Research at Southern Business School

The three focus areas of Universities and Private Institutions of Higher Learning are: teaching and learning, social responsibility and research.

The days have passed where Higher Education Institutions could only focus on teaching and learning activities. Research and research outputs contribute considerably to the overall development of nations. Developed nations acknowledge and emphasise the importance of research more than their less developed counterparts and therefore produce the bulk of new knowledge internationally. Institutions of Higher Learning are generally used as the vehicle to produce the relevant research outputs needed by nations. South African institutions of higher learning are constantly under pressure to improve their research capacity and capabilities in order to make a recognised and valuable contribution to new knowledge in the world. As a business school SBS recognises the importance of research and therefore incorporate it into other areas of the Business School’s academic processes, such as curriculum designs, performance appraisals, student support and social responsibility programmes, just to mention but a few.

Over the ages institutions of higher learning has embarked on discovering new principles and practices and developing new ideas and concepts that was aimed at improving the quality of life of the people living in a specific area or to solve problems for which society did not have answers. In many instances today society is still expecting the same contribution from these institutions. Southern Business School is no exception. Not only does society and the local community expect the Business School to be involved in solving some societal problems. Academics or scholars in the field of business and public management as well as those in police studies also has similar expectations.

There is a saying in academia that academics must "publish or they will perish". It is therefore imperative that Southern Business School must be actively involved in conducting research. Not only should it be expected of students to be exposed to the theory and methodology of research, but it is vital that the lecturing staff is also involved in research, not necessarily as individuals but also as part of research teams. For this reason it was important for Southern Business School to establish close ties with other higher education institutions (HEIs) that have good track records as far as research is concerned. This have allowed the Business School and specifically its academic staff to expand their capacity and to obtain experience in those areas in which they want to become experts. Eventually we want to increase the number of articles published annually, preferably in accredited journals and present papers that are also published in accredited journals. Although the Southern Business School does not receive any subsidies from the Department of Higher Education, such an output will ultimately reflect the ability of the Business School and its staff to contribute to the body of knowledge in the management discipline in general, but also in the sub-fields of management specifically. Anyone that has a little bit of exposure to the research process will know that it takes time and that research results and outputs are not acquired over knight, but only after months or even years of hard and persistent work. We are therefore prepared to accept the challenge, as a Business School but also as an emerging centre of excellence in management studies, to live up to the expectations of society and the academic fraternity to achieve exceptional results with the research activities and projects that we will undertake now and in future.

The issues of funding and capacity remain the most important challenges for research faced by especially South African private higher education institutions, and SBS is no exception. Southern Business School adopted a strategy of cooperation and collaboration with public higher education and other private higher education institutions, as well as with private organisations (private enterprises) and public institutions (government departments and municipalities) to overcome these challenges. This collective effort will enable SBS to expand and improve its research outputs.