REFLECTIVE STATEMENT EXAMPLEREFLECTIVE STATEMENT EXAMPLEReflection on Job Placement

For Assignment or Dissertation Help, Please Contact:

Muhammad Sajid Saeed

+44 141 4161015

Email: tosajidsaeed@hotmail.com

Skype ID: tosajidsaeed

0 | P a g e

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. 1. INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2

2. 2. K1: KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOB K1: KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOB ------------------------------------------------------------------ 2

3. 3. K2: KNOWLEDGE OF THE LEARNING THEORIES K2: KNOWLEDGE OF THE LEARNING THEORIES ------------------------------------------- 3

4. 4. C1: ANALYSIS OF VALUE OF WORK EXPERIENCE C1: ANALYSIS OF VALUE OF WORK EXPERIENCE ------------------------------------------ 4

5. 5. P1: KNOWLEDGE OF REFLECTIVE THEORIES P1: KNOWLEDGE OF REFLECTIVE THEORIES ------------------------------------------------ 5

5.1 5.1 WHAT: DESCRIPTION, EVALUATION, AND FEELING WHAT: DESCRIPTION, EVALUATION, AND FEELING ---------------------------------------- 6

5.2 5.2 SO WHAT: ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION SO WHAT: ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION ----------------------------------------------------- 6

5.3 5.3 NOW WHAT: ACTION PLAN NOW WHAT: ACTION PLAN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 6

6. 6. T1: REFLECTION ON MY LEARNING AND TRANSFERABLE SKILLS LEARNED T1: REFLECTION ON MY LEARNING AND TRANSFERABLE SKILLS LEARNED -------- 7

6.1 6.1 DESCRIPTION OF EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION OF EXPERIENCE ------------------------------------------------------------------ 7

6.2 6.2 REFLECTION ON EXPERIENCE REFLECTION ON EXPERIENCE ------------------------------------------------------------------- 7

6.3 6.3 HOW I DEALT THE SITUATION? HOW I DEALT THE SITUATION? ----------------------------------------------------------------- 8

6.4 6.4 WHAT I LEARNED? WHAT I LEARNED? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8

7. 7. CONCLUSION CONCLUSION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8

REFERENCES REFERENCES ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9

APPENDIX I APPENDIX I ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12

FIGURE1: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF KACST FIGURE1: ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF KACST -------------------------------------- 12

FIGURE 2: HONEY AND MUMFORD'S VARIATION ON THE KOLB SYSTEM FIGURE 2: HONEY AND MUMFORD'S VARIATION ON THE KOLB SYSTEM ------------ 12

FIGURE 3: GIBBS AND DRISCOLL LEARNING THEORIES FIGURE 3: GIBBS AND DRISCOLL LEARNING THEORIES ----------------------------------- 13

APPENDIX II APPENDIX II ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14

TABLE1: SWOT ANALYSIS OF KACST TABLE1: SWOT ANALYSIS OF KACST ----------------------------------------------------------- 14

TABLE2: CAREER SWOT ANALYSIS TABLE2: CAREER SWOT ANALYSIS ------------------------------------------------------------- 15

APPENDIX III: INTERVIEW WITH MANAGER ABOUT KACST APPENDIX III: INTERVIEW WITH MANAGER ABOUT KACST ---------------------------- 16

APPENDIX IV: PEST ANALYSIS OF KACST APPENDIX IV: PEST ANALYSIS OF KACST ---------------------------------------------------- 18

APPENDIX V: VAK LEARNING STYLE QUESTIONNAIRE APPENDIX V: VAK LEARNING STYLE QUESTIONNAIRE ----------------------------------- 20

1 | P a g e

1. INTRODUCTION

The researcher community and educationalists believe that integrated experience and

reflective learning are the essential parts of any education (Schon, 1983; Kolb, 1983;

Boud; 1995). My work placement was settled in ‘King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and

Technology’ (KACST) which is a graduate-level research based institute in the Kingdom

of Saudi Arabia. It was a three week work placement started on Saturday 17 th December

2011. During my job I practiced essential accounting practices in accounting and finance

department. In this reflective report, I will attempt to explain my feelings, analysis,

learning, experience, and action plans during the work placement in the light of various

theories.

2. K1: KNOWLEDGE OF THE JOB

KACST is a science based research institute with a sustained planning mechanism for all

scientific disciplines. KACST has an enhanced interaction network between all scientific

agencies as compared to any other institutes in KSA. The major aim of KACST is “ to

become a world-class science and technology organization that fosters innovation and

promotes a knowledge-based society in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” (KACST, 2012).

The government is involved in funding KACST in order to achieve its strategic goals that

consist of formulating policies & plans and coordinating activities based on science,

technology, and innovation by establishing long-term relationships at national and the

international level. The accounting and finance department of the KACST has many core

responsibilities in arranging finance for conducting applied research in providing advice

to institution and government on science and technological matters in order to achieve

long-term goals. Other relevant information about KACST was obtained during the

interview with my manager (see appendix III).

My job role in KACST was in the accounting discipline for keeping track the flow of

money throughout the institute. During my work placement, I worked with many

personnel working in various key positions such as audit and accounts officers, assistant

accounts manager, and manager accounts. The main objective of my work placement was

to assist accounting and auditing staff to organize and aggregate financial information and

generating productive reports of the directors and government officials. Whilst helping

the staff in achieving organizational objectives, I also learnt many practical things that

2 | P a g e

would help me in achieving my career oriented short-term goals and long-term objectives

which are based on “getting an exigent and conscientious position in a progressive

organization for professional career growth”

The KACST developed its organizational structure by following organizational theory

which states how organizations are structured and managed (Jones, 2009). The KACST’s

organizational structure is primarily based on the resources and assets that represent the

division and distribution of work among various departments and employees in order to

achieve predetermined aims, goals, and objectives. The organizational structure is

exhibited in figure 1 (see appendix I). In addition, table 1 in appendix II is presenting the

SWOT analysis of KACST. The PEST analysis of the organization is available in

appendix III.

3. K2: KNOWLEDGE OF THE LEARNING THEORIES

The four learning styles described by Honey and Mumford (1992) are activists, reflectors,

theorists, and pragmatists that are similar to the styles mentioned in Kolb’s (1984)

learning cycle (i.e. accommodating, diverging, assimilating, and converging). The figure

2 in appendix shows Honey and Mumford’s variations on the Kolb system.

Based on above two models, I would say that I had different learning styles whilst

working in KACST because it was required to perform different accounting operations

within the accounts department. On concrete experience stage in the first week of my

placement, I found myself in “activist” style (accommodating) when I applied my

academic knowledge in learning new things by performing various day-to-day activities

in the accounts department. These activities include handling telephonic queries, manual

and computerized files handling, and dealing with different types of vouchers (i.e. cash

payment voucher, cash receipt voucher, and cash adjustment voucher). In the beginning

of the work placement, the “activist” style was suitable for me because I was new in the

department and working with team was the best choice for me to complete the underlying

tasks. As an activist, I learnt that tendency to take an immediate course of action without

weighing up other possibilities is not good.

In the second and third weeks at reflective observation stage, I found myself mainly in

“reflector” (diverging) style when I was feeling and watching over complex accounting,

payroll, and auditing activities under the observation of senior staff members. The senior

3 | P a g e

staff was not assertive in handing over direct operations to me so they advised me only to

observe complex activities. During this week, the sitting with senior staff members (e.g.

assistant manager audit and accounts and manager accounts) helped me to think how to

learn best from the activities before acting, and also to assimilate before commenting

because I felt confused when I first looked at the complex payroll and auditing structure

before proper examining it.

During my work placement, I found myself in different styles at first two stages of Kolb’s

learning cycle due to the policies of KACST for internship students. Table 2 is

highlighting the SWOT analysis of my career according to two different styles (See

appendix II).

To check my VAK learning style, I filled the VAK learning style questionnaire from

businessballs.com website and found myself as an auditory learner because I believe that

hearing is very important for a clear understanding of things and visuals sometimes

provide dual meanings of the same idea. The filled questionnaire is available in appendix

IV that is demonstrating ‘B’ as the most chosen option in all the questions which shows

auditory learning style.

4. C1: ANALYSIS OF VALUE OF WORK EXPERIENCE

Employers from all around the world always look for employees with relevant experience

and quality education. In order to formulate the career, work placement helps the

graduates to develop many types of skills such as enterprise skills, communication skills,

time management, team working skills, problem solving skills, and critical appraisal

skills (Bennett et al., 2008; Harvey et al., 2002).

When I started my work placement in KACST, I was confident that due to my theoretical

conceptual background I can easily perform most of the accounting operations without

any assistance but the reality was different. On the very first day of my work placement, I

felt little upset when one of the staff members told me to handle telephonic queries but

later on I realised that handling customer queries is so important in developing

communication skills that can help me in my near future career.

Overall, the work placement helped me a lot in setting up the directions of my future

career. Whilst working in a team, I successfully learnt how to play my role as a team

member in addressing a particular problem. Similarly, placement also helped me to build

4 | P a g e

other vital career related skills such as enterprise skills, communication skills, writing

skills, interpersonal skills, and organizational ethics. Today, I believe that a strong

academic background is always essential for the student, but not enough in indicating

whether or not a student will be successful in a particular work environment.

Based on my career SWOT analysis and my work place experience, I discovered that the

placement will assist me in my future working career in following ways:

o Development of major transferable competencies and skills (Bennett et al., 2008)

o Development of self-awareness abilities in particular working environment

o How to apply theoretical concepts in practice

o Beneficial for increasing the success rate in graduate employability

o Assist me in overcoming the tendency to take an immediate course of action

without weighing up other possibilities

o Overcoming the weakness of doing something new without sufficient information

o The market competition will push me to learn new technology based techniques in

accounting and finance field

o Developing social interaction in a working environment through experiential

informal learning (Murakami et al., 2009).

In addition, now I can develop my e-portfolio using online “Mahara e-porfolio” facility

which is provided by Southampton Solent University and from many other sources as

well such as VLE Moodle. Another facility ‘CareerBox’ will also help me to assess my

skills, abilities, and interest that have been developed after work placement. Furthermore,

I might find it beneficial in making important decisions about my career ahead in a

competitive job market especially during current recession period. In mentioning

numerous ways for hunting jobs and developing career, Taylor (2011) emphasized on the

importance of narrowing down the searches using latest tools and websites based on

different mechanisms similar to “CareerBox” which helps the employers to find the most

suitable candidate for the position.

5. P1: KNOWLEDGE OF REFLECTIVE THEORIES

Gibbs (1988) and Driscoll (1994, 2000) introduced two valuable theories for reflective

learning shown in figure 3 (see appendix I). In this section of the report, I will choose two

5 | P a g e

critical incidents happened to me whilst working in King Abdul-Aziz City for Science

and Technology.

5.1 WHAT: DESCRIPTION, EVALUATION, AND FEELING

In the learning log, I mentioned that second day of my work placement in KACST was a

bit confusing when I was dealing with a manual file system of KACST. Initially, the code

specific language of the staff totally confused me and I felt for a moment that maybe the

staff is hiding some important information from me. After spending more time in the

department, I realised that the staff is so nice and helpful in guiding me how to perform

routine activities and then I thought my thinking could be wrong that they are hiding

some information from me. It was confirmed when I was assisting the staff in day-to-day

operations and Ali told me to find a particular file for him from the filing area. I was lost

when I tried to find that file because I was unable to understand how the files were

organized there. I wasted 15 minutes of my time in searching that file but failed to do so.

5.2 SO WHAT: ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION

To solve this dilemma, I decided to ask somebody to help me in finding that file and also

guiding me to understand the manual filing system. I asked Ali to show me how manual

files are managed in the department. Ali appreciated that I asked him for the favour. With

his guidance, I discovered that the manual filing system was organized in alphanumeric

code order that consists of filename, date, and type of the file, but the files were not lying

in any order (ascending/descending) due to the negligence of the staff and this was the

reason that it got confused. The staff knows about the target files because they are dealing

with the filing system on a daily basis but it was hard for someone new to come and

understand the whole system in one or two days.

5.3 NOW WHAT: ACTION PLAN

The major thing I learnt from the event was that rather than wasting time in exploring

something, it is always better to take help if I am not sure about how the particular system

is designed. As I was working only 3 hours per day in KACST, it was not appropriate for

me to take so long in searching that particular file. From that event, I learnt two things:

finding an immediate way to solve the problem and importance of time management. It is

believed that next time, if it happened again, I will avoid making such mistake and will

analyse the situation on sudden basis.

6 | P a g e

6. T1: REFLECTION ON MY LEARNING AND TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

LEARNED

In setting clear directions for my work placement, my target was to develop or improve

many skills such as enterprise skills, team working skills, problem solving skills, time

management skills, and communication skills. On the very first day of the placement I

had a chance to improve my communication skills when I spent some time to answer

telephonic queries. The guidance of one of the staff members also helped me to improve

my verbal communication. Written communication skills were improved when auditing

staff showed me how to report audit. During my work placement, I also read many letters

from professional research bodies with the permission of relevant staff members. In that

way, I discovered the importance of business writing skills.

The second day was crucial in learning two core skills such as time management and

problem solving skills. Unfortunately, I failed to manage my time in searching a

particular file when one of the staff members was seeking my help. But with that incident

I learnt how to manage my time efficiently and more importantly how to solve a

particular problem by taking somebody’s help if I am unsure about how the system has

been designed.

Throughout my work placement, few incidents helped me to develop and improve many

enterprise skills that include planning, hardworking, competitiveness, determination, and

risk taking in a working environment. I would like to describe another incident under

Johns (2000) model of structured reflection.

6.1 DESCRIPTION OF EXPERIENCE

As mentioned in the learning log that during the second week of my work placement, I

had a sitting with the accounts manager to learn something new. Initially, I thought that I

spoiled my time because the person was so busy in answering telephonic queries and

guiding subordinates.

6.2 REFLECTION ON EXPERIENCE

From that meeting I was aiming to learn something new that could help me in my future

because I believe that sitting with seniors especially with top-level management people is

7 | P a g e

always beneficial in learning new things but I missed that opportunity due to the

interaction of staff members, asking many technical accounts related queries.

6.3 HOW I DEALT THE SITUATION?

By looking back, I realised that it was not the waste of time. In fact, I sat there for 15

minutes and I learnt a lot from observing and reflecting the communication, interpersonal,

and problem solving skills of my manager in dealing with numerous requests, while

remaining calm and courteous, provided me with a good model of management and also

time management. So basically, it was a good chance for me to observe a top manager

utilizing his enterprise skills professionally. The accounts manager was pleased with me

that he was unable to give me time but as a result of my patience he reserved another 15

minutes for me in the third week of my placement when he showed me the way how the

institute organizes the financial statements and control the cash flow system.

6.4 WHAT I LEARNED?

Due to this incident, I discovered the importance of communication and problem solving

skills at top positions and also noticed how to guide and suggest subordinates and peers in

effective manners.

7. CONCLUSION

It was an excellent experience where I learned so many things that would help me in the

near future. The work placement benefited me in many ways such as developing major

transferable skills and competencies, self-awareness, confidence of working in a

professional environment, applying theoretical concepts, and overcoming some

weaknesses that could hurdle in my career. Today, I believe that a strong academic

background is always essential for a student, but not enough in indicating whether or not

a student will be successful in a particular work environment.

8 | P a g e

REFERENCES

Al-Gosaibi, K. M., (2009). The eight development plan, Ministry of Economy and Planning, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Bennett, R., Eagle, L., Mousley, W. and Ali-Choudhury, R., (2008). Reassessing the value of work-experience placements in the context of widening participation in Higher Education, Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 60(2), pp. 105 — 122

Boud, D., 1995. Enhancing learning through self assessment, London: Kogan Page

Career Box, (2012). The Career Box. [online], Available from: http://careerbox.solent.ac.uk Accessed: [25 March 2012]

Chapman, A., (2006). Honey and Mumford's variation on the Kolb system, [online], Available from: http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm [Accessed: 22 March 2012]

Driscoll, J. (2000). Practising Clinical Supervision. Edinburgh: Balliere-Tindall

Driscoll, M. P., (1994). Psychology of Learning for Instruction. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon

Dutta, S. and Coury, M E., (2008). ICT challenges for the Arab world, Journal of Information and Communication Technology, 1(1), pp. 116 – 131

Gibbs G. (1988). Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit

Gibbs, G., Rust, C., Jenkins, A., and Jaques, D., (1994). Developing Students’ Transferable Skills. Oxford Centre for Staff Development. Oxford Brookes University

Gray, D., Cundell, S., Hay, D. and O’Neil, J., (2004). Learning through the workplace: a guide to work-based learning, Nelson Thornes

Harvey, L., Locke, W., & Morey, A. (2002). Enhancing employability, recognising diversity: Making links between higher education and the world of work. London: Universities UK

9 | P a g e

Honey, P. and A., Mumford (1992). Manual of Learning Styles, 3rd edition, Maidenhead, Honey Publishing

Johns, C. (2000). Becoming a reflective practitioner: a reflective & holistic approach to clinical nursing, practice development & clinical supervision, Oxford: Blackwell Science

Johns, C. (2009). Becoming a Reflective Practitioner, 3rd edition, John Wiley and Sons

Johns, C. (2011). Guided Reflection: A Narrative Approach to Advancing Professional Practice, 2nd edition, John Wiley and Sons

Jones, G. R., (2009). Organizational Theory, Design, and Change, 6th edition, Prentice Hall

KACST – Petrochemicals, (2011). Strategic Priorities for Petrochemicals Technology Program in KACST, Ministry of Economy and Planning, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

KACST – Environment, (2011). Strategic Priorities for Environmental Technology Program in KACST, Ministry of Economy and Planning, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

KACST – Biometrical, (2011). Strategic Priorities for Biometrical Research Program in KACST, Ministry of Economy and Planning, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

KACST – Strategic, (2011). Strategic Priorities for Strategic Research Program in KACST, Ministry of Economy and Planning, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

KACST – Materials, (2011). Strategic Priorities for Advance Materials Program in KACST, Ministry of Economy and Planning, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

KACST, (1992). The role of the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Information Services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Journal of Information Science, 18(6), pp. 491 – 495

Kolb, D. A., (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. New Jersey: Prentice Hall

Moon, J. (1999b) Learning journals: a handbook for academics, students and professional development. Kogan Page

10 | P a g e

Moon, J., (1999a). Reflection in learning and professional development. Kogan Page

Mumford, A., (1994). Gower handbook of management development, 4th edition, Gower Publishing Ltd

Murakami, K., Murray, L., Sims, D., and Chedzey K., (2009). Learning on work placement: The narrative development of social competence. Journal of Adult Development, 16, pp. 12-24

Rawlinson, J. G., (1993). Creative Thinking and Brainstorming. Gower Press

Saud, T., (2010). The ninth development plan: Science, technology and innovation, Ministry of Economy and Planning, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Schon, D. A., (1983). The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books

Schon, D. A., (1991). Educating the Reflective Practitioner: Towards a New Design for Teaching and Learning, 2nd edition. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bas

Springer, (2011). In the Spotlight - King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Springer, 4 April 2011, [online], Available from: http://www.springer.com/societies+%26+publishing+partners/society+%26+partner+zone?SGWID=0-173202-12-827004-0 [Accessed: 12 April 2012]

Taylor, D., (2011). How to Get a Job in a Recession 2012: A Comprehensive Guide to Job Hunting in the 21st Century, eBookIT.com publishing

Wickham, P. A., (1999). Management Consulting. Financial Times series. Pitman Publishing

http://media.kacst.edu.sa/ar/Achievements2010en/index.html

www.kaust.edu.sa/

http://www.kacst.edu.sa/en/about/media/news/Pages/news249.aspx

http://www.aaas.org/spp/rcp/capabilities/proposal_review.shtml

11 | P a g e

APPENDIX I

Figure 1 – Organizational structure of KACST

Figure 2 – Honey and Mumford's variation on the Kolb system

Source: Chapman (2006)

12 | P a g e

Figure 3 – Gibbs and Driscoll learning theories

Sources: Gibbs (1988) and Driscoll (1994)

13 | P a g e

APPENDIX II

Table 1 –SWOT Analysis of KACST

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

o Sufficient financial resources

o Researchers from all around the World are attracted and willing to work with KACST

o Working together with many Universities and research institutes within and outside the country to achieve strategic goals

o Implementing modern technology

o Government support

o High-level research

o International recognition

o Lack of scientific specialists

o Problem of employing high profile personnel due to the policies of the government

o No private sector grants available

o Improper research planning due to ineffective research management plan

o Slow information exchange

o Asymmetry between incentives and strategic objectives

o Hurdle of Government policies and procedures

o Ever changing vision, policies, and processes

o High turnover at executive level

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

o Many national and international institutes are willing to gain KACST attention

o May open new research areas with the Government support

o Expected overall financial returns from research projects

o Approved national policy for science and technology for strategy development and technology transfer

o Attracting foreign investment in research area

o Government support in developing low cost future technologies

o KACST is gaining attention of the private sector as well

o It is very expensive to hire research technicians and experts

o Issues in transforming some technologies due to security and political limitations

o Lack of quality education in KSA

o International competition

o Lack of motivation to conduct research in KSA

o Failure in producing high level products

14 | P a g e

Table 2 – Career SWOT analysis

STYLE STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

ACTIVIST

(Accommodating)

o Flexible and open minded

o Wish to learn new things

o Happy in seeking challenge

o Unlikely to resist change

o International study exposure

o Fluent in National and International languages (i.e. Arabic and English)

o Tendency to take immediate course of action without weighing up other possibilities

o Tendency to get the attention

o Risk of doing something new without sufficient information

o No enhanced knowledge of technological changes in accountancy and finance field

REFLECTOR

(Diverging)

o Carefully observing activities

o Assimilating before commenting

o Good listening skills

o Avoid to draw conclusion at this stage

o No assertiveness in doing tasks

o Too much consciousness

o Slow in decision making

o Indirect participation in achieving strategic objectives

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

o Lack of qualified accounting and finance personnel in KSA

o Work placement is done in Internationally recognised institute

o Opportunity to work anywhere in the world because of having international study and work experience

o High competition

o Technological changes in accounting and finance field

15 | P a g e

APPENDIX III: INTERVIEW WITH MANAGER ABOUT KACST

INTERVIEWEE NAME: MR. ABDULLAH

INTERVIEWER NAME: MR. HASHAN ALBAHRI

During the interview, manager/supervisor provided following information.

Q1. WHEN KACST WAS ESTABLISHED?

Date 1977

Established as Saudi Arabian National Centre for Science & Technology (SANCST)

Re-named in 1985, it was renamed King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST)

First president Abdul Rahman Al-Athel

Current president Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel

Q2. WHAT ARE THE MAIN RESEARCH DIVISIONS OF KACST?

1. Petroleum and Petrochemical

2. Computer and Electronics Research Institute

3. Energy Research

4. Space Research

5. Astronomy and Geophysics

6. Resource and Development

7. Information technology development

Q3. NUMBER OF BRANCHES AND EMPLOYEES?

Branches 6

Employees 2500+

Q4. FINANCIAL FACTS?

Public or Govt. sector Major

Private sector Minor

16 | P a g e

Q5. ANY INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS?

1. Applied water science

2. Journal of petroleum exploration and production technology

3. Applied petrochemical research

4. Applied Nanoscience

5. 3Biotech

Q6. WHAT ARE THE MAJOR STRENGTHS OF THE COMPANY?

1. Implementation of latest technology in KSA

2. Government support in funding

3. International recognition

4. Providing opportunities to other institutions in conducting research

5. Highly qualified staff

Q7. WHO ARE THE COMPETITORS OF KACST?

No one in KSA but there are many at international level

Q8. WHAT IS THE MOST RECENT ACHIEVEMENT OF KACST?

Solar technology development

Q10. WHAT ARE THE MAJOR FUTURE PLANS?

Human capacity development

Contribute to the appropriate research plans of the government

Dedicated high-speed, reliable and highly available networks

Provision of E-learning facilities

Consultancy services

Integration of an access to digital research libraries

Information technology advancement

APPENDIX IV: PEST ANALYSIS OF KACST

17 | P a g e

POLITICAL ASPECT

The political and regulatory environment of KSA is different from other developed and developing countries. The political policies and procedures primarily rely on Islamic principles (Dutta and Coury, 2008).

Strong government support in funding the research activities Government support in developing low cost future technologies

Problem of employing high profile personnel due to the political aspects and rules and regulations

No taxes from the government Industry specific regulations in conducting scientific researches

ENVIRONMENT ASPECT

In KSA, MEPA (Meteorological and Environmental Protection Administration) and MCE (Ministerial Committee of Environment) agencies are responsible for setting environmental rules and regulations of the organizations

KACST is strictly following the guidelines of MEPA and MCE in protecting the environment from toxic chemicals and hazardous waste due to research experiments (KACST – Petrochemicals, 2011)

In each of the research area, control and monitoring technologies and remediation strategies have been adopted by KACST in order to manage waste, pollution contamination, air quality, and degradation of natural resources (KACST – Environment, 2011)

KACST also providing continuous support to universities and other research institutes on how to protect environment

KACST planning team has reviewed the environmental guidelines of international environmental agencies such as National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) of India, National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) in Japan, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), in United Kingdom, and The U.S. EPA Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), in the United States of America (KACST – Environment, 2011)

SOCIAL ASPECT

KACST plays an excellent role in planning, coordinating, controlling, and monitoring the social and economic development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The main objective of KACST is to strengthen the efforts to shift knowledge and skills to all social and economic sectors by entering into agreements with other private and government research institutions including universities (Saud, 2010)

KACST is involve in different social activities such as motivating and supporting private sector to expand research activities, encouraging complex research throughout the Kingdom, arranging different research-based seminars on regular basis, and welcoming students to conduct researchers under the supervision of expert and experienced staff (Saud, 2010)

KACST is also willing to reduce the knowledge gap among all regions and among various social strata

18 | P a g e

During 2008, KACST spent SR796.11 million in implementing annual grant programs in promoting research in the KSA (Saud, 2010)

TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECT

In KSA, the technological development was made during eighth development plan where KACST also played significant role (Al-Gosaibi, 2009)

In KSA, KACST is popular as one of the modern and technology based institute providing and assisting other sectors to adopt new technology.

During the eighth development plan, KACST was successful in developing innovating techniques and tools to achieve strategic objectives

One of the considerable achievements was the development of solar energy production (Saud, 2010)

Besides, KACST was also successful in developing and launching 12 satellites. Some other important technological developments were include development of catalytic materials for cleaning fuel and heat-and-fire-resistant polypropylene (Al-Gosaibi, 2009)

In addition, KACST was also involved in developing major strategic plans for the advancement in the technology in many industries such as oil and gas, biotechnology, communications, engineering, aerospace and aviation, and advance materials.

19 | P a g e

APPENDIX V: VAK LEARNING STYLE QUESTIONNAIRE

1. When I operate new equipment I generally:

a) read the instructions firstb) listen to an explanation from someone who has used it beforec) go ahead and have a go, I can figure it out as I use it

2. When I need directions for travelling I usually:

a) look at a mapb) ask for spoken directionsc) follow my nose and maybe use a compass

3. When I cook a new dish, I like to:

a) follow a written recipeb) call a friend for an explanationc) follow my instincts, testing as I cook

4. If I am teaching someone something new, I tend to:

a) write instructions down for themb) give them a verbal explanationc) demonstrate first and then let them have a go

5. I tend to say:

a) watch how I do itb) listen to me explainc) you have a go

6. During my free time I most enjoy:

a) going to museums and galleriesb) listening to music and talking to my friendsc) playing sport or doing DIY

7. When I go shopping for clothes, I tend to:

a) imagine what they would look like onb) discuss them with the shop staffc) try them on and test them out

8. When I am choosing a holiday I usually:

a) read lots of brochuresb) listen to recommendations from friendsc) imagine what it would be like to be there

9. If I was buying a new car, I would:

a) read reviews in newspapers and magazinesb) discuss what I need with my friendsc) test-drive lots of different types

20 | P a g e

10. When I am learning a new skill, I am most comfortable:

a) watching what the teacher is doingb) talking through with the teacher exactly what I’m supposed to doc) giving it a try myself and work it out as I go

11. If I am choosing food off a menu, I tend to:

a) imagine what the food will look likeb) talk through the options in my head or with my partnerc) imagine what the food will taste like

12. When I listen to a band, I can’t help:

a) watching the band members and other people in the audienceb) listening to the lyrics and the beatsc) moving in time with the music

13. When I concentrate, I most often:

a) focus on the words or the pictures in front of meb) discuss the problem and the possible solutions in my headc) move around a lot, fiddle with pens and pencils and touch things

14. I choose household furnishings because I like:

a) their colours and how they lookb) the descriptions the sales-people give mec) their textures and what it feels like to touch them

15. My first memory is of:

a) looking at somethingb) being spoken toc) doing something

16. When I am anxious, I:

a) visualise the worst-case scenariosb) talk over in my head what worries me mostc) can’t sit still, fiddle and move around constantly

17. I feel especially connected to other people because of:

a) how they lookb) what they say to mec) how they make me feel

21 | P a g e

18. When I have to revise for an exam, I generally:

a) write lots of revision notes and diagramsb) talk over my notes, alone or with other peoplec) imagine making the movement or creating the formula

19. If I am explaining to someone I tend to:

a) show them what I meanb) explain to them in different ways until they understandc) encourage them to try and talk them through my idea as they do it

20. I really love:

a) watching films, photography, looking at art or people watchingb) listening to music, the radio or talking to friendsc) taking part in sporting activities, eating fine foods and wines or dancing

21. Most of my free time is spent:

a) watching televisionb) talking to friendsc) doing physical activity or making things

22. When I first contact a new person, I usually:

a) arrange a face to face meetingb) talk to them on the telephonec) try to get together whilst doing something else, such as an activity or a meal

23. I first notice how people:

a) look and dressb) sound and speakc) stand and move

24. If I am angry, I tend to:

a) keep replaying in my mind what it is that has upset meb) raise my voice and tell people how I feelc) stamp about, slam doors and physically demonstrate my anger

25. I find it easiest to remember:

a) facesb) namesc) things I have done

26. I think that you can tell if someone is lying if:

a) they avoid looking at youb) their voices changesc) they give me funny vibes

27. When I meet an old friend:

22 | P a g e

a) I say “it’s great to see you!”b) I say “it’s great to hear from you!”c) I give them a hug or a handshake

28. I remember things best by:

a) writing notes or keeping printed detailsb) saying them aloud or repeating words and key points in my headc) doing and practising the activity or imagining it being done

29. If I have to complain about faulty goods, I am most comfortable:

a) writing a letterb) complaining over the phonec) taking the item back to the store or posting it to head office

30. I tend to say:

a) I see what you meanb) I hear what you are sayingc) I know how you feel

Source: www.businessballs.com

Now add up how many A’s, B’s and C’s you selected.

A’s = B’s = C’s =

If you chose mostly A’s you have a VISUAL learning style.

If you chose mostly B’s you have an AUDITORY learning style.

If you chose mostly C’s you have a KINAESTHETIC learning style.

Some people find that their learning style may be a blend of two or three styles, in this case read about the styles that apply to you in the explanation below.

When you have identified your learning style(s), read the learning styles explanations and consider how this might help you to identify learning and development that best meets your preference(s).

23 | P a g e