UCD Smurfit MBA Sample Essays

The Covid pandemic has completely changed the way the world thinks and behaves. This has impacted almost every sector of the economies around the world. The manufacturing sector, which is where my business falls, is no exception. And it has not been just the pandemic; the rapid digitalization and rise of e-commerce in recent years have also had their fair share of impact on my business. To be a successful businessman in a dynamic market like the current one, I feel the need to equip myself with strong business, analytical, strategy, and operational skills that can only be achieved through a formal theoretical and practical education in management. This is the reason why I consider this to be the right time to do an MBA and learn to take advantage of the changes in the sector. 

Currently almost every industry in the world, including my business, is facing supply chain issues. I therefore want to learn more about supply chain management as well as various operating techniques that the big companies deploy to manage their inventory system. 

Smurfit is one of the few schools worldwide to hold the ‘triple crown’ of accreditation from the three centres of business and academic excellence. Its renowned faculty members will encourage me to draw on my own professional experience and understand my positives and negatives. While going through the website of Smurfit Business School, what resonated the most with me was the school’s holistic curriculum with focus on entrepreneurship, digital transformation, and doing business in international markets. Experiential programmes like the capstone project and the international study tour can provide me with the opportunity to gain hands-on work experience in a global environment and understand different business cultures. 

Thus, I have no doubt that this is the right time to do this MBA programme.

I have more than 5 years of experience in leading and managing my family business Aman Apparels – a jeans and apparel manufacturing company. Due to my father’s demise, I had to take over the business at the age of 25. Today, I manage a team of 77 employees and look after day-to-day operations. Since I wish to pursue an MBA to become better able to manage the business and implement the many ideas I have for expanding it, my younger brother will manage the business in my absence. 

Post-MBA, I will return to India to apply the knowledge I gained through my MBA and upscale Aman Apparels in the Indian market. I want to change the style of operations to align better with current best practices around the world and introduce streamlined processes to ensure better delivery both in terms of timelines and quality. The MBA will also give me exposure to the functioning of manufacturing companies in international markets. This is particularly appropriate for me as in the long term, I aspire to grow my family’s manufacturing business to international markets – markets where I can create a demand for my clothing as well textile materials. Through this MBA I will get to interact with industry leaders and learn from them ways to resolve challenges in various aspects of running a business. I will also learn to manage finances and resources which are critical for any business. Finally, but very importantly I will develop a strong network which will prove invaluable for my business’ growth.

A UCD Smurfit MBA will enable me to reinvent myself as an entrepreneur. My company has hit the growth stage, where our business has become more bureaucratic, dull, conservative, process-oriented, slow, less innovative and orthodox following the same ways that were made by grandfather and father for the past 25 years. I want to see the bigger picture where I don’t want  look at things from the vantage point of a single industry or field.To change this I need an opportunity to receive hands-on learning experience and a structured curriculum of UCD smurfit MBA will give me essential business knowledge and insight about various business practices that are deployed by big companies. Its courses like Operations, Innovation & Management will help me in idea generation techniques, group idea development workshops, the use of relevant business development tools, weekly requirements to research and explore ideas, and carry out final pitches of business ideas.

 In addition with its entrepreneurship course it will provide me the opportunity to improve my leadership skills in a safe environment. This concentration will also show me how to develop sound business plans, find new ventures, identify and assess business opportunities and practice my entrepreneur skills in a number of mock situations and contexts. These classes will help me avoid many of the most common mistakes often experienced by me in running my business as it provides me a safe environment in which I can test my ideas–and fail with less-harsh consequences — thus helping me hone my decision-making skills and build confidence. Electives like Data Analytics will  help me refine my own business concepts and develop key skills of analysis, giving me an edge when bringing my ideas to the market. UCD MBA will also give me the opportunity to network, gain hands-on experience and gain knowledge through entrepreneur-focused courses, where through networking I will be able to make contacts to take my business in the international market in the future. Electives like Data Analytics will  help me refine my own business concepts and develop key skills of analysis, giving me an edge when bringing my ideas to the market. 

My main responsibilities include creating business plans, reviewing sales, developing marketing strategies, and overseeing daily activities of my staff. I identify costing on target prices using style-based and competition-based techniques, and discuss with buyers and vendors on issues that could affect delivery timelines. In 2020, I implemented a new HR strategy to reduce expenses and keep my business afloat.

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I graduated in 2016 and excitedly joined our family business. However in 2019 my father suddenly passed away and it was only then that I came to know the company had a loan of almost $1.75 million and even our house had been mortgaged. I sold some assets and increased the production of factories, and literally burned the proverbial midnight oil to get my business on track. By early 2020, our profits started to increase which helped me pay off my house mortgage.

As fate would have it again, just as the business was picking up COVID hit and operations came to a standstill. Forced to dip into my personal savings to pay my 200 employees, in our next town hall meeting, I laid down the hard facts about the business and asked them to choose either to take a deep salary cut or leave. To my surprise almost all of them agreed to salary cuts. This was the first time where I as a leader was seeking help from my own employees and they all stood by me. This humane side of my employees truly showed me that a company is not built by its owners but by its workers. After the lockdown was lifted and orders started coming in, my staff worked overtime to deliver on schedule and we closed the year with a 35% year on year profitable growth.

Looking backward, I believe, it was my own version of baptism by fire in the business world. However, now I am glad that after 2 years of struggles we are in a really good position. I have the drive and motivation to excel in this MBA and enough experience to share with my peers. A scholarship will ease my financial burden considerably and ensure my financial stability.