Global MBA Testimonials
The process of creating value through work-integrated learning is extraordinary. It shifts the primary learning experience from the confines of academic institutions to the actual workplaces of our students. This transformation leads to an unparalleled sense of purpose, as it transitions skills training from theoretical teaching to the invaluable experience gained on the job.
Additionally, work-integration redirects the traditional focus of study from analysis to practical implementation. It is the act of implementation that has the power to bring about real change in the world. This new approach enables students to realize their potential in effecting positive changes within their work environments.
We invite you to explore the remarkable feedback from some of our students who have been willing to openly share their experiences of creating genuine value in their workplaces.
Miranda Khumalo, PARTNER at Atherstone and Cook, HARARE, Zimbabwe
05.2022 |
| This exercise has been highly beneficial as it has brought a different perspective on developing or identifying a target segment. The systematic review proposed in the reading material, reiterates the need to first identify the customer’s needs and problem that the business wishes to resolve. A business is able to narrow down on the most realistic opportunity from the various market opportunities. |
| Strategic Marketing |
Ruvimbo Mabaudi, Finance Manager at Association for Womens' Rights in Development (AWID), Toronto, Canada
04.2022 |
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What is both sad and joyful to me, is that there are people in the world like Richard Gesteland who have successfully studied human behaviour to this degree in order to help those yet in the know. However, due to ignorance, I still went ahead blindly trying to forge relations without having come across such a gem. I am thankful for this exposure, and the opportunity not to repeat mistakes other people and myself have made. This assignment has helped me craft the type of export market we will endeavour to have our products move to. |
| Cross-Cultural Management |
Annabelle Moller, Head of Internal Audit at MTC, Windhoek, Namibia
03.2022 |
| The lateral marketing technique was a game changer for me, not only to develop new ideas for the development of new products and services, but also using the technique to solve business problems or develop new ideas. It has helped me think differently about challenges to see challenges as just another opportunity to create something and this technique defenitely helped me to jump that hurdel. |
| Strategic Marketing |
Chido Boka, Managing Director at Boka Floors Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
03.2022 |
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This course has been particularly helpful for me as it focused on the practical application of marketing research in our business. Having studied a research module before, it was always difficult to use the concept in the context of everyday business. However, looking at marketing research from the perspective of offering value to a board of directors who need to make critical decisions about the business has opened my eyes. The reading material has also shown me that there are many ways to conduct market research all being dependent on what the objectives of the market research are. I have enjoyed studying this course. Having also been appointed to sit on two boards of directors recently, I have also seen how market research will help to solve problems in a business more efficiently as you can base your decisions on results and not just on general assumptions. |
| Marketing Research |
Chido Boka, Managing Director at Boka Floors Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
03.2022 |
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The idea of lateral marketing was the most difficult for me to understand while I was studying this course, however, once I grasped the concept, I realised how some ideas that we usually throw out as being completely ridiculous may be the very ideas that drive innovation and can give true competitive advantage. I also learnt that the marketing planning process is not just for the marketing department but for the whole organisation and as such it should be given a lot of attention. |
| Strategic Marketing |
Charles Stols, Engineering Manager at MegChem, Cape Town, South African Republic
03.2022 |
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This assignment provided me with tremendous insight. Having had the opportunity to align our company's information capital portfolio and its strategy map is invaluable. Writing this assignment led to save time and money, and allows us to allocate resources to relevant tasks and activities. This course unit created significant evidence that it is a risk to not implement digital technology. Companies can become obsolete as digital technology is a necessity to stay competitive and improves effectiveness when implemented correctly. |
| Managing IT and strategy |
Leon Whyte, CSO/Co-Founder at SMC Ltd, Maidenhead, United Kingdom
03.2022 |
| I really enjoyed this assignment! As an organization we have been struggling to achieve this production target since 2018, believing that our only solution was to increase revenue and hire more resources. However, during the construction of this assignment, I was forced to step out of my operational position and assess this business from a strategic standpoint and was amazed by the results. This assignment has really opened my eyes to the potential value that digital technology can bring to any organization, if strategized and implemented properly. |
| Managing IT and strategy |
Kelvin Mukuku, Metallurgical Manager at Eastplats, Brits, South African Republic
03.2022 |
| The most critical thing in this assignment is how it links up with other concepts from other modules. This showed me the fluidity of the MBA program and the practical side of it. This also showed me that there is no concept that is isolated form the others and that market entry whether domestic or foreign, requires thorough research and understanding before implementation. |
| Export Market Entry Strategies |
Lincoln Taruvinga, Deputy Managing Director at Quickfix Hardware, Calgary, Canada
03.2022 |
| This has been an immense learning experience for me while studying this course. I have reflected and seen a lot of missed potential that would add value to the organisation if we were to compartmentalise and adapt new age transformation. It has outlined that for any business to be successful it has to continuously be looking t the macro environment as it plays a huge factor in the operations of any business. Continuous scanning of this environment will help move the organisation forward and always help me be aware of the opportunities outside and threats that may be turned into positives. |
| The Nature of International Business |
Linda Israel, Project manager at Masa Israel Journey, Beer Sheva, Israel
03.2022 |
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Thanks to the current study, the company has been enriched with a wide range of concrete and real-life actions to reorganize its structures in anticipation of an era of transformation. In addition, the results of my research helped me understand the vast opportunities that are gradually opening for us thanks to technological developments, using which we can even more effectively serve our customers and grow as a company with values and a mission. |
| The Nature of International Business |
Sharon Bwanya, Chief Operating Officer at Nurture Invest, Harare, Zimbabwe
02.2022 |
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In many ways, this particular assignment had me reflecting on most of the preceding modules right from strategic management, financial planning, strategic marketing, human resources management and operations management. It is a befitting final course to the IBR MBA before the electives because, just like the revised strategy map we worked on as part of the assignment, the course integrates and aligns prior learnings and weaves them together to once again show that everything we have been learning thus far is linked and must be aligned and integrated for effective management of business administration. One could say, the whole program has been about integrating the key themes of customer value proposition, evolving customer needs, technology, and the strategic management of key activities such as marketing, HR and financial planning as determinants of an organization’s current and future profit potential. In reminding me of what I have learnt since beginning the program, it was wonderful to see how far I have come, how much I have learnt and to take stock of how much of it I have managed to apply to the organizations I have worked with during the tenure of this MBA program. There is truly no better way to learn! |
| Managing IT and strategy |
Dr Priscilla Madzinga-Kusena, Communication for Development Specialist at UNICEF, Abuja, Nigeria
02.2022 |
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I had an interview for a very high-level managerial position. Fortunately, I had managed to read through the mandatory readings in preparation for the assignment. Insights from the readings came in handy. I truly enjoyed the interview. The feedback before we wrapped up the session from the interviewers was that I had strong management skills. Already, I am harvesting from this course!!! Thank you. Managing change is what I do as a manager at my organization. I have been managing change using experience and some behaviours which I thought were effective. Reading through this course, I learnt a lot on how to manage change successfully, even amidst scarce resources and very challenging contexts. |
| Development of Management Skills |
Sharon Bwanya, Chief Operating Officer at Nurture Invest, Harare, Zimbabwe
02.2022 |
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This course was eye-opening and insightful as it called for a lot of self-introspection. Before this course, if I had to explain the challenges with the implementation of the process and system changes that I was leading for the ISO 9001 certification, I would give most of the blame to COVID-19 and to needlessly resistant, stubborn and lazy team members who could not see the bigger picture. My own shortcomings as a manager (many of which I was hitherto unaware of) may have only been mentioned to a lesser extent. Now the assignment tells of a different story, and I believe I can only be a better manager from this self-reflection as there will, no doubt be many more times of change in which my leadership will be called upon. When I came up with the Positive Change Agenda plan for my team as part of the implementation plan for this assignment, I also came up with plans for my spouse and child respectively. The same principles of more compassion, focusing on developing strengths, complimenting small successes, volunteering emotional support, empowerment, seem to apply equally to these social settings. The exercises from the mandatory readings were particularly engaging, practical and insightful as well and I will be sharing them with my colleagues for their information. On reflection, this has been a constant with this program, it does not only develop me as a manager/leader, but at a personal level as a wife and mother and the value spills over to my colleagues with whom I share the learnings and who are beneficiaries of the programs initiated from the implementation plans in these assignments. |
| Development of Management Skills |
Kelvin Mukuku, Metallurgical Manager at Eastplats, Brits, South African Republic
02.2022 |
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This course unit has been an eye opener as to how technology and digitalization in the concept of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) has improved the performance of other organizations into very effective and profitable businesses. Whilst, as Africa, we might cry at the influence of other external forces on our growth and resources, making us lag behind, I have also learnt that the world will not pause and wait for us to catch up. As the futurist Brett King said, the first principles of design and rethinking should be applied in order to make implementation of technology into the business more effective, as it will be based more on fulfilling the needs and requirements of our customers. This I feel, is very good advice and it gives a clear direction to what needs to be done to achieve this, rather than just implementing technology and digitalization without a clear customer-oriented goal. |
| Operations Residential |
Tatenda-Jane Mangere, Project Accountant at Albarrie Canada Limited, Barrie, Canada
01.2022 |
| Having reflected on my new position at Albarrie Canada and my role as Project Accountant while doing this assignment, I saw an angle I had not seen before. I had not seen myself in a position of leading change and had just been working to fulfill a role. I now have a clear understanding of what I need to do to be more effective at my role and be able to lead the change needed effectively. |
| Development of Management Skills |
Tatenda Makuni, Executive Director at Introcane Enterprises, Harare, Zimbabwe
01.2022 |
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This course allowed me to realise that whilst sometimes we may be quick to blame other people for causing us to fail. A true leader has to possess knowledge and the wits to bulldoze through rough terrains and lead teams successfully. I also realised the importance of people finding you credible, without this one will have a challenge leading change successfully as it will be a daunting task to have people buy what you are trying to convince them to do. I also realised the importance of the change in language when signaling change. Statements like , things are changing around here, can create a readiness for change and as a result it becomes easy to convince people. Repeating the Vision as well is important in personalising the vision and allowing it to be part of those whom we lead. I realised it is critical to ask for one in cases where you are tasked to lead. It will help as a point of reference as well as communicating a common goal. |
| Development of Management Skills |
Martha Bhunu, Associate Director at Standard Chartered Bank, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
12.2021 |
| This residential put a whole new meaning to strategic Management. It is true that the most important thing is value creation. Focusing on future profit potential is critical for organizations who seek to plan strategically instead of being fixated on past achievements. Thank you Prof Kelling for the well thought out and informative residential |
| Strategic Management |
Farayi Maringazuva, Independent Consultant at Comprehensive Consulting, Harare, Zimbabwe
12.2021 |
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Great interactions, group discussions, cross-pollination of ideas, network creation, and most of all the knowledge acquisition. Interesting angle on strategic management, eye-opening will help to improve career progression and strategy formulation for our teams and small organizations giving them a fair chance in this challenging environment. Thank you IBR Institute of International Business Relations and Dr Andreas Kelling for a well-structured program. |
| Strategy Intensive |
Mmakgomo Maubane, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer - Africa & Middle East at Zutari South Africa, Mahikeng, South African Republic
12.2021 |
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Great Global MBA experience, thank you Dr Andreas Kelling for an extremely well packaged five-day online session on Strategic Management. Enjoyed learning from authors who pioneered modern- day thinking on strategy and why businesses exist. Great hearing from chief executives and entrepreneurs of companies in diverse industries, too. Connecting with fellow students was the cherry on top. |
| Strategy Intensive |
Dr Priscilla Madzinga-Kusena, Communication for Development Specialist at UNICEF, Abuja, Nigeria
12.2021 |
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An informative and insightful mentorship session. There is no doubt that businesses should continously design strategies and interventions using a customer needs lens, of course maximising their strengths and belief system. This way, even as changes continue to rock our business world, it is most likely that businesses remain relevant coupled with a strong utility function. Having used human centered design approaches in addressing public health challenges, I found these interlinkages on defining and aligning customer needs with business missions very informative and so exciting. And to top it off, the Malik Gaelweiler Strategy Map, is a powerful tool to minimise the risk of making detrimental business decisions. IBR Institute of International Business Relations, thanks so much. Dr Andreas Kelling - my future profit potential, you were spot on...Looking forward to the next session.. |
| Strategy Intensive |