Consulting in Practice

Assignment Brief Academic Year 2021-22
Chris Parsons 09 12 21

Assignment Brief
This is an INDIVIDUAL piece of work and should be undertaken on your own. The purpose of this assignment is to;  Evaluate your learning and skills development across the project.  Reflect on skills gaps and how they might be addressed.  Demonstrate your employability and readiness to apply for graduate level jobs, as you progress to Level 6. The ‘Task Requirements’ section below details the four tasks to be completed. The word count of 1500 words refers specifically to Tasks one and two. The response to these tasks should be written in report format using a formal tone and a concise style. You may use the first person. Tasks three and four will be fully assessed using the Assessment Criteria but will not be included in the word count. Note: Since this assignment needs to reflect your current knowledge/skills/experience, including learning from your client project, we do not expect to see substantial recycling of your Career Viewpoint Level 4 work.
This assignment has been designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your achievement of the following module learning outcomes:
2. 4.	Perform efficiently and effectively as a collaborative member of a working group and as an added value contributor to the organisation assigned to the students. Develop and demonstrate effective business communication skills.

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Module code and title:	BM562 Consulting in Practice	Module leader:	Dr Mahwish Noor
Assignment No. and type:	CW2 Individual Report	Assessment weighting:	20% of module mark
Submission time and date:	26/05/2022 by 2pm via Turnitin	Target feedback time and date:	+ 3 weeks

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Task Requirements

Task one (25 marks) Having worked as part of the team solving your client’s business problem, this task requires you to reflect on the process and evaluate your learning and your skills development. For example,  Which skills have you developed and/or enhanced as a result of the project?  What do you know now that you didn’t know at the start of the process?  To what extent has your level of confidence improved?  How could you use your learning in your future career? Your critical evaluation should be supported with examples. Task two (10 marks) Taking into account your evaluation in task one, this task requires you to identify THREE skills gaps or areas where you consider that further development would be useful, for you to be successful in your business career. Propose a plan of action for filling these gaps/developing these areas. Task three (40 marks) For this task you will need to be registered on mybuckscareer, if you have not already done so. https://mybuckscareer.careercentre.me/welcome/Bucks-New-University Use ‘My Jobs’ on the top menu bar, and then ‘Job Search Engine’ to identify a specific job that you would like to apply for (This could be a graduate scheme, an internship, a placement or a graduate job). Alternatively, identify a graduate scheme, an internship, a placement or a graduate job that you have seen advertised, or published on a website. Whether using the ‘Job Search Engine’ or another source, please select a job where there is a reasonable level of information on the company’s requirements, such as a person specification or job description. Then, In the Appendices to your report;  Place a screenshot or print out of the job you are applying for, including the job description/person specification AND  Create a CV which is specifically tailored to the job requirements and description. For this element of the assignment, please either use the CV Builder on mybuckscareer (accessed through CVs Job Applications, then ‘Writing your CV), or a format of your choice which includes similar information. In the body of the report, create a simple table which;

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 shows the key skills/qualities that the organisation is looking for (Column A – use extracts or summaries of the job description or person specification to help) and  maps against each requirement the wording from your CV which addresses these requirements (Column B) This table will not be included in the word count. Task four (15 marks) Create or update your LinkedIn profile to ensure it is fully reflects your current situation. (Use the section ‘Social Media’ on mybuckscareer to help you) Place a screenshot of your profile in the Appendices. Your profile should include the following; photo, headline and summary, education, skills (at least 4), groups (at least 2) and companies (at least 2.) The profile will not be included in the word count. The remaining 10 marks will be for written communication.

Referencing and research requirements

In this report we are not expecting academic references, it is very much a practical assignment. If you do use references (e.g. perhaps to client documents), Please reference your work according to the Harvard Referencing style as defined in Cite Them Right Online (http://www.citethemrightonline.com). This information is also available in book form: Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2016) Cite them right: the essential reference guide. 10th ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Copies are available via the university library. The Cite Them Right database can be accessed via the Library – A to Z list of e resources

How your work will be assessed

Your work will be assessed using the separate assessment grid, which takes into account the learning outcomes and the grading descriptors for Level 5. Note the allocation of marks to the different sections.

Submission details

 You are reminded of the University’s regulations on academic misconduct, which can be viewed on the University website: https://bucks.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/9546/Academic-Misconduct Policy.pdf. In submitting your assignment, you are acknowledging that you have read and understood these regulations  Please also note that work that is submitted up to 10 working days beyond the submission date will be considered a late submission. Late submissions will be marked and the actual mark recorded, but will

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be capped at the pass mark (typically 40%), provided that the work is of a passing standard. Work submitted after this period will not be marked and will be treated as a non-submission.

 

Before you submit

Please use the checklist below to make sure you are ‘fit to submit’ your work We recommend you use this checklist as soon as you get this assignment brief to help you plan your work

 

Fit to Submit: Assignment Checklist

This brief assignment checklist is designed to help you avoid some of the most common mistakes students make in their coursework. HAVE YOU READ THE ASSIGNMENT BRIEF? IF NOT, DO IT NOW! In it you will find details of the assessment task, word count, the assessment criteria your work is marked against, and the learning outcomes – the basis for the assessment strategy in each module. Students often lose marks by forgetting some of the more straightforward elements of their assignments. We recommend that you “tick off” each of the points below as you prepare your work for submission. If you need any help, ask your tutor and / or visit https://bucks.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/assessment-and-examination See Assignment Checklist below TICK Have you read and understood the assessment criteria? Have you met the learning outcomes? You will lose marks and your work may even be failed if you have not. Have you demonstrated you can think and write critically in the completed work? This means you have supported your arguments/explanations appropriately e.g. using relevant academic sources and you have offered discussion points which extends your own or others’ viewpoints to make reasoned conclusions/judgements. Have you maintained an academic tone throughout your work? Is your work formal, focused, developed and clear? Have you checked that the referencing in your assignment is in line with your programme requirements?

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Have you proof-read your work and used spellcheck software to check your spelling and grammar? Have you checked the presentation of your work is as specified by your tutor, for example, are font size, colour, style, line spacing and margins as the tutor specified? Have you kept to the word count (or equivalent)? If you are not sure, check with your tutor. Can you confirm that the work submitted is your own and not plagiarised?

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Assessment Grid for BM562 CW2 Career Research Report

80-100 (A+) Pass	70-79 (A) Pass	60-69 (B) Pass	50-59 (C) Pass	40-49 (D) Pass	35-39 E – Marginal fail	0-34 (F) – Fail
Criteria	Weig hting	Outstanding	Excellent	Very Good	Good	Satisfactory	Below required standard	Not successful
Analysis and Criticality of Learning and Skills Development	25	Work demonstrates an exceptionally accomplished ability of the reflective piece in terms of  knowledge they have acquired  skills/behaviours they have developed  impact on confidence levels  how to use learning in their future career	Work demonstrates a highly accomplished ability of the reflective piece in terms of :  knowledge they have acquired  skills/behaviours they have developed  impact on confidence levels  how to use learning in their future career	Work demonstrates a sophisticated ability of the reflective piece in terms of :  knowledge they have acquired  skills/behaviours they have developed  impact on confidence levels  how to use learning in their future career	Work demonstrates a well-developed ability of the reflective piece in terms of :  knowledge they have acquired  skills/behaviours they have developed  impact on confidence levels  how to use learning in their future career	Work demonstrates a sufficient ability of the reflective piece in terms of :  knowledge they have acquired  skills/behaviours they have developed  impact on confidence levels  how to use learning in their future career	Work demonstrates an insufficient ability of the reflective piece in terms of :  knowledge they have acquired  skills/behaviou rs they have developed  impact on confidence levels  how to use learning in their future career	Work demonstrates a limited or no ability of the reflective piece in terms of :  knowledge they have acquired  skills/behaviours they have developed  impact on confidence levels  how to use learning in their future career
Application and Practice Career action plan CV and table with match to requirements	10 40	An exceptionally accomplished career action plan with 3+ action points noted which are SMART in approach and linked to previous analysis. An exceptionally accomplished CV with all key elements covered. The CV and table demonstrate how the student’s skills and experience fit with the job/person requirements to an exceptionally accomplished level	A highly accomplished career action plan with 3 action points noted which are SMART in approach and linked to previous analysis. A highly accomplished CV with all key elements covered. The CV and table demonstrate how the student’s skills and experience fit with the job/person requirements to a highly accomplished level	A capable and effective career action plan with 3 action points noted which are SMART in approach and linked to previous analysis. A capable and effective CV with all key elements covered. The CV and table demonstrate how the student’s skills and experience fit with the job/person requirements in a	A consistent and informed career action plan with 3 action points noted which are SMART in approach and linked to previous analysis. A consistent and informed CV with all key elements covered. The CV and table demonstrate how the student’s skills and experience fit with the job/person requirements in a	Several action points noted to a sufficient ability but only one or two are SMART in approach but are relevant to the previous analysis. A sufficient CV with most of the key areas covered. The CV and table demonstrate how the student’s skills and experience fit with the job/person requirements to a sufficient level	Several unspecific action points noted to an insufficient ability, are not SMART in approach and do not reflect the previous analysis. An insufficient CV with key elements missing. There is an insufficient level of demonstrating how the CV and table showing the students skills and experience fit with	No action plan included or one nonspecific action of limited or no ability which is not SMART in approach and does not reflect the previous analysis Limited or no CV attempted. There is limited or no demonstration of how the CV and table showing the students skills and experience fit with the job / person requirements.

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LinkedIn	15	An exceptionally accomplished LinkedIn profile with all key elements covered.	A highly accomplished LinkedIn profile with all key elements covered.	capable and effective manner A capable and effective LinkedIn profile with all key elements covered.	consistent and informed manner. A consistent and informed LinkedIn profile with all key elements covered.	A sufficient LinkedIn profile with most of the key elements covered.	the job/person requirements. An insufficient LinkedIn profile with key elements missing.	Limited or no LinkedIn profile attempted.
Transferable Skills (Assignment parameters) This should include evidence of:  Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar  Completing all of the assignment tasks  Appropriate language use  Appropriate report writing conventions  Accurate Harvard referencing	10	Demonstrates an exceptional ability to communicate ideas and information accurately and reliably in written academic English, throughout the project.	Demonstrates a highly accomplished ability to communicate ideas and information accurately and reliably in written academic English, throughout the project.	Demonstrates a highly proficient ability to communicate ideas and information accurately and reliably in written academic English, throughout the project.	Demonstrates a consistent and confident ability to communicate ideas and information accurately and reliably in written academic English, throughout the project.	Demonstrates a sufficient ability to communicate ideas and information accurately and reliably in written academic English, throughout the project.	Demonstrates an insufficient ability to communicate ideas and information accurately and reliably in written academic English, throughout the project.