Higher Certificate in Retail Management

Purpose

The Higher Certificate in Retail Management will provide learners with the basic introductory knowledge, cognitive and conceptual tools, and practical techniques for higher education studies in the broad field of retail management. It emphasises selected general principles together with more specific procedures and their application. This qualification signifies that the learner has attained a basic level of higher education knowledge and competence in retail management and can apply acquired retail knowledge and competence in a retail environment or the workplace.

This qualification provides learners with a broad background and understanding of the retail environment. Learners will learn about merchandising, customer service, and business communication in the retail industry. Alongside, they will learn about retail business and management principles, employment relations, and supply chain management in retail, to present them with a well-rounded skill set to function effectively in the retail industry.

Upon completion of this qualification, qualifying learners will be able to

• Demonstrate a good understanding of retail management and environment concepts, basic theories, and practices.
• Apply various methods and procedures in developing supply chain systems projects, program logic, and design and be able to determine the effective adherence to their implementation
• Demonstrate sound ethical behaviour and professional competence in addressing complex stakeholders.
• Apply a range of methods of enquiry in business communication to design simple but workable communication systems.
• Develop appropriate and reliable customer service information and data gathering processes tools, methods, and procedures.
• Demonstrate ability to solve basic financial and accounting problems in retail.

Rationale

While the general skills shortage is well documented (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) OECD, 2014; Statistics South Africa, 2014), there has been a specific increasing demand for specialised and accredited training in various sectors of the South African economy. The challenge facing the South African Wholesale and Retail sector as revealed by the Sector Skills Plan (SSP) is the low levels of education and training. As such, during the period 2013 - 2014, about 50.4% of employees in the sector had below a matric educational qualification, and only about 10.7% had higher education qualifications.

The SSP further provides the levers required to make wholesalers and retailers competitive such as category management, supply chain management, store operations, warehousing, merchandising, pricing, communications, promotions, purchasing, planning, and marketing require progressively higher-level education and training qualifications of the workforce. This qualification will close this gap in terms of capacity building for the Sector.

The National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS3, 2013) seeks to encourage and actively support the integration of workplace training with theoretical learning.

The qualification was developed through extensive benchmarking and numerous engagements with relevant stakeholders such as Wholesale and Retail SETA, Chamber of Business, and other academic institutions offering the retail qualification, helping identify the uniqueness of the industry need and its target market.

Information from pivotal occupations funding applications, analyses of the insights gained during regional meetings, as well as from employers' WSPs identified the following as the Top 10 National pivotal occupations: Sales Assistant, General Clerk, Store Person, Checkout Operator, Retail Manager (General), Service Station Attendant, Retail Supervisor, Shelf Filler, Office Cashier, and Sales Representative. The scarce skills identified are Retail Manager (General), Sales Assistant (General), Butcher, Retail Supervisor, Confectionary Baker, Service Station Attendant, Forklift Driver, Retail Buyer, Automotive Parts Salesperson, and Office Cashier.

The qualification will be offered on a flexible, blended block release mode, to equip and upskill learners who wish to pursue retail as a career of choice.

The institution has an approved Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy which is applicable with equivalent qualifications for admission into the qualification. RPL will be applied to accommodate applicants who qualify. RPL thus provides alternative access and admission to qualifications, as well as advancement within qualifications. RPL may be applied for access, credits from modules and credits for or towards the qualification.

RPL for access

• Learners who do not meet the minimum entrance requirements or the required qualification that is at the same NQF level as the qualification required for admission may be considered for admission through RPL.
• To be considered for admission in the qualification based on RPL, applicants should provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that they have acquired the relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to cope with the qualification expectations should they be allowed entrance into the qualification.

RPL for exemption of modules

• Learners may apply for RPL to be exempted from modules that form part of the qualification. For a learner to be exempted from a module, the learner needs to provide sufficient evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that competency was achieved for the learning outcomes that are equivalent to the learning outcomes of the module.

RPL for credit

• Learners may also apply for RPL for credit for or towards the qualification, in which they must provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates prior learning through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to obtain credits towards the qualification.
• Credit shall be appropriate to the context in which it is awarded and accepted.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• National Senior Certificate (NSC), NQF Level 4.

Or

• National Certificate (Vocational), NQF Level 4.

Or

• Senior Certificate, NQF Level 4, without endorsement.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 5 totalling 144 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 5, 144 Credits

• Fundamental of Retail Management, 12 Credits.
• Management of Retail Finance, 12 Credits.
• Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management, 12 Credits.
• Business Communication, 12 Credits.
• Managing in a Retail Environment, 12 Credits.
• Customer Service, 12 Credits.
• Fundamentals of Retail Management, 12 Credits.
• Management of Retail Finance, 12 Credits.
• Fundamental of Supply Chain Management, 12 Credits.
• Basic of IR & Labour Law, 12 Credits.
• Work-integrated Learning, 24 Credits.

1. Demonstrate a good understanding of retail management and environment concepts, basic theories and practices.
2. Apply various methods and procedures in developing supply chain systems projects, program logic, and design and be able to determine the effective adherence to their implementation.
3. Demonstrate sound ethical behaviour and professional competence in addressing complex stakeholders.
4. Apply a range of methods of enquiry in business communication to design simple but workable communication systems.
5. Develop appropriate and reliable customer service information and data gathering processes tools, methods, and procedures.
6. Demonstrate ability to solve basic financial and accounting problems in retail.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Discuss the primary objective of retail management and elaborate on the similarities and differences between retail to other sciences.
• Differentiate between personal selling and direct selling in the retail sector.
• Describe the retail environment in detail.
• Explain various elements of the retail environment.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Define supply chain management.
• Outline the characteristics of supply chain management.
• Describe the supply chain processes and procedures.
• Manage processes within the retail sector.
• Determine accomplishment of supply chain goals and objectives by using special criteria.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Explain the role of each tripartite party in employee relations.
• Draw simple systematic steps to be followed in the dispute resolution process.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Develop terms of reference for a business communication system.
• Explain various communication channels and their intended goals.
• Utilise appropriate technology for various communication modes.
• Compare and contrast the efficacy of various business communication strategies.
• Develop a simple and friendlier complaints procedure as well as a customer feedback system.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Describe the usefulness or importance of customer service information for purpose of decision making.
• Identify various customer service sources of data types in the retail environment.
• Explain the advantages and disadvantages of customer service data collection.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Use the statement in calculating the profit margin.
• Explain the purpose of profitability, liquidity, and solvency ratios.
• Use the figures provided to compile cash-flow statements.
• Compile a simple income and expenditure statement for this retail business.

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT

Integrated assessment forms part of continuous assessment at the institution and takes the form of both formative and summative assessment methods. A variety of assessments both formative and summative is included in the learning guides given to learners and how they are to be executed.

Every assessment opportunity carries a predetermined weight that takes the integration of the outcomes into account. The integrated assessment summative takes the form of a project in which the learner must select an existing retail business and evaluate how effectively each business function contributes to the success of a retail business.

All work to be covered and assessments to be conducted are required to depart and integrate a real-life practical (retail situation) situation as well as the relevance of required decisions in an industrial setting. This practice enables the retail programme and its lecturers to achieve the required integration of assessment which means to:

• Treat several outcomes together.
• Treat several assessment criteria together.
• Promote an awareness of the connections and relationships between the knowledge, processes, and skills inside the different modules.
• Observation of real or simulated tasks, such as practical exercises, demonstrations, role plays, and presentations.
• Evaluation of a product after a task has been completed, such as. projects, assignments, case studies, portfolios, artefacts, logbooks, and reflective journals.
• Use a combination of assessment methods and instruments used to achieve the outcome(s).

Formative assessments comprise written class tests, presentations, projects, and assignments. Assessment takes place in accordance with the institution's policy. The qualification implements three summative assessments during a course of the module, and one final summative assessment at the end of the module as a means of learning evaluation.