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<strong>WBS</strong><strong>News</strong><br />
SCULPTING GLOBAL LEADERS<br />
<strong>WBS</strong> among world’s top schools<br />
<strong>WBS</strong> is proud of being awarded a position<br />
in the Financial Times annual Executive<br />
Education 2012 rankings.<br />
The business school was placed 55th<br />
in the world’s top 65 business schools for<br />
executive education. The school moved<br />
up one position from 2011 in the open<br />
programme provider section.<br />
“We are honoured to be placed among<br />
the top business schools in the world. We<br />
will continue to work hard to be leaders<br />
in the business education industry,”<br />
says director and head of <strong>Wits</strong> <strong>Business</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong>, Professor Wendy Ngoma.<br />
<strong>WBS</strong> is one of only four schools in<br />
Africa, and three in South Africa, to make<br />
the list.<br />
Our school did particularly well in<br />
terms of partner schools (33rd), women<br />
participants (34th), international location<br />
(35th), repeat business and growth (39th)<br />
and faculty diversity (43rd).<br />
The top schools are given rankings<br />
according to questionnaires and statistical<br />
data that go to businesses and schools.<br />
Participating schools must meet strict<br />
criteria to participate. They must be<br />
internationally accredited and have earned<br />
a specified minimum revenue in 2011 for<br />
their open programmes. For schools to<br />
be eligible, a 20% rate of response to the<br />
FT questionnaire is required among the<br />
<strong>WBS</strong> on a roll with research<br />
<strong>WBS</strong> academic staff members have stepped up their research<br />
productivity recently.<br />
In 2011, they contributed to 45 peer-reviewed academic journal<br />
articles, 10 books, 16 book chapters and 21 conference papers.<br />
By May this year, staff had contributed to nearly 40 journal articles,<br />
six book chapters, six conference papers and five books. This is<br />
just a fraction of what is in store this year.<br />
Head of school Professor Wendy Ngoma congratulates the<br />
academics on “excellent research productivity”.<br />
Ngoma is impressed with the wide range of themes addressed<br />
in the research, which she says underlines the quality of <strong>WBS</strong><br />
academic staff.<br />
“Research from educational institutions confirms that some of<br />
the key factors in successful schools is the quality of lecturers,<br />
quality of teaching, qualifications and the type and nature of<br />
research conducted,” she says.<br />
participants.<br />
The open-enrolment ranking of 65<br />
schools is compiled using data from<br />
participating schools and individuals who<br />
completed the programmes.<br />
<strong>School</strong>s submit one or two general<br />
management programmes of at least<br />
three days duration, and one or two<br />
advanced management programmes of<br />
at least five days.<br />
Individuals who took part in these<br />
nominated programmes in 2011 are<br />
invited to answer the FT survey.<br />
Some 6 300 participants responded,<br />
rating selected elements of their<br />
programme on a 10-point scale. ■<br />
Professor Greg Lee says staff “research has recently been<br />
central in elevating <strong>WBS</strong> in the eyes of both main campus and<br />
external bodies, such as accreditation boards”. He says <strong>WBS</strong>’s<br />
research office strives to keep research at centre stage.<br />
<strong>WBS</strong> Professor Russell Abratt received a B rating from the<br />
National Research Foundation and published in the California<br />
Management Review, which is ranked in the Financial Times as<br />
one of the top 40 journals in the world.<br />
Twenty <strong>WBS</strong> PhD students have gone through the panel of<br />
academics representing <strong>WBS</strong> and the faculty’s graduate studies<br />
committee in the past year and are busy with research. Another<br />
30 commenced their studies this year.<br />
In the 2012 list of research accomplishments so far, Professor<br />
Stuart Woolman has authored or co-authored three books. He<br />
also worked on five book chapters. Professor Boris Urban holds<br />
this year’s record – he has been published in 10 publications. ■<br />
Let us know about any news relating to <strong>WBS</strong>, its staff and alumni, or if there is an event you want alumni or staff to attend. Contact Rutendo<br />
Nxumalo at <strong>WBS</strong> Marketing on 011 717 3615 or e-mail Rutendo.Nxumalo@wits.ac.za.
PAGE 2<br />
<strong>Business</strong> education for underprivileged<br />
<strong>Wits</strong> <strong>Business</strong> Clinic delegates<br />
<strong>WBS</strong> is committed to growing business<br />
leaders in this country – and these leaders<br />
should not just come from the ranks of<br />
those who can afford to go to university.<br />
This was the thinking behind the <strong>Wits</strong><br />
<strong>Business</strong> Clinic, which took place on 21<br />
April.<br />
At the clinic, <strong>WBS</strong> academic staff shared<br />
their experience and expertise pro bono<br />
with people who are unemployed or who<br />
run small businesses. <strong>WBS</strong> lecturers Mark<br />
Peters, Theo Sibiya, Antony Soicher, David<br />
Zidel, Mike Mcethe, Charisse Drobis,<br />
Conrad Viedge and Prudence Ndlovu gave<br />
lectures on topics ranging from making a<br />
business plan and presenting yourself to a<br />
potential employer, to labour law.<br />
“We don’t want students to leave business school thinking Africa<br />
extends only as far as Zoo Lake.”<br />
So said <strong>WBS</strong> Head of <strong>School</strong> Professor Wendy Ngoma when<br />
she welcomed students and General Electric (GE) representatives<br />
to the launch of the company’s partnership with <strong>WBS</strong> recently. She<br />
said a global outlook for students and all the opportunities that<br />
affiliation with such a multinational bring made this partnership<br />
very exciting for <strong>WBS</strong>.<br />
The collaboration aims to promote internship programmes for<br />
students and experienced <strong>WBS</strong> alumni. It was conceived late last<br />
year and is particularly important given that <strong>WBS</strong>, while it has<br />
exchange programmes and sends students to study overseas,<br />
has not developed strong links with global companies at the level<br />
of recruitment, according to Ngoma.<br />
GE general manager of industrial solutions, Ross Boyd,<br />
Drobis, who gave a talk on personal<br />
branding, says the experience was very<br />
rewarding because the attendees were so<br />
enthusiastic about learning. The attitude<br />
they displayed at the talk showed they<br />
have what it takes to market themselves<br />
successfully, she says. “The session was<br />
highly interactive, with the group sharing<br />
some very interesting questions and<br />
insights,” she adds.<br />
Dorothy Rampete of the Mogale<br />
Women’s Networking Forum attended the<br />
clinic. She says the reaction from the other<br />
attendees was very positive. She suggests<br />
the clinic in future take place over two<br />
days, so more time can be allocated to<br />
each topic and there is more scope for<br />
Issue 2 2012 • WITS <strong>Business</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
interaction with the lecturers. Rampete<br />
adds that the workshops should be held in<br />
townships, “because that’s where you can<br />
find emerging entrepreneurs or SMMES<br />
[small, medium and micro enterprises].”<br />
Cleopatra Simelane, who runs an<br />
edutainment magazine called Recess<br />
for high school students, says she found<br />
the workshop very helpful. “Running<br />
the magazine has been challenging for<br />
me, especially when it comes to selling<br />
advertising space,” she says. “The <strong>Wits</strong><br />
<strong>Business</strong> Clinic forced me to examine<br />
my personal and business strengths and<br />
weaknesses.” She says she gained practical<br />
skills, including goal-setting, decisionmaking<br />
and recognising opportunities. ■<br />
New <strong>WBS</strong> partnership with General Electric<br />
outlined the possibilities for graduates in the multinational. He<br />
said GE was keen to form strategic partnerships with schools like<br />
<strong>WBS</strong> to bring fresh talent into the organisation. These include a<br />
12-month internship programme for graduates, as well as one<br />
for those who already have experience in business. The latter is<br />
called the Experienced Commercial Leader programme.<br />
Boyd emphasised GE’s philosophy of ‘we all rise’, saying the<br />
company believed good leaders empower those around them.<br />
He added that a pillar of this philosophy was learning by doing,<br />
so all employees are given the opportunity to move around within<br />
the company, experiencing vastly different projects and roles. And<br />
with almost 300 000 employees in over 100 countries, including<br />
a deep footprint in Africa; a range of interests, from energy to<br />
aviation to medical supplies; and training camps in five countries,<br />
there is a lot of scope for movement. ■<br />
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PAGE 3<br />
WIZZIT’s Charles<br />
Rowlinson ‘banking<br />
the unbanked’ <strong>WBS</strong> recently hosted one of Europe’s most respected business<br />
coaches, Professor David Clutterbuck. At his workshop, he<br />
addressed an audience of 80 coaches – predominantly students<br />
from the Master of Management in <strong>Business</strong> Executive Coaching<br />
(MMBEC) programme and their coaching supervisors; <strong>Wits</strong><br />
University internal coaches and <strong>WBS</strong> MBA alumni who coach<br />
MBA students.<br />
Clutterbuck runs a mentoring and coaching business in the<br />
United Kingdom, and is visiting lecturer on his subject at both<br />
Oxford Brookes University and Sheffield Hallam University.<br />
He is the European Mentoring and Coaching Council’s special<br />
ambassador and, in 2011, was voted Coaching at Work<br />
magazine’s Mentor of the Year.<br />
He has written more than 50 books on advanced coaching<br />
methods, mentoring and management, and his visit was a coup<br />
for <strong>WBS</strong>. This was Clutterbuck’s first visit to the business school,<br />
although he has worked with <strong>Wits</strong> mentors in the past.<br />
“My role is to ask BDQs (‘Bloody Difficult Questions’) as a<br />
mentor or coach; as a researcher; as a facilitator of good practice<br />
in boardrooms; and as the practice leader in an international<br />
Charles Rowlinson<br />
Eight hundred million people in Africa have no access to bank<br />
accounts, but 70% of them own cellphones. Accordingly, <strong>WBS</strong><br />
alumnus Charles Rowlinson saw the opportunity to “bank the<br />
unbanked and the under-banked” and started WIZZIT in 2002.<br />
Rowlinson, the latest speaker at the Entrepreneurial Heroes<br />
Series hosted by the Centre for Entrepreneurship at <strong>WBS</strong>,<br />
regaled a packed lecture hall with his success story.<br />
WIZZIT offers a low-cost, transactional bank account that uses<br />
cellphones for making person-to-person payments, transfers and<br />
prepaid purchases. Customers also get a Maestro debit card for<br />
making payments in the formal retail environment.<br />
But the path to becoming an social entrepreneur who makes<br />
an impact, as Rowlinson would like to be seen, has been, in his<br />
words, “long, frustrating, arduous and risky.”<br />
The regulatory environment, high barriers to entry, lack of<br />
financial support from banking institutions, poor education and<br />
lack of innovation and entrepreneurial support structures are just<br />
some of the issues that Rowlinson has contended with.<br />
But his unyielding vision to “invent new approaches and create<br />
solutions to change society for the better” has seen him soldier<br />
on. These are some of the tips he offered:<br />
• risk much for what you believe in;<br />
• when you consider an entrepreneurial path, it should be<br />
focused on creating employment for others;<br />
• be self-motivated and accept failure;<br />
• be willing to take personal financial risk;<br />
• have a vision that is simple, stretching and relevant – although<br />
when John F Kennedy said he would put a man on the moon,<br />
many would beg to differ that this was a simple vision. But<br />
it was achieved. The gist is you can make your dreams a<br />
reality;<br />
• create a product and service that fulfils an intrinsic need;<br />
• undertake research; and<br />
• devise your product’s unique selling point.<br />
The final tip Rowlinson gave was to “be a salesperson”. An<br />
entrepreneur has to sell their product to the bank, to employees<br />
and to shareholders.<br />
“Selling requires passion, confidence and commitment because<br />
it can get extremely rough and uncertain in the marketplace,” he<br />
said.<br />
He left the audience with a powerful thought: “The best way to<br />
predict the future is to create it.” ■<br />
Coaching giant gives<br />
workshop at <strong>WBS</strong><br />
consultancy. Clutterbuck Associates (the consultancy)<br />
specialises in supporting organisations in developing mentoring<br />
and coaching programmes, and in establishing sustainable<br />
mentoring and coaching cultures,” he says. “Everything I do<br />
revolves around helping people and organisations harness the<br />
power of dialogue.”<br />
In his interactive workshop, he gave an overview of business<br />
coaching approaches and discussed emerging trends. MMBEC<br />
programme director, Dr Hilary Geber, says what stood out for<br />
her in the talk was Clutterbuck’s discussion of the evolution<br />
of coaching competencies. She explains that Clutterbuck<br />
maintained that experienced and effective business coaches<br />
are more likely to listen to their clients and less likely to adhere<br />
strictly to coaching models. He also said that process- and<br />
philosophy-based coaching are emerging as trends and the most<br />
outstanding coaches are eclectic, systemic and enable change<br />
in their clients.<br />
According to Clutterbuck, emerging themes in coaching include<br />
an awareness of the organisational context of coaching and the<br />
different kinds of dialogue in coaching conversations.<br />
Many in the audience were intrigued by Clutterbuck’s model of<br />
coaching, and by the difference between American and European<br />
definitions of traditional and developmental coaching. ■<br />
Professor David Clutterbuck<br />
Issue 2 2012 • WITS <strong>Business</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
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PAGE 4<br />
Professor Kalu Ojah addresses international<br />
Professor Kalu Ojah, director of Master of<br />
Management in Finance and Investment at <strong>WBS</strong><br />
Applications for the 2013 MBA and all masters in management<br />
programmes are now open. The deadline for MBA programme<br />
applications is 31 August, and 28 September for the others. Get<br />
your applications in fast to ensure your place.<br />
Professor Stu Woolman, Chair of Ethics, Governance and<br />
Sustainable Development, has published in and edited a number<br />
of publications, including Is This Seat Taken?: Conversations<br />
at the Bar, the Bench and the Academy about South Africa’s<br />
Constitution and the much-cited and respected Constitutional<br />
Law of South Africa. Woolman is offering copies of these<br />
and other important recent publications on constitutional law.<br />
Contact him on Stu.Woolman@wits.ac.za.<br />
<strong>WBS</strong> congratulates NMP programme manager Jackie Mthembu,<br />
who has become a grandmother! Baby Oarabile weighed 3.8<br />
kg at birth, and mom and baby are both doing well.<br />
The ’Discovery Ltd: Entrepreneurship in its DNA’ case study and<br />
teaching notes, written by <strong>WBS</strong> staff members Professor Boris<br />
Urban and Claire Beswick, was accepted for publication by the<br />
Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies Journal. Beswick is<br />
head of the <strong>WBS</strong> Case Centre and Urban is full professor of<br />
Entrepreneurship and the incumbent Chair in Entrepreneurship<br />
(Lamberti Foundation).<br />
Professor Kalu Ojah, programme director<br />
of Master of Management in Finance<br />
and Investment at <strong>WBS</strong>, recently gave<br />
the keynote address at the ninth African<br />
Finance Journal Conference. The conference<br />
was held in Nairobi, Kenya, on<br />
19 and 20 April. Its aim was to begin to<br />
develop platforms to support research in<br />
African finance and investment, so that<br />
Africa can overcome the effects of the<br />
global financial crisis and emerge on a<br />
level with the rest of the world.<br />
Ojah’s address centred on examining<br />
the effects of institutional and nontraditional<br />
sources of debt funding for<br />
firms in African countries, and how the<br />
architecture of financial markets can<br />
make this source of funds efficient. Africa<br />
needs an institutional environment that<br />
allows countries to develop effective bond<br />
markets and in which banks can lend.<br />
NEWS ON CAMPUS<br />
Issue 2 2012 • WITS <strong>Business</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
The conference attracted about 150<br />
delegates – mostly academics and<br />
financial system authorities from all<br />
over Africa, as well as a few graduate<br />
students.<br />
Ojah says the issues that emerged at the<br />
talks were largely around the theme of the<br />
conference: fostering efficient production<br />
and growth in African countries. What<br />
stood out for him in the discussions were<br />
“issues around progress that has been<br />
made in Africa’s national capital markets<br />
and the many miles to travel before a<br />
critical number of these national markets<br />
become globally competitive”.<br />
Ojah is a highly respected and<br />
accomplished academic, having published<br />
widely and taught at business schools all<br />
over the world. His wide-ranging research<br />
interests include emerging capital markets<br />
and international business. ■<br />
Congratulations are also due to MAP programme manager<br />
Lehlohonolo ‘Hlonny’ Mphuthi, who has married Mantombi<br />
Judith.<br />
The full-time 2012 Postgraduate Diploma in Management<br />
students showed they care by collecting food, cleaning supplies<br />
and toiletries (in the boot of a car above). The goods went to<br />
families supported by Rays of Hope, an organisation that<br />
manages outreach projects to underprivileged communities,<br />
mostly in Alexandra. The initiative was voluntary and was led<br />
by Jenni Willows.<br />
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PAGE 5<br />
<strong>WBS</strong> 2012 short courses<br />
SENIOR EXECUTIVE PROGRAMMES<br />
<strong>WBS</strong> International Senior Executive Development<br />
Programme (IEDP) (including a study tour)<br />
1 August – 1 September 2012<br />
Corporate Governance<br />
5 – 8 November<br />
GENERAL MANAGEMENT<br />
Art and Science of Negotiation 2<br />
28 – 31 August 2012<br />
Thinking and Planning Strategically<br />
29 October – 1 November<br />
FINANCE<br />
Finance for Non-financial Managers 3<br />
30 July – 2 August 2012<br />
Finance for Non-financial Managers 4<br />
12 – 15 November 2012<br />
Technical and Financial Evaluation Projects 2<br />
17 – 21 September 2012<br />
Certificate Programme in Finance and Accounting 28<br />
16 July – 21 November 2012<br />
Integrated Strategy, Budgeting and Reporting Programme<br />
15 – 17 October 2012<br />
Project Management 2<br />
11 – 15 June 2012<br />
Project Management 3<br />
12 – 16 November 2012<br />
PROJECT MANAGEMENT<br />
Certificate Programme in <strong>Business</strong> Project Management 2<br />
13 August – 14 November 2012<br />
MARKETING<br />
Product Strategy and Brand Management<br />
16 – 18 July 2012<br />
Sales Management<br />
20 – 24 August 2012<br />
Strategic Marketing Management<br />
2 – 6 July 2012<br />
Certificate Programme in Marketing Management 18<br />
21 June – 6 October<br />
Social Media That Gets Results<br />
23, 24, 26, 30 & 31 July and 02 August 2012<br />
(2-3 hour evening sessions)<br />
SPECIALISED TOPICS<br />
BEE – Unpacking Strategy and Codes<br />
22 – 23 August and 19 September 2012<br />
CERTIFICATE PROGRAMMES<br />
New Managers Programme 81<br />
3 September – 7 December 2012<br />
Management Advancement Programme (MAP)<br />
MAP 106 21 June – 26 October 2012 (weekend block release)<br />
MAP 107 6 September 2012 – 29 June 2013 (part time)<br />
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT<br />
Fast Track Leadership 2<br />
28 September – 30 November 2012<br />
Issue 2 2012 • WITS <strong>Business</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
CONTACT DETAILS:<br />
Rutendo Nxumalo<br />
Tel 011 717 3515<br />
E-mail Rutendo.Nxumalo@wits.ac.za<br />
UPCOMING EVENTS<br />
12 JUNE 2012 – 5.30pm for 6pm<br />
First National Bank’s chief marketing officer, Bernice Samuels,<br />
is to speak on ‘3D: doing different things differently’ as part of the<br />
Distinguished Lecture Series. Samuels is a <strong>WBS</strong> alumnus and the<br />
brains behind FNB’s successful ‘Hello Steve’ campaign.<br />
20 JUNE 2012 – 5pm for 5:30pm<br />
Dr Dominik Heil, MD and global partner of Reputation Institute’s South<br />
African office and <strong>WBS</strong> senior lecturer in strategy, is to speak on<br />
‘The results of the 2012 RepTrak Pulse Survey: What the reputation<br />
economy means for South Africa’ as part of the Distinguished Lecture<br />
Series. It will be at the Bert Wessels Lecture Theatre at a cost of<br />
R150 a person. For enquiries, contact sue@vibrantmedia.co.za or<br />
on (011) 880 5202.<br />
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