throughout my time
doing the masters course.
Reference to relevant POD/Reflection: I have participated in team work based lectures of SUAS
Global Issues. This where we get together with other students and discuss different topics within
teams.
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Competency to be Developed: Leadership
Rationale: In order to develop this leadership, I need to establish myself as a leader whenever I work
within a team.
Proposed Development Action(s): I will be able to improve my leadership skills by managing a project
team as part of DICE. I will be able to lead a group of people in their quest to complete a project.
Time Scale: 12 Months
Evidence of Completion: I have done a few self-assessment tests that show what kind of leader I am.
This is just the start of the long journey of developing myself as a sufficient leader.
Reference to relevant POD/Reflection: I have done a reflection of the self-assessment tests and I
have stated how it helped me to find out what kind of leader I am.
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3 Personal & Professional Career Development
Personal & Career Development portion of NGM is designed to allow the student to be able to both
develop personal and professional career skills for the workplace. Throughout my various activities that
I’ve participated in this field I feel that it gave me the most benefit. From the start I sought to improve
my skills both by a personal standard and for the professional in me. I fell that all the activities were
useful to me and taught me a lot of what I wanted to achieve. It is one of the more engaging subjects
which allow me to develop myself and achieve the skills needed for today’s workplace. When writing
reflections for each activity I felt a real connection of what I did and what I gained from it. It required me
to ask questions that I didn’t ask before.
At the start of NGM I identified my weaknesses and I set out to get rid of or improve on those
weaknesses. From getting to see my potential workplace visiting IBM Student Open Day to improving
my presentation skills by Carr Communications. Activities such as Time Management Workshop allowed
me to understand why I have such problem with procrastination. Each activity allowed me to explore
more into myself and see what improvements I need. There are obviously much more for me to explore
as I head into a career after this masters but at least I know how to develop myself as a person. There is
already a lot of things that I know about myself and I didn’t need NGM to show me what they are. I did
however lack the professional career development part which at this level of education is extremely
important. Having someone guide through the process of a career development is engaging enough but
to do it yourself and decide what I want to do for my career is another.
I feel that I’m more than ready for a career path which I have chosen for myself as I journeyed through
NGM and this masters. I wouldn’t mind more time with this portion of NGM, with the possibly of finding
my dream career I think that this part of NGM was the most enjoyable one. I started off with personal &
professional career development first when NGM started, I began participating in activities which were
suited to this theme and I immediately wanted more and more from this. The most intriguing part of this
is that I was able to pick any activity, event, showcase, workshop, etc. I was at the centre of my own
personal and professional development, I was in charge what I thought to be the best career path for
me. I was going to go into a career blind before coming to DCU and having the opportunity to be part of
NGM. I think that this will prepare me with the knowledge and skills I need to succeed in my
professional life. The real opportunity that this part of NGM provides is the pathway into a career.
Another aspect of personal development is that there were various self-analysis tests, see Appendix A
for redaction of the tests, which helped me to identify the type of traits I possess. The self-assessment
tests which varied from abstract reasoning to learning style indicator have really helped me to identify
myself and what type of traits I have. I was able to find out whether I would be a successful leader, how
well I manage conflict, and career interests. I have not done tests like these before so it was a really
good indicator for me what type of career I’m suited for and what my strengths and weaknesses are.
Although these are just tests that suggest what type of traits I have, they are a still good indicator when
in need for help when choosing a career. From those tests I identified a career for myself which is in the
area of business analyst.
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It was from those tests that I derived a career for myself and when I looked into the career I was really
interested in it and I think it is suited for the type of traits and personality I have. These various tests
were just some of the crucial parts that personal and career development part of NGM offered. The
lectures itself were very engaging and provided a very good analysis of this part of NGM. A lot of
activities were done during personal and career development lectures which helped in the first stages of
NGM and starting to do the PODS.
The lectures were enjoyable ones which I found very useful and engaging. The most important part of
completing a POD is the reflections. These reflections allow for a time to think back on the activity and
what I have achieved throughout. At first I found it hard to reflect back on the activities, especially in the
personal development area. I have never done this sort of thing where I had to reflect on what I’ve
learned and why I did a that activity. The reflection was not an assignment, it was a personal deep
learning insight into what I have achieved and how I will use it in the future. The personal and career
development reflections were divided into seven sections and each of those sections provided a deep
analysis which I could draw out from the activities that I participated in throughout the course of this
masters. I reflected on each activity with the mind-set that I was looking for that angle in each activity
which was that one reason that I participated in the activity. Something that is personal to me meant
that I would get the most out of each activity.
At first it was hard to find an activity that I was interested in and thought that I would get a lot from it. I
made sure that every POD I completed was worth it and that I could make use of it in my personal life or
professional career. The most important thing about this part of NGM is the professional development
part. I focused on that more than I did on personal development. Professional career development will
mean that I’ll be ready for when I finish my masters. It will mean that I will be ready for today’s
workplace and provide the organisation that I end up the best value it can get from me.
From all the activities the most enjoyable one and perhaps the most I got from was from the visit to
IBM’s student open day. I enjoyed the environment and liked what the company offered for its
employees. I realistically see myself working for a company like that. Overall the personal and
professional development part of NGM was the most enjoyable one and I got from it that I don’t think
would get anywhere else. I feel that I’ve grown a lot in terms of progressing in my future career and I’m
able to distinguish what type of career I want to pursue.
There were things that I learned which were actually a surprise, for example that I don’t deal well with
conflict. Others were the ones I knew about, for example that I’m not a strong leader. I’m not looking to
become an entrepreneur or start by own business. I’m looking for a job in a multinational which offers
all the safety with jobs that are long term. That is why I enjoyed my visit to IBM student open day so
much, I liked the atmosphere and the overall feel of the company. Other useful activities I completed
were time management workshop and presentation skills by Carr Communications. These were helpful
in the sense that I knew they were my weaknesses.
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They were something that I did something about. I took the tips from presentation skills which helped a
lot during presentations after that lecture by Carr Communications. Time management workshop was
very useful as it helped me to get over my procrastination. I knew the methods that it took to manage
time properly and get work done today not tomorrow. Looking back on all the activities I think about
how they impacted me and how it helped me to find my potential career. There was a lot more activities
I could’ve participated in but there was simply no time and I think the ones that I did participate in
helped me achieve my goal of identifying what type of career I want to head into. Moving forward from
this experience I think I will be able to find my career and have a successful professional career.
It will take years to develop my professional career but this is the perfect start for it. It’s the right time to
discover myself and my career path. In the end I have achieved my goal for personal and professional
development. With the help of NGM and the lecturers I was engaged in the whole process of finding
personal opportunities for development. They were the key factors in helping me decide what I want to
do in the future.
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3.1 School Enterprise Challenge 2015
Title: School Enterprise Challenge 2015
Date: 24th September – 9th October 2015
Organisers: Roisin Lyons
Location: Business School, DCU
POD Weight: 2
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Description
This activity involved marking business ideas and plans for a charity called ‘Teach a Man to Fish.’ Over
2000 schools from different countries have contributed to this with their ideas for a business. It is a
student led projects and the school levels ranged from pre-primary to high school. The task was assigned
to students who currently doing a master’s course. A total of 48 students participated in the marking of
the business plans from various masters’ courses.
There are two stages to this, Stage 1 is where students submit a business idea and Stage 2 is when they
produce a business plan from their ideas. Fellow students volunteered to help with the marking of these
business ideas and plans. The job that I had to undertake is marking business ideas and plans from five
different schools from various countries. The deadline to finish this was the 9th
of October. We were give
marking schemes for each stage to go by when marking the business ideas and plans. This activity
helped the students learn about entrepreneurship and gain real-life business skills. The purpose of this
activity was to develop a person’s skills and knowledge about entrepreneurship and business skills.
Self-Analysis
Before this activity I wasn’t sure what to expect from it. I have never participated in an event like this
where I had to judge other students work. At first my thought was that it was going to be difficult to
judge someone else’s work. I haven’t had any experience in this type of marking so it was going to be a
bit of a challenge to mark the business ideas and plans. The reason for taking part in this activity was to
extend my knowledge of entrepreneurship.
Another reason I took part in this was because it would help me to learn about different countries with
different age groups of what their knowledge was on entrepreneurship and starting a business. Helping
to understand how younger people think about starting a business and how they develop their ideas. At
the start of this activity I wanted to branch out my knowledge in various areas of study, this was one of
them which helped me to learn the skills of marking someone else’s work. This activity was very useful
to me because I gained new experience and knowledge into this subject. I have gained a greater
understand of the ‘School Enterprise Challenge’ competition and how it has been such a success for
many schools from over 93 different countries.
This competition is a great cause for schools to generate more income and improve their schools. Before
undertaking this activity, I thought about how it might help me in the future by doing this activity. I
thought of what kind of benefits might it bring after I have finished with the activity. As I am developing
my own personal development plan I need to think of how this activity has developed me as a person.
Doing something that you've never done before has its pitfalls because it might not work out for you or
you might not get anything from the activity/event. It’s important to pick something that you never
done before but that it also interests you. I picked this specific activity because I was interested in this
competition and wanted to help out anyway I could. I wanted to improve my knowledge about this
competition and gain an understanding of how business plans are graded.
18. Page | 17
Analysis of Learning
After I have finished this activity I thought back of what I’ve learned from this and how it improved me
as a person. I had to mark five different business ideas and plans from five different schools which were
from India and Bangladesh. The business plans varied in style and business ideas across each school.
There were some good business ideas and plans that I gave good marks for but there were also a few
ones that were incomplete. This gave me a good idea of what a good business idea and plan is and why
it could be applied in the real world. I had to keep in mind that these were primary school students not
college students when marking their business plans.
Each business idea and plan took approximately one hour to mark it. I was very thorough in marking
these plans and gave my full attention when marking them. I followed the guideline of the marking
scheme accordingly when I was allocating the marks. As this was an individual activity with no
participation from other people it is quite hard to know what I've learned during this activity. I learned
quite a few things from this activity that helped to understand more about business plans and how
primary school students were capable of coming up with these plans. These are the five things that I
learned:
1. It takes some time to learn how to use a marking scheme and how to apply it to something that
you're marking. I had to spend some time looking at the marking scheme and understanding
how to allocate marks for each business plan. Using a marking scheme is extremely important
for the marker because it allows for proper allocation of marks and fair marking for each
business plan.
2. Another thing that I've learned is that there are different capabilities among students from the
two different countries that I was assigned with. I also had to take into consideration of the
different types of schools and what area they were in. I had to adjust my marking accordingly to
make sure that each school was marked fair. This helped me to learn how to mark different
business plans and how to distinguish between a complete business plan and an incomplete
one.
3. I also learned how to properly correct the business ideas and plans. As I’ve mentioned it before I
hadn’t had any experience in grading any type of work done by primary school students. In the
process of this activity I gained this knowledge of how to grade something and give my own
opinions on it. I learned that giving your own opinion on these business plans was very
important for the students who wrote them.
4. One of the most important things that I’ve learned during this activity was how manage my time
when marking the business plans. I knew that it would take me an average of one hour to
complete each plan. I had to plan that carefully each day that I was marking the business plans, I
learned the planning was important when grading something because they have to be graded by
a certain date and I must comply with the rules of this whole process.
19. Page | 18
5. The last important thing that I learned was how to give your own personal feedback on the
business plans and ideas. I learned how to allocate marks to different business plans fairly to
each school. In order to mark these plans properly I needed to understand about the
competition and why the students participated in the activity. I learned how each school that
participated was different from one another how different their business plans were.
These five important things that I’ve learned throughout the activity helped me improve myself and
understand more about how to mark something and give your own opinion on it. I went into this activity
not knowing what to expect from it and didn't really know if I was going to learn from it. After it I now
know that I indeed learned something from it and it was a good experience for me that I will apply it in
further aspects of my career.
Application in Context
Moving on from this activity I can see how it helped me to understand my previous knowledge on the
subject of this activity. I knew very little about what kind of activity this was only that it involved marking
business plans. As this is the first time that I participated in this type of activity I cannot draw from my
previous experiences. I can’t compare it to other similar activity so this is my first to experience this type
of work.
This was a good activity to start off with for my personal development plan. It was an activity that
required my skills and knowledge about starting a business. Taking into consideration that these were
business ideas of primary and secondary school students it was hard to mark the business plans because
they varied in style and type of idea. From reading the marking scheme I was able to understand what
makes a good business plan and what can be expected from students. I hadn't had much knowledge of
business plans but because I helped to mark the plans I gained more knowledge about them and how
this new knowledge might be applied in the future. In order for me improve myself there needs to be
something gained from this activity.
I think that I have gained good knowledge of what kind of business ideas can be successful if the right
plan is in place. Sometimes there could be a good business idea that seems to have potential but the
business plan doesn't have enough in it to be a viable business. When I was marking the business plans I
was able to spot where there was real potential for that business to start and where there was just not
enough planning to start the business. Going forward I can now safely say that a solid business plan is
needed in order to apply it in the real world. Even though these plans were by primary and secondary
students some of them had actual potential of working in real life. I think it's important for young people
to get into entrepreneurship and find out how to start a business by just having a business idea first and
the developing a plan for it.
This activity has been very useful to me and I think it will help me when I’m on my own career path.
There are obviously a lot of changes that need to be made about myself but this activity was a good one
to start it with.
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Evaluation
Looking back on the activity I can safely say that it wasn't a waste of time for me and I gained some
valuable knowledge from it. Going in this activity I didn't know what to expect but know I can see why I
chose this particular activity. It helped me to understand what young people think of business and what
their ideas are on how to start a business. Although this activity did not fulfil all my personal needs that I
wanted it stilled helped me to understand more about the topic of entrepreneurship. It is important to
participate in activities such as this in order to gain new knowledge and maybe even new skills. I don't
think that I gained any new skills but I've definitely gained new knowledge during this activity. After
finishing the activity, I can evaluate it to see whether it was worth doing it.
It’s important to understand that you might not have gained anything from an activity or event but it’s
the learning process and participation that counts as well. There is always something to learn even
though you think it might not be useful to you in the future. This was the starting activity for my
personal development plan and I think it was a good one to start off with because not only did I learn
but I will also know what to choose next time based on the experiences of this activity.
Reconstruct Self-Concept
As this is the first step on the journey to complete my own personal development plan and complete 40
personal opportunities for development activities/events, it was a good one to start with. There are a
few things that I would change the next time I’m selecting or doing an activity or event. The first thing to
look out for is to first think about whether it relates to you and if you think you can gain something from
it. From I can say that in order to learn you need to participate in something that you can make
recommendations or have an influence on the activity or event.
My own personal reconstruction of this concept that I did during the activity has changed how I view the
subject of starting a business and business plans. One of the things that I found out during this activity is
that participation is very important when doing an activity or going to an event. I think that you can
develop your competencies and skills during participation and involvement in various activities. It is
always a good thing to give your own opinions on various issues that may interest you.
The one thing that I would change after this activity is try and pick out the important parts of it and think
about how they affected me during the activity. I didn't really think about this when I was engaged in
the activity so I wasn't able to learn fully or to gain more knowledge and skills. Going forward I will apply
this to the next event/activity that I get involved with. I will make a list of things that about the activity
or event and then think of why does all of that apply to me and why I’m getting involved in it. I will also
try to get involved in activities such as focus and discussion groups where I can give my own opinion on
various issues. Applying of what I’ve learned during this activity will be hard and I think that it won’t
bring much benefit for me in the future.
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Application
Now that I’ve completed the activity I tried to apply this to anything that I thought would help me to
improve myself. I wasn’t able to apply this to any particular situation when I was finished the activity. I
think that this is down to myself not being able to learn full from the activity. I think I only did the
activity but never thought about how will I apply this in the future. I was expecting this from the
beginning because I knew that I should be able to apply what I’ve learned during the time of the activity.
I participated in this activity for the sake of trying to improve my business and social skills. I succeeded in
learned valuable things that might help me to understand a topic or issues I wasn't able to understand
before. The problem lies in that I can’t seem to be able to apply this in future activities or events. I think
that it might take some time to apply this learning however I will be able to draw from it once I think it
will be valuable to me. I will take this experience and will try to incorporate in my future activities.
Evidence of Completion
The image to the left shows the
email that I received from the
organiser of the activity
showing that I indeed
participated in this activity.
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3.2 Silicon Stroll 2015: Current Trends and Future Insights
Title: Silicon Stroll 2015: Current Trends and Future
Insights
Date: 5th October 2015
Organisers: Dublin Business Innovation Centre
Location: The Marker Hotel, Dublin
POD Weight: 1
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Description
This event is an annual convention where companies such as Facebook, Google and Cisco share their
ideas about the current trends in technology and what the future holds for start-up businesses in
Ireland. Multinationals from the internet, enterprise software and the internet of things sectors took the
stage to share their perspective on where these industries are currently and where they might be in 3-5
years’ time. The aim of this event was to give start-up companies an insight into what technologies and
business models are emerging. This event is organised by the Dublin Business Innovation Centre to
foster collaboration between the global technology companies based in Ireland.
I signed up for this event 2 weeks in advance and was very excited to see what companies such as
Google and Facebook are currently doing and what they think are the future technology trends. Over
450 people have registered to this event, from students to start-up companies attended this event. The
experience of this event was very fulfilling because it gave us students the chance to see what is ahead
in terms of technology and how to get ahead if you're thinking of starting your own business. As I am
not interested in starting my own business I was only keen on hearing what big multinationals had to say
about the future of technology.
The full list of participants in the event included:
- Internet & Consumer Market - Google & Facebook
- Enterprise Software & Cloud - IBM
- The Digital Economy - Accenture
- Hardware & Internet of Things (IoT) - Cisco
- Research Institution Perspective - Trinity College
All of these companies took the stage one after the other during this three-hour long event and at the
end there was a networking reception. This gave the opportunity for the people who attended to meet
the company representatives and discuss various trends and insights into different areas of technology.
Self-Analysis
Before the event I thought about what to expect from the event and how I could possibly improve my
knowledge about new emerging technology and possibly learn few tips for start-up companies. I felt
very excited before the event because finding out what the future holds for us in terms of technology
and what trends are emerging is extremely important for students especially as I am doing an e-
commerce masters course.
I was also excited to see representatives of different companies such as Cisco and Accenture. I have
been to a few events like this but they were much smaller, this event was on a much larger scale than I
have ever participated in. I also felt a little nervous big of how big was the event with so many people
attending it. I felt very satisfied in the way that the event catered for the attendants and how well the
event was managed.
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One of the reasons that I decided to participate in this event because I wanted to find out what kind of
emerging technologies are out there and what start-up businesses can do to stay ahead of these trends.
I knew about this event from last year but I did not attend it and I head very positive things about it. As I
am currently doing a masters course in e-commerce this is very relevant to my personal professional
development plan. I will help me to increase my knowledge about technology, internet of things and
what kind of future insights are discussed during the event.
Analysis of Learning
There was a lot to take in from this events because there were so many companies discussing trends
and future insights. I did get a good understanding of what these multinationals were trying to get
across to the audience. There was also a lot to learn from the event during the three-hour duration. I
was able to pick up on few important things that the companies had to say. The event taught me a lot
about how start up can stay ahead or not get lost in the ever so changing world of technology.
The event started off with an introduction on what was going to take place. Eugene Smyth of Dublin BIC
introduced the event and went through how start-ups are growing in Ireland and more people are
willing to set up start-ups. I learned that investors are most interested in teams and how big data was
very important to companies. The first company that took the stage was Google and their
representative was Russell Boland who was the head of online partnership. One of the most interested
things that I learned from the event were the top three trends to watch closely in 2015. They were:
1. Connected life platforms are emerging. This was basically how everything in our lives will be
connected, from our cars to our fridges in the home.
2. Mobile shapes the “Internet of Me.” This was about how our mobile devices are becoming a
part of us and how business should shape their business model around this.
3. The speed of life gets even faster. Everything is getting faster and faster today so business must
adjust to this because it only takes a person 3 seconds on a website whether to stay on it or
leave.
Another thing to take from the event was what Stephen Kruger of IBM said about current trends in the
world today.
● Buying new companies
● Cloud, big data, mobile, social, security
● Enterprises deploying technologies
● Ability to use DNA testing, genetics in healthcare
● Data is the new basis of competitive value
● New IT paradigms are emerging
● Data is growing exponentially and demands
These trends described by IBM show how fast the world is moving and how big data has become the
new competitive measure. If companies want to get ahead they need to take into account, these future
trends.
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Final trends were described by Derek Lands of Accenture.
1. The internet of me - personalisation e.g. joint technologies
2. Outcome economy- customers want to buy outcomes not things
3. Platform (r)evolution
4. Intelligent enterprise - big data, smarter systems and machine learning
5. Workforce reimagined
Again these trends just support the point that everything is changing and that businesses need to adapt
to change in order to survive.
Application in Context
After the event was finished I thought about how it affected me as a person and what I’ve learned from
this. I was able to pick up on important trends and future insights. They helped me to understand how
start-ups can adjust to this and how they should prepare for it. I have gained good knowledge of what to
look forward in the future and how it could affect you if you're starting a business.
Evaluation
The overall experience of the event was an enjoyable one because there was a lot to learn from it and it
is always interesting to see what the future holds, especially in technology. I think I made the right
choice in attending the event because I got to witness what big companies thought of the future and
what they were planning themselves in terms of new technology and current trends. I think the event
was well organised with personalized name tags that were given out to each visitor.
Reconstruct Self-Concept
After looking back at this event I think that it did relate to me because I’m currently pursuing studies in
e-commerce which is a technology and business oriented course. After the event my thoughts were
changed about what the future holds and how start-ups can get ahead. As this was an event where
there was some form of participation I gained a good understanding what other companies had for
ideas about the future.
I learned that various emerging technologies that could potentially change the way that business is done
in 5 or 10 years. This gives me some insight if I ever want to set up a company myself, I’ll know that
things will be much different. The one thing that I would change about this event is that I didn't get to
participate in the social networking part after the seminar was over. This was due to the fact that I had
lectures to attend.
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Application
Now that I’ve completed the event there wasn't an opportunity for me to apply this yet. I think that this
kind of activity could be useful in few years’ time not few weeks after it. It is down to myself in trying to
find ways of applying this knowledge on the future. I think I only did the activity but never thought about
how will I apply this in the future. I expect that in the future I will apply this knowledge to give my own
opinions on issues related to this event.
I participated in this event because I was very interested in finding out what kind of future technologies
are emerging. I wasn’t that interested in finding out how start-ups can get ahead of these trends and
succeed as I’m currently not interested in starting my own business.
Proof of Attendance
This is the personalised badge that I received when I attended this event.
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3.3 IBM Student Open Day 2015
Title: IBM Student Open Day 2015
Date: 21st October 2015
Organisers: IBM
Location: IBM, Technology Campus, Damastown
POD Weight: 1
28. Page | 27
Description
The event that I attended was an open day in IBM for students. During the day a group of students were
taken a tour of IBM. There were various employees talking about their time in IBM and why they chose
to stay in IBM. The agenda for the day was: Watson, Wimbledon, Ethical Hacking, Digital Sales and
Research. During this we got a tour of IBM’s various building such as the digital sales and research
buildings. In each there was a tour showing what employees were working on.
I also got to see some of IBM’s technology such as the ‘Watson’ and ‘Wimbledon’ which were very
interesting to see on display how it helped companies with their goals. The overall experience of the
event was great and I’m satisfied with how well the event went. Although I couldn't stay until the end
because I had lectures to attend I got a good glimpse into IBM and why maybe I would like to work there
in the future.
Self-Analysis
I felt very excited before the event because I was very interested in seeing IBM as I've never been there.
The reason that I decided to take part in this event was because at the end of my masters course I will
be looking for a job and I wanted to find out maybe IBM was one of the places I would apply to. It is
important for me to look for job opportunities early on and IBM have a graduate programme where they
take on graduates and train them as well.
The open day was a really good insight into what kind of a job role I might get into in the future. This
links to my personal development plan because this event helped me to develop my knowledge about
IBM and their graduate programme.
Analysis of Learning
There were a lot of things that I learned during the open day, and one of the first things was that IBM
was over 100 years old. I never knew that IBM had such a rich history with computers. I got to see the
history of IBM in a video shown at the start of the open day. It opened my eyes on how the culture in
IBM was so rich. I also learned how different employees in IBM got their job and what made them stay.
Some of the reason they mentioned were that while in IBM there is always potential for growth.
Another reason was that there was a lot of opportunities in IBM such as if you want to change your
current role it's possible in IBM. There were some developers who move on to digital sales or marketing.
I also got to see some of their technology such as ‘Watson’ which is an AI computer capable of
answering questions for people such as doctors and managers.
29. Page | 28
Application in Context
This event has helped me to understand what it takes to get into a multinational such as IBM. It helped
me to understand what opportunities there are for me if I decide to apply for IBM, especially with their
graduate programme. This event was really about what the future might hold for me. If I was to apply
for a job in IBM I would know a more than I did before the event as it helped me to develop my
knowledge about what to do when I finish college.
My previous knowledge about this was scarce so I wanted to get into the subject of graduate roles and
finding a career path for myself. I would definitely consider going to more open day events such as this
as it would help me decide where I want to work in the future.
Evaluation
This type of event really helps me to develop as a person because it allows me to see what kind of
opportunities there are for me. It’s much better to attend an event such as this rather than read about it
online. There are various methods of searching for jobs, but going to an open day like this helps to
interact more and get involved with the company. I feel that I have achieved something that will help
me in the future and I think it was the right decision for me to attend this event.
Overall the experience of this event was an enjoyable one that I will never forget because it was my first
time getting into this type of activity where I look at different career opportunities for me. IBM is a very
successful company with over 400,000 employees worldwide so I know if I decide to apply for a job in
IBM it wouldn't be a waste of time. Their graduate programme makes it all the better, and the
experience that I’ve gained during this was special to me.
Reconstruct Self-Concept
There aren’t many changes that I think I could make after this event. One thing that I probably would
change is to read about the event first because I could sign up for an event and might not get anything
from it. I hadn’t had much knowledge about this event other than it was an open day for students.
Another thing that I could change about the event is that I didn’t get to try out some of their
technologies.
There was an opportunity to try out a virtual reality demo of tennis but I didn’t get to try it because I had
to leave early to attend lectures. Next time I go to an event like this I will participate more and ask more
questions about how to get into graduate roles for students.
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Application
After the event I thought about how I could possibly use this new knowledge in the future. Although
most of what I’ve learned during this event will only be useful if I decide to apply for a graduate role in
IBM, I still gained a lot from it. It gives me an opportunity to look at my career goals and path to see if I
want to go in any certain direction. I think that what I’ve learned during this event will help me in job
hunting and finding my own career path as well. When I do go for job hunting and trying to find my
career I will definitely consider IBM as one of the companies that I would like to work for.
Proof of Attendance
ID badge with name and college was given to everyone who attended on the day.
31. Page | 30
3.4 Web Summit - Free Careers Night
Title: Web Summit - Free Careers Night
Date: 4th November 2015
Organisers: Paddy Cosgrave
Location: RDS, Dublin
POD Weight: 1
32. Page | 31
Description
Web Summit is an annual technology conference held in Dublin by the founder Paddy Cosgrave. It is
over three days and over 30,000 people attended this year. As part of this conference there is also a
careers night for students. During this event there were various speakers that discussed about how they
started their business. Some of the guest included former students who have just started a company,
NASDAQ, and the founder of Pixar.
I attended this event on the 4th
of November when the career night was held. This was a very good
opportunity for the students to learn how successful start-ups were created by not much older than us
people. These speakers who were just out of education started their own businesses and each of them
gave their own story of what type of difficulties they faced and the overall experience of being an
entrepreneur.
Self-Analysis
Before going into the event I felt very excited and was looking forward to attending one of the most
popular conferences in Ireland. I knew that the Web Summit would no longer be hosted in Ireland so it
was the perfect opportunity for me to attend the event. I received free tickets to the event from the
founder Paddy Cosgrave but unfortunately I couldn’t attend any of the other days. I was still excited for
the careers night and it was a really good opportunity for me to learn about start-ups.
I wanted to be able to gain insight into internet technologies and start-ups by attending this event.
Attending this huge event gave that I have always wanted to attend gave an opportunity I didn’t have
before. I felt that I would gain a lot from this event because the careers night was very important for me
as a student who is looking for his next career.
Analysis of Learning
During the evening there was a host of speakers who took the stage and talked about their start-ups.
One of the most memorable moments of the night was when the founder of Pixar took the stage and
talked about how he founded the company.
I learned what it takes to actually start a business and how students straight out of college were able to
set up their own companies. I learned how difficult it is to first start your own business and have the
commitment of working huge amount of hours every day. Hearing from the founder of Pixar, Ed Catmull
was really interesting I learned how he was able to set up that company which we are all familiar with.
Application in Context
I think the most important learnings that I gained from this event was hearing about the start-ups that
students have started. It gave me chance to find out what it takes to start your own business, how much
work is involved, and how to make is successful. As I haven’t attended previous web summit events I
knew about it from watching videos and reading about the event.
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After attending the event itself I have a whole different worldly view around the whole conference. It is
really bigger when you’re actually there in person watching the event. It gave a whole new perspective
of how huge this event, especially that is being hosted in Ireland and having an Irish founder as well. I
think that this event was very beneficial for Ireland as it gave the people an opportunity to attend such a
huge event with world know guests.
Evaluation
The thing that I want to be able to take from this event is attending and experiencing the whole event. I
didn’t know that I was going to learn so much about start-ups and different technologies that are out
there. The overall experience was very enjoyable and even though I didn’t get to attend any of the other
days I was satisfied to even attend one of them. The learnings that I took from the event was valuable
and I think I will remember this for a long time. I wasn’t very critical of the event itself and I hadn’t heard
anything negative about it. I can see why it is one of the biggest technology and start up conference in
Ireland.
Reconstruct Self-Concept
My experience at the event was an enjoyable one. There’s not much changes I would make before going
into an event like this. Of course I would like to attend the event next year, and even though it’s being
held in another country I think it would be beneficial for me to attend another time because of how
exciting and enjoyable I found the event. One thing that I would change about is that I would try to
attend the whole three days that the event being held in the RDS. I think that attending these type of
events is very useful to me because of the popularity of the event and the speakers I get to hear from
and gain all this experience and knowledge.
Application
After I left the event it was time to reflect of what I’ve learned. It was all the start-up talks and hearing
from the founder of Pixar that got me excited in the first place so I think I gained quite a few things from
just one night of the Web Summit. There wasn’t a lot of effort that went into attending this event but
the experience that I gained was valuable. To be able to put into practice of what I’ve learned from this
event would quite difficult. I don’t intend to start up my own business, but what I’ve learned this that
neither did some of the former students who did build their own start up. I guess that it’s not totally out
of the question that I would someday own my own start up, I never know where I’ll end up but I
wouldn’t pass the opportunity of starting my own business if the right opportunity came.
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Proof of Attendance
A picture of myself attending the event.
35. Page | 34
3.5 Presentation Skills by Frank Sweeney
Title: Presentation Skills by Frank Sweeney
Date: 21st November 2015
Organisers: Frank Sweeney
Location: QG18, Business School, DCU
POD Weight: 1
36. Page | 35
Description
The event that I took part in was hosted by NGM during a class. During the two-hour class we got to
learn presentation skills by Frank Sweeney from Carr Communications. During the talk Frank went
through some of the basics of presentation and outlined some aspects that would help us students to
present with confidence.
Frank described Glossophobia which the fear of public speaking. He went through some of the
symptoms of this fear and how they can be overcome. This talk was very important for students because
presentations cannot be avoided and we must learn how to present with confidence and develop the
skills in order to apply it within the workplace. This was very useful to me therefore that’s why I decided
to attend the talk and learn the ways to successfully present in any type of situation.
Self-Analysis
Before the event I actually looked into ways of improving my presentation skills because I had a few
presentations within a few weeks. When I heard about this talk I knew that it would be useful for me to
attend it because I do need some improvement of my presentation skills. There are many ways of
improving presentation skills this talk was one of them as it showed what is involved in presenting
something to the public. I knew some of the things that go through the presentation process but I
wanted to find out more from this talk.
My assumptions going into this talk was that presentation was a very important skill to develop and
have it ready to use especially in my career. I felt excited and keen on learning what it takes to have the
perfect presentation and how to apply it to myself. This was the perfect opportunity for me to get the
knowledge needed for a good presentation.
Analysis of Learning
I learned many things throughout the talk by Frank and what it takes to present with confidence and
some tips to help and ease the nerves when presenting. I learned that the official term for the fear of
speaking in public is Glossophobia. There are many symptoms to the fear, some physical ones include
acute hearing, blood pressure rises, faster heart rate and shortness of breath.
Now I can see that I have experienced these symptoms before and I know exactly why they happen to
me when I’m presenting something to the class. Some of the reasons that could lead to failing when
presenting something is wrong understanding, wrong preparation, content and design and problems is
delivery and absorption. There’s always a start, middle and an end to the presentation and it’s how you
manage that process that will lead to a successful presentation. One of the important things I’ve learned
was that it was very important to know your audience and what type of language to speak when
presenting because every audience is going to be different in some way.
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What I took from the whole talks was having three objectives to every presentation.
1. I want people to think differently before the start
2. You want people to talk differently before they arrive
3. We want people to do or act differently
Now it may be hard to achieve that but if you have it in your head and constantly think about it, it will
help to present more effectively.
Application in Context
Having good presentation skills is essential for me because I’m looking for a career in consulting or
business analyst. Both of these roles require good presentation skills therefore that is the reason that I
decided to attend this talk. I have done presentations previously and have done a good job at them, but
now I’m looking to further increase my confidence with presentations.
Frank has described the ins and outs of presentations and now I know how to combat some of the fear
that exists when doing a presentation. I can apply what I’ve learned throughout the talk and even
though it’s not good enough to actually help me with presentations I know it’s a step towards gaining
good presentation skills. I know that I have to do more to actually improve my presentation skills by
practicing.
Evaluation
I feel that attending these kind of talks are a good start for whatever I’m trying to improve. The next
step would be going to activities which require me to get hands on with the skill I’m trying to improve.
Presentation skills are very important to me and I know that I must do more by myself and have the
attitude to actually improve skills which I think need improvement.
I know that overcoming some of the fears of presentations won’t help by just attending this talk
although it did help me understand and try ways of overcoming those fears. I know that presentation
skills will come into play once I start my career and there is no avoiding it so it’s up to me to improve
those skills which will help me be a better presenter.
Reconstruct Self-Concept
After this talk I understand more about myself and my presentation skills. I knew going into this I didn’t
have the strongest presentations skills but I was decent at it. I knew myself that I need to improve these
skills and this was a good start. This talk helped me understand how I can try different methods to help
me be a better presenter. My ability to be a good presenter is up to me to develop and after this talk I
will apply some of the methods I learned and see if they help me to be a better presenter. I know that
presentations aren’t one of my better skills and I do look for ways of improving it.
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That is the purpose of these activities and events that I’m attending constantly, they will help me
develop the skills that I think need development. I know that I’m better at some things and not so good
at other things. I will always look to improve aspects of myself that need the most improvement that is
why I attended this talk about presentations. Hopefully I will have more opportunities to improve skills
such as presentations in the future in order to improve myself and
Application
As with every other event or activity that I complete I look for ways of advancing that I’ve learned from
them and try to apply them whenever an opportunity comes. I have presentations coming up within the
next few weeks and I will apply what I’ve learned during the talk. To further improve this, I will have
practice sessions with my classmates to have more confidence. When it comes to presentations
practicing is the key to succeed. I practice presentations every time I have to present because they help
me to gain more confidence and not mess up. Frank did mention that practicing presentations will only
benefit and there is no limit to the amount of time you practice it, perfecting it is never far out of reach.
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3.6 Time Management Workshop
Title: Time Management Workshop
Date: 22nd February 2016
Organisers: Susan
Location: DCU Library
POD Weight: 1
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Description
In this event I attended a workshop on time management. This workshop was conducted by Susan from
Support Services. This workshop was all about time management and procrastination. This was a one-
hour session which detailed how to manage time effectively and especially how to not procrastinate
when it comes to doing college work. This activity was very useful to students and taught them how to
manage time and effectively complete assignment, projects etc. on time. This workshop was held in the
mentoring suite of the DCU Library.
Self-Analysis
Before the workshop I felt that it was going to give some good tips on time management as well as
procrastination because I know that it is part of managing your time effectively and not putting things
off to next time. I felt that this session would be very useful to me because it getting to the middle of the
semester where work is piling up and I need a way of managing how I do the work. Time management
was an important thing for me and I needed help in understanding what it’s all about and how I can
improve my time management whilst I’m in college.
Analysis of Learning
During the one-hour session there was a lot to take in. I learned that the biggest part of time
management is procrastination because it causes on to keep putting off work and therefore badly time
manage in daily or weekly tasks or activities. I also learned that creating a weekly routine may help to
keep my work on track and not get lost in trying to find out what or when to do an assignment etc. Some
of the techniques that I learned to help with time management include: scheduling, goal setting, analyse
time, organise workspace, keep focus, and motivate yourself. I think these techniques are the starting
point in getting my time management up to scratch.
As procrastination is one of the biggest parts of time management there are a few things that I could do
to control it, for example: remove distractions, take action, set achievable goals, make commitments,
identify real vs fake work, and reward yourself upon completion of work. These were some of the key
learnings that I took from this event.
Application in Context
The reason that I decided to participate in this workshop is because I’m a big procrastinator and I
needed to find ways of getting through in effectively. Procrastination is the very opposite of
productivity. To produce something is to pull it forward, while to procrastinate is to push it forward.
(Wax, 2014) To procrastinate is to put it off till the next day, then week, and sometimes forever. The
most dangerous thing that can happen to a student is to put off work when it will ultimately be too
much at the end and the work quality very poor.
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The learnings that I got from this session that were very relevant to me was the fact that procrastination
can lead to very poor quality work and assignments, projects etc. being submitted late. From what I’ve
learned I can say that I have poor time management skills as well as procrastinate very often.
Evaluation
Some of the ways that procrastination can lead to disaster include: you will lose precious time, you will
blow opportunities, you won’t meet goals, lower your self-esteem and could ruin a career. (O’Donovan,
2012) There was nothing in that session that wasn’t said based on the reasons listed above. I think that
everything which was said fitted to the fact that procrastination will lead to ultimate disaster. Although
there is a minor form of procrastination which is to allow ferment ideas, it doesn’t to a much of an
extent that it could be said that it’s good to procrastinate. Winfield mentions how to stop
procrastination in three minutes with one simple question. This is where you think of what something to
do and you only had three minutes to do it. “What needs to be done now in these three minutes?”
(Winfield, 2015) What was mentioned in the session were really much longer processes of managing
procrastination and I think there is a lot more to it, but overall the session provided with some ways of
managing your time effectively.
Reconstruct Self-Concept
It’s amazing what could be achieved in the one-hour session of the time management workshop which I
participated in. Not only did I learn how manage my time effectively by planning and setting time for
every activity, but I also learned how procrastination is a big part of this and some of the ways to control
it. I think that this workshop will have a long lasting effect on how I manage my activities, assignments,
projects etc. it will change how I do things and not putting things off but trying to do little parts of it. I
think from now on I will look at procrastination as something that is very toxic to me and I should avoid
it as much as I could.
Application
During the session I got a few resources which I could use in order to manage my time effectively. These
resources ranged from tips to avoid procrastination to date planners. I think that even the little things
that you do to manage time will have a long lasting effect on your work. Onward from this session I can
look for ways to write down every one of my tasks and activities I have to achieve within that week and
put my best effort in achieving them.
This will also come in handy later in my career because I’m sure that time management at work is also
important in order to produce the work set out for a typical day. I will go as far as write down everything
that I do in a single day try and find ways of improving the time that I do it in as well as applying it to the
rest of the days in order to have a more fluid way of working without being under pressure for time.
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References
O'Donovan, K. (2012). 8 Ways Procrastination Can Destroy Your Life. [online] Lifehack.org. Available at:
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/8-ways-procrastination-can-destroy-your-life.html
[Accessed 22 Feb. 2016].
Wax, D. (2014). Back to Basics: Procrastination - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. [online] Lifehack.org.
Available at: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/back-to-basics-procrastination-the-good-the-
bad-and-the-ugly.html [Accessed 22 Feb. 2016].
Winfield, C. (2015). How to Stop Procrastinating in 3 Minutes with One Simple Question. [online]
Inc.com. Available at: http://www.inc.com/chris-winfield/how-to-stop-procrastinating-in-3-minutes-
with-one-simple-question.html [Accessed 22 Feb. 2016].
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3.7 Read a Book: Who Moved My Cheese?
Title: Read a Book: Who Moved My Cheese?
Date: 3rd March 2016
Organisers: N/A
Location: DCU
POD Weight: 1
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Description
This activity involved me reading a book that explains how to deal with change in your career or
personal life. The book is called ‘Who Moved My Cheese’ by Spencer Johnson. The book is about change
in one’s work and life, and four characters are involved in the story, two mice and two little people. And
they’re all in a maze trying to find cheese. The two mice are called “Sniff” and “Scurry” while the little
people are human like beings called “Hem” and “Haw”. All those characters represent four emotions
and feelings we face when we are faced with a change.
The book is very short but it helps to get a good point across which is change is inevitable and ways to
deal with it, whether in your personal life or your career. Throughout reading this book I enjoyed the
metaphors and the meanings that the book was trying to get across, and I can certainly say that I can
relate to what is said in the book. I can even identify myself to one of the characters in the book, and I
can see where I fit into the scenario of ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’.
Self-Analysis
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been
waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” - Barack Obama. Before undertaking this activity, I read a
few reviews about the book and thought if this is the right read for me. I had no previous knowledge of
this book, and when I came across it I thought it would be an interesting read because it involves a
subject which anyone can relate to. There are many reviews of the book, according to Knops (2012),
“Who Moved My Cheese? is one of those small books that provide you with a great amount of thought,
despite the fact that someone is able to complete the book on a Sunday afternoon.” It just shows what a
great little read this book is, and the fact that it’s so short makes it the sweeter for the lazy reader who
doesn't want to read a two hundred book page.
Change is an important part of life, and there are many reasons it benefits people, for one it makes you
flexible, it makes you smarter, and finally change reminds us that anything is possible. (Jones, 2011)
Change itself is hard to deal with but it’s the way that you deal with change that can help you breathe
easier in your career and personal life. I don’t think we could progress in life if we weren't able to deal
with change.
Analysis of Learning
There are many lessons that could be learn from that book and so many reasons to apply those lesson in
your life. In the book one of the ‘little people’ who ventured out into the maze to seek out new cheese
wrote down all these things he was thinking while on his journey. One of those writings on the wall
stuck with me, that is “What would you do if you were not afraid?” This one quote from the book
resonates with me and it correctly describes what I do when it comes to dealing with change. I’m not a
risk taker and I don’t deal with change very well, so reading this book just highlights what I know about
myself and how I could change myself.
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Another learning that I took from the book is that how not dealing with change can have an effect
throughout your life. In the book it says that if we don’t change that we would become extinct. It just
shows how powerful change is, in terms of why you must know how to deal with it, and how it can bring
good to your life.
Application in Context
Change is a subject that anyone can relate to. I’m no different to say that I know how to deal with
change is an understatement. I can confidently say that I’m quite bad with dealing with change. What I
took from the book is that I can relate to one of the characters. Hem is the little person that I can relate
to the most. This is because I don’t like change, I’m afraid to explore once a change is in effect, and I’ll
just wait there until someone or something will fix it for me.
I know that it’s not healthy to deal with change in that way and from this book I understand how that
characters is if you call it ‘flawed’, compared to the other characters he seems like the odd one out for
the worse. Now that I’ve identified myself as one of the characters I can look at others. The little person
Haw, now there’s someone who knows how to deal with change. I think that if you cannot identify
yourself as one of the characters from the book you don’t even know change or how to deal with it.
Evaluation
The experience that I learned from this book is invaluable. I can’t believe such a small book about
change that even a child could understand be so powerful. I never thought that a book could change the
way you think about things. After I read I can, in a real way apply what I’ve learned. This is especially
true because I was able to identify myself as one of the characters in the book. Although this book is
very good in explaining changes in a small book it does have some pitfalls. First of all, the size of the
books and its simplicity could throw people off, the intellectual level of this book is also a concern.
(Bobbins, 2010) I think that it depends on how you interpret the book and if you get the meanings and
metaphors in the book.
Reconstruct Self-Concept
I can make a lot of changes after reading this book. I could try and be like one of the characters of the
book or I could stay the same way as the identified character I mentioned. I think I can make changes to
my life after this type of activity. I can stop and think after approaching something to do and say to
myself “Can I do this?” Another thing that I will more than likely apply is before I undertake something
that I think I can’t do; I will say “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?” These should help me to embrace
change in my life and not allow it affect my life. I think I will remember this book for the rest of my life
and be able to apply what I’ve learned anywhere I go.
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Action
There hasn’t been a chance for me to apply the learnings from the book. I will more than likely be able
to apply in my future career. I certainly know that I can’t run away from change, I can’t stay the same
forever, and I can’t be afraid of change because it is inevitable. I have faced changes in my life for many
years and for many more years I will experience change. It’s the way that I approach change that will
ultimately mean between actually enjoying the metaphorical ‘cheese’ in my life.
References
Bobbins, B. (2010). Review of Who Moved My Cheese | Don't Step in the Poop. [online]
Dontstepinthepoop.com. Available at: http://dontstepinthepoop.com/review-who-moved-my-cheese
[Accessed 3 Mar. 2016].
Jones, J. (2011). 3 Reasons Why Change Is Good - Inspiration Report. [online] Inspiration Report.
Available at: http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/inspirationreport/2011/08/3-reasons-why-change-
is-good.html [Accessed 3 Mar. 2016].
Knops, R. (2012). Who Moved My Cheese? (Johnson) Book review - remo-knops.com. [online] remo-
knops.com. Available at: http://www.remo-knops.com/3595/who-moved-my-cheese-book-review/
[Accessed 3 Mar. 2016].
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3.8 Diploma in Operations Management
Title: Diploma in Operations Management
Date: 23rd – 25th May 2016
Organisers: ALISON - Certified Learning
Location: DCU
POD Weight: 2
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Description
This activity involved me completing an online course on ALISON in the field of Operations
Management. The duration of the course is about 6 - 10 hours. There were three assessments during
the course with one being a final assessment which earned you a diploma. The Diploma in Operations
Management will give me a thorough understanding in of operations management and its
organisational and managerial applications. I decided to partake in this course because it would give me
a chance to learn a new subject which I didn’t learn in college. I completed the course at home on my
personal computer during a three-day period.
During those three days I completed various lessons which taught me different aspects of operations
management. The course is very popular and has received a four-star rating by the students who took
the course and earned a diploma. The end purpose of this course was to learn about operations
management and pass the final assessment by getting a mark of 80% or higher in order to be eligible for
a diploma at a fee. This course had material which was represented in slides from which I took notes and
learned about the operations management. This course caught my eye as I was looking to do an online
course in order to improve my knowledge and skills in various different areas. An online course is an
important tool in helping to improve myself and this particular course will help me to do that.
Self-Analysis
My initial feelings before taking the course were very mixed because I didn’t know what to expect. I felt
a bit nervous as I might not pass the assessments and wouldn’t be able to progress into the course.
Nevertheless, I felt that I would complete the course even if I had to repeat it. I was dedicated to
completing this course in order to further develop myself for a future career. In order to achieve what I
have set out at the start of NGM and this masters I need to be able to take online courses such as this in
order to gain more qualifications which the university don’t offer to me. It’s about developing myself as
a person in order to have the best knowledge and skills heading into the workplace. As this is a high
rated course and ALISON itself is a very popular website for online courses, it would be wise of me to
take this opportunity to learn new skills. Operations management can be both part of the service and
product industry.
There are certain operations which needs to be done in order to deliver a product or service to a
customer. I will more than likely be involved in an organisation which provides a service and I need to be
able to understand the operations how the service is delivered. I’m not ruling out that I might work for a
company which produces products, that’s why I want to cover all my basics by doing this particular
course. My primary choice of a career right now is to be a business analyst, but this course might help
me to get another job which I will also be more than likely looking for. This activity has helped me to
understand the basics of operations management which involves a lot of principles which will be useful
to me in my future career.
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Analysis of Learning
The course was divided into 7 modules and in between those modules there are 3 assessments to take
while progressing through the course. During the stages of this course I learned the following aspects of
operations management:
1. Operations Management and Its Development
● Module 1: What is Operations Management?
● Module 2: Development of Operations Management
2. The Role of the Operations Manager
● Module 3: The Operations Manager
3. The Transformation Model and Its Boundary
● Module 4: The Transformation Model
● Module 5: The Boundary of the Operations System
4. Operations Management Strategies and Their Application
● Module 6: Operations Management Strategies
● Module 7: Applying Operations Management - Inventory and Quality Management
These four topics with seven modules in them allowed me to learn the basics of operations
management. I learned how everyday process in operation that we need to manage. I learned how
different organisations have different mentalities when it comes to managing their process for
delivering products or services. Some of the key things that I learned from doing the course include the
transformation model which is an important part of operations management. It involves how a company
goes from inputs to outputs and all the way to feedback. This process is how a product is gotten from its
first initial stage to the final products or service delivered to the customer.
Another key thing that I learned was the operations management strategies. These included capacity
planning (amount of human or other resources required to meet production targets), facilities location
planning (land, buildings, and other physical inputs), and process planning (planning for actual
production). These were just some of the key things that I took from doing this course and I think helped
me with the assessments. The final assessment tested my strengths in this course because it involved a
lot of the course material, luckily I took notes throughout that helped me to pass the test with a final
score of 93%, which I think is very good for me and I was proud to achieve a high score like that.
Application in Context
As I have not had previous knowledge of operations management, I’ve only come across the topic which
I was keen on finding out more. I didn’t know what to expect heading into this this course. By doing this
course I have a better understanding in the subject of operations management. It helps me to further
understanding this topic which was very interesting to me. It helped me to shape my knowledge about
this course in a way that allowed me understand more about operations management. I think that there
is a link between what I’ve learned from this course and the career that I’m pursuing. It helps me to
understand things such as the strategies and concepts of operations management.
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As this both involves the manufacturing and the service industry it is suited for me and my future career.
It is important for business analysts to understand the day-to-day operations of a company in order to
give accurate feedback on how the business should be run and what type of adjustments need to be
made in order to increase production and profit. I think that I would be able to apply what I’ve learned
in this course in the career that I’m pursuing. I would definitely consider doing more online course in
order to improve skills and knowledge and gain qualifications that would help me to gain a better career
in the future.
Evaluation
I didn’t know what to expect from this course before I started it. I didn’t know much about operations
management and what it was about, I only came across it in previous modules in college. The overall
experience of this course was quite an enjoyable one. I was motivated to do this course from the start
and I never looked back on it because I flew through the course with no hesitation of whether it was
worth my time. It was very worth in the end because I learned something that will be valuable to me in
the future. The course was well structured and the slides were to the point with not a lot of jargon. The
only that I would’ve liked is to have an option to have the slides read to me instead of me reading the
slides to myself. Another thing that lacked this course is that it wasn’t very interactive.
The slides itself were enjoyable but I’ve would’ve like to have seen a few videos or tutorials which
allowed me to interact more. Nonetheless this course was very good and I can see how it has received
such a high rating by the previous students. Although I did earn a diploma for this course I think I need
more knowledge in this area in order to increase the overall effect that this certification has on me. I feel
that doing activities such as these where you’re active and have something to test your knowledge is
much better than attending something as a seminar or a lecture. Although as I’ve mentioned there
wasn’t that much interaction during the course it was still an enjoyable one to do. I think that I can
further develop myself by completing more online course which earn me some kind of achievement. I
think that I was able to develop myself further by doing an online course because I’m more engaged and
I can make own type of study notes which in turn help me to learn more and allow me to get the most
out of these courses.
Reconstruct Self-Concept
When I look back on the course I don’t think there are any changes I could make in order to improve
what I’ve learned. I did everything to my liking by taking effective notes which helped me pass the
assessments. With this experience of completing an online course I can safely say that I learn much
better when I’m more engaged rather than sitting there and listening to a lecture. I feel that I can
accomplish much more with these online course, and not only do I have something to show for it but I
also gain the skills and knowledge that I can take with me for the rest of my life. This is my first activity in
which I do an online course for personal development and I think that I should pursue doing more
courses which help me develop myself as I did with this course.
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I’m not a very creative person so I need to have skills such as this one where I know all the facts and
strategies to something and which I can offer my own recommendations. It’s one of those skills that I
can easily improve on because there is other material that I could access easily. I did very well on all the
assessments and I was able to achieve a score of 80% or more in each of the three assessments which I
think is very good and I’m proud of what I did for this course by gaining a diploma.
Application
The value that I gained from this course is a useful to me. I think that I have the ability to understand
what operations management is all about and can take it to my future career. I will be able to apply the
learning once I’m in my career and working for a company. I will be able to address such things as how
operations can be improved and what type of strategies to take on in order to improve a process. To put
this learning into practice I need to apply this in a manner that will help me in some kind of task. I think I
will be able to do this once I’m working for an organisation. In order to get more out of the learning that
I got from this course I need to be able to give examples of how to apply the different aspects of
operations management such as the different strategies.
I would be able to manage different operations within an organisation or give advice on improvement of
processes. The overall experience of this activity was very valuable to. I will be able to take what I’ve
achieved during the course of three days further into my career. I achieved something that is new and
exciting to me and that what helps me learn. The goal of personal development is to develop oneself
and gain new knowledge and skills in order to succeed in life. I think that I was able to do this by
completing this activity.
Proof of Completion
This image shows my overall result of the final end of course assessment.
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This image shows my overall completion of the course and states that I have completed the course and
eligible for a diploma. The reason I don’t have the diploma is because it cost and I didn’t have the funds
at the time of completion.
