Middle School Exploring Business
Are you interested in business, leading people, or making decisions to help a business be successful? While there are many different career choices in the field of business, in this course, you’ll discover options such as management, human resources, business operations, information management, and accounting. Explore the skills you’ll need, common tasks, the technology used, and characteristics of various business careers.
Units at a Glance
Unit 1: In Charge: The Manager
Have you ever considered a career settling arguments or planning big events? What about overseeing a college campus or sports stadium? These are just a few of the types of careers that can be found in the General Management career pathway. We will be looking at the skills you’ll need to succeed and the common tasks that these careers require. And finally, we will do a deep dive into a few of the interesting careers you could consider within this pathway.
What will you learn in this unit?
- Identify common skills, tasks, and characteristics of careers in the General Management pathway
- Describe technologies associated with General Management pathway careers
- Discuss specific careers within the General Management pathway, including tasks, skills, and future career outlook
- List locations where General Management pathway careers can be found and their associated duties
Unit 2: Handling Information: Business Information Management
Are you interested in business? What about technology? Did you know that there is an entire pathway of careers that use business skills while also focusing on technology? We will be looking at the skills these careers require and the types of tasks that they spend their days working on. Then we will examine some careers that could be a great fit for you!
What will you learn in this unit?
- Identify common skills, tasks, and characteristics of careers in the Business Information Management pathway
- Describe technologies associated with the Business Information Management pathway
- Discuss specific careers within the Business Information Management pathway, including tasks, skills, and future career outlook
- Explain project management techniques and their relationship to careers in the Business Information Management pathway
Unit 3: Overseeing Humans: Managing Human Resources
Do you like to try new things all the time? From teaching, to giving advice, and even conducting investigations, Human Resources Management careers do it all. There is always a new or unique task to try out. These workers have a huge impact on the company they work for and the employees they assist. So, if having a unique career that involves working with people on a daily basis sounds fun, this could be the career pathway for you!
What will you learn in this unit?
- Identify common skills, tasks, and characteristics of careers in the Human Resources Management pathway
- Describe technologies associated with the Human Resources Management pathway
- Discuss specific careers within the Human Resources Management pathway, including tasks, skills, and future career outlook
- Demonstrate effective communication skills, including working in groups and delivering a speech or training
Unit 4: Operating the Business: Business Operations
Have you ever wondered how food makes its way to your table? Or maybe you’ve always been interested in discovering how cars are made. Working with our supply chain, or the way that products make it into our homes, is at the core of Operations Management careers. These workers negotiate, plan, manage, and troubleshoot the systems that lead from farms all the way to our kitchens and closets. We will examine the common duties and skills that these careers require and take a closer look at a few of the careers in this pathway.
What will you learn in this unit?
- Identify common skills, tasks, and characteristics of careers in the Operations Management pathway
- Describe technologies associated with Operations Management pathway careers
- Discuss specific careers within the Operations Management pathway, including tasks, skills, and future career outlook
- Track the evolution of the supply chain from early history to modern times
Unit 5: Master of Multitasking: The Office Manager
Are you organized and methodical? Do you like helping others do well? Careers in the Administrative Support career pathway may appeal to you. From keeping your boss organized to fine-tuning important presentations, this pathway involves lots of people and technology skills. And these workers can be found in almost every industry! From banks to government offices to retail stores, anywhere you want to work probably has at least a few administrative support worker positions.
What will you learn in this unit?
- Identify common skills, tasks, and characteristics of careers in the Administrative Support career pathway
- Describe technologies associated with the Administrative Support career pathway
- Discuss specific careers within the Administrative Support career pathway, including tasks, skills, and future career outlook
- Explain effective methods to communicate with customers face-to-face or via correspondence
Unit 6: Crunching the Numbers: The Accountant
Keeping your eye on the money is an important part of every accounting career. Whether this is watching money flow in and out of a business or creating electronic budgets to plan for future expenses, careers in the Accounting career pathway think about, analyze, and track financial transactions for individuals and businesses. This means they’ll need to have strong basic math skills. But don’t worry if math isn’t your strong suit—there are many other skills that accountants need. Now, let’s examine the types of skills you’ll really need and the things you might do with a career in the Accounting pathway.
What will you learn in this unit?
- Identify common skills, tasks, and characteristics of careers in the Accounting career pathway
- Describe processes for setting and adjusting short- and long-term goals
- Discuss specific careers within the Accounting career pathway, including tasks, skills, and future career outlook
- Explain the impact of society and technology on careers in the Accounting career pathway
Required Materials
Physical
- Video recording device
- Camera
- Audio recording device
Software
- Word processing software
- Presentation software
Optional
- Art supplies, such as markers and large index cards
- Illustration software
- Printer
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