Introduction
This report is a summary of a one-week internship at Al Mansouri 3B Group in the United Arab Emirates (its web page outlook is shown on the figure below). The report discusses the work plan, the employer information, work details, and interpersonal/communication skills during the internship. A conclusion and recommendations to the organisation are also contained in this report.
Work Plan Status
For the last one week, I have been working as an intern at Al Mansouri 3B Group in the accounting department. Although I only worked for three days, I have been able to learn a lot. The experience was wonderful not only because of the nice moments I shared with my colleagues who eventually became my friends after the first day of introduction with the manager of the company, but also due to the academic benefits of the whole activity.
The company gave me the opportunity to transfer my class work theories into practice. I was able to incorporate the concepts I had learned in class into actual activities. Some of the things I was able to do were keeping and taking care for office files, whereby I reviewed them at the end of each day. Although hectic, it seemed enjoyable to do the work. I was also able to use Microsoft Office to do some office tasks. In fact, I could fill some files online, and this could make it easier for the organisation to operate the soft copies than the manual forms. I wondered why I found the practice so hard theoretically.
I had set my objectives before the whole exercise, which I was determined to achieve. By the end of the week, I had achieved all my objectives, although not in the order I had set them because I had to reshuffle my schedule to fit in the three days I was available. Due to the experience I have from Al Mansouri, I am very optimistic that I am now ready for further training because I would be able to utilise different concepts in theory and practice.
Employer Information
The manager welcomed me to Al Mansouri Company by giving me a short introduction of the members of staff I could interact with during my internship. He also told them about me and my intentions in the firm. He asked them to help me where I needed help and always correct me when I did something contrary to the codes and ethics of the company. After the introduction, he narrated to me a short history about the company that included when it started, its objectives, its achievements, and its core activities. The organisation was started in 1981, and it is one of the leading investment construction firms in the United Arabs Emirates (Al Mansouri 3B Group, 2014).
It focuses on two major fields, i.e., construction and commercial investments. These are some of the areas of the company’s specialisations. It also deals with electro-mechanics and steel structure, among others. Al Mansouri, just like any other business firm, has clearly set out objectives, such as to ensure the provision of high-quality services through innovation and improved technology (Al Mansouri 3B Group, 2014).
Apart from this, it also has a strategic plan to create a worldwide network that will not only strengthen it, but also satisfy customer needs (Al Mansouri 3B Group, 2014). After the brief introduction to the company, the manager assigned me to one employee who took me around the compound, orienting me with regard to different departments. This made me feel relaxed and it was one of the major reasons for my achieving my objectives. I really liked the organisation and the relationship between managers and juniors.
Work Details
I worked in the accounting department, and was assigned some duties, such as arranging files in the office and making sure they were in order. I used MS Office to do some typing work and to ensure that some files were in soft copies form. Furthermore, I was involved in handling petty cash. I issued some cheques as directed by my supervisor. Interestingly, I preferred using a visual programme to issue cheques instead of the oral programme.
I found that the visual programme was less complicated. I was taught by my colleague how to go about all this since I had never done used a cheque issuance programme previously. The colleague gave me administrator’s password of the office computer and took me systematically through the process of issuing cheques. After I was logged into the computer, I was able to see the types of cheques the company could issue.
For example, there was the cheque voucher, which I would issue on behalf of the company to a client as a remittance advice. In the process of issuing the voucher, I was very careful to record all the details of the client and the date I issued it. My teacher had told us that record keeping is important for future references. Thus, when I was not around my colleague, I could just open the computer, log in and check the date and the details of the customer in case of any complication in the process. This is how I spent my three days of the supposedly one-week internship at Al Mansouri Company.
Interpersonal/Communication Skills
I worked well with the people within my department. In case of an issue I did not understand, I always asked. Fortunately, my colleagues were always willing to help. The first day, however, was not an interesting one. I collided with one of my colleagues from just a normal argument about my college. He did not like my college, and I had to defend it. Another colleague intervened, and we stopped arguing. The next day we were back to normal. I learned that I should respect people’s opinions and try as much as possible to contain myself when arguing. Since then, I have not had any communication problems within and outside the company.
My work was generally interesting, and I liked the working environment, except the fact that the place was so busy and quiet to the extent that people were always talking to their computers. I also felt like the workload was too much for me, but being new, I could no complain to anybody in particular. As mentioned earlier, the employer and employees had a very cordial relationship, whereby people could air their grievances directly to the general manager
Conclusion and Recommendations
The whole process was a success because I was able to achieve my set objectives. I liked working at Al Mansouri Company due to the hospitable nature of the other members of staff who worked with me, despite my lack of experience. The biggest challenge I had during the internship was the fact that I was not able to do the work for the one week assigned, but did it for only three days. I solved this challenge by calling my mentor who gave permission to proceed to stop the internship and attend to some pressing personal issues.
The reduced number of working days denied me more exposure and experience and, as a result, my final report was not an easy task to compile. The skills I learned from the firm cannot be overlooked since they reinforced what I had been taught in class. Therefore, I believe that through the experience, I am going to be a great accountant and businessperson in the future. I managed to develop my skills in accounting, especially by handling of petty cash and verification of purchase bills. I worked well in the business establishment due to my attitude towards people and my general social nature.
In the keeping of files, I also learned how to conduct myself in a manner that is a good quality of any prosperous businessperson. The organisation was good, but it needs to have better strategies when dealing with interns. I felt as if I was overworked, and that was not good. The management should decide about the jobs that are to be executed by interns, and to what extent.
For example, I do not believe that it is right for an intern to handle petty cash of such a big company, owing to the fact that he or she has previously never handled a lot of money. Another recommendation is for the college. It should come up with strategies for dealing with students who do not complete their internships. For example, it may give them another chance or extend their internship periods.
Reference
Al Mansouri 3B Group. (2014). About us. Web.