In the early months of 2020, governments worldwide put their countries into lockdown to manage the spread of the coronavirus causing COVID-19. As a result, organisations enabled their workforce to work remotely. This move presented an opportunity to consider a hybrid remote working model post the pandemic. A hybrid remote working model entails employee working…
Being an educator in South Africa is truly inspiring, as we facilitate learning and development for our students in the post-school space and assist them in developing their competence (this includes knowledge, skills and attributes) in the professional accounting arena. The development of these competencies is what builds capacity and improves our economic outlook over…
I have always been intrigued by ‘strategy’, the thing that ultimately sets a company apart from the next, and probably, together with strong leadership, the main driver behind sustained value creation. In a series of interviews, I explore the approaches of different business leaders (all chartered accountants) to strategy. This month I had the privilege…
Chris McMaster, CFO of the Rabie Property Group, contributed to SAICA’s broader project to support the understanding and application of integrated thinking and value creation by sharing his views on these concepts by responding to a series of exploratory questions. How do you understand ‘integrated thinking’ as it applies to your company? And describe how…
How many times have shareholders and other users of financial statements questioned the quality of financial information that companies provide in financial statements? The manner in which financial information is presented and disclosed could impact how the users of financial statements perceive the content and context provided in those financial statements. Financial statements are an…
The auditor is tasked with obtaining audit evidence to be able to draw reasonable conclusions on which to base the auditor’s opinion1 and in obtaining such evidence, to consider the relevance and reliability of the information to be used as audit evidence.2 This article focuses on information to be used as audit evidence that is…
The implementation of IFRS 17 results in a major transformation in actuarial and finance reporting processes, systems and data. SAICA recently hosted an event at which some of the challenges and insights were discussed. The insurance industry saw the effective date of the IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts standard being deferred by two years from the…
Volkswagen − which translates into ‘people’s car’ − has always been iconic with creating people’s cars designed to meet the needs of all types of people. As people’s needs have changed over the years, many consumers are opting to buy more versatile vehicle. In keeping with this thinking, VW has decided to enter the mini…
Aerobotics has taken agriculture, one of the oldest industries in the world, and combined it with artificial intelligence, one of the newest. The result? A mind-blowing agritech company with four dynamic CAs pioneering, guiding and growing this South African-birthed company to global greatness whilst competing against some of the world’s best technology. By 2100, Africa’s…
Accounting ethics: Why character matters By Schalk Engelbrecht, Chief Ethics Officer at KPMG South Africa as well as Research Associate with the Centre for Applied Ethics (Stellenbosch University) and an Extraordinary Associate Professor with the School of Accounting Sciences (Northwest University) Johannesburg, 8 September 2020 – We generally assume that a person can be good…