Smaller families, longer life expectancy, and late parenthood in life mean that the number of people ‘sandwiched’ is growing, with an estimated 2,4 million Britons juggling their responsibilities for both parents and children. Being married and affluent roughly doubles your chances of being ‘sandwiched’. The Pew Research Centre (US) estimated that in 2013 nearly half…
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…
As the first cycle of the new Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) is completed, it is appropriate to reflect on the decision to substantially change the nature of the ‘Board Part 2’. Alex Watson explains SAICA clearly states that its role is to develop chartered accountants to be leaders in business, and this change in…
This article is the fourth in a series of six that explores six common mistakes that can negatively impact one’s personal financial situation. Mistake number four: not realising the importance of disability cover Disability cover is there to protect the lifestyle of an individual and his or her dependants in the event that they cannot…
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…
Our youth are the future leaders of our generation We are all familiar with the above saying. And Alvin Toffler said: ‘For society to attempt to solve its desperate problems without the full participation of even very young people is imbecile.’ You have all taken a step to pursue a career as chartered accountants, for…
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,…
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…
In January, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that the success of any nation lies in education. He noted that skills shortages were straining economic growth, and education was the only solution to this problem. He said education enterprises relied on committed educators; that students needed to take education more seriously; and that businesses needed to…
Devoted to one family and one firm, Andrew Hannington CA(SA) says he follows the Japanese model. Read his secrets of being a solution-finder and juggling the role as CEO of Grant Thornton JHB and his big family. Lynn Grala interviews him. It’s almost two years since Andrew Hannington took the reins as CEO of Grant…