North-West University (NWU) master’s student in economics Sphesihle Thusini was announced second runner-up in the postgraduate category of the 2022 Nedbank & Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition and walked away with R50 000.

For the 2022 competition, postgraduates were asked to submit an essay, evaluating the impact of public infrastructure investment on economic growth based on South Africa's post-2000 experience. They were also asked to discuss this impact on the prospects for economic growth in the medium term.

Operational risk has been identified as the primary source of reputational risk for South African banks. This is according to new research by Prof Suné Ferreira-Schenk, Finance and Investment professor at the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences of the North-West University (NWU).

Though banks have been subject to operational risks for decades, there are compelling reasons to anticipate that operational risk will only increase in the future as regulators demand greater transparency and banks rely more on increased digital technology automation.

The North-West University (NWU) kicked off the student entrepreneurship season with bootcamps on the Vanderbijlpark and Potchefstroom campuses on 15 and 16 February.

Volunteers from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, NWU Business School, Technology Transfer and Innovation Support Office (TTIS), and bhive Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) presented the bootcamps, which were sponsored by the TTIS.

These bootcamps comprise a two-day programme on how to develop an idea or solution into a social or commercial business and pitch it to investors.

A proposed three-year deal by the Department of Tourism and SA Tourism to sponsor English Premiership club Tottenham Hotspur has caused widespread consternation and has received plenty of condemnation in what many deem an ill-thought venture.

According to Prof Peet van der Merwe from the research unit TREES (Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society) at the North-West University (NWU), this amount could have been better used for other tourism purposes.

Senior Lecturer and Chartered Accountant in the School of Accounting Sciences within the Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, Mr. Kurt Naicker, has recently won the award for the best slogan against Anti-Gender Based Violence.

His slogan that was chosen as the winning entry was:

"You always have a choice never choose violence, raise your hand in solidarity against vulnerable victims and end this vicious cycle.”

’tis the season to be jolly, but many a South African will feel more trepidation than delight as the celebrations of the festive season loom. These South Africans are shackled by the chains of reckless spending and unsound financial advice. Including by friends and family, they will be visited by the Fiscal Ghost of 2022 Past, but – to keep misquoting and paraphrasing Charles Dickens – the best of times can follow the worst of times.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Accounting Sciences, in partnership with Showmax and PKF Octagon, recently hosted the Showmax sensation “Steinheist” documentary series screening, featuring the full story behind the Steinhoff crash.

More than 400 second- and third-year accounting students attended the screening at the NWU’s Vanderbijlpark Campus.

The impressive innovations of the students at the North-West University (NWU) took centre stage during the recent Leopards Lair competition, earning the innovators well-deserved recognition and sought-after prizes.

This year marked the NWU’s sixth Leopards Lair competition. It is held annually to encourage and support student entrepreneurship.

North-West University (NWU) 2021 Leopards Lair Undergraduate category winner Johann van Rooyen competed in the national finals of the 2022 Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Entrepreneurship Intervarsity.

The competition took place on 17 November, followed by the EDHE Awards event on 18 November at the Premier Hotel OR Tambo.

Johann, a third-year student, is studying for two degrees simultaneously: a BCom in international trade and a BCom in forensic accounting.

He competed in EDHE finals in the category Existing Business: General.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Management Sciences, in partnership with ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA), recently hosted a guest lecture for undergraduate BCom safety management students and lecturers at the Vanderbijlpark Campus.

Mr Dieter Sauer, AMSA senior manager for health and safety, together with Lesley Ramela, AMSA GMR 2.1 certificated engineer, presented the lecture titled “Safety Management and Legal Compliance within AMSA”.