Fulfilling My Purpose as an MBA in Ghana

One year ago I came into the MBA program with no idea of what I wanted to do when I leave. To be honest, when listening to speakers and professors, I would often find myself questioning the purpose of getting an MBA. Yeah, you can make more money, be smarter, and have a really schnazzy resume. But seriously, what does that really get you? An MBA is only a ticket to a higher salary and more hours in the office if you aren’t able to make the connection of where it fits with your greater purpose. The key is to find that purpose. Simple task, right? But it’s something that needs to be explored at an individual level.

My greater purpose is to explore the world and use the experiences I’ve had through travelling and education to benefit those in less fortunate nations. The Marriott School has what I consider to be a best-kept secret – the Ballard Center for Economic Self-Reliance. (It’s not really a secret; we are all just too busy to look up and see the sign.) The Ballard Center provides students with many opportunities to get involved in social ventures, many of which exist in underdeveloped nations.

Last semester, I applied for a marketing/HR consulting project in Koforidua, Ghana with a rechargeable batteries company called Burro (burrobrand.biz). Burro has an innovative business model designed to help develop economic self-reliance in Ghana by providing more power to more consumers at a much more affordable price. Media and politicians tell us we should serve others by donating goods to those who are less fortunate, and in a time of crisis I can’t think of any better way. But this doesn’t do anything for those in need long term. Economic development is what many impoverished nations need, and companies like Burro help with that development. And BYU MBA students help those companies.

Burro has gained traction over the past two years and now wants to position itself for investors to push for expansive growth. So, four of us MBAs headed down to Koforidua after finals in April to see what we could do. Jennia Parkin and I developed research strategies to help us analyze the company’s branding, product line, hiring, and training efforts. We then made recommendations to the owner regarding marketing and HR strategies that would better serve the company as it positions itself for growth.

We experienced first-hand the challenges of working in a foreign country. It doesn’t matter if you both speak “English;” you will never really speak the same language. Culture, values, and experiences develop dramatic differences in perceptions and you must be acutely aware (and open to) these differences to avoid spinning your wheels. Transportation, processes, communication, sales, and training all happen at a much slower rate in Ghana, as well. It’s not due to a lack of capability or education, but to a lack of infrastructure. Hopefully, if Burro and more companies like it are able to take off in Ghana, the economy will grow, tax revenue will grow, and infrastructure will develop. And the cycle will begin. This takes time, but we must start somewhere. And giving away free products and services to these countries only hinders that economic development.

Let’s not get into that debate, though. This post is about finding the connection between your purpose and your MBA. My experiences in Ghana tie to what I hope will be the future of my career. I ended up doing my summer internship with Procter & Gamble. P&G’s purpose is to touch and improve the lives of more consumers in the world more completely. Burro’s mission is to deliver “high-quality, affordable goods and services to low-income families in the developing world.” If Burro were to write out its purpose, I would imagine it would be very similar to P&G’s, just more targeted to Africa.

These two companies allowed me to discover how my MBA relates to my purpose. My purpose is to explore the world and use the experiences I’ve had through travelling to benefit those in less fortunate nations. It doesn’t matter if I work for a social venture or big corporation.

Business can be one of the greatest aids we can offer any underdeveloped nations. But I wouldn’t have realized this without learning the lessons I did in Ghana. If it weren’t for seeing first-hand how products, like batteries, can develop and improve the quality of life for those in underdeveloped parts of the world, I may have looked at P&G’s purpose as a PR tool to aid in its greedy capitalist strategy. But now I don’t feel that way at all. Having my MBA can only give me more opportunities to explore the world and use business acumen to benefit those less fortunate – social venture or big corporation.

Tara Hair, OB/HR, Class of 2011

Interned at: Procter & Gamble