| Code | Faculty | Department |
|---|---|---|
| 07254016 | 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 |
The degree comprises the writing of a mini-dissertation and coursework.
Full particulars of the degree programme are contained in a brochure which is available from the departmental website.
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
Refer to the GIBS student guidelines and regulations.
Students must complete 4 electives from the list provided. The total number of credits for electives modules must be 24. Please contact the faculty to confirm the availability of elective modules.
Module content:
This module focuses on a broad range of strategic management concepts. The application of strategic management in business has been informed by a shift from a relatively stable to a more rapidly changing and competitive environment that is dynamic and informed by new technologies. It is an environment that demands an ability to anticipate change and the capabilities to operate in new geographic markets. Businesses need to be able to deal with uncertainty as well as analyse their internal and external operating environments. They need to effectively orchestrate resources and core capabilities to achieve competitive advantage. With a focus on an emerging market context, this module considers how strategic management scholarship can be enhanced by a greater appreciation of different organisational contexts. At the end of this module, students will have an understanding and working knowledge of strategic management concepts and their application, with a view to developing their own scholarship in the field.
Module content:
This module focuses on strategic foresight and demonstrates the understanding and application of strategic foresight as a useful method to use in complex and uncertain environments to develop robust business strategies. Students will be provided with a diverse range of case studies to illustrate the practicality and relevance of strategic foresight as an essential way of thinking that frames corporate strategy, decision making and strategy execution. The process of anticipating alternative possible, plausible and preferred futures is a multidimensional learning process that considers multiple interconnected domains, from global to local, from regional to organisational, from country to community.
The course will provide opportunities for students to apply frameworks that consider alternative ways of understanding business futures and the interconnectedness of business, social and environmental issues. It introduces students to systemic approaches and complexity thinking, explores how technology can be used to address systemic issues, and provide a foundation for meaningful action.
Module content:
This module focuses on models and principles of strategic leadership in the complex contexts that require strategies of organisational change and adaptation, informed decision-making, and effective strategy execution. They will examine case studies where leaders have utilised strategic leadership principles to implement corporate strategy, with varying degrees of success.
This module builds on the concepts of personal, team and organisational leadership. The curriculum content requires students to understand the current debates in the literature and they will be introduced to traditional and current models and principles of strategic leadership and strategy execution.
Module content:
The aim of this module is to consider a set of themes that are key to developing an understanding of the current macro-environment of business and its forces, influences and consequences. Although the specific content of the module will vary according to events and dynamics currently being experienced, the underlying tools of analysis allow the students to develop a fuller understanding of how to analyse the most important dynamics that are at play in the macro-environment of business at any time, and thus to identify the implications for their businesses and prepare their businesses for change.
Module content:
In this module students will be equipped to execute their research project. The module will focus on the use of literature reviews, formulation of a research question, research design, population or setting, sampling, research methodologies, and various qualitative and quantitative methods, including surveys, questionnaires and interviewing techniques. The analysis of data and research report writing will also be covered. The research report will serve as a means for the students to deepen their insight into a specific aspect of corporate strategy that is of theoretical interest and relevant to business. The module will prepare a student to conduct research that is of both practical and intellectual value.
Module content:
The module covers the fundamentals of international trade between South Africa and China. The module offers a comprehensive overview of the political, economic, cultural, trade and investment environments in China, including the legal and regulatory context in which South African companies transact business with China. The module will explore China’s recent initiatives to develop African infrastructure and in particular its global initiative known as One Road, One Belt (BRI).
Students will learn about China’s recent developments in renewable energy, solar panels and electric vehicles, and the impact this green technology has had upon China’s economy and the world.
Module content:
This module introduces the students to the Sustainability Mindset as a way to help you understand, analyse and make meaning of the current complex social and environmental landscape.
Module content:
This elective provides an introduction to climate change, the risks and opportunities it presents to business; global efforts to address climate change from an African perspective; specific disclosure and reporting requirements for JSE listed companies; how business leaders can influence climate debates in Africa; and opportunities to take action to build resilience, to mitigate and adapt to climate change in their own business, their supply chain and industry.
Module content:
This elective is designed to provide an overview of an ESG framework, discuss how companies reformulate corporate purpose, embrace the SDGs, ensure ESG compliance throughout value chains, integrate circular economy principles, mitigate reputational- and compliance risk, develop effective nonmarket strategies and disclose information.
This elective will provide cutting-edge research with global best practices using several case studies to create a unique, and valuable learning experience.
Module content:
Companies across the globe and in South Africa have realised how critical it is to rethink the design, development, manufacturing and distribution process in order to meet the needs and price points of consumers with limited resources in low-income markets. While this market was largely serviced in the past by informal businesses that helped grow a vibrant informal economy, the big retail and food manufacturing firms have realised the critical importance of playing within this economy.
Module content:
This module will provide MBA students with skills to assess and manage inherent marketing risks in global markets, including political, economic, and legal uncertainties. This risk management expertise ensures the sustainability of international business operations. Effective cross-cultural communication is another pivotal aspect of the module, enabling students to communicate persuasively and respectfully in diverse cultural contexts, which fosters strong business and marketing relationships.
Module content:
This elective will introduce a novel taxonomy of business environments across the continent. The taxonomy aligns non-market strategies to institution types. Students will be presented with a contemporary framework for analysing institutions followed by detailed case studies of four African countries with contrasting institutions.
Module content:
This elective seeks to provide students with the knowledge, skills and mindsets to prevent and, when required, to navigate their organisations and personal brands in times of crisis. During the elective, students will learn about the theoretical principles that support the prevention and effective, ethical management of corporate crises.
Module content:
This elective will equip students with the relevant climate and biodiversity expertise and knowledge to respond to shareholders and other stakeholders’ expectations, needs and questions on these topics.
Module content:
This high-energy interactive, workshop-style elective aims to provide the students with the motivation, skills and tools they need to find and start the right sustainable ‘side hustle’ for themselves. The elective is suitable everyone, whether or not they have any prior entrepreneurial experience. All that is needed is some curiosity and the passion to make a difference in the world.
Module content:
The ability of organisations to maintain financial health and viability over the long-term requires financial sustainability strategies that enable firms to remain efficient and resilient. A common theme of many organisational failures, financial crises, and business leaders’ puzzling investment decisions, is the tendency to sacrifice long-term interests for short-term gain. This elective aims to enhance the students’ ability to develop financial sustainability strategies, grounded in behavioural economics theory, that deliver results for today and prepare for sustainable future success.
Module content:
This module is tailored to equip students with the essential skills required for effective problem-solving and decision-making in the field of digital product management. The curriculum is designed to address the unique challenges of the African market and other dynamic global markets, with a strong emphasis on ethical decision-making and innovative solution design.
Module content:
This elective will explore the potential for technological leapfrogging in Africa and the challenges that need to be overcome. Students will learn about the latest trends in technology and how they can be applied to African problems. They will also learn about the importance of government policy and private sector investment in promoting technological leapfrogging.
Module content:
Through the perspectives of neuroscience studies, students can gain a fundamentally new understanding and appreciation of leadership. By examining the brain processes that underlie decision-making, emotional regulation, influence, social dynamics and other relevant topics, students can create valuable insights that might elevate their leadership strategies.
By the end of this elective, students will gain a profound understanding of the neurological underpinnings of leadership and the ability to apply this knowledge to enhance their leadership capabilities to navigate the complexities of the modern business world with confidence.
Module content:
The elective will follow the development and application of justice in health care by examining a variety of health care leadership and management scenarios derived from case law which continue to be relevant in our changing world. We explore and discuss the leadership challenges that arose in health care after the adoption of the Constitution and the way those challenges were resolved and decided in the interest of justice.
Module content:
In an era marked by rapid digital evolution and economic complexities, this module equips the student with a multifaceted toolkit for the future. Dive into crafting innovative strategies with a keen eye on the digital landscape and transition from traditional leadership to becoming enablers of innovation. This module will show students how to master data-driven decisions, enabling them to action value-driven outcomes while fostering a forward-thinking mindset.
This comprehensive approach improves leadership foresight, ensuring the deployment of adaptive strategies for the future work ecosystem.
Module content:
This module aims to provide students with a thorough understanding of pricing strategies from both theoretical and practical perspectives.
Building capabilities for superior pricing and margin management leads to significant and sustained increases in revenue and profitability for companies.
Module content:
This class examines how businesses in the sports and entertainment industry create, capture, and sustain value. Sports and entertainment business differ from more traditional product- or service-based businesses in that the value they create centres mostly around an experience that is often fleeting, delivered in the form of an event. Yet even though the events they deliver are often fleeting, such businesses can also create strong followings of enthusiastic fans and communities that may sustain and enhance their value proposition over time. Sports and entertainment business depend on a diverse array of stakeholders including players, performers, or participants, media partners, sponsors, audiences, and others. All these factors make managing a business in the sports and entertainment industry complex and challenging, but also incredibly interesting. In this class we will examine the strategies and approaches that underlie business success in the sports and entertainment industry.
Module content:
In this elective, participants will work in teams on real world businesses to learn and apply this proven and practical approach strategy development. At the top level, participants will learn how create and align the three key pillars of strategy: 1. Value proposition: the utility buyers receive from the product or service minus the price they pay for it. 2. Profit proposition: the price of the offering minus the cost of producing and distributing it. 3. People proposition: the readiness of employees to execute the new strategy with all of their energy, to the best of their abilities, and voluntarily.
Module content:
As we embrace digital transformation, healthcare leadership must also evolve, adapting to leverage opportunities as well as align actions to global ESGs.
This module offers the student insights pertinent for healthcare management, guiding them to transition from conventional healthcare leadership to an innovation-enabling role, grasping the full scope of technology's impact on healthcare operations and delivery. With a keen focus on data, students are ensured to make impactful, value-driven decisions, nurturing a forward-looking perspective in healthcare.
Module content:
This elective aims to equip students with crucial skills for effective stakeholder engagement, vital for navigating today’s complex business environments, with a focus on promoting sustainability aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Module content:
This elective introduces the global climate finance architecture, which is the network of institutions that provide financing for climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives. The mechanisms for reducing emissions are discussed, with a view towards effecting a just transition to a net-zero economy. The barriers to private investment in climate change related initiatives, particularly in adaptation, are analysed, as well as potential means of overcoming them.
Module content:
The elective offers a transformative learning experience, equipping students with the necessary knowledge and skills to thrive in the modern business landscape. With AI rapidly reshaping industries, this elective addresses the critical need for business leaders to harness AI's power strategically and responsibly. The elective seeks to empower students to become future-ready business leaders capable of navigating the complexities of AI integration and leading with innovation and ethical decision-making.
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:
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 provides a theoretical consideration of corruption and state capture, particularly in developing countries, and examines ways in which corruption in the public and private sectors has become endemic in South Africa. It looks critically at the responses of the government, civil society and the private sector to the growing incidence of corruption and state capture in South Africa, and briefly compares these efforts to similar experiences of societies in transition from autocratic regimes to democracies in the developing world. It also reflects on ethical business leadership in a broad sense.
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 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.
Module content:
This elective examines the media as a vital mechanism in connecting different segments of society through information and content generation and dissemination, facilitating interaction, and shaping public opinion and perceptions. As such, the media is understood to be the thread that connects different stakeholders, and that links them with their global environment.
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