In North Carolina, we are likely to see new job growth in the Business Management and Administration career cluster in the next decade. Since almost any workplace benefits from strong leadership and organizational support, business management occupations exist in all industries.

Many of us value the peace of mind that comes from knowing that we have other options if we lose our current jobs. More than most clusters, business administration includes careers that move relatively easily from one industry or location to another. Several years ago, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics listed a dozen careers that offer this kind of flexibility. Half of the occupations are in this cluster:

• Customer service representatives
• Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive
• General and operations managers
• General office clerks
• Management analysts
• Human resources specialists

Work environments match the functions of specific businesses. While desk jobs with 8-to-5 schedules are typical, business and management workers in industries like transportation and construction may have variable schedules and need to travel to job sites or work in the outdoors. Educational backgrounds for these jobs range from high school through bachelor’s degrees. Places offering employment include — but are not limited to — corporate and regional management offices; federal, state, and local governments; temporary service agencies; banks; and public colleges and universities.

Core Skills

The following Core Skills are necessary for success in these occupations.

• Management of Financial Resources - Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent
• Management of Material Resources - Managing equipment and materials
• Negotiation - Bringing people together to solve differences
• Management of Personnel Resources - Selecting and managing the best workers for a job
• Persuasion - Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior
• Service Orientation - Looking for ways to help people
• Systems Analysis - Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
• Systems Evaluation - Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it
• Writing - Writing things for co-workers or customers
• Coordination - Changing what is done based on other people's actions

Fields of Study in Business Management & Administration