Law and Management Studies Academics Achieve NRF Ratings

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Three academics from the College of Law and Management Studies have received National Research Foundation (NRF) ratings.

They are: Professor Robert Williams, Dr Irene Govender and Dr Marisa Casale.

Williams, who lectures on Corporate Law and Income Tax law at the School of Law, is regarded as an expert in this field, having authored more than 100 tax articles and case-notes in the South African Law Journal and other journals. He has also published several leading books dealing with tax law which have become vital references for all those practising in this highly specialised field. 

Commenting on the achievement, Williams said he was looking forward to the benefits that came with being awarded a C2 rating.

‘My motivation in applying for an NRF rating was the realisation that this is now a non-negotiable requirement for every academic’s career. Every phase of the application process was time consuming that is why it is vital, at the outset, to attend one of the information sessions that the University regularly provides to learn what an NRF rating is, what criteria are applied, and how to go about making the application. What I will gain personally from my NRF rating remains to be seen,’ he said.

Williams is presently working on journal articles and a new edition of his books on income tax.

HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa, in areas that include: the economic impact of HIV, HIV prevention, and social networks as a resource for health and coping. Casale sees being awarded the NRF Y2 rating, which is given to promising young researchers, as an indication of her potential to continue to develop professionally and make substantial contributions to her field.

‘As someone who moved from development finance into health research  less than 10 years ago, I consider this rating an important recognition of my commitment to producing high quality, original and  relevant research, by international standards.  As an “applied researcher” working in a dynamic environment, this is not only about the potential to conduct scientifically rigorous research that contributes to theory and debate, but ultimately about the potential to produce research that can make a real difference to people’s lives through its impact on policy and practice,’ said Casale.

‘This would need to occur by ensuring that the research is relevant to the needs of key decision-makers within governments and development organisations, and through appropriate consultation and engagement with these decision-makers.’

Casale was recently given an opportunity to lead a new programme within HEARD that will focus on issues around health governance and finance in Eastern and Southern Africa. She hopes to link her past research and experience with future high quality, relevant and cutting-edge approaches to knowledge generation that will have a positive impact on health promotion in the Southern African region.

As a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Information Systems and Technology within the School of Management, Information and Technology, Govender’s research focuses on the current technologies in teaching and learning, including e-learning. The C-rated researcher also supervises honours students in Information Systems and Technology and lectures in Object Orientated Systems Analysis and Design, Networking and Communications and Information Systems Security.

Thandiwe Jumo