Are you POPI compliant?

Processing of personal information is widely defined in section 1 of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPI) to include almost any activity in relation to personal information from the point of collection to the dissemination and destruction of such information. The conditions of lawful processing are stipulated in Chapter 3 of…

Good, better, Germany

Germany is a country like no other … it’s less known (and even lesser understood) by foreigners than most other European countries. If you think of a city in Germany, the name Berlin will probably pop into your head first – it’s surely one of the most fascinating cities in Europe, with a rich history.…

COVER STORY: Cracking the numbers game

It’s been said that if you don’t build your own dream, someone will hire you to help build theirs. It’s a maxim that two small-town entrepreneurs are living by. Describing himself as the black sheep of the family, Lefa Molete (30) says he was a naughty child who no-one expected would amount to much. In…

VIEWPOINT: Alpha, beta … and gamma

Most of us are familiar that when it comes to investments, the essential elements are “alpha” and “beta”. Yet what about your “gamma”, otherwise called ”the value of financial advice”? Simply, alpha is the added value that active investment management brings on top of beta, which is simply what the market achieves. The active versus…

INFLUENCE: Plugging the pain-points that come with financial consolidation

Many growing organisations find themselves confronted by the bewildering reporting complexity of multiple entities, divisions, business units and cost centres in locations locally and across the world. This expansion very often far outstrips the collating and reporting capabilities of the legacy spreadsheet and standalone accounting applications currently in use. In addition, finance departments in most…

Special Report – Employees

Turning the tide on the skills shortage As dire as the skills scarcity in the accounting profession is, there’s hope in the form of mentors who could just provide the lifeline our sector needs to survive The skills shortage in South Africa’s financial sector has reached critical level, with industries like the accounting sector being…

UP-TO-DATE: Keeping you informed of business today

STRUCTURAL REFORMS NEEDED TO ADDRESS UNEMPLOYMENT South Africa’s endemic unemployment can be addressed through structural reforms that include improving the labour market environment and conditions of employment, International Monetary Fund (IMF) MD Christine Lagarde said in April. The IMF held meetings in Washington where representatives of member states were deliberating ways of achieving faster economic…

VIEWPOINT: No time for enemies

If only we didn’t have to work and live with human beings. But sadly, people bring their baggage – past and present – to every situation (socially and work). Unavoidably tensions will exist. If you are bumping heads in your social or work environment it means two people are having a fight (you being one).…

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…