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Olympic games legacy

The Olympic games has been long associated with countries, countries, organisation and have a lasting impact on the lives of many people. An academic standpoint examines the long-term impacts and legacies of hosting the Olympic games and the trend which shows a cycle of the same countries hosting the Olympic games (Ritchie et al., 2020).

Image 1.0 showing the legacy of the Olympic games in different host cities.

From economical perspective, scholars continue to research the impacts of hosting the Olympics on the economy of the host nation. Studies have shown that there are significant increases in areas of job creation, tourism and infrastructure development (Zawadzki, 2022). Research has also been conducted on the long-term economic benefits and drawbacks on the host city and country. Such include displacement of local communities and financial burden on the local economy (Duignan, 2019). Further studies reveal urban transformation, regeneration, development of sports facilities and revitalization of neighborhoods (Zembri-Mary, 2023). The academic perspective on the legacy of the Olympic games also examines the sustainability of the games through the use of sustainable infrastructure and renewable resources.

Image 2.0 showing the Olympic committee sustainability strategy.

Additionally, academies explore the legacy of sports participation and the development of grassroot programs in the host city and country. Examination of the cultural and social legacies of the Olympic games tends to critically be analysed in this space.

From a media standpoint, the Olympic games tend to generate significant interest and attention. Both traditional and modern media focus on the impact and lasting effects of the Olympic games on host cities and countries. Studies have shown prior to the games, media coverage surrounds preparation showcasing the construction of new venues, rehabilitation of old venues and infrastructure improvements. During the games, the coverage surrounds broadcast feeds, interviews with athletes and expert analysis on the games (Smith-Ditizio & Smith, 2023). The media is instrumental in connecting the Olympic games to its global audience. It enriches fan experience through the capture of emotions, triumphs and success of athletes.

image 3.0 capturing the view and landscape of Rio for BBC's Olympic coverage.

After the games, the media plays a role in examining the legacy left behind through the games. Discussions are held on the economic impacts, investments and the boost to local economies. The media also shares light on the cultural and social legacies of the games through the impact of tourism, culture and community development (Ribeiro et al., 2021).

Overall, both the academic and media perspectives are essential in shaping public opinion, perception and understanding of the impacts of Olympic games. Both perspectives provide an avenue for officials, athletes, teams and experts to share their stories, insights and analysis ensuring the legacy of the Olympic games is well and thoroughly examined.

References:

Zembri-Mary, G. (2023).  Can post-Olympic Games urban regeneration be spontaneous and unplanned? The case of Athens Olympic Games (2004). Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, 24(2), 156–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/15470148.2022.2156646

Duignan, M. B. (2019).  London’s local Olympic legacy: Small business displacement, ‘clone town’ effect and the production of ‘urban blandscapes’ Journal of Place Management and Development, 12(2), 142–163. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMD-05-2018-0033

Ritchie, B. W., Chien, P. M., & Shipway, R. (2020). A Leg(acy) to stand on? A non-host resident perspective of the London 2012 Olympic legacies. Tourism Management (1982), 77, 104031. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.104031

Zawadzki, K. (2022). The Economic Legacy of Mega Sporting Events. The Impact of Hosting European Olympic Games on GDP Growth Through Infrastructure Development. Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism, 29(3), 36–42. https://doi.org/10.2478/pjst-2022-0019

Ribeiro, T., Correia, A., & Biscaia, R. (2021).  The social impact of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games: comparison of residents' pre- and post-event perceptions. Sport, Business and Management, 11(2), 201–221. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBM-02-2020-0014

Smith-Ditizio, A., & Smith, A. D. (2023). Olympic Games, media coverage and brand image/performance from fan and gender perspectives. Benchmarking : an International Journal, 30(2), 503–531. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-02-2022-0117

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eSports event

As discussed by Cranmer et al. (2021) electronic sports popularly known as eSports is a type of gaming where players and teams compete professionally in the field of video games mostly by tournaments. Unlike traditional sports, esports focus on using quick reflexes, strategic thinking and the movements of bottoms to outduel one another (Ridenhour, 2020). Examples of esports include Fortnite, NBA 2k, Dota 2 and Counter strike.

Image 1.0 showing YouTube and Twitch popularity by hours watched.

The origin of esports dates back to the 1970's however, the sport gained attraction in the early 2000's and has since been a mainstay among major sporting tournaments. The sport has transcended into a global spectacle capturing millions of fans across the world with substantial prize pools.

The media perspective of esports has grown together with the sport with big name television networks such as ESPN and BBC covering major esports tournaments. Betting companies such as Bet365 and Sports bet regularly feature odds of esports games on their respective platforms. This continuous exposure, following and audience has legitimised esports claim as a main form of entertainment next to traditional sports (Debusmann, 2021).

The academic standpoint on esports has diverse and varied opinions. Just like the sport itself, researchers and scholars has been attracted to the rise in popularity of esports. There have been studies on mental and physical stress associated with stakeholders of the sport (Palanichamy et al., 2020). More studies have been conducted on factors such as reaction times of players, hand-eye coordination and the cognitive abilities of players or teams. Further research has been conducted on factors such as decision-making skills of players, stress management and cohesion among team members (Conroy et al., 2021). Academies continue to prioritize the development of new software and technologies to enhance the sport. The use of artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality continue to be studied by scholars to creative a memorable, immersive and enjoyable experiences for patrons. The academic experts continue to explore the marketing and commercial aspects of esports finding new and innovative ways to generate revenue, increase sponsorship deals and increase fan engagement (Kleps, 2021).

Image 3.0 esports revenue growth

In conclusion, esports have come a long way since its inception in the early 1970's. Its evolution has resulted in acquisition of sponsors, new fanbases and increased exposure among other sporting circles. From an academic standpoint, esports have become an area of intrigue with many scholars analysing the physical, psychological and commercial aspects of the sport. The media perspective continues to divulge in this space by serving patrons live feed and broadcast of the sports. Gambling companies have associated themselves with esports by providing patrons with odds and options which steam to only strengthen the legitimise of the sport.

References:

Cranmer, E. E., Han, D.-I. D., van Gisbergen, M., & Jung, T. (2021). Esports matrix: Structuring the esports research agenda. Computers in Human Behavior, 117, 106671. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106671

Ridenhour, K. F. (2020). Traditional Sports and Esports: The Path to Collective Bargaining. Iowa Law Review, 105(4), 1857–1897.

Debusmann, B. (2021, March 15). 'Interest in e-sports will only grow and grow'. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56334015

Palanichamy, T., Sharma, M., Sahu, M., & Kanchana, D. (2020). Influence of Esports on stress: A systematic review. Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 29(2), 191–199. https://doi.org/10.4103/ipj.ipj_195_20

Conroy, E., Kowal, M., Toth, A. J., & Campbell, M. J. (2021). Boosting: Rank and skill deception in esports. Entertainment Computing, 36, 100393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2020.100393

Kleps, K. (2021). CSU's athletic plan targets alumni, esports, marketing: Continued success of men's basketball also is crucial for department that's heavily reliant on school funds. Crain's Cleveland Business, 42(32), 3.

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Sports fan experience, media or service enhancement at a sports venue.

Yuksel et al. (2021) believes fan experiences are a series of activities or engagements that fans go through at a sports event. Examples of these include fan zones, met and greet with players and the Super Bowl half time show. All these engagements aim to build a sense of community, enhance excitement and value fans wanting more from each experience (Namethe et al., 2021).

Image 1.0 showing a fan zone experience at a sport venue.

Academic perspective on sports fan experience have identified various ways to enrich fan experience through the technological and media methods (Toder Alon et al., 2022). Modern research has shown that, fans are more engaged and connected to sports through the impact of technology such as the large video screens, virtual reality screens and interactive displays at sports venues (Rooney, 2019). These enhancements are aimed at creating more unique immersive and interactive experiences for fans. It contributes to the unforgettable game-day atmosphere and an environment of socialisation.

Image 2.0 showing Fiserv forum's LED display installation during an NBA game.

Other academic perspectives on fan experiences hinges on factors such as comfort seating options, entertainment and accessibility options. Areas like food and beverage areas, sensory and gaming rooms all contributes to creating a unique fan experience (Glebova et al., 2023).

From a media standpoint, fan experiences at a sport venue involves using various media platforms, portfolios and technologies to create an interactive environment for patrons. We can see examples of these in major sports venue such as SoFi stadium, MCG and the Santigo Bernabeu where large screens provide fans with replays and engaging contents (Waters, 2024). These are strategically set up to enhance fan and game-day experiences. The media perspective also agrees with the use of social media to allow fans share their experiences at sport events. There is fan generated content through social media such as reels, tweets, photos and videos. This school of thoughts also center around personalised media experiences such as offering accessories for visually impaired patrons or patrons with various disabilities. This aims to curate individual fan experiences based on preference and abilities.

Image 3.0 shows fan engagement through the use of social media.

Ultimately, both academic and media perspectives on sports fan experiences focuses on the importance of using technology and media platforms to enrich fan experiences at sport venues. It is aimed at creating a more dynamic, inclusive, immersive and engaging game-day environment.

The academic standpoint emphases on how enhancements at sports venue generally contribute to the enjoyment of the game by fans. It bridges the gap between fans and their favourite sports, players or coach by providing a point of connection. The use of media platforms, video screens, seating options and various accessories foster a sense of community and create a more personalised experiences for fans.

Image 4.0 showing the Ovo Hydro event space showcasing personalized viewing experience.

From a media standpoint, is all about captivating and entertaining fans by creating a dynamic and immersive experience that keeps them engaged. This creates a deeper connection between fans, teams and sports whilst enabling fans to enjoy a memorable experience.

References:

Yuksel, M., Smith, A. N., & Milne, G. R. (2021). Fantasy sports and beyond: Complementary digital experiences (CDXs) as innovations for enhancing fan experience. Journal of Business Research, 134, 143–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.05.037

Namethe, K., Naido, V., & van Heerden, C. H. (2021).  Students’ Motivation for Attending Varsity Football Matches. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, Volume 10(2), 623–638. https://doi.org/10.46222/ajhtl.19770720.122

Toder Alon, A., Shuv-Ami, A., & Bareket-Bojmel, L. (2022).  The positive and negative impacts of social and personal self-categorizations on sport fans' experience. International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship, 23(3), 572–593. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSMS-07-2021-0139

Rooney, J. (2019, November 1). How technology is changing sports - fan engagement. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferrooney/2019/11/01/how-technology-is-changing-sports-fan-engagement/?sh=6b95e15a444c

Waters, C. (2024, February 20). How the MCG became one of the world's greatest live-music stadiums. The Age. https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/how-the-mcg-became-one-of-the-world-s-greatest-live-music-stadiums-20240220-p5f6bp.html

Glebova, E., Book, R., Su, Y., Perić, M., & Heller, J. (2023). Sports venue digital twin technology from a spectator virtual visiting perspective. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5, 1289140–1289140. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2023.1289140

Wildie, T. (2024, February 17). How stadiums are making Perth's biggest event more accessible for all. ABC. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-17/raising-awareness-about-accessible-patron-needs-in-stadiums/103453624

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Funding of a major sports venue (SoFi Stadium)

The funding of popular sports venue always come with criticism and different perspectives. There is a school of that believes taxpayers become burdened by the funding of a new sports venue (Matheson, 2019). Other believes the funding should rather be invested in areas such as housing, healthcare and education (Merrefield, 2024). For the purposes of this topic, I would analyse the funding of the SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California in the United States of America. The total cost of the stadium settles around 5 billion dollars and was built with a combination of public and private funding (Lubell, 2020). Home to the Los Angles Chargers and Rams, the construction of the stadium sparked arguments about the use of taxpayers' money and priorities of sitting governments.

Image 1.0 depicting some concerns about the construction of the SoFi Stadium.

As evident in Image 1.0, there was popular belief among sections of the public that funding behind this project should have been allocated to more pressing community needs such as homelessness and public health care (Coleman, 2020). From an academic perspective, critics challenged the fairness of using taxpayers' money to support a privately-owned venue like the SoFi stadium. There were others who believed the construction of the stadium will reel in economic benefits of the city of Los Angeles including increased job opportunities and a boost to the tourism sector. From the media point of view, there was emphasis on the state-of-the-art features of the stadium, its grandeur architecture, technological innovations and advancements.

Image 2.0 showing some technological features of the SoFi stadium including a 360-video board.

Both academic and media perspective agrees on the economic impacts such a sports venue would do for the city and ultimately the country by driving tourism numbers and generation of jobs. The academic perspective on this is quite diverse and involves the allocation of public funds, opportunity cost and the potentially trade-off (Hanstad et al., 2020). This perspective raises issues around economic justifications and impacts of rather funding other community services. The media perspective focuses on areas such as the coverage of the architecture design, the innovation and grandeur features of the venue. There are others that questions the spending behind such venues and emphasise the controversy surrounding the funding of sports venues (Sant et al., 2019).

Image 3.0 showing the architectural and innovational design of the SoFi stadium.

Overall, both perspectives provide valuable insights into the complexities and arguments surrounding the funding of major sports venues. These arguments counter each other but ultimately helps form the opinion of the average sports fan, taxpayer or citizen.

References:

Matheson, V. (2019). IS THERE A CASE FOR SUBSIDIZING SPORTS STADIUMS? Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 38(1), 271–277. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.22096

Sant, S.-L., Mason, D. S., & Chen, C. (2019). ‘Second-tier outpost’? Negative civic image and urban infrastructure development. Cities, 87, 238–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2018.10.006

Hanstad, D. V., & Lesjø, J. H. (2020).  A positive legacy – against all odds Olympic facilities at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games. Current Issues in Sport Science, 5. https://doi.org/10.36950/2020ciss008

Coleman, J. (2020, September 10). The struggle against a stadium's construction became a battle for the soul of Los Angeles. The Appeal. https://theappeal.org/sofi-stadium-gentrification-displacement-lennox-inglewood-tenants-union/

Merrefield, C. (2024, April 10). Sports stadiums and taxpayer financing: A primer and research roundup. The Journalist's Resource. https://journalistsresource.org/economics/sports-stadium-public-financing/

Lubell, S. (2020, September 2). Why SoFi stadium is revolutionary for the NFL and L.A. The Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-09-02/sofi-stadium-architecture-park

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Week 7: Reflection on the subject with respect to your starting point, new learnings and experiences, and how this will assist you from a career development perspective:

This week I wrap up what has been some very educative and formative weeks of my professional life. Coming into this year, I had a goal of creating a resume and cover letter which will stand out in the professional world. I can say for a fact that I have achieved this personal goal as shown in image 1.0. I guess in most sense I have achieved my mark for the first quarter of the year with getting a stand-out professional resume.

Image 1.0 displays a response from an applied job.

As we progressed through the course content, I truly got more involved with the activities and exercises. Through the process, I was able to build a new resume, cover letter, and created a LinkedIn page by adding skills, experiences and relevant qualifications (Spence & Russell, 2023). The tutoring and mentorship especially on the LinkedIn page were critically in me setting the standard moving forward of what I expect of myself in the second quarter of the year. As seen in the image below, not only did this subject offer me a chance to create a LinkedIn page, but it also enabled me to build connections and a foundation upon which I can start my professional career (Wang et al., 2020).

Image 2.0 highlights my Linkedln page with new connections.

These are my takeaways from the last couple of weeks:

First be prepared to do your research on creating documents such as resume, cover letter, and a key selection criteria. By putting the time in these documents, I have laid down a mark of how my employers will see and value me.

As long as I have a crack at something, with time I will perfect it. By practicing with my colleagues, I felt confident and discovered new ways of selling myself through my elevator pitch.

It pays to listen because by paying attention and showing up for lectures I discovered there is more to be achieved in this year.

In conclusion, I have tested the waters with my new skills of resume and cover letter writing and have received positive feedback and have three job interviews lined up. I am hoping to use the skills I have perfected during these interviews and hopefully feel super confident with my upcoming internship interviews.

References:

Spence, B., & Russell, A. (2023). Using Mock Interviews to Improve Students' Resume and Interview Skills. Radiologic Technology, 94(4), 296–298.

Wang, Y., Chiu, T., Wang, T., & Debreceny, R. S. (2020). A Classroom Exercise on Building Auditors' Interview Skills. Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting, 17(2), 93–101. https://doi.org/10.2308/JETA-19-07-07-31

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Week 6 - Internship

My mantra in life has always been that mistakes will make me great as long as I'm willing to learn and grow from it. The only way to gain experience is to have a crack at it something and to embrace the moment as it happens. During week 6 of this course, I sat across different mates to practice my response to various interviews questions.

It did help that we had industry personnel visit and share their experiences about interviews. There was focus on attire, posture, preparedness and tone. Building upon the exercises from the past weeks coupled with resume and cover letter writing, there was a pool of knowledge to draw from for these practice interviews.

They say practice makes perfect and I found that to be exceptional true as with every practice I could tell I was getter better at doing interviews. As shown in image 1.0, I continue to show improvement in key areas such as engagement, body language and professional presentation.

Image 1.0 showing peer feedback from practice interviews.

On a personal note, I came into this course knowing how to talk and would normally rumble off topic on several occasions. However, as the practice interviews went on, I realised I was staying more on task with answering questions. This improved my confidence on so many levels. By positively engaging in these exercises, I felt more and more optimistic about my internship applications and interviews.

Liu and Hull (2019) believe the hallmark of a great interview is the ability to prepare and answer questions confidently. Based on this analogy, I can say I am quite prepared for my internship interviews. As image 2.0 has shown, I have prepared outside the scale of interview questions by also putting in time to fine tune my resume, cover letter and LinkedIn page.

Image 2.0 shows a peer feedback form on my resume, cover letter and LinkedIn page.

As explained by Ohio (2021), an elevator pitch is a way to convince another party about an idea or product within a short timeframe. For me it meant that the ability to describe my goals, dreams, aspirations and skills set to a potential employer in the quickest way possible (Palmer et al., 2019). I used this opportunity to develop my elevator pitch and made changes based on feedback received from both lectures and colleagues.

Upon reflection, I can say I am more prepared than I was a couple of weeks ago. My mum used to say all the time that luck favour the most prepared. I feel super confident on what I have learnt, and the experience gained from doing these practice interviews and exercises.

References:

Ohio, K. E. (2021). The Student Elevator Pitch Is Dead, Long Live the Student Elevator Pitch. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 21(15), 156–164. https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v21i15.4898

Palmer, J., Owens, S., & Doubleday, R. (2019). Perfecting the ‘Elevator Pitch’? Expert advice as locally-situated boundary work. Science & Public Policy, 46(2), 244–253. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scy054  

Liu, H., & Hull, D. N. C. (2019). Lu Xun as the Great Master: An Interview with Li Jing. Chinese Literature Today, 8(2), 30–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/21514399.2019.1674610

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Week 5: The importance of organizational culture and being a high-performance intern and team member.

John Madden of NFL fame once said " self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class and be humble" (Negi, 2023). Those are some powerful words to live by. In practicality, it means where you end up in terms of organisational culture plays a defining role in shaping your principles as an employee.

Causadias (2020) explains culture as a way of life of a specific group of people. Hence, organisational culture can be classified as a set of rules, actions and principles with an organisation (O’Connor, 2021). The most accomplished organisations in sports are built on strong leadership and pillars of culture. These beliefs and behaviours set them apart from their competitors and put them on a realm of their own.

Image 1.0 displaying a positive workplace culture of togetherness.

Take a look at organisations such as Manchester united, Los Angels Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, New England Patriots and one can argue that they all have strong workplace cultures. It is therefore relevant to build a strong workplace culture for any successful organisation. Bourgault and Goforth (2021) believes having a positive workplace culture creates a thriving working environment; one that fulfils the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of its workers.

As an intern, the mindset is to turn up daily, highly motivated and dedicated to achieving both personal and organizational goals. By analyzing my strengths and weaknesses, I can identify areas of improvement and set clear objectives which can be achieved through my persona worksheet. As clearly shown in image 2.0 these qualities and attributes will help me become a high performing intern and a team player.

Image 2.0 displaying my worksheet person from a class activity.

During my internship, I do expect to work within various teams and my ability to navigate around these teams will not only enhance my personal and professional development but also help me to achieve realistic targets. It is my believe that culture and team building are key to organisational success. By holding myself to the standards set by the organisation and playing my part in my allocated teams, I would reap the benefits of internship and in turn build upon my skills as a sports professional.

Refrences:

Causadias, J. M. (2020). What is culture? Systems of people, places, and practices. Applied Developmental Science, 24(4), 310–322. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2020.1789360

O’Connor, B. H. (2021). Culture, After All. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 52(3), 352–361. https://doi.org/10.1111/aeq.12371

Bourgault, A. M., & Goforth, C. (2021). Embrace Teamwork to Create and Maintain a Positive Workplace Culture. Critical Care Nurse, 41(3), 8–10. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2021662

Negi, C. (2023, October 28). 72 inspiring John Madden quotes from the American football coach. Internet Pillar. https://www.internetpillar.com/john-madden-quotes

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Entry 4: Critical analysis of your internship applications relative to best practice using peer feedback.

As we approach the pointy end of this subject, I am mapping out the skills and techniques needed for my internships and internship applications. Internships are great ways to get students job ready. It is a medium to get students to sharpen up on their skills and learning what is acceptable practice in the workplace. But to secure an internship, students need to show their readiness through documents such as resumes, cover letters and responses to key selection criteria.

As explained by Derous and Ryan (2019), a great resume outlines the unique attributes of the applicant. It highlights their areas of expertise, working experience, and qualifications. It helps to create a picture for potential employers as to the kind of person they are and whether they will be a right fit for the role. Hence, tailoring my resume to enhance my skills, experience and educational background was the first step towards securing an internship. With the lessons learned from the Holmesglen job center in addition to lecture slides, I was able to create a new one.

Following the completion of my resume, I worked on a couple of drafts for cover letters. As discussed by He and Kang (2021), cover letters are documents which are attached to a curriculum vitae when applying for a job or a role. It is a way to express your interest in the role by outlying your expertise and skill set to the employer. My understanding is a cover letter is a document which is used to communicate directly to the employer by explaining how I can fulfill the role advertised and contribute to the overall success of the organization. In this context, I prepared my cover letter highlighting why I would benefit interning at a particular sport organisation based on my skills and unique value proposition.

The interview part of this subject was a real highlight. It showed some flaws in my readiness for internship and pinpointed areas of growth. It also reenforced my areas of strength and how I can sell myself in front of employers. Interviews are face to face conversations which are held between parties to ascertain whether both are a perfect fit (Kumar et al., 2019). The practice interviews were a good way to gauge where I am at with my interview skills. It was also a good measure to access whether I have integrated all the skills and lessons from week one to three as shown in image 1.0. The feedback I got from peers did a lot for me in the overall scheme of things.

Image 1.0 illustrating feedback from my peers on preparedness of internship applications.

References:

Derous, E., & Ryan, A. M. (2019). When your resume is (not) turning you down: Modelling ethnic bias in resume screening. Human Resource Management Journal,  29(2), 113–130. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12217

He, J. C., & Kang, S. K. (2021). Covering in Cover Letters: Gender and Self-Presentation in Job Applications. Academy of Management Journal, 64(4), 1097–1126. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2018.1280

Kumar, N., Nordin, F., & Hitt, M. A. (2019). Interview. The Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 34(6), 1259–1263. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-07-2019-404

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Entry 3 - The importance of personal marketing, branding and your unique value proposition. What is your brand and what areas do you need to improve?

This week the main focus was branding and personal marketing. Mendoza et al. (2023) explains personal marketing as a way of creating a memorable impression of an individual to potential employers or stakeholders. It is a way to stand out among peers and colleagues in a certain field or industry. Personal marketing is a great way to make my brand stand out compared to the rest of the world. Building a brand is important to my overall dream of having a sport agency one day.

As we scaled past this week, the activities in class and content from the lectures made me think of my brand. Keywords such as values, integrity, goals and reputation came to mind. As an emerging professional, my ability to succumb to certain standards will shape my thoughts in the sporting world and will ultimately forge my legacy. As I pondered on these words, I realised I already align to certain attributes such as consistency, dedication, ambition and grit. These attributes helped me to create my unique value proposition. As explained by Sassanelli and Terzi (2022), a unique value proposition is the feature which makes a product or service stand out in comparison to competitors. It is the reason why customers or stakeholders prefer a brand compared to others as shown in Image 1.0.

Image 1.0 shows employability skills which helps to create a unique value proposition.

By putting together a list of my strengths and weaknesses, I discovered that my excellent customer service skills complied with my communication techniques are what makes me stand up among my peers as displayed in image 2.0. My experience from working in customer service and the health industry has better prepared me in these two critical areas. Part of my job in customer service revolved around recruiting staff, holding business meetings and delegating tasks to others. During that period, I mastered the craft of communicating effectively with others whilst taking time to understand and relate with team members and stakeholders.

Image 2.0 showing exploration of personal employment connections.

As the week drew to a close, I was more inclined to look into an area of weakness and develop strategies that can help me overcome such weakness. The dream for me is to be a leader one day, one that paves the way for African athletes to have an education and a pathway to various sporting circles across the globe. This is the one area I have come to realise I am deficient in. I do show traits of leadership, however, there is more for me to learn in this area. Ahmadi and Vogel (2023) argue leadership as the ability to inspire, motivate and capture the minds of others towards a common goal. This definition simplifies what I am hoping to achieve in both my personal and professional goal.

References:

Sassanelli, C., & Terzi, S. (2022). The D-BEST Based digital innovation hub customer journey analysis method: Configuring DIHs unique value proposition. International Journal of Engineering Business Management, 14, 184797902211246. https://doi.org/10.1177/18479790221124634

Mendoza, X. L., Tadeo, J., Dela Cruz, M., Gonzales, D. C., & Pamintuan, R. (2023). Personal Marketing Strategies of Online Game Streamers. International Journal of Computing Sciences Research, 7, 1790–1815. https://doi.org/10.25147/ijcsr.2017.001.1.144

Ahmadi, A., & Vogel, B. (2023). Knowing but Not Enacting Leadership: Navigating the Leadership Knowing–Doing Gap in Leveraging Leadership Development. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 22(3), 507–530. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2020.0534

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Entry 2 - Your preparedness for an internship: your skills (and skills gap) and the importance of a resume and cover letter with respect to the current state of your own documents.

As I have progressed through this course, certain things have become more evident to me and one of those things is the idea of internship. Aghaei et al. (2021) explains internship as an opportunity offered by an institution for a time frame for an individual to gain experience and exposure in a particular field. The facts are Holmesglen has offered me so many opportunities that I could not grasp on my own and with internships looming, I am hoping to go a step further in skill development. During week one of this subject, I made a list of my strengths and weaknesses.

Throughout my adult life I have leaned into certain qualities that showcase my job readiness and among those are dedication, consistency, reliability, team player, communication and organizational skills, problem solving and adaptability (Karaca-Atik et al., 2023). I have regularly exhibited these qualities in everyday life through my work, studies or social circles. However, it has been evident that I need to work on certain qualities such as time management, creativity, meeting deadlines and accountability. To counter these shortcomings, I have made a checklist with a timeframe and a review system to measure how I improve in these areas pending my internship.

To be ready for an internship, one needs to have a resume and cover letter. During the later part of the week, we focused on how to write a cover letter pertaining to a particular role and key things to include in our resume. It is paramount that the resume highlights my educational journey, qualities, skills, past jobs and any volunteering roles. Most employers rely on your resume and cover letter to determine whether you possess the qualities they are looking for (Adamovic, 2020). In reality, a good resume and a cover letter with answers to key selection criteria should guarantee an interview as shown in image 1.0.

Image 1.0 showing my revised resume highlighting key areas.

With all these said, I think I am in a best shape to apply and secure an internship with a reputable organization. By using the skills learnt this week in resume and cover letter writing, I have updated both documents. By listing out my strengths and weaknesses, I have mapped out a strategy on areas of shortcomings and have provided realistic solutions to them. In hindsight, this week has been a game changer as I thought I had a perfect resume and cover letter but realised I needed to do more work in these areas as shown in image 2.0. Lecture activities this week also provided me opportunities to try my hands on some key selection criteria and I feel more confident moving forward that this will be an area of strength rather than weakness.

Image 2.0 - a revised copy of my cover letter for a potential position

References:

Aghaei, N., Babamohamadi, H., Asgari, M. R., & Dehghan-Nayeri, N. (2021). Barriers to and facilitators of nursing students’ adjustment to internship: A qualitative content analysis. Nurse Education Today, 99, 104825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2021.104825

Adamovic, M. (2020). Analyzing discrimination in recruitment: A guide and best practices for resume studies. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 28(4), 445–464. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12298

Karaca-Atik, A., Meeuwisse, M., Gorgievski, M., & Smeets, G. (2023). Uncovering important 21st-century skills for sustainable career development of social sciences graduates: A systematic review. Educational Research Review, 39, 100528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2023.100528

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Entry 1 - About me page including: a brief on your background, sports interest, work experiences and career ambitions. In addition: a reflection on your study performance to date and areas to improve; expectations and aspirations for this subject and your internship.

Life I believe is a journey and the final destination should always be the goal. Hence, having small realistic, achievable goals has always been my target in life. Dubinsky and Schler (2019) argue dreams without goals are just dreams and ultimately lead to disappointment.

I am a Ghanaian who relocated to Australia six years ago from the United Kingdom. My nursing career took me through most cities in Africa whilst working for the World Health Organisation. It was through these circles that I found my first mentor who inspired me to get a degree and recommended a few institutions in Europe.

In sixth grade, I had a quote which read "always take time to figure out the system before you do anything". In principle, having studied nursing and community services I realised the key for me is sport. My world revolves around sports. My eyes lit up every time I catch a highlight or a reel of a sporting content. My brain feels invigorated listening to analysts and experts break down game day content, organisational structure or lay out of a particular sport.

Before moving overseas, I worked as an equipment manager and in some capacity as an assistant coach in my brother's soccer academy (MFC International Academy). I worked with parents, local councils, opinion leaders, and religious organization organising soccer competitions and offering coaching clinics. I am currently employed by the AFL working as a game day development officer, delivering footy sessions in schools and enhancing community participation through sports (Park et al., 2022). I also volunteer at the Keysborough junior footy club working to promote the game at the grassroot level.

I undertook a 12-week internship opportunity with Basketball Victoria in 2023 helping to use data to pinpoint areas of growth and improvement for the sport. I had the opportunity to sit in a grant proposal meeting between the chief of staff for community sports and Basketball Victoria, understanding how politics play a role in both professional and community sports. I also created a soccer team, which participates and won last winter six aside indoor soccer competition organised by the Casey City Council.

Image 1.0 showing a list of personal attributes based on personal and professional life.

It is my ultimate dream to use sports as a platform to impact change in my African community (Larkin et al., 2023). My ten-year goal is to have a well and truly established sporting agency, educating, motivating and providing career pathways for young Africans across the globe in various sporting circles. The journey across the last two years has been enlightening as I have discovered more about myself.

It is my believe that an internship will better prepare me for a professional practice. I am hoping in more ways than one, an internship will help bring to light my flaws and project my strengths. With an open mind and the willingness to learn, it is my desire to use an internship opportunity to really showcase my class and attributes.

References:

Dubinsky, I., & Schler, L. (2019). Goal dreams: conflicting development imaginaries in Ghanaian football academies. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 57(2),  247–272. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X19000041

Park, K., Park, S. B., Ok, C. M., & Kim, H. (2022). Community marathon event participation and quality of life. Sport Management Review, 25(2), 341–359. https://doi.org/10.1080/14413523.2021.1930949

Larkin, P., Cocić, D., Hendry, D. T., Williams, A. M., O’Connor, D., & Bilalić, M. (2023). Gritting One’s way to success – Grit explains skill in elite youth soccer players beyond (deliberate) practice. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 64, 102328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2022.102328

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Week 13: ‘Future strategies’

My dad used to say whatever goes up must come down which implies there is an end to every beginning. It has been an insightful and educational 13-week period and I am almost at the end of the semester. It has not been easy with work, social life and family obligations but I’m glad I’m still pushing on and learning every day. My stay in Australia has been encapsulated in studying and self-improvement but for the very first time I’m studying something that makes me come alive. This semester has been like a pendulum swing with some high highs and some terrible low lows. In it all, I have figured a way to stay afloat with heaps of strategies and ideas on how to excel in my studies moving forward. When I complete this course, I want to be remembered as the guy who never gave up even when the whole world was crushing around me. I want to prevail, and I want to succeed in one of the most growing industries in the world and for that I need this qualification. To achieve my academic goals, I have mapped out some ideas based on the past couple of weeks during this semester. These include:

·       Time management – I can do a whole lot better with my time outside work and social life. During the vacation, I’m going to research how I can use my time constructively to aid in my studies

·       Mindset – I need to approach this course with every fibre of me been. I need to be all in or all out, but I can’t just walk my way through it. It requires dedication and commitment to my studies and developing my skills.

·       Celebrating the little victories – This is no excuse, but I have travelled far and wide to come to the shores of Australia on my own with no family. Yes! I miss home every now and then and most times is excruciating hard getting by, but I also need to be proud of what I have accomplished in the very little time I have been here. I should celebrate even the tiniest of things because that will be my foundation and basis for achieving the optimal success.

Image reference: Notes (Belieb, Personal Communications, 2022)

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Week 11: ‘Managing assessments’

Image: Assessment (Sessums, 2020)

I have realised there is a big shift in how I approach assessments as compared to other students in my class and this boils down to my educational structure. I do believe I thrive under pressure and that is mostly due to my professional as nurse working under high pressurised situations. I came into this course with the idea I can smash my assessments within a day or two of submission but after a couple of attempts I realised this is not the case. To properly manage assessments requires time and dedication to the chosen content. Research needs to be undertaken and strategies needs to be put in place to properly manage and successfully complete every assessment. This semester has been a learning curve in how to get assessments done and how to properly manage them. I have learnt a few tricks from my colleagues on given myself enough time to research and do more background work on every assessment. I have realised carefully planning out key strategies about assessments is the key to a successful submission. I have taken notice of how I went about every assessment this semester and the corresponding results. This made me realise areas of improvement and excellence.

Image reference: Sessums, C. (2020, July 13). Assessment [Image]. OLC. https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/guest-blog-post-reimagining-assessment-online/

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Week 9: ‘Understanding and utilising feedback’

The aim of a feedback is to help me grow as a person both individually and professionally. Feedback can be analysed in good or bad ways. I view feedback as an opportunity to develop and make better decisions moving forward. My current job as a nurse requires me to be part of a team and I’m constantly receiving feedback from team members and the care team. In my estimation, feedback can be viewed as a critical reflection of one’s work. Over the years I have conclude a lot of my success can be sterned from feedback I received from friends, co-workers and colleagues. As part of my class activity, I received feedback from my colleague about my first three-week entries. The feedback afforded me a reflection of how others viewed my work and my approach to this course. After days of analysing the feedback, I formed notes on my iPhone on setting up strategies on improvement. I realised I needed to improve on setting parts of my entries. There is a room for improvement on my personal learning and teamwork ethics. A key strategy I intend to deploy going forward is time management and construction. I have realised I can better manage my time outside the parameters of work to better fulfil my academic excellence.

Image reference: Notes (Belieb, Personal Communications, 2022)

Image reference: Completed progress review (Belieb, Personal Communications, 2022)

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Week 7 entry: ‘Self-management: motivation and resilience’

Image: Resilience (Orman, 2016)

Balancing work and school have been a rollercoaster ride but eventually I am beginning to get a hold of it. I do appreciate the fact that I work overnights and can catch up on my reading, researching and assessment tasks. The first few weeks were extremely challenging as I needed to figure out what works best for my studies, work and lifestyle. But constant advice and tips from lectures on how to approach this course has given me a clear outline on how to plan my studies. I have adapted a new strategy of going to my local community study hub and linking up with other students and sharing ideas on how to balance work and studies. During the pandemic, I signed up with the homework club under the Yarra city council and I have reconnected with them since the start of the semester. Members of the club share ideas and assist each other with assessments and assignments. This has helped me in getting organised in my research and reading prior to classes.

Image reference: Orman, M. (2016, January 20). Resilience [Image]. Docorman. https://docorman.com/resilience-cannot-be-learnedit-has-to-be-lived/

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Week 5 entry: ‘Teamwork’

Image: Teamwork (Tyler, 2019)

During this week, I was involved in a group work with a presentation that followed suit. I realised I was well equipped to work within a team. What did the trick for my group was the constant communication through text, voice notes and email. We kept reaching out to each other and offered help constantly. It was imperative that we were patient with each other because some members of my group had English as their second language hence finding the right words to match descriptions took a while. We met once as a group to delegate roles but never got together to rehearse our roles before the presentation. Personally, I realised it was hard finding the time to meet up due to the different lifestyles and work obligations (Forsell et al., 2021). This was clearly visible in the feedback we got as there wasn’t much cohesion within the team members during our presentation.

Image: Peer Feedback (Belieb, Personal Communication, 2022)

Image: Peer Feedback (Belieb, Personal Communication, 2022)  

Image Reference: Tyler, D. (2019, October 23). Teamwork [Image]. Beef. https://www.beefmagazine.com/animal-health/develop-5-behaviors-teamwork

Reference:

 Forsell, Forslund Frykedal, K., & Chiriac, E. H. (2021). Teachers' perceived challenges in group work assessment. Cogent Education, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2021.1886474

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Week 2 entry: ‘Starting out’

Image: A Fresh Start (Grennen, 2015)

At the end of my first week, I realised how much I wanted to study this course. It took me a while to realise sports is where my passion truly lies and after my first few lectures, I was almost certain this would be it for me. Every unit had a clear outline on what was required and parameters around assessments submission. I have learnt new skills regarding researching and assessment tasks. I do like the other students in my course, each offer me a different perspective and dynamism when it comes to responses to questions and group work. I have mapped out a strategy for the remainder of the year on how to complete my academic tasks and balance it with my working lifestyle. Prior to enrolling, I thought all I had to do was get a degree and everything will be smooth sailing but my first week has taught me about volunteering and how important it is in the long run in the sports industry. I have also developed a new likeness to PR management and down the line would like to explore more about it, and I only came to this realisation after my very first week in that unit. At the end of my first week, I felt I was unto something huge with this course. It was exactly what I pictured in my mind it would be but also, I was educated on the limitless potential out there once I complete. I do not know how I’m going to fare with this course, but one thing is for certain and that it I am very excited to give it my all. I am not a quitter and I do not intend to start now. I know and feel it will be tough juggling my 12-hour shifts at the hospital and my academic goals but I’m going to give a fair crack at it. I want to succeed, I must succeed, and I will succeed if I show up to class, do my assessment and take in the constructive feedback from staff and colleagues.

Image: Assessment planer ( Belieb, Personal Communications, 2022)

Image Reference: Grenner, F. (2015, October 27). Fresh Start [Image]. Long Island Tax Resolution Services. http://longislandtaxresolution.com/need-a-fresh-start-irs-tax-debt-resolution/