MBA in the UK

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I’m originally from County Durham and came to Yorkshire to do my undergraduate degree in the 1980s. From a young age I knew that I didn’t want to do something ‘female orientated’ but after spending a few years working in finance – which at the time was very male dominated – I felt that I needed something to set me apart if I was going to progress.

I was fortunate enough to get a grant from the Economic Research Council for people with a few years’ work experience to do an MBA.  I discovered Bradford University School of Management’s fantastic campus practically on my doorstep and was delighted to find a friendly, welcoming environment in which to take a step back and study.

The idea of starting my own business was something I had thought about for the future but when I did my MBA dissertation on Anita Roddick (founder of the Body Shop), I was really inspired by her entrepreneurial spirit.

After graduating, instead of applying for jobs I booked a round the world ticket. At the time, I felt like a pioneer – gap years didn’t exist then! On the MBA programme, I had become interested in the global marketplace and how business works in cultures where there is a completely different way of thinking.

There were 12 stops on the ticket but on my first stop in Hong Kong, I fell into a lecturing job for a few months and when I reached Japan, I ended up staying for eight years!

I had studied a Japanese theory called ‘Just in Time’ management on my MBA and I wanted to find out more about this way of thinking. I applied for a lecturing job in Tokyo and when I turned up to the interview, they were shocked to find that I was a woman! They don’t use Mr and Mrs and because my name was foreign and I had an MBA (which was very well regarded) they had just assumed I was male. Nevertheless, I got the job teaching English with a business perspective. It was actually really refreshing to get to interview stage without being judged on gender.

As a Western woman who could speak no Japanese living and working in Tokyo on her own, I was very much in the minority! I had to step out of my comfort zone and put myself out there. I quickly made Japanese and Western friends, and at a night club on my first weekend there, I met a Japanese guy who was interested in English music. We got chatting about our mutual passion for dance music and the preservation of vinyl. Not long after that we set up our own vinyl record label!

Sony had got rid of vinyl presses in Japan so we had to get ours pressed in the UK and shipped over to Japan – which meant we were global but non-profit making to begin with. When vinyl became popular again a few years later, Sony wanted to know where we were getting them from!

Nearly 20 years later, I am still working with my original business partner and we are now involved n interactive gaming, which we got into right at the beginning of the gaming revolution. Gaming companies from around the world outsource different elements of their games to our people who are based in the UK, US, Japan, Canada and elsewhere. We are a very flexible business and as well as our regular staff, we seek to attract the best talent by subcontracting people. This helped us survive the recession at its lowest point and meant we were resilient when the earthquake hit Japan last year.

I’m now based in London but travel internationally a lot. I recently got involved in helping to set up Bradford University School of Management’s London alumni group and have really enjoyed getting back in touch with old class mates and meeting new people. I assumed most of the School’s London-based alumni would be from big corporates but there’s a real range of people of different ages from different backgrounds. We all have different ways of thinking, different lifestyles and different knowledge sets, which is fantastic for ideas sharing.

Looking back, my MBA has influenced a lot of the decisions I’ve made and given me the skills and knowledge I needed to create a build a successful international business. It made me think in a different way which helped me open doors for myself and gave me the motivation to challenge myself and say ‘yes’ to new opportunities!

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Career

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"I just felt that now was the time for me to take a step up in my career. Hence, I decided to undertake an MBA. I wanted to make best use of my past experiences of working in the banking sector and playing cricket within a management framework and therefore opted for the full-time MBA programme at Bradford University School of Management.

I chose to come to Bradford University School of Management due to its high rankings, impeccable reputation, accreditation and the program structure. It was reassuring to complete an MBA at one of the UK's oldest established university-based business schools.

I particularly appreciate the way the program is designed, which allows plenty of time for class attendance, team work and self study unlike some other business schools where the program is very hectic and rushed.

For me undertaking the MBA has meant not just learning from a text book, but also learning and sharing experiences with my class-mates. As everyone is from different countries, cultures and professional backgrounds there is plenty of scope to look at problems from different perspectives for better overall management solutions.

I have taken a combination of finance and operation modules in my electives and going to Tilburg (Netherland) for Financial Risk Management was definitely a highlight of the programme.

In future, I would either like to work in the field of finance or get in to sports management. I feel that the management tools, techniques and the knowledge which I will gain at Bradford will certainly help me to make the most of my past experiences and achieve my goals."

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During his years of employment, he experienced a change in his career from a largely technical to a management person. This shift made him realize that in order to continue growing in the areas he wanted to he needed to acquire concrete business knowledge. And what better way to gain this knowledge than to undertake an MBA programme?

Comments 

"The Bradford MBA almost appeared tailor made for me because of the following:

a. A highly respected top ranked UK MBA from the UK's oldest ranked university based business school. 
b. Value for money 
c. Opportunities to study in other EU countries - I will be visiting TIAS Nimbas in April to attend an elective course in Entrepreneurship.
d. MBA in one year meant less time away from family and work 
e. Very strong associations with the Middle East business community via Bradford's presence in Dubai and the GCC.

I particularly valued the opportunity to interact with greatly experienced peers from different industries and countries, the excellent amenities for students and the exceptional selection of electives. The friendly and supportive faculty and staff, especially the career service is an excellent source of both encouragement and resource which is guiding me in my quest to achieve my ideal position.

Post MBA, I would like to work with a real estate developer in a management capacity. This would enable be to marry my technical knowledge of Civil Engineering along with the comprehensive business knowledge learned during my time at the Bradford University School of Management.

I totally believe the Bradford MBA will help me achieve my ideal position. The programme is exhaustive and fast paced yet it is very well planned and all I can say is that you cannot go wrong with an MBA from Bradford University School of Management. Need I say more?"

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"As a software engineer with a unique blend of experiences, I wanted to help organizations improve their operational efficiency. I chose the Bradford MBA because it would help me to explore decision-making methodologies, understand the way in which they help to structure problems and provide real business solutions.

In particular, the management project helped me put my new skills into practice in the real world. It gave me the opportunity to work with the business companies, understand their problems and created a chance for executing my new ideas with help of the knowledge gained through MBA core modules and electives.

The Bradford MBA gave me the unique opportunity to interact with different people from a range of organizations and professions. I was able to share experiences with my peers, discuss business issues that will enhance my learning and capacity to become an effective team player."