The Final Count Down: SBL International Accreditation Process Reaches Final Stage

Following a rigorous quality improvement process spanning over two years, UNISA's Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) has reached the final stage of the Business Graduates Association (BGA) accreditation process. With the accreditation site visit taking place in a matter of days, the school is ready to welcome the BGA assessment panel.

SBL is an esteemed member institution and BGA accreditation candidate.  BGA describes itself as “an international membership and quality assurance body of world-leading and high-potential Business Schools who share a commitment to responsible management practices and lifelong learning and are looking to provide positive impact on their students, communities, and the economy as a whole.”^[1]

The BGA accreditation process takes business schools through a consultative, developmental process, culminating in full school accreditation. They consider everything that is connected to the business school, beginning with (1) Institution; (2) Faculty; (3) Student; (4) Programme; and (5) Impact. The process involves the evaluation of institutions through a comprehensive Self-Audit Report (SAR), which covers several core criteria:

1. Institution – This includes governance, strategy, mission alignment, and commitment to responsible management and continuous improvement.
2. Faculty – Focuses on qualifications, experience, research outputs, and engagement in continuous professional development.
3. Students – Looks at student support systems, diversity, satisfaction, employability, and alumni engagement.
4. Programmes – Evaluates curriculum design, delivery, innovation, relevance to industry needs, and assurance of learning outcomes.
5. Impact – Assesses the institution’s social, economic, and environmental contributions locally, regionally, and globally.

All of these areas must be critically reviewed and reflected upon in the SAR, with supporting evidence and narrative demonstrating how the institution aligns with BGA’s principles of positive impact, responsible management, and lifelong learning.

The process focuses on measurable impact over a period of time. Business schools wishing to apply for BGA accreditation are required to use the Continuous Impact Model (CIM)[2] to develop a unique range of metrics on which the school can monitor and measure impact and ultimately be evaluated. The six CIM dimensions are (i) Intent, which refers to the school’s mission and objectives, (ii) Graduate achievement, which deals with successes made by graduates due to the school’s educational programmes, (iii) Value creation, which is the measurable value a school is creating for itself and its primary stakeholders, (iv) Scholarship, which is the intellectual knowledge offered by the school, (v) Ecosystem, which refers to the partnerships and collaborations with other institutions and lastly, (vi) Society, which is the contribution offered by the school to support its community. The metrics are used to evaluate a business school’s increasing impact on students, graduates and the communities within which it operates. Having submitted evidence demonstrating how SBL integrates each of the above dimensions into its existence as a business school, along with impact metrics by which each dimension is measured, the school has now reached the ultimate milestone in what has been a highly developmental process.

On the 29^th and 30^th of April 2025, SBL will welcome a four-member assessment team from France, Denmark, the United Kingdom and South Africa. Final preparations for the site visit have reached a frenetic pace, from upgrading campus facilities including the perimeter fence and cafeteria, to implementing communication programmes aimed at socialising various SBL stakeholders on BGA accreditation – nothing has been left to chance! These activities have resulted in increased staff morale and engagement, plus optimism, which is spurred on by the understanding that attainment of BGA accreditation will have long-lasting benefits for SBL as a business school and college, for UNISA as the parent institution, and our student and alumni communities.

[1] About Us – Business Graduates Association (BGA)

[2] https://www.amba-bga.com/bga/accreditation/continuousimpactmodel

Article compiled by Thami Kaunda, SBL Communication Specialist, Professor Kgabo Mokgohloa, Deputy Director: Marketing and Communications and Mr Mluleki Mafuna, Head: Tuition and Learning Support