Master of Business Administration

Purpose

This qualification will produce leaders and managers needed to ensure that the broad public and private-sector corporations are run in the best interest of the South African society. The qualified learners will be able to move up in their existing occupation concerning responsibilities. The qualification will further provide learners with the skills required to start a new business with more knowledge about everything about the business.

To be in line with the South African government's goal of establishing South Africa as an entrepreneurial country, this qualification will equip the learners with the entrepreneurial skills needed for an emerging economy. It will provide learners with skills to function at middle and executive management and address the critical skill shortage in Management, Business Administration and Entrepreneurship. The qualification is also in line with the government policies to create a career path for lifelong learning and gaining access to higher education progression to higher qualifications.

Rationale

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) qualification offered at the institution's Business School will enable learners to master the fundamental principles of entrepreneurial skills and business sciences with practical applications in business, industry and government. The qualification enables learners to master the art of business administration. The qualification is suitable for learners who aspire to advance their professional careers and become key business leaders locally and internationally. As such, the qualification emphasises on practical applications of the theories of entrepreneurial and business sciences.

The qualification is very highly competitive in terms of content and research applications, and adequately prepares learners to perform very well locally and internationally. The qualification offers learners the opportunity to master entrepreneurial, marketing, business strategy, the optimal utilisation of human resources, project management, financial and accounting skills that are essential for career advancement and efficient leadership at local and international levels. The qualification is designed to produce future business leaders, managers, administrators, entrepreneurs and innovative thinkers who aspire to change the world.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

It is the policy of the institution to assess prior learning following statutory requirements to enable a person to gain recognition and credit for competence proved. The assessment refers to a combination of flexible ways of evaluating an individual's formal, informal and non-formal learning experiences, against a registered set of outcomes and standards. This qualification will apply RPL according to the institution's approved policy.

Entry Requirements

Learners who apply for the Master of Business Administration should have one of the following

• A Professional Bachelor Degree, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor Honours Degree, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Postgraduate Diploma or equivalent, NQF Level 8.

And

• A minimum of 5 years of work experience.

The qualification consists of compulsory and elective modules at NQF Level 8 and 9 totalling 180 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 8, 45 Credits

• Macro and Micro Economic Analyses, 11.25 Credits.
• Operations Management and Operational Research, 11.25 Credits.
• Accounting and Financial Management, 11.25 Credits.
• Human Resources and Change Management, 11.25 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 9, 101.25 Credits

• Strategic Marketing, 11.25 Credits.
• Business Strategy, 11.25 Credits.
• Leadership and Organisational Behaviour, 11.25 Credits.
• Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analyses, 11.25 Credits.
• Research Methodology, 11.25 Credits.
• Research Projects, 45 Credits.

Electives Modules at NQF Level 9, 33.75 Credits

Learners must choose three modules

• Project Management, 11.25 Credits.
• Management of Technology and Innovation, 11.25 Credits.
• Public Sector Leadership and Governance, 11.25 Credits.
• Quality Management and Monitoring and Evaluation, 11.25 Credits.
• International Business, 11.25 Credits.
• Entrepreneurship and Business Development, 11.25 Credits.

1. Develop and apply advanced business principles, knowledge and competencies across business disciplines, specifically to evaluate problems and construct and implement innovative, creative and sustainable business solutions.
2. Develop and apply business and strategic decisions effectively at a senior level in a global as well as a local context.
3. Transform organisations through strategic leadership, intellectual rigour and by applying professional, ethical values.
4. Collect and critically analyse and synthesize information and data that will inform innovative business and management decisions.
5. Communicate ideas on management practice based on critical and coherent thinking.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Apply specialist theoretical knowledge, fundamental business concepts and principles to address complex and challenging problems;
• Identify and solve problems and issues in the specific discipline/field;
• Evaluate and critique management theories;
• Integrate management and related business disciplines to develop a macro vision of the management profession;
• Analyse, synthesise and resolve complex unstructured business problems.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Apply strategic theories and frameworks in a business context;
• Formulate successful strategic decisions;
• Execute successful strategic decisions;
• Demonstrate agility to adapt the strategy to a changing national and international environment;
• Implement business decisions in a global as well as emerging and African context.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Demonstrate the capacity to lead and manage sustainable organisational change;
• Demonstrate ethical leadership;
• Display intellectual rigour through critical and analytical thinking;
• Demonstrate management of group dynamics and effective teamwork;
• Create a motivating climate through innovative integration of theories.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Make sound and timeous business decisions based on available data;
• Follow the scientific research process to provide creative yet practical solutions to business problems.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Communicate business decisions;
• Produce a structured research report where appropriate.

Integrated Assessment

Integrated Assessment at the level of the qualification provides an opportunity for the learners to show that they can integrate concepts, ideas and actions across the qualification to achieve competence that is grounded and coherent with the purpose of the qualification.

Integrated Assessment will show how already demonstrated competence in individual areas can be linked and applied for the achievement of a holistic outcome as described in the Exit Level Outcomes. Integrated Assessment will judge the quality of the observable performance, and also the quality of the reasoning that lies behind it. Assessments tools will encourage learners to give an account of the thinking and decision-making that underpin their demonstrated performance.

Formative and summative assessments will include the following

Formative

• Business simulations as a basis on which to provide formative feedback on knowledge gaps, skills application and possible ways of improvement.
• Research assignments to provide formative feedback on different aspects of the student's learning.

Summative

• Individual projects and assignments.
• Group projects and assignments.
• Case study analyses and presentations.
• Examinations.
• Closed book and open-book examinations.