The Self-Sufficient Country in Fields Like Marketing - Admission/Application Essay Example

ment of Purpose As a young boy I did not make friends easily, so when a boy who had just joined our grade school took an instant liking to me and decided he wanted to stick by side because in his mind we were friends, it came as a big of nuisance. But, being a polite young boy, I did not tell him to go away and even accepted an offer to go for lunch to his house. At his house, I was introduced to his father, an eminent businessman who was constantly on the phone throughout the period that I was there. I was so fascinated by his demeanor and his phone conversations (he switched between languages effortlessly depending on which part of the world he was calling, no mean feat for an Arab), that I decided there and then that I would grow up to be like him – a successful businessman. Of course, that was a childhood dream, a fascination with the unknown that children take too far, however, after I left high school, I decided that I wanted to study business. That is why I enrolled in the Bachelors of Marketing program at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. During my studies, I became acutely aware of the fact that I was not only interested in Marketing, but that I was naturally good at it. I proved this when, during my studies, I interned with Mars Inc. and within two weeks of joining the company, managed to sign a sponsorship agreement between snickers and Red Bull for an event. I have graduated from University and am working with Procter & Gamble, Saudi Arabia, but I feel that I still need to hone my skills. Natural talent aside, I do need to learn as much about the principles involved in the work I am doing as possible. For this reason, I have decided that I want to enroll in the MSC in Business Development that your university offers. I feel that with the knowledge I will attain at your university coupled with the expertise I have acquired during my experience with various Fast-Moving Consumer Goods companies, I will definitely be a force to be reckoned with and an excellent addition to the marketing workforce in my country. This would doubly be so as most of the expertise in my country has to be “imported” as it is not easily found among the locals; in essence, my degree would enable me to help my country become self-sufficient in fields like marketing. Culture Shock Whenever we go to another country, at first we are fascinated by whatever “new” we find, be they customs, cuisine, language, or even traffic rules. However, often we realize that we are out of our comfort zone and have no idea how to react in any given situation because we do not have the appropriate cultural references to base our reaction on. This phenomenon is culture shock. Culture shock can create a lot of problems including making a person unable to fit into his new surroundings, as well as making someone isolate themselves completely from the new environment and refuse to integrate. This is often harmful in the long run as it creates an environment of distrust and dissatisfaction. Fortunately, being a citizen of both Saudi Arabia and the USA, I do not feel an alien in either country. I have been able to retain both my Arab and my American identity. The best thing about being a dual national is that I get to not only experience the culture of both countries as an insider, but also that I can retain what I find to be best from either culture and adopt it into my life. Moreover, this has sensitized me to the differences between the Eastern and Western ways of life in general and appreciate the diversity that the differences bring. I feel that this fact makes me a good candidate for any diverse school as I would be able to bridge cultural gaps much more easily. What is more, I would be able, because of my Muslim Arab heritage, to help people who come from that part of the world to integrate much more quickly. What would you like the admissions board to know about your professional work and/or academic experience? I have done my Bachelors in Marketing from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia. Even while I was studying, I worked for internationally renowned companies with brand presence, like Red Bull and Mars, where I came to learn the basics about brand management. Afterwards, I worked with Beiersodorf as the Key Account Executive and am now working with Procter & Gamble as the Assistant Category Management. With the varied experience I had working for all these companies, I discovered that I had a natural talent for brand management, and what is more, I actually enjoyed it. Just two weeks after joining Mars Inc., I was successful in having a sponsorship agreement between Snickers and Red Bull for the Wanna Panna Event. This is a feat I am extremely proud of as it clearly highlights my capabilities, seeing how I accomplished so much so soon and that too while I was the Assistant Brand Manger. But I did not stop there, during my tenure I also managed to run two successful activities for the company (for Snickers and Twix), and also managed a budget of over 300,000 US$, thus further proving my capabilities. Moreover, one of my core strengths is in Marketing Strategy and Research – a fact that has enabled me to be a success at my current job. I have a very pronounced ability to understand what works and can develop strategies based on the insights I get from that. I have come to realize that I am passionate about the work I do. Therefore, it only stands to reason that I want to learn more about it so that I can be more effective at my job. I have, therefore, applied for an MSC in Business Development. The modules that I have chosen include Branding, Marketing, Marketing Management, International Negotiation and Strategic Marketing and Planning. It is, of course, clear that when it comes to Business Development, Marketing, Planning and Branding are essential concepts to master. I have, as I mentioned earlier, developed a special interest in these subjects. I think that I would benefit a great deal by learning more about these concepts, as that would give me a solid ground on which to build my career. I feel that my Bachelors in Marketing has served me as a good beginning, but I would want to venture further out and expand my horizons. That is why I want to take these specialized modules that consist of the subjects that interest me and will be useful to me in my career. Why are you interested in our particular program and how do you see it helping you to reach your future goals Firstly, I want to join this particular program because of the excellent reputation of the MSC Business Development program at Grenoble. It is rated as one of the best European business schools as per the Financial Times rankings, included in the top 25 list. Of course, that is not the only reason; I feel that this course would help me reach the career goals I have set out for myself. I have amassed quite a bit of experience working in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods industry, and I want to add on to that as much as possible. This would enable me to improve my work as well as be more aware of how to handle all the work in a much more efficient way. I have been working as a Assistant Category Manager, and my work does involve some use of Marketing Strategy, however, I want to be able to manage the Marketing Strategy of the company I work at. I can say that one of my career objectives is to head the Marketing Strategy as I feel that I do have the knack for it. I do lack specialized knowledge in this regard, and that is why I have decided that I would be studying Marketing as well as Marketing Management modules available in this course. These modules would help me effectively learn more about Marketing philosophy, as well as enable me to come to grips with the basic and advanced principles of marketing management as well. Moreover, I am also going to enroll in Strategic Marketing and Planning, because I think that one of the core strengths of a Marketing Manager is his ability to plan well. This module would teach me to become a strategic marketing planner, thereby helping me get close to the goal of becoming a Marketing Manager of a company. I also feel that a Marketing Manager of a company should also be well aware of how to effectively manage the brand of his company. That is why I have also chosen the Branding module from the course. Of course, a Marketing Manager of a big company also needs to be aware of marketing trends and activity in countries other than his own. Seeing how I intend to become a Marketing Manager in a multinational company, I would need to know about how marketing is done internationally. That is why I have enrolled in the International Marketing module. ‘ Overall, I feel all these modules that I have chosen would put me well on my way to attaining my career goal of becoming a Marketing Manger of an international FMCG company. Three topics with not less than 400 words each If you had the opportunity, what actions would you demand of the United Nations Secretary General and why? If I were given the opportunity to talk to the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon (or maybe a successor of his) I would ask him, firstly, to ensure that basic human rights are not violated by countries with impunity. I believe firmly that we, as human beings, should be afforded certain freedoms that nobody should be allowed to take away. Even today, when it does not take long for reports of one country to reach the world through the internet and the electronic and print media, there are many regimes and governments that violate the basic human rights of their citizens with impunity. There is no one that takes them to task for it. There is no point in having an institution such as the United Nations, which was formed so that regimes could not act with impunity and could be made to atone for any crimes they committed, if governments feel that they can infringe on the rights of citizens with no consequences. I come from a region where regimes and governments are often involved in the suppression of many freedoms, especially the freedom of expression. Therefore, it is my wish to see a world where citizens are not only free to believe whatever they want, but also to express it without fear of any imprisonment or inhumane treatment. That is where I feel the United Nations needs to come in – the United Nations needs to put pressure on such governments and regimes to allow their citizens to practice their basic freedoms. I would ask the Secretary General to ensure that such regimes, be they dictatorial or democratic, theocratic or secular, do not impose restrictions on their citizens from expressing their thoughts and ideas. I would also ask the Secretary General to ensure that states do not hide behind the principle of State Sovereignty whenever they commit atrocities against their citizens. Coming from the Middle East, I am very much aware of how many regimes use subversive tactics to subdue their citizens and to quell opposition. I am, unfortunately, also all too familiar with the way these regimes get away with such crackdowns by merely invoking “state sovereignty.” I would actually be very happy if the United Nations does not wait in such matters and sends investigative teams, with no military action or threat thereof, so that at least the situation is assessed from the ground and the regime is aware that, if nothing else, at least its actions cannot be swept under the rug and that the whole world would come to know of its misdeeds through the United Nations. How do you imagine social interaction within 10 years, taking into consideration the impact of technology on human relations? Social interaction has changed immensely after the invention of the internet. Where once you needed to either talk face to face or over the phone or write letters to stay in touch, now suddenly, you could contact anyone you wished to from the comfort of your own home. In the last decade alone, due to the immense growth of social media, with websites like orkut, myspace, friendster, and facebook creating an online social community where one could not only keep in touch with “real life” friends, but also make “keyboard” friends and maintain contact with them throughout. Social interaction without leaving one’s home is now the norm, and a lot of people prefer the comfort of interacting online rather than in real life. However, the current trends are changing as well. It is well worth keeping in mind that more changes are yet to come. In the next ten years, what with the wearable computing like Google Glass that literally make you carry your social life around with you, coupled with the current notions of privacy becoming obsolete due to obsessive sharing online of our personal lives as well as it being easy to “look up” personal details online, people would have a very wide variety of means to interact socially with others. With virtual reality, people could eliminate all distances and interact with one another in “settings” that they have predetermined. Admittedly, right now with things like Skype and Google Hangout, people do “hangout” with one another in virtual space and it does not feel much different than “hanging out” in real time, however, I think that the fact that you could even set the place where you want to be with people would lure people towards opting for social interactions set in virtual reality. Over time, this will lead to a society that has a lot more to say, and has the available venues to say it in. All thoughts will be shared, as human interactions will not be limited to spoken words only, or be hidden in some book long since out of print. People would be able to shoot a video that sends whatever message they want to send and upload it for the world to see in the blink of an eye. This would result in the current paradigms of human relations shifting. There will no more be a “pining” for a soul mate, as people would be able to connect closely to one another and not only be heard, but be understood as well, thereby creating lasting friendships across distances that are physically insurmountable. How do you envision the city of the future? Slowly but surely, the industrialization that started a couple of centuries ago has had one enormous impact in our lives: we have started turning towards cities in droves. Whereas before most people lived in rural areas as farming was one major source of income as well as sustenance, with industrialization, countries that can now be called industrialized have seen an influx of population towards its urban districts as there are more economic advantages of living in cities. Keeping in mind the current population rate of the world in general, and the slow, but sure, industrialization of most countries, I think that the cities would need to expand more to accommodate for the influx of people. A city of the future would have to have community living. Because the available surface area for building cannot possibly be increased on earth, it is only natural that multistoried buildings would be built with people living there together as a community. This would, of course, entail that the current trend of living in houses would have to go obsolete, at least for the middle class if not for everyone. Cities with such a massive population would not be able to sustain the “ecosystem” otherwise. People would essentially have to share not only their living space, but even the public space afforded to them would need to be shared to a large degree. It is pertinent to note that the current methods of energy production would not suffice for a city of the future. The amount of energy required would be so massive that more ways of energy production would be required. Nuclear energy would not be practical due to the risks involved coupled with the limited resources available to manufacture it. Similarly, hydropower would not be enough to power such a massive city. I envision that the city would produce most of its energy through solar and geothermal power plants as not only are they feasible due to their abundance, but they are renewable as well as safe. Finally, new ways of food production would be in place so that such a large population is fed. In order that the city not be beholden to any other place for its food, new methods of food production would be in place. This would include, but not be limited to, super crops that could be grown by people at home and that would be sufficient to feed them, as well as protein manufacturing plants that would get rid of the necessity to house and feed animals. Read More