2011-NMMU-Research-Report - Research Management - Nelson ...

During 2011, the Faculty focused strongly on expanding and building
its supervisory capacity through a range of initiatives, which included
the recruitment of external supervisors, development interventions
for supervisors and recognising supervision as a formal element of
the workload of staff. A number of initiates were also launched to
support the throughput of Masters and Doctoral students, including
the introduction of workshops and colloquiums.
The total number of research output units
for the Faculty increased to 129 in 2011,
the highest output ever and equating to a
year-on-year growth of 33%.
The third driver for research development is supporting the development
of new research themes. The Faculty has identified two
central thematic areas, namely Local Economic Development and
Ethics, Governance and African Leadership. The selection of these
two thematic areas was influenced by the need for research as
well as the available capacity and expertise within the Faculty. The
intention is not to force-fit researchers into a centrally driven model
of focus areas. Rather, we are confident that a thematic approach
will attract researchers through the formation of teams, which
will provide opportunities for previously untapped synergies and
a developmental space for emerging researchers. We are also
optimistic that the focus on specific research themes will have the
added advantage of breaking down historical divides based on
disciplines and structures and thus supporting the necessary multidisciplinary
approach required by complex societal problems.
We are also excited by the quantifiable early-phase results from
our research-supporting initiatives. The total number of research
output units for the Faculty increased to 129 in 2011, the highest
output ever and equating to a year-on-year growth of 33%. The
research units generated by the publication of articles increased
by 40% over the same period - also an all time high. We have also
seen a marked improvement in the throughput of postgraduate
students with 119 students graduating with Masters degrees and
12 students graduating with Doctors degrees at the most recent
graduation ceremonies. This represents a year-on-year growth of
21% in Masters graduates and a 50% increase in Doctoral graduates.
Prof Niekie Dorfling
Executive Dean: Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences
Faculty Researcher
of the Year
Prof Piet Naudé
Prof Piet Naudé was the Director of the NMMU Business School
until June 2011 when he assumed the Deputy Vice-Chancellor:
Academic position at the NMMU. His research focuses on macroethical
questions of justice in the fields of theology, economics,
and ecology, and he has done extensive work on applied ethics
in the fields of business and the medical profession. His most
recent monograph on Christian confessions and contextual ethics,
published in the USA, was awarded the 2011 Andrew Murray-
Desmond Tutu prize for South African academic literature.
For this research period his work focused on human dignity in the
context of Africa’s history and contemporary situation. Dignity is closely
related to justice. Three forms of “justices” are core to this challenge:
distributive justice in the context of the global economy; gender justice
in the face of oppression against women/children; and ecological
justice that deeply affects not only ourselves as human beings, but the
whole ecosystem on the Earth, which is for now our only home.
His most recent monograph on Christian
confessions and contextual ethics,
published in the USA, was awarded the
2011 Andrew Murray-Desmond Tutu prize
for South African academic literature.
In terms of his research thrust, he is looking at ethics from the
perspective of theology, philosophy, business and economics.
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