The Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) Human Resource Management Department team recently hosted its annual Human Resource Management Virtual Orientation Day webinar for the first-year students via MS Teams.
The Programme Director at the event was DUT’s Baphiwe Daweti, a lecturer from the academic Department of Human Resources Resource Management.
Welcoming and thanking the students for their attendance to the event was Dr Melanie Lourens from the Academic Department of Human Resource Management. Dr Lourens stressed to the students that they should be proud of what they had achieved by reaching such a point at DUT and it is the first stepping stone in their higher education career.”
Dr Pauline Eyono, Head of Department, gave an overview of the event, explaining that the virtual event included a dynamic and engaging experience that introduced first-year students to the expectations, culture and traditions of the institution.
The guest speaker at the virtual event was Mr Thandukwazi Maxwell Magcaba, Regional Training and Development Manager at Transnet Engineering. The title of his presentation was on Factors of Production-Challenges beyond the 21st Century.
Magcaba explained that the factors of production which are the resources people use to produce goods and services.
“When we think of resources we may include resources that are being used in the process of producing any goods and services; material we use to manufacture things that we consume; and money which is also used to buy material to manufacture goods,” he said.
He explained further that there are four types of production factors, such as Land, Labour, Capital and Enterprise. He relayed more on salaries of the Factors of Production, saying that Land salary is interest, Labour Salary is wages, Capital Salary is interest and Enterprise salary is profit.
Magcaba also indicated which factor is more important and why, saying that in terms of people, people are inventors, adaptable, source of intelligence, and are co-ordinators of all resources.
He added that other factors are that land is utilised for different activities. Money may be used by people to buy anything and that enterprises are used to produce specific goods and services.
Magcaba also focused on the shortage of skills needed by economy, flexibility requirements, adaptable policies, human resources intelligence, millennials demands, as well as the measuring of productivity.
Sister Lynette Chetty from the DUT Health Clinic spoke on the DUT health services and the resources that are available to its students. Other speakers included representatives from Human Resources Department, Student Counselling, e-learning, the library, Sports Administration, Writing Centre.
In his concluding remarks, Daweti said that the orientation motivated and enabled student transition to university online, towards sustainable student success.
Pictured: DUT’s Baphiwe Daweti, who is part of the Human Resource Management Department team.
Waheeda Peters
