MNG1602 TL101
MNG1602 TL101
Management 1B
MNG1602
Semesters 1 and 2
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail account and make sure
that you have regular access to the myUnisa module website, MNG1602-2025-
S1/S2, as well as your group website.
This is a fully online module. It is, therefore, only available on myUnisa.
BARCODE
CONTENTS
Page
1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................3
2 PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES ........................................................................................................4
2.1 Purpose ...........................................................................................................................................4
2.2 Outcomes ........................................................................................................................................4
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION .............................................................................................8
4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS ....................................................................................9
4.1 Lecturer(s) .......................................................................................................................................9
4.2 Department ......................................................................................................................................9
4.3 University .........................................................................................................................................9
5 RESOURCES ..................................................................................................................................9
5.1 Prescribed book(s) ..........................................................................................................................9
5.2 Recommended book(s) .................................................................................................................10
5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)....................................................................................................10
5.4 Library services and resources......................................................................................................10
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................11
6.1 The Unisa First-Year Experience Programme...............................................................................11
6.2 Using Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to apply for module credit within a qualification. ........12
7 HOW TO STUDY ONLINE ............................................................................................................13
7.1 What does it mean to study fully online? .......................................................................................13
7.2 myUnisa tools ................................................................................................................................13
8 ASSESSMENT ..............................................................................................................................14
9 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY ...........................................................................................................14
9.1 Plagiarism ......................................................................................................................................14
9.2 Cheating ........................................................................................................................................14
9.3 More information about plagiarism ................................................................................................14
10 STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES....................................................................................15
11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ..........................................................................................15
12 IN CLOSING .................................................................................................................................15
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1 INTRODUCTION
Dear Student
Unisa is a comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODeL) higher education institution. Our
comprehensive curricula encapsulate a range of offerings, from strictly vocational to strictly
academic certificates, diplomas and degrees. Unisa's "openness" and its distance eLearning
character result in many students who may not previously have had an opportunity to enrol in
higher education registering at the University. Our CODeL character implies that our programmes
are carefully planned and structured to ensure success for students, ranging from the under-
prepared but with potential to those who are sufficiently prepared.
Teaching and learning in a CODeL context involve multiple modes of delivery, ranging from
blended to fully online learning. As a default position, all post-graduate programmes are offered
fully online with no printed study materials, while undergraduate programmes are offered using a
blended mode of delivery where printed study materials are augmented with online teaching and
learning via the learner management system, myUnisa. In some instances, undergraduate
programmes are offered fully online as well.
Furthermore, our programmes are aligned with the vision, mission and values of the University.
Unisa's commitment to serving humanity and shaping futures – combined with a clear
appreciation of our location on the African continent – means that Unisa's graduates have
distinctive graduate qualities, which include:
• Being independent, resilient, responsible and caring citizens able to fulfil and serve in
multiple roles in their immediate and future local, national and global communities.
• Having a critical understanding of their location on the African continent and taking
account of its histories, challenges and potential in relation to globally diverse contexts.
• The ability to critically analyse and evaluate the credibility and usefulness of information
and data from multiple sources in a globalised world with ever-increasing information and
data flows and competing worldviews.
• An awareness of their own learning and developmental needs and future potential.
This module is online (all information is available via the internet), we use myUnisa as our virtual
campus. This is an online system that is used to administer, document and deliver educational
material to you and support engagement with you. Look out for information from your lecturer as
well as other Unisa platforms to determine how to access the virtual myUnisa module site.
Information on the tools that will be available to engage with your lecturer and fellow students to
support your learning will also be communicated via various platforms.
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You are encouraged to log into the module site on myUnisa regularly (that is, at least twice per
week). Because this is a fully online module, you will need to use myUnisa to study and complete
the prescribed learning activities. Visit the website for MNG1602 on myUnisa frequently. The
website for your module is MNG1602-2025-S1/S2.
This tutorial letter is an introductory guide to the MNG1602 module, offering essential information to
initiate your learning journey. We kindly request that you read it thoroughly, as it contains crucial
details, but more detailed information about your assessments and year marks is available in your
Tutorial Letter 102.
The purpose of the module Management 1B is for you, as a student, to acquire foundational
concepts in operational management. This module will develop your understanding of operational
management, teach you how to become an operational manager and introduce you to the route you
must follow to manage a business on an operational level. It provides a foundation for all later
modules in this subject.
2.2 Outcomes
After completing this module, you should be competent to apply management skills to manage a
business on an operational level. For this module, you will have to master several outcomes:
1 Process and appraise information 1.1 Analyse and interpret a division’s vision, mission and
pertaining to gathering and strategy in terms of the division’s objectives and
analysing information. outcomes.
1.2 Discuss the critical focus areas for the division’s
objectives and outcomes based on the organisational
focus areas.
1.3 Explain that different sources of information are used to
determine the division’s strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats.
1.4 Identify the availability of sufficient resources that
include but are not limited to equipment and tools,
budget, manpower, competency levels of individuals
and time.
1.5 Identify what additional resources are needed.
1.6 Discuss the role of management and represent it in a
diagram.
1.7 Explain the following concepts in your own words:
Planning, control, organising, leading, achieving
objectives.
1.8 List the various resources of an organisation.
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3 Process and appraise information 3.1 Discuss fully that the operational plan could include but
pertaining to creating an operational is not limited to outlines of the objectives, key tasks,
plan. resource requirements, personnel requirements,
budget, stages, schedule, communications strategies,
monitoring and controlling mechanisms and priorities.
3.2 Potential problems and opportunities are identified and
addressed by contingency plans.
3.3 Responsibility and authorities, with lines of
accountability for quality performance, control and
improvements, are defined and documented for all
affected persons and teams.
3.4 Discuss how the plan ensures sufficient communication
to all interested and affected parties before the actual
commencement date.
3.5 Document the plan according to the organisation's
policies and procedures.
3.6 Define the concept of organising.
3.7 List the steps in the organising process.
3.8 Apply the principles of organising.
3.9 Discuss the four different forms of authority.
3.10 Explain the relationship between authority,
responsibility, accountability and delegation.
3.11 Distinguish between the five forms of
departmentalisation.
3.12 Discuss the principles of coordination.
3.13 Differentiate between the line, the line and staff, the task
and the project operational structures.
3.14 Briefly describe three contemporary structures which
can be found in organisations today.
3.15 Describe the different types of groups in an
organisation.
3.16 Define what a team is and briefly describe each type of
team.
4 Process and appraise information 4.1 Outputs and behaviours are continuously monitored to
pertaining to monitoring the evaluate them against the standards.
implementation of the plan. 4.2 Discuss how: Monitoring includes but is not limited to
evaluating records, reports, feedback from various
internal and external customers, and production figures.
4.3 Discuss why feedback is given and recorded regularly
to the team or individual on progress or lack thereof.
4.4 Discuss fully how unsatisfactory performance and
inappropriate behaviour are handled in accordance with
organisational policies and procedures and are duly
recorded.
4.5 Define the following concepts: control, performance
standards, quality, quality control, standard costs, unit
costs, preventive control, concurrent control, and post-
control.
4.6 Explain the importance and value of control.
4.7 Describe the relationship between planning and control.
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5.8 Distinguish between procedural and substantive
fairness in cases of dismissal.
5.9 Explain the procedures according to the Labour
Relations Act that should be followed in cases of
misconduct, incapacity and operational requirement
dismissals.
5.10 Distinguish between the dispute resolution processes of
conciliation, arbitration, pre-dismissal arbitration and
conciliation-arbitration (con-arb).
5.11 Discuss the external dispute resolution structures of the
Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration,
the Labour Court and the Labour Appeal Court.
5.12 Explain and discuss the main provisions of the basic
conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 and the
Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998.
5.13 Describe the five management issues and indicate how
each one affects an organisation.
5.14 Distinguish between the two schools of thought
regarding social responsibility.
5.15 Explain why an organisation must maintain a balance
between social responsibility and profit.
5.16 Define corporate governance and discuss why all
organisations need it and the benefits thereof.
5.17 Discuss the eight ways in which the culture of an
organisation is displayed, using practical examples from
the enterprise in which you work.
5.18 Show, with the aid of a flow chart, how the operational
manager can contribute to the management of cultural
diversity.
5.19 Distinguish between the steps in managing change and
managing resistance to change.
5.20 List the areas of politics and draw a mind map of
strategies for exercising politics in an organisation.
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Unisa has implemented a transformation charter, in terms of which the university has placed
curriculum transformation high on the teaching and learning agenda. Curriculum transformation
includes student-centred scholarship, the pedagogical renewal of teaching and assessment
practices, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and the infusion of African epistemologies and
philosophies. All of these will be phased in at both programme and module levels, and as a result of
this, you will notice a marked change in the teaching and learning strategy implemented by Unisa,
together with how the content is conceptualised in your modules. We encourage you to embrace
these changes during your studies at Unisa in a responsive way within the transformation framework.
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The primary lecturer for this module is Dr Nadia van Huyssteen, and the secondary lecturer is Dr
Adele van Lille.
Please get in touch with us via e-mail. The designated e-mail address for MNG1602 is
[email protected].
All content related enquiries should please be directed to this e-mail address, and the
lecturers will respond as soon as possible.
IMPORTANT! In accordance with the POPI Act, only queries sent from a myLife e-mail
address will be answered.
4.2 Department
E-mail: [email protected]
4.3 University
Should you have any administrative enquiries, please get in touch with the respective department
directly, as your lecturer will not be able to assist you.
Contact addresses of the various administrative departments appear on the Unisa website:
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Student-enquiries.
5 RESOURCES
5.1 Prescribed book(s)
PRESCRIBED BOOK
De Beer, A., Rossouw, D. & Van Huyssteen, N. 2022. Focus on Operational Management: A generic
approach, 5th ed. Cape Town: Juta.
Hard copy ISBN: 9781485132622
Web PDF ISBN: 9781485132639
Please consult the list of official booksellers and their addresses online via this link
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Books/Official-Booksellers. The prescribed book
cannot be ordered from Unisa. It can be obtained from the University’s official booksellers.
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5.2 Recommended book(s)
There is a wide range of books available on the topics discussed in the textbook, and we are
therefore not going to recommend a specific book. At the end of some textbook chapters, you will
find a list of references dealing with that particular topic.
Currently, there are no e-reserves for this module. However, e-reserves can be downloaded from
the Library catalogue. More information is available at: http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/request/
request.
The Unisa Library offers a range of information services and resources and has made numerous
library guides available at http://libguides.unisa.ac.za
Recommended guides:
• For brief information on the library, go to https://www.unisa.ac.za/library/libatglance
• For more detailed library information, go to
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library
• For Frequently Asked Questions, go to
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Frequently-Asked-Questions
• For research support and services such as the Personal Librarian service and the
Information Search Librarian's Literature Search Request (on your research topic) service,
go to http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Research-
support
• For library training for undergraduate students, go to
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Training
• For Lending Services, go to https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Lending-services
• For Services for Postgraduate students, go to
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-Postgraduates
• For Support and Services for students with disabilities, go to
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-students-with-special-
needs
• For Library Technology Support, go to https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/techsupport
• For information on finding and using library resources and tools, go to
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_skills
• For an A–Z list of library databases, go to https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/az.php
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To view the Library orientation video – please click here: Unisa Library and Information Services
Video 1 1 (2).mp4
This brochure contains important information and guidelines for successful studies through Unisa.
If you need assistance concerning the myModules system, you are welcome to use the following
contact details:
You can access and view short videos on topics such as how to view your calendar, how to access
module content, how to view announcements for modules, how to submit assessments and how to
participate in forum activities by visiting https://dtls-qa.unisa.ac.za/course/view.php?id=32130
Registered Unisa students receive a free myLife e-mail account. Important information, notices
and updates are sent exclusively to this account.
Please claim your e-mail account immediately after registering at Unisa by following this link:
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myLife-Nov-2017.pdf Note that it can take up to 24 hours for your account to be activated after
you have claimed it.
Your myLife account is the only e-mail account recognised by Unisa for official correspondence
between you and the University and it will remain your official primary e-mail address on record
at Unisa.
Many students find the transition from school education to tertiary education stressful. This is also
true in the case of students enrolling at Unisa for the first time. Unisa is a dedicated open-distance
and e-learning institution, and it is very different from face-to-face/contact institutions. It is a mega
university, and all our programmes are offered through either blended learning or fully online
learning. For this reason, we thought it necessary to offer first-time students additional/extended
support to help them seamlessly navigate the Unisa teaching and learning journey with little difficulty
and few barriers. Therefore, we offer a specialised student support programme to students enrolling
at Unisa for the first time – this is Unisa’s First-Year Experience (FYE) Programme, designed to
provide prompt and helpful information about services the institution offers and how you can access
information. The following FYE services are currently offered:
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FYE Website Email Support
www.unisa.ac.za/FYE [email protected]
FYE1500
Post-
myUnisa; Study
Registration
Skills; Academic &
Orientation Referrals to
Digital Literacies;
other support etc
services
e.g. Counselling;
Reading & Writing
workshops
To ensure that you do not miss out on important academic and support communication from the
SRU, please check your myLife inbox regularly.
6.2 Using Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to apply for module credit within a
qualification.
Now that you are a registered student, you are advised to familiarise yourself with the learning
outcomes of the module or modules you have chosen. If you have been exposed to those learning
outcomes for three years or more – either through work experience or other involvement – you can
apply to be exempted from completing assignments and writing examinations. As part of your
application for this exemption, you will be required to compile a portfolio of evidence substantiating
how your experience is equivalent to the learning outcomes. The diagram below shows the steps
involved in obtaining recognition of prior learning (RPL) for module credit. For more information on
the process, RPL fees, and the contact details of your college RPL coordinator, visit the Unisa
website: www.unisa.ac.za/rpl
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Studying fully online modules differs completely from studying some of your other modules at Unisa.
• All your study material and learning activities for online modules are designed to be
delivered online on myUnisa.
• All your assessments must be submitted online. This means that you will do all your
activities and submit all your assessments on myUnisa. In other words, you may NOT post
your assessments to Unisa using the South African Post Office.
• All communication between you and the university happens online. Lecturers will
communicate with you via e-mail and SMS and use the Announcements, the Discussion
Forums and the Questions and Answers tools. You can also use all of these platforms to
ask questions and contact your lecturers.
The main tool we use is the Lessons tool (named the ONLINE STUDY GUIDE FOR MNG1602),
which provides the module content (all the learning units), self-assessments and discussion forms
per learning unit. At times you will be directed to join discussions with fellow students and complete
activities and assessments before you can continue with the module.
It is very important that you log in to myUnisa regularly. We recommend that you log in at least twice
a week to do the following:
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• Check for new announcements. You can also set up your myLife e-mail account to receive
announcement e-mails on your cell phone.
• Do the Discussion Forum activities. When you do the activities for each lesson, please
share your answers with the other students in your group. You can read the instructions and
prepare your answers offline, but you must go online to post your messages.
• Do other online activities. You might need to take a quiz or complete a survey under the
Self-Assessment tool for some of the lesson activities. Do not skip these activities because
they will help you complete the assessments and the activities for the module. We hope that
giving you extra ways to study the material and practise all the activities will help you succeed
in the online module. To get the most out of the online module, you MUST go online regularly
to complete the activities and assessments on time.
8 ASSESSMENT
This letter does not contain information about your assessments for this module. For all assessment-
related details, please refer to Tutorial Letter 102. Tutorial Letter 102 will be available in the
“Additional Resources” folder on your MNG1602 module site.
9 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
9.1 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting them as your
own. It is a form of theft. Plagiarism includes the following forms of academic dishonesty:
• Copying and pasting from any source without acknowledging that source.
• Not including references or deliberately inserting incorrect bibliographic information.
• Paraphrasing without acknowledging the source of the information.
9.2 Cheating
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:
• Completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying the work of another student
during an assessment, or allowing another student to copy your work.
• Using social media (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to disseminate
assessment information.
• Submitting corrupt or irrelevant files. (This matter is addressed in the examination
guidelines.)
• Buying completed answers from so-called “tutors” or internet sites (contract cheating).
• Engaging AI or ChatGPT to generate responses or complete assessments on your behalf,
whether directly or indirectly.
9.3 More information about plagiarism
For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-rules
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E-mail: [email protected]
If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional time for
assessments, you are invited to contact (Nadia van Huyssteen, e-mail address:
[email protected]) so that you can be assisted.
12 IN CLOSING
Do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail if you are experiencing problems with the content of this
tutorial letter or with any academic aspect of the module. Please consult your Tutorial Letter 102,
which will be available in the “Additional Resources” folder on your MNG1602 module site, as more
detailed information about your assessments and year marks is provided in this tutorial letter.
We wish you a fascinating and satisfying journey through the learning material and trust you will
complete the module successfully.
Dr Nadia van Huyssteen and Dr Adele van Lille – lecturers for MNG1602
©
Unisa 2025
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