IIE BCom Honours in Strategic Brand Management

Overview

This IIE Honours programme investigates and applies strategic models and tools to the practice of innovative and cost-effective brand management, founded on robust financial and economic principles. Students are exposed to core components such as the financial management of a brand within prevailing economic conditions, brand and market analysis from a commercial perspective, the application of sustainable and ethical business and brand practice, the development of communication strategies in context of the competitive environment and internal realities and the utilisation of metrics and models to assess brand performance and brand equity.

Modules:

• Brand and Brand Building
• Strategic Brand Management and Leadership
• Financial, Economic and Legal Aspects
• Practice of Brand Building
• Research for the Business Sciences

Brand and Brand Building
This module develops students’ understanding of the key brand concepts that guide the development of innovative and purposeful solutions to brand building opportunities and challenges. Emphasis is placed on creative, critical and systemic thinking.

Strategic Brand Management and Leadership
This module considers brand management from an “inside out” and “outside in” perspective to guide the management of a sustainable brand by the brand owner. Students will develop knowledge and understanding of both external and internal environmental variables to be considered when developing brand strategies and plans, both locally and internationally. The focus is on commercial and entrepreneurial brand management practice and the associated strategic and operational dimensions. Brands will be analysed in context of the market environment and stakeholder relationships within which they are built.

Financial, Economic and Legal Aspects
This module develops understanding and applied knowledge of the principles of finance, economics and compliance relative to the development of brand strategies and plans, both locally and internationally.

Practice of Brand Building
This module applies the theories of strategic brand management and communication to answer real-life client briefs. The focus is on the development and crafting of an innovative brand building strategy and plan that will address complex business and societal challenges. Students will implement brand research to investigate situational, environmental and commercial scenarios. They will derive consumer insights to drive the execution of original and meaningful solutions to multi-faceted brand challenges. Students work in teams to address real-life working situations; develop their skills in recommending brand solutions; and to collaborate with peers in a process of innovative problem solving.

Research for the Business Sciences
Students will develop essential research skills for both professional and academic contexts alongside the ability to present and defend research to an expert audience. Emphasis is placed on independent and critical thinking, analysis, research design and methods, as well as academic discourse. Students complete a self-directed research project of limited scope under supervision in the discipline of the degree.

Study further with IIE Pathways
The successful completion of the IIE BCom Honours in Strategic Brand Management enables you to progress into the IIE MCom in Strategic Brand Leadership delivered at IIE Vega, subject to meeting the admission requirements.

Timetables
This qualification is aimed at students who wish to complete full-time face-to-face studies for the duration of their qualification. This means that students are expected to be available throughout the day for class in the academic year depending on how the timetable is structured. Students may also be required to write assessments or submit coursework or assignments outside of normal class time. Students who would like to pursue part time employment opportunities outside of the academic programme must prioritise their studies and avoid committing to work schedules until after they have received their timetables and academic calendar from the institution. Students must also note that timetables remain subject to change throughout the academic year.

Tuition Fees

First year fee for new registrations starting in 2024
R108 000 Full Settlement Total Fee
R115 800 Instalment Total Fee (10 Monthly Instalments)
A *Pre-Registration Fee of R2 500 is included in the Total Fee
*Refundable if admission criteria for the qualification is not met.

Please note:

• Applications for the 2024 intake are subject to a non-refundable application fee of R700.
• You will be required to complete a new contract annually which will include fees for that year.
• Returning students can consult the bill of costs on the website to obtain their 2024 fees based on their basket of modules.

Entry Requirements

• An appropriate Bachelor’s Degree with an average of 60% in the final year ; OR
• An appropriate Advanced Diploma, provided that a 360 credit Diploma or appropriate equivalent has been completed with an average of 60% in the final year. An appropriate Degree or Advanced Diploma would normally be in the fields of either: Branding, Business Management, Economics, Financial Management, Marketing Management or Strategic Management.

 Please note:

• Candidates are normally required to have a minimum final year average of 60% in the qualifications final-year (NQF Level 7) modules. Those with a final year average of 55-59% will be admitted if they attained 60% or higher for the designated cognate/core discipline cognate/core discipline module at final year (NQF Level 7) level.
• Accounting or Financial Management AND Economics or Statistics must be part of the undergraduate qualification and candidates are required to have passed these modules to gain entry.

Senate Discretionary Admission:

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Candidates who fall outside the above criteria, but who can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of The IIE that they have an appropriate, related qualification or work-based learning, which has taken the candidate to the equivalent of an NQF Level 7 Branding, Business Management, Economics, Financial Management, Marketing or Strategic Management-related qualification, may be considered for admission into this programme through an RPL process.

Additional Notes:

Graduates of The IIE who do not meet the conditional admissions requirements for admission to Honours can enrol for and repeat all or some of their NQF Level 7 modules in order to improve their marks so that they can meet the entry requirements for Honours. These graduate students will then receive an additional transcript after the completion of the repeat module(s), where the repeat module(s) will appear as a second iteration of the module(s) on the transcript. The marks from the second iteration can then be used for admission to Honours in the subsequent academic year. This option is only available to graduates from The IIE and does not apply to graduates from other HE institutions.

International Admission:

• A SAQA NQF L7 Evaluation Certificate in an appropriate field and meeting the additional admission requirements.