Bachelor of Commerce in International Supply Chain Management

Purpose

The purpose of this qualification is to provide learners in the private, public and voluntary sectors with core knowledge and skills about various basic as well as more specialised aspects of transport, procurement, logistics, and supply chain management, as well as business management and marketing. Qualifying learners will have knowledge of some key aspects of project management, financial management, international economics and trade, and logistics service provision generally, in order to promote sustainable growth and development and maximise prosperity in all sectors of the economy and society.

The qualifying learner will be a competent leader with applied supply chain, financial, economic, management and marketing skills as well as generic cross-functional knowledge and competence to steer sustainable development, growth and prosperity in the most appropriate direction.

The qualifying learners will be able articulate for advanced studies in supply chain, business management and marketing, with a sound academic base, to apply their skills and further advance in their careers and academic studies.

Rationale

The 2015-2016 Global Competitiveness Index ranks South Africa at 49 out of 140 countries (35%). The 2015-2016 Global Competitiveness Index contains the following comment: "Even more worrisome is the quality of education (120th), where higher secondary enrolment rates will not be enough to create the skills needed for a competitive economy." In addition, South Africa's share (%) of world export markets fell from 1.6% in 1970 to 0.4% in 2014, a decline of 75%.

The aim of this qualification is to address not only the gaps which these trends identify (e.g. declining world competitiveness caused at least in part by lack of skills at higher secondary/tertiary level, and declining share of world export markets), but also to address gaps in service delivery caused by lack of competency in the areas of transport, procurement and supply chain management.

This qualification meets the needs of employees/potential employees who manage trade in goods to understand supply chains and the key players in the supply chains. These include, but are not limited to those involved in transport and warehousing, operations generally, procurement, logistics service provision, shipping agencies and suppliers, statutory bodies, importers, exporters, bankers and risk managers.

The qualifying learner will be able to develop end-to-end solutions for those in the supply chain space. This includes developing the abilities to understanding of the various key concepts to be able to analyse and map supply chains and use tools to create strategically aligned, integrated supply chain solutions for a variety of industry verticals, thus achieving significant agility and savings. Customer centricity will be a key focus.

This qualification is aligned to the curriculum structure criteria of international professional bodies, namely the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS). The qualification will thus provide a learning pathway to internationally recognised qualifications.

The qualification can produce managers with specific reference to the supply chain management and marketing fields that have a wide-based knowledge of the world-of-business and who are able to think across different disciplines relating to international supply chain management.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

This qualification may be achieved in part through the recognition of relevant prior learning and through prior experience. Recognition of prior learning will be applied on an individual basis.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Senior Certificate (SC) at National Qualifications Authority (NQF) Level 4 with endorsement.

Or

• National Senior Certificate (NSC) at NQF Level 4 granting access to Bachelor's Degree admission.

Or

• National Certificate Vocational (NCV) at NQF Level 4 granting access to Bachelor's Degree admission.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory and elective modules at Levels 5, 6 and 7 totalling 360 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 5: 80 Credits

• Academic Literacy 1.
• Marketing 1, 20 Credits.
• Business Management 1, 20 Credits.
• Economic Principles 1, 20 Credits.
• Financial Management 1, 20 Credits.

Elective Modules, Level 5: 40 Credits (Select two modules from the following elective (optional) stream)

Stream 1 (Logistics services)

• Supply Chain Management 1, 20 Credits.
• Sales and Key Account Management 1, 20 Credits.

Stream 2 (Transport)

• Supply Chain Management: Transport 1, 20 Credits.
• Logistics 1, 20 Credits.

Stream 3 (Procurement)

• Supply Chain Management: Procurement 1, 20 Credits.
• Supply Operations 1, 20 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 6: 80 Credits

• Marketing 2, 20 Credits.
• Business Management 2, 20 Credits.
• Business Research: Theory 2, 20 Credits.
• Project Management 2, 20 Credits.

Elective Modules, Level 6: 40 Credits (Select two modules from the following elective (optional) stream)

Stream 1 (Logistics services)

• Supply Chain Management 2, 20 Credits.
• International Logistics Services 2, 20 Credits.

Stream 2 (Transport)

• Supply Chain Management: Transport 2, 20 Credits.
• Logistics Management 2, 20 Credits.

Stream 3 (Procurement)

• Supply Chain Management: Procurement 2, 20 Credits.
• Supply Relationships 2, 20 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 7: 80 Credits

• Business Management 3, 20 Credits.
• Marketing and International Trade 3, 20 Credits.
• International Economics 3, 20 Credits.
• Supply Chain: Project 3, 20 Credits.

Elective Modules, Level 7: 40 Credits (choose two modules from the following elective (optional) stream)

Stream 1 (Logistics services)

• Supply Chain Management 3, 20 Credits.
• Trade Finance and Payments 3, 20 Credits.

Stream 2 (Transport)

• Supply Chain Management: Transport 3, 20 Credits.
• Logistics Report 3, 20 Credits.

Stream 3 (Procurement)

• Supply Chain Management: Procurement 3, 20 Credits.
• Supply Sustainability 3, 20 Credits.

1. Demonstrate an intermediate but integrated and broad scope of management knowledge, specifically supply chain management, and how it applies to the discipline of logistics service provision, transport, procurement, management and marketing.
2. Demonstrate an intermediate understanding of the knowledge literacy regarding international supply chain management, and how it applies to the discipline of logistics service provision, transport, procurement, management and marketing.
3. Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate relevant supply chain related information.
4. Solve intermediate supply chain management problems, demonstrating an understanding of supply chain problems and the ability to identify, analyse, evaluate, critically reflect on and address complex problems, applying theory and solutions in supply chain contexts.
5. Understand codes of ethical behaviour and professional practice in the field of management and specifically supply chain management, and base decisions and actions on appropriate management values.
6. Access, process and manage information, demonstrating the ability to develop appropriate processes of information gathering for a given context or use, also independently validating the sources of information and evaluating and managing the information.
7. Learners use appropriate academic/professional/occupational discourse to produce and communicate information in a supply chain business environment, demonstrating their understanding and own ideas and opinions on international and supply chain related matters; and conventions around intellectual property, copyright and plagiarism.
8. Demonstrate an intermediate understanding of the management, economic, financial and supply chain contexts and systems within which organisations operate and be able to link them to business opportunities.
9. Show an understanding of the scope of responsibilities required of a management position, and the need for management of own and ongoing learning and development.
10. Show an understanding of the scope of responsibilities required of a management position, the accountability to senior management in an organisation, and the ability to take responsibility for own work, decision-making and use of resources, and decisions and actions generally.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Define and explain management and operational processes, terms, concepts, facts, principles, rules and theories in the fields of international supply chain management, logistics service provision, transport, procurement, marketing and related aspects of international trade, economics, and finance.
• Explain and apply the processes of effective strategic planning and goal setting, optimization in terms of costs and customer service, relationship management, and performance management within these fields.
• Describe various aspects of marketing, business management, international trade, financial management, project management, research, economics and logistics service provision, transport and procurement.
• Analyse managerial decisions in the context of all of the above.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Apply the principles of supply chain management in various business situations and contexts.
• Demonstrate an understanding of basic supply chain management and related concepts.
• Explain the optimisation of supply chains, specifically with regard to costs and customer service.
• Interpret financial and economic information, and various management reports related to supply chains.
• Propose a design for supply chain research.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Collect data.
• Analyse, organise and store information.
• Present information for informed decision-making.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Identify the different types of supply chain challenges and problems.
• Evaluate different challenges and problems in logistics service provision, transport, procurement, management, marketing, international trade, economics and finance.
• Determine and discuss international challenges and problems impacting supply chains.
• Identify suitable solutions and make relevant business decisions.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Discuss the term 'ethics'.
• Identify and discuss core values.
• Describe ethical issues identified within the field of management, specifically supply chain.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Understand the theory of business research.
• Understand business research in the supply chain context.
• Analyse the supply chain environment.
• Analyse a case study/do supply chain research and produce a research project report.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Communicate information on matters relating to international supply chain management, logistics service provision, transport, procurement, management, marketing, international trade, economics and finance.
• Show understanding and use of conventions around intellectual property, copyright and plagiarism.
• Argue ideas and opinions on solutions to supply chain problems.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8

• Explain concepts such as integrated supply chain management, total cost concept, supplier relationship management, customer relationship management, logistics integration.
• Distinguish between different supply chain role-players.
• Identify economic trends and supply chain challenges that can influence the distribution of a product or service.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 9

• Identify the functions within an organisation.
• Discuss the inter-relationship between the functions of an organisation.
• Understand the accountability for and within supply chain relationships and the integrated nature of supply chain management.
• Discuss the responsibility for ongoing learning for supply chain managers.
• Discuss environmental and corporate social responsibility and sustainability in the context of supply chain management.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 10

• Identify the different levels of management and discuss the decision-making taking place at different levels of management.
• Discuss the inter-relationship between the functions of an organisation and the accountability of each.
• Understand responsibility, accountability and ethics in procurement and various trade contexts.
• Understand the business' accountability in terms of sustainability and organizational actions.

Integrated Assessment

The institution is committed to assessment practices that are open, transparent, fair and valid so that learners are not disadvantaged in any way.

Various forms of assessment are used, such as assignments, case studies, projects/reports, and examinations.