Posts by Memduh

Memduh

Oct 17, 2017

Scholarship / Specified program choice. Does the content stand comprehensive in regard to the prompt? [5]

@Haya103222

No, there are not any courses that have relation to the masters I seek to study. It was completely in English Language and Literature. BUT, I have decided to shift my studies to business and management because I have been working in this context for the last three years and I am still doing this kind of business. Moreover, the kind of programmes that I have selected and their structural modules enable students from various disciplines to study them and succeed in it.

Memduh

Oct 17, 2017

Scholarship / The current situation has limited UK actions in Syria, still, I've tried to sound reasonable [3]

obigation to transform academic work into actions

As a Chevening awardee and a holder of a master degree from one of the most reputable universities in the UK, I have the obligation to transform the academic work and the ethical principles of these programs into actions, the thing that requires a well-tailored career plan.

My first aim is to work for JCI Aleppo which is part of the world-wide JCI organization. This local non-governmental chamber is formed by public figures from the community of Aleppo and the chamber of commerce. The organization purpose is to empower the civil society of Aleppo in various aspects. It launches activities and workshops to help those seeking higher education or preparing for the work field. This includes subjects in business communication, basics of leadership and networking and other professional development seminars. My main objective is to share the finest academic knowledge I have learned in the UK and reach as many people as I can with the help of this NGO. In other words, it will be my platform to convey the practical techniques I have applied to assist prospective leaders to start their journey.

On the other hand, my long tern-objectives are based on the historical and cultural features of the place I come from. Aleppo; Syria's largest city and the financial and industrial center of the country. The ancient city was built on trade and the Aleppians (its citizens) have always been merchants first and foremost. The geopolitical situation has made its location an important trade hub and an essential connecting point of ancient trade networks like the silk road

In 2012, the chamber of commerce stated that Aleppo's local contribution to Syria's gross domestic product was 24% which made almost a quarter of Syria's GDP. The city is renowned for textile and fabric industry, which is completely home-made from cotton seeds to the clothes that spread the markets of neighboring countries, Europe and Russia. All these made feel the responsibility to take action and utilize my expertise and the academic knowledge I will gain from studying at the UK to restore Syria's place among the middle east economies.

Therefore, I plan to establish my consultancy agency to focus on international trade development and provide business services for local manufacturers, merchants, and importer/ exporters. I will work to introduce business policies like those applied by the UK government to create businesses that can face national and international challenges and prosper in this ever-changing market.

The agency will be the connecting bridge between Syrian industrialist and craftsmen and British investors who are looking for growing economies and searching for business potential. Furthermore, my agency will be responsible to develop a critical awareness of the issues affecting the Syrian economy and offer the knowledge, skills, and expertise to assist organisations in achieving sustainable business future. The thing that will increase confidence in foreign investors and encourage them to do business in a country that has a long history in trade.

My vision is to vitalize our economy and build again industries that attract foreign investors from the UK and the world.

Memduh

Oct 16, 2017

Writing Feedback / Many people think that every individual is responsible for their own healthy lifestyle. [5]

Hi, I think you have gone through the second view further than the first one. I would suggest a balance of ideas between both of them. Also, you have to make a clear statement of your opinion which expresses your own understanding of the subject and convey your message.

your grammatical structure and use of vocabulary are good.

Good luck

Memduh

Oct 15, 2017

Scholarship / Specified program choice. Does the content stand comprehensive in regard to the prompt? [5]

Thank you for comments. I have revised the essay again and developed it to cover the prompt points.

Memduh

Oct 14, 2017

Scholarship / Specified program choice. Does the content stand comprehensive in regard to the prompt? [5]

Outline why you have selected your chosen three university courses, and explain how this relates to your previous academic or professional experience and your plans for the future.

Bradford, Aberdeen and Coventry

I have chosen International Business and Management program at the University of Bradford for two main reasons. first of all, the institution is distinguished by its multi-culture nature remarked by great figures of international students and boards, and the fact that being part of an elite group of business schools to achieve the 'Triple Crown' accreditation is undoubtedly stimulating. The second one which is quite essential to my degree is the dynamic structure of this course, it is flexible and suitable for me to transit to the world of business studies smoothly and academically. The constituent modules of this course are closely related to particular situations I have faced previously in the work field. One of which is cross-cultural management module which I can relatively connect to my experience of supervising staff from various cultural backgrounds.

My second choice is the University of Aberdeen, what distinguishes this school is the strategy followed by their experts in providing its academic excellence to students. The learning methods are remarkably related to the job field; through individual and group projects it focuses on skills which are sought after by employers. Moreover, the essence of this one-year-master degree is the profound impact the assessment methods will leave on my competency as a future leader. This will polish my mindset to be able to think thoroughly, analyze data, set up business plans, and make decisions that function in accordance with the business environment I am engaged with. In other words, the program of international business management will work as a proof to prospective employers to gauge my business knowledge and give me a powerful recruitment tool to secure better future.

My third selection is Coventry University, the international business management program taught there lays down vital importance on the critical need to understand the operational nature of doing business globally. I highly estimate the credits earned from this subject and understand why the program directors assigned two mandatory modules just to elaborate the notion of worldwide business, these modules will be of great importance to my future plans when it comes to dealing with professional MNEs (multinational enterprises). It will provide me with real-life experiential methods that are essential for global business. Moreover, I will have the competence to face the greatest business opportunities and also the greatest challenges that require true global leaders to act, think and create value.

At the end, my business space is pretty crowded these days and one of the major ways to stand out from the crowd is to be viewed as a leader, therefore, the abovementioned three courses will be the tool by which I will expand my area of expertise in business and management. The opportunity Chevening offers to get access to the nitty-gritty of the most advanced master programs will be invaluable to my academic record since most of the business schools in Syria are not able yet to provide such practical courses in this particular niche.

Memduh

Oct 14, 2017

Writing Feedback / The essay about nature and nurture kind of talent [4]

Hello, there are some grammatical errors that caused ambiguity. I could not follow your string of ideas smoothly. It would be better if you used connectors and conjunctions in a more accurate way in order to understand the ideas you are trying to explain.

Memduh

Oct 14, 2017

Scholarship / This is a prompt about 'challenges you have faced' for the Apiasf scholarship [4]

Hello, as we can read from your short essay, that the academic difficulty you had was speaking English. But you did not mention how you were able to overcome this challenge. what kind of measures and techniques you followed in order to change this situation and move forward. The prompt is asking you to explain the way you managed to overcome this challenge. I think it is better if you focus on this point in order to answer the question the best way possible.

Memduh

Oct 14, 2017

Student Talk / I am a bit shy, when I have to speak in English, I always worry about my mistakes; I lack confidence [38]

WE all were once shy to speak in English, if I tell you my stories about speaking English for the first time, you will tell yourself; oh no I am in better condition.

no one is born perfect. stick to your goals and never care what others say

Memduh

Oct 13, 2017

Scholarship / Is it more solid to mention the names of people and places of workplace in the content? Chevening [3]

@holt, the experience I mentioned above took place in 2015, and I think it deserves to be the answer to this question because it was my first time to be in a serious position which required me to show responsibility and be under the spotlight.

In December 2015, I was thrilled to receive the promotion to my first senior job position in my career. It was the experience to become sales and patient's relation manager at Natural Hair Turkey after working as sales team leader there. From that experience, I developed my own understanding of leadership. When you put your resources, knowledge, and expertise in the hands of those following you, then you deserve the title. It is only when you enable subordinates to think responsibly and have the courage to go the extra mile, you earn to be an influencer.

The clinic was managed haphazardly lacking a system of planned schedules to direct personnel and coordinate their daily tasks in advance. There was only one Turkish operation manager responsible for running the place. She was covering multiple departments the thing that wasted her time considerably. Although the clinic was not short-staffed (more than 20 multi-national employees), the working mechanism seemed problematic and I noticed that employees are working without stimulus; just for a paycheck, no harmonious atmosphere between the Turkish medical consultants and the Arabic-English translators in the time that neither one of them is dispensable to the other.

Because of its remarkable impact on staff's morale and performance, I placed solving issues related to workplace and employees at the top of my priority list. I wanted to alter the way they perceive their duties and responsibilities towards clients and towards their workmates as well. Therefore, I asked the operation manager, who was the starting point, to provide me with all staff's resumes and information to take a look on it before meeting with them individually. My goal was to establish a solid professional relationship that is based on reliability and the willingness to collaborate. With some communication skills and my sufficient command of Turkish language, I was able to get close to them in a short period of time and encouraged them to become more proactive to share their problems with me. Moreover, I divided them into small groups in order have an organized working environment and embrace the benefits of teamwork. By accomplishing that, I managed to make the workforce adapt easily to changes and apply flexibly new rules and measures that are necessary to increase revenue and improve client's satisfaction. I introduced an inclusive sales improvement strategy in order to boost the sales revenue, set sales targets according to the market situation and develop the incentives and bonuses schedule. I applied the quota system to vitalize the sales process and motivate sales persons. Though it was a new transform to the way they used to approach sales and a tough challenge and could not be achieved from the first two months, I succeeded to catch targets in the third month and started to break the sales records of the company.

To conclude, that situation unveiled my qualifications which allow me to be in charge, the thing I will strive to polish within the Chevening community of professional experts and colleagues.

Memduh

Oct 7, 2017

Scholarship / Is it more solid to mention the names of people and places of workplace in the content? Chevening [3]

Chevening is looking for individuals who will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer.

I am qualified to be in charge

During the past three years, I have been through several situations that required me to develop a set of practical skills that are essential in the work field. At the same time, those situations placed my leadership competency at stake and proved how reliable and influential I could be.

I would like to start with my first senior job-position where I was responsible for two agents operating in telesales for foreign customers. The main duty was to be able to convince clients and earn their trust so that they would choose your company for their needs. one of my sales agents was facing some issues in closing his deals, the thing that affected his morale and caused him anxiety. I started to work out this issue by listening to his calls with clients via our CRM software, then specified fifteen minutes every day to meet with him and address his weak points in negotiation with potential customers. in less than a month of probation period and frequent follow-up, he was able to control his personality and close deals confidently and professionally. Moreover, his contribution to the team's revenue increased and motivated him to exert more efforts.

The other situation that formed a turning-point in my career and enriched significantly my leadership skills is the promotion I received to manage the sales process and coordinate the human resources of a leading multinational staffed clinic for hair restoration in Istanbul. I started by organizing the working mechanism between Turkish and foreigner personnel, after that, I divide them into small groups, then, I assigned one translator to work only with a certain group of Turkish medical consultants.Consequently, I was able to follow and evaluate the performance of every team easily and encouraged them to work closely and accomplish their tasks successfully. On the other part of the job, I introduced an inclusive sales improvement strategy in order to boost the sales revenue, set sales targets according to the market situation and develop the incentives and bonuses schedule. I applied the quota system to vitalize the sales process and motivate sales persons. Though it was a new transform to the way they used to approach sales and a tough challenge and could not be achieved from the first two months, we caught the target in the third month and started to break the sales record of the company.

What I wanted to express from the abovementioned achievements is the fact that I do have a set of professional skills that qualify me to be in charge, also it demonstrates the positive attitude I follow in influencing others towards problem-solving and sharing the responsibility. Alongside other effective skills, I will polish my leadership competency with an in-depth understanding of the academic concepts the Chevening scholarship will provide within its community of professional experts and colleagues, the thing that will prepare me well to go back to Aleppo and carry out what a Chevening award leader can do.

Memduh

Oct 7, 2017

Undergraduate / 'If you feel it so you can do it' - background/story essay [6]

@Johana

I can a see a plenty of grammatical and spelling mistakes that would make the story hard to be understood. I advise you to check the complete structure of your story

Memduh

Oct 5, 2017

Writing Feedback / Some people think that boarding schools are an exellent option for children, while others disagree [3]

I assume that this short essay is for the IELTS test which asks students to show their competency in writing clear, well-understood English. Therefore, you should pay more attention to the grammar, punctuation, and correct spelling of words.

The introduction lacks smooth transition from one sentence to another, consider re-writing it again to become more connected.
exellent is excellent

Obviously, it will useful for them in their future to solve many problem by theirself. should be :in the future, it could be useful for them to solve many problems by themselves.

As an instance ;; for an instance

good luck

Memduh

Oct 4, 2017

Scholarship / The importance of developing a network and related skills - CHEVENING [4]

@holt,I have to admit that I mixed between leadership and networking since both prompts concentrate on influencing others.Anyway, I wrote the essay again focusing on your advice, thank you.

When I first arrived in Istanbul and started to search for a job, I faced a major difficulty in getting many of the positions I applied for. The reason behind that was not my lack of experience nor my low qualifications, it was as I found out later, the concern from hiring a refugee coming from a war zone without being recommended from a native citizen or at least being introduced by a local one. At that time, I realized how important and challenging it is to gain trust in foreign communities which in turn encouraged me to delve in and become an active member the best way possible.

My first job position in Istanbul was in real estate sector, I was the liaison tool that connects potential investors with Istanbul's best estates for investment. My mission was to accompany investors in their journey to select their property, through which I managed to establish a wide network of sales executives and marketing specialist in every project in order to facilitate the sales process and deliver what my clients need. I maintain the business relationship we have built for future opportunities through many ways, we are connected via LinkedIn in order to update each other with new projects. Also, we have met occasionally at real estate expos which take place every year. Another solid connection I would like to bring is my former manager at Istanbul Property Services, he taught me how real estate business goes in Istanbul and we have done great work together. Though it's been more than two years since I left that company, I still have a professional relationship with him based on cooperation by referring clients who show interest in investing in Istanbul.

After that experience in real estate, I moved to telesales field in which I received my first promotion to a sales manager, in which I have developed effective relationships with seniors from various specialties involved in our business process, particularly; IT specialists, digital marketing specialists and operation managers. One of which is my everlasting relation with my Turkish workmate who is operation manager at my former workplace. On the other hand, I was determined to expand my contact list with people from the same area of expertise, especially, those working for our main competitors, the thing I managed to succeed with by establishing a professional network with "turkeyanaclinic" sales manager who turned to be from my hometown. We bolstered our connection through regular meetings that were business-focused in order to share experiences and increase the competitiveness between our sales agents.

To sum it up, I have comprehended the value of having efficient networking skills to seize opportunities or thrive in current positions, therefore I will strive to expand my professional network within the Chevening community and take it to higher level by establishing working relationships among my fellows who study the same program and seem to have mutual concern.

Memduh

Oct 3, 2017

Scholarship / The importance of developing a network and related skills - CHEVENING [4]

I hope that this answer meet its prompt

Chevening is looking for individuals with strong networking skills, who will engage with the Chevening community and influence and lead others in their chosen profession. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your networking skills, and outline how you hope to use these skills in the future..

enhancing networking skills and utilize them

Although I was not an avid user of the internet and lacked basic networking skills when living in my hometown of Aleppo, I began to understand the importance of developing a network and related skills when I arrived in Istanbul. This move enlightened me of the absolute need to become part of a community in order to build my career in the modern world of technology. I started from scratch to become an active member of my surrounding community and to establish connections with others in order to seize the opportunity or thrive in my current position. Presently, after more than three years I am still reminded of the challenge of having my character and experience appraised and as one who can be trusted to influence and lead other members of my community.

During the past three years of my career in sales and management, I have experienced a variety of situations that have required me to develop professional techniques and skills, which would enable me to be more effective with networking.

The first situation occurred when I represented a company in a "Tuyap" construction expo in Istanbul. At the expo, I had to provide specific information about our products to visitors and to answer their questions about the specifications of each item. As a skilled listener, I had to determine the nature of their question and respond accordingly being very careful with showing them respect and the utmost interest to their queries, even if such question were not relative to my purpose for being there. The expo was for five days and I remember that three visitors returned with their friends or colleagues who also had a particular interest in our products. Consequently, I managed to sustain personal and business relationships that benefited both me and the company, primarily because I gave them my full attention and secured their trust.

The other situation that has proven what could be achieved from close networking is when I was sales manager at Natural Hair Turkey, I was responsible for directing the sales process and managing the working staff which took all my time at the hospital. Aside from that, I used to have a quick chat with one of the clients to ask them about their views and what kind of suggestion they would offer to improve our services. I noticed that clients were more influenced when they receive appreciation from seniors and made them more comfortable to share their experience frankly.

I hope to enhance my skills within the community of the Chevening program, thereby allowing me to focus on my networking skills and utilize them in contexts familiarizing me with relative and important topics, be it academic or professional. Furthermore, I look to exchange ideas and experiences with my colleagues who may have been exposed to similar situations so that I can benefit from the way they handled it and see it from their perspective.