Curriculum for undergraduate business management students: The views of the business sector.

Abstract

The presentation of undergraduate Business Management degrees that are relevant to the needs of the business community is an ongoing challenge. The content of the degree structure therefore has to be adapted constantly to meet the ever changing needs of the business community. This study focuses on the broad educational competencies identified by selected South African businesses for the curricula for undergraduate business management degrees. The business management areas investigated were: general management, marketing manage ment, financial management, risk management, human resource management and entrepreneurship. The nominal group technique was used, with between six and 15 specialists chosen from each of these areas from the business community. A total of 48 such specialists participated in the study. Although each area of business holds unique challenges, the results indicated a requirement for generic competencies which are vitally important for the degree programme, irrespective of the specialist field. The study concludes with certain recommendations.