Brand Management
Under this system of organization, each brand or product within a company is operated as a separate business, with each standing on its own merits among its competition. This brand independence enables the company to market vigorously a number of different products-some competitive with others in the same company. Except for top corporate management, members of the brand group are the only ones in a company who deal with all aspects of the company's business. Brand managers plan, develop, and direct the marketing efforts for a particular brand or product. They are generalists who coordinate the activities of specialists in production, sales, advertising, promotion, R&D, marketing research, purchasing, distribution, package development, and finance. In brand/product management, individuals can expect early responsibility which should enable them to learn quickly and to demonstrate ability by contributing from the very outset to the operation of the brand(s) to which they are assigned.
Career Opportunities: Virtually all consumer goods companies use this system of organization. A number of industrial goods companies also have brand/product management. In consumer goods companies, in particular, brand management is considered the best training ground for top corporate officers.
Advertising
Careers in advertising are not limited to writers and artists. Instead, advertising is an important business enterprise that requires a combination of planning, fact-gathering, and creativity and involves all phases of marketing. Although compensation for advertising is generally comparable to that of other business executives, opportunities for rapid advancement in advertising usually are greater than in other fields because of less emphasis on age or length of employment.
Career Opportunities:
- Advertising Agency: Media research and creative departments; account work
- Large Corporation: Advertising department; brand/product management Media: Magazine, newspaper, radio and television selling
- Management Consulting
- Marketing Research
Sales and Sales Management
Sales personnel deal with the market directly and personally. Through them, marketing becomes concrete and humanly meaningful. Other marketing people seldom see the customers who they influence. The people dealt with cover a wide range in both the employing and the client organizations in the complex effort to understand client needs and to help shape the liaison activity to meet those needs.
Career Opportunities: Sales and sales management opportunities exist in a wide range of profit and nonprofit organizations, and in product and service organizations, including financial, insurance, consulting, and government. Commercial banking, for example, is a technical form of sales. Industrial and commercial sales and sales management offer increasingly challenging and rewarding opportunities commonly involving systems selling and requiring broad management and, in some cases, technical training. The wide range of product and market opportunities and the variety of interpersonal situations faced by sales personnel indicate the need for carefully matching one's background, interests, technical skills, and academic training with available career opportunities in sales and sales management. Training programs vary greatly inform and length, ranging from a few weeks to two years. Career paths in sales are not the same in all organizations and need to be explored with each prospective employer.
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Supply Chain Management Careers
Supply Chain Management (SCM) is all the activities that take place to get a product in your hands – from the time of raw materials extraction to the minute you pay and take the final product home. With a career in SCM, you really get a chance to learn a company because you work closely with suppliers and customers as well as with virtually every department within. You will help drive its efforts to efficiently and profitably meet the needs of the company's customers and you can significantly impact its success!
SCM:
- Focuses on planning and forecasting, purchasing, product assembly, moving, storing, and keeping track of a product as it flows toward you and other consumers;
- Is about cost reductions, scouring and traveling the world for new suppliers, contract management, negotiation, building relationships and analyzing ways to streamline an organization. Every cent saved directly impacts the bottom-line;
- Is important to the world’s leading companies, but supply chain managers are in limited supply;
- Is a fast-paced, global field ;
- Offers tremendous and wide-ranging career options in industry, government and consulting;
- Has rapidly evolved from tactical contract management to strategic partnering with business partners and suppliers to create shareholder value.
Career Opportunities include working as a:
- Buyer
- Contract Administrator
- Contract Compliance Officer
- Purchasing Agent
- Purchasing Director
- Inventory Control Manager
- Procurement Specialist
- Materials Manager
- Import/Export Goods Manager
- Transportation Manager
- Logistics Manager
(See link below for job descriptions.)
http://www.ism.ws/careercenter/jobdescriptions/index.cfm?navItemNumber=13018
The opportunities are endless!
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