Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Small Business Management

Purpose

The purpose of the qualification is to produce citizens who understand the concepts and principles underlying how to develop and manage small businesses. They will provide the skills and expertise highly needed in the community for entrepreneurship and the development of small and medium business enterprises.

Rationale

Entrepreneurship is a focus area in South Africa and the qualification aims to develop entrepreneurial thinking, knowledge and skills to not only start a new venture, but to manage an entrepreneurial venture and to expose learners to different routes of entrepreneurship. The qualification is important to enable learners to become entrepreneurs.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The institution accepts the principle underlying outcomes-based, source-based and life-long learning, in which considerations of articulation and mobility play a significant role, and subscribes to the view that Recognition of Prior Learning, whether acquired by formal education curricula at this or another institution or informally (by experience) is an indispensable element in deciding on admission to and awarding credits in an explicitly selected teaching-learning qualification of the institution.

A learner who falls outside of the formal qualifications system, but who can demonstrate (through the production of substantial and satisfactory evidence) experiential or work-based learning or a non-formal qualification (or a combination), may be considered for admission and/or for the Recognition of Prior Learning for the achievement of the qualification in part or in full. A learner who after such assessment, is deemed to have sufficient potential, but is in need of further academic development, must be directed to other suitable learning qualifications prior to admission or to parallel qualifications after admission.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Appropriate Bachelor's Degree, Level 7.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory and elective modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 8 totalling 128 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 8, 96 Credits

• Research Methodology in Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, 16 Credits.
• Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, 16 Credits.
• Entrepreneurship Innovation and Venture Creation, 16 Credits.
• Entrepreneurship Research Project, 32 Credits.
• Entrepreneurship and Small Business Develop, 16 Credits.

Elective Modules, 32 Credits (Choose two)

• Corporate Strategy, 16 Credits.
• Special Topics in Advanced Business Studies, 16 Credits.
• Advanced Global Business, 16 Credits.
• Leadership and Change Management, 16 Credits.

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the general principles underlying the development of small business enterprises, and to be able to apply these principles in practice.
2. Conduct and report research.
3. Apply own learning in an integrated way to analyse a specific area related to own work context to identify problems.
4. Apply the relevant theoretical frameworks to recommend solutions to identified problem areas.

• Select, apply and evaluate typical methods and procedures involved in the commerce field.
• Diagnose and analyse complex and uncertain commerce and small business management situations, and provide credible and practical solutions relevant to particular work contexts.
• Critically engage with contemporary trends and issues relating to small business management.
• Formulate coherent management strategic policies through consultation with other stakeholders.
• Describe the consequential impacts on society of participating in a developing and growing economy.
• Appropriately apply the code of ethical behaviour in the field of commerce and base decisions and actions on appropriate management and entrepreneurial values.
• Apply ethics in commercial research and understand the implications of complex ethical issues in small business management.
• Lead and/or initiate processes and implement systems at small business management level.
• Critically evaluate and analyse challenges in resource allocation and develop solutions based on evaluation and analysis.
• Critically evaluate and create and design small business management strategies.
• Recognise the scope of responsibilities required in a small business management/owner position and its accountability in a small business.
• Comprehend complex situations.
• Work with, understand and motivate other people.
• Network as well as gain allies and gather organisational power.
• Understand and apply specialised knowledge or expertise.
• Demonstrate advanced scholarship and research abilities.
• Use a range of advanced and specialised skills and marketing discourses to communicate to a range of audiences.
• Use resources of academic and professional discourse to communicate and defend ideas and products of research in an area of specialisation.

Integrated Assessment

Each module will be assessed through an integrated individual written assignment, in addition to a range of oral and written, group and individual class assignments in order to give learners the opportunities to demonstrate a variety of competencies. The final module assignment requires learners to apply their learning in an integrated way to analyse a specific area related to their work context in a work-based assignment and to apply the theoretical frameworks to recommend solutions to identified problem areas.

The practitioner research project assesses the ability of learners to integrate themes from different modules appropriately to a real scenario. Assessment methods will include research projects, individual oral and written assignments and presentations.