View All Industries

The Business Management and Administration cluster of occupations offers some of the most interesting, challenging, and highest paying jobs.

No matter what particular products or services a business enterprise provides to its customers; or how small or large the enterprise may be, it has business management and administration needs and requirements that must be met to be successful. The international energy corporation; the large domestic aerospace manufacturer; the regional commercial construction company; the local hospital and medical complex; the small independent retail clothing store; and the neighborhood automotive mechanic - all depend on their business management and administration skills and personnel.

Business management and administration involves activities that bring people together to advance and accomplish particular business goals and objectives. Such management activities include planning, organizing, staffing, leading, coordinating, controlling, and motivating.

In many larger companies and corporations, business management and administration activities are organized by skill and function needs into departments or units, such as the following:

• General and executive level management,
• Operations management of production or service activities,
• Marketing and sales,
• Finance and accounting,
• Human resources, and
• Administrative support, including information technology support.

In smaller to mid-sized companies, some of these functions may be contracted out to specialty firms that supply the needed expertise. Yet even in the case of a sole proprietor who has no employees or contract help for his or her business, such management activities still need to be addressed.

Many Business Management and Administration jobs are in managerial and professional occupations, with the remainder providing administrative support. In the next decade, many good paying jobs will be added while openings for new employees will also occur in order to replace managers and workers who retire or leave jobs. It is universally agreed though that a good academic education and a high-level of specialized work skills can pay-off well in interesting career choices and higher than average compensation.