Friday the 13th is usually surrounded by superstition and bad luck. However, for the Department of Business Management, Friday the 13th of May 2016 was a day of celebration and appreciation. This year, the annual top achievers function was held at the exquisite Chez Charlene venue, which hosted the families and friends of the top achievers of the Department’s various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

 

The ceremony was attended by the sponsors of the various awards, as well as distinguished guest speaker Dr Clive Flynn, who spoke about the importance of optimism and hard work in building a better future for South Africa. Dr Flynn completed his PhD in Entrepreneurship at the University of Pretoria. He has held several senior management and executive positions, and serves on numerous advisory and supervisory boards for international companies. He is an external examiner and supervisor of PhD students studying in the UK and USA. He is also the Managing Director and Senior Vice President of CFIT’s global alliances. It was an honour to have him address the guests at the function and the Department is proud that he is a former student of ours.

 

The top first-, second- and third-year students specialising in either BCom Entrepreneurship, Supply Chain Management or Business Management, were recognised for their consistent hard work and determination to succeed. The final-year students were awarded for their overall success in their degrees over the three years of undergraduate studies. These students were Ruan Pienaar (top student in BCom Supply Chain Management), Gabby Fine (top student in BCom Business Management), and Rupert Vermaak (top student in BCom Entrepreneurship).

 

Natasha Ashley received three awards for achieving the highest results in the BCom Honours in Business Management degree programme. Emma Webber completed her MCom Business Management degree cum laude and was awarded for her hard work, and Kamohelo Mpshane was the top achiever in the MPhil Supply Chain Management degree. Rynhardt Mostert excelled in the Postgraduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship and received the award for the top student in this field, while Jan-Michael de Beer and Francis Letuka achieved the highest results in the fields of MPhil Entrepreneurship and MPhil Responsible Leadership, respectively. The top overall DCom student was Magdalena Meusburger.

 

The Department also offers short courses in supply chain management and these certificates were awarded at the ceremony. The section for supply chain management strives to keep the South African industry at the cutting edge of new developments in logistics through access to both local and international knowledge.

 

The Department of Business Management is proud to be the second oldest business management department in the country and encourages all of its students to strive to do their best in all that they do. The Department strives to impart knowledge to its students with the latest and most innovative techniques. It is dedicated to developing its students to being effective, efficient and influential business leaders and active citizens in their broader communities.

 

 

 

 

Guest speaker Dr Clive Flynn