Business management is a business specialty in which an individual helps an organization ensure that its resources are being used in the most efficient and effective way possible. (It is important to note that business management is not considered to be an accounting job, per se, but is instead a subfield of business in which an individual can focus on another business discipline such as accounting.) However, many people working in the field are graduates of accounting programs. Business managers with an accounting concentration typically use a number of different accounting analysis techniques, such as cost-benefit analyses, decision-making models, grid analyses, resource utilization analysis techniques, staffing analyses, and other similar techniques to analyze the organization’s performance.
Other job responsibilities of business managers include analyzing the performance of specific employees; designing management plans that will cut costs; identifying areas in which the organization’s resources are being underused or wasted; identifying areas in which the organization’s resources are being misused and/or overused; implementing management procedures to monitor and improve employee performance; implementing management procedures to monitor and improve resource allocation; supervising employees; and performing a number of other similar tasks .
Individuals in business management are typically required to perform a wide range of tasks that vary from position to position, and an individual may be given any of a number of different job titles depending on the specific responsibilities of a position. Some of the more common job titles for an individual in business management with an accounting concentration include accounting manager, business manager, office manager, operations manager, staff accountant, and retail manager.
The specific degree that an individual must have in order to obtain a business management job in the accounting field varies from position to position. Many employers require an individual to have one of the following:
- a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a series of courses in business management,
- a bachelor’s degree in business management or business administration with an accounting concentration or certificate,
- a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) with a focus in accounting, or
- another similar degree from an accredited accounting school.
Some employers may also require an individual to obtain a Certified Business Manager (CBM) certificate, a Certified Facility Manager (CFM) certificate, or another similar certificate to obtain a position. A bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree is not required for every position, however, and there are some management positions that require only a high school diploma, a General Educational Development (GED) credential, an associate’s degree in business management, and/or experience in a related field, such as accounting, management, etc.