Development Plan Reflection Essay Example for Free

Development Plan Reflection Essay Whilst reading various sources on the importance of reflecting after an experience I came across some wise words, that of Aitchison and Graham cited in Stoobants et al (2007:30) that say, â€Å"We do not learn from experience. Experience has to be arrested, examined, analysed, considered and negotiated in order to shift it to knowledge†. With these words in mind I began to see why it is important to reflect on my first MBA assignment. I see the MBA course as a learning journey, it is through reflecting on my past experiences that I will easily identify my strengths and weaknesses and thus easily identify areas that I should concentrate on developing during my MBA journey. In this assignment you will read about an experience that happened during the early stages of my career as a manager. I will analyse and discuss how this experience has led to where I am today and how it has affected my plans going forward in both my personal and working life. This was in year 2010. I was asked to act in the role of Management Accountant as my manager at that time resigned. I was then already hungry for more challenges and so I gladly accepted without hesitation as I was determined to prove that I am ready for it. Later that day it suddenly dawned on me that it was going to be challenging with the many vacancies in the team (Refer to Appendix 1 for the team structure). With this challenge in mind, I rearranged the team in order for it to work better. We embarked n the annual budget process later that year which did not go well as we did not complete the budget presentation within the stipulated timelines, did not get to analyse the critic all the numbers thoroughly and as a result the region was not ready for presenting the annual budget on time to Head Office. Post the experience below are the key things that I took out of that experience that I thought would enable me to manage teams better going forward: * Ensure that adequate training on the system is provided and requesting the business to provide more IT support people even outside of business hours during the budget process. Learn to lead and delegate and know that I cannot juggle my role and others as I can only achieve so such myself as I was doing most of the work that needed to be done by the Financial Planner: Benrose. * Seek advice from manager and not be afraid to ask for coaching. * Plan better around the timelines to take into account inexperience of some of my team members e. g. Plan a trial run presentation * Be more assertive as I realised that as a manager I could have negotiating additional resources since our headcount was lean so as not to compromise our deliverables. After having been through my first workshop at Henley, I liked Belbin (1981)’s team role model that was presented and in his book where he goes on to look at why management teams succeed or fail which I ironically discovered lying in my parents study and till now never bothered to even look at. He identifies 9 team roles in 3 categories. The action orientated people (Shapers, Implementers and Complete finishers). The thought orientated people (Co-ordinators, Teamworkers and Resource investigators). The last group are the people orientated (Specialists, Monitor evaluators (MEs) and plants). Had I applied his model to understand my team dynamics prior to starting the budget process, I would have seen that I had gaps in key roles that prevented us from completing the task on time. Please note the below roles assigned to my team members are just based on my own perception based on how I know them not based on the questionnaire that is normally completed. AFP – Implementer and Resource Investigator (She was the organiser for the team and was good at providing new knowledge or something new discovered whilst working on the new system and she would share it with the rest of the team) * FP Midrand – Plant and Resource Investigator (He was creative and generally looked at issues, he was cheerful and enthusiastic individual but was easily distracted and would want to start looking at new things without completing a task) * Me – Specialist and Monitor Evaluator. These were my top 2 roles from the results of the questionnaire I completed for my first workshop at Henley. I was a specialist in the team because I had more knowledge of the business and finance than my team. In retrospect, I would have been able to easily match the correct people with the rights tasks. I also could have put plans in place to ensure the following: * I had no shaper in the team. Belbin describes a shaper as generally someone able to drive a team and give direction – not having this I think contributed to us missing the deadline. So in requesting additional resources (e. . a temp person the business would have allowed) I could have ensured that I selected someone who is a shaper or developed more of shaper qualities in myself. * As we did not get to critically analyse the numbers prior our submission, if we had someone strong on being a completer finisher in the group chances of us submitting quality information would have been high as this role is effectively used at the end of a task, to â€Å"polish† and scrutinise the work for errors. I would definitely use this to my advantage going forward in my team tasks going forward.

I like It like That :: essays research papers

I Like it Like That is a commentary on the struggles of a Latino family trying to survive in a Bronx community in New York City. It tells the story of Lisette Linares, a young black Latina who lives with her bicycle-messenger husband Chino and their three children Li'l C, Minnie, and Pee Wee in a perpetually cramped walkup on Findlay and 167th in the Bronx. The story begins with a bleak existence for our main character Lisette. Although the streets of the inner city constantly boil with activity and her husband leaves her wanting for nothing in the bedroom she is stifled and bored. Chino is the sole provider for the family and insists that his wife stay in her proper place at home with the children. The children are terrors and the oldest is experimenting with drug trafficking. Lisette feels helpless to change or rectify the situation. The struggles of this family are a direct response to the gender roles seen in Lisette and Chino. There are two questions in this film concerning gender roles, what is a man and what is a woman. In the Latino community the definitions of man and woman are clearly defined. The man is the provider and leader of his family. The man works and makes sure that the family has enough of the material things they need. The man clearly defines the rules of the household including the way the woman and children should behave. The woman is responsible for the home and the children’s emotional needs. The woman organizes the household responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning, budgeting where the money is absolutely necessary and making sure the house runs in the regulations laid out by the man. This may include things like dinner on the table when he gets home from work or pleasing the man’s sexual desire on his time schedule. The woman is also responsible for the emotional well being of the children. It is the woman’s duty to make sure that her children are happy, health y and not leading morally reprehensible lifestyles. The first question, what is a man, can be clearly seen in the character of Chino. Chino begins the film as a true â€Å"machismo.† He is arrogant, demanding and obsessive. He expects his wife to fulfill his very need. Chino treats Lisette like she is a possession demanding she be subservient to him.

A Room With A View Essay

â€Å"A Room With A View† is a novel written by Edward Morgan Forster, in 1908. I will be analysing two different versions of the film and I will be comparing the first three establishing shots, as well as the kiss between George Emerson and Lucy Honeychurch, who is the main character. The first adaptation I will be analysing is by Merchant Ivory, who are most famous for their costume dramas. The second adaptation I will be studying is by Andrew Davies, who is famous for his small-screen adaptations of costume dramas and classical dramas. â€Å"A Room With A View† was written in 1908. Forster started planning this novel when he was travelling with his mother and aunt in 1901. At the time, he was 21 years old. When he went travelling, he thought of his future and his country. However, in the novel, he decides to look back to the reign of Queen Victoria- which ended in 1901. Charlotte Bartlett is portrayed as a backward looking character, who prefers the old-fashioned way of doing things. Lucy Honeychurch, however, likes to try out new things, but she does begin to feel slightly insecure. George Emerson, whom Lucy falls in love with, is also a forward looking character. The screenplay of â€Å"A Room With A View† is written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. The film was directed by James Ivory, and produced by Ismail Merchant. When Merchant Ivory had adapted â€Å"A Room With A View†, they assumed wide spread distribution. Merchant Ivory had a well-established reputation for costume drama, so they had to live up to their name. This meant that they employed lavish famous actors and actresses, such as Maggie Smith (Charlotte Bartlett), Helena Bonham Carter (Lucy Honeychurch) and Dame Judi Dench (Eleanor McLavish). The first five minutes of the Merchant Ivory adaptation show quite a lot. The film starts with the credits. The credits are accompanied with the music of the famous Italian opera singer, Puccini. In this particular type of music, a woman is singing. This is called soprano, however, it is also known as soprano aria. Aria means single voice singing, which is always a female voice. The credits are also accompanied with boxes, which have been decorated with Florentine motifs. In each of the boxes, there is a picture of an animal, which depicts a certain character. George Emerson, for example, is shown as a Ram, which shows he is quite a passionate, forward-looking character. In Merchant Ivory’s adaptation of â€Å"A Room With A View†, the first establishing shot that we see is the name of the hotel in which Lucy and Charlotte Bartlett are staying- Pensione Bertolini, in Florence, Italy. At first it may not seem like it, but this anticipates Merchant Ivory’s use of intertitle, which continues throughout the film. Intertitle was first used when films became a form of entertainment- as silent movies. When films first came into being, as we know they were silent. They used to proceed by a compromise by what was revealed by image and what was revealed by word onscreen. Sometimes the word would tally with the chapter title. Merchant Ivory used this technique in â€Å"A Room With A View†, in the whole film. They usually feature Forster’s preference for unusually long chapter titles. The second establishing shot is when Charlotte begins to complain about the room, as she and Lucy specifically asked for a room with a view. However, they received a room without a view. The shot begins when Lucy’s throws open the shutters, and is quite disappointed with what she sees, as her and Charlotte both expected a view of the River Arno. As Lucy opens the shutters, she looks much more disappointed with the view than Charlotte. This establishing shot also gives us an idea of what the characters are like. The clothes which are being worn by Lucy and Charlotte describe the characters to us. Lucy appears to be wearing a young modern dress, whereas Charlotte is wearing a Victorian-style dress. Between the second and third establishing shot, there is a tracking shot, which shows Lucy and Charlotte walking down the stairs on the way to the dining room. Merchant Ivory chose to do this, so the audience would become familiar with the hotel in which Lucy and Charlotte are staying. On the way to the dining room, there is a slight obstacle. This may signify the obstacles Lucy and Charlotte may come across, further on in the film. The third establishing shot takes place in the dining room. Lucy and Charlotte take their seats at their table and then a voice is heard. Dame Judi Dench, who plays Miss Eleanor McLavish, is identified by her voice. There is a panning out shot, which gives an impression of all the residents staying at the Pensione Bertolini. There is a momentary focus on Miss McLavish, who is identified by voice. Eye contact is then made between Lucy and George Emerson, which may be the start of a new romance. George makes a question mark on his plate from his leftovers, which he then shows Lucy. George Emerson is often associated with the question mark. This may show that he is the questioning type. After Charlotte and Lucy swap rooms with the Emersons, Charlotte spots a question mark, which has been drawn on the back of a picture hanging on the wall. George then walks in, turns the picture the right way round, and then leaves. The question mark which was made from the leftover food is an example of visual shorthand. It may signify him asking Lucy â€Å"what are we doing here with all these old people? â€Å". Andrew Davies adapted the same scene as Merchant Ivory, as to where the kiss between George and Lucy took place. The slopes of Fiesole are hills, located just outside of Florence. The scenes leading up to the kiss, start off when there is embracing between the cab driver and his â€Å"sister†. This scene acts as leitmotif, which anticipates the kiss between George and Lucy. When they arrive, the women are separated from the men. Lucy, Charlotte and Miss McLavish find a spot to sit down. Miss McLavish and Charlotte engage in deep conversation, which is the work of the producer. Lucy goes off to find Mr Beebe. As she does so, the romantic music by Puccini starts up again. Lucy goes back to the cab driver and asks him to take her to Mr Beebe. However, Lucy is not very good at speaking Italian, therefore when speaking to the cab driver, she accidentally asked for â€Å"the good men†. The cab driver and Lucy then walk onwards. Because of the slopes, Lucy uses her rolled-up umbrella to help her walk on the hills. Merchant Ivory deliberately focus on the rolled-up umbrella, which functions as a phallic symbol-male potency. Lucy then realises that the cab driver has accidentally taken her to George. She walks over to George to ask him of Mr Beebe’s whereabouts, but he grabs her and kisses her.

Types and Functions of the Ancient Roman Priests