Career Profiles: Management

CSULB Department of Management

Every type of organization requires leadership and management. Specially trained personnel are needed to fill the increasing demand for effective leaders and organizers. Managers must understand all aspects of business and its environment. The ability to get along well with others and the ability to accomplish the task with the least amount of effort and conflict are necessary skills of the manager. Managers operate in two areas--line or staff. Line managers are those actually involved in producing goods or providing services to customers. Line positions may include operations, marketing and finance. Staff functions are personnel, purchasing, information systems, and other functions that assist the production of goods and services to customers. A bachelor's degree is generally required for management trainee positions and graduate degrees are increasingly common among larger organizations. Management is a level to which some people attain and others do not. Persons who do not become managers may remain at a supervisory or professional level within an area of specialization, e.g., sales or electronic data processing. Majors will learn about business policy, production control, project management, and organizational theory.