The introduction by SAICA of an outcome-based approach underpinning continuing professional development (CPD) may have come at a time where their member body requires it most – but do we realise why this is so? Saying that South African accountants are staring down challenging times could be easily construed as facing the proverbial ‘few bumps…
What are South African professionals’ views on career strategies and retraining in today’s job market? Traditionally, following a career path meant starting at the bottom and slowly working your way to the top. There was nothing unusual about working in the same sector, and often at the same company, for the whole of your professional…
A crypto expert at Mazars in South Africa explains what local regulations could look like and what crypto exchanges will need to do to survive these. Towards the end of last year the news broke that Binance, the world’s largest international cryptocurrency exchange by volume, had withdrawn their application for a licence to operate a…
Volume 1 of the second part of the Zondo Commission report, which deals with Transnet, graphically shows how important it is for a CEO who has the right qualities to be appointed − and, consequently, earns the board’s respect. In terms of governance best practice, CEO appointments should be the prerogative of the board. Appointing…
South Africa is currently under severe financial constraints, with a contracting economy that cannot sustain current employment levels. Consequently the potential is there for a further credit-rating downgrade by the rating agencies and increased borrowing costs. Corruption is one of the contributing factors to these potentially disastrous challenge. The public sector is a significant part…
Fraud can hit organisations from various angles, and even though cybercrime and external fraud attacks are a huge risk, more often than many companies realise it is perpetrated from within. In fact, the Global Economic Crime and Fraud Survey showed that 41% of economic crimes in South Africa were committed by employees, compared to only…
We are living through what may amount to a Renaissance of new ideas, products and services due to the elaboration of blockchain technology, the development of Web 3.0 (the Internet of Value) and the ability to use the Internet to exchange and record transactions of value. To explain: Web 1.0 is defined as the ‘read-only…
Leadership is one of the biggest challenges not only to the accounting profession but to the world in general. And after COVID-19 hit in 2020, leadership has taken on a whole new dimension. To be an effective and engaging leaders today you need to develop skills and make an intentional effort to connect with your…
Hunger is the leading cause of death in the world. It’s up to all of us to do our part to end it The Global Nutrition Report 2020 reveals that malnutrition in its various forms has become the leading cause of death and illnesses worldwide. Current estimates are that nearly one in nine people are…
An existing skills deficit has now become an urgent problem in search of a solution Lockdowns and the emergence of the work-from-home (WFH) model is exacerbating a competency problem in accounting and auditing. Before COVID-19 struck, it was already apparent that students taking the Initial Test of Competency given by the South African Institute of…