module information | mba 2017 1...

Module information | MBA 2017 1st Semester

Responsible department

University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences

No Module Contact sessions

NQF level

SAQA credits

Textbook

1 Economics for Managers 8 8 8 Included

2 Human Capital Management 8 8 8 Included

3 Managerial Statistics 8 8 8 Included

4 Managerial Accounting 8 8 8 Included

5 Integrated Case Studies 10 9 8 Excluded

6 Accounting for Decision Making 10 9 8 Excluded

7 Business Communication 5 9 4 Excluded

8 Business in Society 10 9 8 Excluded

9 Contemporary Decision Making 15 9 12 Excluded

10 Digital Enterprise Management 10 9 8 Excluded

11 Operational Excellence 10 9 8 Excluded

12 Strategic Marketing and Branding 10 9 8 Excluded

Maximum credits possible - 88

Name of module Economics for Managers

Teaching load Number of lectures, tutorials and/or practical periods per week

8 x 2 hour lectures (16 hours in total) face to face contact time supplemented by asynchronous contact via the SU learning management system.

Total credits of module 8 credits NQF Level HEQF 8 (Honours)

Compulsory / Optional Compulsory

Assessment methods

» Multiple on-line formative assessments to assess pre-reading.

» Individual assignment testing the outcomes in practice.

» End of course individual summative assessment testing the ability to describe and categorize economic concepts and analyse and describe the impact of policy changes on organisations.

Subject of module Economics for Managers

Summary of module content

The meaning of economics and economic systems, economics influences on society; the meaning and challenges of globalisation and international economic integration, especially with regard to an open developing economy; the African context; the application of the principles of supply and demand in a market economy; the implications of the interaction between changes in one or more of a wide range of macro-economic forces; economic growth and development; inflation; unemployment; the balance of payments and exchange rates; the reasoning behind economic policy decisions, and the impact of such decisions on the managerial function

Learning outcomes

After completion of the module the student will be able to generically

contextualise, synthesise and argue in a logical, objective and reasoned fashion;

see the “big picture” and not just the detail of a specific, narrow problem;

question assumptions and points of departure; and

evaluate, substantiate and challenge positions taken in public and professional debate.

After completion of the module the student will be able to subject specifically

understand and explain the meaning of economics and economic systems, and how economics influences all stakeholders in society;

understand the meaning and challenges of globalisation and international economic integration and be able to determine their influence on the future performance of a country/ organisation/ manager;

understand and explain the behaviour of consumers and firms in a modern economy;

understand how aggregate economic activity is measured;

understand and describe the implication of the interaction between changes in one or more of a wide range of macro-economic forces (economic growth, unemployment, inflation, exchange rates, balance of payments);

know what economic information is needed and available to make an informed decision, and to know how to integrate this information, process it and arrive at a decision; and

integrate the above so as to understand how and why economic policy decisions are made, and to determine the impact of such decisions on the managerial function.

Name of module Human Capital Management Teaching load Number of lectures, tutorials and/or practical periods per week




Assessment methods

» Multiple on-line formative assessments to assess pre-reading

» Individual assignment testing the outcomes in practice

» End of course individual summative assessment testing the ability to apply, describe and interpret Human Capital Management concepts in an organisational context.

Subject of module Human Capital Management


High-performance people management; approaches to organizational structure; career development; talent management.

Learning outcomes

After completion of the module the student will be able to:

Understand the foundations of behaviour in organisations on individual, group and organisational levels.

Identify the important role of high performance people management practices in an organization.

Apply transformation and organizational change as a core management competence.

Apply sound principles in creating organisation structures and role designs.

Describe the theories and practices for effective performance contracting, reviews and balanced feedback in creating and maintaining a culture of performance.

Demonstrate sound talent management practices in recruiting and retaining high talented people.

Describe the importance of transforming to multicultural organisations.

Interpret sound employee relations and resolving differences.

Name of module Managerial Statistics Teaching load Number of lectures, tutorials and/or practical periods per week




Assessment methods

» Online individual assessment of pre-reading

» End of course individual test to verify learning via a number of questions that test the ability to test hypotheses, analyse the relationships between variables and build or interpret a statistical decision model.

» An individual assignment testing the ability to describe and analyse a large set of data and construct a decision model to test a particular hypotheses by using the correct statistical techniques.

Subject of module Statistics


Data description; probability; probability and sampling distributions; estimation; tests of hypotheses; correlation; regression; contingency tables.

Learning outcomes


Describe data using basic statistic descriptors.

Recognise and apply probability distributions.

Be able to describe the concept of sampling distributions.

Develop point estimates and construct confidence intervals.

Test statistical hypotheses.

Analyse relationships between variables measured on both the qualitative and quantitative scales. Build and interpret statistical decision models.

Name of module Managerial Accounting





Assessment methods


» Individual assignment testing the first three outcomes in practice by the application classifications, including absorption and variable costing and then using it to calculate measures like a breakeven analysis.

» End of course individual summative assessment where an actual organisation’s financial statements are analysed to determine the cash flow, sustainable growth rate and provide an indication of financial health.

Subject of module Management and Financial Accounting


Understanding of management accounting and financial accounting; cost concepts applied by managers in internal financial information; financial information disclosed in the financial statements (with specific focus on the cash flow statement and the management of cash flows); sustainable growth rate; financial health.

Learning outcomes


Classify costs in terms of fundamental concepts;

Understand and apply the absorption costing and variable costing method;

Apply the contemporary management techniques to calculate break-even and other measures of cost management;

Relate different accounting transactions to the various components of financial statements;

Interpret the cash flow statement, apply working capital management and calculate the sustainable growth rate pertaining to cash flows; and

Judge the financial health of a company based on financial ratio analysis.

Name of module Accounting for Decision Making


10 x 2 hour lectures (20 hours in total) face to face contact time in a synchronized manner.

Total credits of module 8 credits NQF Level HEQF 9 (Masters)


Assessment methods


» Multiple individual assessment to assess the expected module outcomes

» Group assignment testing the outcomes in practice

» End of course individual written summative assessment to assess module outcomes

Subject of module Management and Financial Accounting


Management and financial accounting; internal financial information used in making strategic decisions; external financial information; costing systems; budgeting; interpretation and analysis of financial statements and historical reviews in the South African regulatory environment.

Learning outcomes


Have a basic understanding of the South African regulatory environment pertaining to financial statement disclosures;

Interpret financial statements and how the components thereof fit together;

Critically assess financial statements and historical reviews by applying ratios and other analytic tools;

Explain the use of cost management information when implementing a competitive strategy;

Apply the job costing system and activity based costing system in industries;

Interpret the budgeting process, specifically focusing on applying flexible budgeting; and

Apply the high-low method and regression analysis method of cost estimation.

Name of module Business Communication





Assessment methods


» An individual written assignment – demonstrating students’ ability to get a message across powerfully, saving the reader time and effort

» An individual presentation – demonstrating students’ ability to engage and persuade an audience

Subject of module Business Communication


Effective oral and written communication in a connected global world; interactive and practical approaches; the elements of persuasive writing and the write-tight technique; reader-centered language, style and structure are analysed and practised; presentation skills focus on engaging different audiences.

Learning outcomes


Analyse and understand the elements of persuasive, reader-centred writing

Plan, write, critically revise a variety of business documents

Understand and apply the write-tight technique, focused on clarity, brevity and simplicity

Demonstrate flexibility in style and tone, adapted to readers

Understand key tools to influence and persuade others

Understand and apply presentation techniques to engage an audience powerfully and convincingly

Consider audience background, knowledge-level, emotional state and attitudes when preparing a presentation

Structure presentations for different purposes

Open and close presentations with impact

Explore and practice effective voice technique and body language

Demonstrate proficient Powerpoint technique and design of slides

Observe and analyse others’ presentations and give constructive feedback

Name of module Business in Society Teaching load Number of lectures, tutorials and/or practical periods per week




Assessment methods

» An Individual online test based on pre-reading

» An individual closed book test based on the course work

» A group assignment in which students will demonstrate their ability to develop a sustainable development strategy based on a case study.

Subject of module Business in Society


The aim of the module is to enhance the capability of students to exercise responsible leadership through sound decision making in matters related to the environmental, social and economic impact of an organisation’s activities. It includes the conceptual, strategic, operational and regulatory aspects that leaders and managers have to consider and incorporate in the process of optimising an organisation’s contribution to sustainable development in a local and global context.

Learning outcomes


Examine the role of business in a global society faced by systemic risks in the environmental, social and economic domains and explain the sustainable development imperatives that emerge as a result thereof.

Critically review the debate on the role of business in society, explain the theories and concepts through which it is informed and analyse and evaluate variant accounts thereof.

Explain the role of organisational governance, leadership and decision-making in relation to sustainable development risks, imperatives and opportunities and assess the value of various voluntary and mandatory frameworks designed to navigate the effective application of these functions in different contexts.

Conduct an analysis of the sustainable development risks and challenges that are materially relevant to an organisation in a specific context, industry and/or sector and make recommendations on an organisational strategy and practices that can be evaluated as appropriate, responsible and sustainable.

Value the relevance of public accountability and stakeholder engagement in relation to responsible and sustainable organisational practices, differentiate and explain the most prevalent types of accountability systems and reporting mechanisms expected by organisations and apply sustainable development criteria in the analysis and critique of such reports.

Name of module Contemporary Decision Making





Assessment methods

» Multiple on-line tests to assess pre-reading » Multiple individual assessment to assess the expected module

outcomes » Individual and group assignment testing the application of the

course content to real business problems


Subject of module Decision Making


Systems thinking; Complex problem solving; Problem structuring methods; Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis; Linear programming; Simulation modeling.

Learning outcomes


Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the problem structuring methods and their usefulness in management

Apply a variety of problem structuring methods to complex management problems.

Determine appropriate analytical methods of solving the management problems

Apply and develop a variety of analytical models that support decision making in management.

Apply systems thinking tools such as causal loop diagrams to develop an understanding of the dynamics underlying systemic management problems.

Learning assumed to be in place

All students should make sure that they have thoroughly mastered elementary mathematical calculations before the course commences.

Students who attend this course must be well acquainted with the use of the spreadsheet package Excel that will be used to analyse data and to build the models discussed in this course. The level of skills required will be published in a document on the Learning Hub. If you want to improve your Excel skill, you can find training material on the USB servers at: http://prodhub.belpark.sun.ac.za/default.aspx

Students must have a basic understanding of the setting up, graphing and solution of linear equations.

Students must have mastered the outcomes from the module in Managerial Statistics

http://prodhub.belpark.sun.ac.za/default.aspx

Name of module Digital Enterprise Management Teaching load Number of lectures, tutorials and/or practical periods per week




Assessment methods





Subject of module Information Management


Operating models, customer value propositions and the digital transformation; from business strategy to IT architecture; IS investment decision, competitive necessity, competitive advantage and rule changing innovation; Technology Acceptance Model, the technology hype cycles, the technology adoption curve, change management; enterprise information systems (ERP / CRM / ECS); systems configuration and customisation; decision making when faced by big data; human computer interaction; data visualisation; buy vs build decision; systems development life cycle and iterative development methods; IS impact on business risk from a security and ethical perspective.

Learning outcomes


Define the digital transformation and clearly argue the impact on an organisation’s operating model as well as the customer value proposition.

Provide, and use, a theoretical framework to argue the impact of technology on organisation strategy, and strategy on information technology (IT) architecture.

Categorise Information System (IS) investments and provide supporting arguments to define the specific value based on the classification.

Provide well developed and balanced arguments why dealing with the human (from top management to user) in the IS remains the biggest IS management challenge, on a per project basis.

Distinguish between function and cross-functional information systems and argue the contribution and limitations of typical enterprise systems (ERP / CRM / ECS).

Define the concept of the omnipresence of technology and the impact on the modern business world (e.g. eCommerce and distributed working environments).

Provide credible arguments around the Buy or Build decision as well as the appropriate approach (SDLC versus Modern Iterative methods) to perform the work associated with new IS initiatives.

Define the different types of management decisions and associated information characteristics.

Define the increased risk to business operations due to the dependency of operations and value propositions on technology and argue appropriate mitigation concepts.

Name of module Integrated Case Studies





Assessment methods

» Individual Webstudies theory test » Individual assignment » Group case studies

Subject of module Strategic Management


The Integrated Case Studies module serves as an introduction to the field of strategic management, while simultaneously providing students with the opportunity to apply the contents of multiple modules in integrated cases studies. Introduction to strategic thinking; Strategic Direction and Environmental Analysis: Strategic Awareness & Agility; Integrated case study analysis.

Learning outcomes

This module is designed to stimulate integrated thinking in the development of solution perspectives around general management challenges. A variety of strategic analysis and synthesis tools and frameworks are used to create multiple perspectives to inform decision making. After completion of the module the student will be able to:

Use a variety of strategic management tools and frameworks to analyse the global, macro

and target external and internal environment of a firm.

Apply these analytical results to synthesise strategic issues and potential options for action.

Demonstrate an ability create a coherent argument for business decisions that would

create value from a multi-stakeholder perspective

Critically assess business problems from multiple perspectives.

Demonstrate an ability to integrate theory from other business disciplines to form a

coherent strategic, operational and tactical view on business cases

Name of module Operational Excellence Teaching load Number of lectures, tutorials and/or practical periods per week




Assessment methods





Subject of module Operations Management


Resources, capabilities and the impact on operations strategy; transformation process design and value stream mapping; continuous improvement and business process design; the Bullwhip effect and global supply chains; SCORE model; measuring operational excellence; Theory of Constraints; Six Sigma; Lean Operations; quality control and the role of statistical techniques in quality; the impact of technology on operations.

Learning outcomes


Understand the importance of operations in business growth.

Gain a conceptual appreciation of the business operations in any supply chain.

Discuss supply chain strategies and metrics for excellence.

Plan resource constraints effectively in line with customer demand using tools such as Sales and Operations Planning, Master Scheduling, Capacity Management and Theory of Constraints.

Understand market leadership and the role of the customer in OE.

Apply specific systems design in the supply chain leading to OE.

Implement lean value streams with operations "in motion" that are self-healing through visual flow and standard work for abnormal flow.

Use offense activities such as 5S, TPM, standardised work, SMED, Six Sigma, Kaizen, JIT, pull systems (Kanban) and TQM to improve the performance of an operation.

Prepare people to catapult operational performance through increasing employee participation, changing culture and adding strong leadership conducive to OE.

Name of module Strategic Marketing and Branding Teaching load Number of lectures, tutorials and/or practical periods per week


Total credits of module 8 NQF Level HEQF 9 (Masters)


Assessment methods



» A Group assignment – A report in which students demonstrate their ability to develop a marketing strategy


Subject of module Strategic Marketing


Strategic analysis of organisational activities from a marketing point of view; marketing and brand strategy formulation; functional areas of marketing (4Ps & 7Ps) and their relevant application to strategic marketing frameworks.

Learning outcomes


Apply strategic marketing decisions at a corporate, SBU and functional level.

Analyse and understand the different global and ethical strategic marketing perspectives.

Conduct a strategic analysis of the environment.

Examine ways in which organisations develop a directional strategy.

Develop and understand strategic brand marketing planning, development and implementation at a corporate and product level.

Critically review relational and sustainable marketing strategies.

Integrate product and service innovation to develop a sustainable competitive advantage.

Plan, implement and control the expanded marketing mix from profit, non-profit and entrepreneurial perspectives.

Apply concepts of metrics to assess marketing and branding strategies.

Develop a marketing strategy blueprint for an existing organisation

module information | mba 2017 1...

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