Diploma in Management of Co-operatives

Purpose

The purpose of this qualification is to meet the specific competency needs of people who are required to manage the operations of co-operatives and allied industries. The Diploma: Cooperative Management will meet this need by providing both theoretical and practical education.

A graduate who has completed the prescribed course of study and has graduated from the programme will be able to

• Manage the operations of cooperative organisations and other allied industries in an efficient and effective manner.
• Mobilise resources from members of Co-operatives and effectively utilise them to the benefit of the individuals themselves and for the benefit of the organisation.
• Apply the ethics, principles and concepts of cooperation in the day-to-day management of organisations.
• Be and effective member of the cooperative management sector.

Graduates of this programme should be able to function as

• Cooperative Managers, both to work for either the Department of Economic Development or the Primary and Secondary Co-operatives.
• Cooperative Training and Education Specialists.
• Cooperative Promoters.
• Cooperative Advisors.
• Marketing Managers.
• Cooperative Auditors.
• Cooperative Accountants.
• Credit Officers in Micro Finance Institutions.
• Banking Officers handling credit.
• Project Development Officers with Non-Government Organisations (NGOs).

Rationale

Cooperative Education and Training (CET) is a relatively new field in the South African educational landscape. The country boasts of over 6,500 cooperative enterprises which have been formed and are being run by indigenous people. The cooperative sector has however not received the attention it deserves in terms of the education and training of employees in the sector. It is for this reason that the University of Zululand has taken a strategic decision to take the lead in developing qualified managers and other professionals for the cooperative sector.

The importance and crucial role of cooperatives is manifest in the policy and legal frameworks that the South African Government has put in place for their growth and development. In Cooperative Law (2005) and Cooperative Policy (2004) the government expects cooperatives to act as vehicles of development in the indigenisation of the economy. With the university playing the role of developing the necessary manpower, it can be envisaged that these enterprises will be strong, viable and self sustaining.

This qualification will offer students a professional career in cooperative management so that they can work in cooperative enterprises as well as in related fields such as Micro Finance institutions, Banks and NGOs. They will acquire broad expertise in the workings and management of development projects and community programmes. The qualification will enable the students to balance the theoretical management principles and theory, with practical training to gain hands-on experience in community mobilisation and working with the rural populations.

Learners who register for this qualification should have the following skills, knowledge and understanding in order to gather and interact meaningfully with the relevant information:

• Competency in Mathematical Literacy as well as Communication in the language of learning and teaching of the provider.
• The ability to work independently, or as part of a team.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Learners who do not comply with the admission requirements may be granted admission through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) according to the policy and procedures of the University of Zululand. Recognition of Prior Learning may also be used to grant credits towards this qualification.

Access to the Qualification

The minimum admission requirement will be a National Senior Certificate (NSC) as certified by the Council for General and Further Education and Training with an achievement rating of 3 in Mathematical Literacy, or a Senior Certificate with an E symbol Mathematics at Standard Grade, or an equivalent South African School Leaving Certificate, or a relevant qualification at NQF Level 5 or above.

All the modules in this qualification are compulsory.

NQF Level 5 (120 credits)

• History and Principles of Co-operatives.
• Management of Savings and Credit Co-operatives and Co-operative Banks.
• Business Calculations I.
• Accounting A1.
• Business Information System.
• Business Management I.
• Business Communication.
• Co-operatives Organisation and Management Practice I.

NQF Level 6 (160 credits)

• Co-operative Policy, Law and Regulations.
• Accounting 1B.
• Co-operative Organisation and Management Practice II.
• Business Management II.
• Co-operative Marketing.
• Work Integrated Learning (WIL) - Internship.

NQF Level 7 (96 credits)

• Mathematics and Statistics for Commerce Students.
• Research Methods.
• Financial Accounting for Companies.
• Cooperative Banking.
• Introduction to Auditing and Professional Ethics.
• Commercial Law.
• Co-operative Education and Training.

1. Manage the marketing and business operations, finances and physical resources of cooperative organisations and other allied industries.
2. Mobilise resources from members of cooperatives and effectively utilise them for their benefit and the benefit of the organisation.
3. Apply the ethics, principles and concepts of cooperation and the legal requirements pertaining to cooperatives in the day-to-day management of organisations.
4. Perform cooperative management functions professionally and carry out minor research into new areas in management of cooperatives.

Critical Cross-Field Outcomes

• Identifying and solving problems are demonstrated in the discussion of case studies that will form part of the learning experience of the students.
• Working effectively with others is demonstrated in the fact that the entire qualification is built around working with other people in the community to establish and manage a business effectively. This talks to the philosophy underpinning cooperatives and the management of cooperatives. Moreover, students will be doing most of their assignments as groups to foster the notion of working with others.
• Organising of self is demonstrated in the experiential learning component of the programme as students will be expected to organise themselves as they will be in a work situation, log in all their experiences and produce reports at the end.
• Collating information will be achieved through the Research Methods module. The aim of this module is to introduce students to the basic methods of research in cooperatives, including identifying research problems, formulating hypotheses, data gathering up to report writing and presentation.
• Communicating effectively: As part of this qualification. The purpose of this module will be to enable students to understand and use English language appropriately to write and present official documents, e.g. letters, minutes and reports. Moreover, students will be expected to produce a number of reports in the different modules, thereby strengthening their written communication skills.
• Utilising science and technology effectively is integrated into the Business Information Systems module. This module will expose students to the use of computers in business, e.g. data entry, data analysis and presentation. A range of computer packages will be learned by students, as well as hardware and software. Moreover, the University has computer laboratories that are used by students to do research, communicate via emails and do word processing and presentations when preparing their assignments. There are networked PCs for students to connect to the internet.
• Understanding the world as a set of related systems is indicated in various modules in the programme. This programme has a history component, a banking component, a policy and law-related component, accounting, business management, marketing and education and training. It will thus expose learners to the fact that the management of cooperatives is not an isolated discipline but links very closely to other disciplines.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Periodic, financial and marketing plans, including budgets, are prepared for the operations of the cooperative.
• Organisation of marketing and business operations and the workforce is done to realise the objectives of the organisation.
• Human and financial resources are directed in an effective and efficient manner.
• Human, physical and financial activities of the cooperative are monitored and controlled to minimise waste.
• Funds and other resources are used in a manner that will be beneficial to the organisation.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Sensitisation meetings are conducted with members.
• The objectives of funds mobilisation to the members are articulated to members.
• The various benefits of funds mobilisation are identified and discussed.
• Suitable projects and programmes that will benefit members of the cooperative are identified and the necessary resources mobilised.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Cooperative ethics, principles and values are interpreted and applied within the cooperative environment.
• Other members of the cooperative are sensitised on the appropriate methods and steps of ethics and principles.
• Legal requirements pertaining to cooperatives are understood and applied on a day-to-day basis.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Professional standards are discussed and applied.
• Verbal and written communication skills are used in communication with the media and stakeholders within the cooperative environment.
• Research is conducted according to institutional requirements and reports written on findings.

Integrated Assessment

The following assessment opportunities will be made available to students

• Individual assignments.
• Group assignments.
• Class tests.
• Case study questions.
• Verbal presentations.
• Written reports and research work.
• Semester examinations.

The assessment will be an integration of formative and summative assessment. The formative assessment will count towards admission into summative assessment and counts towards the final mark at the end of each semester.