Sonia Fellah Riyad

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PDP 1. Work Placement Project Report.

Table of contents.

1. Introduction to Herbolario Azur.

a. Brief description and history.

b. Why keep a reflective log?

2. Basis of the project.

a. General job description.

b. Tasks and responsibilities.

3. Outcomes of the placement.

a. Benefits and challenges.

b. Personal SWOT.

4. Recommendations.

5. Conclusion: personal reflection and feedback.

6. Appendices.

a. Part 2: Work Placement Reflective Log.

b. Cover letter.

c. Employability skills audit.

d. Supporting documents:

1. Internship certificate.

2. Official business documents: naturopathy diplomas and business

license.

7. PDP 2: WRIT 2.

8. Reference list.

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1. Introduction to Herbolario Azur.

a. Brief description and history. The original motivation for opening the Herbolario Azur (Azur Herbalist’s

Shop) came from the owner’s own experience working in a similar store, 20

years ago. Motivated by her passion for plants and her desire to help both

people and animals, she managed to open her own herbalist shop in San Pedro

de Alcántara (in the touristic surroundings of Marbella) while getting an

official academic degree in naturopathy.

Her genuine willingness to redirect customers towards a more natural, peaceful approach to

physical and mental self-care acted as a magnet at a time when she only relied on word of mouth

to attract her clientele. Furthermore, her empathy and talent for listening and responding to her

customers’ needs was the glue that retained her customer base loyal throughout the years.

Nevertheless, the latest economic recession affected the Spanish business sector severely. Times

were changing, and so it was vital for Azur to adapt to an increasingly digital, Internet centred

environment. In order to do this she decided to start building her own website with the aim of

opening new horizons for her products by offering an international delivery service.

It is in this context that I arrived as an intern, not only to assist the translation of the website but

also with the intention of bringing a fresh, Millennial point of view to expand her online presence

thanks to social media and e-marketing. For the next four weeks I worked mainly at the

translator’s office (who supervised my work and gave me directions during our occasional

meetings), but also independently until I gathered enough material to meet with the owner and

discuss my ideas with her.

b. Why keep a reflective log?

Recording my daily work experiences turned out to be an advantageous way of self reflecting and

analysing my own performance. Reflective logs are a great way to add a more personal

development/self-coaching aspect to an internship or any academically graded project, if written

in such way that:

● The format is clear and consistent.

● The practical experience is well described and evidence is provided.

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● It provides a critical analysis of the experience, exposing facts from both objective and

subjective standpoints (Ivory Research - IvoryResearch.com, 2016).

Following that criteria, I made of my reflective log a way to bring primary data into my report

(Rich, 2013) coming from the experience itself, individual research, thus adding a more personal

insight into an module that, otherwise, would not have been as beneficial for my self- awareness

without the practical experience and a daily self assessment. Therefore, I did my best to follow

these guidelines while describing every single workday and recording any experience that could

bring something didactic to my work placement.

2. Basis of the project.

a. General job description. My job consisted in supporting my supervisor translate the on-going website project (online

shopping) from Spanish to English. During a meeting the owner explained to me their current

situation: translations were stagnating and the launching of the website was constantly postponed

due to lack of time investment. This project represented, indeed, a considerable amount of hours

spent on writing the page contents, deciding on the appearance of the interface, discussing it by e-

mail with the web designer assistant and correcting possible errors and typos, in addition to

working on making the page more interactive while keeping it user-friendly. This made me realise

that launching a business website was not a task to underestimate. It is, after all, the virtual

storefront of your business, and you must ensure that it perfectly conveys the brand image you

projected in your mission statement to correctly attract customers.

Doing this also allowed me to get familiar with the product catalogue and hence easing the

independent task of researching and comparing the website to other similar firms, to then propose

my conclusive e-marketing strategies to the owner.

b. Tasks and responsibilities. ● Translate the pages my translation supervisor delegates me to do. Take notes of her

constructive critics and apply them.

● Do research and compare websites of competing herbalist shops (e.g. Vitalidad, Herbo Iris,

Amapola…) and original product providers (Novadiet, Bach Flowers…).

● Propose creative ideas for the website and social media, inspired by today’s social media

trends.

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● Proposing the creation of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter accounts and help

managing them.

3. Outcomes of the placement.

A. Benefits and challenges. My placement made me realise both good and less enjoyable sides of working with a boss or

supervisor (although it was a relatively flat structure). In my case, I had the chance of finding an

internship in a small business (which allowed me to have a closer look on the entrepreneurial

responsibilities a business owner must assume) that was open to receive a student of a younger

generation to bring a new outlook on the marketing of the shop. The main points I retained from

working in this context were the following:

● The possibility to independently brainstorm creative e-marketing ideas after observing

the strengths and weaknesses of the business, detecting opportunities and threats that

could be found on its environment and draft a few strategies: Facebook could serve not

only as a platform for reaching a bigger audience but also to redirect potential clients to

the website, in addition to the possibility of paying for page promotion. I also proposed to

create an Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/herboristeria.azur/) and use it

as a more visual means of attracting a trendy niche market: I observed that her business

had to potential to attract not only health concerned clients, but also the increasingly

socially active vegan and vegetarian community. The shop is furthermore located in the

touristic surroundings of Marbella, which can be a great advantage if turned well into a

selling argument to attract tourists (especially during summer).

● The opportunity to negotiate my own working times and prove that I could commit to

them (which surprisingly challenged my time management skills). I also had to accept to

be given guidelines at the expense of my creativity in certain aspects of my job (e.g.

translation formats) and accept corrections and constructive criticism from my

translation supervisor as we reviewed my work together.

Another benefit of doing this internship was that I was able to apply some theories studied during

various personal development or management modules. For instance, I observed that the website

project was in the “amend” stage, where “timings are changed, plans are redrawn and resources

are utilised in different ways” (Hind & Moss, 2011, pp. 290).

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The overall work environment was rather positive and motivating. Below is the Maslow hierarchy

of needs I used as a simple way of portraying it:

Fulfilled physiological and safety needs left room for superior needs (love i.e. social needs) which I

got to fulfil thanks to a reasonable work schedule, allowing me to take some time off to socialise.

The fact that I was given some room for independent work and creativity allowed me to fulfil

esteem needs (favoured by an ambience of respect and communication). All previous needs being

fulfilled, I had the opportunity to focus on self-actualisation needs, although one month were too

short for me to actually notice a considerable difference in my potential (Mullins, 2010, pp. 260-

261).

In the recommendations part I proceeded to draw a fishbone diagram to summarise the ways the

website project could be finalised quicker and more efficiently.

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B. Personal SWOT.

Strengths ● 4 languages of communication: French

and Spanish (native), English (advanced), Arabic (conversational). Average understanding of Italian.

● Ease for clear, logical verbal and written

communication (both formal and informal).

● Ability to organise weekly schedules for

different tasks (e.g. posting on Facebook, posting on Instagram, updating website, meeting to transmit new ideas, etc).

● Teamwork; negotiating and finding the

intermediate solution between two opinions (convergent thinking).

● IT skills (PowerPoint, Word, Social

media). Quick learning in general.

Weaknesses ● Time management: being both efficient and

maintain output quality simultaneously. ● Networking: daring to approach people

(whether potential clients or business partners).

● Being an overachiever that chases “perfection

rather than productivity” (Allan, 2015). ● IT skills: need to enhance my Excel and web

designing skills.

Opportunities ● Internet (social media) for networking.

● Avoid multitasking to enhance

productivity while maintaining quality of work.

● Making mistakes and learning from them.

● Relatively flat structure. Small business

eases the communication between members of the team.

● Learning how to build a website from

observing the current project and what software is being used for it.

Threats ● Stress (dealing with other tasks to do outside

from work; college work, house work, etc.). ● Pressure perform well, satisfying myself and

the owner and see the business grow.

4. Recommendations. Prior to listing my recommendations I drew a fishbone diagram to analyse and visualise better the current state of the website project:

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My recommendations for Herbolario Azur are the following: ● Increase the amount of time invested in social media (Facebook and Instagram), invest in

the promotion of those pages and make sure the online activity of the business is constant (eventually daily) to attract online followers (which would then be redirected to the website).

● Maintain the interface of the website updated with promotions and ensure the texts are error-free before uploading them to the website.

● Be updated on current social media trending topics and hashtags that could be possibly related to health, naturopathy and other similar products offered by Azur. Use those hashtags to increase the visibility of the pages and optimise the outcome of e-marketing strategies.

● Special prizes and product bundles for special occasions such as Summer Break, Spring Break, Easter Holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years...

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5. Conclusion.

Personal reflection and feedback. I received my verbal feedback during a meeting of the fourth week of my internship. The owner

was satisfied with my creative input and the observations I made on a business environment she

could take full advantage off if she emphasized her entrepreneurial efforts on her website/online

shopping service and social media. She appreciated my points of view and recognised that she

needed someone that was aware of the various online opportunities for her business. In my case,

this awareness came not only from personal usage but also from the E-Business module that came

with the International Business Management pathway I chose thoughtfully. She proposed me to

keep working on the social media accounts even after finishing internship and invited me to bring

as many creative ideas I could come up with, which I accepted. Concerning my translation work,

my supervisor was satisfied with my consistency in terms of work output but she insisted that,

sometimes, I had to remember to respect the essence of the message the owner wanted to convey

and abstain from adding personal interpretations of her value proposition.

Conclusively, this last month was, although not as intense in workload as I expected it to be,

rather satisfying for a first work experience. I was able to define those aspects of myself that could

turnout to be my greatest assets in the professional world, but also discovered unexpected angles

of my working habits that I’ll have to work on (such as my tendency to waste time for perfection

instead of productivity). In a nutshell, I realised that one of the keys to a satisfying, motivating job

is in the management of our own time and energy, as well as in finding an optimal balance of

essential values such as individuality /teamwork, creative/framed work, honesty/diplomacy, all in

an healthy environment of mutual respect, communication and dedication.

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6. Appendices.

a. Part 2: Work Placement Reflective Log.

1st WEEK 5th-9th July

Tuesday 5th:

On my first day I independently prepared through brainstorming a plan for the following weeks,

which I later showed to my translation supervisor (who was more familiar with the website than

me) so she could give me her opinion. We then established our initial weekly co-working

appointments.

Since this was a preparatory day I also started doing some research about similar businesses that

went online and read articles about social media and website development to refresh essential e-

business/e-marketing concepts, this way stimulating my creativity and writing down any idea I

would get.

Wednesday 6th:

Today I had a quick meeting with the translator who showed me in detail the website and how to

access to page in development. After giving me all the files in a USB we agreed that this first week

I would help her in her translating work, which will allow me to get even more familiar with the

website and simultaneously research and write down ideas I would show in my meeting with the

owner. I later proceeded to one more independent brainstorming session and prepared a set of

questions for the owner.

Thursday 7th:

From 10 am to 2pm I dedicated my time to translate a few product pages (floral elixirs page) at

the translator’s office (which allowed me to get more familiar with that branch of products) as well

as researching similar businesses on the net and observe their websites/social media.

Friday 8th: (idem)

Saturday 9th: (idem)

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2nd WEEK 11th-16th July

Monday 11th:

I finished translating the product front page and sent it to the translator. Later during the day I

was asked to translate another second page that consisted of a more detailed explanation of the 45

floral elixirs. My plan is to finish this translation in 2 days.

Tuesday 12th:

I translated half of the floral elixir page and added one more hour to my morning work at the

office (now from 9am to noon). I informed my translator colleague of this and explained to her it

would make my work go faster. The sooner I would finish my translations, the more I could

dedicate to propose ideas for the website and the social media.

Wednesday 13th:

This morning I was able to finish translating the floral elixir page and send it off to the translator.

We agreed on a meeting to analyse what was left to translate from the page, and agreed on

meeting up with the owner as soon as this work would be done.

Thursday 14th:

Today’s meeting was a good example of teamwork. After showing me what was left to translate

we started working together on the first page (about natural remedies for weight control). I

noticed my work methodology coincided with hers, but she corrected me by reminding me to keep

the owner’s message for her clientele while translating it into English in a short, appealing way.

This was useful to me as I was able to realise the importance of wording in advertising and

marketing.

Friday 15th:

Translations (9-noon).

Saturday 16th: (idem)

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3rd WEEK 18th-23th July

Monday 18th:

Starting with the usual 9am-noon schedule I translated the front page for weight control products.

Tuesday 19th:

On the afternoon (6-9 pm) I had a meeting with my supervisor/official translator to go through

the work I had achieved so far and receive some feedback. I realised that I did not appreciate

working with stiff procedures as I trust my own sense of organisation, but in this context I had to

follow the guidelines my supervisor set for our work as we had to keep some uniformity and

deliver the translations to the owner in the format she was used to.

Wednesday 20th:

In the usual morning work time I translated the front pages for Essential Oils, Allergy Defences,

Nutrition, Antioxidants and Vitamins.

Thursday 21th:

Usual working time; I finished translating the front pages for Bone/Joints health, Circulatory

System, Supplements for sportspeople, and Detox food.

Friday 22nd:

The meeting that was supposed to be held this morning to correct this week’s work was cancelled

so I kept translating more front pages: Royal Jellies, Nervous System and Skin/Hair beauty and

care.

Saturday 23rd:

Meeting at 10:30 with the translator to oversee my work and do some corrections.

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4TH WEEK 25th-30th July

Monday 25th:

Usual working time; I translated the front page for the Respiratory System.

Tuesday 26th:

Usual working time; I translated the front page for the Genitourinary System.

Wednesday 27th:

Usual working time; I translated the front page for Herbal Infusions.

Thursday 28th:

Usual working time; I translated the front page for Plant Extracts.

Friday 29th:

Day off to prepare for tomorrow’s meeting with the owner.

Saturday 30th:

Meeting at 10:30 with owner: after showing me the software she used to build her website we

discussed the problems that had to be solved with the interface before launching it. I then got to

ask her some questions about the history of the business and what it wanted to bring to its

customers, since this would be the starting point for its online value proposition. Finally, I

proposed her to emphasize more on social media (Facebook + opened an Instagram account for

her) to redirect clicks to the website for increased online sales.

5TH WEEK 1st August-5th August

The fifth and last week was given to me to work full -time on my report, as the owner her interest

in reading it and potentially use some parts of it for the website.

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b. Cover letter. My initial cover letter was in Spanish (since the shop is located in Spain, in the city of San Pedro de Alcántara) but I was asked to also write it in English as a way to prove how comfortable I was in both languages: Subject: Motivation Letter

Dear Madam,

I am a Business Management student at an overseas campus of Cardiff Metropolitan University. I

have just successfully finished my second year and I am now looking for an summer internship for

my Experience Through Work module that would allow me to put my creativity and my Spanish and

English proficiency to great use in a real business project.

As I am aware Azur’s Herboristerie is developing its website with the aim of reaching a wider

international audience and launch its delivery service, I believe working for this project would help

me not only gain practical knowledge but also realise the importance of the Internet medias in

today’s business and marketing context.

This module is very important to me as a student and as a future entrepreneur since my studies have

awaken my interest for the e-marketing field. My passion for creative projects and my personal

preference for naturopathy as part of a healthy lifestyle convinced me that working for Azur’s

Herboristerie would be a rewarding experience since I connect with the value proposition of your

business and intend to do my best in this online project.

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c. Employability skills audit.

“Select skills that you feel you are competent in, or would like to improve (...) prioritise your top 3 skills in which you feel competent and prioritise the top 3 skills you would like to improve or develop.” (Tcd.ie, 2016).

I feel competent using this skill

I would like to improve this

skill WRITTEN COMMUNICATION: able to express yourself clearly in writing Thinking through in advance what you want to say x Gathering, analysing and arranging your information in a logical sequence x Developing your argument in a logical way x Being able to condense information/produce concise summary notes x Adapting your writing style for different audiences x Avoiding jargon x ORAL COMMUNICATION: expressing your ideas clearly and confidently in speech Listening carefully to what others are saying x Able to clarify and summarise what others are communicating x Helping others to define their problems. Not interrupting x Being sensitive to body language as well as verbal information x Making the right impression by making effective use of dress, conduct and speech x

Keeping business telephone calls to the point x Thinking up an interesting way to put across your message to groups. x Successfully building a rapport with your audience when speaking to groups. x

TEAMWORK: working confidently within a group Working cooperatively towards a common goal. x Contributing your own ideas effectively in a group. x Listening to others' opinions. x Taking a share of the responsibility. x Being assertive - rather than passive or aggressive. x Accepting & learning from constructive criticism. Giving positive, constructive feedback x

Putting your points across in a reasoned way. x Emphasising the positive aspects of your argument. x Understanding the needs of the person you are dealing with. x Handling objections to your arguments. x Making concessions to reach agreement. x

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Using tact and diplomacy. x LEADERSHIP: able to motivate and direct others Taking the initiative. x Organising and motivating others. x Making decisions and seeing them through. x Taking a positive attitude to failure: persevering when things are not working out. x

Accepting responsibility for mistakes/wrong decisions. x

Being flexible - prepared to adapt goals in the light of changing situations. x CRITICAL THINKING & ANALYTICAL ABILITY: able to question assumptions and recognise inconsistencies Gathering information systematically to establish facts and principles x Collecting, collating, classifying and summarising data systematically x Recognising inconsistencies in reasoning x PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING: able to discover, analyse, solve problems and make choices based on your judgement Clarifying the nature of a problem before deciding action x Analysing the factors involved in a problem & being able to identify the key ones x Differentiating between practical and impractical solutions x Setting objectives which are achievable x Making choices based on your own judgement x Implementing appropriate decisions x Evaluating and revising plans where appropriate x CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION: able to think of a new idea and put it into practice Using imagination to develop new and original ideas x Using creativity/initiative in the generation of alternative solutions to current ideas x Implementing appropriate processes for new idea or solution x NETWORKING: able to develop relationships with others for mutual benefit Identifying contacts within your chosen field x Pursuing contacts in your chosen field in an assertive constructive manner x Using online professional networking websites to build and publicise your profile x Maintaining contacts through work/clubs/careers events etc. to identify present and future opportunities and publicise professional profile

x

TIME MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING: Managing your time effectively/using action planning skills Setting priorities - most important/most urgent x Identifying the steps needed to achieve your goals x Being able to work effectively when under pressure x Completing work to a deadline x Planning and organising your personal finances effectively. Managing a limited budget x IT SKILLS: being able to use computers and technology for word-processing and calculation tasks, researching information and communicating over the internet Word-processing skills x Using databases (e.g. Access) x Using spreadsheets (e.g. Excel) x

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Using the Internet and email x Using social media (e.g. LinkedIn, Twitter, Delicious etc.) x Using research analysis software e.g. SPSS x Designing web pages x Programming skills x RESEARCH: able to investigate information to establish facts and reach own conclusions Reading and interpreting graphs and tables x Using statistics x Using library resources x Using online information sources x Referencing materials x MANAGEMENT OF OWN LEARNING: able to take responsibility for own learning and work on own initiative Showing the ability to work under your own direction and initiative x Paying care and attention to quality in all your work x Developing the drive and enthusiasm to achieve your goals x Accepting responsibility for your views and actions x Taking the opportunity to learn new skills x SKILLS NOT LISTED ABOVE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD: Continue on separate sheet if necessary

(Tcd.ie, 2016)

TOP 3 SKILLS I WOULD LIKE TO DEVELOP: 1. General networking skills. 2. IT skills: Excel and Web Designing/programming. 3. Decision-making: trust my own judgement.

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d. Supporting documents.

Official internship certificate (in French, native language of the owner).

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Official business documents:

● Academic naturopathy degrees (Spain):

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● Official business license for the herbalist shop:

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PDP2: WRIT 2

Name: Sonia FELLAH RIYAD Student no: st20084588 Title of role for which you are applying: translation assistant and social media counsellor

In no more that 250 words (each) provide responses to the two competency-based questions below: 1. Drawing on any aspect of your life so far, describe an idea or project that was implemented

successfully because of your effort. How did you plan this and establish priorities? Since I started college one of my academic goals was to apply for an exchange program that would allow me to spend my senior year in Wales. A year and a half of consistent effort helped me to obtain this scholarship. Nevertheless, it was not an overnight success since it required me to prepare myself since the first day. I firstly did some research about the scholarship and its eligibility conditions, and retained the details that could make my dossier stand out. These certainly included good academic results (which I had to ensure all year long), but above all, a good cover letter that would highlight my potential. I worked on the cover letter until I could match my personal goals and values with the aim of the scholarship. Furthermore, I ensured that I continuously improved my English (as it is not my first language) by making sure I read or watched something in English everyday in addition to college work. After receiving the acceptance letter I made sure I understood all the procedures and made a plan for the summer: sending various forms, applying for the student halls, checking the city map, making bank transfers, and gathering other essential information (lunch boxes, bus passes, etc.). Finally, I listed secondary details e.g. things I would have to take with me (e.g. clothes, medicine...) and informed myself about the student life over there in order to embrace the experience, both academically and socially. 2. Describe a situation when you have worked as part of a team to achieve a goal. What was

your specific contribution? In 2015 I was asked by a friend to collaborate with her team in a ludic afternoon in an orphanage in Morocco. Their aim was to give the children a fun afternoon by bringing them appetisers for the afternoon snack, playing sports with them and organising other small activities. My specific task was to organise an hour-long dance class, in which I had to teach them a simple choreography on a popular song to then perform it as a group in a flash mob style. It was slightly difficult at the beginning to keep the group focused, and some kids had shorter attention spans that others. But by being friendly and adapting myself to their different personality traits I was able to awaken their curiosity and convince them to follow the choreography.

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8. Reference list.

Allan, P. (2015). The Surprising Downsides of Being an Overachiever . [online]

Lifehacker.com. Available at: http://lifehacker.com/the-surprising-downsides-of-being-an-

overachiever-1733341356 [Accessed 6 Aug. 2016].

Rich, M. (2013). Reflection-in-Addition: Using Reflective logs to Build Research into

Undergraduate Projects . . [online]

http://metsearch.cardiffmet.ac.uk/44WHELF_CMU_VU1:CSCOP_EVERYTHING:TN_buh_11

3419965. Available at:

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cardiffmet.ac.uk/ehost/detail/detail?sid=a840cf4b-beb4-

4cb6-a991-

8a2c3244310a%40sessionmgr4009&vid=0&hid=4104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d

%3d#AN=113419965&db=buh [Accessed 2 Aug. 2016].

Hind D. & Moss S. (2011). Employability Skills . (pp. 290). Business Education Publishers

Limited. ISBN 978 1 901 888 997 .

Ivory Research - IvoryResearch.com. (2016). Reflective Logs and Reflective Diaries .

[online] Available at: http://www.ivoryresearch.com/reflective-log-reflective-diary/ [Accessed 2

Aug. 2016].

Mullins L.J (2010). Management & Organisational Behaviour (pp.260-261). Prentice Hall

(Financial Times).

Tcd.ie. (2016). Employability Skills Audit (Adapted with kind permission from Kent

University Career Advisory Service Skills Inventory) . [online] Available at:

https://www.tcd.ie/Careers//resources/skills/downloads/Transferable-Skills-Audit.doc

[Accessed 6 Aug. 2016].