Centenary
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"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see. "
Winston Churchill
This quote by the visionary British Prime Minister Winston Churchill highlights the significance of learning from the past to shape a better future. As the Department of Business Management (henceforth called ‘the Department’) is celebrating its centenary this year, numerous achievements will be celebrated. A critical reflection will also be undertaken of the impact that its 23448 graduates have had on business and society, both locally and internationally.
The Department currently offers BCom and BCom Honours degrees in Management Sciences within five focal (specialisation) areas, including entrepreneurship and innovation management, financial management, financial planning, investment management, and marketing management. It is also the host department for the four-year BCom International Business degree.
As shown in Figure 1, more than 1100 students graduated with Business Management as one or both of their majors in 2022.1
Prominent alumni include Whitey Basson (Shoprite-Checkers), GT Ferreira and Paul Harris (FirstRand), Santie Botha (ABSA), Niel Krige (Momentum), Johan van den Berg (Eskom), Charles Parker (SAB), Wouter Hanekom (Pioneer Foods) and Francois Groepe (Media24). Sport stars such as Elana Meyer, Mornè du Plessis and Heerden Herman, and acclaimed artist Portchie also obtained their undergraduate qualifications in the Department.
Whereas topics such as the distribution of agricultural products no longer feature in curricula, others such as effective leadership, customer satisfaction and dealing with technological change still warrant research and debate today. From the very start, colleagues have asked questions about the purpose of private enterprise and how best to achieve this purpose. Many have shifted the frontiers of knowledge in this regard.
| 1924-1960 | Prof CGW Schumann |
| 1961-1969 | Prof J van der Meulen |
| 1970-1975 | Prof AE Scheurkogel |
| 1976 | Prof RJ van Wyk |
| 1977-1983 | Prof AE Scheurkogel |
| 1984-1986 | Prof IJ Lambrechts |
| 1987-1988 | Prof M Leibold |
| 1989-1990 | Prof IJ Lambrechts |
| 1993-1994 | Prof PG du Plessis |
| 1995-1996 | Prof FJ Mostert |
| 1997-1998 | Prof M Leibold |
| 1999-2000 | Prof FJ Mostert |
| 2001-2002 | Prof JU de Villiers |
| 2003 | Prof IJ Lambrechts |
| 2004-2006 | Prof NS Terblanche |
| 2007-2010 | Prof HC Boshoff |
| 2011-2013 | Prof L van Dyk |
| 2014-2023 | Prof HC Boshoff |
| 2024 | Prof G Human |
More details on these remarkable individuals are presented in this document. Statistics outlining the growth in staff numbers over the decades are also mentioned.
Read the Department of Business Management Centenery Publication (Compiled by Prof Suzette Viviers and Sabrina Matthee)