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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: 

Higher Certificate in Business Management Practice 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
97394  Higher Certificate in Business Management Practice 
ORIGINATOR
Boston City Campus (Pty) Ltd formerly Boston City Campus and Business College (Pty) Ltd 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education  HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
Higher Certificate  Field 03 - Business, Commerce and Management Studies  Generic Management 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  120  Not Applicable  NQF Level 05  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Registered-data under construction  EXCO 0324/24  2024-07-01  2027-06-30 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2028-06-30   2031-06-30  

Registered-data under construction

The qualification content is currently being updated for the qualifications with the status “Registered-data under construction” or showing “DETAILS UNDER CONSTRUCTION” to ensure compliance with SAQA’S Policy and Criteria for the registration of qualifications and part-qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (As amended, 2022). These qualifications are re-registered until 30 June 2027 and can legitimately be offered by the institutions to which they are registered.

 

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
Purpose:
Business Management is an imperative component in commerce. The Higher Certificate in Business Management Practice has been developed for a particular purpose, this being to facilitate access to the world-of-work for learners who are capable of knowledge performance in support of those areas of the world-of-work that rely on the application of the knowledge and skills systems supporting business management practices. For a rapidly evolving and growing nation, it is crucial to increase the supply of competent learners with entry level capabilities for industries that rely on these skills and to enable South Africa to continue to grow and to remain globally competitive. The purpose of the qualification is to ensure learners are equipped with the knowledge, theory and methodology of the important disciplines in business management practice, and enable them to demonstrate initiative and responsibility in a professional or academic context where application of the principles and theory are emphasised as a basis for entry into the labour market, professional training, or professional practice in a wide range of careers within civil society, the public or private sectors. The modules within the Higher Certificate in Business Management Practice are developed in an increasingly applied manner covering the major functional specialisations and culminating in an integrated manner which provides broad strategic context for learners on issues in business management, basic accounting, business communication, socioeconomics, industrial psychology, entrepreneurship and computer literacy.

Upon qualifying learners will be able to:
  • Apply and understand 'systems approach' to enhance business effectiveness.
  • Apply and understand of economic principles to management of business systems.
  • Develop, implement and manage a marketing strategy.
  • Identify operations management challenges and opportunities.

    Rationale:
    The Higher Certificate in Business Management Practice is a response to the workplace need for competent individuals across all the economic sectors. The current and future need for competent entry and junior practitioners has been expressed by employers and employees. Thus the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values required by entry and junior practitioners will be focussed upon in this qualification while remaining, to a certain degree a generalist qualification for the field of practice rather than a specialist qualification, by offering good breadth on the important topics combined with appropriate occupational and professional depth for its intended purpose. The qualification provides exciting career opportunities in the fields of business, for example:
  • Field or Front Office Assistant Supervisor.
  • Store or Department Assistant.
  • Customer Relationship, Key Account Assistant.
  • Service, Sales or Product Representative Assistant.
  • Small Business Assistant.
  • Junior Communications Officer.
  • Data Controller.

    In the increasingly competitive, sophisticated and changing world of work; the continued development of higher order applied knowledge is essential. The curriculum has been designed to give individuals the skills required for managing life-long learning to build successful careers and to remain productive and responsible citizens. The qualification provides a balance in fields that are broadly enabling in relation to career pathways whilst providing opportunities for both professional membership within a variety of local and international bodies and further studies through vertical and/or horizontal articulation pathways, for example:
  • Specialised studies in new ventures, socioeconomics and business communication.
  • Advanced studies in business management and industrial psychology or human resources.
  • Diploma or Bachelors' Degree studies in business management or entrepreneurship. 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
    Learners may provide evidence of prior learning for which they may receive credit towards the qualification by means of portfolios or other forms of appropriate evidence which may include, verified accounts of previous relevant work done and performance records and which evidence is in accordance with the requirements of the relevant Quality Council.

    Entry Requirements:
    For admission to this qualification the learner must have either:
  • Senior Certificate (SC).
    Or
  • National Senior Certificate (NSC).
    Or
  • National Certificate Vocational (NCV) at NQF Level 4. 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    This qualification comprises compulsory modules at NQF Level 5, totalling 120 Credits.

    Modules at NQF Level 5:
  • Business Management 16 Credits.
  • Basic Accounting 16 Credits.
  • Business Communication 10 Credits.
  • Socioeconomics 14 Credits.
  • Industrial Psychology 10 Credits.
  • Company Law 8 Credits.
  • Computer Literacy 16 Credits.
  • Entrepreneurship 16 Credits.
  • Experiential Learning 14 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1. Apply a 'systems approach' to enhance business effectiveness.
    2. Apply economic principles to management of business systems.
    3. Develop, implement and manage a marketing strategy.
    4. Identify operations, management challenges and opportunities. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
  • The systems approach is applied to the analysis of business operations and development of business strategy.
  • The systems theory approach in addressing organisational issues is identified.
  • Organisations as open systems are recognised and the importance of the relationships between the subsystems is understood.
  • The impact of change on organisational systems is identified.
  • Models of Organisational Analysis to develop a business strategy are utilised.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:
  • Basic economic principles and their application within the South African context are understood.
  • Microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts are integrated.
  • An understanding of economic principles is applied to enhance insight into human behaviour study.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:
  • A marketing strategy incorporating Strategic Marketing Framework is developed.
  • A marketing Planning Process, incorporating: market research process, market situation analysis, macro environment analysis, competition analysis and customer and organisation buying behaviour analysis is conducted.
  • Market segmentation principles are applied.
  • A marketing programme integrating marketing and product mix analysis is applied.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4:
  • Operations actions to be taken are identified in order to improve quality and customer service levels.
  • Comparative analysis, rating South African organisations compared to international benchmarks is conducted.
  • Operations management improvement options, demonstrating an understanding of technological choices are identified.
  • Customer satisfaction measurement index is developed.
  • Actions required to implement Total Quality Management is listed and explained.
  • Stock control methods are identified to demonstrate a working knowledge of MRP ll and JIT (Kanban) systems.

    Integrated Assessment:
    Integrated assessment is an ordinary practice in this type of qualification and is essential to ensure that the purpose of the qualification is achieved in relation to the occupational focus carried by the qualifier and in terms of its propositional and declarative knowledge, vocational relevance, and reflexive competency.

    Successful learners will have undertaken an extensive process in which assessments progressively build integrated competency to a point where the learner is able to express - through a range of mechanisms measured against valid, reliable and transparent criteria - which they can operate effectively in an entry level occupational position within the knowledge system specified by the qualification title.

    Formative assessment integrates the cycle of teaching and learning, and assessment. The scheme of work includes formal assessments in the form of tests and/or assignments based on the learning material and learners are graded and provided with written feedback. The process is continuous and focuses on smaller sections of the work and is limited in the number of outcomes assessed.

    Summative assessments are in the form of examinations, or equivalent assessment such as a research report which assesses a representative selection of the outcomes practised and assessed in the formative stage. Summative assessment also tests the learner's ability to manage and integrate a large body of knowledge to achieve the stated outcomes of the qualification. 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne Australia:
    The Swinburne University of Technology offers a Certificate of Business Management qualification with a foundation in management in complexity and sustainable marketing practices. Learners can choose from a wide variety of specialisations in critical aspects of business practice for their two elective requirements.

    The Certificate of Business Management is a modern business qualification designed to equip learners with the skills, knowledge and attributes in management that are immediately applicable in specialist and high demand industries.

    Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland:
    The Dublin Institute of Technology offers a Higher Certificate in Business Management. The higher certificate introduces learners to the fundamentals of business management and familiarises them with the factors at work in managing a modern complex business.

    The overall objective of this Certificate is to contribute positively to the professionalism and competency of Irish management at a junior or trainee level. It aims to provide a programme of education that is theoretically robust and practical in its application to business management. It provides learners with an understanding of the principles and practices of business management and related disciplines. It also provides learners with an overview of the main functional areas in business enterprises and an understanding of how each element contributes to the overall performance.

    Conclusion:
    As it is evident from the examples outlined above, the Higher Certificate in Business Management Practice compares favourably with international qualifications. The purpose of the qualification is in line with that offered internationally. 

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    This Qualification articulates horizontally with:
  • Higher Certificate in Business Management in Retail Management, at NQF Level 5.
  • Higher Certificate in Human Resource Management, at NQF Level 5.

    The Qualification articulates vertically with:
  • Diploma in Human Resource Management, at NQF Level 6. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    N/A 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    N/A 

    NOTES 
    N/A 

    LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: 
     
    NONE 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    1. Boston City Campus (Pty) Ltd formerly Boston City Campus and Business College (Pty) Ltd 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.