Programme Summary

COURSE SYNOPSIS

BSM5101 Quantitative Management                                                                                         15 credits

This course aims   to   develop   quantitative management, statistical   and mathematical analysis skills for strategic managers in different organizations. The course aims specifically to, develop strategic managers’ confidence in handling hypothesis tests for the mean, intervention effectiveness, association and one-way analysis of variance, quantitative data, develop managers with a high level of quantitative literacy, develop managers’ evaluative skills for collected, quantified and analysed data, and enhance the managers’ ability to interpret findings for decision making. The course will cover topics such as data collection and presentation methods, statistical data descriptions deduced from measures of central tendency, spread and correlation analysis of bivariate data, mathematical models such as simultaneous equations, probability and linear programming and application of hypothesis tests for the mean, intervention effectiveness, association and one-way analysis of variance.

BSM5102 Strategic Information Management and E-Business                                              15 credits

This course is aimed at reinforcing the strategic role of information to the survival of organizations in the modern and dynamic environment of technology. It also equips students with adequate knowledge and skills of e-business to understand and appreciate its critical role in the world of business. The course will cover topics such as strategic importance of information, indigenous and endogenous knowledge systems. Information processing systems, the computer as a basis for modern information systems, data storage and file organization, importance of e- business, opportunities offered by e-business, developing e-business system, the environment for e-business, web server hardware and software, electronic information networks and security and ethical challenges to e- business.

BSM5103 Strategic Marketing Management                                                                             15 credits

This course aims to introduce a long –term perspective that may help a business avoid weakness or problems caused by the dominance  of  short  term  goals, provide methods and structures to create entrepreneurial thrusts, emphasize  a  global perspective,  present a  proactive  approach  to  strategic  marketing management in which, rather  than merely detecting and reacting to change, a business anticipates or even creates it, draws on multiple disciplines, introduce concepts, models and methods that are or have promise of being useful to the strategy development process, transform organizational resources to satisfy customer needs more effectively and efficiently than competing alternatives, optimize  strategies   and   operative   marketing   decisions   to   increase   the organizational value within the boundaries of finite budgets and exploit new technologies and various analysis techniques to enhance various marketing decisions. The course will cover topics such as setting the context, defining marketing management, evolution of the marketing concept, business and marketers’ responses and adjustments to global, building customer value and satisfaction, attracting and retaining customers, marketing oriented strategic planning, gathering information and measuring market demand, the role of competition and how firms position themselves, segmentation, target marketing and positioning, consumer buying behaviour, the product life cycle, new product development and global marketing.

BSM5104 Financial Accounting                                                                                                 15 credits

This course aims to equip students to be able to use financial accounting information to make informed judgments and economic decisions. The course will cover topics such as financial reporting and accounting cycle, statement analysis, financial distress prediction and valuation of companies.

BSM5105 Management of Organizational Behaviour                                                               15 credits

The course will cover topics such as explanation of key concepts, why study organizational behaviour, people’s entry into organization, leadership, communication, conflict and change and discussion issues.

BSM5106 Business Research Methods                                                                             15 credits

This course is designed to enable students to develop a deeper understanding of the research, broaden and strengthen understanding and application of the research process, apply research findings in decision making processes, conduct meaningful and useful research and explain different research approaches available and applicable to Business sciences and management. The course will cover topics such as research concepts, research topic, research process, literature review, research designs, data collection methods and techniques, data presentation, analysis and interpretation, call for a proposal, research report writing, methodology and assessment.

BSM5107 Entrepreneurship                                                                                                         15 credits

The module aims at helping students develop an understanding of issues, possibilities and challenges in the field of entrepreneurship.  Objectives:  Describe the nature and significance of entrepreneurship; evaluate the paths to entrepreneurship; prepare and critique business plans; distinguish and evaluate the different sources of financing small businesses and assess the risks facing small businesses and their mitigation.  Areas covered include:   The role of small businesses in an economy; Characteristics of entrepreneurs and the myths about entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurship, and traditional management; Forms of business ownership; Ways of going into business; Business plan structure, uses and preparation; Sources of finance; Business growth models; Causes of small business failure; Risk analysis for small businesses; Women and entrepreneurship.

BSM5208 Strategic Planning and Management                                                                       15 credits  

This course aims to make the student know how an organization is managed in a strategic sense, as well as, bridge for the student, the gap between theory and actual business practice, develop the student awareness of analytical techniques, managerial models and academic theories, which contribute to strategic planning and management. The course will cover topics such as the concept of strategy, strategic planning and formulation concepts, crafting strategy: environmental assessment techniques, crafting strategy: internal analysis, objective setting, strategic analysis, strategic choices/options and valuation of options, strategic implementation, administering and organizing for the strategic planning function.

BSM5209 Strategic Human Resources Management                                                              15 credits

The purpose of this course is to provide the student with an understanding of strategic human resources management from theoretical and viewpoints. The course will cover topics such as current global business environment, an investment perspective of human resource management, current challenges in strategic human resources management, and strategic role of human resources management, SHRM in the context of strategic leadership, strategic planning and strategic management, human resources planning, implementation of strategic SHRM, HR strategies- application, SHRM case studies and student presentations.

BSM5210 Strategic Financial Management                                                                              15 credits

The course aims to acquaint students with the contents and tools of financial management in a corporate context in particular and social setting in general. The course will cover topics and aspects such as basic concepts of financial management, long term investment decision, working capital management, long- term financial and dividend decisions, financial analyses, planning and forecasting, special issues and/or topics in financial management.

BSM5211 Economics                                                                                                                   15 credits

This course is designed to develop an understanding of the fundamental concepts, techniques and practices of economic theory that are to make economic decisions in an ever- changing and increasingly competitive business environment.  Students are expected to understand what determines some trends in the overall economy, discuss why markets are good, but not perfect, way to allocate resources, relate economic events to industry dynamics, understand the implications of various economics policies on industry performance, consider why trade among people or nations can be good for everyone and recommend sound policy measures. The course will cover topics such as definition, categories of economics (microeconomics and macroeconomics), basic economic problem, production possibility curve its implication and application, scarcity, opportunity cost, allocative efficiency, ten principles of economics, economic systems, supply and demand analysis, consumer behaviour, theory of the firm, market structures, market failure and government’s role, fundamental concepts of macroeconomics, money and the banking system, inflation and unemployment , macroeconomic policy and open  economy  economics.

BSM5212 Corporate Restructuring and Turnaround Management                                         15 credits

The primary objectives of the module are: To help students recognize symptoms (and early warning signals) associated with distressed divisions, subsidiaries, or diversified companies (or those on the way to trouble). To help students diagnose the root causes of business trouble. To help them prescribe effective corrective action appropriate to the resources available, in light of competitive intensity, general economic conditions, and other exogenous opportunities and constraints, e.g., technological, regulatory, social, demographic, political, et cetera.   Turnaround Management is about restructuring troubled companies. The module examines turnaround business situations, i.e., established firms experiencing operational, financial and managerial difficulties. It emphasizes the operating manager’s perspective and considers strategy issues as well as financial ones. (In some sessions the creditor’s viewpoint is of critical importance as it affects managerial autonomy.)  Turnaround Management integrates the functional disciplines of the core curriculum: a basic understanding of Accounting and Corporate Finance is mandatory to do the class exercises that use cash flows and ongoing concern projections, debt restructuring and liquidation analysis. Experience in negotiations (to forge creditor relationships) is helpful. The Final Project requires the general manager’s perspective to suggest operating changes as well as use of qualitative and quantitative tools to effect solutions. Turnaround Management addresses all aspects of managing a corporation in trouble and (with some luck, in the turnaround process). Students will learn to distinguish between troubled firms (that can be repaired) and crisis companies that are unlikely to survive. The module looks at restructuring operations, assets and liabilities, capital structures, organizational issues and strategy.

BSM5213 Strategy Implementation and Change Management                                                15 credits

The speed at which change is occurring is faster now than it has ever been in the entire existence of humankind and corporate history. Successful organizations are those that both create and respond positively to change and cultivate a culture of corporate entrepreneurship. The module examines reasons why so many business strategies fail and why some firms are so successful while others are slowly dying; it also looks at the systems thinking and systems dynamics modelling frameworks; in addition, the traditional strategy theoretical frameworks, technological discontinuities, new requirements of doing business, changing customers and changing faces of competition, options to anticipate and manage change, business process re-engineering, implementation failure analysis, decision modelling and tools for integrating strategy across the entire organization. The module also addresses the question of black economic empowerment, diversity policy and women’s participation in the organization as well as current debates and evidence surrounding these issues.

Option 1: Management Strategy

BSM5214 Production and Operations Management                                                                15 credits

This course introduces students to the concepts of production and operations in an organization production and operations management help the students to be familiar with the production process and the operation strategies that any organization can use. Students should be able to plan and control as a component of production and operation management. The following topics need to include as a way of helping students to familiarize with the production industry, production design, service production, productivity, layout facilities, location and design of the plant, inventory management and quality management among others. The students need to know how to calculate productivity as this will help them make wise decisions in the industry. Students also need to be familiar with calculations on process flow, forecasting and capacity planning. Students need to understand that any organization has its own production and operations systems and these needs to be managed with knowledge.

BSM5217 Corporate Governance and Business Ethics                                                           15 credits

The course aims to enable students to define ethics, articulate what ethics entails tapping from the various perspective posited by the ethical theories, interrogate ethical relationships in business and the social responsibility of business and dissect the various corporate governance frameworks such as the American Round Table, King 111 and the Ubuntu Framework in business. The course will cover topics and aspects such as  definition of ethics, utilitarian ethics, deontological ethics, virtue theory, theories of justice, ethical discussion and ethical relationships in business and social responsibility definition of corporate governance, separation of ownership and control, corporate scandal and reaction, shareholder, corporate ownership around the world ,managers and boards of directors, independent directors compensation family, owned firms, corporate governance and the media, The King 111 Report on corporate governance and ethical guidelines in Zimbabwe.

Option 2: Finance

BSM5225: Business Restructuring                                                                                            15 credits 

The course aims to provide students with knowledge and understanding of corporate restructuring. It provides detailed understanding of the impact of the regulatory environment, business valuation techniques. It provides underlying assumptions to business valuations, highlighting advantages and disadvantages. The course covers, corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, takeover and antitakeover measures, due diligence, valuation, post-merger issues, methods of payment, financing acquisition,

BSM5227: Investment and Portfolio Management                                                                   15 credits

The course aims to assist students to acquire a broad based body of knowledge in the areas of Investment Analysis and /or Investment Management (or Portfolio Management) leading to the development of quantitative analytical skills needed by professional investors and/ or any other sophisticated individual investors in the world of finance in general or area of investments in particular.  This course such as basic concepts of investments and Portfolio Management, Portfolio Theory and Active Portfolio Markets, fixed income securities and bond management strategies, security analysis discussed in an economic industry, company framework and financial derivatives and their use as a risk management tool contents and issues, liquidation preferences and security, problem “forum shopping” and the London Approach.

BSM 5300 Dissertation                                                                                                     90 credits

A supervised dissertation of between 19 000 and 21000 words which allows a student to explore in depth subjects of interest to him/her.