Completing the IME Mini MBA has significantly increased my understanding of the important global perspectives and real-world challenges. I have learned to look beyond my own role to better steer the company in the right direction and path towards a sustainable business. Strengthening our vision is of paramount importance for us in our strive for excellence in the coming years. The IME Mini MBA was an interesting and relevant program bringing alive new thoughts about our company’s business strategy. Participating in the cohort strengthened my analytical skills as well as my ability to align resources across the organisation. I also learned how to take advantage of new market opportunities.
During a company takeover a few years ago, my personnel roles and responsibilities changed overnight, leaving me slightly unprepared for the challenges that immediately presented themselves. With a background in engineering and hands on operational activities, it became apparent that I would require to have a deeper understanding of business practises. The syllabus covered within the IME Mini MBA course provided me with the knowledge and confidence to participate and interact in all aspects of business operations within a SMB subsidiary of a global organisation. Overnight I was able to implement these learnings into my everyday activities. The module covering strategy was enlightening as to the complexities of a successful strategy, while enjoyable as allowing for and encouraging outside the box thinking and creative flare.
I was actually the first student to sign up for the first IME Mini MBA online program in the spring of 2020. And I am really proud to have been part of this amazing journey.
I would definitely recommend the IME program to anybody seeking to build his/her insights and understanding of business. I learned so much in this relatively short program, and I feel much more confident and able to participate in critical business discussions at work now that I have completed all the modules in the IME Mini MBA.
I am completely convinced that my journey is certain to cross some positive milestones with these learnings.
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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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
I feel much more confident and more qualified when taking the important decisions and sparring with the rest of the management team.
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.
The IME Mini MBA course has provided me with an opportunity to catch up on what I have been missing in terms of a solid business understanding. It has been a real eye-opener for me. The program combines proven-by-practice methods with new insights and ideas that will grow my leadership and managerial skills as well as enhancing my decision-making and problem-solving skills to reduce risk and choose the best course of action towards strategic objectives. All the modules were very interesting, especially Lean Management. This module helped me to better understand, challenge and improve the processes of my organization. It also grew my competences to discuss our company processes with those people responsible for improving them. I will apply what I have learned in this course, especially the Lean Management System Framework into Saroma Engineering. I strongly believe that the rearrangement of the sequence of Saroma Engineering’s operation to follow the 5S Lean Management System Framework may result in better development and improvement in the productivity and efficiency of the organization. Other useful frameworks such as the 4P Marketing Framework, Porter’s 5 Forces Framework and the SWOT Framework I plan to implement in my business strategy process in the near future.
Attending the IME Mini MBA has significantly broadened my knowledge and understanding of the success and failure factors in my organization. And I now much better understand the impact that a well thought-through decision making process can have on our business. The IME Mini MBA program has given me a much wider knowledge of analytical skills in corporate finance and accounting principles. This includes identifying trading opportunities, cost distribution as well as pricing strategies in manufacturing from raw material cost, administrative expenses and all the way to the final product value. The IME Mini MBA Executive Program offers a concise and flexible approach to business management that drives innovation and strategic business success. The program has strengthened my professional performance with a cutting-edge skill set and has helped me to make substantial contributions to organizational success and growth.
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!
