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 Full name: Tracy-Lee Engel
MBA program title: Barcelona Management Institute
Country of origin: South Africa
Age: 24 years
Previous University: University of Stellenbosch
Degree Obtained: Bachelors in Occupational Therapy
Tracy-Lee received her undergraduate training in the field of Occupational Therapy. Her main focuses of interest was in adult psychiatric and physical rehabilitation. Whilst travelling in Tanzania, she was offered the opportunity to participate in the development of an international hospital in Tanzania. This resulted in her pursuit of an MBA degree.
Being a part of the change undergone in South Africa since the 1990's, specifically the constitutional changes in 1994, a few words rang loudly through the media and the conversations of those around me-development, change, and reconciliation. The word development means more than financial injections and economy. It means a young man or woman is able to begin a new story for his or herself, one that they were unable to embark on had a nation not stopped and reached out an economically viable hand. The reason I pursued an MBA degree is to shape and be a part of development across Africa. I have seen real change occur when these words are used, and thus the meaning to me transcends the textbook.
During my search into various business schools, Barcelona Management Institute stood out in the explicit and dedicated focus on the creation of an internationally versed business leader who understands the difficulties facing a global economy, both for existing economic powerhouses and for those countries attempting to join the party. The curriculum offers multiple perspectives on business administration in the global sense. What are the challenges facing a businessperson functioning in multiple countries? How does one anticipate those challenges and effectively handle them? I saw my country begin to bridge the gap between what had essentially been two different cultures, and I hope to carry this learning process with me as my future careers unfold.
Being within an international setting inside BMI and the city of Barcelona, allows for day-to-day learning about different cultural aspects and the interaction between them. Such hands-on training adapting to and working with different cultural mindsets will directly apply when attempting to communicate the vision of development to the many diverse members within the African community. I have been offered the opportunity to work with an organization within my field of interest, introduced to key members within that community, and I am currently being aided with a research paper on the East Africa Trade Bloc where we are questioning how viable traditional business theories are in an African reality and how best to apply them.
One of the difficulties facing development in Africa, is the multiplicity of cultures within different regions (for example, Tanzania has 128 languages) A key aspect of the BMI curriculum is the general exposure to business functions, allowing one to be able to communicate a vision across an entire organization, not simply within one department. This task increases in complexity, as these organizations are international by nature, bringing in the cross-cultural aspect. The rules of the global business community are changing due to the inclusion of the emerging economies and those with the potential to emerge. The basis of the BMI Programme is the introduction of various diverse business models, both Western and non-Western, creating a new type of international businessperson less bound by cultural bias. The stress is on the need for understanding from both sides in order to facilitate the effective functioning of cross-cultural business. BMI educates on the diversity of traditional business models and approaches, contrasting it with the application within the globalized world, highlighting the strong influence of emerging economies. I aspire to become that international businessperson and my decision to attend BMI was my first step towards that goal. BMI simulates the world today in that nothing is sacred and all is questioned if you have the courage to ask. The world according to BMI is not a ?No' but a ?How'. Equipped with the practical BMI toolbox and a newfound honed ability to ask the right questions, my dream is no longer simply a vision but a challenge to make it happen.
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