Informational Interview Report

Running head : INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW REPORT

COM 2301: Professional Communication Dr. A. Agnaou

Informational Interview Report Dr. Mounsif Bouhafra, Entrepreneur and Marketing Professor at Al Akhawayn University

Rihab Oudda Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane Fall 2020

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Running head : INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW REPORT

Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 3 PART I: Background .................................................................................................................................... 3 Part II: Interview Script ................................................................................................................................ 4 PART III: Lessons Learned .......................................................................................................................... 9 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 10 Appendices.................................................................................................................................................. 11

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Introduction This following report is an interview I conducted with Dr Mounsif Bouhafra who is an entrepreneur and a marketing professor, which are my two dream jobs. My intent from this interview was to gain more insight on these two careers. For that reason, Dr Bouhafra was the perfect fit for this interview.

PART I: Background Since a young age, I have been imagining myself doing what I love: developing a project and sharing my area of expertise. As a business administration student doing a marketing concentration, I can definitely see myself diving into the entrepreneurship and marketing world but also continuing my studies and becoming a university professor. These two careers are like an evidence for me in a world where there are too many options. In order to know more about those fields, I have chosen to interview Dr Mounsif Bouhafra who was my marketing professor from whom I learned a lot and whom I highly admire for his unstoppable dedication for sharing knowledge with us when it came to class materials but also for his valuable advice about the business world and entrepreneurship. I am extremely glad I have gotten the chance to interview him.

Dr Mounsif Bouhafra joined Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI) right after getting his high school diploma from Meknes in 1994. He majored in business administration with a double concentration in finance and international business. After getting his Bachelor, he pursued his graduate education in the UK where he got his master's degree in marketing management from Nottingham Business School. Later on, he decided to get his PhD in business communication in Morocco.

After returning to Morocco from the UK, Dr Mounsif Bouhafra started working at the Ministry of Finance as an accountant for several years. Not enjoying his work, he decided to quit and to start living out of his passion for entrepreneurship and marketing as well as becoming a university professor. For that, Dr Bouhafra became a business owner of jewelry and real estate

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businesses. This was not enough for him since he was driven and dedicated to share his knowledge with college students and decided to become a part time university professor in the college from where he got his Bachelors, which is AUI. As I mentioned before, Dr Mounsif Bouhafra was my marketing professor, and I can vouch that he brilliantly achieved his job duty. I personally learned so much from his class not only because of his teaching skills, but also for his great character. He had always reminded us that we should remain ethical, always. Also, he used to give us case studies of real companies that we should debate as teams. This helped us to gain critical thinking and communication skills that are mandatory in today’s world. His words of encouragement were very helpful and appreciated by all his students. You could clearly see that he did his job out of pure passion, which was inspiring even if the middle of an outbreak in our country when everything had to suddenly change and we switched to online classes. His dedication, on the other hand, remained intact.

Dr Mounsif Bouhafra was the embodiment of “do what you like”. When interviewing him, he stressed a lot on this. He believes that someone who pursues his or her passion and what he or she enjoys, wins. Money is not all that matters to him, ethics and good conscience come first.

According to him, being ethical while doing what one loves is the meaning of a good life. Also, he emphasizes on staying humble and keeping our feet down to earth when starting our journey after college and getting out there in the workplace, whether it is in our country or in a foreign one, because this is how we learn and grow as individuals.

Part II: Interview Script Rihab Oudda: Can I record our conversation?

Dr. Mounsif Bouhafra: Yes, you can but I do not want to see the recording published in a website.

R.O. Q: Can I use your credentials in the report I am writing?

M.B. A: Yes, you can.

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R.O. Q: Could you please tell us about your academic career?

M.B. A: So first of all let's talk about high school. I had a high school diploma in experimental science in 1994 in Meknes. then I had a bachelor's degree from Al Akhawayn University- with a good GPA (laughing); I recall it was 3.64 with a major in finance and minor in international business. Later on, I had a master's degree from Nottingham Business School. It’s Nottingham University, but the school was Nottingham Business School. It was with a good grade as well.

Also, I have a PhD in business communication from Morocco. This is all concerning my academic background.

R.O. Q: How feasible was it for you to pursue your studies in the UK? M.B. A: So since I had my bachelor from a university based on an American system, my options were automatically within countries that have a curriculum taught in English. So this gave me 3 options: USA, Canada, and the UK. I was accepted in multiple universities, but I opted for a masters in the UK in management marketing in Nottingham University. To be honest with you, it was one option among the others; it was not something that I really wanted to do because back then we lacked a bit of orientation so for me I just went with the option that seemed right. And hamdoulilah (thank God) it wasn't a bad choice since the university was really good and it was ranked 4th in the UK back then.

R.O. Q: What was the first job you had after getting your masters?

M.B. A: After getting my masters, I came back to Morocco and worked at the ministry of finance for seven years as a tax accountant. I decided it to quit at some point to start my own business.

R.O. Q: Why did you switch to the Marketing industry after having a career in Finance?

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M.B. A: I didn't like what I was doing. As a professional experience, it was a good thing to experiment. However, it wasn't what I wanted to do, and I wasn't comfortable with being around numbers all the time. My passion was for marketing, communication, sales, entrepreneurship etc.

Also, what made it easier for me is that my job at the ministry of finance allowed us to leave for a certain amount of time (3 years) to work on our own thing and come back if we wanted to. So I opted for this option and it turned out to be great. Since I was a kid of 6 years old, I used to go with my dad to the jewelry shop and I knew that I had the entrepreneurial spirit in me, so that's why I've decided to go for it. Now, I have a jewelry business as well as a real estate business.

R.O. Q: There is this stigma about the marketing/business industry being unethical, what is your response to that?

M.B. A: Personally, I always choose the ethical way, and I tell people to choose it as well. In the business world, you have two choices: whether you are ethical, or you are unethical. It's up to you. When I was in the ministry of finance, I didn’t like my job there and I found it to be unethical. You know, because it has to do with taxing, re-taxing, and auditing for companies, and in this type of industries, people can get unethical. I could have been a billionaire by now if I chose to stay in that industry and be unethical. I know people personally who are billionaires by now who can make up to 100 million of commission by doing re-taxation for companies etc.. For me, that was not the purpose. The purpose for me was to do something that I enjoyed and really liked. Basically, something that is halalan tayban (good Halal), and I am really grateful that I achieved everything by my own means and by being 100% ethical, not stealing from anyone nor bribing anyone nor being corrupted. For me, this is what matters in life. Do you really think that people who are being unethical in businesses like that have a-you know-peaceful conscience? I am sure it is hard for them to sleep at night peacefully and not think about every dirty thing that they have done They can pretend as much as they want, but at the end of the day it wasn’t the right thing to do. Even religiously speaking, you need to have a good conscience with God. It's up to your generation and the generations that are coming to make things better by maintaining ethical standards and by refusing to be corrupted. That is how things are going to change for the better.

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R.O. Q: How do you manage between being an entrepreneur and being a university Professor?

M.B. A: It’s actually very doable. Hmm, I work during the days. I work at my business and I come to teach at AUI twice a week, and I feel very productive and happy at the end of the day because I do two things that I love the most, which are being an entrepreneur but at the same time, you know, having this side passion for teaching because I love to share knowledge. And to be honest with you, for me students are special; they are not like customers, and for me this is something that I really really enjoy; you know, I am not doing this teaching job as a living; it is more of a passion, to share knowledge and to continuously learn, because when you are a professor, you are staying up to date. For example, if I only did business or if I only stayed an entrepreneur, I would not really be up to date with everything that concerns learning et cetera.

On the other hand, in my teaching job I have the opportunity to teach my students and to learn from them, and also to learn from the curriculum and to do research and to always search and look for new things and to write articles. You know, writing articles takes a lot of time, and if I was only an entrepreneur, I don’t think I would necessary be able to write this kind of articles I am writing as a university professor. So yes, I find it easy to manage between my two careers, because if you do something that you love, you will do it with joy, and it will fulfill you.

R.O. Q: At Al Akhawayn University, you are working with international co-workers. How do you manage to work with people from different cultures?

M.B. A: I think it is a great thing that we have this cultural diversity in our workplace. It allows people to learn from one another and to be tolerant. You know, for me having already lived in the UK, I already have developed a flexible mindset while dealing with people from a different culture. Before, I was the foreign one, but I did not feel excluded. So when I came back to Morocco and started working at AUI, it was obvious that I also should treat my international colleagues with respect and tolerance. Yes, we have differences, but that does not mean we should treat each other based on that. In Ramadan for example, we, Muslims, fast, and other of my colleagues don’t, but that does not mean I should exclude them or anything. Be acceptant and tolerant of others; this is extremely important.

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R.O. Q: What problems or obstacles did you come across while building your career as an entrepreneur?

M.B. A: To be honest, I did not have many obstacles, because as I said this is something I had since I was a child. I went with my dad to the jewelry shop, and I believe you learn through experience and not through books and academia. You may find someone who is excellent academically speaking, but very poor when it comes to professional life. So when it comes to professional life, it comes through experience, and this is something that I had since I was very young, so that made me learn a lot of things since a young age and helped me succeed in what I did later on. However, I would say that every business comes with a risk and you should be able to take risks and to be brave. If there are obstacles, you can overcome them.

R.O. Q: Is there anything you would do differently back when you were a student?

M.B. A: Hmm.. Something I would do differently as I was a student..I think that one thing I would have done differently when I was a student was having more fun and going out more, because this is the period when you should enjoy your life to the fullest, because we may think that we will have time after, you know, when we start working, and that we will have more free time. But that is not true. It’s this period of your life-being a student-when you should go out and make memories and have fun, and that is something that I didn’t do a lot when I was a student and I would have preferred if I had done this differently especially when I was in the UK, you know, I should have went out more (laughing). I think that is the only thing that I would have done differently.

R.O. Q: What advice do you have for college students who intend to pursue a career in marketing and/or entrepreneurship?

M.B. A: That's a very big question. Hmm... what I would say to students is that they should keep their heads and their feet down to earth; that is very important. They should stay humble. For example, if they go work in a company, they should not act as if they know everything, because

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in fact, they know nothing. You don’t know anything if you don’t learn. So that’s a very important thing to keep: your head and feet down to earth. However, at the same time, you should trust yourself and have self-confidence that if you want to do something, you can do it.

But this comes with sacrifices and risks. I you want to be an entrepreneur; you cannot just be an entrepreneur just like that: by staying at your comfort zone. No, you should go out of your comfort zone and take big risks and sacrifices if you want to achieve your goal. So yes, believe in yourself and work hard and you can achieve anything that you want. Also, I would tell anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur to go to the field that they really like. I have a daughter and I am telling her to be whatever she wants. If she wants to be a doctor or an engineer, ok I will be happy for her to be that. But if she also wants to be-I don’t know- a painter or a musician, I will also be happy for her. I always tell her that she should do whatever she likes and whatever she finds joy in doing. And that is my advice for everyone. Do what you love.

PART III: Lessons Learned Lesson 1: Do what you love.

I still remember being in high school, lost and pressured by family and society to do “the right thing” and to choose “the right field of studies”. In my first year of high school, I had to choose which major I was going to continue studying for the remaining two years. I wanted to study economics, but I felt pressured to choose experimental science even though I did not like it at all.

My family did not oblige me to choose it to be honest, but I felt obligated towards them to do what felt right for them. Today, I am glad I chose to pursue my studies in business administration even though I have been hearing form my surroundings to study engineering or other related fields. After high school, I have witnessed my friends choosing paths that they did not like and who are regretting it now because they have been so blinded about society’s standards of a successful life and career. Hearing Dr. Mounsif Bouhafra saying to pursue what one loves was a great reminder for me not to settle for less than what I want. I will make sure that my life is in harmony with my passions and morals. I will live by this.

Lesson 2: Take risks.

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What is life without risks? I would say predictable. As an entrepreneur, Dr Mounsif Bouhafra is emphasizing on taking risks and making sacrifices in order to build a successful business and career path. This is resonating with me and pushing me to have a brave mindset and a willingness to take risks (measured of course) to build the career I envision. Staying in our comfort zone is easy, but getting out of it is the hard thing, and as I once read somewhere: “difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations”.

Lesson 3: Be tolerant towards people from other cultures.

In order to succeed in an international workplace both professionally and personally, one should learn cultural agility and be aware of people’s differences. Being aware of those differences does not make us superior to others. On the opposite, it makes the environment more diverse with so much room to grow on a bigger scale. If someone works in a different country, they should adapt to their culture and respect their regulations without necessary suppressing their individual identities. On the other hand, if they are working within their country but with international coworkers, they should embrace their differences, be tolerant towards them, and welcome them as one of their owns. This will make the workplace a positive environment and make people productive and happy.

Conclusion Life after college can be confusing because students who graduate should start a professional career. For that reason, I believe that it is never too early to look for information that is going to be beneficial for fresh graduates. I would advise any college student to immerse themselves in knowledge and experience.

It is through these two that one knows what he or she wants, and that’s how humans build themselves, little by little. Knowledge is power, but so is experience. Spending our entire university journey only studying is not the way to go. Students should seek opportunities outside of classroom; they should apply for internships, have a part time or summer job and even do some volunteering. That is how one gains the necessary skills to succeed. If a student wants to become an entrepreneur, he or she should seek guidance and be ready to learn and make mistakes. Nothing comes easy, but with the right mindset and character, everything becomes achievable. Also, if students want to become university professors, they should keep in mind their long-term vision and not give up on it once they start a job. Staying focused and patient are

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Running head : INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW REPORT mandatory in that case. Lastly, I would like to remind students to treat others equally no matter their cultural differences. Good human connections are important to our inner peace and fulfillment.

Appendices Letter of request

Thank-you note

Permission for dissemination It was given during the second interview question.

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