The following body of work within my participation of the Academic Communication in Business and Economics Unit is my reflective writing written in the later half of my completion of the unit, where I was required to reflect upon how I used previous assessment feedback to assist me in my future writing. As stated by Jasper (2005, p.g.259), reflective writing has the potential to be transformative particularly in terms of knowledge generation from the exploration of practice, the development of analytical and critical thinking and the potential for creativity and connecting disparate ideas. Its importance can be observed within its applicability in the workplace, in its ability to bridge between practical experience and academic study, whilst helping to develop understanding of difficult work situations which improves professional practice. This skill will allow me to learn from past experiences and improve my approaches in the future whilst conversely raising confidence about personal achievements, encouraging proactive thinking and therefore creating personal responsibility, equipping me to thrive within the workplace.  

The feedback obtained from my Information Summary and Week 2 reflection significantly guided me in the writing off my business report and will continue to have an influence on my writing in the future through its universal applicability, where the specific feedback can be applied within many forms of writing. Positive comments about the formality and objectivity of my information summary aided me on my use of language in the report, where I found myself to be confident in the way I interpreted and approached the question, and the language through which I expressed my ideas. Linked to this however, was the feedback regarding my vague expression of ideas and lack of clarity when linking between concepts, which greatly assisted me in focusing to be more logical and straightforward when explaining concepts, which is effective in all forms of writing, especially in this report where clarity is essential for effectiveness. Furthermore, a few repetitive punctuation errors were identified in my information summary, and through the explanation of these errors, I can now effectively fix these mistakes which I can further apply in future writing. Additional errors were identified in my reference list, where my incorrect methods of referencing journal articles and the feedback and explanation of these errors will equip me for future referencing. The various lessons and feedback obtained from both my previous works carries great importance and value in its usefulness as a guide for the writing of the business report and will continue to have an influence on all future writing.

The completion of the Academic Communication unit has equipped me with the essential skills to create effective business reports, where specifically I have grasped the importance of introductions to introduce the general topic and provide background, which puts the topic in a broader context. My understanding of an ideal introduction will allow for the communication of ideas in the business environment, where this is essential for workplaces to operate smoothly and successfully. The following body of work is an extract of an introduction created within the unit.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an important tool for businesses to explore their interest in wider social issues, where it can be used as an effective medium to achieve certain targeted goals. The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals aims to “Transform the world,” and Cochlear specifically targets Goal 8; Decent Work and economic growth. The many facets of this goal allows Cochlear to target this SDG by exploring the CSR issue; The Health of Society. This report will explore data, relationships and theory surrounding this CSR issue, further examining into its two important components; mental illness and chronic health conditions, and how this issue, and the general issues of societal health is impacting the economy and creating the conditions that the UN strives to resolve.

My well-developed skill of creating executive summaries throughout my participation within the Academic Communication unit is an extremely useful tool and technique to the workplace and can be greatly beneficial to you as an employer. I have grasped a strong understanding of the importance and role of executive summaries, where they serve as an overview of the whole report in a way that the reader can quickly become acquainted with a large body of material without having to physical read it all. The ability to create a strong, effective and meaningful executive summary is extremely important in the workplace, as it has the ability to grasp readers to read more whilst also delivering the central message in a succinct manner. The following body of work is an extract of a business report completed within the unit.

The Corporate Social Responsibility issue of the Health of Society can be directly linked to the conditions targeted within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth; where this report analyses the economic consequences and impact that stems from this issue within society, and the course of actions available to Cochlear to address this SDG. The two main components of poor health within society explored within this report: Mental illness and Chronic Health Conditions play a key role in the decreased individual ability to contribute to the economy. The solutions within this report provide outlets to educate society, create change and promote well-being. Recommendations discussed include:

• Promote the Think Mental Health Campaign within the business environment
• Create relationships with Non- Government Organisations to allow the business to provide ongoing support
• Make attempts to encourage overall good health within the workplace.
• Enforce strict policies against sick leave
• Host fund- raising activities