The business management training needs of South African Biokineticists to ensure business sustainability

Abstract

Background: Business management training is essential for success in the modern era. Health and medical professionals are exposed to knowledge that  allows them to treat pathologies. However, their training does not prepare them to manage their practices as businesses and in a sustainable,  effective, and efficient manner.

Objectives: To investigate the business management training needs of registered South African Biokineticists.

Methods: A quantitative and descriptive research design was used. Sixty-nine registered Biokineticists answered the emailed survey. The survey was sent  out on two separate days, two weeks apart. Participants could only answer the survey once. The survey was sent out by the Biokinetics Association of  South Africa (BASA). The sample in this study consisted of both male and female participants who graduated between the years of 1985-2019. The survey  consisted of demographic questions about their study methods. It also included a 5-point Likert Scale where a score of 1 indicated an exceptionally low  need and a score of 5 indicated a very high need for corresponding business processes. The business processes included accounting, business  sustainability, corporate social responsibility, ethics, financial management, human resource management, leadership and managerial decision-making,  marketing, operational management, and strategic management. A final open-ended question on what other business management training the  participant needed was asked at the end of the survey.

Results: Combined high to very high needs (X≥4 on the Likert Scale) for the business management processes explored were: accounting: 28%, business  sustainability: 33%, corporate social responsibility: 23%, ethics: 55%, financial management: 35%, human resource management: 29%, leadership and  managerial decision-making: 43%, marketing: 41%, operational management: 39%, and strategic management: 33%. Seventy-one percent of the  participants who took part in the study suggested that they needed other business management training needs, providing suggestions in the final  question. Of the 71% of participants who answered this question, the most important requests identified included information technology (17%),  taxrelated management and knowledge (19%) and medical aid training for ICD-10 coding (13%). The other 51% of the participants that answered the final  question provided suggestions that could be categorised into the areas of business already reported on in the Likert Scale. Sixty-nine out of a  possible ±1600 registered Biokineticists who were BASA members completed the survey. This represents a response rate of about 4%.

Conclusion: Business management training needs exist for South African Biokineticists. By addressing these needs, it may lead to improvements in  overall patient care, practice management and small business growth which in return can lead to the socioeconomic stimulation of the country.