The utilisation of “off time” by the modern South African business student: An exploratory study

Abstract

This paper examines data information about the time-use patterns of students at the Business Faculty, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa. The objective was to find out what students actually do with the time that could potentially be allocated to their studies. This paper makes a substantive contribution in that it provides one of the first explorations into the importance of effort, as measured by study time, in the production of education. The results are largely descriptive in nature. All evidence in this paper points to a conclusion that a real, and most probably a potential problem exists regarding time spent on studies by students during their off time. These figures are alarming if, on an average, around 10% of the potential time is spent on academic activities. If this is an indication of the readiness of the current student to fulfill the demands of the modern workplace, no wonder the modern employer is hesitant to employ workers. This study shows, in particular, that the South African business student is not ready to manage off time properly. With exceptions, the effect of this is a student that is not ready for the work place/market, particularly because of what the market expects from a worker. Key words: University transformation, future employee, time management, perceptions of time, time-use and time-waste, education production, study time, free or off time.