This report is compiled by Transparency International and it lists corruption trends in various countries. We highlight some of the key trends. Country/Territory % of people who report having paid a bribe to 1 of 8 services Australia 1 Finland 1 Japan 1 Spain 2 Portugal 3 Norway 3 New Zealand 3 Belgium 4 Italy…
DetailsOffering a prudent balance between reward and risk, ‘real return funds’ take the middle road. Real return funds are often overlooked in investment portfolios for being ‘too boring’ or ‘too slow to deliver spectacular returns’. Nonetheless they may be highly suitable for investors with a medium- to long-term investment horizon. The temptation is always there…
DetailsCan accountants afford to sit on client books for months? Go to the dentist and you are likely to be out in less than 30 minutes. Take your car in for a service and you will probably have it back by the end of the day. Take your books and records to the accountant and…
DetailsOnce upon a time there was an accountable government, and other fairy tales. The theme for this month’s issue is transparency and accountability in government, a good thing is that everybody wants. But what we want and what we get are not always the same thing. It’s depressing, frankly. So let’s tell a fairy tale…
DetailsOnly insure what you can’t afford to lose. My most valuable possession, by far, is my wedding ring. In my eyes, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I designed it myself, while my husband (fiancé at the time) bank-rolled it. Meeting the requirements of being worth at least 3x his monthly salary; it’s…
DetailsIs differentiated reporting for investors and other stakeholders the way to go? Just the other day I was having a contemplative beer or two with a sustainability adviser who sometimes collaborates with me on annual reports. As the wordsmith, I assemble and tell the company value-creation story, where he’s a veteran CA(SA) who adeptly crunches…
DetailsDress and groom yourself to display the authentic you – and win people over. It has been scientifically proven that you are judged within the first few seconds of meeting someone new, based on many levels of information stored in the brain, as explained in Malcolm Gladwell’s book ‘Blink’. What scores highest on the impression…
DetailsAccording to a recent survey South African businesses are seriously impacted by political instability, poor government service delivery and crime. Sixty-seven per cent of South African privately held businesses are putting off investment decisions owing to uncertainty about the future political direction of the country. Responses to other survey questions show that 48% of business…
DetailsRead Accountancy SA on your tablet You’ve requested that we develop a tool through which you can read and store previous issues of Accountancy SA in a library on your tablet. We are happy to share with you how to do it. If you want to download the Digital Magazine to your iPad or Android…
Details“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” These words by Maya Angelou are timeless words of wisdom. In an era where social media make borders porous and anonymity obscure, true leaders and role models are in short…
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