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The Saturdays' workshops format of IME Mini MBA course during a 5-month period with a very practical approach is perfect for someone, who cannot yet commit to a classic MBA program, but intends to stay relevant in the market and positioned for new career challenges. I decided to enroll in the course to upgrade my business management knowledge as well as strengthen my leadership skills. After several years mainly involved in engineering and project management positions in the Oil & Gas business I felt a need for an educational course outside my industry. Compared to other similar educational programs in Singapore, this course was offering the most robust and complete program as well as being compatible with my time constraints.
I was appointed as General Manager for an Austrian company at the age of 26 and have since then been holding a general managerial position for 7 years for different companies. My knowledge mainly comes from the real life experience so I thought it would be good for me to have a better insight into business management. I have also been able to network with fellow participants, which was another reason behind choosing the IME Mini MBA. My key take-away from the program is that there are many ways to solve business related obstacles. Every situation is unique, and it is important for us to have the ability to use the right tool at the right time - then when you face a challenge you just have to open the toolbox and choose the right tool!
The Mini MBA really changed me. I believe I am a better leader and a better businessman today. I enrolled in the program while in the process of moving to Singapore with my family and starting up a new business. Throughout the course I was able to reflect upon my career and build up on my existing business knowledge and skills. I was really able to apply the knowledge from the course immediately in my every day work situation. During each of the modules I wrote down some of the key learnings, thoughts and new techniques. Very often I was then able to start using it in practice at my work basically the day after. I love the personal development focus of the course via “Design Your Career” module. I gained a deeper understanding of who I am and who and where I want to be in the future.
I would love to have more focus on strategy and decision making processes of the company. Therefore, it is very important that I keep investing in myself and my skills to stay relevant and also to be ready when the time comes for taking on the director role. That and to be sharper on the leadership front in general are one of the main reasons why I enrolled in the IME Mini MBA in Singapore.
I was excited to learn about the IME Mini MBA program at one of the IME evening workshops on Innovation. I was impressed with the faculty, teaching style and facilitation, and enjoyed meeting the people I shared the room with. I am a strong believer in learning-by-doing but also in knowing what we don’t know – so the opportunity to build more ‘formal’ business training and confidence and the opportunity to learn alongside like-minds was the main reason for joining the program – and the fact that it is a ‘mini’ program means it would be much more feasible to fit into my everyday schedule, compared to a full MBA program.
I wanted a new direction in my career that would allow me to look into the commercial aspects of the business rather than being entrenched in a technical path. The business knowledge I've gained in the Mini MBA course helps me to understand on a broader scale how organizations are put together and the roles each department plays. I've learned how my organization and (more importantly) my customers’ organizations function. I made my final Mini MBA assignment relevant to what I was doing at work. It helped me to map out what I should do next and tackle better my everyday work. I would recommend the course to technical profiles who are still in an early stage of their career. There are many things that I've learned from the course that I wish I knew 10 years ago.
Prior to my enrollment in the programme, I was feeling stuck and frustrated. I needed some answers and decided to embark on the Mini MBA course, which I felt was structured to suit individuals like me who prefer a bit more time for personal reflection while learning about various business topics. Besides, I was not very sure if a full-fledged MBA was really what I wanted/needed. The course in general provided me with several insights relevant to very current topics. For example, the module Change Management touched on ways to effect change from the leadership and management perspective, while the module Process Management and Lean highlighted how we could rethink our daily routine to be more productive - simple steps utilising technology or even the way we organise work around an organisation could potentially reduce idle time and increase the turnover. The mini MBA was eye-opening and inspiring - it could definitely awaken the leadership and managerial qualities in us. Besides, the lecturers are all experienced professionals in their fields and could share practical tips.
For the busy professional, this is an excellent way to top-up your skills, to get some qualifications, to keep relevant and position yourself for a more successful future.
I am constantly looking to improve my understanding of the different aspects of businesses and because of that, I saw the IME Mini MBA as a great match while not taking up too much time. Besides the Marketing & Social Media module, which was my favorite topic, the Design Your Career module might be the module with the biggest and long lasting impact. I now better understand myself in the work set-up (my strengths, weaknesses, tendencies and how to address them), and the different personalities of people I work with - to know what motivates them and use that understanding to have a better and more effective working experience with them. Furthermore, the Strategy module explained the origin of the strategies and how companies use it effectively to launch and position their products. It helped me better understand my company’s strategy and reasoning behind the global strategies.
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One of my first priorities when researching the market for the right executive program was that it offered subjects similar to that of a full-time MBA. The time required for completing the IME's Mini MBA course and the fact that all of the workshops are held on Saturdays allowed me to continue my usual work schedule. The self-study material is being cut to the point to ensure its relevancy and the different modules all contribute with useful material that can be implemented at the management level. An example of this is the scenario planning, which I have used extensively. Additionally, with the help of the relatable Change Management module, I was able to hone my teams perspective with some of these learnings.
With many years in the same company and only being offered internal courses I’ve chosen to join the IME Mini MBA program because I felt it was the time to get some theoretical knowledge to back up my practical knowledge which I’ve gain throughout the years. The program is very interesting and it as well fits my work schedule and personal life. Having two children and family life, work and exercise I do not have time to go for the evening classes a few times a week. A Mini MBA class once every two to three weeks is easier to fit in my everyday.
I feel much more confident and more qualified when taking the important decisions and sparring with the rest of the management team.
