The passing of Margaret Thatcher is a signifier of the times: Thatcherism is certainly gone, and so too is any naivety that we can depend on any one simple formula for global economic stability. Dr Grant Sieff, CEO of IC Growth Group and Programme Director of Strategic Thinking and Execution for Growth at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business (GSB), describes the environment we find ourselves in as economic anarchy. “It’s not a slow evolution, it’s more like a series of shocks – more shaken than stirred,” he says. “The nature of business is that it is... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Saturday, April 20th 2013 |
High praise has been given to the South African Achievers Awards committee for pulling off their first awards evening and Gala dinner on 13th April 2013 in London, UK. Guests arrived at the luxurious Cumberland hotel in Mayfair to a champagne reception, red carpet and a fashion show by Chelline, who was showcasing her 15 piece African inspired collection. The sold out evening then officially commenced with the national anthem, led exceptionally well by SA baritone Njabulo Madlala. Among the nominees who were awarded for their outstanding achievement in their respective field, Struggle Stalwarts were honoured on the night for... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Saturday, April 20th 2013 |
Generation Y and Z – young people born in the 80s and 90s – have huge potential to play a positive role in building a much-needed new business environment in South Africa, yet they make up the majority of the unemployed in the country. Government and business must join together to nurture this crucial segment of our population, says Linda Ronnie, Organisational Behaviour and People Management lecturer at the UCT GSB. Speaking to a delegation from Utah State University that was in SA to learn more about global HR issues, Ronnie said that the work environment in South Africa poses... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Wednesday, April 17th 2013 |
…with aggressive fraud detection systems in place – With intelligent IT systems, schemes could save up to 20% on fraudulent or over-charged GP and pharmacy bills and as much as 10% on specialist bills. Directly translating into savings to medical scheme members in the form of reduced monthly contributions, consumers should take a long, hard look at a scheme’s ability to combat fraud/over-charging prior to signing on the dotted line. This is according to George Roper, CEO of Agility Global Health Solutions [Africa] (Agility Africa) and Professor Jacques Snyman, Product Development Director at Agility Africa, administrator and risk Management Company... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Sunday, April 14th 2013 |
The survival rate of early-stage businesses in South Africa is low but a new partnership has emerged that aims to dramatically increase entrepreneurial success in the country by giving local startups the tools they need to develop into large, sustainable businesses. The partnership between Microsoft’s BizSpark initiative and Find-Make-Grow-Realise (FMGR), a startup investment programme offered by the UCT GSB and local venture capitalists AngelHub, will give startups in Johannesburg technological support, business know-how, and access to potential investors and business networks. While BizSpark provides access to software development tools, connecting the member entrepreneurs with key industry players, and providing the... Continue Reading
Publish Date: Thursday, April 11th 2013 |
