BU Research Blog

 Back in April this year I reported that I had been awarded Fusion Investment funding to establish a research, staff and student exchange partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. As part of that mission, I visited the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) from the 22^nd April to the 26^th April, 2014. The visit involved a number of meetings with the lead UKZN academic contact (Professor Lesley Stainbank), the Dean of the School of Accounting, Finance and Economics and the Acting Vice Chancellor of the University. I was also able to meet with the students at UKZN’s campuses in Durban and Pietermaritzburg. In addition, I presented an academic paper on the effect of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) guidance on greenhouse gas disclosure by UK firms.

On my return to BU, I submitted a proposal for the establishment of research, staff and student exchange to the BU International and UK Partnerships Committee (IUPC). The proposal was approved at the committee’s meeting in July 2014. Professor Lesley Stainbank then visited BU for familiarisation from the 27^th to the 29^th October 2014 as proposed in the fusion fund application. While at BU, Professor Stainbank had a number of meetings with, among others, the Acting Dean of the Business School (Professor Keith Wilkes), Director of International partnerships (Kerry Berry), the Associate Dean for Student Experience (Mark Ridolfo) and other academic members of staff who would like to visit UKZN. The visit by Professor Stainbank to BU brought to an end the project and in that respect I consider that the mission to establish research, student and staff exchange has been accomplished.

I am also happy to report that the paper I presented at UKZN has now been accepted for publication by the British Accounting Review which is a 3* Association of Business Schools (ABS) rated journal. BU has kindly paid for the paper to be published as open access. The paper can be accessed at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890838914000560. The other outcome of the project is that I have now started working with Professor Lesley Stainbank on research projects.  Professor Andy Mullineux (Faculty of Management) will be visiting UKZN next April as part of the partnership agreement and other staff members from the Business School (now part of Faculty of Management) have also expressed an interest in going to UKZN.

Dr Ven Tauringana

 Associate Professor of Accounting

Faculty of Management