How to Enroll for an MBA in Business Administration - Essay Example

REFLECTIVE WRITING Introduction In September I managed to enroll for an MBA in Business administration at the University of South Wales. I was excited since this was a perfect opportunity that would enhance my professional competence thus improving my opportunities for employment. One of the reasons why I was offered the opportunity to study the MBA was to improve my knowledge and skills as well as experience needed at the work place and in my life in general. After finishing school, I had worked in Hamad Hospital, which had helped sponsor my diploma studies in paramedic health. After completing my diploma studies in May 2006, I came back to the hospital where I offered my services, working as a paramedic staff. After having seen my potential, Hamad hospital took back to school in order to improve my skills, knowledge and experience for effective service delivery. The hospital enrolled me for a degree program where I studied about emergencies and disaster management. Using the knowledge acquired, I could comfortably manage to handle the challenging work situations especially those that involved various emergencies like natural disasters. During my work at the hospital I was requested by the government to be in charge of the emergency section. In this role, I would be representing the hospital in handling emergency services that arose in different sections in the country. During my work, I managed to interact with many people and visited many places from where I got to understand the approaches they used in handling different forms of emergencies. Some of the countries that I toured include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Japan, places that have active tectonic movements with high rates of tectonic activities that often trigger earthquakes and landslides. Inasmuch as I was involved in many activities in my line of profession, my experience did not increase significantly, I did different courses that could supplement my experience, knowledge and skills. After a long period of thinking and much contemplation, I decided to join an MBA course in business administration, which I realized would help me increase my experience in dealing with different people during my line of career as well as helping me improve the way I handled and developed strategies and approaches to enhance my success and professional growth. People that undertake MBA studies are often better placed to handle the different work demands and challenges that keep arising on daily basis; they are also better placed to develop strategies and many other approaches that can enhance business growth and success. By getting an MBA degree, I could improve service deliver as a paramedic officer at the hospital and help develop and implement various strategies that can improve the quality of life, through mitigating and reducing many natural hazards and other avoidable emergencies. Course commencement During that first week, I did manage to attend the sessions. The reason for my absence was that I was not conversant with the course module and units I was to take. However, when I discussed the issue with my course leader, he informed me that since I had already been enrolled in the MBA program, I could not drop the modules. This meant that I was left with the option of taking the course without moving back on it. In order to get what had been taught and get an insight into the course, I had to ask my friends, who game an orientation into the course. At the end of that week, I learnt that it is always important for one to understand what he is about to do before engaging it. Doing what one is not sure is sometimes costly because like for my cases, I could not drop the modules that I had enrolled to study in my masters program. This confusion made me to miss classes in the first week, which had enough information that would have guided me along my MBA program. I decided that in future I could always consider the positive and negative sides of the things that I was to do before fully engaging in it. Considering the side effects before engaging in any practice was important since it would make me avoid unnecessary stress and enhance my social wellbeing and decision making process. I learnt that heading into the future, it is very important to have a prior proper arrangement of things to be done alongside the reasons for such activities. Additionally, I have learnt that in order to succeed in my future activities, prior proper performance prevents poor performance; I will always consult people at the work place before planning for any activities that can help the organisation in general. Issues of quality In terms of the quality of the study process, the teacher emphasized the need for using PowerPoint slides in the instructional process. Additionally, in the tutorial process, there will be constant use of movies and other related material that would indicate the practical aspects the MBA program. After watching the movies and other instructional material, we would be expected to use out judgment to determine the effectiveness of the concepts being in question. The advantage of such an approach is that it helped the learner to apply the theoretical work learnt in class to practical situations that happen in the modern work environment. This approach towards the instructional process is very effective in the teaching process because one can easily relate work situations with what is being learnt. I realized that the MBA program was the best opportunity through which I could learn how to improve the quality of my service delivery at the hospital as a paramedic officer (Lubbe 2007, p. 45). I learnt that the success of any manager in their different profession largely depends on his or her ability to develop and implement strategies that enhance effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery. The MBA program I had enrolled in would give me a global perspective towards understanding and tackling many of the challenges and opportunities in the modern hospital and business environment. People and teams The instructor kept emphasizing the need for creating teams and effective team management at the work place. He explained that businesses that managed to create a work environment that encourages team work are often successful than those do not because these businesses can capitalize on the knowledge and skills of each of its workers in achieving the intended goals and objectives (Pickford 2003, p. 76). When working in teams, workers can effectively comprehend the skills of each other, learning from the mistakes they make in order to improve work practices. When people work in teams, they can achieve exceedingly abundant results as compared to when people are lone rangers in the work place (DeRosa & Lepsinger 2010, p.67). In order to practice this concept the tutor would place us in groups so that we could handle class assignments as a team. It is through this exercise that I learnt to work with different people, especially those from different cultures. Everybody seemed to love this approach since it made all of us to learn so many things from each other (Kanaga & Prestridge 2002, p. 47). This concept presented an exact scenario of the experience I always have at the work place, where I work with people from different cultures at Hamada hospital. One thing that I did not know is the power that exists in a group activity; first, a group harnessed the individual efforts of each of the members, which means that the final output is always large compared to what the individuals achieve in their capacities. In life, I realized that having resourceful friends is a very important thing, because one is always assured of assistance over important aspects that may not be possible when working as a lone ranger. In my work, I will also create systems that encourage team work. Most times, in the paramedic team, we go out to tackle a lot of things that can be best done in effective and coordinated teams, which I look forward to initiating. Quality tools and SPC During this week, the main topic of the learning process was operation management. In order to handle this topic, we were working on a game that aimed at illustrating the aspect of developing procedures and following them step by step until the final goal is achieved. In the game, there was a box that was full of balls in two colors only, red and white. One was expected to fill another box with the balls but only those of a single color. The main challenge in this game was that in filling the boxes, hands were not to be used. The process requires that one identifies a strategy that would give ultimate success and follow through to complete the process with maximum success. The main lesson in this game was making a strategy at the work place that can give success in achieving set goals and objectives and following through with the strategy until the final goal was achieved (Mondy & Noe 2005, p. 91). Sticking to a single strategy is sometimes a problem for most businesses managers especially with the increasing competition in the industry. I learnt that some strategies developed to solve certain problems and challenges at the work place can only become successful and effective after some time, which means that one has to persist and stick to it. The implementation itself is a learning process, which requires that errors made can be identified and corrected in good time before developing other new strategies and approaches. Before the topic, I did not have a proper understanding of how to create and manage effective quality standards, something that is often very essential in the success of any goals and objectives set at the work place. Additionally, I have realized that some organisations, in the process of creating and enhancing quality, they have implemented quality assurance programs; even when I may prompt the hospital to do the same; I will develop some quality standards against which the goals and objectives of the hospital will be measured as well as the effectiveness of the paramedics department, where I am based. Information Technology Information technology was the lesson in week 5. In this learning process, much attention was placed on the need for information and technological innovations at the work place, the tutor highlighted some of the technologies that are being developed by companies in the process of enhancing their management (May 2000, p. 64), marketing and supply chain management and other essential business functions. We learnt that information technology has become an important leveraging point for most businesses, because they can reduce their operations costs and improve on their business processes. I learnt as a manager in an institution, it is important that one understands how to create effective marketing strategies in order to ensure that goods and services manufactured reaches the intended market at the time. Most businesses have been using the online platform in order to reach many of their clients distributed across the world (Belew 2011, p. 36). The use of social media marketing is very reliable because one can meet clients from different parts of the world and influence them to buy good online. This reduces the inefficiencies associated with physical movements to make seminars and conferences in order to reach new clients. Previously, I did not have proper information on how to use social media to improve communication with team mates and people on the ground. I realized that by developing such online communication systems, we could easily manage to communicate with people about impending dangers as opposed to going to solve the problem whenever it happens. Additionally, by developing such interaction strategies, we will be better placed to get feedback from the people we deal with in times of emergencies, which are essential in improving our future practice at the paramedics department in the hospital I work. Project management Project management is part of the success of most businesses. The work of the manager is to ensure that he identifies how the different work processes are to be managed and handled at the work place in order to achieve intended results (Lock 2004, p. 23). In this lesson in week six, I learnt the process of effective project management, which included creating work systems and strategies that would ensure the success of such projects. One of the essential aspects of effective project management involves creating teams that can handle the different tasks in the projects. The manager needs to ensure that he identifies the skill proficiencies of his workers and put them in teams that enable them to compliment each other’s efforts (Kerzner 2001, p. 18). Team members are supposed to ensure that they have an effective communication channel that allows them to communicate their findings to their team leader frequently to allow a successful assessment and evaluation of the project in progress. I understood that in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the project in the most effective manner, it is important that the project manager sets short term goals that are in line with the wider goals and objectives of the organisation (Armstrong 2010, p. 22). The successful attainment of these goals allows achievement of the larger goals and objectives in the organization, which is needed for the effective performance and success of the project. In project management, I did not have a good understanding of the evaluation of strategies and the point of initiating changes. I learnt that for effective projects, strategies are set and evaluated constantly so that any changes in their implementation can be communicated to in advance. Evaluation is a very important process because it helps to identify strategies that do not work and refining them in order to assist in the achievement of set goals and objectives Sustainability and process mapping In week seven, we were learning about sustainability and process mapping at the work place. The tutor explained that every project done at the business organisation is supposed to be designed in such a way that it is sustainable. This means that it should remain relevant both at the present and in the future life of the business organisation; for this to be achieved, it should have short and long term goals and objectives that can easily be achieved (Gunasekaran 2010, p. 59). Creating sustainability programs at the work place requires the inputs of all people, which means that the manager at the hospital or any other institution to create effective teams and teamwork in order to work collectively. The attainment of certain goals and objectives should allow the business manager to set new others that can also enable the business to remain successful and relevant in its operations. Process mapping is also an essential exercise that allows businesses to evaluate the success and viability of various business processes and functions before their active implementation (Brake 2008, p. 39). I learnt that as a business manager or executive officer in an organisation, understanding the past, present and future picture of the organisation is very essential for its success. In my future o look forward to coordinating with like-minded people that will enable me to set better goals and objectives that are relevant in my life and other people for a long period. I learnt in this week long learning that the success of an individual lies in the activities he does that bring values to others, which means that using the skills I have acquired in my profession, I look forward to being of great help to other people. At the work place, I will also work with other work mates in order to look for ways of developing effective strategies and approaches to improve the work place. Assessment Review In week 8, we were taken through the process of assessment review, I was very nervous of the exercise because I had earlier thought that I could not perform better considering that at the start of the sessions, I had not committed myself fully, to an extend of almost dropping the entire MBA program. However, I had gained momentum into the process because of the approach that the tutor had taken in his instructional approach. The aspect of team work had proved very effective for me especially towards undertaking some of the assignments and group work activities, most of whom would have been difficult had I tackled them alone. The interaction we had in the sessions enabled me to love the entire program; it had a lot of practical aspects that I had experienced in my work at the hospital prior to joining the program (Wellington 2011, p. 98). I realized that at the end of the eight week, I was a better manager of the paramedic’s team at the hospital. I thought of many effective strategies and approaches that I was going to implement in order to improve service delivery in many of the emergency disaster situations that were often handled frequently in the community and other places outside the hospital. Bibliography Armstrong, M. 2010.Armstrongs essential human resource management practice a guide to people management. Kogan Page, London. Belew, S. 2011. Starting an online business all-in-one for dummies. John Wiley, Hoboken. Brake, T. 2008. Where in the world is my team? Making a success of your virtual global workplace. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, England. DeRosa, D., &Lepsinger, R. 2010. Virtual team success a practical guide for working and leading from a distance. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. Gunasekaran, A. 2010.Handbook on business information systems. World Scientific, Singapore. Kanaga, K., &Prestridge, S. 2002.How to launch a team start right for success. Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C. Kerzner, H. 2001. Project management a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling (7th ed.). John Wiley, New York. Lock, D. 2004. Project management in construction. Gower, Aldershot. Lubbe, S. 2007. Managing information communication technology investments in successful enterprises. Idea Group Pub, Hershey PA. May, P. 2000. The business of ecommerce: From corporate strategy to technology. : Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Mondy, R., &Noe, R. 2005. Human resource management (9th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J. Pickford, J. 2003. Mastering people management: Your single-source guide to becoming a master of people management. Financial Times/Prentice Hall, Harlow England. Wellington, P. 2011. Effective people management.Kogan Page, London. Read More