Scholarship / To be an expert in Behavioural and Experimental (B/E) Economics. Chevening - course choice question [5]

Chevening - course choice question

My primary goal behind investing the time to join a second master's program is to effectively specialize in Behavioural and Experimental (B / E) Economics. I am looking to employ my past academic and professional experience, to systematically expand stronger roots, to develop a more sophisticated dimension to my research ideas, and to be planted in a relevant academic environment that would inspire me explore a better versatile perspective on the discipline.

Consequently, I followed three main criteria while considering the courses of my choice. First, having future plans to pursue an academic career and to actively publish my work, I searched for programs by the rank of the economics department in the venue of E/B Economics, so I can learn from and connect with the best in the field. Second, having plans to develop the economics laboratory in my home faculty, I searched for institutions where I could both actively participate as a subject inasmuch experiments as possible, and be involved in an on-ground lab management experience. Third, owing to my current post as an economic analyst/ strategic planner for (Company Name), I frequently work on preparing reports on topics with a hint of Macroeconomics, Finance, and Industrial Organisation in them. For example, Taxation policies, factors affecting trends in stock market valuations, growth expectations and asset pricing, production technologies analysis, etc.. In part of my work I feel that adding a behavioural perspective to my analysis, reflecting the irrationality of market agents would yield a great value and depth to the end-result. Accordingly, I looked for programs that basically offer a thorough background on B/E Economics, in addition to a hint of Finance and Industrial Economics in their elective module structure.

Hence, the programs of my choice are: 1) MSc Behavioural Economics in the University of Nottingham. The Economics department in Nottingham University ranks third worldwide in the field of B/E Economics according to the program's website. The program offers contact with the Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics which provides both an on-ground lab experience and continuous workshops with the best in the field. In addition the course structure offers modules in Corporate Finance, Industrial Organisation, Financial Macro-Econometrics, among others. 2) MSc Behavioural and Experimental Economics in the University of East Anglia, offering contact to the Centre for Behavioural and Experimental Social Science. Last, 3) MSc Experimental Economics in Durham University, offering a great course structure, including a Behavioural finance module and a Financial Modeling/ Business Forecasting module.

Scholarship / It took me to realize that it is people that I want to be an expert at. Chevening 5 year career plan [2]

I had to add the word (details) in some places cause I don't have the right to publicly share this information, hope it won't hinder you, thanks.

Several years back, whenever I was asked "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?", the most sincere answer I could think of was that I see myself as an expert at something, the best, the one to consult when it comes to that matter. I always knew I wanted to be the best, however, back then, I didn't really have a sense of direction. Then, a few months ago, I did my first natural field experiment on ( details), assessing the effect of (details). It took me (details) to realize that it is people that I want to be an expert at!

Immediately upon finishing the program, I plan to resume both my academic and professional careers, employing the new set of skills I developed.

As an economic researcher in (details), I plan to always add a behavioural perspective to my analysis in relevant topics. For example, studying the effect of information asymmetry, bubbles, and speculation on Forex markets; studying the possibility of developing micro-finance structures that would help promoting the creation of micro and small enterprises; studying the relation between political trust and financial stability, among others.

As a part-time teaching assistant at ((details)), I plan to initiate an extracurricular activity, modelling the role of the (Behavioural Insights Team in the UK). This model would serve in introducing undergraduate Economics students to Behavioural science and its role in testing and possibly shaping government policies. Besides I plan to lobby for and help in introducing an Experimental Economics course to the modules offered in the under or postgraduate levels.

Moreover, I plan to work on initiating a business in the field of corporate training, depending on my network as a former employee in (details), and (details), and a current employee in (details). I aim at developing and delivering professional courses on topics like decision making, strategic planning, and influencing people, all through applying an experimental methodology in delivery. Doing so, I wouldn't be only benefiting from a prominent career, but I will also benefit from the access to corporate employees as an intriguing subject pool for my experiments.

In 3 to 5 years I plan to pursue my PhD, extending my academic career to being a full time lecturer in one of the (details) Universities. In addition, on the long run, I plan to resume my endeavors as a researcher and a consultant. My long term career plan is to fulfil my 19 year old vision of being an expert at people, the Homo-Reciprocans! I want to quantify what truly incentivises them, their cognitive biases, their far from rational decision making mechanisms, their, selfless/selfish tendencies. I want to deliver these insights to help in shaping government policies and international relations in my country, accounting for our cultural specificity.

Scholarship / Leaders are made of the sincere, devoted pursuit after a cause or a vision [2]

Chevening - Leadership question.

I believe that leaders are made of the sincere, devoted pursuit after a cause or a vision. That is why I would claim that one of my most valuable assets is my ability to develop my own vision, to re-formulate it into a strategy, and to confidently and persistently act on my own initiative. I can think of two examples to best demonstrate my approach to leadership.

First, as an undergraduate student, participating in the youth entrepreneurship community ENACTUS, I made my way to be the only female participant in the graphic design team for the year 2013. I did such a great job, celebrated by all my peers, that a tradition was initiated after I graduated to have a quota of amateur graphic designer female participants in what was formerly a male dominated activity.

Second, as a fresh graduate taking my first full-time jobs as a Document Controller for (detail). My job description entailed keeping an updated, coded and signed set of documents dictating the workflow of an organisation pursuing after an ISO-9001 certification. Few month into my job, I grew increasingly alarmed by the amount of time and paper wasted on keeping the documentation system hardly updated for such a dynamic institution of 1000+ employees.

Soon after, I came up with a plan to transfer our paper-based documentation system into a much more efficient electronic one. I took the time to design a fully detailed mock-up, implemented using storage clouds to help me demonstrate the merits of my vision. Then, I set sail to present my idea to the responsible individuals in the top management. Though my concept was applauded by my superiors, still, I was confronted with the cost constraint. That was when I decided to figure out another approach to tackle the cost/benefit issue.

I decided to collaborate with colleagues from other departments to find ways through which we can demonstrate the collective benefit from an electronic documentation system, offering the flexibility and confidentiality, to update, approve, and communicate our work process. Indeed, discussions with the HR department reflected the benefits of regular HR policy communication. Besides, discussions with the customer complaints department reflected the percentage of errors recorded owing to miscommunicated procedural updates between the different teams in the technical unit.

Afterwards, I put my concept through a long refinement process of adding, omitting and adjusting. Eventually, after a year of dedicated work, the project was approved and scheduled for Implementation.

Currently, it's prevailed that the system will is of dire importance to the company in the process of conforming to the new ISO-9001/2015 qualifications. Moreover, I trust that it hasn't just helped modernise the work process in the Company, but most importantly, it saved Mother Earth loads of paper that were deemed to waste.