MGMT2725 Career Management

The dynamic nature of the corporate world intimates that an individual ought to pick on their career while considering crucial factors like amount of pay, market flooding and job availability. For this report, we shall focus on two careers namely; Information Technology Management and Market Research Management.

            The fact that almost every industry is incorporating the use of IT in its operations makes the career a viable choice as an individual will rarely miss a placement once done with the course (AL-mashari, 2010). The field is also vast hence one can learn various ideas and then concentrate on a specific area towards the end of the course. This gives room for specialization.

            On the other hand, companies and other corporate institutions are constantly seeking for new ideas to enhance their competitive strength and maintain market stability. This explains why a lot of research has been going on in the field of marketing with the aim of finding quality strategies (Andriopolulos and Dawson, 2009). For this reason, Marketing Research was chosen as the second alternative one due to its close relationship with IT management and also due to the fact that there are numerous and readily available job opportunities.

1. IT Management Sample Assumptions and uncertainties.

            In the field of Information Technology management, there are a number of aspects which gives an individual at least a glimpse of the future. The fact that IT is being incorporated into every aspect of management in various industries makes this career one of the most promising ones.  As such, we can deduce one sample assumption that in the next ten years, for instance, all industries shall have fully incorporated IT and sit shall form the basis of most of the operations within organizations. The other assumption is that the infrastructural development especially in the less developed areas in the globe shall have been upgraded to give a smooth runway for the use of IT in organization (Augustine, 2008).

            There are however a number of uncertainties that could be associated with the field of information technology management. First of all, the fact that it is the global in thing attracts more students into the course. As a result, there is a likely influx in the number of IT management experts in future which may in turn minimize the availability of jobs related to this career. At the same time, the IT field is wide hence it may not be easy to identify the specific area that is more rewarding and sustaining especially due to the ever changing nature of the corporate arena.

Marketing Research: Sample Assumptions and Uncertainties

            Each and every day, organizations are looking for new and effective strategies to enhance their competitive advantage as well as market stability. This indicates the need for more research to obtain more ideas on market exploration. With the increase in the need for such services, a course in market research management has a sure future and a likely availability of job opportunities with good rewards. The other assumption is that there shall be no influx in the number of marketing research managers in future. An increase in the number of qualified individuals would be a hindrance to opportunities (Bentley and Whitten, 2009).

            One major uncertainty in this career is a situation in which an individual fails to deliver. Most industries are result oriented. As a result, the managers implement only those strategies they believe would bring the company a good return on investment. In a case where the recommendations of the market research process are implemented but the end result is a loss, the expert’s position is at risk. In a nut shell, one can easily lose their job when their ideas fail to reward the organization.

2. Questions based on sample assumptions and uncertainties

            IT Management

1. What is the most likely position of Information Technology in business management in the next ten years?
2. How will an overwhelming increase in the number of IT experts impact job opportunities in the career

Market Research Management

1. Are companies likely to employ more market research managers in future?
2. What are the likely implications on job security incase an expert’s recommendation fails on implementation?
3. Interview Process

            In order to achieve an effective interview process, the subjects were carefully selected based on a number of considerations. To begin with, students pursuing courses related to these careers were selected. The selection was done from the University of Delhi and Calcutta.  A total of ten students were selected for interview. Five interviewees were picked from the field of IT management and five from the field of Market Research Management. The main reason for this choice was to obtain substantial information regarding what individuals go through while studying these courses in addition to other crucial career insights (Bidgoil, 2015). At the same time, interviewing the students would give the research process an idea of the number of people pursuing these course which translates to the number of individuals who would be present in the future job market.

            The other set of interviewees were experts who are already in these fields. This stage involved three individuals working in the IT management field and three individuals working in the field of marketing research. They were picked from IT related companies such as Infosys and Wipro all located in India’s capital. By interviewing these subjects, it would be possible to get the exact picture of what goes on in these careers from the point of view of a workplace. Their responses would also enable one to identify whether the initially stated assumptions and uncertainties are true or false (Chesbrough, 2010).

            The main contact procedures involved the use of phone and internet in addition to direct meetings. In cases where the geographical distance was overwhelming, online avenues like the use of emails were used to reach the interviewees. The questions as well as the responses were therefore obtained using these very channels.

5. Summary and Reflection on Findings

            The research process allowed interaction with various insights hence increasing the scope of perception with regard to the careers chosen. Two careers were picked for this study process to give room for comparison and finally allow an individual to settle for the best option. The interview process equally gave an appropriate platform on which the initially stated assumptions could be analyzed to ascertain their validity. Despite the fact that the interview process was quite cumbersome and time consuming, the process ended well. To confirm their participation, prior communications were made with the interviewees hence aligning their commitment to the core interview goals (Edmiston, 2010).

            One of the assumptions made in line with the field of IT management was the projection that Industries would incorporate IT in future making the job market ripe. Based on the outcome of the interview, it can be deduced that most companies are currently installing IT related systems with the aim of enhancing effectiveness in their processes. One of the interviewees who is a worker in an IT firm intimated that they keep receiving offers from numerous industries seeking for their services in relation to IT incorporation in management (Motiwalla and Thomson, 2009). This reveals that the trend is likely to increase in future making the career of Information Technology one of the most sought after fields. This finding adequately validates the earlier stated assumption.

            The uncertainty was however the fear of losing job opportunities as a result of increase in the number of IT experts. This uncertainty was however nullified by the interview findings which established that the need for IT services can never be exhausted hence as industries expand, more of such services shall be required. This therefore implies that the career would remain profitable despite an increase in the number of experts in the job market.

            In the field of Market research management, the interview process intimated that the need to gain competitive advantage over their rivals has caused companies to employ more marketing research managers. This finding goes in line with the stated assumption that this career is characterized with numerous job opportunities (O'Brien and Marakas, 2011). However, most of the interviewees indicated that they are employed on contractual basis and not on permanent arrangement hence making job security an issue in this career. This outcome equally validates the uncertainty that an individual is likely to lose their job when their ideas and services fail to reward the company as expected.

Conclusion on Findings

            This report majorly comprised an analysis of two careers. With reference to the outcome of the research process, more strength seems to lie on the side of IT management due to the fact that it remains one of the most promising careers. As industries grow, there is a corresponding growth in the field of IT as well hence increasing the number of available opportunities while enhancing job security. The field of marketing research is equally good but remains less promising especially due to the fact that an individual’s job security is never guaranteed.

One of the most important lessons learned from the interview process is the fact that individuals never study these courses with employment alone in mind. In the current times, people study the courses related to their career choices with the aim of empowering themselves for independent endeavors after gaining the necessary experience. This aspect came out when the interview findings indicated that most of the students currently in campus are largely aiming at having their own companies in the coming years.

References

AL-mashari, M. (2010). A Process Change Oriented Model for ERP Application. International Journal of Human omputer Interaction, 16(1), pp. 1-11.

Andriopolulos, C. and Dawson, P. (2009). Managing Change, Creativity and Innovation. New  York: Sage Publications.

Augustine, N. (2008). Reshaping an industry: lockheed martin’s survival story.  Harvard Business Review. 3(1), pp 23.

Bentley, L. and Whitten, J. (2009). System Analysis & Design for the Global Enterprise. New York: SAGE

Bidgoil, M. (2015). The Handbook of Technology Management: Supply Chain Management, Marketing and Advertising, and Global Management. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley

Edmiston, K. (2010).The Role of Small and Large Businesses in Economic Development. Economic Review. 1, pp. 1–93.

Motiwalla, L. and Thomson, J. (2009). Enterprise Systems for Management. New York: Prentice Hall.

O'Brien, J. and  Marakas, G.  (2011). Developing Business/IT Solutions. In Management Information Systems. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.