UNISA Business Management Courses Offered

Courses

Undergraduate qualifications

The Department of Business Management offers the following undergraduate qualifications for those students that meet the qualifying criteria (see the CEMS myRegistration brochure).

Higher Certificate in Supervisory Management

The purpose of this qualification is to prepare learners to operate and perform at an operational level in an organisation. This will include competencies and activities like planning, organising, leading and monitoring operations within a pre-set business plan.   Upon completion of the qualification the learner will be able to apply fundamental business management principles, methodologies and techniques in order to identify and solve problems pertaining to the operational management activities in the organisations. They will also be able to provide leadership in the field of specialisation or request assistance in an appropriate manner as a team member for making the necessary preparations for establishing proper procedure for implementing operational management activities. Furthermore, the learner will be able to present and communicate information and opinions related to the field of operational management activities in the appropriate notation, using well-structured arguments, showing awareness of audience and using professional discourse appropriately. 

Diploma in Explosives Management

A person acquiring this qualification will be able to apply explosives technologies, apply quality management and safety systems in a cost-effective explosives production environment. A person with this qualification is able to supervise people in manufacturing, apply principles of quality control and quality assurance, act as team leader and manage changes in the organisation.   This qualification will contribute to the full development of the learner within explosive material manufacturing fraternity by providing recognition, further mobility and transportability within the chemical and related manufacturing fields.  The skills, knowledge and understanding demonstrated within this qualification are essential for social and economic transformation and contribute to the progression and economic growth within the manufacturing fraternity.

Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management

The primary purpose of the qualification is to provide qualifiers with graduate-level knowledge, specific skills, applied competence and the necessary attitudes in the fields associated with commerce and industry that prepare them to be lifelong learners, employable workers/entrepreneurs and contributors to society and the business community.   The second purpose of the qualification is to provide South Africa (and other countries) with functional managers at the middle management level in all sectors of the economy.   A further purpose of the qualification is to provide graduates with a self-sustaining understanding of the process whereby productive resources are mobilised and utilised with a view to being gainfully employed in serving the material needs of society in a globalised world.

Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management (Extended Programme)

The extended programme for the Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management is a four-year programme that includes a foundational year of study. It caters for and prepares those students that do not meet the entry requirements for the standard Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management.
The primary purpose of the qualification is to provide qualifiers with graduate-level knowledge, specific skills, applied competence and the necessary attitudes in the fields associated with commerce and industry that prepare them to be lifelong learners, employable workers/entrepreneurs and contributors to society and the business community.   The second purpose of the qualification is to provide South Africa (and other countries) with functional managers at the middle management level in all sectors of the economy.   A further purpose of the qualification is to provide graduates with a self-sustaining understanding of the process whereby productive resources are mobilised and utilised with a view to being gainfully employed in serving the material needs of society in a globalised world.

Honours degrees

Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Business Management

The primary purpose of the qualification is to provide Honours Bachelor of Commerce graduate level knowledge, specific skills and applied competence in a number of fields traditionally associated with Business, Commerce and Management that will prepare them to be lifelong learners, employable workers/managers, entrepreneurs and contributors to society and the business community.   A second purpose of the qualification is to provide South Africa (and other countries) with graduates in a number of learning fields in order to ensure that the leadership base of innovative and knowledge base economic and scholarly activity is widened.   A third purpose of the qualification is to provide South Africa (and other countries) with people who can understand the constructive role they need to play as intellectual economic leaders in their society and who are empowered to play that role.

Master’s and doctoral degrees

Master’s qualification

A research master’s degree comprises either a single advanced research project, culminating in the production and acceptance of a dissertation, or a research proposal module (where the outcome is an acceptable research proposal on a research topic). Once this module is finalised, the student may then proceed to register for the research component (ie a dissertation).
Research focus areas for the Master of Commerce (MCom) in Business Management (Full Dissertation) (98582 – BMA) include the following:

• Strategic and competitive intelligence
  Contact: Prof Nisha Sedwass
  E-mail: [email protected]

• International business strategies and finance 
  Contact: Prof Adewale Aregbeshola
  E-mail: [email protected]

• South African automotive industry 
  Contact: Prof S Rudansky-Kloppers
  E-mail: [email protected]

• Business management in South Africa
  Contact: Prof E Ferreira
  E-mail: [email protected]

• Corporate sustainability
  Contact: Mrs Catherine le Roux
  E-mail: [email protected]

• Strategy-as-practice 
  Contact: Prof Annemarie Davis
  E-mail: [email protected]

Doctoral qualification

A doctoral degree will require you to undertake research at the most advanced academic levels culminating in the submission, assessment and acceptance of a thesis. Coursework may be required as preparation or value addition to the research, but does not contribute to the credit value of the qualification. The defining characteristic of this qualification is that you will be required to demonstrate high-level research capability and make a significant and original academic contribution at the frontiers of the discipline or field. This work must be of a quality to satisfy peer review and merit publication.

Research focus areas for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Business Management (90021 – BMA) include the following:

• Strategic and competitive intelligence
  Contact: Prof Nisha Sedwass
  E-mail: [email protected]

• International business strategies and finance
  Contact: Prof Adewale Aregbeshola
  E-mail: [email protected]

• South African automotive industry
  Contact: Prof S Rudansky-Kloppers
  E-mail: [email protected]

• Business management in South Africa
  Contact: Prof E Ferreira
  E-mail: [email protected]