Telecommunications
Communicating is a key element of the world we live in and at the basis of every human interaction. Telecommunication businesses bring the world together through the use of technology such as telephony, Internet, cable networks, and television.
The list below is an example of some of the roles which are available within this industry. Studying accounts as a subject can aid you to follow a career path which leads to one or more of these roles, amongst many others.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
The CEO is the highest-ranking person in any business or workplace and has overall responsibility for making decisions on the company's future direction and keeping track of how the entity is operating and managing its resources. Although a CEO is usually surrounded by other high-ranking officials, they (she or he) retain the responsibility to take decisions, as per the objectives of the shareholders of the business.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
The CFO is an accountant and the ‘right hand’ of the CEO as they (she/he) are responsible for managing the financial resources and forecasting the future financial standing of the business based on the operational data, and the financial reports which are prepared by the Financial Controller and the accounting department. The CFO is essential in that they advise the CEO, the Board of Directors, and the shareholders, on the strategic direction that the business should take based on a variety of information, such as the business’ profitability and cash flow, as well as market threats and opportunities.
Financial Controller
The Financial Controller is an accountant who heads the team of accountants and assumes full responsibility for tracking the general profitability of the business through the preparation and management of timely financial reports. Under the leadership of the Financial Controller, the accounting department would manage different functions of the business to ensure that incomes (from sale of services) and expenditures (such as buying equipment, creating a new service, and salaries) are received and paid for in a timely manner. The Financial Controller also uses this information to monitor the cash flow of the business and makes recommendations on what resources are available for investment.
Project Manager
Being a Project Manager of a telecommunications business requires planning, organising, and directing the completion of specific projects. This may include scheduling the projects in terms of the timelines required for completion, and matching resources (such as people and equipment) so that the tasks are actioned in an efficient manner, whilst ensuring that the work is completed as specified and within the set budget.
Business Development Manager
For a business to survive, it needs to grow. The responsibility associated with this role is to seek ways to make the company grow through new ideas, contacts, and clients. Developing a business may include increasing the choice of products and services offered to customers, partnering with other organisations, managing how a brand is represented in the market, expanding to other countries, and considering any other market opportunities.
Head of Retail
The Head of Retail leads and guides the retail managers of the different stores, who, in turn, oversee their respective sales teams, that is, the salespeople who are ‘on the ground’ meeting customers and selling products and services. The role of the Head of Retail is to forecast sales and develop products or services based on demand in collaboration with the Business Development Manager. They also set goals for the sales teams to reach, assess the need for training and delivering this, whilst drafting plans and mentoring colleagues.
Internal Auditor
The business might employ an Internal Auditor, an accountant who is independent from management to check the processes and the systems which are in place by the business. A business would have a process for buying products, for developing new services, for recruiting new staff, for managing its stock levels, and so on. The role of the Internal Auditor would be to review and test processes and provide recommendations, depending on the objective of the business, such as becoming more efficient or transparent.