It will be some time before any detailed analysis emerges from the CFO Global Business Outlook survey undertaken by North Carolina’s Duke University in 2013, but what appears to be a contradiction is obvious at first glance. The survey sample included 35 South African CFOs and while optimism about their country’s prospects was low (averaging…
I once heard a line of leadership advice that seemed so counter-intuitive in theory, and yet produced such brilliant results in practice, that I never forgot it. I was told: “Always be smart enough to hire people brighter than yourself.” At first, I was a little taken aback. In the dog-eat-dog world of corporate business,…
It is estimated to cost between R2 million and R4,5 million to raise and educate a middle-class child in South Africa, depending on private school and tertiary education (never mind postgraduate and professional qualifications). In the US, CNN estimated the cost at $241 000 to the age of 18, excluding college. Furthermore, the UK Guardian…
There may once have been a time when being a university professor or lecturer was a cushy job – but if there was, that time is long past. These days, academics not only have to teach, research, and mentor students, they increasingly also have to raise and manage their own funding. And they often have…
Socially responsible investing (SRI) is a growing international trend, though many private individuals are still under the illusion that SRI constitutes a cost. In fact, research abounds to prove that it substantially enhances investment returns. Therefore it is both possible and logical that investors satisfy their personal social ideals without compromising returns by investing in…
SOUTH AFRICA: INVESTOR’S HANDBOOK Deloitte recently released the updated 2013/14 edition of South Africa: Investor’s Handbook, which was produce in conjunction with the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti). South Africa has a number of characteristics that make it a compelling investment destination on the African continent. The handbook provides investors with a broad…
Ajen Sita (EY Africa CEO) has cast his shadow over virtually every aspect of the Big Four firm’s business model since assuming the helm in July 2010, but nowhere more so than in its redefining of its Africa business. Demonstrating where Sita’s passion truly lies, he explains what he foresees himself doing should he ever…
Open-cast coalmines are ugly, as I saw for myself when recently viewing a client’s massive open-cast mine in Mpumalanga. Sprawling over several hectares, the scene was as apocalyptic as I had imagined. Four steaming pits sliced deep into the earth fed a relentless stream of mammoth tipper trucks ferrying their black cargo to washing plants.…
Many companies sell goods or services on credit to customers resulting in the recognition of trade receivables in their financial records. This type of financial asset is currently measured by most companies in terms of the International Accounting Standard 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement (IAS 39). However, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is…
Leadership is evolving with the next generation. The way things were done in the past, from pyramid corporate structures to top-down budgeting, has slowly fallen away as new generations come along with their own views on how things should be and where the generation before has gone wrong. This is nothing new – it is…