Accountancy continues to evolve, using new tools of AI and data mining to move beyond historic roles as financial historians and tax experts.

Looking forward, any accounting program in North Carolina must see beyond financial performance and find a much broader measure of value. You will:

• learn to quantify and analyze environmental impacts and risks
• lead the shift in understanding from shareholder returns to broad stakeholder equity
• step into a world of business disruption and change
• leverage technology, data, and the forces of globalization to find a more sustainable way forward

As much as cash, information has become a fundamental business asset. The department of Business Information Systems and Operations Management (BISOM) offers several different programs and angles of approach for students.

• The (STEM designated) Business Analytics programs provide the quantitative analysis and other computational and data-focused abilities that support integrated business planning, data visualization, real-time shipment tracking, supplier collaboration and risk analytics and demand forecasting
• Management Information Systems (MIS) programs involve the technology required to transition from traditional supply chain interventions (improved materials flow and production optimization) to more integrated, complex and adaptive networks that hold both far greater risk and opportunity for companies.
• The Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) programs covers more of the strategic role along the full span of activities from sourcing to production planning to marketing, delivery and customer service.

Whether in business, law, medicine or other specialty, people trained in economic ways of thinking are trained to find innovative solutions to novel problems. Economics programs can be tailored to any of these career tracks, and many emphasize the integration of economic analysis and advanced quantitative methods.

In the past, economic research relied heavily on theory and simulations. More and more, lab-based and natural experiments, fueled by varying sets of real-world customer and market data, are causing people to rethink timeless economic questions of pricing, incentives, and market/consumer behavior. Access to data speeds the pace of business and behavioral change, and economists focus on smaller trends across shorter time frames.

• Will changes in global supply chains lead to more innovation in self-driving cars?
• Will the experience of a global pandemic impact health care labor markets long-term?
• Are default rates lower for consumers who secure a mortgage through an on-line app?
• What causes someone to adopt a streaming service, but then switch when another free-trial offer comes along?

Study of finance is one of the core areas of business knowledge at every level, from undergraduate to doctorate. MBA concentrations include Business Finance, Financial Institutions/Commercial Banking, Applied Investment Management, and Real Estate Finance and Development.

A top-20 nationally ranked Master of Science in Mathematical Finance program serves financial institutions, investment banks, and commodities firms that apply sophisticated mathematical models to identify, measure, and manage risk. The Master of Science in Real Estate offers one of only two student-managed real estate investment funds in the U.S. to give students experience in the analysis, investment and management of private real estate securities.

Career paths for finance graduates vary:

• Corporate finance careers emphasize day-to-day financial operations and supporting short- and long-term business goals.
• Investment banking careers focus on advising corporate clients on financial decisions, raising capital through both public and private placements and conducting merger and acquisition deals. Responsibilities include brokerage services, financial analysis, financial planning, underwriting, venture capital, and portfolio management.
• Government finance roles inside the U.S. Federal Reserve, Department of the Treasury and other agencies include trade representatives, financial and budget analysts, tax examiners and auditors and bank examiners.

Leadership, in business, government and organizations of all kinds, requires a mix of quantitative and qualitative judgments. Management education at the Belk College of Business, joins fundamental disciplines of business (i.e., finance, management, marketing, etc.) with strategic thinking, effective business communication, and various global competencies.

Concentrated study in International Business at the undergraduate level explores the complexity of business transactions across national borders. At the doctoral level, Organizational Science is an interdisciplinary program focusing on employee and organizational health, well-being, and effectiveness.

On the people side of the management equation, leaders must attract, develop, motivate and retain human capital. You will learn to build and sustain strong talent pipelines. Trends and challenges that your company will day face include:

• How to keep that “always-on” mode of work anywhere/anytime from overwhelming people.
• How to embrace new levels of transparency and build trust with current and prospective employees.
• How to apply data and analytic tools used to identify top talent for the purpose of retaining talent and investing in future leaders.

Both undergraduates and MBA students concentrating in marketing learn product management, promotions management, retailing, sales, advertising, research, strategy, and consumer behavior.

Data and technology continue to change the role of the marketer, and the speed of everything—from market analysis to product and brand strategy—has increased. While traditional positions such as brand management, public relations, and personal selling remain popular, new marketing jobs such as digital marketing, marketing analytics, and content management experience rapid growth.

New marketing career scenarios could include:

• Digital Advertiser for a startup e-bike/micro mobility company where you market models on websites like Google, YouTube, Facebook, etc., and track the sales to determine the best promotion strategy.
• Content Manager for an emergent consumer brand such as Warby Parker where you design, create, and manage posts, pictures, and videos across all social media platforms, and engage consumers regularly.
• Marketing Analyst for a streaming company such as Disney+ where you team with data and other specialists to archive and mine years of stored digital content, looking for cyclical trends in viewing habits and changing tastes and sensibilities.
• Innovation Specialist for a children’s publishing company such as Highlights where you work with a diverse team of people to create meaningful value in customers lives.
• Customer Relationship Manager for a retailer like Sephora where you track purchasing data and customer satisfaction both online and in store, and work to streamline every customer-store interaction.