Four students on the Strategic Marketing course, Lebohang Masoabi, Estie Brown, Lynne Harvey and Cecile Boshoff, were given a rare opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge by developing practical marketing strategies for the Tata group companies operating in Africa.

Students presented their ideas to a panel of UFS and Tata representatives in 2013, and 27 out of 78 groups were selected to compete for academic bursaries sponsored by Tata. The students presented their winning case studies to a panel of Tata Africa executives and senior managers in Johannesburg.

“The Tata group places social responsibility at the core of its business DNA. This kind of support characterises our commitment to communities where Tata companies operate worldwide,” said Thami Mbele, managing director for Tata Africa Holdings.

“The impressive work of the strategic marketing students of the University of the Free State business management department, who have been using Tata group companies as examples for their practical marketing strategies, deserve recognition,” he added.