I am a highly dedicated business professional with an undergraduate degree in business complemented by my MBA. Now, with 22 years of 'real world' experience that includes 10 years as an Adjunct Professor, helping to develop business contracting fairs, serving as keynote speaker at community business events, etc. I feel that 43 years old is the optimal time for me to contribute to a doctoral program so that I will continue to make progress towards an eventual tenured position. While I have enormous respect for the research record of accomplishment of your entire faculty, I am especially enthused about the possibility of studying under Drs. XXXX, because of my keen interest in employee satisfaction; XXXX because of her work in sustainable supply chain management systems; and XXXX with his specialization in management development training programs as well as employee attitude measurement, two of the areas in which I feel most inspired to engage.
Most of all, I seek to distinguish myself because of my fervent devotion to sustainable development on both local and global levels. From manufacturing processes through renewable products, I take a critical look at everything from the perspective of our need for clean energy. As a doctoral student, I especially look forward to investigating how new businesses are created in emerging industries, entrepreneurship activities and management techniques of small emerging businesses, particularly those with immigrant or transnational founders. Another specific area of interest that I hope to develop further is the measurement of the effects of spousal/family conflict on job satisfaction of police/corrections officers. I seek a thoroughgoing, lifelong engagement with best methods and practices to improve management education across cultural and political borders, particularly in the context of multinational organizations.
I have long made pro bono work an integral and central function of my professional identity. I have helped many small companies to get their disadvantaged business certification, for example. In the future, I hope to sponsor local and regional initiatives to encourage and foster research into the use and growth of innovative technologies and their introduction into the marketplace. I would also like to initiate and sponsor local outreach programs to better introduce new startups to the community.
After completing the DBA Degree at XXXX, I hope to find a tenure-track teaching and research position at a regional Division II university. It is my sincere hope to be able to continue to inspire the next generation of students to think about business not only in global dimensions but also in terms of sustainability. I wish to dedicate the bulk of my time over the long term to research, writing for newspapers, magazines, and on-line, in the areas of energy sustainability, job satisfaction, employee-employer relationships, and economic issues relating to what is now commonly referred to as the "Secondary Labor Market" (entry level employees in retail for example). As a DBA, I feel strongly that it will be my duty as well as calling to lend my support to those millions of Americans who work extremely hard for little pay and NO benefits whatsoever.
I have especially enjoyed serving as a regular speaker for XXXX County Nevada, when they would host seminars for small businesses looking to get into the arena of government contracting. My area of specialization was federal procurement regulations, and how those rules apply to small businesses. In addition to my pro bono work with new startups in my community, I have also performed countless hours of community service working with Habitat for Humanity, the XXXX Shelter (for women and children in Las Vegas), and the First Baptist Church in XXXX, TX (rebuilding after Hurricane Dolly, 2008). As an international businessperson, I have faced special challenges while working abroad in Africa and Latin America as well as Afghanistan & Pakistan—the language barrier can be most difficult and requires the cultivation of vast patience. My Spanish is too basic for me to get by without a translator in Mexico. Doing business in South Africa, Botswana, and Lesotho was a relief, therefore, since most people speak English. Cultural differences also figure prominently among my challenges; dealing with supply chain issues during Ramadan in Pakistan comes to mind, when the supply stops for a full month.
I am deeply troubled by the way in which the developing countries in which I have done business lack the technology structure to produce finished goods. The desire is often there, and sometimes the skill set is present, but the machinery is not available. Throughout the Global North we take it for granted that a machine will be maintained properly and fixed or re-calibrated when needed. But this is simply not the case in many of the countries where I have worked, certainly not in Lesotho, Botswana, or Afghanistan, countries with little to no transportation infrastructure in most areas. I have learned that there are no easy solutions to economic issues in the Developing World. Education, however, is a good first step in the right direction. While it will require at least several generations, the more educated the people of developing countries become, the less dependent they will be on outside sources.
While I constantly join in the celebration of diverse cultures and beliefs, I also enjoy focusing on those aspects of our characters, wants, and desires that we all share as human beings.
Thank you for considering my application to your program.
DBA Personal Purpose Statement Samples
