https://research-methodology.net Necessary knowledge to conduct a business research Mon, 13 Oct 2014 04:34:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://rm-15da4.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/cropped-logoBRM-32x32.jpg https://research-methodology.net 32 32 https://research-methodology.net/career-planning-and-personal-development-plan-sample/ Sun, 12 Oct 2014 09:13:22 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=1090 People who plan their career years in advance and make efforts to make them happen achieve far more than those who do not have a long-term plan and make their career decisions dictated only by immediate benefits. It’s better to be proactive for an individual to assess his interests, strengths, weaknesses and realistically evaluate his options and make relevant plans, rather than being reactive and end up in an employment where the individual’s true potentials are not realised for many different reasons. This article illustrates my personal career plan in detail in my chosen field of professional interest – marketing, and lists steps I am planning to undertake to progress to my dream job, anticipating possible challenges, analysing alternative progressions and describing preventive actions. The article also describes career planning methodology, marketing field in general and necessary KSAs to be successful in this field. My personal development plan is provided in the article along with my SMART objectives describing how I am planning to prepare myself for each step which eventually will lead me to my dream job – marketing executive.   Dream Job – Marketing Executive Marketing executives promote products, services or ideas by developing marketing strategies and campaigns. They are closely involved in public relations, planning, research, product development, participating in events and organising them. This role is fascinating to me because it provides two job elements which I find exciting: meeting and communicating with people, and seeing the immediate and long-term results of your work. Marketing executives have a wide range of responsibilities and it depends mainly on the sector and the size of the company. The job of a marketing executive includes production of marketing materials, managing the marketing budget, organizing and attending to events, exhibitions etc., evaluating the efficiency of marketing campaigns, conducting market research, and…]]> https://research-methodology.net/reflective-essay-sample-for-marketing-design-and-innovation-module/ Sun, 06 Apr 2014 02:58:59 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=5818 Completing the Marketing Design and Innovation module and report has been a great learning opportunity for me in many levels. Thanks to this module I obtained an in-depth knowledge about the main features of product and service design from marketing viewpoint, in both theoretical, as well as, practical levels. The contents of the module and an effective teaching style of the tutor have played an instrumental role in assisting me to distinguish between the key characteristics of the designing process within the settings of ever-changing consumer taste and highly dynamic nature of style. Moreover, Marketing Design and Innovation module has taught me the importance of patenting ideas, registering designs, and safeguarding own intellectual property in a timely and appropriate manner. Also, I do believe that a set of organisational theories and business frameworks that I learned in this module will find their application in the future, to contribute to the achievement of my career objectives. The experience of attending the module and completing the report has equipped me with ideas about innovation and design. At the same time, I had a set of pre-conceived ideas about innovation and design that have changed as a result of completing the module and preparing the report. Specifically, previously I did not fully appreciate the importance of introducing innovations in various aspects and features of products and services in regular manner. However, towards the end of the module I became convinced that introduction of regular innovations in various aspects and features of products and services has become one of the basic survival requirements in modern highly competitive marketplace. Similarly, a highly dynamic nature of design can be specified as another point that I learned during the process of completing the module and preparing the report. I have to admit that the process of completing…]]> https://research-methodology.net/reflective-essay-sample-marketing-design-innovation-mobile-phones/ Thu, 20 Feb 2014 12:13:18 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=5634 Attendance of the module and completion of the report has deepened the level of my knowledge in a number of areas. First of all, I learned about the importance of branding from practical and theoretical viewpoints. Moreover, I learned about the potential contribution of effective product design and innovation in products design and its key features in successful branding. During the research process for the report I gained an in-depth knowledge about all stages of the designing process of products and services. I feel very optimistic about applicability of this knowledge in practice in the future as a manager. My knowledge has also increased in the areas of patenting, trademarks and protection of intellectual property. Studying a set of case studies from IMSS has helped me to learn about the types current global trends and assess their implications on businesses within the settings of real life business situations. The module and assessment gave me some ideas about innovation and design. Before attending the module and completing the assessment I thought of design as a static issue and did not duly understand its highly dynamic character. However, thanks to effective teaching method of the tutor, adequate materials and individual learning efforts, now I do understand that product design needs to be perceived as an integral component of new product development efforts and design needs to be based on appropriate integration of simplicity and convenience. Moreover, central idea of the module has been associated with innovation in product design and functionality as a source of competitive advantage and I have obtained an in-depth knowledge about the value of innovation in product design and functionality to be used in the future during my career. The role of branding and effective marketing communication is another area of knowledge that I have gained through attending…]]> https://research-methodology.net/sample-for-personal-development-plan/ Thu, 30 Jan 2014 00:09:11 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=5449 Personal Development Plan (PDP) “is a document completed by an individual that details their intentions and actions with regard to their own development” (Cunningham et al., 2004, p.129). My personal development plan associated with the achievement of my career goals is represented in the following table: Plan Actions Time/Deadline Increasing the level of cross-cultural awareness Attending cross-cultural awareness training session December 2014 Learning from real-life special events Attending special events of various types and critically analysing the effectiveness of organisation and management Every month until June 2016 To remain updated with the latest trends and news in events industry To subscribe to “Special Events” magazine and to be reading each issue Every month To be increasing the level of knowledge about theoretical aspects of event management Reading relevant academic literature Every month To be improving personal leadership skills Attending ‘Essentials of Leadership’ 5-day program offered by London Business School July 2014 To be enhancing the level of personal creativity Attending ‘Creativity and Innovation’ 2-day course offered by Impact Factory September 2014 To be improving personal time management skills Attending ‘Time Management’ 1-day training course offered by Activia Training November 2014 To find a personal coach among accomplished event managers Studying the personalities of successful event managers, and initiating a contact with a highly experienced event manager January 2015 It is important to note that personal development needs to be perceived as a continuous process throughout the whole duration of career rather than being accepted as a one-time or occasional initiative. Accordingly, all aspects of personal development plan provided in table above such as increasing the level of cross-cultural awareness, learning from real-life special events, remaining updated with the latest trends and news in events industry, and to be improving personal leadership skills are going to be invested in for the…]]> https://research-methodology.net/careerlink-inventory-self-assessment-sample/ Wed, 29 Jan 2014 00:57:17 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=5445 My self-assessment has been completed with the application of Careerlink Inventory, an online skills and interests inventory. This software provides an assessment of five different aspects of individual personality and suggests relevant career recommendations. Specifically, personality aspects assessed consist of aptitudes, interests, temperaments, and physical capacities and working conditions (Careerlink Inventory, 2014, online). The advantages of Careerlink Inventory include practical assistance in making educational and career choices through finding an appropriate match to personal aptitudes, interests, temperaments, and physical capacities. Answers given to Careerlink Inventory multiple choice test questions are analysed by the software and the level of match between responses and a wide range of career areas are represented in percentages. The following table illustrates percentage matches between my skills and interests and a range of career areas and cluster titles according to Careerlink Inventory self-assessment results. Careerlink Inventory self-assessment results Results of Careerlink Inventory self-assessment indicate that there is a 94% match between my skills and interests and Arts and Humanities career area. Report provided by Careerlink Inventory states that this specific career area is closely associated with entertaining audiences and a high level of creativity. Importantly, the same points equally relate to successful event management as well, and from this perspective Careerlink Inventory finds event management as a suitable career choice for me. Moreover, Careerlink Inventory self-assessment has found 93% match between my skills and interests and Social Sciences career area. It is clarified in self-assessment results report that Social Sciences involve serving the public interests in a wide range of manners. In other words, my skills and interests are best applied in serving the interests of public, and this can be done through dealing with various aspects of event management in a successful manner. There is also 93% match between my skills and interests and Personal…]]> https://research-methodology.net/career-research-process-an-example/ Tue, 28 Jan 2014 00:39:19 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=5441 It has been noted that “research is a term used literally for any kind of investigation that is intended to uncover interesting or new facts” (Walliman and Walliman, 2011, p.1). The career research process I have used is the one proposed by Morgan (2010) and it consists of the following stages: 1. Assessment. The research process commences with assessment of personal skills and knowledge, as well as, passion in order to be able to identify genuine career aspirations. Specifically, my hobbies and spheres that attracted my interest the most have been deeply analysed during this initial stage of career research process. 2. Collecting Information. Both, primary and secondary data sources have been used to collect the relevant information during the second stage of career research process. Secondary sources of data used in research process comprise industry analyses, industry magazines and newspapers, and a range of books devoted to career management. Primary data sources used during the career research, on the other hand, include individuals already employed in the industry. 3. Presentation.  This stage includes improvement of the verbal pitch, and development of a personal marketing plan as a prospective employee. A high level of importance of developing a personal marketing plan can be explained by increasing level of competition in the job marker for graduates with little or no formal job experiences. 4. Project management. Achievement of career objectives is approached as a project management with identification of short-term and long-term goals and organising regular reviews. 5. Interview preparation. Performances in interviews play a great role in the achievement of career objectives, and accordingly interview preparation is identified as a strategic stage in career progression. 6. Project update. This stage in career research process involves career progression monitoring conducted in a regular basis, and strategy modification if necessary.   References Morgan, H. (2010) “The…]]> https://research-methodology.net/personal-reflection-sample-preparing-a-research-report-for-acca/ Fri, 30 Aug 2013 11:09:07 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4258 The completion of the Research Report as a part of degree requirements has involved my engagement in a highly challenging and motivating research experience. The following texts represent the skill and learning statement that reflect the implications of the research experience on my personal and professional development. The skill and learning statement includes the implications of interactions with mentor, an analysis of the extent to which research questions have been answered, a brief analysis of interpersonal and communication skills and their relevance to the research, as well as the contribution of the research experience to my professional and personal development.   1.      Experiences of interactions with mentor I had chances of meeting my project mentor three times and obtained practical support regarding various aspects of the work during these meetings. Our first meeting was mainly dedicated to clarifying our expectations from the research experience and the discussions took place related to the issues of selection of the research approach and formulation of research questions and objectives. By the time I had a meeting with my mentor for the second time Introduction and Information gathering chapters of the work have been completed and I received detailed feedback for these chapters of the research. Also, discussions were held about data analysis and presentation associated with the project. During the final meeting with my mentor the overall work has been scrutinised and a set of specific points have been mentioned by my mentor. Specifically, my mentor raised a point that my discussions of research findings lacked depth and scale. Then, these points have been addressed and the final draft of the Research Report was completed. I found advices given by my mentor very helpful in terms of increasing the quality of my Research Report and equipping me with knowledge of effectively conducting similar…]]> https://research-methodology.net/personal-reflection-sample-on-completing-a-dissertation-on-csr/ Thu, 29 Aug 2013 10:40:28 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4251 This article illustrates a sample personal reflection of the author upon the learning experience and presents critical analysis of the development of the author as a researcher and scholar as a result of conducting this study. The content of the article is divided into three main themes: the development of secondary research skills, the development of primary research skills, improvement of time-management skills, increasing the level of self-confidence.   The Development of Secondary Research Skills The author had some basic secondary research skills before engaging in this research; however those skills were greatly improved as a result of conducting the current study. The 21st century has been characterised as the information age, and in this age companies can obtain competitive advantage through analysing information about various aspects of the marketplace, as well as, information related to internal and external factors affecting the company. However, dealing with information from such a perspective requires secondary research skills. Therefore it can be said that the secondary research skills gained by the author during the course of conducting this research will contribute immensely to his career progression in the near future. Specifically, the author gained competency in the following two directions of secondary research: First, prioritising the secondary data. Nowadays a large amount of data is available regarding any business or other subjects in various secondary data sources including books, journals, magazines, newspapers, internet etc. The current research experience has taught the author that it is not physically possible to analyse all the available data related to the research question for obvious reasons. Accordingly, during the literature review stage of the research the author had learned to prioritise the secondary data related to the research questions according to a set of important criteria such as the authority and credentials of the author, date of…]]> https://research-methodology.net/reflective-journal-sample-european-business-environment-module-coursework/ Mon, 26 Aug 2013 20:16:01 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4231 The European Business Environment module coursework was a good learning experience for me in many aspects. Among many positive benefits it positively contributed to my secondary data research techniques, improved my time-management skills and made me a more industrious student. However, I encountered with a range of issues at various stages of completing the assignment. Specifically, there was a problem with the lack of trustworthy secondary data resources, since most of the materials found on-line arose my suspicion regarding their validity as references. The issue was dealt with through more visits to the library than was initially planned. If I were to complete the same assignment one more time I would definitely start my visits to libraries weeks earlier than I did. This would have enabled me to avoid last-minute hassles, and would ensure the greater scope and depth for my research. During completion of the assignment I found easier to perform at argument and application learning outcome due to my practicability and an analytical mindset towards various issues. Moreover, I think I did well in communication learning outcome as well, because the whole text was revised many times in order to increase its standard. The achievement of learning outcome I was not satisfied with is a research. Specifically, my references include only ten books and one internet web-site. If I had started my research process earlier references could have included relevant magazines and journals as well, and thus the overall validity of the research could have been increased. I cannot state that I have performed to the best of my ability for this specific assignment. The primary reason was that I had started to write the assignment much later than I have should and this had affected many aspects of the work. But the most important point is that …]]> https://research-methodology.net/personal-development-plan-a-sample/ Sat, 24 Aug 2013 13:53:53 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4221 Intensifying level of competition in job markets due to the increasing forces of globalisation has increased demand for the population of employable age in general, and university graduates in particular (Armstrong, 2010). Therefore, today employees have to be more proactive towards their careers fully utilising a range of available tools such as career mapping, career plan, and personal development plan. This article illustrates a personal career management plan for the author of the report. The report starts with discussing the dream position of the author and highlighting the main skills and qualities needed to be successful in this position. This is followed by a brief explanation of career mapping and planning methodology. Detailed explanations of chosen career path to reach the dream job have also been provided within the report, as well as, relevant career plan and personal development plan has been supplied. Moreover, analysis of major obstacles and challenges the author is likely face in the way of progressing towards the dream job has been included with a particular focus on challenges related to dealing with an international team. The article is concluded by drafting recommendations to future graduates on a different career they could have in a given field after they graduate.   Dream Position: HRM Executive with a Multinational Corporation Human resources management (HRM) is a field of professional interest for the author because being employed in this field involves working and interacting with people different character and various backgrounds. Moreover, career in HR can be rewarding in many other ways, such as great influence on various aspects of organisation, assistance in personal and professional development of the workforce, and influence and participation in strategic level decision making. However, operating as a successful HRM executive for a multinational corporation requires a certain set of skills and competencies.…]]> https://research-methodology.net/reflective-diary-sample-international-marketing-module/ Wed, 21 Aug 2013 20:49:38 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=4212 a) What learning have you gained from the study of international marketing and how this learning has enabled the development of your analytical and behavioural skills. Support with actual examples. The study of subject of international marketing has positively contributed to my knowledge in many ways, as well as it has increased a range of my skills and capabilities. To be more specific, my knowledge was increased in a way that I was able to analyse a wide range of marketing issues not only on the scope of a single market or country, but also from a global perspective. My skills and capabilities that were developed and improved during international marketing classes and seminars include communication skills, global viewpoint, analytical skills, cross-cultural skills and others. First of all, from the beginning of the classes I became able to distinguish between traditional marketing within a specific market or a country and a form of new marketing that did not recognise borders between countries i.e. I came to appreciate the scope and depth of international marketing. Moreover, various factors affecting international marketing such as global cultural environment, global business customs, international political and legal environment were taught during classes in detail that updated my knowledge about marketing, and as a result I also became aware with a range of new issues affecting businesses in general, and marketing in particular that were resulted from globalisation. One of the important factors, in my opinion, that positively contributed to the learning process was the high level of professionalism of lecturer whose teaching style was efficient in a way that each and every concept and idea was explained by referring to real-life business examples. I personally found global marketing research more challenging than marketing research that is conducted within a particular market. Because in case of…]]> https://research-methodology.net/the-importance-of-learning-and-training-in-the-workplace/ Fri, 07 Sep 2012 11:42:04 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=2072 The demand for highly competent and skilled employees is greater than ever before because of highly intensive level of competition in the marketplace. This demand also increases the level of importance of learning and training for the members of workforce so that they would be able to deal with increasing number of organisational challenges in an effective manner. Specific advantages of promoting and facilitating learning and training in the workplace include increased level of productivity and team spirit, improvements in organisational culture and climate, improvements in the image of the company and its overall performance, as well as consequent positive implications on profitability levels of private entities. Banfield and Kay (2008) use the notion of six ‘Es’ of training in their explanation of why organisations do train employees. Namely, according to authors six ‘Es’ consist of engaging, educating, enhancing, empowering, energising, and enlightening employees. At the same time, it is important to clarify differences between learning and training. Schuler and Jackson (2007) convincingly argue that the differences between learning and training have to be drawn according to the purposes of each. Specifically, training is organised in order to impart knowledge and skills directly related to specific tasks or job, whereas learning is concerned with improving future behaviour and performances in general. Moreover, Erasmus and Schenk (2009) draw clear distinctions between the terms of ‘training’, ‘education’ and ‘development’. Specifically, training is specified as a job-related learning, whereas education is the preparation of an employee for a different job. Employee development, on the other hand, is a broad terms that comprises education, training, as well as, various forms of learning. An alternative definition of training has been proposed as “the process whereby people acquire capabilities to perform jobs” (Mathis and Jackson, 2010, p.250), whereas specific form of training which is the focus…]]> https://research-methodology.net/critical-analysis-of-skills-and-competencies-as-an-entrepreneur/ Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:54:22 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=1819 The role of entrepreneurship for business managers has dramatically increased due to the rapidly intensifying level of competition fuelled by the forces of globalisation, technological advancement and other factors. Moreover, it has to be stated that “entrepreneurship is important because it is the economic mechanism through which inefficiencies in economies are identified and mitigated” (Baum et al, 2007, p.5).   The term of entrepreneur is a widely used within business literature within different contexts. At the same time, it is important to note that there is a great level of ambiguity is associated with the definition of the term. Specifically, American, Austrian, German, French and British schools have offered their own versions of definitions that differ from each other. Regarding this issue it has been stated that “although no single definition of entrepreneurship exists and no one profile can represent today’s entrepreneur, research is beginning to provide an increasingly sharper focus on the subject” (Kuratko and Hodgetts, 2008, p.4). This article represents a critical analysis of skills and competencies of the author in terms of being an entrepreneur. The article analyses three major points of strengths of the author as an entrepreneur, providing evidences from relevant experiences, as well as identifies three major areas that need to be further developed.   Personal Strengths and Competencies The author possesses a set of strengths and competencies and believes that these traits have a positive contribution on performance of the author as an entrepreneur. Chakraborty (2006) divides entrepreneurial competencies into the following three categories: behavioural, enterprise launching and enterprise management competencies.  The author believes that own personal strengths and competencies to each of the above category and they include, but not limited to willingness to take risk and responsibility, advanced level of communication skills, and having great amount of passion towards work.  …]]> https://research-methodology.net/development-needs-analysis-and-personal-development-plan-an-example/ Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:36:01 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=1813 It has been stressed that “developing and committing to personal goals (selection) provides the constraints that are essential for development” (Mroczek and Little, 2006, p.367).  The goals of the author of this article directly relate to business management in telecommunications sector. The author acknowledges that a set of personal skills and competencies need to be developed in order to achieve this goal. However, above all the goals need to be formulated in a clear and specific manner. Marr (2009) mentions SMART requirement for goals the abbreviation standing for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Accordingly, the author of this article has formulated specific goals can be summarised in the following points: To become a successful business manager in mobile telecommunications sector in charge of 1 million GBP budget within three years after completing the studies. To be acknowledged as an effective leader and to be successfully leading a team of at least 10 people within a year after becoming a full-time employee. To be acknowledged as an effective, efficient and motivational communicator by colleagues and tutors by the end of studies.   Strategic learner The process of meaningful learning is presented by Kolb (1984) as a series of events that integrate the functions of feeling, perceiving, thinking, and acting. Kolb’s learning cycle consists of four phases: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, and active experimentation. The theoretical framework of Kolb’s learning cycle has been further developed by Honey and Mumford (1982), who identified four learning styles as activist, reflector, theorist and pragmatic. After taking a relevant test the author’s learning style has been identified to be a theorist. As Fee (2011) informs, individuals with theorist learning style tend to classify their observations into specific patterns and consequently generate relevant theories. Accordingly, it has been established that the best learning environment…]]> https://research-methodology.net/a-sample-of-personal-career-goals-and-career-strategy-for-marketing-manager/ Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:32:08 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=1521 In order to have a successful career it is better to be proactive, rather than reactive in terms of formulating career plans, assessing personal strengths and weaknesses, and devised detailed plans accordingly. It has been acknowledged that “personal development is an increasingly important aspect of life and work” (Boer, 2006, p.6) and therefore this paper represents personal development plan related to the career perspectives of the author.   Personal Career Goals and Career Strategy Rothwell (2009) justly argues that personal career goals will be easier to achieve if they correspond to life goals and personal values of individuals. Accordingly, the author of this plan has formulated career goals that reflect personal life goals values. Specifically, the personal career goal for the author of this plan is closely related the e-commerce industry in general, and marketing aspect of e-commerce in particular. In other words, the author of this plan has formulated career goals that involve becoming a competent e-commerce marketing manager. The author has bold ambitions in terms of career plans, but at the same time, cherishes personal values of spending quality time with family and friends. The flexibility associated with the position of marketing management allows the author of this plan to pursue above specified values, and at the same time, to utilise the high level of creativity of the author. Career strategy can be defined as “any behaviour, activity, or experience designed to help a person meet career goals” (Greenhaus et al, 2009, p.131). The main points of the career strategy for the author of this paper consist of the following stages: First, preparing a personal profile. This stage involves identifying the interests of the author as well as assessing personal strengths and weaknesses. Second, formulating short and long-term professional aims and objectives. It has to be ensured that the aims and…]]> https://research-methodology.net/skills-obtained-from-international-marketing-class-a-personal-reflection/ Fri, 06 Jul 2012 09:49:24 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=1103 Contribution of the class to  analytical and behavioural skills I have gained huge benefits from learning the module of International Marketing both at personal and professional levels. Professional benefits include the knowledge I have gained regarding the subject and all the related principles, and theories like the impact of globalisation in international marketing, the importance of segmentation, the current global marketing issues, the global marketing environment and its influence to companies, global market entry strategies, components of a global marketing plan etc. Personal benefits I have obtained as results of the module include skills I have gained like increasing the level of my cross-cultural awareness, the ability to critically analyse global issues, improving my communication skills etc. I was familiar with the subject of marketing even before the module through marketing management module I have attended before. However, International Marketing module has equipped me with knowledge and way of thinking that allowed me to approach the issues of marketing I was already familiar with from a global perspective. For example, the analysis of external business environment in marketing management which is done using PESTEL strategic tool, external factors affecting the business were looked at in a specific country level. In international marketing, on the other hand, each individual factor of PESTEL analysis is looked at in the global level, allowing me to see the bigger picture. This is very important taking into account the fact that the forces of globalisation are ever-increasing, the importance of trade border between the various countries are decreasing, and as a result today companies may expect competition for their businesses from any parts of the world. I found the decisions regarding the components of marketing mix to be more challenging in international marketing than these decisions to be taken within company’s home country alone, because increasingly…]]> https://research-methodology.net/the-vark-questionnaire-and-its-application-a-personal-example/ Sun, 01 Jul 2012 06:57:15 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=935 The VARK Questionnaire has been taken by me as a part of self-estimation process. According to Warner and DeSimone (2009), the implementation of VARK questionnaires should not be limited to educational establishments only, and workplaces should be using them as well when devising training and development programs for their employees. VARK questionnaire reveled my study strategies to be mainly kinesthetic and read/write. This result does not only reveal my study strategy, it also reveals some traits of my personality, and therefore the results are directly connected to the level of my employability. My kinesthetic and read/write study strategies positively contribute to the level of my employability due to the following reasons: Firstly, kinesthetic learners are ‘hands-on learners’ or ‘doers’ and it means that in the workplace they require minimum induction and training, therefore saving significant amount of financial resources of the organisation. Secondly, kinesthetic learners like to experiment, and this particular trait is considered to be valuable by a range of global companies like Apple and Google who encourage their employees to experiment because it leads new product development, innovational ideas and procedures. Being a kinesthetic learner experimenting is my habit as well so I can target above named global brands for my future employment. Thirdly, employers are attracted to read/write learners, due to the fact that most of the knowledge in companies in many industries is stored in a text format with which read/write learners are comfortable. I am efficient with getting knowledge through reading, and as such in a good position to secure my employment in a position of my dream. Fourthly, most of the positions in many organisations in many sectors include increased amount of writing in forms of preparing reports, writing articles and notes. And because I am comfortable with writing such kind of reports as…]]> https://research-methodology.net/personal-reflection-sample-on-international-marketing-class/ Sun, 01 Jul 2012 06:26:55 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=923 Learning gained and contribution to  analytical and behavioural skills I found this module informative and motivating and I believe that my knowledge and skills have increased after I attended it and done my assignment. My knowledge of marketing has been significantly expanded as a result of attending classes, to include global approach to the marketing issues. In fact, I found out that the practice of marketing for businesses has become much more complicated due to the influence of globalisation to it. I updated my knowledge in such areas of international marketing as the impact of global factors to company management decision-making, strategies of choosing and entering new markets, developing new products for international markets, the characteristics of marketing research for international markets, international marketing mix elements etc. Our group was able to find during international marketing classes that the rules of games have changed in the business world in many aspects because of opportunities and threats globalisation presents. I understood that global marketplace has become much more competitive due to the increasing forces of globalisation, technological advancements, and the increasing role of Internet in professional and private lives of people. And all of this have affected the ways decisions are taken in companies, including decisions taken by marketing executives. I started to appreciate the importance of developing global mindset for modern marketing executives as a result of becoming closely familiar with the differences of marketing in it’s traditional meaning, and international marketing. The main differences turned out to be the increasing number of factors modern markers need to take into account the speed of decision-making and requirement for modern marketing executives to be more creative. The importance of creativeness and “thinking out of box” was especially highlighted during the classes as one of the necessary attributes of modern marketers. The valuable…]]> https://research-methodology.net/skills-personal-development-objectives-and-their-achievement/ Sun, 24 Jun 2012 07:31:53 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=16 Personal development objectives  The author of the dissertation has identified a set of personal development objectives to be achieved during the research which consist of following points: 1. To get equipped with skills required to critically analyse academic work through undertaking literature review for the dissertation 2. To learn about the methodology of conducting research and primary data collection methods. 3. To improve communication skills and self-confidence by arranging and conducting interviews with five marketing professionals 4. To improve time management skills by adhering to research timetable and making amendments in the timetable whenever it is necessary to do so. 5. To improve analytical skills through analysing and discussing primary data collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews. 6. To improve writing skills by critically analysing and reviewing each sentence several times until the desired format is achieved.   Achievement of Personal Development Objectives  The personal development objectives to be achieved as results of the research specified by the author at the beginning of the dissertation have been achieved at the following extend: The author of the dissertation has acquired critical thinking and critical analysis skills by reviewing and critically analysing a vast amount of literature concerning the research topic, small amount of which was mentioned in the literature review section; The author of the paper has learned the methodology of conducting a research extensively, gaining a deep knowledge about issues which can be faced at each staged of the research, and more importantly how to overcome them. Moreover, the author has learned about advantages and disadvantages of each primary data collection method, forming an ability to allocate them with different kinds of researches. Communication, self-confidence, and interpersonal skills of the researcher have been improved as a result of organizing meetings with and interviewing five marketing professionals for primary data collection purposes.…]]> https://research-methodology.net/skills-acquired-personal-development-review/ Wed, 20 Jun 2012 13:41:13 +0000 http://research-methodology.net/?p=464 I have benefited immensely from the in many aspects, including developing my personal skills. The skills that I acquired during the course which I appreciate the most include communication skills, cultural awareness, teamwork, and time management. McKenna (2004, p.664) relates the management skills to the behaviours and identifies them to be sets of actions performed by an individual that lead to a certain objectives Before starting my degree I did not consider communication skills to be as much of importance as I consider it now. My communications skills have improved during the course due to two reasons. First, on academic level, through cases studies and other materials I was pointed to the importance of communication skills for a person in social, family, and especially work settings. Second, I was taught about the importance of communication skills in a practical way. I can illustrate my statement in the following way. There were some lecturers whom I used to see regularly within and around the college but was not impressed by them in any way to put it mildly. However, once they started teaching us my opinions about them changed dramatically in a positive way due to their teaching styles and mainly, communication skills, and I know that it was not only me who has experienced that. Today I know about the importance of communication skills and also I know that once I return to the full-time work life my carrier would benefit due to my communication skills. Another personal skill which I developed during the course and consider to be important for my future career is my cross-cultural skills. Before starting the course I did not think much about the influence of culture on people’s behaviour and mentality. During the course through interacting with representatives of different cultural backgrounds and learning…]]>