Introduction to the Economic and Management Environment

INMALL-N/301/3/2004 FACULTY OF ECONOMIC AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES Introduction to the Economic and Management environment Module 1 (INM101-3) and Module 2 (INM102-4) ? ? ? ? ( INMALL-N: TUTORIAL LETTER 301/2004 GENERAL INFORMATION 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INMALL-N/301 PAGE 1. Student number 3 2. Tutorial material 3 3. Inventory letter 4 4. Tutorial letters 4 5. Queries and problems – what do I do? 4 6. Examination: 5 6. 1 Examination admission 5 6. 2 Examination date and centre 5 6. 3 Examination paper 5 7. Why assignments? 8. Assignment system 6 8. 1 The support/enrichment stream 6 8. 1. 1 Information: Self evaluation assignments 7 8. 2 The ordinary stream 7 8. 2. 1 Information: Multiple choice assignments 8 3 INMALL-N/301 Dear Student A big welcome to the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences! You have registered for a unique course which gives you the opportunity to become acquainted with all the disciplines offered by the Faculty and combinations of them before deciding wha t direction you wish to follow in your studies.Five departments in the Faculty, namely Business Management, Industrial Psychology, Economics, Quantitative Management and Accounting, have joined forces to give you an idea of each one's field of study and to show you how the disciplines can complement one another in a management setup. So in one course you are exposed to various management aids which are used by the professions (eg accountants) as well as business enterprises. Most Unisa students start their university studies a relatively long time after leaving school. Along the way they often forget how to study.Studying in the right way is not something we do automatically – and so we considered it very important to include a section on study management (see Topic 1, in the study guide of INM101-3). This topic is presented by the Student Services Bureau. Besides an academic introduction to the core courses, we also concentrate on career management since you are embarking on the present study with a view to your future career. Topic 2 in the study guide of INM101-3 (Career Management) gives you an overview of the various phases in the process which culminates in making sensible career, course and subject choices.Career Management is therefore relevant for anyone beginning their studies in the Faculty, whether or not you have decided on a career. It is, however, more useful for those of you who are uncertain about your choice of career and we strongly recommend that you work through the study guide of INM101-3 very carefully. This tutorial letter is very important because it contains important general information. Please keep it in a safe place. We hope that you will find this course most useful! 1. Student number Every Unisa student receives a unique student number the first time he or she registers.You should have this student number with you AT ALL TIMES and should always mention it in any communication with the University. 2. Tutorial material The t utorial material for this course consists of: † The study guides Module 1(INM101-3): One Study Guide Module 2(INM102-4): One Study Guide † Tutorial Letter 301 – General information † Tutorial Letter 101 for INM101-3 – Assignment questions Tutorial Letter 101 for INM102-4 – Assignment questions † Tutorial letters which will be sent to you during the course of your studies with feedback on the assignments and other important information. INMALL-N/301 3. Inventory letter On registration you will have received, together with the available tutorial material, an inventory letter for the current academic year. This inventory letter lists only those items that are available on the day you register from the Despatch Department in Pretoria or the University's regional offices. Those of you who registered at a regional office will receive the rest of your tutorial material by registered post from Pretoria as it becomes available. Please check the tu torial material that you have received against the inventory letter.Unless the letter indicates otherwise (eg â€Å"out of stock†), you should have received all the items listed. If some of the items are missing, please immediately follow the instructions on the reverse side of the inventory letter. Please note! Use only the telephone number that appears on the inventory letter when you phone the Despatch Department to inquire about tutorial matter that you do not have. 4. Tutorial letters Tutorial letters are Unisa's principal means of communication and teaching. Please read ALL tutorial letters.The brochure Unisa: services and procedures explains the numbering of the different types of tutorial letters. 5. Queries and problems – what do I do? ; – Problem ( – Solution a. Course related queries about the contents of the study material / assignments Lecturers: Mrs Ria van Helden F(012) 429-8643 Mrs Jacoleen Vogel F(012) 429-8513 Mrs Suzette Ragadu F(012) 4 29-8609 Mr Adolph Rasengane F(012) 429-8650 b. Any other queries about the assignments Secretaries: Mrs Tersea Dalporto Mrs Helene Louw All other administrative queries e. g: Change of address nd/or exam centre Marks and credits for assignments etc. Write to: The Registrar (Academic) UNISA P O Box 392 Pretoria 0003 c. F (012) 429-4114 F(012) 429-8635 F(012) 429-8750 5 INMALL-N/301 Please remember! You may include more than one letter in an envelope, but please do not address the lecturers responsible for the course, another department, the Library and/or an administrative department all in the same letter! This will only cause delays. Write a separate letter to each and mark each clearly for the attention of the department in question.Do not include correspondence in an assignment envelope, and please never write to Unisa without clearly indicating your student number, subject and paper code at the top of your letter. WE ASSUME THAT YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE FOLLOWING BROCHURES: (1) CALENDAR PART 2 and 3, 2004: GENERAL INFORMATION GENERAL REGULATIONS (2) UNISA: SERVICE AND PROCEDURES 2004 6. Examination 6. 1 † 6. 2 † 6. 3 Examination admission Due to the implementation of the new modular system, all students registered for modular courses will be granted automatic admission to the examinations in 2004.Examination date and examination centre Please see the Undergraduate Information Brochure of 2004 Examination paper In the examination you can expect questions similar to those set in the multiple choice assignments. The examination paper will consist ONLY of multiple choice questions. 7. Why assignments? ; We realise that it is difficult to have to rely entirely on distance education. You do not always have a lecturer right there to explain the learning material to you. You have to depend on yourself and need considerable self discipline.The way to an academic qualification is narrow and steep – Unisa's motto is not â€Å"Hope through hard wo rk† for nothing. There are, however, also advantages to studying in this way. You can earn while you study, and you can study at your own pace. And although we might be far from you, we are always available to give you guidance and support. Always bear this in mind. We know from experience and research that assignments are one of the most effective ways in which we can offer guidance and support to make you part of a meaningful learning experience.Although you do not have to submit assignments in order to earn credits for examination entry, we recommend that you do all the assignments. It will help you to work in a structured way throughout the academic semester and to achieve success. We should like to explain why assignments are so useful in the hope that it will inspire you to approach yours with enthusiasm. 6 INMALL-N/301 † They provide a study programme which, if you follow it carefully, will help you to work through all the tutorial material and still have enough t ime to revise for the examination. They are a reasonable periodic check of your knowledge. † Assignments help you to prepare for the examination. The examination paper will consist of similar questions to those in the multiple choice assignments. For this reason it is also a good idea for you to practice answering multiple choice questions on a mark reading sheet. † You have to obtain 50% in the examination to pass regardless of the marks you earned for your assignments. † Assignments are a good means of teaching. It is therefore to your advantage to do assignments.You not only acquire knowledge in the process but also learn from the feedback we give you on your assignments. ( Try to keep to your study programme – it will definitely be to your advantage! Academic ethics require that students submit their own original work. You are only cheating yourself if you copy other students' work or do an assignment haphazardly. 8. Assignment system In order to help yo u with the submission of assignments, we have designed a system that makes provision for two assignments in each module. One assignment is in the ordinary stream and the other one is in the support/enrichment stream.Each assignment has a due date. The due date is the date on which the assignment must be at Unisa and not the date on which you post it. Be sure to plan for possible delays in the post! 8. 1 The support/enrichment stream – Assignment 1 of INM101-3 and INM102-4 The assignment in this stream is made up of paragraph and essay type of questions and must be answered on the assignment writing pad. This stream has a double purpose. † Firstly it is exactly what the name indicates – an opportunity for enrichment. Here you have a chance to improve your reading and writing skills.As you will see in Topic 3 (Communication) in the only study guide for INM102-4, reading and writing skills are very important tools for anyone and not something one learns automaticall y – you have to acquire them. This enrichment stream serves to prepare you for the essay type assignments you can expect in later years of study. The assignment in this stream is an opportunity for enrichment. † Secondly, this assignment has been designed to develop your ability to evaluate your own work. This ability is a very important component of independent study. Although we shall not be marking this assignment, we shall read it.You should therefore make a copy of your assignment before posting it to Unisa. You will receive guidelines for this assignment (after the due date) to help you evaluate it yourself. 7 8. 1. 1 INMALL-N/301 Information: Self evaluation assignment This is assignment 1 of INM101-3 and INM102-4 in the support/enrichment stream. This assignment does not have an unique number for the computer. Very important! We shall not return the self evaluation assignment to you. Please make a copy of your assignment before posting it so that you can evaluat e it yourself using the guidelines for the solutions.Remember! † † † † † † † † † † † † Work carefully through the relevant tutorial material before tackling an assignment. Read the question carefully and underline the key words – this will help you with the interpretation. Think about the question! Plan your answer before beginning to write. To sketch a framework for your answer, you need to use headings and subheadings. Set out your opinions clearly. Write legibly and use full sentences. There is no excuse for an untidy and illegible assignment. Fill in your student number correctly on the assignment cover.Fill in the assignment number correctly on the assignment cover. You will receive a set of guidelines and solutions for all the assignments. You get no marks for assignments which you submit. Because the support stream option is so lenient, we will not grant extensions for assignments. 8. 2 The ordinar y stream – Assignment 2 of INM101-3 & INM102-4 The assignment in this stream is made up solely of multiple choice questions and must be answered on a mark reading sheet. Mark reading sheets are read into the computer immediately when they are received at Unisa and are marked by the computer on the due date.Unisa does not work according to a system of semester marks, and marks for assignments are not taken into account when the final examination marks are calculated. The percentages obtained for assignments indicate to you how well you have mastered the work. After the due date for each assignment all registered students will receive the solutions, or guidelines for solutions to, or a discussion of the assignment received. 8. 2. 1 Information: Multiple choice assignment This is assignment 2 of INM101-3 and INM102-4 in the ordinary stream. This assignment has an unique number for the computer.Very important! † † Work carefully through the relevant tutorial material before you tackle the assignment. Work out your answers on a separate piece of paper before you complete the mark reading sheet. 8 INMALL-N/301 Instructions on how to use mark reading sheets to answer multiple choice questions are contained in the 2004 â€Å"Unisa: Services and procedures†. Read these instructions CAREFULLY and follow them EXACTLY to avoid making mistakes. Remember! † † † † † † † † There is only one correct answer to each question. Only mark reading sheets may be used. Colour in the correct block with an HB pencil.Fill in your student number correctly. Fill in the assignment number correctly. Fill in the unique assignment number correctly. Every assignment which is marked by the computer is given a unique number. The number contains information on the course code and assignment number. When the computer reads the mark reading sheet with, say, the unique number 198415, it â€Å"knows† that it is Assignment 02 for INM101-3 in the first semester. Send only your mark reading sheet to the Assignment Division in the appropriate envelope. You do not have to complete an assignment cover.Make sure that you have enough mark reading sheets. Do not: † † † † † † † † Do not Do not Do not Do not Do not Do not Do not Do not make more than one mark per question tear or fold the mark reading sheet staple the mark reading sheet to another piece of paper colour outside the block colour in the blocks with a pen make corrections with Tipp-Ex submit answers on a written sheet of paper try to repair a torn mark reading sheet with sticky tape – use another one The assignment questions and due dates will be included in Tutorial letter 101 Good luck with your studies! Your INM101-3 / INM102-4 lecturers