Postgraduate Diploma in Management

Purpose

The purpose of the Postgraduate Diploma in Management is to solidify and deepen the learners' foundational, applied and reflexive competence in the region of management, for successful graduates to demonstrate the requisite advanced engagement with theories, principles and praxis applicable to a management-related profession and appropriate to an academic context at NQF level 8.

The proposed qualification intends to encourage critical reflection and sophisticated development in core areas such as strategic management, economics, financial management, human resource and talent management, leadership and design thinking for commercial contexts, all rooted in contemporary practice and research. Furthermore, the purpose of the qualification is located in meaningful connections between contemporary business research methods and their application in a chosen context (in the form of an elective specialisation).

Learners can choose from topics such as international marketing, business innovation and brand management and brand identity design to sharpen their focus in an area of choice. Additionally, this qualification seeks to stimulate advanced engagement with theory evident in the areas of study mentioned above and will require learners to draw meaningful connections between knowledge in the region of management and relevant professional environments to the extent that learners can ultimately perform highly skilled work' (HEQSF, 2013).

Learners will undertake a research project within an elective area relevant to management, facilitated in a module that attaches firmly to Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Modality for workplace learning. In the face of exponential technological advancement in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, automation and the like, and with reference to graduate attributes cultivated in the proposed qualification's purposes is to encourage refinement of uniquely human skills such as creative thinking, social intelligence, persuasion, mindfulness, leadership, empathy, conflict resolution, critical thinking, adaptability and negotiation.

Upon completion of the qualification, a qualifying learner will be able to

• Demonstrate advanced reflexive competence in strategic management praxis, and express insight and a solution-focused mindset relating to the interplay of strategy and economic factors in complex contemporary contexts.
• Critically engage with the field of financial management, make sound financial decisions and resolve ethical issues in complex contexts.
• Demonstrate advanced applied and reflexive competence in the analysis of current trends and predicted changes in leadership and the global market to select creative responses to novel, complex contexts.
• Express insight into theoretical underpinnings of human capital and demonstrate advanced applied competence in managing contemporary talent in complex settings.
• Apply a critical mindset in the review of theoretical underpinnings of design thinking and related processes in novel commercial contexts in order to develop creative responses to problems and issues.

Rationale

The rationale and aim of this qualification is to empower employment in South Africa, with specific reference to jobs that require sophisticated competence in the field of management. The proposed qualification is geared towards addressing the need for intermediate to senior-level positions in management and related contexts. The job market post-COVID-19 has become fairly saturated, and therefore, new graduates struggle to find employment.

Research conducted by the institution has indicated shifts in the hiring landscape, to the extent that many job roles are being elevated and now require applicants to hold postgraduate qualifications. This trend is confirmed by the 2022 Labour Market Intelligence Research Programme, which has published a report explicating the rationale for excluding and including certain job roles on the South African critical skills list. The aim of the report is recorded as identifying occupations that are in short supply and unlikely to be developed domestically in time to prevent the obstruction of economic growth potential in the short to medium term. This report (published by the Department of Higher Education and Training in 2022) identifies the following management-related positions, amongst others, as critical skill sets that require an NQF Level 8 qualification:

• Director (medium enterprise or larger)
• Corporate General Manager (medium enterprise or larger)
• Programme or Project Manager.

The proposed qualification has therefore been designed as a qualification for career elevation in management. Considering that this qualification has been designed in both the contact mode and the distance mode of provision with online support, it is aligned with the directive to support widened access to the Post School Education and Training (PSET) sector in South Africa. In other words, by offering the qualification in two modes, the institution intends to make this qualification available to a diverse learner audience with varying needs and realities as these relate to time and location.

This is done in alignment with the National Development Plan's belief that distance education, aided by advanced information communication technology, will play a greater role in expanding learning opportunities for different groups of learners and promote lifelong learning and continuous professional development as we move towards a more inclusive and prosperous society in 2030. The institution envisions that graduates who exit NQF Level 7 qualifications may want to articulate into the proposed Postgraduate Diploma, depending on whether they meet the entry requirements.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

RPL is a key driver in the support of the transformation and redress of the education and training system, and is part of the institution's responsive commitment to responding to and providing flexible entry routes to the admission of the qualification, aside from the prescribed.

Forms of prior learning may include formal Higher Education or qualifications at FET level, courses provided by professional bodies, self-study, formal and informal experience gained in the workplace, community involvement, in-house education and training, training by government agencies and/or other providers, and various forms of practical experience.

Other forms of non-formal prior learning can be seen as equivalent to the prescribed minimum requirements for admission. To attain this, an applicant may have knowledge, skills and competencies gained through non-formal or workplace learning that can be recognised as relevant, provided it meets the qualification's outcome requirements.

A portfolio of evidence is to be compiled by all applicants and submitted to the institution for review and approval by either the Head of Academics or the Manager of Academic Administration. This is to be done on an individual basis, as no two applications are the same, and circumstances will differ.

Candidates may be admitted via RPL provided they meet the requirements outlined in the RPL policy. Should a candidate not meet the requirements, they will be directed to other suitable learning qualifications at the institution (if available) or at other institutions, or be advised on further academic development if needed.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Advanced Diploma in Management, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Advanced Diploma in Human Resource Management, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Advanced Diploma in Marketing Management, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Advanced Diploma in Operations Management, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Bachelor's degree in the cognate field, NQF Level 7.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory and elective modules at NQF Level 8, totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 08, 105 Credits

• Strategic Management, 15 Credits.
• Economics for Management, 15 Credits.
• Financial Management, 15 Credits.
• Future-forward Creative Leadership, 15 Credits.
• Human Resource and Talent Management, 15 Credits.
• Design Thinking for Commercial Contexts, 15 Credits.
• Business Research Methodology, 15 Credits.

Elective Modules, Level 08, 15 Credits (Select one module)

• Business Model Innovation in Practice (Workplace Learning), 15 Credits.
• International Marketing Strategy in Practice (Workplace Learning), 15 Credits.
• Brand Management and Brand Identity Design in Practice (Workplace Learning), 15 Credits.

1. Demonstrate advanced reflexive competence in strategic management praxis, and express insight and a solution-focused mindset relating to the interplay of strategy and economic factors in complex contemporary contexts.
2. Critically engage with the field of financial management, make sound financial decisions and resolve ethical issues in complex contexts.
3. Demonstrate advanced applied and reflexive competence in the analysis of current trends and predicted changes in leadership and the global market to select creative responses to novel, complex contexts.
4. Express insight into theoretical underpinnings of human capital and demonstrate advanced applied competence in managing contemporary talent in complex settings.
5. Apply a critical mindset in the review of theoretical underpinnings of design thinking and related processes in novel commercial contexts to develop creative responses to problems and issues.
6. Apply advanced engagement with the principles and paradigms that undergird sound, contextualised business research approaches, and strategically address industry-related research problems.
7. Demonstrate applied and reflexive competence relevant to business model innovation, or international marketing strategy, brand management and brand identity design, and exercise adaptive thinking to meet goals within a constantly evolving real-world (workplace learning) management context.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Interrogate market structures and the contemporary economic landscape from a strategic point of view, and sophisticated solutions to complex business problems are offered, drawing on economic frameworks.
• Conduct strategic analyses of contemporary commercial practices, both local and global.
• Design and implement business strategies supported by recognised strategic management principles in simulated contexts.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Interpret financial statements to make strategic financial decisions in complex, industry-relevant scenarios.
• Interrogate the financial performance of business organisations in case-based contexts.
• Apply methods of ethical financial decision-making in simulated, sustainable business management scenarios.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Analyse business practices to identify creative leadership practices that promote sustainability within business organisations.
• Develop plans to address complex leadership-related challenges.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Develop strategic human capital and talent management approaches in complex, industry-relevant contexts, drawing on the theories that underscore such approaches.
• Develop talent ethically and legally in simulated commercial contexts.
• Apply a critically reflective mindset in addressing issues around workplace equality, diversity, and ideology in context.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Apply a design thinking mindset in solving complex, commercial problems.
• Interrogate the relationship between design thinking and sustainable, ethical business practices.
• Present and propose solutions to real-world problems, derived through the application of the design thinking methodology.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Analyse factors within the contemporary business environment to determine meaningful focus areas for research.
• Collect and interpret data in support of an argument in context.
• Produce and present a research report to communicate commercial insights, conclusions, and recommendations.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Apply advanced management competencies in the practice of business model innovation, international marketing strategy, or brand management and brand identity design.
• Present ideas, offering creative insights, rigorous interpretations and solutions to problems and issues, effectively in the chosen context.
• Apply sophisticated, reflexive learning attributes in the context of either business model innovation, international marketing strategy, or brand management and brand identity design.

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT

For this qualification, the institution will make use of both formative and summative assessment methods. Both forms of assessments are weight- and credit-bearing.

Formative assessment

Formative assessments are defined as any form of assessment that takes place during the process of learning and teaching, to indicate progress and inform the lecturers if learners are ready for the summative process and indicate areas of weakness that require attention or correction.

As a rule, each module has two formative assessments to the value of 25% each, and one summative assessment to the value of 50%.

Summative Assessment

Summative assessments are defined in terms of making a judgement about achievement and are conducted when a learner is ready to be assessed at the end of a module of learning. Each module is concluded by a summative assessment, the weighting of which will be higher than that of individual formative assessments.

The assessment strategy for summative assessment entails assessment at the conclusion of each module of learning.