It is a three-week intensive course that encourages multi-disciplinary teamwork between the NU students and 35 BBA2 students from TSiBA through lectures and working with local entrepreneurs. Students from both NU and TSiBA will be matched up with 10 different local businesses ranging from an artisan stationer to a bed and breakfast.
The objective of the project is to help the businesses work on business plans, create marketing strategies, build financial models, and complete other business consulting projects. “Students will gain hands-on experience working with small businesses,” Peter Kraan, manager at the TSiBA Entrepreneurship Centre said.” “They’ll gain practical knowledge, learn team work and impart essential skills.”
Besides just helping local entrepreneurs, the programme also hopes to help students learn how to relate across ‘cultural barriers’. NU Professor Denis Shaughnessy said, “Our students will be exposed to different social and cultural situations. In order to build an effective team, students will need to overcome cultural bias, as well as other interpersonal and communication challenges.”
The programme starts with a week of touring Cape Town and the surrounding areas. “Our original purpose last year in doing this was to show the NU students the city, but it actually gave our students a way to learn about their city in a way they’ve never seen it before,” Kraan said. The programme will also give TSiBA students confidence when they see that they are on a similar level to their American peers. And both groups of students will leave the programme with a better understanding of business, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
For more information regarding the Global Developmental Entrepreneurship programme, please contact Peter Kraan at peter@tsiba.org.za or 021 532 2750 (ext 125).
About the Tertiary School of Business Administration (TSiBA):
- TSiBA offers emerging leaders an opportunity to study an enriched Bachelor of Business Administration degree that is focused on Entrepreneurship and Leadership on full scholarship.
- The TSiBA Entrepreneurship Centre assists entrepreneurs by providing business, management, and marketing assistance.
- TSiBA collaborates with corporate and individual funders who sponsor the operations and management of the institution.
- The Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education accredit TSiBA’s Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
Contact Information:Name: Juliet MdluliCompany: The Tertiary School in Business Administration (TSiBA)Phone: 021 532 2750 x 104mail: juliet@tsiba.org.zaWebsite: www.tsiba.org.za