Commercial Manager embraces communication and environment learning

Open Polytechnic’s Bachelor of Applied Science (Communication and Environment) has helped Commercial Manager, Christine Mans upskill in her role of 18 years, nearly 40 years after she previously studied.

Commercial Manager embraces communication and environment learning 40 years on

“I have a real sense of achievement and feel the Bachelor of Applied Science (Communication and Environment) degree has enabled me to be current in environmental best practice in business and how to communicate challenging topics in a way that is more focused and targeted to the audience’s needs,” Christine says.

Christine’s recent online studies through Open Polytechnic weren’t her first foray into tertiary education but show the importance of learning no matter what age and stage of your career. 

She is a qualified Chartered Accountant with a passion for the environment and sustainable business practice.

Back in the 1980s, Christine originally studied some communication papers at university, as part of her accounting qualifications.

Nearly four decades later she decided to get back into learning about communication, with an environmental angle, to support her workplace, Discover Waitomo – Tourism Holdings Limited’s sustainable focus and strategy. 

The practical nature of Open Polytechnic learning

Because communication practices have changed since Christine did her previous communication studies, she found the programme very practical.

“Upskilling in modern and current communication techniques enabled me to improve my communication skills,” says Christine.

“Through my current study I learned that communication techniques continue to evolve and improve, and I have adapted my communication style in my existing role with the new techniques I learnt.”

The programme also helped to identify gaps in Christine’s knowledge, especially around Māori culture, which she is now looking to build on through studying a te reo Māori course.

Highly relevant course materials

For Christine, it was extremely relevant to use her current workplace, Discover Waitomo, as a case study for her assessments.

“It enabled me to dive deeper into culture and people’s behaviour to improve workplace communication,” she says.

The Discover Waitomo (DW) group operates a number of caving operations, including the world famous, culturally significant Waitomo Glowworm Cave, which is leased from the Ruapuha Uekaha Hapū Trust and Department of Conservation.

“I have used the degree to upskill to modern practice in environmental management and apply this practice to my day-to-day decision-making in my role,” Christine says.

“It is important to be able to communicate best environmental practice to a wide audience, many who do not understand the impact of humans on the environment and do not want to change their ways.”

The Bachelor of Applied Science (Communication and Environment) has helped Christine understand a wide range of cultures and apply different techniques to enable improved understanding of why change in business practice is necessary to protect the environment.

Flexible online learning with Open Polytechnic

The main reason Christine chose to study online and enrol with Open Polytechnic for its Bachelor of Applied Science (Communication and Environment) was so she could fit her study in around her work and life commitments.

As Commercial Manager, Christine has an important role in her organisation, as she oversees the Discover Waitomo finance, customer services and retail teams.

She is also responsible for managing the business planning process for the Discover Waitomo group.   
Her role is advisory to the General Manager and Tourism Holdings Limited management team on Discover Waitomo business strategy.

Christine’s workplace, Tourism Holdings Limited, supported her studies by giving her one day a week of study leave, as they could see the benefit of her gaining the Bachelor of Applied Science degree.

“The study day enabled me to stay focused on study and tasks that required completion, leaving weekends spare to enjoy family and life,” Christine says.

“Other study time was usually in the evenings and early mornings on weekends, leaving most of the weekends free.”

Open Polytechnic resources

Christine enjoyed the flexibility of the iQualify online learning platform and the ability to chat online or email her course leaders.

“I felt the platform was well structured and a consistent format for each course I completed,” she says. 

She found the Open Polytechnic resources easy to use.

“The online library resources enabled access to multiple resources like journal articles, online books and books that could be borrowed for tasks and assignments,” Christine says.

“There were online resources to support the use of the online library, and courses within the degree, such as Accessing Information, that helped finetune the art of accessing the appropriate resources.”

The Open Polytechnic experience

Christine was thrilled with her experience of studying with Open Polytechnic.

She found the staff “very helpful” and the overall experience “excellent”.

Christine would recommend other people study with Open Polytechnic like she has.