This programme equips participants with integrated strategic management skills that will enable them to position their organisations to compete more successfully in a highly competitive global environment. The EDP brings together executives and high-level facilitators to engage in the three important areas: strategic leadership, the formulation of strategy and the implementation of strategy. In addition, several discussions will be led by well-known business personalities on relevant topics such as the JSE, Wellness, Sustainability, etc.

Target group

High-calibre executive managers with strategic management responsibilities who manage a function or an enterprise through systemic transformation processes.

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The Senior Management Development Programme (SMDP) has been designed to equip senior managers with the necessary knowledge and skills to function effectively in a uniquely South African environment. The focus of the programme is to ensure that the knowledge and learning gained translate into improvement in the workplace for both the individual and the organisation

Target group

Senior managers, from any industry, who are responsible for managing managers and who are eager to benchmark and further their potential.

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This programme equips managers with the competence to implement their organisations’ strategic objectives. It develops a basic understanding of the different fields of management to ensure that managers do not perform their own management functions in isolation.

Target group
Middle managers who are currently managing others or who have the potential to manage others, or who wish to grow and develop their management abilities. Read more

This programme centres around the building of leadership and management skills, complemented by some basic functional skills. This programme will help participants to gain the confidence and the capability to respond effectively to current and future business challenges.

Target group
Supervisors, new managers, and individuals earmarked for entry into management positions. Read more

A shortage of professionals trained in management, marketing and tourism has been identified as one of the South African wine industry’s shortcomings. The Programme in Wine and Tourism Management aims to equip participants with the skills required to function to their optimum potential in the competitive local and international wine markets. The programme has been designed in response to feedback from several key players in the South African wine industry.

Participants on this programme will not only be subjected to expert knowledge in the areas covered, but will also be able to implement real, practical solutions in their place of work while completing this programme.

This programme makes provision for participants to select specific modules of interest, in which case a fee for only these individual modules will be charged.

Target group
Any person working in the wine industry or a support industry that needs to be equipped with the tools required to play dynamic roles in the fields of management and marketing. Read more

Coaching has become one of the most essential skills for leaders, managers and those in help-professions who need to deal gracefully and professionally with others concerning issues of personal meaning.  The tremendous value that coaching adds to business in the form of better performance, higher motivation and increased empowerment have contributed to the increasing demand for coaching. Buyers of coaching-services are starting to demand professional coaches who have a strong theoretical foundation and who commit to ethical coaching principles.  Coaching as a business and a life skill acts for many as a bridge towards building a new career.  This programme aims to offer a benchmark for a new generation of professional coaches, offering a certificate from the University of Stellenbosch for individuals who wish to develop in a professional coaching career.

Target group
Anyone aspiring to coach or who is currently coaching e.g. HR professionals, external trainers, consultants, leaders and managers who wish to enhance their coaching skills. Also experienced practitioners who wish to develop a unique coaching framework and test their approach with a peer group. Read more

This hands-on coaching programme gives a practical approach on how to transfer skills to employees by providing opportunities for individual and organisational growth to meet ever-changing business needs, and by creating an organisational culture for learning and development. The programme provides the relevant skills and methodologies required to play a coaching and mentoring role in an organisation, and to establish the right mindset to assume responsibility for growing key people in the organisation.

Target group
The programme is aimed at managers and leaders who must play a role in assisting with the development of managers and employees at all levels. These managers typically assume the responsibility for the growth of employees, not only in their organisational lives, but also in their lives in general. Read more

This programme is designed to provide non-financial middle and senior managers with advanced knowledge and understanding of and skills in capital budgeting, financial statement analysis, cash flow analysis and the valuation of companies.

Target group
Non-financial middle to senior managers seeking greater understanding of financial management Read more

Contrary to popular belief, very few negotiations involve once-off deals – most happen in the course of a relationship of one kind or another or are aimed at establishing an ongoing one. Yet few people have the inherent ability to negotiate deals that are good for both sides. Many still cling to an outmoded view that they can only win if the other side loses. While this may result in a deal, the deal itself is often not the best one that could have been obtained; but, worse still, the relationship that was supposed to be maintained or established starts off on a strained note or is destroyed altogether.

Very often, the losing party feels hurt or humiliated and may try to claw back in whatever way possible the gains that the other side has made. Soon disputes arise about what was agreed upon and what not, leading to a further cycle of acrimonious engagement, hostile emotions and shattered relationships.

In business, the consequence of poor negotiation practices can be highly destructive. Firstly, because relationships could be damaged by the winner takes all approach, future cooperation that is required for the performance or implementation of the agreement reached may be difficult to secure.

Secondly, a winner-takes-all approach more often than not operates on the borderline of ethical behaviour. To succeed, a certain amount of bluffing or exaggeration (or worse) may be needed to “win” the negotiation. This may have ethical and reputational implications for organisations.

Thirdly, this approach also often harms relationships, which can increase the likelihood of recurrence, i.e. the dispute or issue that was negotiated upon recurs later on, and this increases the cost of negotiation. Furthermore, this approach often leaves a lot of value on the table which the parties failed to identify or maximise because of the narrow focus of their approach.

The Africa Centre for Dispute Settlement in conjunction with USB Executive Development (USB-ED) presents the programme Commercial Negotiation, which offers you an opportunity to learn how to prepare and approach negotiation in a manner that ensures that you get the best possible deal for yourself and continue working long-term with the other parties involved.

Target group

The programme focuses on negotiating in the context of ongoing relationships and is suitable for people who are required to negotiate on their own behalf or on behalf of others, both within their organisations and with parties on the outside.  This includes: business owners; managers; lawyers; accountants; customer relations managers; managers in the public sector and in parastatals responsible for negotiating tenders or PPP’s, etc.

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Can you teach managers and supervisors to become better builders of consensus? Can you show them how to achieve better day-to-day outcomes; become more proficient in long-term decision-making; enhance their leadership skills; and more easily reach consensus with people working around them?

We believe you can…

This pragmatic, ‘mutual gains’ consensus- building and negotiations programme, presented by the Africa Centre for Dispute Settlement in conjunction with USB Executive Development (USB-ED), equips managers at every level to deal more effectively with the challenges they face at the workplace every day.

Target group

• Managers and supervisors
• Anyone who works with people in a leadership or facilitation role

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The focus of the Entrepreneurial Business Management Programme (a joint venture between USB-ED and EBS) is to equip learners with a comprehensive set of competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) needed to identify, start and manage a business successfully or to become an innovative, business-oriented manager for a unit/department within an existing business or organisation.

Target group
There are two main target groups:

• People (young or old) who want to start and manage their own business successfully.

• People who want to excel as innovative, business-oriented managers who are able to run a unit/department within an existing business or organisation in a cost-effective or profitable manner (intrapreneurs).

The programme is offered in two formats to suit the needs of a variety of people:

• In-house programmes (consisting of approximately 40 one-day workshops plus study assignments) aimed at organisations/institutions who want to create an entrepreneurial culture within the organisation by developing entrepreneurial and business management skills. The duration and scheduling of workshops are tailored to meet the needs of a specific company or organisation.
• Correspondence for those who cannot attend regular workshops and classroom activities.

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The Programme in Knowledge Management provides an overview of the field of knowledge management (KM) and introduces participants to the value of knowledge and information. This programme differs from a generic information technology perspective by providing participants with the skill to turn an organisation’s intellectual and knowledge assets (tangible as well as intangible) into greater productivity, new value and increased competitiveness.

Target group

This programme is designed for managers, professional specialists, entrepreneurs and knowledge workers in general who engage or wish to engage with knowledge to enhance all functions, activities and outcomes of their organisation.

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In order to be sustainable, NPOs must be managed effectively and have the ability to attract, secure and retain funding, and apply sound management principles and good governance to enable effective delivery to their clients. Studies by the Centre for Civil Society have shown that only 2% of welfare organisations would be viable in the longer term. The study programme therefore aims to promote social development and education in South Africa by enhancing managerial effectiveness, service delivery and good governance within the NPO sector.

Target group
The programme is targeted at current and potential managers of NPOs who have no formal qualifications in management. The participants are substantially subsidised, and should be able to prove that they work in the non-profit sector with a community benefit mandate. Read more

This programme in basic financial and mathematical skills is aimed at prospective MBA students, as well as those wishing to improve their knowledge of statistics, mathematics and finance. The programme aims to enhance numerical and quantitative skills, provide a basic understanding of key financial and statistical terms, and build confidence in dealing with financial mathematics.

Target group
Prospective MBA students with a non-mathematical and non-financial background or participants who would like to improve their knowledge in these areas. Read more

Conflict is an often hidden, but high, cost – hidden in salary budgets in the form of wasted time, recruiting budgets in the form of unnecessary turnover, and in the consequences of poor decisions that result from a decision-making process contaminated by needless power contests. A 2007 survey in the UK shows that conflict in organisations is costing the UK economy in the region of £33m (of which only £6m went towards legal fees!) This workshop, presented by the Africa Centre for Dispute Settlement in conjunction with USB Executive Development (USB-ED), will give you the tools to measure the financial cost of conflict in your organisation, and to manage conflict in a more cost-effective manner through the use of well-established mediation skills.

Target group
Line managers at all levels (public and private sector); directors of companies; business owners (including family businesses); HR managers Read more

China’s increasing global presence and rapid economic expansion have created considerable business interest in the world’s most populous nation.
This structured executive learning programme will provide foundational knowledge and analytical insights to equip participants for doing business with China.

Target group
The programme is ideally suited for business leaders, executives, senior managers and international managers who want to advance their knowledge and skills by gaining an inside perspective on the fascinating growth story of China and the business opportunities in that country. Read more

This programme equips non-economists working in the healthcare industry, in both the private and public sectors, with the basic knowledge required to understand the relevance of economics in informing decision-making in healthcare systems. It provides the basic skills to evaluate and analyse information and data on new technologies in respect of pharmaceuticals, procedures, clinical tests and equipment. Participants will be given an overview of the principles and practices of health technology assessment (HTA) and evidencebased medicine (EBM) to emphasise the challenges of evidence-based policymaking in a rapidly changing health environment. International experts will be lecturing on cost effectiveness models and health technology assessment.

Target group

The course is aimed at professionals working in the healthcare industry, both private and public sectors (including the pharmaceutical industry), and those working in academic centres or government.

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This programme enables participants to align typical business imperatives that relate to supply chain management with the total supply chain process. The core focus is on leading-edge manufacturing and operations concepts, with particular attention to process improvement – focusing specifically on the South African context. The aim is to equip participants with the relevant techniques needed to move from a transaction-based approach to a customer value-based model in order to supply customers with all the information needed to make decisions.

Target group

This programme is aimed at managers and others who are challenged with the intricacies of the supply chain and logistics of their companies and who wish to improve decision-making in these areas.

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This four-day programme aims to improve participants’ theoretical knowledge and practical skills in employment relations (ER/IR) and employment/labour law so as to contribute towards improved workplace relations and more effective conflict resolution in the workplace, while limiting the risk of non-compliance with employment legislation.

Target group

Persons who are involved in human resources and employment relations and who want to further develop their knowledge and skills in the management of employment relations.

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Organisations increasingly recognise that planning and enabling individual performance have a critical effect on organisational performance.

Target group
This programme is aimed at line management and human resource managers responsible for effective performance management in organisations. Read more

The aim of the programme is to develop HR leaders who have the ability to add value to any organisation, in any industry, anywhere in the world. Through a process of exposure to global best practice and a journey of exploration into the unknown, participants should be able to innovate and actively transform the people practices of their organisation and their impact on its performance and sustainability. This programme is aimed at high potential HR leaders who are required to play a strategic role in solving the organisation’s business problems. Participants should have a sound operational ability in most HR practices.

The programme is unique in that it is designed to enable HR leaders to deal with the key problems facing most organisations in a volatile business environment. It has been designed in consultation with some of South Africa’s leading HR directors and professionals. The programme is designed around a number of business themes which South African organisations need to address, rather than traditional HR functions.

Target group
This programme is aimed at high potential HR leaders who are required to play a strategic role in solving the organisation’s business problems. Participants should have a sound operational ability in most HR practices Read more

The practice of leadership has been explored, evaluated, categorised and supported with quantities of data, yet reality is what makes us effective as leaders. While leadership concepts remain constant, the context is constantly changing. Authentic Leadership through the Gift of Horses is a two-day, experiential focusing exercise on you as the leader. You will understand how your leadership style is perceived, by learning from other participants, as well as from a natural leader, a horse! Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is an emerging field, in which experiential activities involving horses are used to create metaphors reflecting real life.  Participants learn about themselves by participating in activities with the horses and then processing behaviours, feelings and patterns.Learning with horses helps build and strengthen:

• leadership skills
• self-awareness
• problem solving and conflict resolution
• ability to set and honour boundaries
• anger management
• overcoming blind spots and non-verbal communication

Why horses?

• Horses are intuitive beings, which can show us in an instant, when we are fooling ourselves and when we are on the right track.
• As herd animals, which are tuned in to the slightest inconsistency in their environment, they mirror back to us inconsistent behaviour, which we may not have been aware of.
• Working with horses offers the unique experience of developing a deeper understanding of yourself, and how others perceive you, what motivates you, your adaptability and flexibility in changing situations, and your ability to lead.
• They have distinct personalities, attitudes and moods.
• An approach that seems to work with one horse, does not necessarily work with another.
• They like to have fun.
• Accomplishing a task involving a horse provides a wonderful metaphor when dealing with other intimidating situations in life.

Target group
Middle managers who are currently managing others, or who have the potential to manage others, or who wish to grow and develop their management abilities. Read more

Do you know yourself? Perhaps a better question is: Have you thought about the way you come across as a leader? Do you like what you see?

Do others?

When we think about ourselves, our natural instinct is to say that we mean well.  But those around us judge us by our behaviours, not our intentions. For nearly 40 years, LDP has taught leaders just like you to consider how their behaviours affect others – and themselves.

This programme uses self-awareness tools and activities to enhance your leadership capabilities. You will learn strategies for continuous development through extensive assessment, group discussions, self-reflection, small group activities and personal coaching. And because of our strong focus on development planning, which ties programme experiences to the context of your workplace, your programme will be uniquely about you.

Does it work? Our alumni typically describe LDP as the singular development experience that has changed them the most, both personally and professionally.

Target group

For mid- to senior-level managers who want to strengthen their leadership effectiveness through a feedback-intense learning experience.

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This programme will equip participants with the necessary leadership and team skills to be effective in an environment where teamwork is important. The programme will expose participants to a number of learning areas, such as knowledge of and insight into individual behaviour and the functioning of task-oriented workgroups and intergroup activities. It will add value to the core business processes of an organisation by developing the ability of participants to deal effectively with leadership and team issues in the workplace.

Target group
The programme is aimed at middle managers and supervisors who value teamwork as a means of achieving top-class workplace performance. Read more

Today the internet is a primary shaper of consumer behaviour, a dominant medium for branding and promotion, and a driver of business processes and logistics. E-marketing harnesses a range of tools, activities and disciplines that leverage the “connectedness” of communities of consumers to deepen customer relationships, build brands and grow businesses – online and offline. USB-ED in collaboration with Britefire will be presenting this exciting programme, which will fast-track you through the vital process of mastering all the interconnected components of innovative professional B2B and B2C e-marketing.

Integrated Engagement Beyond the Website
Professional e-marketing complements and strengthens traditional marketing – and its absence handicaps it. People are adopting online media to research their options, to communicate among themselves, to make decisions, and to interact with their chosen suppliers. Whether your customers are businesses or consumers, it is vital that you master e-marketing. This certificate programme will get you up the learning curve and keep you there.

Target group
Digital marketing is a senior marketing responsibility, not an IT responsibility. This programme is aimed at anyone who makes tactical or strategic marketing decisions, or has to interact with those who do, including: business strategists, marketing executives, product managers, analysts, advertising and PR executives, web developers, information architects, entrepreneurs, business developers, and media executives.

This programme is relevant for anyone with a marketing career who feels a need to upgrade his or her e-marketing knowledge and skills, while upgrading professional value in the eyes of employers or clients. For companies who provide e-marketing services to clients, having certified employees demonstrates a professional level of e-marketing competency that differentiates them from their competitors. Read more

The aim of this programme in successful services marketing practice is to equip client service managers, key account managers, line managers and area managers at medium to large organisations and business owners in the services industry with the basic knowledge and skills to ensure client satisfaction, client retention and client loyalty.

Target group
Client service managers, key account managers, line managers and area manager. Read more

This unique programme focuses on maximising marketing success and profitability by optimising marketing assets. A systems approach is used which emphasises the multidimensionality and interrelatedness of entities and activities. This new approach demarcates management tasks and responsibilities for marketing, and simplifies the measurement of marketing success.

Target group
Marketing managers, brand managers, key account managers and inviduals who will be entering these positions. Read more

Where marketing fits into the organisation, the degree to which marketing should be held accountable, and the extent to which marketing should contribute to the profitability of the modern-day organisation are currently being questioned. This programme will assist you to design, implement and evaluate metrics to measure performance and shareholder value. You will be exposed to strategic monitoring and performance measurement, a portfolio of key marketing metrics and integrated marketing metrics.

Target group
This programme is aimed at middle- and senior-level general managers, marketing managers, financial managers, marketing decision-makers and marketing  practitioners. These managers are required to play a strategic role – responsible for marketing spending, measuring marketing return on investment and the creation of shareholder value. Read more

Project Management has become a prime tool for management of change in the modern business world. This programme was developed by Prof Chris Brown of the University of Stellenbosch Business School to respond to this need in a practical, how-to-do-it way.

By the end of 2008, more than 6 600 participants (including 800 MBA students) successfully completed the programme which has been presented 260 times since 1992. In excess of 100 organisations from all over South Africa have sent participants to join USB-ED’s Project Management Programme.

Target group
Middle to senior managers who need to launch or manage projects. Read more

The Programme in Microsoft Project (MS P) was developed over the last ten years at the USB in response to the need in the business and industry environment for training in the application of project scheduling and monitoring software.  To date about 300 participants have successfully completed the programme.  Due to software and hardware restrictions the programme is only offered in the computer laboratory on the campus of the USB. It can be presented inhouse for organisations that can provide the necessary hardware and software with the required licensing arrangements in place. Participants represented organisations from a wide variety of industries including financial services and banking, construction, engineering, software development, transport and harbour administration, telecommunications, education, NGO’s, local government and various small entrepreneurs.

Target group
Anyone wishing to use MS Project 2000, 2002, 2003 or 2007 to enhance their management of programs and projects. It is aimed at both project leaders and the team members assisting them, as well as functional managers and entrepreneurs who need to coordinate inputs into projects. Read more

The Programme in Advanced Project Management has been designed for project managers who wish to develop skills above that considered to be the minimum required for project managers.

Target group

The target audience is project managers who aim to become career project managers, as well as decision makers about project management in organisations.

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Information System (IS) projects, like application implementation or development, are common in modern enterprises. These projects are often faced by technical, process and people challenges and the dismal success rates of IS projects are well known. Research has indicated that following established project management principles has a positive effect on project success rates, as does strong project leadership by a suitably qualified and experienced project manager.  This programme was developed by the USB to expose those managing and owning Information Technology (IT)-intrinsic projects to project management principles and techniques, as well as the latest thinking and research on IS project management and success factors.

Target group

Middle to senior managers and directors who are required to initiate, manage and control IT-intrinsic projects.

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The core of the programme is the highly acclaimed Programme in Project Management of the University Stellenbosch Business School, which has been presented by Professor Chris Brown to more than 6 500 students. The programme has been adapted by highly experienced municipal management practitioners to address the particular needs of project management in Local Government.

Target group

Middle to senior managers, in local government, who need to launch or manage projects.

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At any stage in your career, there are at least ten career action steps from which to choose.  At the Conscious Career Strategies for Women workshop presented by USB-ED, you will learn about these options and become truly aware of the issues affecting your career.  Seize the opportunity now and take part in this empowering and thought-provoking opportunity.

Target group

This workshop is aimed at women in managerial, leadership and administrative positions, as well as those who are contemplating a future career change.

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USB Executive Development Ltd (USB-ED), the public training company which forms part of the University of Stellenbosch Business School, presents a Strategy Master Class, aimed at sharpening the strategic alertness of business leaders.

The art of strategic management, along with its associated practices, is the most under-utilised tool in the toolbox of business leaders.  More than a tool, the strategy of a successful organisation is a vibrant part of the DNA of that organisation, which empowers all of its employees to contribute actively to its execution from an informed perspective.

In order to compete successfully in an ever-changing business context, leaders are required to think and act strategically on a continuous basis.  Innovative thinking and execution is essential for sustainable business performance.

During this programme, participants will be equipped to create sustainable competitive advantages for their organisations, through being exposed to a combination of practical, experiential and theoretical best practices in the domain of strategic management

Target group
The Strategy Master Class is aimed at individuals who are ready to be enthused with fresh ideas regarding strategic management and who are:

• senior and experienced leaders in organisations, taking responsibility for the strategic direction-setting of the firm or business unit;
• specialists who advise on the future strategy of the firm or business unit.

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Are you becoming progressively overwhelmed by the flood of information and communication demands that you need to deal with on a daily basis?

Technology is expanding rapidly. Executives and business leaders now more than ever need to understand the lingo, digital tools and techniques that will save them time, increase their productivity and put them ahead of their competitors.

Harnessing the Digital Deluge
USB-ED, in collaboration with Britefire, presents Digital Tools for Executives and Managers. This intensive one-day workshop will enable you to adopt a highly efficient regime for managing information overload and to make effective use of social networks and digital tools.

Target group

The workshop is aimed at senior managers and professionals, especially those engaged in fields subject to rapid change or overwhelming information flows.

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Modern investment decisions call for more than “doing the numbers” and scrutinising management. They call for an assessment of the technological vitality of companies.

Technology-based booms and slumps are a regular feature of the stock market, and they come in many forms. One example was the dot.com meltdown. The present hype surrounding renewable energy technologies may lead to another. To assess technological viability, and see past the hype, investment professionals need technological insight and proper tools for assessment.

Target group
Investment professionals, including:

• portfolio managers
• securities analysts
• M&A managers

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