scholarly journals Corporate governance practices at higher education institutions in South Africa

2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-122
Author(s):  
Ben Marx
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
Strict Adherence ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Sound Management

South Africa boasts a vibrant higher education sector, with more than a million students enrolled in its higher education institutions. These institutions constitute highly complex organisations, with many and varied stakeholders and with budgets running into hundreds of millions of rands. Sound management and strict adherence to corporate governance principles and practices are essential to the success of these institutions. This will include the establishment of a well-balanced, independent and diligent council, as well as properly constituted and effective sub-committees of council. Of these sub-committees, the audit and finance committees are sure to play a pivotal part in ensuring financial discipline and adherence to sound corporate governance principles and practices. The principal aim of this paper will be to focus on the basic governance-regulatory requirements of higher education institutions in South Africa, and to benchmark these requirements against the corporate governance principles and practices required by King II.

scholarly journals Corporate governance effectiveness and value added at South African higher education institutions: A registrar’s view

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-372
Author(s):  
Karin Barac ◽  
Ben Marx
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Institutional Leadership ◽  
Governance Effectiveness ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
South African Higher Education

Higher education institutions are faced with many challenges in fulfilling their core mandate of teaching, research and community engagement. To achieve this, strong, sound and visionary institutional leadership is required, which should be embedded in sound corporate governance practices. The study aims to ascertain what registrars’ views on the effectiveness and value added by current corporate governance practices of higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa are. This was done through a literature review and supported by empirical evidence obtained from questionnaires addressed to registrars of public HEIs in South Africa, as well as follow up interviews held with participants. The study found strong support for sound corporate governance practices at HEIs in South Africa, and also indicates that these institutions are complying with and adhering to this, although room for improvement exists in certain areas. The value added to and contributions to corporate governance effectiveness by student representative council members and institutional forums were also investigated, and it was found that the evolving corporate governance role of the registrar, over and above the traditional academic and student affairs responsibilities, enjoyed much support. Additional reporting responsibilities, in accordance with current corporate governance developments, were identified as areas not meeting expectations.

scholarly journals ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF SERVICE RECOVERY STRATEGIES ON PROCEDURAL JUSTICE IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 230-239
Author(s):  
Steven Kayambazinthu Msosa ◽  
◽  
Gona Govender ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Public Universities ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Recovery Strategies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Purposive Sample

Students in higher education institutions encounter different problems which are normally reported through the appropriate complaints channels. Sometimes institutions and their employees do not address the reported problems on time due to systematic issues such as internal processes or procedures which are cumbersome. This paper assessed the impact of service recovery strategies (speed and empowerment) on procedural justice in higher education institutions. The study was conducted across three public universities in South Africa using a purposive sample of 430 students. The findings showed that speed and empowerment have a positive and significant impact on procedural justice. The findings underpin the importance of fairness in the procedures being used to address student problems. Besides, the study could help faculty and institutional managers to pinpoint areas that are hindering the smooth running of the operations and interface between students and employees of the universities. This study contributes to the literature on procedural justice in the higher education sector and provides an analysis of students' experiences from the developing world where infrastructural and financial challenges contribute to the final recipe.

scholarly journals Corporate governance practices at South African higher education institutions: An annual report disclosure analysis

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Barac ◽  
Ben Marx ◽  
Tankiso Moloi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
South African ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Higher Education Act ◽  
Governance Model ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Education Act ◽  
South African Higher Education

Higher education institutions are presently facing many challenges, ranging from economic and financial constraints to social and educational issues. Accordingly, sound management and governance are essential, and this brings the governance model of HEIs more in line with business corporations. This article provides an overview of the state of governance practices at higher education institutions in South Africa, and an assessment of the corporate governance disclosures in their annual reports. This was done through a literature review of higher education developments, including a South African perspective, supported by empirical evidence obtained from assessing the annual reports of these institutions. The study found that, although most of these institutions are providing disclosure on their corporate governance structures and practices in line with the recommendations of the Higher Education Act and King II, such disclosure is often lacking in detail and could be improved.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Corporate Governance Measures: An Application to the Australian Higher Education Sector

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chitra De Silva ◽  
Anona Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Australian Universities

Governance has emerged as a major concern in the higher education sector. Although evaluation of performance of governance is widely used in the private and public sectors, little attention has been given to the assessment of good governance practices in university contexts. The purpose of this paper was to describe the changes in government policy associated with the introduction of Governance Protocols that have impacted on the higher education sector and to answer the research question: do Australian Universities apply the best practice corporate governance measures?. Data for the study were compiled from annual reports and the Web pages of 37 publically funded universities in Australia and Selected Higher Education Statistics Collection. The assessment criteria were derived from the National Governance Protocols. Findings revealed that Australian universities as independent corporations apply the universal best practice corporate governance indicators as governance measures.

Challenges Posed by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for South African Higher Education Institutions

10.28945/2679 ◽  
2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
ME Herselman ◽  
HR Hay
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Revolutionary Change ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Teaching Learning

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are the major driving forces of globalised and knowledge-based societies of a new world era. They will have a profound impact on teaching and learning for two decades to come. The revolutionary change which is taking place in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), has dramatic effects on the way universities carry out their functions of teaching, learning and research, particularly on the creation, dissemination and application of knowledge. These developments pose unprecedented challenges to higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing countries particular in South Africa as South Africa is viewed as the leading country on the continent.

Accelerating the implementation of SDG 4: stakeholder perceptions towards initiation of sustainable community engagement projects by higher education institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lombuso Precious Shabalala ◽  
Sisa Ngcwangu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Stakeholder Perceptions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Community

Purpose This paper aims to present the results of an investigation on how a reciprocal relationship between the University of Mpumalanga (UMP) in South Africa and the surrounding communities can be used to accelerate the implementation of sustainable development goal 4 (SDG 4). The aim of this paper is to establish stakeholder perceptions on the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the development and implementation of sustainable community engagement (CE) projects geared towards the acceleration of SDG 4. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative methodology was adopted. This consisted of a presentation at UMP, an educational tour of the campus and discussion sessions with 3 education officials and 19 high schools representatives from Ehlanzeni District Municipality, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Content and narrative analysis were used to analyse the data obtained during the discussions. Findings The key findings indicate that a reciprocal relationship between HEIs and their surrounding communities can be used to accelerate the implementation of SDG 4 by positioning HEIs to take the lead with initiatives and implementation of CE projects. Research limitations/implications For HEIs to be in a better position to take a leading role in CE, they must guide without imposing, else it may lead to stakeholders losing interest. Practical implications The importance of a mutual working relationship between HEIs and communities becomes paramount, as it may lead to the realisation and acceleration of SDG 4 through CE. It is suggested that HEIs prioritise CE and also involve communities from the conceptualisation of any project. Originality/value The paper raises awareness and demonstrates the importance and possibilities of using CE towards the acceleration of the implementation of SDG 4 by HEIs.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document