1.01 Business management careers

Business management careers

This field includes those career opportunities that are dedicated to performing dynamic business processes vital to the success and ongoing existence of a business organization, regardless of the sector or industry in which the business functions or the product/service it provides. In other words, these jobs exist virtually everywhere! Every type of business needs people in management and administration positions to keep things running smoothly. When you hear the word “business,” you might envision an office building, but these positions are available in a variety of places. Even a catfish farm needs someone to answer the phone and process orders. Even an acting troupe needs someone to recruit and train new hires.

Business management careers include positions in the areas of:

  • Administrative services
  • Business information management
  • General management
  • Human resource management
  • Operations management

Administrative services. Employees working in administrative services facilitate business operations through a variety of administrative and clerical duties, including information and communication management, data processing and collection, and project tracking. These positions are often referred to as support staff positions. An executive or administrative assistant may support the company president by managing his/her schedule and answering his/her phone calls. A customer service representative may support the company by processing incoming orders and handling customer requests and complaints. To learn more, watch this Career Girls video Links to an external site..

There are many degrees of authority and responsibility within administrative services careers, and support staff can work in any area of a business, including:

  • Reception
  • Security
  • Payroll and bookkeeping
  • Communications
  • Conference and travel planning
  • Records management
  • Mail
  • Printing and distribution
  • Office management

Business information management. Business information management is an umbrella term covering those careers that provide a bridge between business processes/initiatives and IT (information technology). Employees in this area help align business and IT goals. For example, a project manager may be responsible for creating and executing a work plan to develop a new video-gaming system. A functional specialist for a utilities company may be responsible for distributing highly complicated technical information to all departments in the organization. Other job titles in business information management may include:

  • Relationship manager
  • Business analyst
  • Business process manager
  • Business process architect

General management. Careers in general management focus on planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating part or all of a business organization through the allocation and use of financial, human, and material resources. These are the employees who have supervisory responsibilities and make decisions, either big or small. A store manager for a large retailer may be responsible for an entire store or just one area of the store, such as shoes. Or, in the case of a small business, the owner may be responsible for every major decision from the top down. More job titles you may come across in corporate/general management are:

  • Supervisor
  • District manager
  • Regional manager
  • Director

Human resource management. Human resource (HR) management careers focus on the staffing activities that involve planning, recruitment, selection, orientation, training, performance appraisal, compensation, and safety of employees. HR careers are all about people. Every business has employees, and being an employer comes with certain responsibilities. Those who work in human resources serve as a link between top management and employees. An HR generalist or manager’s first priority may be attracting, interviewing, and hiring the best-qualified candidates for available positions at the company. A training manager is responsible for orienting and preparing new employees to do their jobs. Other positions available in human resource management include:

  • Benefits administrator
  • Compensation analyst
  • Labor relations manager
  • Recruiter

To learn more about a career in human resources, view this Career Girls video Links to an external site..

Operations management. Employees working in operations management focus on planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling the resources needed to produce/provide a business’s goods and/or services. Examples of activities in operations management include quality control, scheduling, procurement, and warehousing. A purchasing manager for an office-supply retailer may be responsible for ordering products from various wholesalers and distributors. Operations management employees might also be responsible for eliminating unnecessary processes and reducing wasted materials. There are various job titles for positions in operations management, including:

  • Master scheduler
  • Procurement analyst
  • Quality manager
  • Supply chain manager
  • Chief operations officer (COO)