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be worth more
Contents Introduction 3 Staff 4 Rules 5 Application 5 Registration 6 Title registration 6 Submission procedure 8 General information regarding thesis 9 Blackboard 10 PhD Graduandi 11 Application procedure 12 Cost structure 13 Payment procedure 14 Application form 15 1
Introduction The UFS Business School is firmly established as a leader in the provision of management and leadership programmes in the country, fully accredited by the Council for Higher Education (CHE), a member of SABSA (South African Association for Business Schools), CEEMAN (Central and East European Management Development Association) and of AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). The Business School has been awarded for the 3 Palmes by EDUNIVERSAL and belongs to the 3rd League of the 1000 Best Business Schools worldwide. With the PhD programme the School completes its menu of academic options. The Business School at the University of the Free State provides an exceptional opportunity to Be Worth More, because the School is embedded in one of the oldest universities in South Africa, boasting a tradition and proud history of excellence and a progressive learning environment. 3
Contact details of personnel Prof Helena van Zyl Director vanzylh@ufs.ac.za Tel: 051 401 3166 Mrs Edna Cox Applications coxel@ufs.ac.za Tel: 051 401 3172 Fax: 086 525 6336 Mrs Helena Reinecke Finance reineckh@ufs.ac.za Tel: 051 401 3164 Fax: 086 650 1030 4
Rules Unless specifically stated otherwise, the institutional rules of the University of the Free State and the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, which apply to the PhD degrees, apply to the PhD in Business Administration. Refer to the general rules of the University of the Free State and the rule book of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. The PhD will be awarded with an endorsement Business Administration. Date of commencement PhD students commence their studies in January every year with the closing date for applications in September the previous year. A non-refundable application fee is payable when applying for the PhD. Application Applicants Every applicant must submit an official application to the Business School, containing the following: Application form. Two recent ID photographs. Non-refundable application fee. Certified copies of: Original Master s and first degree certificates. ID document/passport. Academic record including certificate of conduct (must be obtained from the applicant s previous tertiary institution). Results of a compulsory TALPS test - the application form is available on the web: http://bus.ufs.ac.za Minimum requirements An MBA degree or equivalent with an average of 65% for all modules. At least 65% for Business Research Methods. At least 65% for an expanded MBA field study/dissertation (minimum 60 credits) with a duration of at least one academic year. It is compulsory for all prospective students to read one of the following books before attending the Research Methods workshop. Dates will be communicated. Cooper, D & Schindler, P., 2010. Business Research Methods (Publishers McGraw-Hill). Bryman, A & Bell, E., 2007. Business Research Methods (Publishers Oxford University Press). Adherence to the above requirements will not necessarily guarantee admission to the PhD in Business Administration. Admission to the PhD is subject to final approval by the Director of the Business School as well as the availability of promoters. Interruption of studies Should there be an interruption in the candidate s studies, he/she will be required to re-apply. Re-application fee of R800.00 is payable. 5
PhD office Three possible outcomes will result from the screening process: A letter to inform the applicant that he/she was successful. A letter to inform the applicant of partial compliance and what he/she still needs to obtain in order to qualify for preregistration. A letter to inform the applicant that he/she was unsuccessful. Registration Study code: 6961 Module code: PBA900 Credits: 360 Duration The candidate has a minimum of 24 months (2 years) to complete the PhD. Thereafter the rules of the University apply. (Reg.A102.3) Students Candidates who received confirmation that they may proceed and register: Pay both the registration and tuition fees for the applicable year. Register for the PhD in Business Administration under the Study code 6961, and module code PBA900. It is the student s responsibility to remain in contact with his/her promoter. Title Registration process Students Submit preliminary topics. PhD office Appoint preliminary promoters. Schedule presentations and inform students. Students Send and discuss research proposals with promoters. Present research proposal to a research panel. Three opportunities per year will be scheduled: 1st - Middle/end of March (dates will be confirmed). 2nd - Middle/end of May (dates will be confirmed). 3rd - Date will be communicated (only for students who have attended one of the above presentations). Panel (Business School) Evaluate and assess proposals. Three possible outcomes could result: Permission to proceed and repeat the presentation to the Faculty Research Committee. Decline - in which case the candidate will receive no further opportunity to register for the PhD. 6
In case of substantial changes to the research proposal, a candidate will be afforded a further three months to revise the proposal and present it to a selection panel. Dates will be communicated to students. Students The following outcome can result after this: Permission to proceed and repeat the presentation to the Faculty s Research Committee. Decline in which case the candidate will get no further opportunity to register for the PhD. The following documents must be submitted to the PhD office three weeks prior to the Faculty Research Committee meeting: PhD proposal (in Word format). Completed title registration form (available on Blackboard). PhD office Inform candidates of the outcome. Schedule presentations and inform students. Research Commitee The Research Committee of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences convenes twice a year (June & November) to deal specifically with PhD research proposals and presentations. It is required of all PhD candidates to physically present their proposals at one of these meetings. The Committee may grant final approval, in which case the candidate is allowed proceed with his PhD. The Committee may decline a candidate. The Committee may allow a candidate to revise his/her proposal (and possibly the presentation as well) for re-submission at the next meeting of the Committee. Promotors Inform candidates of the outcome. 7
Submission procedure - 2015 2 July 2015 10 December 2015 graduation graduation Submission of thesis with a view to receiving a degree at the: ceremony ceremony Notice of submission Student: 24 October 2014 2 April 2015 Complete the Notice of submission of a thesis form and send it to the promoter. The form is available on Blackboard. Promoter: Approve notice of submission. Provide letter of approval for submission to the PhD office. Revise thesis Student: October 2014 - April - June 2015 Submit thesis through Turnitin. Effect the necessary corrections. (Maximum of 5% per website and 30% overall are allowed). Promoter: Check the plagiarism report for acceptable percentage of plagiarism. Student: Send thesis to a language editor and effect the necessary corrections. Submit electronic/printed copy to promoter (format depends on promoter) for final feedback. Promoter: Indicate final corrections. Student: Effect final corrections and submit copy to promoter. January 2015 Submission for Promoter: 2 February 2015 1 July 2015 assessment purposes Approve thesis and provide letter of approval to the PhD office. Student: Submit the required number of ringbound copies to the PhD office. PhD office: Send copies to moderators and assessors for assessment purposes. Promoters, Co-promoters and Assessors: Assess thesis and send report to the PhD office. Graduation Graduation ceremonies are scheduled for 2 July 2015 and 10 December 2015. Note: If all final copies have not reached the PhD office on the prescribed date, no statement or degree certificate will be issued. All outstanding fees must be paid in full. If a thesis is submitted for examination after the prescribed date, the University cannot be held responsible if the degree is not conferred at the next graduation ceremony. 8
General Information General information regarding your thesis Title A summary in Afrikaans and English of no more that 600 words each must be included at the back of the thesis, together with approximately 10 keywords in English describing the subject of the thesis. The thesis must be printed in at least one and a half spacing, font size 12. The title page must include the following: The registered research title. The student s full name. A declaration reading: Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements in respect of the Doctoral Dergree... in the Department of... in the Faculty of... at the University of the Free State. The submission date. The name of the promotor and, if applicable, the co-promotor(s). Declarations Together with the copies of the thesis, the student must submit the following declarations: The promoter must provide a written declaration that she/he approves the submission for assessment and that the thesis or publishable, interrelated articles have not prreviously, either in part or in its entirety, been submitted to assessors. The student must submit the following declarations: I,..., declare that the thesis (or publishable, interrelated articles or mini-thesis) that I herewith submit for the Doctoral Degree... at the University of the Free State, is my independant work and that I have not previously submitted it for a qualification at another institution of higher education. I,..., hereby declare that I am aware that the copyright is vested in the University of the Free State. I,..., declare that all royalties as regards intellectual property that was developed during the course of and/or in connection with the study at the University of the Free State, will accrue to the Univertsity. In the event of a written agreement between the University and the student, the written agreement must be submitted in lieu of the declaration by the student. I,..., hereby declare that I am aware that the research may only be published with the promoter s approval. Other requirements Two photocopies of the title page of the thesis. Two photocopies of ID or passport document. Curriculum vitae, which must comprise the following particulars: Date of birth, place of birth, school at which student matriculated, professional career, exceptional achievements and details regarding marital and family details. Assessment Plagiarism A student who passes off as her/his own another person s ideas that appear in written sources, visual sources, multimedia products, music, the spoken word, etc. is guilty of plagiarism, which is dealt with in terms of the rules applicable to disciplinary procedures as set out in Annexure A hereto. Every thesis must be submitted through Turnitin (a program used to identify plagiarism). A guideline on using Turnitin is available on Blackboard. 9
A thesis with a similarity percentage higher than 5% from a single source without referencing and/or with a percentage higher than 30% for the thesis in total, will be rejected. Submission Required copies: For assessment purposes a student can either hand in properly bound copies of the thesis or sub-edited copies which have been bound or put together temporarily (no lever arch files). Each member of the panel must receive a copy. Once a thesis has been approved, the following number of copies must be handed in: Each member on the panel must receive a bound copy. One copy plus a CD to the UFS Business School. One CD to the University Library. Specifications for the CD comprise: Microsoft embedded fonts. One complete file (Pdf format) consisting of the text, abstract, summary, keywords, illustrations and maps. Should a student fail to comply with the above requirements, the final submission of the thesis will not be accepted by the PhD office. NB. If for some or other reason a thesis cannot be submitted, the candidate is required to inform the PhD office, via the promoter, so that the external examination panel members can be informed accordingly. National electronic thesis and dissertation database The UFS electronic theses and dissertations are available on the South African National ETD Portal (http://www.netd.ac.za). Blackboard Blackboard - student information Login details: www.ufs.ac.za/students/e-learn/blackboard Login - Novell username (student number) Password - Novell password Click on PhD programme The following information/guidelines are available on Blackboard Policy on the prevention of plagiarism and dealing with academic writing misconduct Guidelines on how to use Turnitin (plagiarism prevention programme) How to write a research proposal Statistics and SPSS training Referencing UFS Database - Dissertations and theses - electronically SA Media - Assistance with research projects Title registration form Cover page General institutional rules and regulations concerning PhD qualifications Graduation ceremonies Previous theses. 10
PhD Graduandi Year Student Promoter Co-Promoter 2004 Pawley, M.G. Prof. H. van Zyl Dr. P. Greeff 2007 Coetzee, J.J.L. Dr. B. Anderson 2010 Botha, M. Dr. G. van Vuuren Prof. H. van Zyl 2013 Strydom, D.B. Prof. B.J. Willemse Prof. H. van Zyl 2013 Bock, E. Prof. S.M. Niemann 2014 Ranyane, K.A. Dr. J.H. van Zyl Dr. D.B. Strydom - A procurement marketing framework for the potato processing market in the Eastern Free State Completing a PhD through the UFS Business School is a prestigious achievement. The UFS Business School strives on quality and professionalism as they develop their students to be "worth more, by producing material that is of a global standard. I recommend the UFS Business School to those who want to add value in the business world. - Dr. Kgantso Ranyane 2014 The UFS Business School assisted me in a professional manner in order to complete my PhD in Business Administration. The PhD program is structured in such a way that you, as a student, obtain ample support and knowledge from various well known academics and business associates. The Business School also has a very good administration support system, which ensures that there are no time delays and that the student is always up to date with all relevant information. The golden platform of the Business School is that there is no compromise for quality and standard, this gave me the assurance that I will produce a PhD of global standard. I would recommend the UFS Business School to anyone who is serious about developing their business skills. - Dr. Dirk Strydom, 2013 Dr. Erich Bock has successfully completed his PhD on the following topic: Optimising tacit knowledge sharing among sales force members in the South African pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Erich Bock, 2013 11
Application Procedure Please make sure that all of the following documents are submitted: Completed application form. One recent ID photograph. Proof of payment for application fees (non-refundable). Certified copies of - Degree certificate/s. - ID document / Passport. - Academic record including certificate of conduct. (This must be obtained from your previous tertiary institution). Completed applications must be delivered or sent to: Physical address Mrs Edna Cox UFS Business School UFS Business School Building Block B, 3rd floor University of the Free State Nelson Mandela Drive Bloemfontein 9301 Postal address Mrs Edna Cox UFS Business School PO Box 339 Internal Box 17 University of the Free State Bloemfontein 9300 For enquiries contact Mrs Edna Cox PhDbusinessschool@ufs.ac.za Tel: 051 401 3172 12
Cost Structure Closing date for applications - 15 September 2015 Cost structure 2015 There is an escalation of ±10% per year on all fees. Application fee (non-refundable) R2 400 (when applying during 2015) SA Citizens Registration fee each year R 950.00 Tuition fee R 13 200.00 International students - SADC Countries Registration fee each year R 950.00 Tuition fee R 13 200.00 Fee for International students each year R 2 045.00 2014 Account balances must be zero 15 January 2015 Prepayment prior to registration for the 1st semester 30 August 2015 Settle tuition fee account in full 2014 Account balances must be zero 15 January 2015 Prepayment prior to registration for the 1st semester 30 June 2015 Settle tuition fee account in full R6 870 R11 870 International students - Non-SADC Countries Registration fee each year R 950.00 Tuition fee R 19 800.00 Fee for International students each year R 2 045.00 2014 Account balances must be zero 15 January 2015 Prepayment prior to registration for the 1st semester 30 June 2015 Settle tuition fee account in full R11 870 13
Payment Procedure In accordance with the University rules, no cash may be handled at the Business School. Payments can be made at any ABSA bank Application fee only Bank: ABSA Account holder: UFS Business School Account number: 40 7576 7007 Branch code: 632005 Reference: PhD & Surname and Initials Registration and tuition fees Bank: ABSA Account holder: University of the Free State Account number: 1570 151 688 Branch code: 632 005 Reference: 100 & Student number Electronic payments Application fees only: Register the UFS Business School as beneficiary. Registration and Tuition fees: Register the University as beneficiary. Please use references as indicated above. Cheque payments Registration and tuition fees can be paid per cheque at the Business School. Please make sure that your reference is written on the back of the cheque. No cheques accepted for application fees. Fax the proof of payment to Mrs Helena Reinecke at 086 6501030 or e-mail it to reineckh@ufs.ac.za. General information All registrations will be done at the Business School Registration will take place during 11-22 January 2016 Interest on overdue accounts is the prime rate + 2% Handling fees will be charged on payout of credit balances on student accounts. For more information contact Mrs Helena Reinecke at reineckh@ufs.ac.za Bursaries South African citizens - Students with bursaries must submit the original letter during the registration period. International students - No bursaries will be accepted from international students. 14
Application Form Receipt number Personal information Title Surname Name Preferred first name Date of birth ID / Passport number Gender Marital status Race Home language Church denomination Disabilities Halaal/Vegatarian UFS Student number (Only if previously studied at the University of the Free State ) Residential address Address Suburb City Postal code Province Postal address P O Box number Suburb City Postal code Province Contact details Tel: (H) Tel: (W) Email address 1. 2. Mobile: Fax: 15
Tertiary Education Degree(s) Institution Year obtained I confirm That for the duration of my years of study I commit myself to complying with all the rules laid down by the University Council or any other authorised body or person, which may be declare from time to time and which rules shall form part of my agreement with the University of the Free State. That it remains my responsibility to keep abreast of the rules of the University of the Free State and the PhD programme....... Applicant s signature Date 16
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be worth more UFS Business School Building, 3rd floor, Block B W: http://bus.ufs.ac.za F: www.facebook.com/ufsbusinessschool