Advanced Certificate in Business Administration

Purpose

The Advanced Certificate: Business Administration will provide learners with specialised knowledge in the Commerce, Business and Management Studies field and will develop their ability to apply their knowledge and skills in the administration of business activities. It also prepares them to undertake more specialised and intensive learning.

The Advanced Certificate: Business Administration is intended to provide learners with the necessary knowledge and skills to access the labour market particularly in the field of business management and administration.

This qualification develops knowledge and skills in two areas

• The Internal Business Environment.
• The External Business Environment.

It provides opportunities for practical application of knowledge and skills through experiential learning.

Rationale

The programme addresses national goals being set by the new Higher Education Ministry and by the National Skills Development Strategy for South Africa. The programme provides learners with knowledge, specific skills and applied competencies in the business environment. It offers opportunities for continued intellectual growth, and improves learners' employability as entry level employees.

The Advanced Certificate: Business Administration, NQF Level 6 is both vocational and industry oriented. The knowledge content emphasises general principles, application and technology transfer in Commerce, Business and Management Studies. The Advanced Certificate: Business Administration, NQF Level 6 provides learners with knowledge of business administration and the ability to apply their knowledge and skills in basic business operations. It also equips them to undertake more specialised and intensive learning in the future.

• Communication at NQF Level 5.
• Mathematical Literacy at NQF Level 4.
• Introductory knowledge at NQF Level 5 in Business Management, Accounting, Economics, Human Resource Management and Marketing.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Any learner wishing to be assessed may arrange to do so. For Recognition of Prior Learning the learner will be required to submit a portfolio of evidence of relevant experience, in a prescribed format, to be assessed for formal recognition.

Recognition of Prior Learning is used for two purposes

• Access: To give access to learners who do not meet the requirements for admission.
• Credits: To give learners credit for some of the modules in the programme because of acceptable prior learning earned through formal/non formal/informal learning.

Access to the Qualification

Access is open to learners in possession of a Higher Certificate: Business Administration, NQF Level 5.

The qualification has a total of 120 credits.

The qualification consists of the following twelve compulsory modules at NQF Level 6, each to the value of 10 credits

• Business Management 101.
• Accounting 101.
• Information Systems 101.
• Economics 101.
• Human Resource Management.
• Business Law 101.
• Business Management 102.
• Accounting 102.
• Information Systems 102.
• Economics 102.
• Marketing Management 101.
• Work Integrated Learning.

1. Demonstrate knowledge of General Business Management Principles.
2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the legal environment for sound business practices.
3. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the allocation of scarce resources and policy decisions and their implications for society.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of Elementary Information System Principles.
5. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts and principles of human resource policies and practices and the importance of training and development.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of the concepts of marketing management and its importance to business development.
7. Demonstrate and apply an understanding of accounting practices.

Critical Cross-Field Outcomes

All the Critical Cross-Field Outcomes are addressed in the qualification.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Demonstrate how a junior business manager can provide valuable insight into any organisation.
• Describe the various tasks associated with business management at various levels in an organisation.
• Describe the various roles of a junior manager in the business environment.
• Evaluate the vision of and leadership in an organisation.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Demonstrate how to apply basic principles of Business Law.
• Demonstrate knowledge of how Business Law affects business relationships and transactions within the scope of the administration of companies and other organisations.
• Describe the implications of the relevant legal principles for the business.
• Describe the sources of Business Law.
• Draw, carry out and terminate enforceable contracts using the general principles of contract law.
• Demonstrate and apply an understanding of ethics as an integral part of sound business practice.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Demonstrate an understanding of economics, economies and the major flows in economics.
• Discuss the problem of scarcity.
• Describe and explain the relationship between demand, supply and prices.
• Demonstrate competence in consumer choice and the utility approach.
• Analyse relationships between production and costs, type of competition, economic growth and development.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics, resource implications, benefits and challenges of both file organisation methods and database management approaches to managing the information resource in organisations.
• Critically evaluate the core activities in the system development process.
• Describe alternative methods for building information systems giving advantages and disadvantages of each method.
• Define Infrastructure Technology and its component parts.
• Assess computer hardware and software trends.
• Evaluate the role of Internet Technology in facilitating the management and coordination of internal and inter-organisational business processes.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Discuss the challenges of Human Resource Management.
• Evaluate job design, recruitment and selection, induction and compensation systems.
• Demonstrate competence in implementing various training and development techniques.
• Evaluate the processes required to assess the effectiveness of any given human resource strategy.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Explain the principles of Marketing.
• Describe group, social and cultural influences affecting consumers.
• Identify, implement and manage marketing strategies and draw up plans to meet organisational requirements.
• Discuss consumer and buyer behaviour.
• Identify and discuss marketing instruments.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Define the various revenue, cost and profit concepts.
• Prepare income statements, balance sheets and journals and draw up a cash budget for an organisation.
• Report on ledger accounts, trial balances, basic income statements and basic balance sheets.
• Calculate stock value and fixed asset value.
• Calculate the net income of an investment, the current liabilities, the owner's equity and disclose all this information in a balance sheet.

Integrated Assessment

Integrated Assessment allows the assessor to make use of formative and summative assessment methods and assess combinations of practical, applied, foundational and reflective competencies. Integrated Assessment typically makes use of combinations of the following assessment methods:

• Coursework Evaluations.
• Continuous Evaluation.
• Practical Evaluation.
• Time-constrained written examinations.

Work Integrated Learning assessment assists in assessing the various disciplines that comprise the curriculum of this qualification.