| Code | Faculty | Department |
|---|---|---|
| 07254010 | Gordon Institute of Business Science | Department: Gordon Institute of Business Science |
| Credits | Duration | NQF level |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum duration of study: 1 year | Total credits: 180 | NQF level: 09 |
Refer to General Academic Regulations G30-G41.
Refer to the GIBS student guidelines and regulations.
The Dean may authorise matters not provided for in the General Academic Regulations or in the GIBS regulations.
Students are required to complete 5 electives of 6 credits each during the final year of study. More information on electives will be shared in class.
Refer to the GIBS student guidelines and regulations
Refer to the GIBS student guidelines and regulations.
University of Pretoria Programme Qualification Mix (PQM) verification project
The higher education sector has undergone an extensive alignment to the Higher Education Qualification Sub-Framework (HEQF) across all institutions in South Africa. In order to comply with the HEQSF, all institutions are legally required to participate in a national initiative led by regulatory bodies such as the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the Council on Higher Education (CHE), and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). The University of Pretoria is presently engaged in an ongoing effort to align its qualifications and programmes with the HEQSF criteria. Current and prospective students should take note that changes to UP qualification and programme names, may occur as a result of the HEQSF initiative. Students are advised to contact their faculties if they have any questions.
Students must complete 5 electives from the list provided. The total number of credits for electives modules must be 30. Please contact the faculty to confirm the availability of elective modules.
Module content:
*Attendance module only
Available from the relevant international institution.
Module content:
This module is designed to equip participants with the necessary skills to analyse and interpret financial information. Actual financial statements are analysed, and participants are expected to be familiar with real cases in the current financial press. You will become familiar with how financial statements such as balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements are structured. Various methods of critically evaluating them in order to make conclusions about the company’s financial strength or weakness, and future possibilities such as financial failure or the probability of takeover will be discussed. Management accounting provides managers with timely and appropriate information – firstly in order to understand the cause and behaviour of costs and to meaningfully allocate these costs to products, customers and inventories; secondly to assist in planning, budgeting and decision making; and finally in order to measure performance. This module is intended as an introduction for individuals who will plan, make business decisions and evaluate the performance of business units using information derived from the accounting system.
Module content:
This module explains both how human resource systems should support the achievement of strategic objectives in context, and how line managers should manage people to achieve those objectives. Module topics include the management of strategic human resources (aligning HR and business strategy, succession planning, and the war for talent), management of HR-firm infrastructure, training and development, managing employee contributions (performance management and industrial relations), and integrating HR strategies and business strategies. The role of the line manager in managing performance will be considered, and underpinned by an overview of the causes of human behaviour in organisations. The module will include case studies to illustrate unique problems and approaches to HR strategy. You will learn the strategic value of effective management of human resources and how alternative HR strategies deliver different results.
Module content:
This module teaches a systematic approach to marketing decision making in order to match continuously changing market opportunities with the internal resources of the company in terms of production capacity, people and finance. Key topics include understanding the market and the customers, analysing marketing opportunities, developing marketing strategies, planning marketing programmes, and assessing new directions for marketing, particularly the impact of e-business. By critically examining an extensive theoretical base of marketing literature, and reviewing local and international case studies, you will develop the skills and insights required to formulate and evaluate an effective marketing strategy within the context of overall corporate objectives. You will evaluate the changing role of marketing in the knowledge economy, and how marketing interfaces with other functional areas within the organisation.
Module content:
This module examines how an organisation’s structures, systems and processes contribute to its competitive position. This involves management of the processes whereby inputs such as labour, materials and equipment are converted to products or services that meet customers’ needs at an acceptable cost. Improving performance cross-functionally and across the value chain is an important focus. Topics include functional versus corporate operations strategy, operations’ reactive role, service-delivery systems design, process choice, quality management and improving operations, time and productivity, aligning operations to markets, and the impact of technology developments on the service-delivery system. You will be able to analyse an operating system’s efficiency in terms of process design, capacity and quality of service, and make recommendations to improve its design or operation. You will have a greater appreciation of the need to manage integrated processes across the value chain to achieve business success.
Module content:
This course is based on the premise that everyone has the capacity to succeed in an entrepreneurial setting, although some people may have a greater propensity to succeed than others. The intention of this course is to demystify the phenomenon broadly referred to as entrepreneurship; to make it easily understood as a business concept, readily accessible as a career option and practically applicable as a style of management. The course provides a broad perspective on entrepreneurship and its strategic importance and social relevance. It also provides an understanding of and approach to managing the issues involved in pursuing an entrepreneurial career path. It integrates different aspects of the MBA in developing a business plan for a potential entrepreneurial idea, and thus provides a practical application of concepts dealt with in other MBA courses.
Module content:
This module will prepare students for the global elective by examining what makes countries and companies competitive globally. The concepts introduced at the beginning of the first year in the competitive organisation as part of the orientation programme will be re-visited and students will be helped to draw on their entire MBA experience to develop the critical ability to identify factors that enhance and restrain competitiveness. Special attention is given to the relative competitiveness of South Africa and the countries and regions to be visited, with special reference to the industries that will be studied.
Module content:
This module examines strategic decision making in various contexts. The aim of this module is to delve into the structure of decision making and decision making styles and practices.
Module content:
This course examines the often conflicting ethical, social and economic responsibilities of business leaders operating in a dynamic market. The aim of the course is to equip business leaders for the dilemmas and decisions that they face because of the dynamic and complex environment they operate in. The course reviews leadership styles and ethical principles and how these impact the quality of difficult decisions. Also covered are the governance principles and processes required to develop the desired culture of responsibility and appropriate conduct in a business.
Module content:
This course is designed to provide insight into the role of Innovation and Design and an understanding of how this is achieved in practice. The course covers the types, drivers, challenges and strategies of innovation, open and closed innovation, the connection between innovation and customer value, strategy, strategic capability and execution, the theory of innovation science, the practice of Innovation in action, how to build an appropriate innovation portfolio, and the challenges of innovation within an existing operation.
Module content:
The subject of business valuation is central to leadership. The major learning objectives of this course will be to make students familiar with valuation methods so that they feel confident making effective financial decisions. Specific outcomes include: analysing historical performance and benchmarking; forecasting drivers of performance and cash flows; effective business modelling and spreadsheet design; estimating the cost of capital; evaluating optimal capital structure and funding decisions; alternative valuation methods (APV, WACC, Multiples); estimating synergies in mergers and acquisitions; negotiating the sale or purchase of a business; deal terms and structuring options for business transactions; leveraged and management buy-outs.
Module content:
The course will introduce students to different challenges faced by the CEO in strategy formulation and implementation. The purpose of the course is to create a deep appreciation of the basic concepts in strategy and their application in real situations both at corporate and business unit levels. The objectives of the course are to provide an understanding of: the determinants of and processes in the formulation and implementation of strategy; an integrated view of the different themes and concepts in strategy and their relevance in different contexts; an integrated view of all the functional areas of management; and the current strategic concerns of South African and International companies in the contexts of significant changes in the business environment. Topics included are corporate strategy, business and competitive strategy, core competencies, strategic intent, growth and diversification models and interface between strategy and leadership.
Module content:
Knowledge creation is a hallmark of a master’s degree and the integrative business research project provides you with an opportunity to apply theories and concepts that you have learned in the core modules to a business problem and also to gain experience in planning and implementing a complex research project. It thus serves as a capstone of the MBA learning experience.
Module content:
Knowledge creation is a hallmark of a master’s degree and the research project in the form of a portfolio provides you with an opportunity to apply theories and concepts that you have learned in the core modules to an entrepreneurial venture. It thus serves as a capstone of the MBA learning experience.
Module content:
Knowledge creation is a hallmark of a master’s degree and the research project in the form of a portfolio provides you with an opportunity to apply theories and concepts that you have learned in the core modules to the consulting environment. It thus serves as a capstone of the MBA learning experience
Module content:
Gamification is the process through which people are motivated or engaged through game-design elements. This is done to create game-like experiences in domains different to the ones in which games are normally played.
Gamification involves persuasive system design for user engagement, personal learning, organisational effectiveness, urban management, green energy usage, and social change among others.
Module content:
This elective explores how workplace or managerial coaching can be used to improve strategy implementation, change leadership, employee performance and wellbeing and to equip managers with skills for workplace coaching.
Module content:
This course will cover the key aspects of effective business and supply chain risk and how to build an effective risk management program to help ensure resiliency in the face of an unpredictable world.
Module content:
This elective details how the private sector can better engage, bridging the language used in government, government priorities, and developing partnerships with government.
Module content:
This elective examines how to design and manage environmentally and socially responsible business operations and how to derive value and increased long term profitability through sustainable business operations. A business approach will be highlighted in terms of management of environmental risks, key environmental sustainability performance indicators and dashboards.
Module content:
This elective aims to create a space where students will explore racism and how it operates. They will build critical insights, competence and an ability to mobilise workplace communities. They will become more adept at using a variety of conversation approaches to foster understanding and engagement, while growing their competence as allies and anti-racist practitioners.
Module content:
This elective will provide a different lens through which students can learn about the African continent, how people live and engage in different contexts and how stories are relayed through key characters.
Module content:
In a world filled with misinformation, rhetoric and other undue influences, it is vital that business leaders are able to discern the quality of the arguments and "facts" presented to them in order to develop sound ideas and thoughts concerning complex business problems. This elective will prepare students to be able to critically analyse, interpret, and synthesize information.
Module content:
This elective on the development of entrepreneurship from the inside-out focuses on three main elements. First, entrepreneurs are faced with a myriad of challenges, including persuading others by displaying their passion, as well as failure, making the role of personal emotion and its regulation during the entrepreneurial journey an important foundational theme. Second, we expand the role of emotion by exploring the cognitive processes of entrepreneurial action through experiential peer coaching activities. Here, students will be challenged to develop their cognitive resources such as adaptability and learning skills related to entrepreneurial action. Lastly, the behavioural dimensions are simplified into intra- and inter-personal meta-skills that individuals need to build the agility, resilience, and social networks essential for entrepreneurial sustainability and success.
Module content:
The so-called Green Economy is a nexus of many environmental and social issues that derive from climate change and inequality. Protecting the environment is highly interconnected with how human beings use land for food production, the use of water, carbon emissions from food production, and food waste. These issues are critical in the African continent with poverty and inequality are prevalent.
Module content:
Rwanda has a recent history of innovation, entrepreneurship and economic progress through top-down public leadership and global partnerships. The country has a brutal history and there remain political problems but it also shows what is possible. Students will visit incubation hubs, innovation-led institutions and pioneering companies in and around Kigali over 3 days to understand how to create economic change in the African context.
Module content:
This elective explores teams as nexus of change between the individual and the organisation and provides students with key ingredients for building thriving teams that can drive and lead change initiatives in organisations.
Module content:
This elective will prepare our students to lead in complex contexts through the lessons from important leaders and moments in South Africa’s history. The key focus will be on diverse stakeholder leadership, opportunity identification, paradigm shifts and self-management. Students will read theory on public leadership, review biographies and visit key sites. They will leave with an understanding of how to identify leadership opportunities in their own lives.
Module content:
Ethics is practical, dynamic and innovative, and essential to business performance. Moving beyond compliance and corporate social responsibility, its focus is on how responsible leadership and ethical culture builds trust, which in turn helps ensure sustainable, long-term relationships with employees, customers, communities, suppliers, investors and regulators. Drawing on diverse disciplines, the purpose of the course is to show how to position ethics at the heart of business decision-making.
Module content:
The course will cover the key economic concepts related to industrialisation such as Global Value Chains (GVCs), comparative advantage and industry competitiveness. The course will expose students to contemporary thinking around industrial policy interventions such as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) support, development finance, public procurement (related to local designation and local content requirements), industrial master plans and trade-related measures.
Module content:
Wicked problems are the complex systemic issues that decision makers are faced with every day. When dealing with these, decision makers are in systems where information is confusing, incomplete and often have to work with clients and other decision makers who have conflicting values. Often the proposed solutions are worse than the problem or are viewed as a white washing of actual issues. This elective unpacks wicked problems through a combination of frameworks, theories and discussions.
Module content:
Behavioural finance provides insights into how market participants and investors act inductively - each creating their own set of predictors, beliefs and hypotheses (internal models) - and respond to the current state of the market based on their currently most accurate information. This insight helps market participants to successfully navigate complex adaptive financial markets and to better understand and account for market phenomena such as the emergence of market psychology, fat-tail distribution events, asset price bubbles, financial crashes, market anomalies and random periods of high or low volatility.
Module content:
This elective aims to introduce students to theory and practice of employee happiness and well-being, and its role in organizational outcomes. Specifically, providing an overview of the latest research on employee happiness and well-being, the relationship between employee happiness and well-being and organizational outcomes, and case studies on practical methods to implement employee happiness and well-being strategy.
Module content:
This elective aims to introduce students to the science resilience, the process of positively adapting to adversity. Specifically, in this elective students will explore the capabilities, skills, and self-care practices that contribute to building personal resilience to meet both professional and personal challenges.
Module content:
This elective develops a toolkit and interventions based on principles and experiments that have practical value for business. A distinct selection of principles and methods from diverse fields will be demonstrated and applied. These techniques are aimed at enabling behavioural shifts for business impact. Students will develop essential insights into these methods and will apply the learning by creating persuasive interventions to shift behaviour.
Module content:
This elective teaches the skills for communicating when the stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong. Students will learn the dialogue skills—as demonstrated by top performers—that empower them to talk with anyone about anything, helping reach alignment and agreement on important matters. These skills turn into behaviours that improve decision-making, commitment to action, productivity, improved relationships and enhanced accountability. As these behaviours become consistent, they empower organisations, teams, and individuals to develop high-performance cultures based on trust and respect.
Module content:
A 3-day workshop-styled programme covering the broad field of negotiation. This is an advanced programme aimed at negotiations of high financial value and significant consequence of error.
Module content:
The module explains how to analyse and respond to different contextual dynamics by developing appropriate partnership strategies. It reflects on an organisation’s contextual factors and dynamics that influence the partnership negotiation and implementation processes, paying special attention to the influence of characteristics unique to the African context.
Module content:
This elective reflects on the concept of ethical leadership in the public and private sector within the context of state capture and corruption and proposes solutions to combatting corruption and state capture, which threaten an emerging democracy in South Africa.
Module content:
This elective will enable students to view the latest models and theories that surround doing business the global economy. This elective builds on the concepts covered in the core programme and therefore the topics chosen will be very substantive. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are and students are advised to consult the elective manual each year for further guidance.
Module content:
Strategy has become a key concept associated with organisational success or failure. Through a case method approach, this elective will provide students with a more in depth perspective of the current best practices for developing and executing strategy in the current business environment and will build on what was covered in the core curriculum. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are and students are advised to consult the elective manual each year for further guidance.
Module content:
External factors and shifts in the political, social, technological, demographic, legal and regulatory environments all have an impact on organisations and their ability to remain relevant, competitive and to grow. These shifts are further accelerated by the “age of disruption” – which the World Economic Forum titles the Fourth Industrial Revolution This rapidly evolving external environment has resulted in a need to create more agile and competitive strategies.
Module content:
This highly practical module aims to equip the participants with various practical tools and tactics that will enable them to become an adaptive and effective management consultant.
Module content:
The elective will introduce students to the concept of sustainable development from ethical, economic and corporate governance perspectives. The field of sustainability has grown in recent years and with more regulations being introduced across various countries the importance for managers to have understanding of this environment has grown too. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are and students are advised to consult the elective manual each year for further guidance.
Module content:
In this elective, you will be exposed to the latest theory and models based on Entrepreneurship. On completion of this module, you will be able to analyse, evaluate and offer solutions to local or global businesses from an entrepreneurship perspective. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are and students are advised to consult the elective manual each year for further guidance.
Module content:
In this elective, you will be exposed to the latest theory and models based on Entrepreneurship. On completion of this module, you will be able to analyse, evaluate and offer solutions to local or global businesses from an entrepreneurship perspective. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are and students are advised to consult the elective manual each year for further guidance.
Module content:
Regulatory changes over the last few years have increased the pressure on the financial expertise required of senior managers and board members. This elective will look at the current regulations and requirements needed to meet the increasing demands on organisations. Students will be exposed to the latest methods to handle this technically demanding and changing environment. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are and students are advised to consult the elective manual each year for further guidance.
Module content:
The elective will introduce students to the concept of sustainable development from ethical, economic and corporate governance perspectives. The field of sustainability has grown in recent years and with more regulations being introduced across various countries the importance for managers to have understanding of this environment has grown too. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are and students are advised to consult the elective manual each year for further guidance.
Module content:
The aim of this elective is to expose students to the current research in the field of general management at a local and international level. Students attending this elective will gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges of managing a business in the current economic environment. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are and students are advised to consult the elective manual each year for further guidance.
Module content:
Building an agile and innovative organisation has become a critical requirement to participate successfully in the current competitive landscape. In this elective students will build a working knowledge on the fundamentals requisite for an innovation culture to flourish. Through cases, company discussions and mixed media methods, students will also cover the components, structures, processes and mind-sets involved in developing a functional innovation system. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are and students are advised to consult the elective manual each year for further guidance.
Module content:
The elective will focus on the contemporary emerging thoughts and theories surrounding the knowledge economy. After attending this elective, students will apply the necessary tools and frameworks to develop strategies which will assist in bridging the gap between information systems and the information managers. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are and students are advised to consult the elective manual each year for further guidance.
Module content:
This elective is based on the principle that understanding oneself is the first step towards becoming an effective leader. Students will be exposed to current theory and practice in the field of leadership. Exercises and discussions will assist students to understand leadership at a personal level and prepare them to develop strategies for personal improvement The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are and students are advised to consult the elective manual each year for further guidance.
Module content:
This elective is based on the principle that understanding oneself is the first step towards becoming an effective leader. Students will be exposed to current theory and practice in the field of leadership. Exercises and discussions will assist students to understand leadership at a personal level and prepare them to develop strategies for personal improvement. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are. and students are advised to consult the elective manual each year for further guidance.
Module content:
The supply chain plays a vital role in the success of organisations. Supply chain management is responsible for ensuring the flow or products, information information and money to ensure value is added to the end consumers and return on capital employed for the entire supply chain is improved. As the networks become more complex, with more variability and the customer’s expectation of shorter lead times, there is a need to give students a more in-depth understanding of this function, viewed from a systems perspective. This means the focus has to change from make and sell what can be made (push-and -promote) to make and sell what can be sold (position-and-pull).
Module content:
This elective will explore the most significant challenges and opportunities that face managers working in Africa. The interplay between economics, politics and social wellbeing will be explored at a macro and micro level. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are.
Module content:
This elective will enable students to view the latest models and theories that surround doing business the global economy. This elective builds on the concepts covered in the core programme and therefore the topics chosen will be very substantive. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are.
Module content:
This elective looks at the importance of managing stakeholders through focusing on the possible ways to minimise threats and as well as maximise opportunities. Students will be exposed to the contemporary issues that surround the factors that impact on stakeholder management as well as the factors that assist in building these relationships. The focus will change year on year depending on what the current trends are.
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