A group of academics from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences recently visited India to attend and present at an international congress and to explore opportunities for academic collaborations and partnerships.
The delegation consisted of Prof Babs Surujlal, executive dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Prof Wynand Grobler, director of the School of Economic Sciences, and Prof Liandi van den Berg, director of the research niche area Technology-Enhanced Learning and Innovative Education and Training, South Africa (TELIT- SA). The NWU delegation attended the International Congress on Renaissance in Sports at the National College in Trichy, India as invited keynote speakers.
Prof Surujlal delivered a keynote address titled "Guiding university athletes: the crucial role of coaches for effective talent development." The paper discussed the importance of coaches in developing university athletes and highlighted the need for effective coaching strategies to enhance talent development.
Prof Van den Berg presented a paper titled “The competitive intelligence process of cricket coaches.” As India is a cricket-loving country, her research presentation on how coaches manage the data and information in high-performance teams was well received.
Prof Grobler delivered an address on the “Socio-economic status and school sports performance in South Africa”, which provided evidence of the disparity between schools’ resources and facilities according to the Socio-economic Status (SES) Index.
After the conference, the NWU delegation visited the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai. They had discussions with director Dr Srinivasan R Iyengar and explored collaborative opportunities between the institutions for case study and entrepreneurship skills development, and possible industry visits for NWU Business School students. The group also visited the Kohinoor Business School (KBS) to explore the possibility of establishing an NWU/KBS Research Centre for PhD students in Mumbai. The centre aims to allow Indian and South African students to explore collaborative research projects.
Prof Surujlal said that, overall, the visit was a success, and that they were pleased with the opportunities explored. "Our trip to India highlighted the importance of academic collaborations and partnerships in enhancing research and academic excellence. We are looking forward to future collaborations with Indian institutions and businesses."
An NWU delegation recently visited the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai, India. From left are institute director Dr Srinivasan R Iyengar, NWU executive dean Prof Babs Surujlal, NWU director Prof Liandi van den Berg, and NWU director Prof Wynand Grobler.
