In addition to submitting various research works for publication and presenting at numerous conferences in 2020, Mr Mahlangabeza also successfully supervised seven master’s (MBA) students who all graduated at the April 2021 graduation virtual ceremony:
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The first candidate achieved a distinction for his research, which investigated the reskilling of the Automotive industry for the 4th Industrial Revolution. His work uncovered what measures the South African Auto Industry need to take advantage of to stay globally competitive, given the shifts brought about by the 4th Industrial Revolution.
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The second candidate also achieved a distinction for her research, which investigated the decision made by generation-y chartered accountants in South Africa to ‘stay or go’. The research shared insights into employee retention in this critical sector of the economy. Her research has gone on to be accepted for publication at an international conference on the Developments in Human Resources Management, to be held in the United Kingdom in October 2021.
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The third candidate investigated risk management using Transnet as a case study. Her work sheds light on what some of the challenges facing South African Parastatals could be. Her work is under review for acceptance for conference presentation at an international conference to be held in Namibia in November 2021. She has also gone on to be appointed in a senior position at Anglo-American.
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The fourth candidate investigated the factors contributing towards entrepreneurial development in South Africa. Her work was based on Gerard Hendrik Hofstede, a Dutch social psychologist, IBM employee, and Professor Emeritus at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, well known for his pioneering research on cross-cultural groups and organizations, and national culture theories. Her work has gone on to be accepted for presentation at an international business conference to be held in September 2021.
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The firth candidate investigated the barriers to advancements of the careers of women in the South African public sector. Her qualitative study uncovered some crucial elements in the system that need to be reviewed if gender issues are going to be addressed in the South Africa public sector. Her work will be submitted for consideration for publication at the International Academy of Business and Public Administration Disciplines (IABPAD) Conference to be held in Texas, USA in April 2022.
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The sixth candidate investigated financing ICT SMMES at different stages of the business life cycle. He achieved 74% for his final treatise. His work has gone on to be published in the conference proceedings of an international conference on Management, Business, Economics and Finance held in Sydney, Australia during May 17-18, 2021.
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The seventh candidate investigated the impact of automation technologies on employment. A huge talking point in industry, because throughout history, the introduction of automated technologies has had an impact on human labour. The current wave of technological advancement has expanded the scope of automation raising a concern about the future relevance of human labour. Hence, his study investigated possible futures on the effect of automation technologies on employment.
Mr Mahlangabeza has a real passion for research, learning and teaching. He always strives to be creative in the way he promotes students and generates knowledge. His current research interests vary as his personal interests do. We look forward to Mr Mahlangabeza’s upcoming research contributions and wish him well as he continues to break ground in the field of Business and Economic Sciences.
