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BCom Business and Financial Analytics qualification now open at UFS

04 October 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Barend Nagel

BCom degree — Prospective students are invited to apply for the new BCom Business and Financial Analytics 2020 intake.

A new qualification has recently been added to the University of the Free State (UFS) curriculum and 30 prospective students still have the opportunity to form part of the BCom with specialisation in Business and Financial Analytics intake for 2020. The deadline for applications has been extended to 31 October 2019.

Committed to the 4th industrial revolution

This flagship degree has been designed for the 4th Industrial Revolution as it integrates quantitative analysis, computer science, statistics and business. This new qualification will equip graduates to become high-functioning executives in the modern global business world.

“The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences identified the need for a BCom programme incorporating some of these skills in a more deliberate way, in order to prepare our graduates for a changing job market,” says Lizette Pretorius, Faculty Manager.

On par with global standards

International institutions such as Harvard Business School, Carnegie Mellon University, Duke University, and Columbia University have led the way by adopting this cohesive approach to business studies. These universities form part of a listing of the 25 top US schools offering Master’s in Business Analytics programmes.

The UFS is following in these leading institutions as part of its Integrated Transformation Plan (ITP) to produce globally competitive graduates. According to the ITP: “The future state of engaged scholarship will be an important anchor in maintaining the relevance of the academic syllabus, and linking real local needs to the global knowledge project.”

Click here to complete the application form.

Please email the form and required documents to Lizette Pretorius at LPretorius@ufs.ac.za.

News Archive

UFS’s Unit for Children’s Rights instrumental in helping human trafficked victim

2010-03-29

Adv. Beatri Kruger.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

“Wheeling and dealing is part of our daily life. But what if the ‘product’ bought or sold is not a spanner or a cell phone, but a living human being? Disturbing news came to the fore... apart from other places in the country, and for that matter all over the world, it was discovered that people are treated like commodities here in Bloemfontein as well,” said Adv. Beatri Kruger from the Unit for Children’s Rights at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Adv. Kruger was instrumental in completing and availing the first comprehensive Research Report on Human Trafficking in South Africa to the public on 23 March 2010. As a member of the Reference Group advising on interim research reports on human trafficking, she contributed to the report. The report proves to be an extremely valuable tool for, among others, government departments and non-governmental organisations that use it as a guideline in planning interventions to combat human trafficking.

The Unit for Children’s Rights is also one of the founding members of the Free State Human Trafficking Forum (FHF). To react on and fight the disturbing reality of human trafficking more efficiently, a number of concerned role players such as Child Welfare and other non-governmental organisations, police officials, prosecutors, social workers, health practitioners, private businesses, churches and community organisations joined forces and formed the FHF. The Unit for Children’s Rights hosts monthly meetings at the UFS to facilitate the coordination of this multi-disciplinary counter-trafficking team.

Adv. Kruger is very excited about some of the successes of the FHF; such as the story of Soma (not her real name). This Indian woman was recruited in India by an Indian couple who are staying in South Africa, by promising her a good job in South Africa. However, instead of finding the promised job, Soma was extensively exploited for labour purposes. With the help of a “good Samaritan” she managed to escape from the perpetrators and fled to the police. Soma was removed to ensure her safety and accommodated in a safe place in Bloemfontein. Counselling and other services were rendered to her by an organisation which is also a member of the FHF. One of the challenges facing Soma and the service providers was that Soma speaks a foreign dialect and for weeks a trusted interpreter could not be found.

This obstacle rendered communication with her to the bare minimum. The perpetrators were arrested but unfortunately the new comprehensive counter-trafficking law is not in force yet. Therefore the perpetrators could only be convicted of some offences in the Immigration Act. However, due to good police investigation followed by shrewd consultations, the perpetrators agreed to pay for the victim’s return flight to India as well as for the flight ticket of the investigating officer to escort her to safety. The Unit for Children’s Rights did networking with Ms Maria Nikolovska of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), who agreed to assist in the safe reintegration of Soma in India. Soma is now on her way back home.

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