Assignment Guide for Portfolio
Professional Development for Accounting and Financial Management
Module code and
title:
Professional Development
Module leader:
Hassan Kareem
Assignment
Portfolio 3000 words
Assessment weighting:
100%
Feedback Target:
3 weeks from submission
Submission Deadline
Assignment task
This assignment involves producing an Individual Portfolio of Professional Development for Accounting and
Financial Management. This assignment is based on developing an understanding of different skills required to
undertake degree level study of accounting and financial management and to enhance students’ presentation and
communication skills.
This assignment has been designed to provide an opportunity to demonstrate the achievement of following
module learning outcomes:
LO 1
Reflect on individual learning performance, behaviors and experience.
LO 2
Demonstrate an understanding of how to self-manage effectively and become more self-aware by
recognizing applied learning throughout the course in a work and study environment.
LO 3
Appreciate requirements and standards in accounting and financial profession
Assignment Overview
This assignment will encourage students to develop an understanding of different skills required to undertake degree level
study of accounting and financial management. This will enhance students’ presentation, communication and
developing portfolio skills.
Portfolio (3000 words) – + 10%
Task:
To develop a portfolio of documents that emphasize the importance of professional development
through self-reflection and applied learning during the studies.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TASK – WHAT YOU ARE BEING ASKED TO DO
The guidance below sets out the requirements of the task. Using the Portfolio template provided below, please
complete the following:
1. Personal Statement should describe an overview of yourself and where you would like to be in the next five
years.
2. Effective Personal Skills Audit - Carry out the SWOT analysis of your skills set.
3. Professional Development Plan (PDP) – Based on your swot analysis produce a PDP.
4. Conduct research on various professions within the Financial Services Industry
5. CV - Produce a CV for your future designated role in Accounting or Finance.
6. Job Description Please write down the job description for the role of part-qualified / junior accountant.
7. Job Interview Questions – Please create five interview questions that you are likely to be asked in your
designated future role.
8. LinkedIn Profile - Please create a professional LinkedIn profile that you can then include in your portfolio.
9. Class Activity – Please describe the professional code of ethics of ACCA or CIMA. What are the key ethical
principles established by professional accounting and finance bodies? Why are these principles important? Give
examples of ethical breaches in the accounting and finance industry. How would you apply these principles in your
personal and professional lives?
10. Reflective Diary – Please prepare a reflective diary on your studies for this module.
Word count: 3000 words +/– 300 words.
You must reference all information used in the portfolio, using the Harvard Referencing Guide.
See attached grid for grade descriptors.
Notes:
1. The task requirement is a portfolio. You must therefore ensure that your structure, outline, content,
style, and presentation accord with academic writing conventions for a portfolio.
2. You must use the correct Canterbury Harvard Referencing conventions* for your in-text citations and
reference list.
Your portfolio should include assessment cover page with all the required information filled correctly:
A template for the assessment cover page is provided on Moodle under the assessment folder.
The suggested Portfolio structure and template is provided below for your guidance. The description
and word limit for each task within the portfolio template is provided to assist you in understanding
and completing the tasks.
1. Personal Statement (250 words) - It is a brief personal summary given to prospective
employers to help you stand apart from the competition. It should describe an overview of
yourself and where you would like to be in the next five years.
2. Effective Personal Skills Audit (200 words) - Carry out the SWOT analysis of your skills set. This is a
framework for analysing your strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and threats that you
face. This helps you focus on your strengths, minimise your weaknesses, and take the greatest possible
advantage of opportunities available to you.
Strengths
Opportunities
Weaknesses
Threats
3. Professional Development Plan (PDP) (500 words) – Based on your personal SWOT analysis, please
produce a PDP which is an action plan, that documents at least FIVE transferrable and employability
skills required to develop to apply for a senior management position in the Accounting and
Financial Management career. They must be SMART goals (i.e Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Realisable and Timely). For example, you wish to develop management and leadership skills during your
studies and through undertaking additional training and workshops offered by professional bodies, to
improve on your proficiency level and experience.
Continuous Professional Development Plan
Area of Development
(e.g., given below
please change as per
your SWOT analysis)
Completion Date:
Date I will have this
completed
I will achieve this
by: (State how will
you
achieve this target)
How will I
Future
measure my Implications:
success:
(Identify how
(What will success learning will
look like)
assist in future
studies and
career)
Analytical skills
Time management
Skills
Leadership skills
Team working skills
Presentation skills
18/06/2023
Maintaining a diary and
updating is each day.
All my tasks appear as I will be able to manage
done week on week
my studies better and a
consistently
good work life balance
4.Research with Financial Services Industry (250 words)
Please write down your research findings on the professions within Financial services Industry
5. Class Activity - Professional Code of Ethics (500 words) – Please describe the professional code of
ethics of ACCA or CIMA.
Please take part in the class activity and describe the professional code of ethics of ACCA or CIMA.
Please write down your findings of your research on
•
The key ethical principles established by professional accounting and finance bodies?
•
Why are these principles important? Give examples of ethical breaches in the accounting and finance
industry.
•
How would you apply these principles in your personal and professional lives?
6. Curriculum Vitae (300 words) - Produce a CV for your future designated role in Accounting or Finance.
This is a document used when applying for jobs. It allows you to summarise your education, skills, and
experience. This will enable you to successfully promote your abilities to potential employers.
7. Job Description (250 words) - Please write down the job description for the role of partqualified / junior accountant.





Job Role:
Competencies:
Roles and Responsibilities:
Desired Skills:
What will you receive:
8. LinkedIn Profile (Not included in the word limit) - Please create a professional LinkedIn profile, which
you can then include in your portfolio. LinkedIn is a social network that focuses on professional networking
and career development.
9. Job Interview Questions (150 words) – Please create five interview questions that you are likely to
be asked in your designated future role.
please create five interview questions that you are likely to be asked in your designated future role.
Interview Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
10. Reflective Diary (600 words) – Please prepare a reflective diary for each week by reflecting on the
theories and concepts you have learnt in this module.
Date:
Week 1 – Lecture 1
Area of Learning:
What knowledge did
you receive?
What parts did you
already know?
What did you find
hard to understand?
Reflection:
(Detail what you
have learnt about
the topic and how
learning will assist in
future studies and
career)
Date:
Area of Learning:
What knowledge did
you receive?
What parts did you
already know?
What did you find
hard to understand?
Reflection:
(Detail what you
have learnt about
the topic and how
learning will assist in
future studies and
career)
Week 2 – Lecture 2
Date:
Week 3 – Lecture 3
Area of Learning:
What knowledge did
you receive?
What parts did you
already know?
What did you find
hard to understand?
Reflection:
(Detail what you have
learnt about the topic
and how learning will
assist in future studies
and career)
Date:
Area of Learning:
What knowledge did
you receive?
What parts did you
already know?
What did you find
hard to understand?
Reflection:
(Detail what you have
learnt about the topic
and how learning will
assist in future studies
and career)
Week 4 – Lecture 4
Referencing and research requirements
Please reference your work according to the Canterbury Harvard style guidance which you can access on Moodle.
How your work will be assessed
Your work will be assessed on the extent to which it demonstrates your achievement of the stated learning outcomes
for this assignment (see above) and against other key criteria, as defined in the University’s institutional grading
descriptors. If it is appropriate to the format of your assignment and your subject area, a proportion of your marks will
also depend upon your use of academic referencing conventions.
This assignment will be marked according to the grading descriptors for Level 0.
Submission details
This assignment should be submitted electronically via Moodle (module tutors will discuss this process with you during
class time).
•
Please ensure that your work has been saved in Microsoft Word Format.
•
Your file must also contain at least 20 words of text, consist of fewer than 400 pages and be less than 40MB
in size.
•
You can submit your work as many times as you like before the submission date. If you do submit your work
more than once, your earlier submission will be replaced by the most recent version.
•
Once you have submitted your work, you will receive a digital receipt as proof of submission, which will be
sent to your forwarded e-mail address (provided you have set this up). Please keep this receipt for future reference,
along with the original electronic copy of your assignment
•
You are reminded of the University’s regulations on academic misconduct, which can be viewed on the
University website: Academic Misconduct Policy. In submitting your assignment, you are acknowledging that you have
read and understood these regulations.
Submission date and time
The submission deadline for this assignment to Moodle is Friday 11 August 2023, 2 pm.
You should submit all work for summative assessments by the above deadline. The five percent penalty per day
will be applied to the work submitted up to seven working days after the deadline, after which a mark of 0 will
be recorded. The five percent penalty will be five percent of eligible mark.
For more information, please refer to: Student Handbook on Moodle.
Feedback and marks for this assignment will be available in three weeks from the deadline.