Business

Over the years I have developed an intense interest in business and economics and a strong desire to further my education. My intended major is Business Administration and my second choice is economics. My motivations to continue my education and to major in BusinessEconomics are related to my family history, my culture, and my experience the following paragraphs will explain these motivations.

To begin with, one of my strongest motivations to pursue a higher education comes from my mother. It had always been her dream to obtain a higher education in the US, however this dream remained unfulfilled as her father was not able to fund this. She had always told me that it would mean more to her to see me achieve this same goal, and this has always been a primary motivation for me to obtain a higher education in the US. In the summer of 2009, my mother passed away. While she will not be able to see me graduate, I ensured her that I would achieve this objective. It would bring me great satisfaction to achieve this goal in her name and memory and would mean a lot to my family members as well.

While my motivations to pursue a higher education in the US are strong, equally strong is my motivation to obtain a higher education in Business Administration. This is the result of a strong family history of business ownership and management. Specifically, my Uncle own and operates a jewelry store which has been successfully operated for many years. I have gained firsthand experience in many aspect of business management by assisting my Uncle with his business. I have gained experience in the following business functions accountingbookkeeping, inventory management, human resources, information systems and business software, customer service, marketing, etc. The diverse experience I have acquired through his business has piqued my interest in business in general and will make my contributions to class discussions more valuable. My intentions are to continue to assist my Uncle in the operation of his business and to apply the concepts and tools I learn in school to improve the efficiency of the business and to stimulate growth. I also plan on continuing to operate this business when my Uncle retires, and I realize that a business education will provide me with the tools and skills I need to manage the business in the most effective and efficient way. While I have learned how to operate a business from my Uncle, I also realize there is great potential for growth and improvement and my business education will provide a means to this end. Within business, I have developed a particularly strong interest in accounting, finance, and marketing. I have seen how effective marketing can really grow a business and Im interested in learning the skills to grow revenue in my Uncles business. I have also seen the value the accounting and finance function plays in ensuring the operational efficiency of the firm and how it provides insight into how the business can be run more effectively. Gaining skills in marketing and accounting will allow me to grow revenue for my Uncles business and at the same time reduce costs and increase efficiency. This will result in increased profits and growth and is an exciting proposition for me and my family.

Culturally, I was born into a Chinese-Indonesian culture in which the eldest son of a family has the biggest responsibility to achieve success. This has challenged and motivated me to pursue a higher education and to successfully run the family business. My cultural heritage has also provided me with a competitive disposition that will help me greatly in the field of business. I am constantly competing with others as well as with myself to produce better work and to achieve the best results.  I also consider myself to be a very tolerant person in regard to other cultures, which is an important characteristic to have if one is to be able to cooperate, learn from, and work with individuals from different cultures. Teamwork and collaboration is critically important in business today, and I feel that I have the interpersonal skills and tolerance to work effectively with other people. This will both assist me in the classroom and professionally.

The combination of my mothers wishes, my family history in business ownership and management, my Uncles business that I will one day run, and my cultural heritage all provide me with great motivation to achieve a higher education in businesseconomics in the US. I will pursue my education with passion and commitment and will be able to apply the skills I learn in the classroom immediately in the real world, while at the same time being able to bring real world issues and challenges into the classroom. This reciprocal relationship will provide great value to me academically and professionally and will increase the value of my classroom contributions.