Management Personal Statement Example 8

Management is the lynchpin of any global business and the ability to make informed decisions, taking into account internal and external factors, as well as thinking critically and creatively is important to being an effective manager. However, "success in management requires learning as fast as the world is changing" (W. Bennis).

In the last decade, we have seen an explosion in the amount of data available to organisations and the value associated with it. Companies can now use qualitative and quantitative tools to extract knowledge, such as understanding real-time customer preferences and predicting future trends. Data has become "the new oil" (C. Humby) that can fuel boardroom decision-making to drive innovation and competitive advantage.

It is now evident that only those companies who make data analytics, together with customer-centricity and the adoption of AI, part of their DNA will be equipped for long term survival. Nokia, Blockbuster and MySpace are all fascinating examples of companies that failed to innovate and were forced to succumb to Apple, Netflix, and Facebook. This demonstrates to me the growing criticality of good management and the importance of the interdisciplinary skills covered in this degree, which will enable me to pursue a career as a Management Consultant.

I believe that the A-level subjects I have studied will enable me to excel in this course. Through my strongest subject, Mathematics and Statistics, I have developed the ability to think logically and apply statistical techniques to understand data, while History has instilled in me the ability to think critically and to write coherently and persuasively.

I have also researched numerous case studies on global events in Geography, which involved analysing and evaluating problems and their solutions including the broader environmental, social, legal, and economic implications. In recognition of my consistently high academic achievement, I was awarded Full Academic Colours.

I have always been interested in economics and chose to teach myself IGCSE Economics alongside my A-levels as this was not offered at my school. I have read widely around this subject and enjoyed The Undercover Economist (T. Harford), which uses economics to explain why societies behave the way they do. I have also gained an understanding of the role of human behaviour in effective management through reading Organizational Behaviour (S. Robbins, T. Judge, and T. Campbell).

My co-curricular activities have contributed to my ability to lead, work with others and develop time management skills. As Deputy Head of Somerset College's boarding house, I was responsible for making key house decisions and liaising between the staff and students to ensure the house ran smoothly. I used my communication skills and relationships with the borders, who were from many different cultures and backgrounds, to resolve any conflicts.

I was also chosen to play county water-polo for 3 consecutive years. In my vacations, I have taken various paid jobs as well as assisting in setting up a 5000-book library at a school in Malawi.

In addition, I was selected to attend the Oxbridge Academic Programs Creative Writing course at the University of Oxford, where I obtained an "A" grade and came to recognise the benefit of studying at an internationally renowned and outward-looking institution (in my native language) which would afford me opportunities and connections unattainable in Africa.

It would be an honour to be selected for a Management degree that not only covers the technical, human, and conceptual skills that underpin the practice of management but also includes "new age" modules that will equip me to operate in the complex and technologically-driven world of today.