Richard Gray Cottrell Auditing and Accounting Stalwart passes on. It is with deep sadness that I came to learn of the passing of Rick Cottrell on 5 November 2012. He was 76. My memories of Rick are many and varied. I first met him during my Coopers & Lybrand days and it was during his…
Business rationalisation, realignment, recovery, rescues… the intention is the same, but the degree of intensity and urgency may change. This article discusses the situation where a company has been given a lifeline of an approved Business Rescue Plan but has to balance the need for speed by having to engage in negotiation for reducing employment.…
Free cash flows are not colourless as they tend to be defined depending on the type of free cash flow valuation being performed. I once posed this question to students in an equity valuation lecture. The response to this question tentacle to a number of issues: 1. Is there a single valid starting point for…
Governing IT through Strategic Alignment Many businesses find themselves stuck in the technology gap: what company boards expect from IT governance is often far removed from what IT departments comprehend as the business’s needs. Boards cannot rely on IT to understand their business needs and to bridge the technology gap, but must use business strategy…
Infiniti’s FX 3.0 S and Toyota’s 86 – How much beauty? How much beast? The latest brand to hit South African soil is Infiniti – Nissan’s premium brand, similar to Toyota’s Lexus. I tested Infiniti’s SUV model, which, in my opinion, is one of the sportiest looking SUV’s available in South Africa. Its swooping lines…
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO LIVE A STYLISH LIFE For your next trip to Durban opt to stay at the St James on Venice Luxury Boutique Hotel. There is an old proverb that says ‘it is a sin against hospitality to open your doors and darken your countenance’. And nowhere is this taken more to heart…
The fascinating story of South Africa’s first deaf Chartered Accountant. She refused to let her deafness get in the way of her dreams, amitions and philosophies. The main tenet behind Yann Martel’s bestseller, Life of Pi, is that one needs adversity in order to enable one to survive. Readers were in awe of how the…
Africa’s Economic Evolution Many pathways, some of them dead ends, weaved Africa’s economic story – a story of investment, unlocked natural capital, complex adaptive process and competitive struggle for survival, with modest accumulation. What we are left with is today’s mix of medieval-with-modern economic modes. Underperformance is the leitmotif of contemporary state-dominated economies. Nonetheless, Africa…
Investing with Him VS her? Investing is historically a male-dominated industry; therefore it’s logical that there are significantly more male fund managers than female fund managers. Yet statistically, female and male fund managers approach decision-making differently. But how does this affect the return I earn? If I’m comparing the results of two funds which are…
In 2011 the landmark merger between SizweNtsaluba VSP and Gobodo Incorporated formed the largest black-owned and managed auditing and accounting firm in South Africa. September 2012 witnessed the birth of SekelaXabiso, the country’s second largest black-owned and managed practice, when Xabiso Chartered Accountants and Sekela Consulting joined forces. South Africa’s corporations and public sector companies…