Automation specialty pays attention to the viewpoint of system theory, so it is actually the most suitable engineering specialty to develop in the direction of management science specialty. For example, Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management and Xi Jiaotong University School of Economics and Management were both established by teachers from the Department of Automation. Academician Wang Yingluo was the deputy director of the Institute of Systems Engineering, Department of Automation, Jiaotong University before he founded Guanyuan.

As far as I know, the school of management likes to recruit undergraduate graduates with engineering background, especially those from the Institute of Telecommunications, to study in the school of management.

In addition, the minor requirements you mentioned are actually very low. It seems that all courses are not less than 70, and all majors in the school can, so automation is naturally listed.