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 Kelley Hutchins
General MBA, University of Strathclyde
University previously attended University of Connecticut, USA
Degree obtained Bachelor of Fine Arts in Stage Management
Country of origin USA Age 37 years
Career history
Prior to embarking on the Strathclyde MBA, Kelley Hutchins worked for Disney on Ice/Feld Entertainment in the USA, developing marketing campaigns and promotions for the ice shows. Before graduating she was offered the position of senior consultant for the Information, Communication and Media Division at Mott MacDonald.
'The MBA at Strathclyde provides a solid learning experience in an institution that has a national and international reputation. I would definitely recommend the programme to others.'
I chose to do the MBA programme to develop and enhance my personal career prospects, and provide myself with an improved ability to work in a new job market, namely the UK. Of the available MBA programmes in Scotland, Strathclyde's focus on strategy and business was particularly appealing, as was the opportunity to be based in Glasgow.
Broad learning experience
The Strathclyde MBA was an intensive one-year course, which covered a wide range of business subjects. Although the programme had an emphasis on strategy, it had a broad scope, ensuring that students were tested across a range of learning areas. The focus on the role of strategy in business, however, was one of the best elements of the course, with the teaching led by an international strategy expert, Professor Gerry Johnson. With at least five to seven years of prior business experience, fellow students were also a source of potential new learning.
Cosmopolitan classroom
The MBA programme relied heavily on the use of team-based project work ? an approach that aims to make the best use of the international mix of students that the course is able to attract. There were 23 different nationalities represented on the course, and this, together with the emphasis on groupwork, combined to create the best element of the MBA course.With numerous business and learning mindsets to deal with, students had to be flexible and patient in groupwork exercises. Although this could be challenging, it was very useful in gaining a better understanding of how other business cultures approached certain subjects and analysed particular situations. While it was often tempting to try and work in ways you were personally comfortable and familiar with, there was always a need to adopt different groupwork strategies, depending on the make-up of the study group. Communication was a vital element of groupwork. If neglected, the entire process of
successfully completing project work was made doubly difficult, with stress levels inevitably raised for all concerned!
I improved my understanding of Scottish and UK culture, and the cultural mix offered me insights into the lives and habits of many different types of people. My ability to learn about UK culture in particular was important as I was aiming to secure work here.
Developing skills
The course enabled me to develop my presentation skills. Although I had prior experience of communicating information in front of smaller groups, the MBA offered me opportunities to present complex information to a demanding audience and then answer questions on the material presented. There is no doubt my confidence levels are now significantly higher with regard to corporate or public presentations.
Overall, I believe my ability to interact with people in stressful project situations was improved.Working against the clock and putting in long hours can take its toll on any group of professionals, but I now feel more confident in my ability to handle and manage such situations effectively.
Benefits
Overall, it was a good experience for me. I was looking for a different sort of learning and personal experience than I would have found in the USA. It was an intensive year, but nothing that couldn't be managed with hard work and the support of my fellow MBA students. The MBA has helped me obtain my current position as a business consultant. This represents quite a career change for me and I'm not sure I would have made the jump without the programme. It also allowed me to secure a work permit for the UK and improved my salary beyond its previous level in the US.
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