Alumni profile
James Robson, Full-time MBA
Completing the Bradford full-time MBA allowed 32-year-old James Robson, who hails from Leeds, to develop transferrable skills that meant he could work outside the UK.
James is now Senior Property Manager for New South Wales working for Woolworths Pty Ltd - Australia's largest retailer and the country's second biggest employer.
"In terms of actual achievements during the MBA, I think the biggest one must be the feeling of success that I got when I graduated. The MBA was challenging, both in terms of the content of the course, but also in terms of the workload. When I graduated I felt I had worked hard for the qualification, and it helped me realise that I am capable of working hard in the professional environment. I think this change in mindset was the biggest achievement of the qualification," commented James, who realised that a postgraduate qualification would lead to good career development.
"My experience at Bradford helped in two ways in my current role. Firstly, it gave me transferrable skills that have meant I am marketable in job markets outside the UK. A Bradford MBA is recognised and respected outside Britain. Secondly, it has given me the confidence to work out solutions to complex business problems. The management aspect of my role covers most of the MBA modules - I am involved in strategy formulation and execution, HR policies, operations management etc - and I think the MBA has given me a framework for understanding each of these areas and their role in business decisions.
"I was lucky enough to meet a really good group of people on my MBA, from walks of life that I would otherwise never have run across. This summer I will be going to the wedding of a German plastics expert that I met at University, then I will go to Florida to meet with another of my friends from the MBA - these are opportunities and friendships that I would never have had if I hadn't done the MBA. I don't think those friendships can be over estimated.
"The MBA gave me a framework for decision making that Woolworths have seen the benefit of. I can make a decision on purchasing a property, for example, and understand how that will affect the strategy, who we will need to employ to run the property, what the legal implications are, and how much we can afford to spend developing the property. I think Woolworths sees the benefits of this high level thinking. On the other hand, I am able to understand the detail of my role. So, I am comfortable talking to a lawyer about the land acquisition, or to a tax consultant on the implications of the land acquisition on Woolworths tax liabilities.
"I think the main things that need to be expressed to any potential Bradford MBA candidate is that the course gives students an in depth knowledge of all aspects of modern business, creating business people that are capable of making real world decisions.
"The course also offers students the opportunity to mix with a diverse group of business people, with different skills, and previous experience. There is no other way to get this kind of experience other than by completing an MBA, and the Bradford MBA is particularly good because of the wide range of countries and experience levels represented in the average cohort.
"Completing the MBA gives student the confidence to know that they are world leading business people. Therefore, if the student wants to change career, or wants to change geographic location, then this MBA gives them the credibility to do so," James concluded.