"The programme was aimed at instilling a culture of social responsibility and advancing the knowledge of ethics in the country's future business leaders", said SBL acting executive director and CEO Professor Elmarie Sadler.
"Ethics is highly relevant for business and leaders. You cannot reach your full potential without ethical personality characteristics and a sound knowledge of corporate governance, which is why the topic was a key focus for today. It is also an area requiring cutting-edge research for our tuition programmes, providing contextualised knowledge and insights for our students," she said.
Sadler added that community engagement was another area that required innovation and research to ensure the sustainability of initiatives.
Addressing the delegates, FirstRand CEO Sizwe Nxasana said, "Organisations that are actively promoting and rewarding innovation are the most effective at bringing about innovation."
The SBL plans to maintain its momentum in driving innovation. Sadler explained that improved research and innovation was a key strategy among SBL's goals for 2013. In order to continue to be one of the leading business schools in Africa, SBL would pioneer research that forged knowledge and innovation in business and leadership.
"The day signified a new wave of ground-breaking research for advanced academic articles, trend-setting books and innovative business publications. The day will be remembered for the advances it made in ethics and community engagement," Sadler said.
The UNISA SBL Research and Innovation Day was held on 15 March 2013 at the SBL campus in Midrand. For more information, go to www.sblunisa.ac.za.
