Bachelor of Commerce in Industrial Psychology

Purpose

To prepare selected students for eventual statutory registration as Registered Psychometrist and Psychologist (Industrial Psychology) with the Professional Board for Psychology of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). The Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) in Industrial Psychology programme provides the necessary foundation training for the Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Industrial Psychology and Master of Commerce Industrial Psychology aimed at statutory registration. The BCom Industrial Psychology programme will run parallel to other Degree programmes with Industrial Psychology as a major, which are aimed at non-statutory registration with the SA Board of People Practices (SABPP). The BCom Industrial Psychology programme will place a significantly stronger emphasis on Psychology than the other Degree programmes, which only contain Industrial Psychology as a major and do not include Psychology.

The programme will contribute to the full personal development of each learner and the social and economic development of society at large, by making it the underlying intention of the programme to make an individual aware of the importance of participating as responsible citizens in the life of local, national and global communities" via the attainment of the listed learning outcomes. To the extent that the exit level outcomes will be attained, the student will be empowered to participate as a responsible citizen in the life of local, national and global communities.

Rationale

The general perspective adopted is that economic growth and development is regarded as the most powerful tool available to realise the national and international goals aimed at the reduction of poverty and unemployment, and the promotion of human well-being. Current policy documents normally list the following prerequisites for accelerated economic development, namely the development of managerial staff (Financial, Personnel And Project Management), and the development of a skilled and educated labour force.

Against this background the Department believes that Industrial Psychology plays a strategic role in the development of human resources in the Republic of South Africa.

The foremost responsibilities of an Industrial Psychologist are to promote and balance organisational and societal prosperity with human flourishing. In this pursuit it is accepted that work forms an integral part of people's lives, that organisations cannot thrive without the commitment and contribution of people, and that it is through work that we can make the world a better place for all.

The Health Professions Council of South Africa initially promoted the development of a four year Bachelors' Degree, called the Bachelor of Psychology (BPsych) Degree. The response by the Department of Industrial Psychology was to develop the current programme Bachelor of Commerce in Industrial Psychology (BCom Industrial Psychology), so that when supplemented by the Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Industrial Psychology, it is aligned to the proposed degree structure, which is aimed at developing future Psychologists and to create a mid-level professional category.

The programme is aimed at the typical school leaver who qualifies for admission to the Bachelor of Commerce Degree and shows the necessary interest in and aptitude for a programme aimed at understanding, measuring and changing behaviour in the workplace in order to maximise employee and organisational potential.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The Faculty do not ordinarily utilise Recognition of Prior Learning as an admission instrument at this level, although credit for modules passed elsewhere and the odd recognition for a module on the basis of a submitted portfolio and an assessment of the learning outcomes to be achieved have been utilised.

Entry Requirements

• Overall National Senior Certificate average of at least 5 (60%), excluding Life Orientation.
• Mathematics 5 (60%).

NQF Level 5

• Business Management 113, 12 Credits.
• 142, 6 Credits.
• Economics 114, 12 Credits.
• 144, 12 Credits.
• Financial Accounting 188, 24 Credits.
• Industrial Psychology 114, 12 Credits.
• 152, 6 Credits.
• 162, 6 Credits.
• Psychology 114, 12 Credits.
• 144, 12 Credits.
• Statistics 186,(18) or Statistical Methods 176, 18 Credits.
• Theory of Interest 152, 6 credits.

NQF Level 6

Compulsory modules

• Industrial Psychology 214,16 Credits.
• 224, 16 Credits.
• 244, 16 Credits.
• Psychology 213, 8 Credits.
• 223, 8 Credits.
• 243, 8 Credits.
• 253, 8 Credits.

Plus 48 Credits from the following modules, whilst maintaining the prerequisites of the second and third-year modules (in other words select one full one and one of the others to make up 48):

• Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management 214, 16 Credits.
• 244, 16 Credits.
• Financial Management 214, 16 Credits.
• 244 16 Credits.
• Investment Management 254, 16 Credits.
• 214, 16 Credits.
• Marketing Management 244, 16 Credits.

NQF Level 7

Compulsory modules

• Industrial Psychology 314, 12 Credits.
• 324, 12 Credits.
• 348, 24 Credits.
• Psychology 314, 12 Credits.
• 324, 12 Credits.
• 348, 24 credits.

Plus 48 credits from one of the following three subjects

• Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management 318, 24 Credits.
• 348, 24 Credits or Financial Management 314, 12 Credits.
• 332, 12 Credits.
• 352, 12 Credits.
• 354, 12 Credits or Marketing Management 314, 12 Credits.
• 324, 12 credits.
• 344, 12 Credits.
• 354, 12 Credits.

1. The ability to psychologically analyse and explain performance phenomena in terms of the basic psychological principles underlying the behaviour of working man.
2. The ability to psychologically analyse and explain the response of employees to specific conditions characterising the physical working environment in terms of the psychological principles governing human behaviour in interaction with the physical working environment.
3. The ability to evaluate assessment techniques in terms of their basic psychometric properties/criteria [standardisation, reliability, validity,] and the ability to evaluate and justify personnel selection procedures in terms of their validity, fairness and utility.
4. The ability to derive Human Resource Management interventions from psychological theory.
5. The ability to psychologically explain the response of consumers to market offerings and to explain the various possible marketing interventions to affect consumer behaviour in terms of the psychological theory.
6. The ability to derive and articulate the implications of the existing general nature of the South African work environment and labour market for human resource strategy and practices.
7. The ability to interpret various financial indicators of organisational performance and to propose human resource interventions through which the Human Resource Management function in the contemporary organisation can add value to its operation.
8. The ability to psychologically analyse and explain career behaviour and facilitate career development.
9. The ability to describe and recognise the symptoms of various types of individual performance pathology and to select an appropriate response in terms of the principles involved in basic supportive counselling.
10. The ability to formulate and motivate best practice with regard to human resource planning, recruitment, selection, remuneration and performance appraisal in the contemporary organization, given the prevailing circumstances.
11. The ability to psychologically analyse and explain the influence of work motivation, leadership, group dynamics, diversity utilisation and organisation structure on employee work performance and organisational effectiveness.
12. The ability to explain the HR implications of the Employment Equity Act, Basic conditions of Employment Act, Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, Skills Development Act, Labour Relations Act for Human Resource practices.
13. The ability to formulate and motivate best practice with regard to human resource training and development as an integral component of Human Resource Management.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Can construct psychological explanations for performance phenomena when presented with specific examples of outstanding or unsatisfactory work performance.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Can construct psychological explanations when presented with specific examples of worker responses to specific conditions characterising the physical working environment.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Can pronounce a psychometric verdict on the psychometric quality of a specific assessment technique when provided with psychometric indices calculated from the measures of such an instrument. Can justify the use of a specific selection procedure when provided with the results of appropriate statistical analyses conducted on criterion and predictor data.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Can explicate the nature of an appropriate human resource management intervention to affect a specific change in work behaviour when presented with a psychological explanation for the existing behaviour.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Can construct psychological explanations when presented with specific examples of consumer responses to specific market offerings.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Can describe the existing general nature of the South African work environment and labour market and derive and explain the implications thereof for human resource management strategy and practices.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Can interpret a specific set of financial indicator values when presented with the financial results of a specific organization. Can suggest possible human resource management initiatives to achieve specific desired financial improvements.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8

• Can construct psychological explanations when presented with specific examples of career behaviour and identify the career phase the employee is in.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 9

• Can describe and recognize the symptoms of the specific form of individual performance pathology when presented with a case study, and can suggest and motivate an appropriate remedial response in terms of the principles involved in basic supportive counselling.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 10

• Can formulate/sell and justify/motivate best practice with regard to human resource planning, recruitment, selection, remuneration and performance appraisal in the contemporary organization, given a description of the prevailing circumstances.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 11

• Can construct psychological explanations in terms of work motivation, leadership, group dynamics and organisation structure when presented with specific examples of satisfactory or unsatisfactory employee performance.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 12

• Can indicate whether a specific HR practice would be acceptable in terms of the provisions of the Employment Equity Act, Basic conditions of Employment Act, Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, Skills Development Act, Labour Relations Act.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 13

• Can formulate/sell and justify/motivate best practice with regards to human resource training and development. in the modern South African company.

Integrated Assessment

Formal assessment of knowledge acquired and ability to apply it to known and novel situations takes the form of assignments, tests and examinations. Low fidelity paper and pencil simulations will be the primary evaluation modes used to assess the ability to apply the competencies acquired.