Advanced Diploma in Management Development

Purpose

The purpose of this qualification is to equip graduates with the confidence and ability to apply and integrate the acquired skills, theories, concepts and methods appropriately and holistically with high levels of professional responsibility in the organisational and environmental context they operate.

The Advanced Diploma will equip graduates to enter the workplace with the necessary managerial knowledge and skill to create value-generating organisations. The notion of a value-generating organisation is one that thinks beyond profits alone-it is also about doing business based on purpose, sustainability, and responsible practices that create dignity and belonging as well. Embedded within the purpose is thus a holistic, broad and inclusive understanding of "value", where such value is created with and through people and their creativity, as well as being underpinned by key managerial theories, tools and methods. While values-based leadership is a key feature of managing such an organisation, given the holistic approach, the programme will be structured to create degrees of competency at three levels-the personal or individual level (I), the collaborative team and stakeholder based level (WE) and the functional or technical level (IT).

In addition to the primary purpose of the qualification, the qualification will be designed to

• Allow the student to exit with an integrated understanding of the fundamentals of organisational administration, management and leadership, which will equip them to run their own, existing businesses, or organisations, or departments, or teams more efficiently and effectively. This will include understanding and evaluating key managerial frames and methodologies from economic theory, finance and accounting, as well as marketing, operations and people management, and then, importantly, the ability to apply such an understanding in an integrated, innovative manner and lead teams of people toward value-generating outcomes.

Also the qualification is designed to equip graduates to assess complex work-based problems with a degree of critical thinking to create sustainable solutions using integration of methods and approaches from Economics, Finance and Accounting, Marketing, People Management, Operations, Leadership and Strategy to these problems in an emergent market context.

The students will be able to

• Demonstrate heightened levels of self-awareness and the ability to impact broader organisational aims within unique socio-economic circumstances of emergent market contexts, with a clear understanding of the professional ethics associated with any managerial action.
• Acquire improved verbal and written managerial communication skills focusing on authenticity and creating well-formed arguments based in evidence.

Rationale

The Advanced Diploma in Management Development is designed to provide learners with an understanding of management development. This qualification is aimed at developing a broad understanding of the fundamental aspects of the management process, in order to prepare them for positions and senior management level. This qualification has career-enhancing offerings aimed at management-level employees. It also aims at fulfilling a clear gap in the offering by presenting the opportunity to tie in with the transformational agenda of the Institution by providing opportunities to learners who have not had the opportunity to study at this level before.

The Advanced Diploma in Management Development has been developed to enable experienced middle managers or individuals who want to equip themselves for a new career in management, to develop a broad understanding of the fundamental aspects of the management process, in order to accelerate them towards more senior management positions.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Candidates not meeting the admission requirements can apply through the Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) route and submit the Portfolio of Learning (POL) assessment form via the website. The RPL application will be reviewed by an Academic Faculty member of the Business School in accordance with the institution's RPL policy.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• A Diploma at Level 6.

Or

• A Bachelor's Degree in Human Resource Management at Level 7.

This qualification comprises compulsory modules at Level 7, totalling 120 Credits.

• Leadership and Communication, 20 Credits.
• Principles of Economics of Emerging Markets, 15 Credits.
• Finance and Accounting Management, 20 Credits.
• Principles of Marketing Management, 15 Credits.
• Principles of Human Resources Management, 15 Credits.
• Principles of Operations Management, 15 Credits.
• Strategy and Innovation Lab, 20 Credits.

1. Critically assess and reflect on how broad economic realities affect doing business in varying situations using taught economic principles, concepts and frameworks and, what the implications for managing organisations are, given these realities.
2. Develop and apply appropriate interventions informed by an integrated reading and understanding of the principles of accounting and finance as reflected in financial statements.
3. Develop and apply a well-thought through marketing approach and plan for organisations to leverage greater value.
4. Select and use qualitative and quantitative methods to identify, critically analyse and address organisational problems regarding people management practices and processes.
5. Critically assess, using evidence-based management, operational effectiveness and select appropriate operations management countermeasures to deliver greater organisational value.
6. Critically assess and reflect on one's own efficacy in management and leadership with a view to contribution towards value creation, in collaboration with other stakeholders.

The following associated assessment criteria are assessed in an integrated manner across all the Exit Level Outcomes

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes

• Understand and demonstrate well-informed writing and argument construction.
• Learn how to prepare a professional presentation and present confidently and with appropriate discourse.
• Understand the approaches to leadership, and select and appropriately deploy these in a personalised context.
• Understand the interplay of personal leadership, ethics, values and the work context.
• Develop personal awareness and self-directed effectiveness through reflection, learning and collaborating with others.
• Understand and develop competencies in teamwork.
• Demonstrate an understanding of broad contextual issues that relate directly or indirectly to the strategy a company may take.
• Show an appreciation for the global forces affecting the social and economic policies of an emergent market economy.
• Discuss and critically evaluate governmental and socio-economic issues impacting on and operating in emerging market economies.
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of key economic concepts (micro and macro-economics, supply and demand, price elasticity) and apply the language of economics appropriately to the context and system at play.
• Develop a framework in which to understand the workings of a modern macro economy and the consequences of any intervention (e.g. by government), especially in the context of an emergent economy.
• Apply the economic way of thinking about problems, how to reason accurately and objectively about economic matters and explain the relevance of this for business in an emergent and global market context.
• Develop fluency in the language of accounting and an understanding of key accounting principles so as to critically identify, analyse, evaluate and critically reflect on organisational performance and areas of improvement.
• Explain the process of preparing financial statements and identify and critically reflect on key items on financial statements and how these impact what action may needs to be taken in a given context.
• Develop a competence in financial analysis and perform key calculations, using appropriate methodologies so as to critically examine a firm's financing and investment decisions.
• Engage in conversations on financial matters, with appropriate discourse and develop competence in reading most texts in the financial press to inform the evidence of sound arguments and conclusions.
• Demonstrate the appropriate application of relevant marketing concepts and theories in different contexts with an emphasis on emerging markets.
• Identify and employ suitable marketing concepts and tools in systematically evaluating marketing opportunities and challenges in a continually changing environment.
• Critically review and process information to create sustainable marketing strategies in a specialised context that maximises economic and social value.
• Develop and consolidate problem-solving, presentation, and team-working skills suitable for more abstract and complex business situations.
• Show an understanding of how marketing emphasises its role in the value chain.
• Demonstrate the knowledge, skills and concepts needed to deal with actual people management problems and issues, especially in the emergent market context.
• Identify and evaluate suitable people management policies and practices for use in organisations.
• Show the ability to select, motivate, reward, develop and communicate with employees in ways that add value to the organisation and employees.
• Engage with the elements and benefits of a high performance organisation and critically assess organisations against a high performance organisation.
• Engage, understand and appropriately apply the strategic perspective of Operations Management, including market-driven operations strategy and how to make operations deliver to the promise of the market.
• Demonstrate the ability to see process in everything, irrespective of context and have the ability to map and improve it using appropriate methodologies and the principles of continual improvement.
• Understand the concept of Lean Thinking, competing discourses on the subject, implications of selecting a particular discourse as the reigning discourse, as well as the applications of Lean Thinking and potential for improving operations in the emergent market context.
• Demonstrate an appreciation of the importance to reflect and learn from implementations and other attempts at running/improving operations and creating value through operational excellence.
• Discuss and evaluate different ideas for how to achieve sustainable competitive advantage, including how personal and firm innovation may feature here.
• Integrate learning from the modules to create value-generating outcomes in a simulation or applied project.
• Identify and address issues within the simulation or project, and identify innovative means by which the issue can be resolved and social and economic value can be generated from the approach.
• Demonstrate the ability to synthesise information from different sources and organize it effectively and apply critical analysis to ideas and information.
• Professionally articulate findings before varied audiences consisting of both peers and independent leaders of organisations.
• Synthesise effective criticism and multiple perspectives towards producing a thoughtful account of learning through the simulation or project.

Integrated Assessment

The assessments are applied in the various qualifications vary from formative individual assignments to peer and stakeholder reviews. They take the form of a mix of submission requirements, both group and individual. In qualifications where case methodology is a key teaching mechanism, the mid-term and final exam are likely to be case-based as well to draw through the links to outcomes enveloped in the case method.

During the year, the various results of the assignments/assessments will constitute the mark for the course.

All modules must have individual assessments of no less than 50% of the course grade.

It is important that there is a match between the qualification goals, the intended learning outcomes of the course, and the assessment.

A summative assessment should assess all key learning outcomes of the course (not just one or two of them).

Students must achieve a minimum of 50% in individual work to pass this course.

Marks for group assignments will not be aggregated into the final mark if a passing grade on individual effort is not achieved.

Duly Performed (DP) requirements for all qualifications must be met.

A DP certificate is required to submit any final individual assignments of a course and to pass a course.

To acquire a DP requires that a student engages in the academic process by attending at least 80% of lectures, submitting all work and assignments as and when required, and achieving a minimum of 33.3% in all individual components of the course.