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What is Business Management?
Business managers are vital in all industries. They build collaborative relationships within organizations and, as they keep organizational goals in mind, they also have to focus on relationship-building and developing a cooperative culture.
Business management is important for organizations in ten ways:
- Creating plans to give departments/teams direction
- Goal setting
- Team organization
- Finding and using resources for employees
- Accountability
- Focus on staffing
- Work prioritization
- Facilitation of communication
- Maintaining stability and momentum
A business manager can oversee or lead an entire organization or they can supervise the employees within a single department. They may supervise a department’s operations to ensure the work is done according to specifications or they may oversee processes to ensure that they are efficient and creating the productivity needed from a department or the business as a whole.
Business managers ensure that employees are efficient, productive, and organized. To do this, they puts into action various operational strategies, they carry out periodic performance reviews, and they may oversee daily activities.
This professional may also work to find new opportunities for the company as a whole that can help the organization grow and move forward in its market and they create goals and objectives for the company when they meet their previous goals.
These professionals may also recruit, train, and terminate employees in smaller organizations that don’t have as large an HR department as other companies. They may hold one-on-one sessions with employees to offer guidance and advice on improving areas of weakness.
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Online Business Management Education in Missouri
Missouri’s farming roots continue to be important for the state with more than 100,000 farms are in operation in Missouri. The crops harvested on these farms contribute greatly to the state’s economy; in fact, the state is in the top five in the US for soybeans. Farmers also export dairy products, pork, beef, corn, and poultry.
Students planning to earn a business management degree in Missouri may want to work in agriculture, as it’s such a large part of the economy, or they may want to keep their focus on the state’s other top industries. These include professional and business services, which earned revenues of $42.3 billion in a recent year. Business managers play a vital role in leading their organizations or departments in producing goods and services that customers are willing to pay for.
Manufacturing brought revenue of $39 billion into the state in a single year, making it another of the top industries. Other large industries in the state include educational services, healthcare, and social assistance; real estate, rental and, leasing; wholesale trade; retail trade; finance and insurance; information; arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services; and construction. While construction is the smallest of all of these, even its revenue was close to $11.7 billion and is significant to the overall economy of the state and the surrounding regions.
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Online Associate Degree in Business Management (AS)
Students planning to begin at the community college level will usually complete a broad-based curriculum. First, they will complete general education courses, which includes classes such as English, composition, college algebra, and others. Then, they will move into their core courses. Core classes in this field might include communication skills, computer technology, ethics, financial knowledge, leadership, and goal setting. With these skills, students may be able to graduate and find an entry-level position in a business setting.
These degrees are often available as in-person classes from local community colleges, but you may also be able to find them as fully online options from colleges around your state or the country.
After graduation, students may choose to transfer their credits to a four-year university so that they can more quickly earn a bachelor’s in business management or another business-related field. Or they may decide to enter the workforce, finding positions in banking, retail and sales, bookkeeping, human resources management, insurance, data entry, food service management, or in a government office.
Online Bachelor's Degree in Business Management (BS)
Undergraduate students planning to earn a Bachelor of Science in general business, business management, or another related field will gain knowledge and skills they can use to succeed as business managers or in another business field. After graduation, they will be able to accept entry-level positions in either the public or private business sector, including management positions.
Many universities offer a wide menu of electives, which means students are better able to customize their degree programs. For distance learning students, their curriculum is generally the same as that which on-campus students learn.
Students who participate in internships get the added experience of hands-on learning in an actual work environment. This is even more helpful if you have a specific industry in mind and are able to find an experience within that industry. These real-world experiences are often productive, leading to job offers or networking opportunities.
Graduates of these programs can choose to work in human resources, financial services, real estate, sales, or other positions. Positions in sales may include e-commerce, customer service, industrial sales, or financial services sales. If graduates choose the banking field, they may work in lending, commercial banking, or credit analysis.
Online Master's Degree in Business Management (MS or MC)
Graduate students may choose to earn a Master of Science in Management, management information systems (MIS), or another similar field if they want to take their career in a new direction. A master’s or MBA can help businesspeople advance in their field or shift toward a new career.
Students who have bachelor’s degrees in a variety of subjects can still earn an online master’s with a business management focus. In fact, some programs are designed for those who don’t already have an undergraduate degree in business. That’s why it’s important to search around a bit before signing on for any one program.
Programs can also be offered in several formats: online programs can be full-length, accelerated, or can be finished part-time for those who have less available time for education.
Online PhD Degree in Business Management (PhD)
There are some universities which offer PhDs in management or general business, though most students will choose a concentration to enhance their learning, such as one in organizational sciences or a similar field. Should they complete a program at this level, graduates will have the background and knowledge needed for a career working in high-level management or as an academic.
These programs offer courses that focus on specific concentrations, business knowledge and acumen, statistics, research methods, and more. Support areas are customized to the PhD candidate’s research and teaching goals and PhD candidates may choose to work as teaching or research assistants. In this way, they can receive direct support and perhaps even a full tuition waiver.
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Become a Business Manager in Missouri
Business management professionals are not required to have licensure or certification in any state in the US. However, those who have taken the time and effort to earn business certifications may be chosen for interviews for management positions more often than those who have not. Job applicants should earn certifications that complement their current positions or, if they are looking for certifications for different management specializations because they want to move into a different field, they need to earn these certifications before applying for openings in their new field of expertise.
Here are just some options for certifications:
- Professional Certificate in Team Leadership
This certificate emphasizes improving leadership ability. Once a business management professional has earned this certification, they may be able to demonstrate their expanded leadership skills.
Professionals learn about the various team leadership styles, managing priorities and time, communicating positively, leading a team through changes, and ways of improving team performance.
- Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP)
The International Institute of Business Analysis offers this certification to professionals who want to know more about analyzing businesses and developing solutions that fit their needs.
Before applying, professionals should have a few years of past experience working in business analysis. Professionals need 35 hours of professional development, 7,500 hours of experience in business analysis, and two references.
- The Association of Business Process Management Professionals International (AABPMP) Certified Business Process Associate, Professional or Leader
Organizations need managers who are conversant with business process management. A certification in CBPA helps. These certifications are offered at the associate, professional, and leader levels and demonstrate the high standards which are expected of professionals in business process management. - AMA Certificate in Analytical Skills
With all of the data being generated on a daily basis, data analysts are needed to help sort out what is useful from what is not. Those data analysts who have earned this certificate are more likely to be selected for an open position that requires these skills.
This certification also has three skill levels. At the highest level, data analysts should be able to analyze data and interpret it for managers and executives so they can make critical decisions. This certification is not applicable to only one product or piece of software; instead, it teaches core materials that can apply to analysts and researchers who use it.
Potential Careers for Business Management Graduates
- Sales Manager
The sales manager is critical to the success of an organization. Their efforts in creating sales targets and generating revenue for the organization are vital. By using good planning and budgeting, an effective sales manager assures the organization meets its sales targets. However, they need the support of every member of their sales team, meaning that every member contributes and helps get the department and organization to meet its goals. The sales manager must delegate responsibilities based on individual worker’s interests and specializations. - Operations Manager
A Director of Operations oversees an entire organization. They handle every system and process the organization uses daily. As an example, these duties may include working with vendors, managing the production schedule, or putting new company policies in place. They also monitor the quality of products to make sure they stay consistent. They won’t do this in a hands-on way though, they will do so by reading reports from quality analysts. That’s hoe the majority of this job works. Lower-level managers report on their departments and the director of operations considers things as a whole.Search Programs Offering Business Management Majors
- Management Information System Specialist
This professional should have expertise in information technology (IT) and they will support and maintain computer systems and databases for their organization. To work in this role, an MIS specialist should have at least a bachelor’s degree in management information systems, computer science, information technology, or a closely related field.
An MIS specialist assists users with technical issues and system and software functionality. They may also train users how to use new applications, carry out routine system maintenance, ensure the safety of stored business information using security measures, and back up systems and applications.
- HR Manager
This professional manages the human resources department. They are involved in planning for new staff hires and they interview and hire the candidate who best fits into the job requirements and a healthy work environment.
An HR manager also communicates with executives on strategic decisions which affect all management levels so that sustainable change can be affected within the organization.
- C-Suite Executive
The C-suites are the highest level of management within an organization. This includes the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating officer, and others who sit at the top of their individual departments or the company as a whole.
These executives work closely with each other, making sure the organization works in accordance with its plans and policies. These positions require long hours of work and can be highly stressful, though many see the rewards as being worth the effort put in since these include the highest paid positions in any company.
- Marketing Manager
A marketing manager is responsible for promoting services, products, brands, or businesses. They also develop strategies for marketing and pricing, generate new business/sales leads, oversee marketing department staff and budgets, and analyze trends.
Marketing professionals who plan to move into management should have extensive knowledge of marketing strategies and the skill to identify new business leads. They’ll be expected to coordinate marketing strategies with several departments such as production, sales, financial, and public relations. They may also prepare and present quarterly and annual reports to the organization’s senior management.