What are today’s top business skills and how can you improve yours?

"In order for people to succeed in today’s global dynamic business environment they are required to have the necessary skills to compete and adapt."

Such skills will ensure you are fully prepared for a rewarding and fruitful career. Galway Business School ensure all our students learn these skills during their time with us. 

Time Management

Time management is essential to any successful career in business. It incorporates skills that can be transferred into any area of your job and across all job roles, such as; Goal Setting, Prioritisation, Stress Management and Self-Motivation. It is required for effective work patterns, decision making, planning and organisation.

At the core of time-management is the ability to make plans and stick to them. The most successful planning strategies are built on established good habits that lead to positive rewards. However, making long-term goals can be daunting so it is advisable to set smaller short-term goals that lead on to greater long-term objectives.

The Galway Business School module “Learn to Learn” introduces our 1^st Year Bachelor of Business students to the importance of time-management in their future business roles. The module teaches students the skills required to carry out effective time-management.  Throughout the degree students can use the skills learnt to assist them in their studies and towards achieving better results. This provides them with a strong foundation for effective time-management in their chosen careers.

Communication Skills

"The world of business communications is ever-evolving, and having the knowledge and skills to deliver the correct information to the right people is fundamental for a successful career in any organisation. "

Research has shown that companies that communicate effectively provide a higher return to shareholders.

The communications skills required in a business environment do not come naturally to most people but can be learnt, such skills are; informing, reporting, presenting, negotiating and listening.  All these skills are required by employees and managers in their day-to-day duties. Effective communications skills are also required for individuals to work as part of a team and for creating a positive work environment.

Enhancing learner’s business communications skills is central to the GBS “Business Communications” module and certificate. It aims to provide learners with the knowledge and know how to carry out effective communication in business environments. All modes of communication, oral, written and technical, will be discussed and examined. As learners continue on in their course they will be encouraged in every module to use these skills so they continuously improve and evolve. 

Innovation & Creativity

Organisations now operate in a dynamic and highly competitive global business environment, and one tool that is required to compete in such an environment is a creative workforce. Creativity is the catalyst for big ideas, solving problems and challenging the way a business carries out its operations. Organisations that have a creative workforce are seen as having competitive advantage over its competitors and creativity is now viewed as the number one factor for business success.

Certain individuals are more creative than others but this trait can be enhanced through study and practice. The elements that can encourage creative thinking are; environment, projects or challenges people face, and the systems used to support them. Throughout the Bachelor of Business Level 7 degree and Bachelor of Business (Honours) with International Business Level 8 degree fostering learner’s creativity is at the core of each module. Course content, e-tivities and assignments will challenge students to come up with new ways of doing things.  Lecturers will encourage and support them along their creative journey. On completion of your degree you will have the confidence to be more creative in your job role or manage a creative team in your workplace.

Analytical and Critical Thinking

"The ability to think analytically and critically has been identified as one of the most important characteristics that employers seek when selecting new employees as these skills lead to better decision making and problem solving capabilities."

Analytical thinking is the process of breaking down complex information into more basic principles in order to thoroughly understand the information. Critical thinking enables you to evaluate this information and interpret it in an educated and fair manner.

Analytical and critical thinking are skills that must be learnt and perfected by using them. In order to ensure learners are prepared to use these skills in their future business careers Galway Business School incorporates these skills in all school activities. Learners are required and encouraged to use these skills in class, within assignments, during exams and carrying out business research projects. The growth in a student’s perception of the business world and problem solving capabilities is very evident when they reach the end of the course. We are confident you leave the course prepared and ready for what lies ahead.