Business Management Jobs / Careers in Business and Management

Career Guide to Business Management

Are you a natural born leader?  If so, pursuing a career in business management is a great place to start!

As a manager, you have a certain amount of authority by virtue of your position. However, you can reinforce that by the way you dress. The Dress Code for Managers varies depending on industry, location, company culture, etc. The one constant is that a manager is expected to dress "better" than those he or she manages.

You need to get to know your people and they need to know you.

You need to set the ethical climate from day one. Whether it was good or bad before, you need to establish that you will tolerate only the highest ethical standards, both for your group and for yourself.

The most important part of your job is to motivate your employees. Start that from day one. Give them positive feedback when you can and negative feedback only when you must.

It has been said that a good manager doesn't DO anything. A good manager manages to get things done through others. You may have been the best accountant in the company's history, but as the Accounting Manager it's time to put aside the balance sheets and focus on leading and motivating your department. From day one, show them that you are here to help them, but don't do their work for them.

For your team to be successful, you need to build alliances, friendships, and personal relationships. These will be with your boss, first of all. Then with your peers. And finally with any other organization inside or outside the company that can benefit your team.

 Managing a business involves a variety of processes and responsibilities on the part of the project managers or business management professionals. What is business process management? Business process management (BPM) is a set of activities that helps the businesses to run more smoothly. These processes figure in all stages of the company's activities from the starting stage to the final sales.

Business management mainly comprises design, execution and monitoring. The key components involved in business process management are risk management, business process modeling, business process outsourcing, employee motivation and product inventory. The main advantage of business management is that it can be remolded as well as modified again according to the needs of the changing business environment. It can also be changed to cope with the new trends in the industry. By introducing a business management plan, core processes such as budgeting, capital expenditures, and administrative processes can be perfectly managed.

If this sounds like something your interested in, then a career in Business Management might be for you!

Administrative managers and business managers coordinate and direct the many support services that allow organizations to operate efficiently. They perform a broad range of duties. They might, for example, oversee secretarial and reception services, administration, payroll, conference planning and travel, information and data processing, mail, materials scheduling and distribution, printing and reproduction, records management, telecommunications management, security, parking, energy consumption, and personal property procurement, supply, recycling, and disposal. They manage support services for organizations as diverse as insurance companies, computer manufacturers, and government offices.

Specific duties for these managers vary by degree of responsibility and authority. First-line administrative services managers directly supervise a staff that performs various support services. Mid-level managers, on the other hand, develop departmental plans, set goals and deadlines, implement procedures to improve productivity and customer service, and define the responsibilities of supervisory-level managers. Some mid-level administrative services managers oversee first-line supervisors from various departments, including the clerical staff. Mid-level managers also may be involved in the hiring and dismissal of employees, but they generally have no role in the formulation of personnel policy. Some of these managers advance to upper level positions, such as vice president of administrative services, which are discussed in the Handbook statement on top executives.

In small organizations, a single business manager may oversee all support services. In larger ones, however, first-line administrative services managers often report to mid-level managers who, in turn, report to owners or top-level managers, sometimes called director of administration, or vice president of administration.

Business managers generally work in comfortable offices. Managers involved in contract administration and personal property procurement, use, and disposal may travel between their home office, branch offices, vendors’ offices, and property sales sites. Also, business managers who are responsible for the design of workspaces may spend time at construction sites and may travel between different facilities while monitoring the work of maintenance and custodial staffs. However, new technology has increased the number of managers who telecommute from home or other offices, and teleconferencing has reduced the need for travel. Business managers also may spend time outdoors, supervising and handling a variety of issues related to grounds keeping, landscaping, construction, security, and parking.

Most business managers work a standard 40-hour week. However, uncompensated overtime frequently is required to resolve problems and meet deadlines. Facility managers often are “on call” to address a variety of problems that can arise in a facility during nonwork hours.

What Education/Certifications do you need for:

Business Management Jobs / Careers in Business and Management

Education and experience requirements for these managers vary widely, depending on the size and complexity of the organization. In small organizations, experience may be the only requirement needed to enter a position as an office manager. When an opening in administrative services management occurs, the office manager may be promoted to the position based on past performance. In large organizations, however, administrative services managers normally are hired from outside and each position has formal education and experience requirements. Some business managers have advanced degrees.

Whatever the manager’s educational background, it must be accompanied by related work experience reflecting their ability. For this reason, many administrative services managers have advanced through the ranks of their organization, acquiring work experience in various administrative positions before assuming first-line supervisory duties. All managers who oversee departmental supervisors should be familiar with office procedures and equipment. Managers of personal property acquisition and disposal need experience in purchasing and sales, and knowledge of a variety of supplies, machinery, and equipment. Managers concerned with supply, inventory, and distribution should be experienced in receiving, warehousing, packaging, shipping, transportation, and related operations. Contract administrators may have worked as contract specialists, cost analysts, or procurement specialists. Managers of unclaimed property often have experience in insurance claims analysis and records management.

Other qualifications. Persons interested in becoming business managers should have good leadership and communication skills and be able to establish effective working relationships with many different people, ranging from managers, supervisors, and professionals, to clerks and blue-collar workers. They should be analytical, detail-oriented, flexible, and decisive. They must be able to coordinate several activities at once, quickly analyze and resolve specific problems, and cope with deadlines.

Current & Future Job Outlook for:
Business Management Jobs / Careers in Business and Management

Applicants will face keen competition for the limited number of top-level management jobs; competition should be less severe for lower-level management jobs.

Despite average job growth, continuing corporate restructuring and increasing use of office technology may result in a more streamlined organizational structure with fewer levels of management, reducing the need for some middle management positions. This should adversely affect administrative services managers who oversee first-line managers. However, the effects of these changes on employment should be less severe for facility managers and other administrative services managers who have a wide range of responsibilities, than for other middle managers who specialize in certain functions. In addition to new administrative services management jobs created over the 2006-16 projection period, many job openings will stem from the need to replace workers who transfer to other jobs, retire, or leave the occupation for other reasons.

Employment change. Employment of business managers is projected to grow 12 percent over the 2006-16 decade, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Demand should be strong for facility managers because businesses increasingly realize the importance of maintaining, securing, and efficiently operating their facilities, which are very large investments for most organizations. Cost-cutting measures to improve profitability, streamline operations, and compete globally will continue to be addressed by many public and private organizations, resulting in more firms outsourcing facility management services or hiring qualified facility managers who are capable achieving these goals in-house.

Business managers employed in management services and management consulting should be in demand. The proliferation of facility management outsourcing should result in employment growth in facilities management firms as companies increasingly look to outside specialists to handle the myriad of tasks that have become increasingly complex and expensive. Some of the services outsourced include food service, space planning and design, janitorial, power plant, grounds, office, safety, property, video surveillance, maintenance and repairs, and parking management.