¶ … Management Education on the Development of Turkey

Management education will help propel my region, Turkey, into a global force. As a nation with a strong skill set and a large population, we have the resources needed to move forward in the global economy. We are becoming increasingly integrated into the European marketplace, so the time is now to make the next step to becoming a fully-developed nation. But this cannot be done without managerial expertise. In the past, Turkey has survived on our workers, but with stronger management we will thrive in the global marketplace.

My family comes from the textile sector, which in Turkey is in a transitional phase. Historically our firms were engaged mainly in the production function. But in recent years we have emerged as a center of design as well, bringing our own brands to the world stage. We have design talent, but we will need management talent to fully make this transition. It is the managers who have the broad-based knowledge base needed to coordinate our resources in ways we have previously been unable to achieve. By successfully transitioning from production to design we will not only retain the jobs we have created but we will also generate the type of high-end jobs that sustain modern economies.

For me personally, I have worked in architectural firms and in my family's textile business. In doing so I have gained a keen understanding of the design function and a rough knowledge of how a business operates. In the face of competition from the Far East, we have repositioned ourselves in the marketplace and wish to complete the transition. Business leaders with knowledge that is both broad and deep are scarce in Turkey. Our firm has global aspirations in terms of design, but to achieve them we need leaders such as myself that can combine our passion for design with a solid grounding in fundamental managerial skills.