Syllabus: Cert BA

Programme details for the Certificate in Business Administration

Courses Presented in This Programme

The Cert BA includes the following compulsory courses:

• Administrative Management
• Business Management
• General Management
• Business Communication
• Marketing Management
• Economics

Duration of the Programme

This programme has a minimum learning duration of eight months before the qualification certificate can be issued. The maximum learning duration is normally two years.

Prerequisites

An applicant may be granted admission to this programme being in possession of one of the following certificates:

• A valid tertiary education entrance qualification
• Any other certificate deemed equivalent and which the CU Senate has approved

Administrative Management

Credits: 19

Synopsis. Managers and executives in companies of all sizes are focusing an ever-increasing concern on "the bottom line" because it is the most effective means of assuring their survival. The administrative management field affects how well companies perform financially. As companies maximize the efficiency with which they carry out their office operations, they will perform better financially. This course is about managers and executives maximizing the effectiveness of their areas of responsibility by improving administrative management.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• The managerial process
• The organizing process
• The communication process
• Office layout
• Office environment
• Office equipment and furniture
• Selecting office employees
• Developing office employees
• Supervising office employees
• Motivating office employees
• Appraising performance of office employees
• Analyzing jobs of office employees
• Evaluating jobs of office employees
• Administering salaries of office employees
• Measuring output of office employees
• Improving productivity of office employees
• Systems analysis
• Computer technology
• Telecommunications technology
• Applications software
• Records management and micrographics
• Forms design and control
• Office reprographics and mail services
• Quality and quantity control
• Budgetary and cost control

Business Management

Credits: 22

Synopsis. This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of all the important functions of business. It introduces cutting-edge firsts in business management while ensuring the underlying principles are retained (doing the basics best). This course focuses on three simple rules - learn, evaluate and apply.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• Understanding the environments of business
• Understanding ownership and entrepreneurship
• Understanding the global context of business
• Conducting business ethically and responsibly
• Managing the business enterprise
• Organising the business enterprise
• Managing human resources and labour relations
• Motivating, satisfying, and leading employees
• Understanding marketing processes and consumer behaviour
• Developing and pricing products
• Distributing products
• Promoting products
• Producing goods and services
• Managing for quality and productivity
• Managing information systems and communication technology
• Understanding principles of accounting
• Understanding money and banking
• Understanding securities and investments
• Understanding financial and risk management

General Management

Credits: 21

Synopsis. This course deals with the principles of management. It demonstrates the real-world applications of management concepts and makes management come alive by bringing real managers and students together. As it successfully integrates the various functions of management, this course establishes a dialogue with managers from a variety of fields.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• Introduction to management and organizations
• Management yesterday and today
• Organizational culture and the environment: the constraints
• Managing in a global environment
• Social responsibility and managerial ethics
• Decision-making: the essence of the managers job
• Foundations of planning
• Strategic management
• Planning tools and techniques
• Organizational structure and design
• Communication and information technology
• Human resource management
• Managing change and innovation
• Foundations of behavior
• Understanding groups and teams
• Motivating employees
• Leadership
• Foundations of control
• Operations and value chain management

Business Communication

Credits: 19

Synopsis. This course brings all the pieces of business communication together to give students a realistic understanding of the fundamental concepts of business communication. It demonstrates how to communicate effectively through real-world company examples and real-life business situations. With practical, realistic assignments, students learn the concepts behind effective communication while developing and refining their skills to compete more successfully in today's job market.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• Achieving success through effective business communication
• Communicating in teams and mastering listening, nonverbal communication, and business etiquette skills
• Communicating interculturally
• Planning business messages
• Writing business messages
• Completing business messages
• Writing routine messages
• Writing bad-news messages
• Writing persuasive messages
• Planning business reports and proposals
• Writing business reports and proposals
• Completing formal business reports and proposals
• Planning, writing, and completing oral presentations
• Writing resumes and application letters
• Interviewing for employment and following up
• Format and layout of business documents
• Documentation of report sources
• Correction symbols

Marketing Management

Credits: 21

Synopsis. This course brings students closer to doing real marketing. It helps students master the basic principles and practices of modern marketing in an enjoyable and practical way. It covers important aspects of marketing such as market value decisions; identifying markets and understanding customer's need for value; creating the value offer; communicating the value offer; and delivering the value offer.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• Virtual value: welcome to the world of marketing
• Strategic planning: making choices in a wired world
• Decision making in the new era of marketing: ethics quality and the marketing environment
• Think globally and act locally: marketing in a multinational environment
• Marketing information and online research: analysing the business environment
• Why people buy: consumer behaviour and peer-to-peer e-commerce
• Why organizations buy: business-to-business markets and B2C e-commerce
• Sharpening the focus: target marketing strategies and customer relationship management
• Creating the product
• Managing the product
• Broadening the product focus: intangibles and services
• Valuing the product
• Pricing methods
• Conversing with the customer: promotional strategy, interactive marketing and database marketing
• Advertising, direct marketing and e-commerce
• Public relations, sales promotion and personal selling
• Value chain management: channels of distribution, logistics and wholesaling
• Offline retailing and B2C e-commerce

Economics

Credits: 21

Synopsis. This course deals with essential economic principles. Current issues and core principles of mainstream economics are presented in an intuitive manner that captures and holds student interest. The course systematically combines this presentation with a wealth of relevant, up-to-date applications that students can relate to.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• The economic perspective
• Production and trade
• Demand and supply
• The power of prices
• The firm and production
• The price taker
• Market power
• Earnings and income distribution
• Public goods, regulation, and information
• Externalities and common property resources
• Public choice
• Measuring output, inflation, and unemployment
• A framework for macro-economic analysis
• Money and monetary policy
• Fiscal policy
• Economic growth
• Exchange rates and international trade

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