Meet your lecturers: Terry Kakeeto-Aelen
Let me introduce myself
My name is Terry Kakeeto-Aelen from Uganda. I work as an Assistant Professor in Marketing at MSM. Next to this, I am the Vice Chair of the MSM Examination Board. I teach Research Methods in the Master in Management, Full-time MBA, Executive MBA and Online MBA and sometimes in one of our Global Programs. In addition, I teach Marketing Management to the Master in Management students, and Marketing in a Global Context to MSM’s students in the Global Programs.
I have been working at MSM since February 2012. I hold a Ph.D. from Tilburg University, The Netherlands, an MBA from the University of Pune, India and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Makerere University in Uganda. I am also a Chartered Marketer and member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), U.K. Prior to joining MSM, I worked as a lecturer at Makerere University Business School (MUBS), Uganda where I taught Marketing, Entrepreneurship and General Management related subjects. I also did a great deal of consultancy work in the area of marketing. Moreover, I was actively involved in training SME owner-managers and employees in Uganda and carrying out extension services in the area of Marketing and General Business Management. I have a special interest in the field of Relationship Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, especially among SMEs in developing economies.
So here I am today, doing what I really love
My decision to become a lecturer is something that was not deliberately planned. When I was growing up as a small child in Uganda, I always wanted to be in a profession which could enable me to talk and socialise with people. I always dreamt of becoming a nursery school teacher or a TV presenter as I thought that these professions would give me a chance to interact with several people from different walks of life. However, while pursuing my Master’s program in India, I fell in love with the humility and simplicity of our Indian professors. They were so knowledgeable and yet so humble at heart! Thus, after completing my studies, I was convinced about becoming a lecturer since I thought it would be a wonderful thing to emulate their humility and simplicity. I got lots of encouragement from my parents, whom supported me all the way to achieve this dream. I embarked on my first teaching assignment from Makerere University Business School (MUBS) in Uganda. Many years down the road, after having completed my Ph.D program from Tilburg University in The Netherlands, I was offered an opportunity to teach at MSM. So here I am today doing, something that I really love. Looking back, I have no regrets whatsoever.
You can expect an adventurous journey filled with lots of passion and creativity
When coming for the Research Methods course, students should expect to embark on an adventurous journey filled with lots of passion and creativity. After all, this is what it takes to formulate an interesting research topic. It is pretty much similar to a roller coaster ride. There is so much fun at the end of the day! So much self-discovery along the way! Students realize that they have many more abilities and that they are capable of doing much more than they thought.
About my teaching style
My teaching style can vary a bit depending on the needs of a given cohort. However, in general, I usually use the participatory style of teaching. After I have introduced the key learnings in a new topic, I encourage students to share their thoughts, opinions and any previous knowledge or prior experiences they may have regarding the topic. This way we can all benefit from new knowledge that has been shared and it also gives the discussion a different flavour.
A first insight into my class
We have normal lectures where I introduce students to the main topics when writing a research proposal. These lectures are intertwined with group assignments where I usually divide students into groups of 4 to 5 to brainstorm on a given assignment. In addition, there are several quizzes designed to ensure that students have clearly understood the classroom lectures and group assignments. At the end of the course, students are expected to work on their 10-page proposals. The proposal is an individual assignment.
Mastering Research Methods
At the end of the course, I expect students to have mastered four things:
- Passion (believing in your research topic)
- Creativity (thinking of new and exciting ways to build on your research topic)
- Argumentation (being able to defend in a sound manner the choices that you make regarding your research proposal)
- A logical structure (being able to write in a clear, concise, cohesive and well-structured manner with no grammatical errors).
The Research Methods course will make you more valuable to your employer
Today’s managers need real-time, evidence-based results in order to make sound managerial decisions. Evidence-based results can only be produced by engaging in scientific research. The Research Methods course will enable you to learn how you can engage in scientific research so that you can be able to successfully write your research proposal and Master thesis. Writing your research proposal and Master thesis will, in turn, enable you to acquire many skills along the way namely problem solving, self-discipline, critical reading, logical thinking, argumentation, independence and presentation among many others. Once you are armed with these skills, you will be able to drive whatever organization that you will work for after you have completed your Master program to new heights. For example, you will be more critical about your colleagues’ work and will not accept sub-standard work, you will want to do your own research by further reading (thus an active recipient of information) rather than passively accepting whatever information comes your way, etc. Thus, in summary, this course will provide you with several skills that will make you more valuable to your employer.
To my future students I would like to say…
Take the front seat, put on your seatbelt, get set and ready to go on an exciting roller coaster ride. It is a whole new world of discovering your hidden potential. There will be so much fulfilment at the end of the day!
About the MSM MBA
The Master in Business Administration (MBA) of Maastricht School of Management is an experience in the essence of organizational leadership and entrepreneurial management in a fast-changing, multi-cultural and global business environment.
It is offered in three different formats to accommodate your needs:
Our MBA takes a practice-oriented approach, focusing on putting your newly gained knowledge and skills into your daily professional and personal life. Immediately from the first course you can apply what you have learned during the interactive lectures, practice-based assignments, work visits and guest lectures (on-campus MBA programs). During the MBA you will also develop your hard and soft skills to be able to manage in an effective and responsible way. To fully align your MBA with your career ambitions or to develop yourself in a completely new area you can choose from different specializations. You will share your MBA experience with fellow students coming from different countries around the world and having different cultural and professional backgrounds. This not only adds to your learning experience but will help to significantly grow your international network.
About the MSM Master in Management
The MSM Master of Arts in Management (MM) program is a one-year full-time master’s program for recent graduates and young professionals (< 3 years of working experience) with the ambition to manage people and processes with success in any organization, country or context.
Our MM provides you with a first necessary step to fast-forward your career to higher levels by providing you with a solid foundation in the practice and theory of management in a fast-changing global world. During this course you will be provided with the opportunity to understand how to steer your organization to high performance in a diverse and multicultural international business context. You will learn from experienced faculty, international companies and fellow participants from different cultural, business and study backgrounds.
The MSM Master of Arts in Management will ultimately challenge you to develop your own unique approach to management that inspires.
