VIEWPOINT: CAN FINANCE INNOVATE?

Contrary to popular belief, the most creative teams do not solely consist of blue sky dreamers. Groups with a variety of cognitive personality types produce higher levels of innovation, say Ella Miron-Spektor, Miriam Erez and Eitan Navah of the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology. In a study of 41 radical innovation teams of a large defence…

INFLUENCE: APC ACHIEVERS

Hard work, long hours and dedication … That’s what it took for these ten APC achievers to make the honours roll. We asked them to tell us a bit more about their journey to success HONOURS ROLL CANDIDATES (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER) Name Surname Training Office Professional Provider Programme CTA University Shaah Bootha PricewaterhouseCoopers APT University…

INFLUENCE: THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERVASIVE SKILLS

When are pervasive skills developed: in the academic, training, or professional programme? Monique Strauss-Keevy and Denise Maré investigated Pervasive skills are the so-called soft skills, which are defined in the Oxford Dictionary as ‘personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people’. Pervasive skills are also referred to as non-technical skills,…

ANALYSIS: FOCUS ON KEY AUDIT MATTERS

The most significant enhancement in auditor reporting in recent history, at the heart of the call from investors and other users of audited financial statements for more entity-specific and relevant information, is the reporting of key audit matters. By Ciara Reintjes The new International Standard on Auditing (ISA) 701, Communicating Key Audit Matters in the…

ANALYSIS: BUDGET 2015: PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE

National Treasury’s budget-setting process is quite complex, yet transparent and robust. This ensures that proper stakeholder consultation and input are taken into account before the final Tax Amendment Acts are signed into law. Muneer Hassan explains the process and how SAICA contributes to it: The annual National Treasury budget-setting process begins in November each year…