Advanced Certificate in Business Management

Purpose: The purpose of the Advanced Certificate in Business Management is to provide learners with a sound knowledge base in the discipline of Business Management. The qualification is an industry-oriented qualification designed to cater to the growing needs of qualified staff in the organizational and commercial sectors. This qualification emphasizes developmental management principles together with more specific procedures and their application and/or technology transfer. Learners with this qualification will be able to apply their knowledge and skills to their organization and undertake more specialized and intensive learning. This qualification is intended for learners who want to specialize in business management or to provide a career option to those learners who wish to strengthen their existing formal qualification in business management and/or to provide application skills to those learners that have grasped the theoretical knowledge of business management. The qualification will allow learners to engage in the workplace with the necessary mid-level managerial knowledge and skills to add value and play a vital role in developing their organizations. This will be achieved by strengthening and integrating theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the disciplines of Strategic Management, Organizational Behavior, Customer Relationship Management, Marketing Management, Project Management, Managerial Economics, Financial Management, and Quantitative Techniques. This will allow learners to manage and contribute to existing, developing, and emerging socio-economic fluctuations in their organization while addressing the requirements of the stakeholders. Upon completion of this qualification, qualifying learners will be able to:

• Comprehend the principles of Business Management and the socio-economic implications involved in managing organizations and adhering to stakeholder requirements.
• Select and apply appropriate methodologies aligned with the principles of financial accounting and quantitative techniques.
• Apply marketing and customer relationship theory and techniques to capitalize on developing and emerging market trends relevant to the organization.
• Develop and select appropriate managerial methods to address organizational challenges related to people management, practices, systems, and processes.
• Utilize appropriate strategic and project management initiatives to deliver effective and efficient outputs that contribute to organizational value.

Rationale: The South African economy is characterized by both high levels of unemployment and severe shortages of certain skills demanded in the economy. Critical shortages exist in the management sector across the mid and semi-skilled spectrum, ranging from managers and professionals to artisans and technically trained workers. The South African government has identified these shortages as one of the binding constraints to achieving higher and shared economic growth in the country. Skills development, therefore, remains one of the priority areas for government intervention and this qualification attempts to address this shortage. This qualification is a response to the workplace need for competent managers across all economic sectors. The current and future need for competent middle and senior managers has been expressed by employers and employees. The skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values required by managers are captured in this qualification. The qualification is designed to advance the objectives of the NQF since it will contribute to the full development of learners while fostering the social and economic development of the nation at large. The qualification aims to reinforce the existing knowledge constructs associated with business management by teaching learners business management theories and management competencies to assist organizations in analyzing business processes. Learners who would benefit from this qualification are typically employed managers at middle and senior management levels, although access is not restricted to such learners. Learners who have experienced difficulties in advancing in their careers would be able to use the Level 6 qualification to develop the management competence required for appointment to more senior management positions. Learners with intellectual interests and the commitment to pursue those interests in a rigorous and challenging environment will be great candidates for the qualification. This qualification will offer learners advanced coursework and industry interaction opportunities in fields related to business management. The current commercial environment is dynamic and highly competitive, with individuals moving between applied working environments and management or skilled positions. The qualification was developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders in the business sector. This qualification will seek to provide learners with the requisite business management skills that are required for them to become adaptive and innovative contributors not only to their organization but to the economy and the sector.