WELCOME

Rapid economic change has increased the demand for business professionals who are capable of managing in the global marketplace by responding to critical issues facing industry. Namibia requires both dynamic executives as well as innovative entrepreneurs to help develop the country and employment for its citizens. Thus HP-GSB has been established to provide world-class business education that meets the needs of economy and society in Namibia, SADC and Africa. Funding for the establishment of the school was provided by leading Namibian businessman Mr. Harold Pupkewitz, who pledged N$10 million support over a period of 5 years.

RATIONALE FOR FOUNDATION

Limited numbers of executives with the requisite knowledge, skills, values and attitudes has long been recognised as perhaps the single most important impediment to Namibia’s achievement of economic growth and development. Hence a graduate school of business was identified as essential to address:

- The educational requirements implicit in achieving Namibia’s Vision 2030.
- The quest of the business sector, government and NGO for skilled managers.
- The growth in undergraduate degree-holders seeking further education.
- The numbers of Namibians seeking postgraduate business degrees in or from South Africa.
- The limited availability of accredited quality business education in the SADC region.

Thus HP-GSB began operations in 2008 to provide management education to Namibians and others who previously used to acquire this type of education abroad, mainly in South Africa. Formally inaugurated in mid-2010, HP-GSB is moving progressively towards being a full-fledged graduate business school in the near future.

VISION

As with Polytechnic of Namibia’s undergraduate School of Business and Management (SBM), its Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of Business (HP-GSB) will seek to maximise the institution’s contribution to social, intellectual and economic development of Namibia and SADC.
Thus the vision of the HP-GSB is: Management Excellence for Namibia's Business Advancement

MISSION

In line with this vision, the mission of HP-GSB will be:  

- To create and sustain an environment in which advances in business knowledge internationally are contextualised to the socio-economic benefit of Namibia and  SADC.
- To achieve renown as a regional centre of excellence in education, research and consultancy on business in emergent and developing economies.
- To develop managers with the integrity, expertise, creativity and motivation to provide leadership for the transformation of their organisations, sectors, nation and region.

VALUES

HP-GSB embraces the following organisational values:

Innovation: We will encourage inventiveness and creative thinking through collaboration and debate.
Competitiveness: We will strive for continual improvement of the quality of all our programmes, services and activities.
Inclusiveness: We will seek the contribution of each community member and subscribe to teamwork, joint responsibility and ownership.
Transparency: We will expect responsibility and accountability from each community member and foster open decision-making processes.
Integrity: We will support honesty, dedication, professionalism and the equitable treatment of all stakeholders.

INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

Over the years the HP-GSB has established several collaborations with institutions regionally and internationally which include:

• University Of Applied Sciences - Jena, Germany
• University of Free State, South Africa
• Leeds Metropolitan University, United Kingdom
• Assumption University, Thailand

These partners offer the Polytechnic their know-how in establishing and administering post-graduate programmes, as well as their specialist skills required to support the courses besides fulfilling the internationalisation requirements of a networked business school.