By Dr Hendrik Botha and Dr Janet Viljoen
What better foundation for a career in business and management than a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree. Tried and tested, the BCom offers a core skillset that puts you on track for managerial positions in organisations or toward successfully owning your own businesses. Boston’s BCom degree is supported by a team of educators and expertly crafted learning material both of which ensure a well-rounded introduction to any business setting and instil the confidence that every leader and business owners needs to demonstrate. The BCom will include modules such as Strategic Management, Human Resource Management, Management Accounting, and Economics.
If a BCom is an excellent springboard into your management and business future, why not take your education a step further and register for the BCom degree with an additional specialisation in Law (BCom Law)?
We all know about Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) regulations that all businesses must adhere to. You’ve heard of Labour Law and the regulations surrounding employment conditions both for the protection of the employee as well as the employer. Since March 2020 we have all been made very aware of the regulations pertaining to COVID-19 that all workplaces are required to adhere to, particularly for the return to site post-lockdown, as we grapple with the very real need to keep everyone safe from the contagious virus but simultaneously ensure that the economy can function. Whether your business is based in a warehousing facility in the Western Cape, or in a high-rise building in Sandton, the formula is the same: there are workplace regulations to which each business must adhere.
Who interprets these regulations, ensures that no contravention takes place, guides compliance, and ultimately sees to it that employers are acting according to the law, and that employees adhere to COVID-19 regulations? Someone who understands the legal frameworks: the BCom graduate who has specialised in Law. Holding a BCom in Law does not make you a lawyer, but the programme does prepare you with a well-rounded knowledge of the South African legal system, various fields of law, the relationship between the fields of law, and the impact of legal principles and rules on commercial activity and broader society. Moreover, the qualification offers an integrated knowledge of the underlying principles, legal instruments, concepts, and procedures of South African Mercantile Law, as well as the ability to apply such knowledge in commercial contexts. The BCom Law includes modules such as: Intellectual Property Law, Environmental Law, Insolvency Law, Law of Property, Contract Law, Cyber Law, etc. If your goal is to enter the courtroom or to practice law full-time, the degree for you is an LLB, offered over a minimum of four years as an undergraduate qualification in South Africa. Graduating with a BCom specialising in Law does ensure that you could fill general management positions, important liaison positions with the external legal team, as well as more specialised roles such as: Contract Manager, ISO (International Standards Organisation) Compliance Officer, Risk Identification and Compliance Officer, or Physical Asset Manager and many more exciting vocations. This qualification is also recognised by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) as Generic under all Categories and Sub-Categories for occupational/professional purposes. The FCSA is the market conduct regulator of financial institutions that provide financial products and financial services, financial institutions that are licensed in terms of a financial sector law, including banks, insurers, retirement funds and administrators, and market infrastructures.
The world of work has changed and candidates with multi-faceted skillsets are extremely valuable in the workplace. As a successful BCom Law graduate you offer both business and legal knowledge – a potent combination of talents. Your future dreams don’t end here: further study after completing a BCom Law is not only possible, but can take the form of postgraduate studies in many commercial fields (for example Management, Business Administration, Corporate Governance, Leadership, Risk Management, Finance, Investments, Taxation, etc.) or take the form of legal specialisation. Your interest in commerce, business and the law might be a relatively new one today as you choose your first degree: imagine having the choice to pursue the avenue that best suits you once you have experienced the subjects’ content. It’s really all about your individualised learning journey and ensuring that you are afforded the best education possible, as well as the widest range of options for future study or entry into the workplace.
Don’t limit yourself: by choosing the BCom Law you are picking a future of options and dreams. You deserve to have a big vision for yourself, and Boston will partner with you on your journey from day 1.
Chat to a training advisor on 011 551 2000 or visit www.boston.ac.za for more info.