JMCR Impact Partnership and Immersion Study Trip

The Henley JMCR Impact Partnership follows the Henley Business School MBA Reputation & Responsibility study trip to South Africa, and allows relationships between NGO’s and Henley Alumni of the R&R Immersion Visit to continue after the programme. Participants on the Reputation & Responsibility Immersion Visit to South Africa (both NGO’s and MBA candidates) are invited to participate. The partnership builds on a 20-year history of working with the NGO sector in South Africa. It is a network and trusted infrastructure for leaders to continue to share, develop and grow together, supporting one another and sharing best practice from Henley in building positive impacts through stakeholder relationships. The partnership leverages Henley’s unique global position connecting leaders in Denmark, Finland, the UK and Africa in a trusted environment, supported by Henley research and impact activities.

The partnership also has a dedicated research and impact element, where organisations work directly with Henley academics and alumni on projects of importance to creating positive societal impact. Organisations therefore get valuable support in conducting and applying JMCR research for positive societal benefit. Lessons from these projects are then shared with the wider group.

Examples of ongoing research and impact activities include:

Quadparra

Quadparra provide programmes, projects and services to wheelchair users as well as advocate and lobby on important issues which impact on the lives of wheelchair users across South Africa. All of the above are geared towards assisting quadriplegics and paraplegics to live their lives to their full potential. Henley has worked with Quadparra to conduct research to improve the relationships and services it offers members, especially those in rural areas. Moving forward research is exploring opportunities to extend this research across the disability sector- through Quadparra’s membership of the Network of Disability- of which Quadparra is a key member.

Colleges of Medicine South Africa (CMSA)

The Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA) was founded and financed in 1954 and is the national examining body for medical specialists in South Africa. It was founded by members of the medical profession as a non-profit making organisation and is dedicated “To promote the highest degree of skill and efficiency in medical and dental practice and to cultivate the highest ethical standards and professional conduct ... not for pecuniary profit, but for the betterment of humanity”. Informed by insights from the Reputation and Responsibility Immersion Visit in 2023, Henley has an ongoing research project with the CMSA which aims to build stronger engagement with its members and thus drive the uptake of better medical standards across Southern Africa.

TSIBA Business School

TSIBA Business School is based was founded in 2004 to create access to tertiary education by providing fee-free education to students. With Campuses in Cape Town and Johannesburg, it is an accredited higher education institution offering undergraduate and postgraduate business qualifications. TSIBA Business School aims to provide its students with a world- class and rewarding business education. This is supported by generous tuition scholarships which enable students to contribute towards their tuition at relative levels of affordability and for many to provide access to education without fees. Henley has a long history working with TSIBA and from 2007, it has been engaged in research, first to provide insights into how TSIBA could build its reputation as a young organisation and the job prospects of its graduates, when surrounded by much older institutions. Most recently, research is informing the TSIBA how TSIBA can build and maintain the commitment of staff, students and funders, while moving towards a tiered fee-structure.

Autism Western Cape (AWC)

AWC is an award winning, non- profit organisation that provides training, information, advice, advocacy and support services to those affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the Western Cape. Since 2003, Autism Western Cape has strategically aimed to meet the ever-increasing need for awareness, social service intervention and capacity building for parents/ caregivers, practitioners and service providers that influence the environment of autistic individuals. Henley has a long history working with AWC since 2017, conducting research which has helped raise awareness and access to Autism services, research is on-going and aimed at connecting different organisations in the Autism sector towards a common view of best practice, greater access to funds and more influence on public opinion and policy. All this aimed at improving the lives of people with Autism.

Mamelani

Founded in 2003, Mamelani is a community development organisation that recognizes the impact of trauma, historical exclusion, and systemic barriers on the daily life experiences of people, especially children, youth and women living in South Africa. It has programmes that help people overcome challenges in these circumstances which make them vulnerable to health risks and social isolation, limiting their access to resources, and information. Henley has conducted research with Mamelani focussed on making the impact of its programmes more tangible. A key outcome here being the uniqueness and positive impact created by Mamelani’s programmes supporting young people to transition successfully from the care system. Moving forward, Henley is working with Mamelani to explore how it can gain greater influence on policy that will benefit young people transitioning from care.

The Reputation Immersion Study Trip is an applied consultancy project on the Henley Global MBA Program, in which MBA members act as consultants to Southern African not-for-profit organizations, supporting leaders and organisations to build strong stakeholder relationships, thereby increasing their funding prospects, employee engagement and strategic growth, as well as positive impacts on end-users.

As part of our MBA module in Reputation &Responsibility, some MBA cohorts travel to Cape Town (South Africa) and spend a week working on consulting projects with local NGOs, trying to understand and improve their key stakeholder relationships.

In the video below, Mdu Dube, Director at Autism Western Cape (an organisation one of our MBA teams worked with in November 2018) explains how the project has impacted the organisation.

The stories below provide even more insight into the impact of the study trip on our MBA programme members:

Henley Blog: A life-affirming experience in South Africa
Graham Hutchings (EM17)

Henley Blog: How I benefited from an MBA
Alexandra Bamburova (EM15)