Study, learn and work in Management

• Open Learning Course -- flexible, self paced
• Lots of options to specialize
• Start with a single module if you prefer, then transfer into this learning package after you are sure this is where you want to study
• Opportunity for personal mentoring from international experts based in both Australia and the UK -providing a unique international flavour to your education

Course Duration:

• 1500 hours
• Most students spread this over between 3 and 5 years; but some fast track studies and complete it faster, while others take longer.
• Take a break whenever you need it for a few weeks, or a few months. We are very flexible, and keen to provide an education that fits with the student's other commitments

Course Structure and Content

Compulsory Modules

• Business Studies
• Management
• Bookkeeping I
• Financial Management
• Project Management
• Business Planning
• Workshop I or 100 hrs of approved work experience

Elective Modules

Select a further eight modules from the following:

• Bookkeeping II
• Legal Terminology
• Computer Operations
• Advertising and Promotions
• Marketing Foundations
• Event Management
• Sales Management
• Sales Skills
• Marketing Systems
• Marketing Psychology
• Entrepreneurship
• Industrial Psychology
• Leadership
• Motivation
• Personnel Management
• Supervision
• Workplace Health and Safety

TYPES OF MANAGERS

Managers operate on all levels in the workplace, with varying degrees of responsibility. There are many different aspects of an organisation which need to be managed (i.e. finances, buying, equipment and materials, marketing and public relations and, not the least, people who work there). Some types of managers control many different things whilst some manage only one aspect of an organisation.

A supervisor is someone who provides face to face management of people directly involved in work tasks. As such he/she is the front line of management making minute by minute decisions regarding both his own role and the roles of his subordinates. He has to plan his own work and that of his subordinates and has a range of other tasks which might be summarised as:

• Organising (within limits of budgets) materials, supplies, equipment, personnel allocations etc.;
• Staffing defining work roles, interviewing, selecting and induction of new staff; Directing subordinates (requiring leadership skills);
• Controlling (performance, efficiencies, safety, standards etc.); and
• Coordinating functions of his section with other departments, superiors in management

Today's world is a rapidly changing world and as such, the workplace is in a continual state of change. Some work situations stagnate for a decade or two utilising the same procedures and technologies, but sooner or later the modern world catches up and changes are introduced. Machinery, computers and other technological advances are having a significant impact in many sectors of the industry. Very often, it is hard for older workers to accept changing the methods of work which they have used for a long period of time. It takes careful management to introduce such changes with minimum disruption.

Consider how someone becomes a manager. There are many different ways –

• They may work their way up, starting at the bottom, learning the job as they go along, perhaps undertaking more training, until finally they become a manager.
• They may have worked their way up in another job and come in straight away as a manager.
• They may have taken a course or degree and come straight into a business at manager level.
• They may be given the role as part of their relationship with a business. For example, if it is a family run business, they may be given a manager’s job because they belong to the family.
• They may become a manager because the business is only very small and they are the most senior person.

And so on. There are probably many many more permutations of this, but these are just examples. But however a person comes into their management position, it does not mean that they will necessarily be good managers.

The problem with most bad managers is that they don’t know they are bad. They may well admit that they are a bit messy when it comes to house cleaning, and they are sometimes late to appointments; but it is rare that they will recognise that they are ineffective as a manager.

Case Study

Jill is a manager of a bank. She does not stay in any job long – a maximum of two years – she has developed a reputation as a bit of a trouble shooter. She comes into businesses and turns around their organization, then leaves. She has done this for twenty years now and has developed a good reputation doing this. She is close to the end of her time with the bank and joins a financial sector firm. She is appointed office manager. She spends time with the staff and directors. She learns where the problem areas of the firm are and puts new procedures into place. She finds out who the problem staff are. She arranges for them to receive training or reallocation and in some cases, they have their contract terminated. She employs new staff where required. The directors think she is a wonder woman. The staff find her abrasive and disinterested in their work. She does not know much about the specialist areas of their work and gives them general advice or instructions. After two years, the country is in an economic recession and she is not able to find other suitable employment, so continues to work in the firm. She finds this harder and harder.

She has been with the firm two years, but has not learned much about the actual running of the firm, what they do and so on. She has focused on “managing” the firm. She delegates everything she is not sure how to do to different members of staff. At the beginning, the directors thought she was a good delegator, but now have come to recognize that she is delegating work, because she does not know how to do it. Various directors have asked her for help with projects, which she then passes to staff members, but claims credit for. The staff are becoming more and more disgruntled. They complain to directors often. Several formal complaints have been made about Jill and her bad attitude. The directors are not happy with her performance.

Jill becomes stressed and worried. She is embarrassed to ask staff to tell her about things now, as she has been there so long, she should know. She starts to take a lot of days off sick. She used to work long hours, now she starts at 9 and leaves at 5 on the dot. She is not willing to help out when things are busy in the office.

The difficulty here is that Jill is a very good trouble shooter. She is good at coming in, stirring things up, seeing what problems are and changing them, then she leaves and starts again. Those are her skills. She is not necessarily a long term manager. She has not learned about the work they actually do in the firm. She does not know how to carry out certain tasks or use their computer system or advise staff on difficult problems. She has focused on “managing” not on learning to be a manager of that particular firm.

Her skills are useful, but as a long term manager she is not effective for that role. As with any job, some people are skilled in some areas, but not so skilled in others.

But often bad managers will not recognize that there is a problem.

Bad management can occur for a range of reasons, but let us focus on five important ones -

• Lack of knowledge
• Disorganisation
• Poor time management
• Not leading by example
• Too much delegation

WHY THIS COURSE?

It is a solid foundation that is focused on  not only giving you the knowledge to be a good manager; but also building habits to reduce the chances of being a bad manager.

Proper learning like this takes time; and anyone who thinks about it will understand that building knowledge, skills, good habits, awareness of industry and networks in the real world; all takes time. Our course may be longer than some other prograns, but in being so, it will educate you properly, and through support from highly qualified and experienced professionals, you are being led through your learning experience in a proper and comprehensive way. 

DEVELOPING A CAREER IN MANAGEMENT

Managers are needed in every workplace.

In a small workplace, a manager may need to manage everything from manpower and equipment to finance, marketing and production.

In large workplaces, a hierarchy of managers will usually be developed where upper level managers manage lower level managers. Here a workplace may be broken up into sections or departments with different managers each having different areas of responsibility. For example: A marketing manager may work under the direction of a general manager, and he may control a series of lower level managers such as a Sales Manager and an Advertising/PR manager.

Managers are employed in small and big business, in non profit and charity organisations, and in government departments.

In small business, top level managers are often the business owners.

Opportunities

Every business with more than one employee requires a manager of sorts (even with only one employee, the employer will need to take on a managerial role, they may just not use the title of manager). Therefore, there is copious opportunities for a manager. Depending on the industry you specialise in, there will be scope to move into a managerial position in some capacity. Even within management roles there is capacity to advance into a higher level managerial role.

Wages for a manager are generally relatively well paid. Different industries, and different organisations will offer different salaries for their managers, but there is potential to earn a substantial income.

Risks and challenges

With a management role comes responsibility. You will be responsible for managing your area of the work force, and therefore will be responsible for the outcomes. You will need to be someone who can handle the idea that not everyone will like you at all times, and at times you may need to reprimand your team. You will also need to be able to direct and lead your team, which can be challenging at times.

How to become a Manager

It is generally a good idea to receive some management training (whether at a University or vocational level) to develop managerial techniques, however often it is a manager’s personality and personal attributes that distinguish a good manager from a mediocre or bad manager. Whilst certain management skills can be learnt and developed (for example motivation and leadership skills), some people will be more suited to a managerial role than others.

Managers may find their way into a management job either of two ways:

1. Starting with the organisation in a low level job, and being promoted through the organisation.

OR

2. Being employed into a management position from outside the organisation

In other instances people may find themselves managing other staff due to a natural inclination to manage people, rather than having a defined managerial role.

HOW DOES STUDY GET YOU A JOB?

Although doing a course may not guarantee you a job – it will set you apart from those that have not studied at all and it will improve your personal choices when applying for jobs.

Each job listed usually gets a huge amount of response – when employers choose people to interview they will look at a range of factors – what you have studied will be just one of those factors. You need to be able to catch a potential employer’s attention – stand out from the rest.

So what do employers look for?

• Great communication skills: verbal, written and also the ability to use a computer.
• Problem solving skills: thinking on your feet and working through problems in an orderly way.
• Efficiency: doing things in a logical order without compromising accuracy improves efficiency.
• Knowledge and skills demanded of the job.
• A passion for the work and willingness to learn.
• Presentation and grooming - people who present as being well organised and well-groomed will impress.

How Will A Course Help Me To Gain those Skills?

Choosing the right course will help i.e. one that develops knowledge, practical and also your problem solving skills. Not all courses do this. At ACS our courses focus on Problem Based Learning so this enables the student to develop these skills and at the same time using this learning method also improves you knowledge retention and recall.

What Can You do to Improve Your Career Prospects?

• Choose a course that you are passionate about – be open to learning and use this course to start building your future. Today we are expected to keep learning and studying in order to keep up with a world that is rapidly changing. Learning is a lifelong experience. Study a course that makes you stand out - a study program that is different to all the other applicants will always catch the attention of a boss, and may be the difference between getting an interview or not.
• Network with people in the industry, attend conferences and trade shows – make yourself known to people in the industry in general.
• Try to build a range of skills – multi-skilled people catch the eye of the employer or potential employer.
• Write a very good CV and ask for help if you need it. Tutors at this school will help our students with their C.V.'s if you ask -no cost. Resume Writing services can also be used, but they charge.
• Recognise your weaknesses and work on improving them - not just academically. And also know your strengths and demonstrate them.