MRes in Business Management Personal Statement Assignment Sample

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Personal Statement – Application for MRes in Business Management

In the last decade, I embarked on a professional and entrepreneurial journey, during which I experienced the dynamics and constant changes that business management entails in Nigeria. 2013 I obtained a second-class Upper Division in Business Administration from Olabisi Onabanjo University. I started working as a regional sales distributor at Stee’s Cosmetics in the sales department from 2014 to 2024. The experience of this decade set the foundation that I to perceive how the market behaves, what is the sales strategy is, how does the supply chain works,and how you can engage the customer. However, over time, with every new challenge I worked around, I became more and more aware of the importance of academic research in bringing sustainable solutions to real-world business problems. It is because of this realisation that I chose to pursue a Master of Research (MRes) in Business Management at the University of Worcester.

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When I was a young girl growing up in Nigeria, I had a passion for business while being surrounded by small-scale enterprises by my family members. I was impressed by how successful business owners made rational, calculated risks and significantly impacted the industry and the community. Having this curiosity, I studied Business Administration at the undergraduate level, developing a few basic skills in accounting, marketing, human resources and management. The academic curriculum was enriching, but in those years of applied professional experience, I understood the reality of planning and making decisions in business.

At Stee’s Cosmetics, I handled regional sales under myself in different regions. My goal in the team was to find new market opportunities, interact with the clients, and ensure that the distribution chain was suitable in responsiveness and efficiency. Along the way, I learned how to change quickly to client preferences and how to work through supply constraints, among other things, in the face of ever-changing targets and deadlines. These responsibilities helped train me to lead with purpose, work in harmony, and think deeply (Hosen et al., 2023). I started to try to find out how businesses could survive, let alone thrive, in uncertain times as I moved up the ranks.

This has further made me desire to explore academically because I transitioned from employee to entrepreneur. I legally registered my company in 2024 with the name Omomercz-Vic Beauty World Limited under Nigeria's Companies and Allied Matters Act. As Managing Director, I oversee operations, sales, and product development. It's been rewarding and demanding because this role involves constant decision-making, innovation and leadership. Managing organisational change during a rebranding was one of the worst things I was looking for. The business had grown steadily, but I recognised that consumer trends and digital demands were also increasing. Despite this, implementing change across the brand identity, marketing strategy, and supply system was more complicated than we initially anticipated (Andersen, Åberg and Bujac, 2023). This was when I realised I wanted more out of my research and strategic capabilities to more helpfully make data-driven decisions and lead for transformational change.

As such, I am applying to the University of Worcester. The MRes in Business Management will allow me to broaden my knowledge in research methodology, strategic decision-making, and organisational change. In particular, I am fascinated with the specific offerings of the research design, business analytics and application of management theories modules. These fit my academic and professional interests. I am also attracted to the university’s dedication to applied research and real-world impact, and I share a similar passion for putting the difference between theory and execution. I believe that the atmosphere created here would allow me to intermingle with professionals like me, work under the guidance of able faculty, and deliver meaningful research inputs and conversations in which to participate.

The UK is a world-leading, first-rate international hub for academic excellence, innovation and business leadership (Ponomareva et al., 2022). What attracted me to study in the UK were its rich diversity, top-class research infrastructure, and emphasis on critical inquiry and independent learning. In addition, the multicultural nature of the UK provides an opportunity to learn from peers with different backgrounds and perspectives, thereby broadening my understanding of global business challenges and solutions (Balan, 2024). Studying in the UK would further my education and broaden my international business acumen to bring global best practices into the Nigerian business space.

The course ‘Strategy and Decision Making in Business Management and Effectively Managing Organisational Change’ immediately resonates with what interests me. The most successful business involves strategic decision-making (Stahl and Maznevski, 2021). This program will enable me to research the models in which SMEs in developing economies can build resilient and adaptive models of growth. My interest is in researching decision-making frameworks and leadership approaches and adopting innovation in small and mid-sized businesses through qualitative and quantitative research methods. My ultimate research idea is to develop various organisational change management strategies in SMEs in developing markets devoid of advanced infrastructure and resources.

I will apply what I have learned from completing this MRes directly into my business to improve internal processes, deliver product speedily and enhance customer satisfaction. Outside my company, I will be offering consultancy services to other businesses within the Nigerian beauty and retail industry, especially for women-led SMEs that are finding it difficult to move from their scale-up decision. I also want to publish research that will impact how business works and promote evidence-based decision-making by entrepreneurs. In the long term, I intend to study for a PhD in the Business and Management area, such as strategic leadership and innovation in emerging markets.

CV

Research Proposal

Proposed Topic: Strategy and Decision-Making in Business Management and Effectively Managing Organisational Change

MRes in Business Management Personal Statement Assignment Sample

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Penny Bevan 6 Years | MSc

1. Introduction and Background

In today’s fast-growing and highly competitive worldwide business conditions, SMEs and businesses in general must act in time and strategically at all times (Teece, 2022). An organisation's ability to adapt, grow, and survive market disruption depends on its effectiveness at effective decision making. On its part, organisational change is an inherent part of the process of changing the business, whether prompted by changes in strategy within the organisation or externally by technology, regulation, and economic uncertainty (Salvia et al., 2021). Unfortunately, many organisations, particularly in developing economies, find it challenging to implement change, as their strategic plans are not sound, stakeholders are unwilling to embrace the change, and there is a dearth of capacity for innovation in organisations (Kirchherr et al., 2023). Inspired by these experiences, I present a research topic that explores the space between strategic management, decision-making models and successful implementation of change in cases of SMEs, with specific reference to emerging markets.

2. Research Aim and Objectives

Aim:

To examine how strategic decision-making impacts the effective management of organisational change in small- and medium-sized enterprises, focusing on improving business performance and adaptability in emerging economies.

Objectives:

• To explore key decision-making frameworks used by SMEs in managing change.
• To analyse the relationship between strategic planning and the success of organisational change initiatives.
• To identify common challenges SMEs face in executing change strategies.
• To develop recommendations for enhancing decision-making processes to support effective organisational change.

3. Research Questions

• What decision-making strategies are most effective in navigating organisational change in SMEs?
• How does the quality of strategic planning influence change outcomes in business operations?
• What internal and external factors hinder successful change implementation in emerging markets?
• How can SMEs improve decision-making processes to increase adaptability and performance?

4. Rationale and Significance

This research is significant for several reasons. Firstly, many SMEs in developing economies are informal or semi-formal and are not sufficiently structured for strategy formulation and change management (Estensoro et al., 2021). However, these businesses are essential addressees to employment and economic growth. This study will examine decision-making surrounding change to provide some evidence-based insights that companies can use to build more robust and adaptive strategies (Amin, 2024).

Secondly, this research will advance academic knowledge in strategic management and organisational change by enabling scholars to better understand real-world problems by providing a practical lens (Amin, 2024). I also hope to use the outcomes of this research in my own enterprise and apply them to ensure its long-term sustainability, giving the same example to other businesses in the region.

5. Literature Review

Strategic decision-making and organisational change are two interconnected areas about the growth and sustainability of businesses (Edwards, 2021). Strategy, which involves long-term thinking and allocating resources towards certain goals, differs from decision, which is how those strategic choices are made. These processes are usually informal in SMEs and greatly dependent on the leadership style, available resources and external market pressures.

SMEs tend not to have the structure of the decision-making system present in large corporations (Rosário et al., 2021). While it speeds up response to change, this also makes them susceptible to risk, but only when decisions are not based on proper research or analysis. Managing change effectively relies not only on a vision but also on decisive leadership, the involvement of employees, and the continuous handling of the external environment. Resistance to organisational change is common in businesses where communication is low or the staff is uncertain about the future (Doeze Jager, Born and van der Molen, 2021). Thus, successful change management is closely related to how healthy decision makers plan, communicate, and implement new directions. A key factor in smooth transitions is aligning organisation goals with employee interests.

Additionally, to make decisions in changing environments, businesses have to evaluate the internal capabilities included in capabilities, external challenges, and opportunities. This includes trends in the market, customer behaviour, technology developments, and competition anticipation of change and the creation of innovative solutions for long-term success.

5. Methodology

The research will employ secondary qualitative research methodology, through which the existing literature, cases, reports, and documented insights about decision-making in SMEs and organisational change will be analysed about the Nigerian beauty and retail sectors. A complete desk-based review encompassing qualitative data sources of academic articles, industry publications, government reports, business case studies, and company documents is involved. These decisions will be critically analysed to learn how they impact organisational change.

Interpretation and categorisation of the findings based on key themes such as strategic planning, change management processes, leadership responses, and outcomes of implemented changes will be achieved (Vlachopoulos, 2021). The research will not involve collecting new data from human participants. Nevertheless, it will be the priority to maintain objectivity in analysis, check the source's credibility, and not be biased in the interpretation.

References

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• Balan, A. (2024). Cultural diversity and widening participation: enhancement of teaching and feedback practices for law students from a diverse range of backgrounds. The Law Teacher, pp.1–23. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/03069400.2024.2381315.
• Doeze Jager, S.B., Born, M.Ph. and van der Molen, H.T. (2021). The relationship between organizational trust, resistance to change and adaptive and proactive employees’ agility in an unplanned and planned change context. Applied Psychology, 71(2). doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12327.
• Edwards, M.G. (2021). The growth paradox, sustainable development, and business strategy. Business Strategy and the Environment, 30(7), pp.3079–3094.
• Estensoro, M., Larrea, M., Müller, J.M. and Sisti, E. (2021). A resource-based view on SMEs regarding the transition to more sophisticated stages of industry 4.0. European Management Journal, [online] 40(5). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2021.10.001.
• Hosen, S., Hamzah, S.R., Arif Ismail, I., NoormiAlias, S., Faiq Abd Aziz, M. and Rahman, M.M. (2023). Training & development, career development, and organizational commitment as the predictor of work performance. Heliyon, 10(1), p.e23903. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23903.
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