During my first year of studies in business management, my personal and professional development grew even beyond my expectations. Not only did I learn the fundamental principles and practice of accounting and management, I also learned about essential management topics such as leadership, marketing, and how information technology impacts management.
Leadership, in particular, was a valuable study. Although management requires excellent leadership, many schools do not address leadership except at a cursory level. In my program, we learned about the characteristics of a leader, how a leader impacts those around him, and the importance of casting vision for those who must follow. Instead of just learning how to balance books and make out work schedules, I learned how to mobilize teams, inspire and motivate people, and engage in team building. These are all vital to effective management, just as the mechanics of management are. A particular emphasis was on diversity, which is an issue that virtually every manager needs to know how to address in the globalized environment. Another emphasis was decision-making, wherein I learned how to make decisions with a view to strategic purpose and tactical goals. I learned that the context of an issue is a key factor in what decision to make about it.
Developing knowledge and expertise in the functional areas of management was also part of my studies, and I learned how to plan and organize work activities, control business operations, and manage employees and employee benefits. In this part of my studies, I discovered that technology is increasingly being used to assist managers in monitoring employee work activities and that it also serves to document what employees do in the event that corrective action or dismissal is required.
Technology is an integral part of modern life, and it is just as integral to today's management, so I welcomed the oppo
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