Reflective Writing

 

2.2    Individual Reflective Writing 

Your reflective writing should be based on your own experiences of operating within the context of the Business Simulation. Remember that this is a personal reflective piece.  It is not an evaluation of the contribution made by other group members or the internal workings of the group but on your reflection on your own role, individual contribution, own feelings and personal learning points that will lead to your own personal changes.  

Guidance 
You may consider structuring your reflective writing as follows: 

• Primary reflection 
  Summarise what happened during the simulation in relation to your decisions and contribution to the simulation team.   Avoid consuming too much word count by writing in detail about the simulation results or year by year decisions.  Place background information in an Appendix along with any other supporting material. 

• Secondary reflection 
  Dedicate around 40% of the word count to ‘secondary’, i.e. more detailed, reflection.  You should refer to how you selected your role in the simulation team and how you engaged and built relationships with this group and, with the information provided by the simulation and the models/theories employed.  Overall, show what you learned from the experience and include evidence in support of your reflection.  

• Future Intentions 
  Include further, more generalised reflections on how you might approach team workin the future.  Identify gaps in your knowledge and skills and identify the actions you need to take to be more successful in working in teams.  Identify what you did well and how you might improve that strength.  Focus on what it means to become a professional, learning, reflective manager. 

• Consider using diagrams and tables as well as simulation outputs and diaries creatively.  These all provide evidence that you have used the simulationto develop as a strategic manager throughout the course.   

• You MUST engage with models/theory eg Gibb’s, Kolb, Driscoll’s Reflective Models and relevant business models and provide evidence of how you used these in a way that was personal to you.  A highly descriptive report is not acceptable. Avoid making claims about yourself that you cannot justify with evidence.  Reference all theory or other material that you use.Page Break 

 

 

 

3.     Assessment marking scheme 

 

3.2 Reflective Writing  

The Reflective Writing is also marked out of 100. The following table shows the mark allocation and the approach required. 

Reflective Writing (RW)	Mark	Guidance
Primary Reflection	20	For an excellent mark this section should describe concisely your personal experience of working in your team during the simulation.   This section should introduce the key topics that you will explore in greater detail in the following section. Summary evidence regarding the simulation is best presented in tabular or graphical form with brief explanation.
Secondary Reflection	40	For an excellent mark you will provide more insight into the decision-making and management within the simulation making links to theory and your own knowledge and skills.  The best reflection is highly personal and should cover your reaction to and relationship with the simulation and your group.  It also tends to reflect on critical moments, where learning for different reasons was more substantive and feelings are more evident.  These can be moments of success, failure, progress, people management, task management or use of ideas and concepts.  Be honest and self-aware.    Mark allocation:  Insight into the teamwork - 10  Personal insight - 10  Links to theory - 10  Supporting evidence eg improvement in the performance of the simulation company as a result of personal and/or group performance improvement – 10
Future Intentions	30	The real value in reflection comes from the realization of the need to take action and the identification of what you will actually do                                                                     What have you learned from participating in the simulation?  What does this mean for your future?   Remember to include both what you did well and what you can improve on.  Here you should include how your approach would change given a new situation.  What actions do you need to take, if any, to ensure success in a team environment in a company in the future?
Presentation and use of Harvard Referencing	10	It is important that you relate your interpretation of events to the readings and theory of the course and demonstrate this through appropriate citations and references.
Total	100