Listed below are colleges and universities that offer online degrees, certificates, and diplomas in the major of Business Administration and a detailed list of the programs offered. Tuition, financial aid, course offerings, online classes, adult education, and distance learning options are available by request.
'What happens to a company if somebody takes its boss away? I will answer your question with a question. It's like what happens to a chicken, when you take its head away? It dies. Unless you find a new head. I need to see which one of these people have the skills, to be, a chicken head.'
These are words of wisdom a from the famous business administrator, Michael Scott, from the TV series The Office. And although his words are not eloquent, he hits a solid point: effective administration is vital to the success of a business. Every organization needs the right person to manage the employees and resources of a company in order to meet goals and objectives.
Planning, Organizing, Directing...
What are the basics of business administration? Let's break it down:
- Planning: Deciding in advance about what needs to be done, who needs to do it, and by what time. Be able to set effective goals and effective plans for reaching those goals.
- Organization: Coordinate the activities of a number of groups or individuals, and give authority to those who will use it well. Strive for efficiency.
- Directing: Be the person who others can turn to for answers. Be knowledgeable enough about the task at hand to give the best answers resulting in the most efficient business.
All three of these activities require perseverance, problem solving capacity, and excellent interpersonal skills. Some other activities business administrators can be involved in are the evaluation of employees, hiring processes, and budgeting. Administrators have to make the tough decisions about hiring, firing, and finances. They must be able to handle the pressure of a decision that will affect the entire business and willing to take the hit if anything goes wrong.
How to Be the Best Boss
Here is a joke. What is the difference between a battery and my boss? A battery has a positive side!
Why are there a million bad boss jokes? Probably because it is extremely difficult to be a good boss and an efficient boss at the same time. If you are too soft on employees, the business loses money because work isn’t being done. Yet if a manager is overly strict, employees feel little motivation to work, let alone work well. We are familiar with this because we have all had bosses.
Let’s look at some advice from Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, a real, successful business administrator:
'My job is to not be easy on people. My job is to make them better. My job is to pull things together from different parts of the company and clear the ways and get the resources for the key projects. And to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better, coming up with more aggressive visions of how it could be.'
If you are not willing to push people to get things done, business administration might not be the right field. Like Jobs said, a good manager will take great people and strive to make them better. This can make for uncomfortable situations at times, but it is a necessary job for a successful business. Will you step up and be a leader?
Advantages of being Head Honcho
- National Center for Education Statistics data show that after a year in the workforce, business majors earned about 16 percent more than the average salary for all majors.
- For those who love interpersonal interaction, this job provides that.
- You get to call the shots and manage employees.
Things to Consider Before Being Top Dog
- Business is, by far, the most popular field of study among undergraduates. You will have to compete for the job.
- You’ll need to understand business law, not just business practice, if you are going to manage well.
- You will need the skill of developing working relationships with people. Managers have a hard time being respected when they distance themselves from their workers.
- You will probably not be the CEO of a company, at least initially. You will be a manager, and managers often face the most pressure from executive leadership. If something goes wrong, you will be the one to take the consequence. Be able to handle stress.
In conclusion, business administration is an exciting field, but very competitive. You have to be willing to rise above the rest by making good calls and taking consequences to the actions you make for the company. Those who are proactive, passionate, and willing to make hard decisions will become great leaders in this industry. And who knows...they might even be the next Michael Scott.
Listed below are online Business Administration colleges and online Business Administration universities complete with the programs offered. Information about tuition, financial aid, online classes, and other options are available by submitting a form request to the appropriate online school.
Use the following link if you are interested in help with locating a college or university with an online degree in Business Administration.