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Monthly Archives: September 2013


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Business education in Africa: what we need to do differently

This article also appeared in Finweek Magazine in their 08-Aug-2013 issue

The Association of MBAs (AMBA) has shortlisted Dr Shaun Vorster, the top MBA student for 2012 at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB), as one of only six finalists worldwide for the global AMBA/Independent MBA Student of the Year Award 2013. This is an incredible achievement, considering that the AMBA accredits MBA programmes at more than 200 of the world’s leading business schools in over 70 countries. Every year, each accredited business school nominates one outstanding MBA graduate for the MBA Student of the Year Award. Entry criteria range from academic achievement to leadership potential and career advancement potential, plus their commitment to enhancing the MBA degree.

Finweek spoke to Shaun about his passion, business education in Africa, and unpacked his thoughts on what we need to do differently to grow our education landscape. Continue reading →


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Tooth fairy pay-outs: how does South Africa compare?

This article also appeared in Finweek Magazine in their 19-Sep-2013 issue

toothless-boys

A few days ago, my 8-year-old son Jayden asked me the dreaded question that makes every parent cringe. No, not that one. The other one – about the tooth fairy. It went something like this: “Ma, why does the tooth fairy only pay me R10 per tooth, while all my friends get R100, R50 or R20?” They had obviously been comparing their pay-outs in the school playground. In my scramble to change the subject, I joked about trading in our current tooth fairy for a new one who paid private school rates. But his question prompted me to do some research on the subject. Is there an average tooth price that the tooth fairy pays in South Africa? How do we compare to other countries? Based on my informal research, some interesting results emerged. Continue reading →


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Executive education: what the future holds

This article also appeared in Finweek Magazine in their 04-July-2013 issue

Executive Education is an industry undergoing a lot of change. What developments and trends are shaping the industry, both in South Africa and abroad? And how are South Africa’s business schools responding to these challenges? We spoke to experts on the ground at local business schools to answer these questions. Continue reading →