Masters Business Administration, Turkish

I am a male of Turkish nationality. I am fluent in both English and Turkish. I hold a degree in Mechanical Engineering from XXXX University, Istanbul, Turkey. Since graduating, I have worked for a large company in Turkey that supplied automotive products. I have worked in several departments within the company, such as Manufacturing, Research and Development and Planning.

 Up to this point I was intending to create a career in Engineering but I became fascinated by the way businesses operate and the factors that separate successful businesses from those that falter. I began to read widely on business related topics especially how businesses face and deal with change.  I also began to see close relationships between the way engineers take decisions and solve problems and the way that it is done in business. For instance, decisions made in an emergency situation will aim to find a temporary solution but will lead on to a decision to avoid or deal with the same problem over the long term and will result in a planned response should the problem recur. It occurred to me that my training in emergency, short and long term decision making, planning and problem solving that I had received as an engineer were directly transferable to the world of business. I have also been trained in new product design and this too seems to have direct application in business system design with the same criteria applying in both.

 I am quite widely travelled within Europe.  I have visited England, Russia and most of the Balkan nations. I have taken an interest in the way business operates in these countries and have noted the contrasts and similarities between them, especially the differences apparent in the post-Communist states. I should be very interested in undertaking research into the ways in which culture and politics affect business decision making in order to assist companies to improve understanding and communications when undertaking international business transactions. In the ‘global economy’ this aspect of business is of increasing importance.

 I could undertake a course of study on the subject of business in Turkey but recognize the primacy of American universities in business education and am, anyway, keen to expose myself to American business methods and to its entrepreneurial culture so that I can apply these in my own country. I am also eager to meet and exchange opinion with students of many different cultures and backgrounds. This possibility is maximized in the United States.

 I am considered to be a good team member, to be hard working and mature. I am also adaptable and I am confident that I can excel in the program if I am given the opportunity to participate.

 Whilst I am aware that my lack of formal qualifications in a business related discipline may be regarded as disadvantageous, I do believe that my wide reading of business texts and periodicals together with my engineering background and business experience will enable me to make valuable contributions to my class and add interesting ‘ingredients’ to the ‘mix’.