TIDY UP THE MESS The cloud offers significant benefits when it comes to security and business continuity, writes Steven Cohen Cloud backup provider IronTree estimates that one in five South African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) experience some form of data loss once a year, most commonly as a result of accidents and natural disasters,…
The board of an organisation is required to understand the strategic importance of IT, assume responsibility for the governance of IT, and place IT governance on the board agenda. By Marius van den Berg This first principle in Chapter 5 of the King III code is central to the governance of Information Technology (IT), yet…
A focus on Africa Islamic finance A new world for the insurance industry SMP opportunities in Africa require local expertise Business in Africa In the past ten years, African countries have experienced unprecedented growth rates, with seven of the top ten fastest-growing economies in the world being those of key African countries Africa is a…
What is integrated reporting assurance all about? By Mark Hoffman Following the gathering momentum behind the integrated reporting initiative, it was not long before the debate regarding how to go about obtaining the necessary assurance over integrated reporting ensued. The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) in August 2014 released an insightful discussion paper entitled “Assurance…
Leigh Roberts explains the 101 of integrated reporting Q: Who should prepare an integrated report? A: There are many reasons that an organisation would – and should – prepare an integrated report. There’s absolutely no doubt that the integrated report – with its emphasis on conciseness, strategic focus and future orientation, connectivity of information, and…
Linda de Beer discusses the lessons learned, benefits gained, and views developed since the adoption of integrated reporting in South Africa The three to four years of experience in preparing integrated reports has been a difficult but value-enhancing journey for many corporate boards in South Africa. When King III was adopted in 2010, it was…
Growing global sustainability risks and the expectations of fund beneficiaries require the investment industry to take action, writes David Couldridge In 2009 Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), said: “We have to restore the conditions for growth driven by innovation, trade and investment … Notwithstanding the immediate crisis,…
Jeff Hubbard highlights the practical challenges of integrated reporting from the point of view of a chief financial officer I am sure there are not many people who would disagree with the concept of an integrated report under the aims stated by the IIRC; particularly for organisations that are of public interest. To preparers, the…
Warren Buffett famously said that ”Trust is like the air we breathe. When it’s present, nobody really notices. But when it’s absent, everybody notices.” Daniel Tisch concurs. Business has always been about trust and relationships – but never more so than today. With non-physicial and non-financial assets now comprising the vast majority of most companies’…
Graham Terry discusses a new era in corporate governance and management It always amazes me that humankind can believe in an accepted “truth” for long periods of time without really challenging the foundation on which it is built. There are many examples in history, but for purposes of illustration I mention one: the belief that…