Case studies

Business & Administrative Studies Case Studies

Business Management

Tim

(graduated 1998)

I work as a brand manager for a soft drinks manufacturing company. I found the application form for the company business management scheme at my university careers service and applied specifically for sales and marketing. My advice for interviewees is be confident and not arrogant, enthusiastic rather than overpowering, but overall be yourself. I applied for a marketing role so I talked about how I got sponsorship (in an earlier life) for motorsport, and how I had worked in the US, selling books door to door.

There is no ordinary day as such. I have external meetings with agencies (advertising, PR etc) to generate creative ideas and marketing produce, look after all the media and then sell this back into the business. I work with a great bunch of people, young and like minded. The brand is fun and mischievous, but the job demands long hours, and deadlines mean pressure.

I love the different and bizarre tasks that I have to do but managing priorities is tough. I am in real danger of becoming a soft drinks bore! I would like to stay in brands, but think that I will need further experience in other areas of sales and marketing to really establish myself.

Business Administration

Kate

(graduated 1999)

I had been working at a high street clothing store to subsidise my social life during my degree when my manager at the time advised me of their parent company's graduate management trainee scheme, which fast tracks you into retail management within one year. At the time I was struggling to get my degree, and the last thing on my mind was getting a job. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a go and was offered a position as a graduate retail management trainee in Nottingham.

At present, I am an assistant manager for one of the company's high street stores in Bristol. The role is very hands-on and shop floor based, which I love. Retail is hard work, with unsociable hours, but I have never been the type of person who could sit behind a desk all day. In retail no two days are ever the same and you don't get bored!

Next year, I am expected to be a manager of a store which has a £2.5 million plus annual turnover. I would highly recommend retail management. The high standard of training I received during the year has given me a great start. As a retail manager you are equipped with all the skills of management, such as dealing with personnel and training issues.