Campus Academic awarded for best PhD and research publication

Prof Nico Schutte in the Faculty of Commerce and Administration at the NWU Mafikeng Campus received a prestigious award for best PhD and research publications in human resource management. The award was presented by the South African Board for People Practices at a function held in Vodaworld in Johannesburg on 27 July 2016. South African Board for People Practices is a regulating body for human resource management in South Africa.

The award recognises professional expertise in the field of human resource management (HRM) and professional contributions to the HRM field.

Prof Schutte was recognised for his dissertation titled "Development of Human Resource Management, Professional competency model that can be applied in various global industries". This model also caters for the unique diverse South African context. Five research papers have been published in accredited journals. The model has also attracted a large amount of interest from corporate organisations.

Prof Schutte holds two existing PhDs. The first was in the field of public administration, where he developed a strategic leadership model for government leaders. He also won the best conference paper award for presentation based on this study. His second PhD is in Industrial Psychology. He also received an award as Senior Researcher in the Faculty of Commerce and Administration in 2014.

When asked about his achievement Prof Schutte had this to say:

"I am honoured to have received this award. I am looking forward towards expanding research in the field of human resource management and make a significant contribution towards the professionalisation of human resources".