UniFiji School of Business and Economics Best Student Awards

University of Fiji Vice-Chancellor Professor Shaista Shameem says the graduates of the University’s School of Business and Economics stand out not only for the quality of their formal qualifications but also for the soft skills and the human values foundation of their programmes in each of the departments.

19 awards will be given to the students, including 15 subject awards and 3 outstanding department awards.

Professor Shameem says their employability in a new corporate world that valued community and environmental responsibilities, alongside the profit margin, is assured.

She says the event is held to honour students at all levels who had exhibited exceptional results in their programmes and to reward them for their hard work and dedication to their studies.

While thanking the sponsors for their support, Professor Shameem says the University of Fiji had a deep-seated human values foundation, meaning that the programmes offered by the University included the basic attributes of ethics, integrity, humanity and public good principles.

She says one of the essential lessons students learnt was that whatever business or work they did must be influenced by doing good to humanity and to all living creatures, as well as to the planet.

The Vice-Chancellor says given the ecological and climate crisis facing the world, we need to show how we can conduct ourselves and run our businesses and corporations without making it impossible for the next generation, and indeed the planet, to survive.

Professor Shameem adds that corporate responsibility was an important part of the University’s focus as its graduates had to illustrate by example that conducting business for profit did not mean that they had to destroy the planet in the process.

She further adds this meant that, as a matter of urgency, everyone had to reconsider ways in which work, employment, the economy and productivity were to be defined.

The Vice-Chancellor says corporations need to look at their carbon footprint and re-examine their business practices to ensure that harm to people and the environment is eliminated.

Prof Shameem says the University was looking to forge partnerships with entities, which had similar respect for such human values and also encourage its graduates to seek employment in industries that expressed such corporate responsibility and sustainable business practices in their strategic and operational plans.

She says that graduates who receive the Awards will be an asset to any future employer as they have acquired not only top-notch formal qualifications with international accreditation but also the soft skills required by forward-looking and socially and environmentally responsible corporations and public bodies.