College of Business and Economics Annual Report 2017 51 • Prof Kelvin Bwalya of the Department of Information and Knowledge Management serves as: an External Quality Assurance expert at the Zambia Research and Development Centre (ZRDC); a committee member (Computer and IT Programmes) of the Higher Education Authority of Zambia; and a Visiting Professor to the University of Zambia. In 2017, he served as a member of the organising committee and Chair of the 2017 International multi-disciplinary conference held in Lusaka. Prof Bwalya is also a UJ representative, research, on Higher Education Partnerships for Sub-Saharan Africa (HEPSSA). Supported by the Anglo American Group Foundation and the UK government the HEPSSA among other things supports research collaboration in the region. • Prof Christine de Meyer-Heydenrych and Prof Mornay Roberts-Lombard of the Department of Marketing Management serve as Visiting Professors to the Uganda Technology and Management University. Prof Mornay Roberts-Lombard is also a Visiting Professor to the Polytechnic Institute of Leira in Portugal and serves on the committee of the Global Business and Technology Association (GBATA) as country representative for South Africa. STUDENT PROFILE Some 24 % of SCiiS students are drawn from very poor communities of whom 22% have performed exceptionally well at secondary school level. Therefore, the School contributes at the College 38th percentile towards the UJ mission of socio-economic transformation. The School performs at a module success rate of 86%, which is 1% less than the College average. First-year dropout rate is recorded at 20% (1% more than the College average). These are areas for improvement. GRADUATE PROFILE The SCiiS contributed 554 (10% of College output) graduates in 2017 among whom 407 received undergraduate diplomas and degrees, 139 honours degrees and postgraduate diplomas, eight master’s degrees and one doctorate degree. Undergraduates represent 73% of all graduates and postgraduates represent 27% of all the graduates. Of importance is “student throughput”. This measurement refers to the percentage of students who have achieved their qualification in minimum time. The SCiiS undergraduate throughput stands at 21% compared to the national benchmark of 25% and 65% for honours degrees and postgraduate diplomas (benchmark = 60%), and master’s at 25% (benchmark = 33%) and doctorates at 3% (benchmark = 20%). Master’s and doctoral throughput needs improvement. Our graduates are highly sought after by industry. Most of them are employed by our industry partners, who include multinational companies while some are employed in state-owned enterprises and others go on to start their own businesses. Programmes offered in the SCiiS are developed so as to equip students with industry relevant skills that give them a strong footing not only for employment opportunities but also for the world of entrepreneurships. For example, the Department of Applied Information Systems through the Technopreneurship programme supports problem-solving technology-driven research projects that can be commercialised. The Search Engine Optimisation module offered by the Department of Information and Knowledge Management provides students with practical skills to become Infopreneurs in this field. The Direct Sales Association of South Africa (DSA) – UJ project run by the Department of Marketing Management - gives students real life experience in the area of Sales Management. Prof Carl Marnewick Mr Cor Niemand Ms Andrea Potgieter Prof Kelvin Bwalya Prof Christine de MeyerHeydenrych Prof Mornay RobertsLombard
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