Making money in a business does not only depend on profit margins, growth in turnover and growing market share. The manner in which the business is financed can also have a substantial impact on the shareholder returns generated by the business. It will serve any business to have a strategic look at its balance sheet…
By Ankur Prakash, Vice President, New Growth and Emerging Markets, Wipro Limited 30 October 2017 As we race towards an uncertain future, one thing’s for sure: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay. We cannot know exactly how it will reshape our work, our businesses, and our lives in general, but there are some fascinating and…
Unpacking technology imperatives for chartered accountants How will the maturation of data science combined with advancements in artificial intelligence revolutionise the role of the CA(SA)? Last month we ventured into the future by touching on disruptive technologies and how they are helping to shape (or in many cases reshape) our profession. In this, the second…
Many South Africans are faced with the situation of having to financially support not only their own children but their parents or other family members too. While it is always done with good intentions, this group of people can make the mistake of neglecting their own financial well-being by prioritising their family’s needs. In these…
Why is now the time to implement B-BBEE in your business? For quite a number of reasons. In these articles, this year we have discussed some important technical issues to keep in mind when deciding on a B-BBEE strategy. We said that although B-BBEE inherently remains a ‘grudge purchase’ for most, if the intent is…
In the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, one new force changed everything. And according to McKinsey, today our world is undergoing an even more dramatic transition as a result of the union of four fundamental disruptive forces – urbanisation, accelerating technological change, an ageing population and greater global connections –…
We recently binged the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why. The series is about a teenager committing suicide after suffering demoralising circumstances and the 13 reasons she gives for ending her life is getting a lot of attention. 2017 Estimates by the World Health Organisation show 800 000 people die as a result of suicide every…
Section 24I of the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962 was introduced to deal with foreign exchange gains and losses on any unit of currency on hand, debts due to or by a taxpayer, forward exchanges contacts, and forward currency option contracts. Where a debt is therefore due to a South African taxpayer (not a…
I recently spent 20 minutes with one remarkable individual after the next as fellow judges and I assessed finalists in SAICA’s Top 35-Under-35 chartered accountants for 2017. Though varying evaluation criteria guided the process, one metric stood out for me: integrity. I often reflect on the challenges facing South Africa’s leadership at present and the…
This article isn’t directed at the large multinationals with vast security resources but is meant for the individual who is keen to protect his privacy and small businesses who want to make sure they are protecting their information Over the course of the last decade, a new economy has come to dominate global markets; similar…