At the CIPS Annual Procurement Awards Dinner the recognition of top students in SCM-related studies was awarded to eleven students. Eight of the students who received awards in this category, were SBL students.
The Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Southern Africa (CIPS SA) have established a strategic partnership to further develop academic career paths with tertiary level qualifications for CIPS SA members. The academic business partnership operates such that CIPS SA members will directly benefit from Unisa SBL’s internationally recognised Masters programmes. The SBL’s flagship, the Master of Business Leadership (MBL) and the Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes will extend their research subjects to include Procurement and Supply Management.
As a valued stakeholder of CIPS the SBL is invited to their annual Pan African Conference and this year was no different. The conference was attended by academics and this year the SBL sponsored two MBL III students, specialising in Supply Chain Management to attend the conference entitled “Risky Business” “How integrated supply chains embrace change and diagnose risk”. Local and international speakers addressed the issues facing modern supply chains and how to strategise around these issues.
At the Annual Procurement Awards Dinner, outstanding projects, people and overall excellence in the profession were celebrated. This year, a new addition to the award categories, namely the recognition of top students in SCM-related studies was introduced. Eight of the eleven students who received awards in this category, were SBL students. For the SBL this is a reiteration of the aim of the partnership with CIPS to offer a SCM programme that is aligned with the South- and Southern African private and public sector SCM and to adhere to international standards and best practices.
The following SBL students were recognised for their research:
- Efaishe Nghiidipaa is currently working for Mobile Telecommucations Limited (MTC) in Namibia as a Procurement Manager. In 2011, she completed her MBL studies at the SBL with special focus in Supply Chain Management. The title of her research is: SBL Professionalising Procurement: the case study of Namibia. In this study she focussed on the ethical challenges around the implementation of sound procurement principles.
- Happson Tshuma has several years experience in world class manufacturing and quality management within the automotive component and assembly sector: The title of his research is: Strategies for green procurement: An analysis of risks and opportunities for South Africa firms. This research sought to establish whether there is a business case for the implementation of green procurement strategies in South African carbon heavy firms as well as the risks associated with such strategies.
- Collin Moopanar: Collin has over ten years’ experience in the engineering and production environment. He is the National Engineering Manager for Transnet Rail Engineering Coach Business in South Africa. The title of his research is: Developing a human capital scorecard for lean implementation within an engineering environment: the case of Transnet Coach Business Unit. This research focussed on the development of a human capital scorecard that could be utilised for lean implementation. The paper aimed to summarize the human factors that are deemed important when planning to implement lean production.
- Shakira Gandhi: Shakira has a Finance and Audit background with many years of experience in both the private and public sector. The title of her research is: A comparative study of the effective use of ERP’s and e-procurement across the procure to pay cycle within selected divisional units of a listed international manufacturing organisation. The purpose of the study was to compare recommended best practice guidelines to the ‘procure to pay’ cycle currently in use at a listed international manufacturing organisation to determine the effectiveness of ERP solutions and e-procurement.
- Dereje Asfaw Woldemichael: The impact of supply chain management practices on the organizational performance of basic metal and engineering industries in Ethiopia. The main purpose of this research is to assess the level of practical implementation of SCM practises in Ethiopian Basic Metal and Engineering Industries, and to analyse the relationship between SCM practices and organisational performance in the same industries.
- Jacek Tomasz Tomkow: The title of his research is: Alignment of Operations and Supply Chain Design with Corporate Strategy. This study explores whether operations, logistics and strategy in terms of changes that affect mining operations impact the alignment of these operational functions in the mining of platinum groups metals.
- Pretty Sibongile Ngidi: Pretty joined Eskom in September 2002 and is currently appointed as a Senior Business Analyst. The title of her research is: Service Delivery in Low-Cost Housing in South Africa’s Gauteng Province: A Supply Chain Management Perspective. The objects of the study were to identify and analyse the elements which contribute to the delivery process of low-cost houses (LCH), to discover the drivers of the delivery process in low-cost housing using supply chain management component of customer value and to determine if the stakeholders who are responsible and accountable for the LCH delivery process are known.
- Norma Talitha Gerlie Sali: Her current role and responsibility is business development through identifying major constraints to business growth and working with other government department, quasi government institutions as well as strategic stakeholders to address business constraints. The title of her research is: The Impact of Supply Chain Management on Service Delivery at a State Organisation. The research explored supply chain management (SCM) measures at the Department of Trade and Industry’s Supply Chain Business Unit (SCBU) as well as the impact thereof on service delivery.
With the outstanding achievement of the our students the SBL has proven that the school is committed to fulfil the mission of CIPS to promote, represent and explain the business discipline and good practice of purchasing and supply management as well as assist all organisations in developing their capability in purchasing and supply management with the right strategies, processes, people and leadership.
