Where does this programme fit in?​

The 3-year BCom (Management Sciences) with the focal area Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management is offered by the Department of Business Management at the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Year 1 consists of compulsory modules such as Business Management, Economics, Financial Accounting, Professional Communication, and Statistics and Data Science. Year 2 and Year 3 cover modules specific to this focal area.

Why the need for this programme?

Entrepreneurship is a consequence of the capacity of individuals and companies to take on risk in the pursuit of innovative business ventures to address challenges. These ventures can drive economic growth with new and improved products and services, enable change, create jobs, and help to generate wealth.

Entrepreneurs and innovators are high in demand the world over. They help to shape an entrepreneurial culture and develop the processes needed to turn innovative ideas into a reality, which results in organisational growth. This degree will equip you with the entrepreneurial thinking you require to start up your own business or prepare you to become part of an organisation’s innovation management team.

What will you learn?

In the Year 1 you will study business management as part of the general BCom curriculum. The rest of the modules in this focal area, which you will follow in Year 2 and Year 3, cover business management, entrepreneurship, small business management, creativity and innovation management, strategic and corporate entrepreneurship, the management of corporate social responsibility, and strategic management.

• Business Management 113 (^1st year)
  

  Procedures for the establishment of a new business; analysis of the business environment; understanding of business ethics; competition analysis; idea generation and entrepreneurship; choices in business formation; break-even analysis; understanding of the resources and people involved in the business; general management and managerial resources.

• Introduction to Entrepreneurship 214
  

  Introduction to the world of entrepreneurship in South Africa; drivers of entrepreneurship; introduction to the identification of opportunities and development of ideas; the analysis of the entrepreneurial process; feasibility analysis; building a new venture team; assessing a new venture’s financial strength and viability; ethics and legal considerations; obtaining finance; the importance of intellectual property; the importance of growth; growth strategies; buying an existing business.

• Small Business Management 244
  

  The scope and nature of small business development in South Africa; the important role of SMMEs in the South African economy; management of entrepreneurial opportunities; small business marketing management, purchasing, recruitment, operations and financial management; alternative routes to entrepreneurship; financing of opportunities in the market environment; managing of small business growth; legal requirements for small businesses; e-commerce and the entrepreneur; developing a business plan to communicate business model solutions for socio-economic and environmentally related problems.

• Creativity and Innovation Management 318
  

  The importance of innovation and technological innovation for entrepreneurs and managers; sources of innovation; creativity and organisational creativity; translating creativity into innovation; types and patterns of innovation; standards and design dominance; timing of entry; innovation strategies; choosing and managing innovation projects; new product development, value capture, intellectual property rights and protecting innovation; technological entrepreneurship, funding and managing innovation, innovation offshoring, green innovation and national innovation systems.

• Strategic and Corporate Entrepreneurship (Intrapreneurship) 348
  

  Driving forces in the ‘new’ economy that necessitate corporate entrepreneurship; the link between entrepreneurship and strategic management; a framework for entrepreneurial strategy; the role of entrepreneurship in large companies; an analysis of the differences between entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship; factors that facilitate and inhibit intrapreneurship; frameworks for the implementation of corporate entrepreneurship in organisations; entrepreneurial leadership; the link between corporate entrepreneurship and performance.

• Management of Corporate Social Responsibility 314
  

  Frameworks for planning and evaluating the actions of individuals and organisations in the context of sustainable and socially responsible activities. Key themes include the concepts of business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR); strategic management of stakeholder relationships; voluntary and regulatory influences on CSR; CSR in a global environment; managerial implications of specific South African CSR issues; strategic approaches to managing CSR in organisations, the integration of socially responsible behaviour into management disciplines such as marketing, innovation, finance and investment.

• Strategic Management 344
  

  Strategic management challenges in complex environments; business models and strategies; strategic environmental analysis; strategic resources and capabilities; strategic leadership; strategy development; knowledge, innovation and complexity management; strategy implementation; performance measurement and change management.

Who should apply?

• People who want to start up their own businesses and create their own job opportunities
• People who want to become part of the entrepreneurial and/or innovation team of an organisation
• Management consultants
• New-product developers
• Innovation managers
• Problem-solvers seeking business solutions

Admission requirements

• National Senior Certificate average of 65%
• Mathematics 60% minimum
  
• EMS language admission requirements (English and Afrikaans Home Language 50% OR English and Afrikaans Additional Language 60%)

More details

• Programme brochure: The brochure contains a table with all the modules covered by this degree. Download the department’s brochure here.
  
• Programme information: See the Department of Business Management’s undergraduate programmes here.
• See the Calendar of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at https://www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/economy/students.
• Closing date for applications: 30 June 2022
• Contact person for enquiries about this programme: Morné Daniels on +27 (0)21 808 2392 or at mmd@sun.ac.za
• Where to apply: https://student.sun.ac.za/signup/