Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
Prof N Binedell, Dean
Telephone number: 011 771 4118
Fax number: 086 638 0542
E-mail address: borgsteing@gibs.co.za
Message by the Dean
The past year was a productive year for the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), the business school of the University of Pretoria. Having established itself as a pre-eminent business school in South Africa in terms of industry contact and responsiveness, GIBS has decided that it is time to strengthen significantly its research focus.
To ensure the greatest possible synergies between faculty members, GIBS has identified three core themes for future research. The first is leadership in Africa, and a number of faculty members are exploring research issues enhancing effective business leadership in Africa.
A second theme is the role of business in society. In a developing country like South Africa, business cannot simply proceed with a simple profit motive. They need to take cognisance of the very complex socio-political reality within which they function, and a number of researchers at GIBS are exploring the implications of that engagement. Finally, it is necessary to maintain an outward orientation. Ours is a globalised era, and achieving a 6% growth rate will only be possible if South African businesses ensure that they remain internationally competitive.
Faculty members are benefiting not only from collaboration with each other, but also from the inputs of distinguished visitors. Very helpful colloquia were conducted with visitors such as Prof Hank Simms from the University of Maryland, Prof Saul Klein from the University of Victoria in British Columbia and Prof Stephen Mezias and Prof Teresa Lant from NYU.
This year saw a significant increase in the number of articles generated by faculty. Almost half of the publications this year were in international journals, and faculty's work in the pipeline suggests that this trend is likely to continue.
Prof N Binedell
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