It is a double celebration for Philisiwe Ndlovu, who obtained her Master’s degree of Management Sciences in Administration and Information Management at the 2023 DUT Spring Graduation, which was held at the Olive Convention Centre in Durban on Tuesday, 19 September 2023.
Next month, Ndlovu, who is from Bulwer in the KZN Midlands, will also get an opportunity to present her Master’s degree research, titled: The Adoption of Digital Administrative Systems and Practices at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, at the Third International Global Trends in Management, IT and Governance, in an e-World Conference (e-MIG 2023). This Conference will be hosted in Mauritius from Thursday, 26 October 2023.
According to her supervisor, Dr Khethiwe Dongwe, Lecturer and Postgraduate Coordinator in the Department of Finance and Information Management at DUT, the e-MIG 2023 conference is themed under Resilience, Innovation and Management in a Turbulent Environment.
“Her presentation will touch on her findings with regards to the adoption of digital administrative systems and practices at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the transition from paper-based methods to digital and online platforms during the COVID-19 lockdowns. This is with the aim to propose recommendations on how the hospitality sector can manage organisational change during digital era to enhance productivity and customer satisfaction,” shared Dr Dongwe.
Additionally, Dr Dongwe commented that Ndlovu’s milestone achievement also signifies her dedication and the hard work she demonstrated when embarking on her research.
Regarding the trip to Mauritius, Ndlovu indicated she cannot wait to fly the DUT and South African flag high. She is positive that she will gain much knowledge that she will come back and share with others on her return.
“Through my experience as a Master’s student, I would like to encourage other students who are enrolled for their postgraduate degrees by highlighting that they must remain resilient and allocate time to their studies. They must remember why they started this journey and strive for excellence always. I would also like to share that the key to a Master’s degree achievement is through listening skills, they must listen to their supervisors, pay attention to every comment and attend to them intensively,” advised Ndlovu.
She extended a special thanks to DUT’s Faculty of Accounting and Informatics Executive Dean, Professor Oludayo Olugbara, the Head of Department of Finance and Information Management, Dr Celani Nyide for affording her the opportunity represent DUT at the e-MIG conference. She also thanked both her Supervisor’s, Dr Khethiwe Dongwe and Dr Steven Parbanath, as she believes that their guidance and encouragement have been instrumental to her growth and success.
The postgraduate research journey was not easy for Ndlovu who faced lots of challenges, conducting research under lockdown and frequent power outages. Despite all challenges, she remained focused and contacted Dr Dongwe on a regular basis for feedback on her writing.
“I came to an understanding that challenges are in themselves an opportunity for personal growth and development. This achievement has opened doors for bigger and exciting opportunities, opportunities that I never thought existed for me. Through this achievement, I am motivated to continue striving for excellence as I am planning to pursue my Doctor of Philosophy journey next year,” said Ndlovu.
Pictured: Philisiwe Ndlovu
Simangele Zuma
