Self Development Project (Individual)

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Self Development Project (Individual)

Objective(s): This addresses subject learning objective(s):

1, 2, 3 and 4

Weight: 40%

Task: The following topics represent areas in which managers and employees can develop their self-awareness and skills for more positive individual and

workplace outcomes. This project is designed to allow you to explore and engage with the topics at a more in-depth level.

You are required you to develop a theoretical and applied understanding of ONE of the topics/issues as set out below:-

  1. Happiness
  2. Positive Emotions
  3. Resilience
  4. Emotional Intelligence
  5. Growth Mindset
  6. Mindfulness
  7. Character strengths and virtues

Your report will require you to complete two main tasks:-

PART A: (40%) Write a critical review of four to five published JOURNAL articles for your chosen topic; and

PART B: (53%) Develop, implement and reflect on a three-week program of self-development that allows you to actively engage with your topic in a way

which improves your self-awareness and knowledge.

OVERALL PRESENTATION: 7%

 

PART A. ARTICLE SUMMARY AND REVIEW

You are required to find four to five relevant articles from scholarly journals relating to your specialisation topic. The articles should relate directly to your topic area and must be articles from peer-reviewed, academic journals.

Your review should not merely summarise the key points of your articles. Rather, your review should compare, contrast and critique the ideas adopted in the various articles. For example, compare the strengths and weaknesses of each article’s approach, assess any biases or limitations of the studies.

Compare and contrast the arguments and assumptions embedded in your different source materials (i.e. managerialism vs. Critical Management Studies or stakeholder perspectives). Approach the topic from various points of view: Whose voices are dominant or missing? What are the implications? What are the new emerging questions?

Some examples of scholarly journals to look for your articles include (but are not limited to):

Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Communication, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Business and Psychology, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Australian Journal of Communication, Journal of International Business, Australian Journal of Psychology, Journal of Business Psychology, Positive Psychology Journal, Journal of Happiness Studies, etc.

Full-text articles are available via the University library databases. When referencing articles from journals, please make sure that you reference the original article and not the database URL where it is located!

PART B. IMPLEMENTATION, SUMMARY AND REFLECTION

This section of your project allows you to apply your new knowledge to improve your own personal skills and practical understanding in this area. You may develop a program involving only yourself or you may choose to devise a program for a group of employees known to you or a group of employees you work with.

This part of your assignment has three sections:-

B1. Three Week Timeline of Activities

Develop a timeline of activities, which you plan to implement over a three week period. These activities will allow you or your employee team to improve your applied/practical understanding of your topic area. You should present your timeline graphically or in a table. It should show clearly what activities you will engage in and at what times over the three weeks. Some examples of activities you might choose which develop your understanding and/or skills on the topic will be provided on UTS Online. These are only examples, you should be creative in thinking about other options!

B2. Implementation

Implement your plan over a three week period, keeping an online journal (on UTSOnline) of reflections, notes and observations

B3. Summary and Reflection

Write a summary and personal reflection on your three-week implementation. Specifically, consider:

What have you learned about this topic that might be of use to you as a future manager?

Did your experiences resonate or conflict with anything you read in the literature (reviewed in Part A)?

What did you learn about yourself through this exercise?

What lessons about your topic do you think are critical for managers and employees to learn?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Important Notes Regarding Format of Final Report

Your final report should include:

A table of contents, including main headings in the report and page number

A separate title page for each of the two parts of the report (ie part A and part B)

Your article summary/critique, for part A

Your response to part B – including a graphical/tabular timeline of activities and a URL to your online journal

Reference list for your articles, in Harvard UTS format

Appendices showing your skill development journey: your online journal pasted in from UTSOnline including date stamp. May also include for example,

photos, short course enrolments, surveys or any other evidence of your activities

Note – Word count does not include the online journal, table of contents, reference list or Appendices. Your report need NOT include:-

An introduction, executive summary or abstract

A bibliography

A conclusion

Any footnotes

Format the report using Times New Roman font, size 12, with 1.5 line spacing.

Headings should be in Title case, bold but not underlined – main headings centred, sub-headings left justified

Any evidence of plagiarism (attempts to reproduce or copy the published work of others) will not be accepted and will be dealt with according to the appropriate University disciplinary procedures.

Emailed versions of the assignment will NOT be accepted unless a special arrangement has been made with the lecturer or coordinator.

This report is to be submitted on TURN-IT-IN on the UTS ONLINE site. Hard copies will not be accepted.

High marks will be awarded to students who show evidence of high-level analysis and critical thinking with respect to their chosen articles and engaging, creative approaches to chosen activities. Reflections should show evidence of deep thinking and personal learning. Creative approaches to chosen activities. Reflections should show evidence of deep thinking and personal learning.

You must keep a spare hard copy and electronic copy of your work in the event that it becomes lost or stolen.

 

TURN IT IN PLAGIARISM DETECTION SOFTWARE

  1. On UTS Online, Click on Assignments
  2. Click on Assignment One
  3. Enter your surname, first name and a title for your assignment
  4. Click Upload
  5. Preview your paper and click SUBMIT

Length: 3500 words (+/- 10%) (this does NOT include title page, table of contents, Online Journal, references or appendices) `