Student Profile: Charmaine Anthony

What have you been up to since completing your ABE studies?

I recently graduated with a Masters of Business Administration Degree (MBA), specialising in Human Resource Management, from the Australian Institute of Business via the National Research & Development Foundation (NRDF) in Saint Lucia.  I also had the honour of being awarded valedictorian for the MBA Class of 2014.

You must be delighted; what else have you gained from studying?

While I am still beaming with pride at my accomplishment, I wish to highlight aspects of my personal and professional development that have led to my current success. I am a strong advocate of continuous learning - thus, I have been pursuing higher education over the past few years.

What made you decide to study with ABE?

I have always been a people-oriented individual, who encourages others to develop and grow. The perfect opportunity came my way when I joined the Human Resources team of a regional telecommunications company.  I felt like the door to my home was finally unlocked.  In September 2008 I decided to undertake a Diploma and Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management with ABE. The course complemented every aspect of my role, and enhanced my overall competencies, as I played a generalist role within the HR function.  During my tenure, my career progressed from HR Administrator to HR Executive - and Learning and Development Co-ordinator for the Eastern Caribbean Group - to being seconded onto two special assignments: leading the set up of the HR function for a new market, and taking on a specialist HR project role in the firm’s Haiti operations after the 2010 earthquake. 

Thereafter I served as HR Manager (Ag) before my departure in 2012.  In June 2010, I was also the proud recipient of ABE Top Paper Award for Personnel Information Systems.

What do you feel you have gained workwise, from your ABE studies?

My ABE studies have contributed significantly to my professional growth and career progression and served as the platform for my newly acquired qualification. The knowledge gained through ABE and my work experience are two factors that set me apart from my colleagues on my MBA programme, thus enabling me to perform exceptionally well receiving nine distinctions and three credits. I have also been identified as a tutor for the ABE Level 5 units, Personnel Administration and Managing People, which started in August 2014 at the ABE teaching centre in Saint Lucia. I am elated by this opportunity, as this demonstrates and reaffirms the value of the qualifications that I have been awarded here in Saint Lucia.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of doing this qualification?

I am assured that this investment has been very worthwhile, and that the returns have been manifold. In the words of Aristotle, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet”. The academic journey will not be easy. There will be many challenges to contend with, and you will be required to develop coping mechanisms to fit your circumstances. However, the end result brings about a feeling of accomplishment and pride that is priceless!


Charmaine's story first appeared in November 2014 issue of Student Focus - the free magazine for ABE members.

Guide to the ABE Level 7 Diploma in Business Management (QCF) assignment support materials

If you are studying, teaching, or administering the ABE Level 7 Diploma in Business Management, then you’ll know that the assessment of this qualification differs from ABE’s other levels in that four of the Level 7 Diploma’s five units are assessed by assignment rather than examination.

The following list of assignment support materials is available by following the Level 7 Diploma link on the Members Area of the ABE website.

Administrative

• Assignment Submission Process
  
• Assignment Regulation
• General Assignment Guidance 
• ABE Plagiarism and Collusion Policy
• Assignment Cover Sheet
• Assignment Payment Form
• Enquiry About Results (EAR2) Form

Academic

• Syllabuses and Lecture Guide
• Assignment guidelines (by unit)
• Examiners’ report
• Reading List
• How to use the Harvard system of referencing

This blog will tell you what each of these Level 7 Diploma support materials is for. 

Assignment Submission Process

The Assignment Submission Process document is a flowchart that outlines the various stages of submission, whether you’re submitting through a college or independently. Looking at this should inform you of the stages that your assignment goes through during the marking and moderation process, as well as at what point you will be charged your fees and at what point your results will be released.

Assignment Regulations

This document sets out the various regulations assignments are subject to, as regards submission, marking, plagiarism, and results. Please make sure that you read it so that you are aware of your responsibilities when writing and submitting ABE assignments.

General Assignment Guidance

As suggested by its title, this document explains the features common to all of the four units assessed by assignment – which management skills the assignments will assess, how to select an assignment topic, the general structure of the assignment (although this can vary slightly depending on unit) and the word count. It is therefore essential to read this document at the start of planning your assignment. 

ABE Plagiarism and Collusion Policy

The ABE Plagiarism and Collusion Policy sets out how ABE defines the terms ‘plagiarism’ and ‘collusion’, and the risks you take by engaging in either activity. Plagiarising someone else’s work (copying and pasting from the Internet counts as this!), or colluding with other people to produce an assignment can result in your assignment being awarded zero marks, so please familiarise yourself with the policy and ensure that your work is your own!

Assignment Cover Sheet
This Word document template should be filled in and included as the cover of your assignment. It contains space for your name, ABE membership number, assignment title, and so on.

Assignment Payment Form

You can use this form to pay for your assignment(s). Simply fill in which assignments you are paying for and how you are paying for them, then forward the form to your college to include with your assignment(s). If you are submitting as a private student, this form can be sent to pgdassignments@abeuk.com.

Enquiry About Results (EAR2) Form 
ABE has a wide range of checks and quality assurance procedures in place to ensure that every student who takes an ABE assessment receives a result which accurately reflects their performance in that examination. However, on occasion, a student may consider that their result is not an accurate reflection of their performance. In such cases a student may query or challenge the mark/grade they have received, by using the EAR process.

For assignments, the EAR process costs £50, and involves a clerical check, a full remark of the assignment by a different examiner, and a report on the student’s performance, highlighting where the student could improve in a future sitting. Students may apply for this service by using the EAR2 form.

Syllabuses and Lecture Guides

As for all ABE units, the Level 7 syllabuses and lecture guides outline and expand upon the content that will be assessed in each unit. Please see the blog entries http://abetalk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/how-to-study-abe.html  and http://abetalk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/lecture-guides-who-are-they-for.html for more information on these resources.

Assignment Guidelines (by unit)

ABE receives a lot of queries from students asking things like ‘where do I get assignment questions?’, or ‘what should I write my assignment about’? Where the General Assignment Guidance document discussed above will give you a broad idea of how to write your assignment, the Assignment Guidelines by Unit cover the specific requirements of each unit, and whilst there are no assignment ‘questions’, they do tell you what you should write your assignment about. Please read the Assignment Guidelines by Unit thoroughly before attempting your assignment, and follow their instructions closely whilst constructing it.

Reading Lists

The texts recommended in the Level 7 reading lists are particularly useful if you are undertaking self-study, since they’ll provide you with a depth of subject knowledge that you can then put to use when writing assignments.

Examiners’ reports

After the June and December exam sessions, the examiner for each ABE unit writes a report on the performance of students in that session. This covers the common strengths and weaknesses shown by students in that session, and how students could improve in future sessions. If you’re wondering why your assignment didn’t pass, and would like to submit an improved assignment in the future, examiners’ reports are a good place to start.

How to use the Harvard system of referencing

Knowing how to reference sources properly in your assignments is very important, as without proper referencing you are much more likely to commit plagiarism, even if you don’t intend to. This document will teach you how to use the Harvard style of academic referencing – follow its advice, and your assignment shouldn’t have any problems with plagiarism or a high Turnitin similarity percentage.

Resources are available from the ABE Members Area for students studying ABE at all levels.