VIEWPOINT: People and HR risks

We encounter risk on a daily basis, as everything we do has an element of risk associated with it. Employees are one of an organisation’s greatest assets, but they are also a source of risk. Employees reflect the organisation’s values, talent, education, experience and success. Understanding the risks associated with employees is a priority for…

VIEWPOINT: Redefining longevity

Today’s workforce is more dynamic than ever before; new-generation employees will change jobs and even careers a number of times throughout their working lives. This does not have to be a bad thing, however: business owners need to look at longevity in a new way – it may not be about keeping someone in the…

ANALYSIS: Internal audit

Internal audit has long been viewed as a key element of financial services firms’ frameworks to managing risk – the third of the three lines of defence. But now, internationally, there is new guidance that raises the bar of good performance. The Committee on Internal Audit Guidance for Financial Services in the United Kingdom has…

Special Feature – ITC Results

The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) is delighted with the excellent results of the Initial Test of Competence Exam (ITC) released on Friday 28 March 2014 The ITC (previously known as Part I of the Qualifying Examination, QE) is one of the prerequisites for registration as a prospective chartered accountant [CA(SA)]. The examination…

May 2014

It is election time, and because of all the media attention focused on the various party leaders, one cannot help but reflect on the qualities you value most in the people you choose to follow – either in business or politics. Research shows that the leaders we value most are the ones that strive to…

VIEWPOINT: Is civilisation sustainable?

This month’s column examines a recent NASA-backed study that states that the fall of the Roman Empire and the equally (if not more) advanced Han, Mauryan, and Gupta empires, as well as so many advanced Mesopotamian empires, all bears testimony to the fact that advanced, sophisticated, complex, and creative civilisations can be both fragile and…