Bachelor of Commerce Program Offered at Kenyatta University

KU

Kenyatta University (KU)

Kiambu County

Bachelors Degree 4 years Fulltime Fee: on application Intake: Ongoing

Bachelors Degree (Accredited by: Kenyatta University)

About Bachelor of Commerce Bachelors Degree program.

Kenyatta Universty's Bachelor of Commerce degree program has been transforming students into leading players in the Kenyan and global economy for decades.
From the mainstream subjects of accounting, finance and marketing to the specialist industries of human resource, management science, and actuarial science, Kenyatta University business graduates are in in demand and are highly valued by employers.
The academic program provides students with more than a vocational degree with technical business skills, our students develop critical thinking and communication skills and this enables graduates to deal effectively with the continuous change in business environments. 
It is a flexible business degree providing majors in the specific career areas of:

  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Marketing
  • Human Resource Management
  • Management Science
  • Actuarial Science

Objectives of Bachelor of Commerce

The overall objectives of the Bachelor of Commerce undergraduate degree programme at Kenyatta University is to provide the participants with a high-quality and a career-oriented education for a diverse student population.

The course provides the participants with a broad understanding of the complexity and dynamics present in contemporary business and public organizations. It trains the participants to gain the conceptual skills and an analytical approach necessary to tackle the problems facing organizations in today’s environment.

Entry requirements for Bachelor of Commerce

Candidates shall be admitted to the degree of Bachelor of Commerce at Kenyatta University upon satisfying the minimum entrance requirement of the University.
Candidates will be required to have any of the following qualification:

  • Mean grade of KCSE C+ or equivalent with at least C in Mathematics and English
  • Advanced Level certificate with 2 principal passes and a credit pass in Mathematics at ‘O’ Level
  • Degree from a recognized university
  • Diploma in a relevant field from a recognized institution OR CPA/CPS Part II or equivalent with at least Mean grade of C (plain) at KCSE and C (plain) in Mathematics
  • and English.
  • Mean grade of C- at KCSE and progressed from certificate to Diploma at Kenyatta University or any other recognized/accredited Institutions

Bachelor of Commerce Course Subjects

BBA 100: Business Studies    
 Introduction and definition of business, Interaction between business firms and society. Aim, Forms of business ownership: such as sole-proprietorship, partnership, companies, government corporations and cooperatives. Sources of business finance. Stock exchange markets. Social responsibilities of business. Characteristics of foreign companies operating in Kenya. Major management functions, planning organizing, directing, controlling and staffing. Delegation of authority and responsibility, marketing, personnel and production.

BBA 101: Business Law I 
Nature and classification of law: public and private, civil and criminal law, substantive and procedural law. Source of Kenyan Law: constitution, legislation, common law and equity, customary law, Islamic and case law. Bill of rights, Law of contract; nature and classification of contracts, essential elements of a contract, termination and breach of contract Administration of Law: Courts and tribunals, their jurisdiction and functions Law of Torts.

BBA 102: Principles of Management
Background to modern management, Nature, scope and importance of management, Growth and need for principles of management, Evolution of management thought, Organizational environment / context. Management process. Functions of management; Planning, Organizing and staffing, Directing, Co-ordinating, Controlling, Management decisions and techniques, Moral and social responsibility in management, Management in the contemporary world – Case studies.

UCU 104: Introduction to Entrepreneurship 
Entrepreneurship: definitions and nature. Self-employment and the individual; requirements of fitting into self-employment.  Characteristics of successful entrepreneurs:  Identification of business opportunities.  Sources of business ideas; evaluating a business opportunity.  Type of business concerns.  Entrepreneurial motivation – internal and external motivation factors.  Techniques of self-assessment.  Types and sources of business finance: factors to consider in selecting finance sources. Problems in starting and operating a business.  Legal aspects of running a business.  Business formation.  Government policy on small enterprise development.  Importance of business Planning. Entrepreneurs contributions to national development. Simple Cases on Small Businesses.

BBA 200: Organization Behaviour
The individual and small groups in the context of a complex organization, Theories of motivation, leadership. Personality. Perception and attitudes. Organizational determinants of employee behaviour. Stratification and social meaning of work. Decision-making processes. Power Politics and organizational behaviour. Organizational change.

BBA 201: Principles of Marketing 
Introduction to Marketing; Overview, definition, philosophies; Marketing Research and Information systems; Marketing Environment, controllable and uncontrollable variables ; Consumer behaviour; Market segmentation; Product decisions; Pricing decisions; Promotional decisions; Distribution decisions, Extended marketing mix of service marketing; Marketing Planning

300 Series

BBA 300: Organization Theory    
Evolution of modern organizations. Classification of organizations. Characteristics of' organizations. Classical and modern approaches to organizational design. Organizational structures. Impact of technology on the organization. Organizational structure and size. Organizational environment classification and dimensions. Determinants of organizational change. Organizational development and conflict. Management of organizational conflict. 

BBA 301: Human Resource Management I 
Introduction. Historical development of human resource management and its growth. Manpower; planning, job analysis and design techniques, recruitment, and selection. Employee development and performance; career development process, induction, staff assessment, and training, performance appraisal. Personnel administration and policies. Merit rating. Wage incentives and Fringe benefits. Moral and industrial psychology; causes and meaning of fatigue, stress, monotony and time and motion study. Human resource management for small business.

BBA 302: Business Law II 
Law of Persons: legal personalities, Corporations, unincorporated associations. Partnership: nature, formation, types of partners, relations of partners, reconstitution and dissolution of a firm. Sales of goods; distinction between sale and agreement to sell, sale and hire-purchase, sale and bailment, sale and co-ownership, conditions and warranties, transfer of property and title, performance of contract of sale, rights and duties of unpaid seller. Hire Purchase Law, Law of insurance, Negotiable Instruments, Law of Agency: formation, types of agents, relationship of gent and principal, rights duties and obligation of agent and principal.

BBA 303: Marketing Strategy and Plans 
Introduction and overview of marketing strategy and plans; Strategic Analysis; External and Customer Analysis, Competitors Analysis, Market Analysis, Environmental Analysis, Internal Analysis, Sustainable Competitive Advantage, Competitive Strategies; Growth Strategies; marketing mix decisions, Marketing planning, implementation and control.

BBA304: Consumer Behaviour 
Introduction and Overview; Theory and model of consumer behaviour; Consumer buyer behaviours; Organization buyer behaviour; Consumer Environment and it influences; Diffusion of innovation; Consumer Needs and characteristics; Consumer Perceptions; Group influences and opinion leadership; Consumer Attitudes, personality; Learning theories, Application of the learning theories in marketing ; Consumerism.

BBA 305: Marketing of Services 
Introduction to Service marketing; Unique characteristic of service; Consumer behaviour and Ethical considerations; Transactional versus Customer relationship management; The Service marketing mix; Internal marketing; Service offer, strategies and positioning; Managing and controlling a service; Customer Retention Strategies; Organization Transformations; Service accessibility issues

BBA306: International Marketing 
Overview of International marketing.  Environmental influences on international marketing. Planning for international markets.  International marketing mix. International sales management.  Financing international operations.  Import-export business.  Regional economic groupings. 
BBA307: Marketing Research 
Introduction to Marketing research, Definition and scope; Marketing information systems and decision making; The marketing research process; The sources of research data; Measurements techniques in marketing research; Questionnaire design; Sampling; Data analysis; Marketing research reports; Ethical issues in marketing research; 

BBA308: Human Resource Management II  
Role Analysis: Process and methods. Human Resource: Planning, Recruitment selected strategies and evaluation.  Selection tools and procedures.  Termination of employment: methods and policy.  Employment Act.  Human Resource audits. Performance appraisal.  Remuneration packages: development, administration and related legal issues. 

BBA309: Employee Training and Development 
Employee training: history theories, policies. Performance management.  Training strategies. Needs assessment and analysis.  Training programs: design and development.  Psychology of adult learning.  Training resources.  Career development.  The industrial training act. 

BBA310: Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management 
Roles of small businesses. Challenges. interventions to these challenges.  Entrepreneurial: Risk taking, Time management. Networking. Leadership; decision making; coping with competition and change, instituting and adapting to change. Enterprise management: setting and evaluating business goals; Marketing for small businesses, Human resources management, components of a business plan. Operational plans: market analysis. Staffing, advertising, personal selling. Consumer credit. Purchasing, inventory control and production processes. Business growth strategies.


BBA 311:  Business Communication  
Grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, summary writing, writing skills, business correspondence, letters of enquiry, letter of complaints, quotations, orders, letters of applications, accommodation letters, recommendation letters, internal memoranda. Modes of communication, CVs.

BBA 312: Office Management  
The office and office environment, communications, mail handling, filing and indexing, reproduction of documents and processing of information,  purchase and sales of goods, petty cash, applying for a position, interdependence of departments, records management, staff records,  time keeping and recording,  human relations in the office,  meetings and associated documents,  data  presentation,  storage of information, requisition and control of office supplies, Banking, Travel and accommodation arrangement, insurance . 

BBA 313: Management of Cooperatives 
Management principles, functions and practice as applied by cooperatives. The cooperative movement and effects. Modern cooperative principles and concepts.  Importance of cooperation in developing countries. Growth and structure of cooperative in Kenya since Independence.  Comparison of cooperatives with other forms of business organizations. Roles of cooperatives in national development Cooperative education in Kenya. Future of cooperative movement in Kenya. 

BBA 314: Public Relations
Definitions of Public Relations (PR), The development of PR, the history of PR in developing and developed countries, functions and tasks of PR, PR both in house, Consultancy in Commercial and public sector, the role of the PR practitioners Ethics of Public relations, public relations publics Role of public Relations in an organization.  Public relations and the press, public relations events, PR planning and crisis management. Organization of a public relations department, types of public relations

BBA 320: Recruiting and Staffing
Contextual issues of legal and social environment and labour markets.  Recruitment; from the perspective of both organization and individual; recruitment strategies; selection techniques including interviews; aptitude testing, work samples; technical issues including validity, reliability, and utility analysis.

BBA 322: Work and Reward
Rewards compensation and organizational planning.  Job analysis, compensable factors, job descriptions, job evaluation, position classification and grading, compensation survey, pay structure.  Influences and regulations:  government regulations, union influence, employee benefits, compensation policy, communicating compensation decisions.  Pay structures, individual payment system, group incentive schemes, factory-wide incentive schemes, profit-sharing schemes, selecting a payment  system, payment system checklists.  Salary administration; structures, progression, employee benefits, taxation, total remuneration, administration
    
400 Series

BBA 400: Business Policy and Decisions 
Basic Concepts of Business; goals, objectives, policies, rules, procedures, budgets, tactics. Strategies:  Components of strategy, levels of a strategy.  Strategists:  Corporate and Business functions. Strategy formulation: Functional strategies and policies. Strategy implementation: Strategy evaluation, consistency and feasibility.  Choice of strategy; Environmental scanning techniques. Strategy & social responsibility. 


BBA 401. Company Law 
Nature, Classification and types of company, Formation of Accompany, Membership of a company, Floatation of Shares,  Meetings and resolutions, Directors, Auditors and Company Secretary; (appointment, functions, powers, duties, rights and obligations), Prevention of operations and mismanagement, Reconstitution and Amalgamation, Winding –up. Co-operative law. 

BBA 402:  Management of International Business and Organizations 
Nature of international business and organizations.  The international business environment.  Alternative foreign involvement strategies. International competition. Relations between multinational firms and host nations.  Organizational structures of international Business and institutions.  International transfer of technology.  Position of developing countries in international trade. New International Economic order.  Effects of internet and the E – Commerce.

BBA 403: Sales Management 
Personal selling and salesmanship. Personal selling and strategies. Organizing sales force. Sales force management. Sales force recruitment and training. Motivating sales personnel. Compensating the sales effort. Sales budget. Quotas, sales territories- sales control and cost analysis.

BBA 404: Innovation and New Product Management 
Understanding innovation; nature, value; encouraging innovation, sources of innovation, Barriers to innovation, Knowledge management; Organization learning, New Product Process and Strategy. Concepts Generation. Attribute Analysis. Concept Evaluation, Commercialization. Public Policy on New Products. Environmental Considerations. New Products Marketing Strategies


BBA 405: Advertising Management 
Introduction to Advertising; History, definition, scope: Advertising perspectives, objectives, Evaluation of the advertising effectiveness; psychology of advertising and theories; Crafting marketing and advertising strategies; Creating advertisement and commercials; Advertising Agencies; The Media Types; Corporate advertising and public relations; Media planning and selection; International advertising; Ethical and Regulatory issues in advertising. Advertising budget. 

BBA 406: Industrial and Labour Relations  
Industrial and Labour relations. The causes and maintenance of industrial harmony. The role of government. Unions and employers in maintaining industrial peace. Collective bargaining. Nature and process of negotiations. Joint consultations. Disciplinary procedures. Handling disputes and grievances. 'the foundation of labour law: individual employment law. Collective labour law, the law of industrial conflict and trade unions. Industrial Courts. Workers' participation in industrial democracy. 

BBA 407:  Retail Marketing Management 
Marketing Concept, Role of retailing in a Marketing system, types and classifications of retail Enterprise, enrolment of selling, understanding the customer, the use of research in selling, managing Human resources in retailing, directing Retail Employees, retail retailing, planning the merchandise mix, merchandise management and center, pricing the merchandise, retail promotion, Advertising for retailers, retail displays, personal selling.

BBA 408: Employee Counseling and Crisis Management
Counseling Principles and Assumptions; Ingredients of Counseling-Client Relationships; Theories of Individual and family psychotherapy; Modern Counseling delivery system; substance abuse Counseling and rehabilitation; Counseling against dreaded issues; coping, with HIV/AIDS; Heart Disease; Stress; Functional and Dysfunctional coping. Executive stress management.  Approaches to intervening between opposing parties; Counseling technology. 

BBA409:  Industrial Marketing 
Nature and scope of industrial goods. Industrial and consumer marketing. Industrial buying and purchasing motives. Industrial buying behavior, models and strategies. Industrial marketing system. Distinctive aspects of services marketing. Understanding service marketing and positioning. Industrial marketing mix. Segmentation of industrial markets.  Product and strategy and new product development. Industrial market creation and development. Industrial market research. Industrial market planning and management of sales force

BBA 410:  Total Quality Management 
Total quality management (TQM); definition, nature and scope. TQM and quality circles. Customer satisfaction and productivity management. Importance of TQM process. Organizing for quality in organizations. TQM implementation strategy.  Teams Roles in solving TQM problems. QI teams in TQM.  Quality planning in organizations; criteria and process. TQM transformation and critical success factors. Quality kick off.  Companywide TQM. Rewarding employees and building spirit.  TQM in practice: case studies; TQM potential in developing countries.  TQM and Technology

BBA 411: Agricultural Marketing
Agricultural marketing problem; identification scope, and definition. Categories. of agricultural market problems. Marketing organization and integration, supply chain management, Agriculture marketing structures, Demand and supply applied to agricultural marketing. Agricultural market developments. Agriculture marketing institutions, efficiency. Marketing for agricultural commodities and inputs in Kenya. Agricultural marketing research. National food policies. 

BBA 412: Applied Marketing Research
Attitude measurement. Segmentation research, Product research. Advertising research. Market and sales analysis. Methods of measuring market potential. Sales forecasting. Distribution and cost analysis. Data analysis: uni-variate analysis, bi-variate analysis, and multivariate analysis. Forecasting procedures and research approaches.
BBA 413:  Selected Topics in Business Strategies
Effects of concepts on business practice.  Organizational culture; social responsibility and social responsibility continuum.  Social responsibility of business in a developing country context.  Ethical considerations in business decisions.  Techniques of environmental management multinational corporations and their effects on world as well as host country Economies.  Popular contemporary strategies. 


BBA 420:  Contemporary Issues in HRM
Students need to be familiar with the contemporary issues and the current theoretical and practical development in HRM.  The main objective of this unit is to identify, analyse and report on contemporary issues in HRM.  To research information relevant to identified topics.  Content may vary according to which issues are current or predictably important I the future.  Special expertise of staff, visiting scholars or distinguished HRM professional may be utilised.

BBA 413:  Selected Topics in Business Strategies
Effects of concepts on business practice.  Organizational culture; social responsibility and social responsibility continuum.  Social responsibility of business in a developing country context.  Ethical considerations in business decisions.  Techniques of environmental management multinational corporations and their effects on world as well as host country Economies.  Popular contemporary strategies. 


BBA 414: Management of Public Enterprises 
The practice of management in the public enterprises. Legal apparatus that govern the formation and operations of public enterprises. Ownership, sources of capital and the usefulness of public enterprises.  Types of public enterprises: as monopolies, development boards, marketing boards, financial parastatals, and regulatory parastatals: management problems associated with public enterprises.

 
BBA 421: Occupational Health & Safety Management
The working environment and its physical and psychological impact on staff;  Occupational health and safety issues and their management; ergonomics, human and physical aspects of  job design; competencies in conducting safety programs and management of the occupational health and safety 

BBA 415: Commercial Law 
Law of Property; real, personal, movable, immovable, intellectual property, trademarks, copyrights and patents, freehold and leasehold interests, easements and profits, mortgages and charges, registration of interest in land. Law of succession, Commercial Securities: bailment, pledges, guarantees and indemnities. Commercial Arbitration, Carriage of Goods, Bankruptcy.

BBA 422:  Industrial Psychology 
Industrial psychology; The individual and the Organization; Organization socialization; Learning and problem-solving; Personal growth and career development; Measurement of human abilities; groups; problem; managing conflict; working relationships; interpersonal communication, interpersonal perception; supervision and employee development; leadership and organizational climate; motivation and the design of work; organization design, organizational analysis; selection and placement.

BBA 423: Sociology of Work, Management and Employment
Economic organization and employment; Economic restructuring; The labour process and development of the management function; Managerial strategies and employment relations; New technology and the deskilling debate; The quality of working life and new forms of participation, flexible specialization; ownership and control of corporations; managers as the service class; Bureaucracy and organizational theory; Japanese corporations; cooperatives and self-management; Women at work.
 

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