Business Brief - resource:all

Valuation of Intellectual Property Assets

By far the most significant recent transaction from a value perspective is Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc for $12.5 billion, which was motivated on the basis of Google gaining access to Motorola's portfolio of patents.

VoIP quality and reliability? No problem.

VoIP is often blamed for quality or reliability issues with phone and call centre systems, but in reality it is completely ready for carrier-class communications.

Government spouses get quick access to pension funds on divorce

When it comes to divorce, the law governing the Government Employee Pension Fund ("GEPF") has been ruled unconstitutional by the Western Cape High Court.

Investing, retiring and the budget

The challenge Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan faced in his 2012/13 Budget was how to narrow the budget deficit, meet social spending demands and maintain infrastructure investment. He essentially did so by raising taxes and the tax burden.

Best Practice in Performance Coaching: A Handbook for Leaders, Coaches, HR Professionals and Organisations

Effective performance coaching can help individuals and organisations achieve their maximum potential, tackle challenges and reach specific goals.

The Real Value of Training: Measuring and Analysing Business Outcomes and the Quality of ROI

The financial crisis and ensuing recession permanently changed how business is conducted. Executives and other decision makers, pressured to accomplish higher goals with lower budgets, are demanding greater levels of accountability from their people.

The Trainer's Handbook of Leadership Development: Tools, Techniques, and Activities

The Trainer's Handbook of Leadership Development offers facilitators, human resource professionals, and consultants a wide-variety of tools and techniques for developing leadership competencies and characteristics.

Integrating Training Needs Analysis, Assessment and Evaluation

Are you integrating the practices of needs analysis, assessment and evaluation? These key business practices can assist an organisation to create a competitive enviroment where skilled employees and competitive practices can assist the organisation to keeps its competitive advantage

ASTD Handbook for Workplace Learning Professionals

Published by the world's biggest professional organisation for Training and Development specialists the ASTD Handbook for Learning Professionals will be the ultimate resource which you will consult time and time again.

The tablet dons a suit and tie

The tablet PC, popularised by the Apple iPad, has revolutionised the consumer computing market. A huge demand drove other suppliers to develop similar touch-screen, ultra portable tablet devices, and this in turn gave rise to the explosion of apps and multi-media content.

Did Bernanke Prevent Another Depression?

In a lecture given at George Washington University on March 27, 2012, the chairman of the Fed said that the US central bank's aggressive response to the 2007–2009 financial crisis and recession helped prevent a worldwide catastrophe.

Prevent your outsourcing costs spiralling out of control

Managed services are becoming increasingly popular in the South African market as many businesses look towards models that eliminate the need for investment in technology whilst outsourcing non-core functions to specialists.

Further Techniques for Coaching and Mentoring

This highly practical, comprehensive book reflects the increasing professionalization of coaching and mentoring, and the mounting expectation that coaches undergo regular supervision to ensure the quality and safety of their practice, and to encourage their continued professional development.

Coaching Leaders: The 7 "P" Tools to Propel Change

Coaching Leaders endeavours to assist coaches and leaders in coaching their clients or subordinates. Coaching is defined as an interactive process to facilitate a coachee in achieving goals.

Moving towards a virtualised desktop environment. Is SA ready?

Client virtualisation is high on the agenda of many enterprises. According to a survey by consultants Centracon, nearly half of all 309 organisations polled believe that virtualisation is more efficient and economical than traditional desktop structures.

Getting the most out of your call centre analytics

Technology offers a powerfli means of improving the performance of call centre agents, with analytics (reports) having the most direct bearing. But the intricacies of analytics necessitate having a trusted advisor on your side, to choose and interpret the right data models and reports.

VoIP in South Africa – a somewhat muffled user experience

There are rumblings emerging from the midst of the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) space – they are the groans of frustrated users who have invested in the technology with little or no guidance and support. Like most other areas of ICT and telecoms, the value of VoIP lies in understanding its correct application.

Allée Bleue : The total experience

Allée Bleue Estate is situated in Groot Drakenstein, in the heart of the Western Cape winegrowing region. Close to Franschhoek, the picturesque Estate owes its name to the giant, 'blue' eucalyptus trees which line the entrance to the farm.

Costa Rica : Pura - Pure Life

In Costa Rica, this simple phrase is a greeting, a way to wish someone well, an answer to the question "how are you?", and a verbal manifestation of a way of life in a country that more than any other, hasembraced environmental sustainability. It is an object lesson to us all, to better care for our beaten and battered planet.

Mount Grace - Rooted Elegance

Just 60 minutes from Johannesburg and 45 minutes from Pretoria, Mount Grace Country House occupies a dominant position in landscape of luxury retreats in the Magaliesburg.

Retaining the best

Wages and salaries total 60-70% of total company cost! Within a multinational corporation with 5,000 employees – the recording, storing and processing of this data is an arduous task! HR Managers and Payroll experts need to be consulted to make the process as streamlined and efficient as possible.

Scan + Protect = Secure

Theft is more common than ever before! Preventative measures ought to be taken to protect a company's assets – both material and electronic. As criminals become smarter, business owners must create a security strategy for long-term protection.

Water Scarcity - A Business Concern

Production methods, customer requirements, investor sensitivities and capacity levels that shift in the wake of constrained water availability could threaten many successful business models.

Contactless Payment Solution

The way South Africans currently pay for low value purchases (LVP) under R200 is rapidly changing through the implementation of various contactless payment solutions. These occur in both the transit and retail environments.

Implication for drunks

South Africa is one of the highest alcohol consuming countries in the world. Not surprisingly, therefore, it has an alarming number of fatalities, and serious injury to individuals and property caused by drunk drivers.

Deal? But no deal!

Breaking stories in the news recently have placed the auctioning business under a spotlight. In the past there weren't many laws directly governing auctioning and it was a substantially unregulated industry in South Africa.

Retirement Reform : New national scheme a remedy for all

By 2014,Government could start the implementation of a national retirement scheme,based on recent announcements in the Budget Speech.

Window of opportunity opens...

If your company is thinking of selling any capital assets and its year end is not February or March there may be a window of opportunity to do it at the lower effective tax rate for a short while.

The two new labour acts…

We further expect Business to be vocal about a number of amendments that will affect their cost structures and their willingness to employ. What is important for employers is it is not only further regulation for the Temporary Employment Services industry but further regulation for all forms of a-typical employment.

Significant declines in liquidation, insolvency stats

South Africa's liquidations and insolvency numbers declined dramatically in February, figures released yesterday by Statistics South Africa indicate.

South Africans still have an edge in global markets

South Africans should be more self-confident about their ability to innovate in the IT solutions space: We operate in a vacuum a lot of the time. It's only when you go to the international conferences that you begin to realise that in some areas we are actually way ahead of our counterparts in the rest of the world.

HP South Africa appoints Clive Brindley as new Software Country Manager

HP has announced the appointment of Clive Brindley as Software Country Manager for HP South Africa, effective immediately.

Budget takes us back to basics

Considered by many a different form of "capital punishment" – or at least a lifelong sentence. So investors would have paid keen attention to the tax amendments put forward in National Treasury's 2012/13 Budget, and would have watched as further judgment was handed down.

Back to the Drawing Board - Designing Corporate Boards for a Complex World

In Back to the Drawing Board, Carter and Lorsch reveal that boards are in need of a major redesign. Based on their deep experience working with the boards of some of the world's leading companies, the authors outline an approach to board design that is applicable across countries, industries and businesses - yet can and must be customised to suit each board's unique situation.

Handbook of Organisational Consulting Psychology - A Comprehensive Guide to Theory, Skills, and Techniques

Whether working on the individual, group, or organisational level, consulting psychologists have become vital to improving the people side of organisations.

Leading Organisation Design - How to Make Organisation Design Decisions to Drive the Results you want

Today's organisations are complex as the global strategies they are designed to support. The right organisation design is a competitive advantage as companies expand their reach into emerging markets and attempt to channel scarce resources away from yesterday's priorities into innovation and new growth opportunities

Practicing Organisation Development - A Guide for Leading Change

Building on its reputation as the most practical, comprehensive, useful, and clearly written handbook on organisation development (OD), this new edition of Practicing Organisation Development has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the most recent developments in the field.

CPA will present contact centre challenges and opportunities

Now that the act is in effect, companies must have a strong grip on their customer interactions, information flow and document management. When disputes arise with customers, it is up to the company to provide full records of the interaction, whether that be in the form of a contact centre call recordings, email interactions or a contract signed in-store.

Green Leasing: a moral obligation or a smart investment?

Green leasing, which sees building owners and tenants introduce sustainable practices into building operations to mutual advantage, has taken off internationally. In South Africa, however, awareness of the concept is just filtering through to larger organisations.

SARS Employer filling seasons lies just around the corner

SARS will soon announce when the annual PAYE reconciliation submission season is to commence. The likelihood is that it will begin on the first working day of April (Monday April 2) and extend until the last working day of May.

Samsung Electronics South Africa appoints Craige Fleischer as Head of Mobile Communications

Craige Fleischer has been appointed head of Mobile Communications for Samsung Electronics South Africa. This appointment, which is effective as of 1 April 2012.

The Trillion-Rand budget

Last October the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement was tabled against the backdrop of a somewhat optimistic economic outlook. South Africa's GDP was expected to increase at 3.1% for 2011 and 3.4% for 2012.

Applify yourself – why all industries should embrace the iPad

The growth of tablets continues to surpass all expectations, throwing the PC industry into disarray and turning the heads of everyone from your three year-old to educationists to corporate buyers across the board.

Run of the mill qualifications mean very little

Institutions, in many cases foreign, that offer instant academic qualifications 'at the touch of a button' are on the increase and these 'qualifications' have little or no practical value in the marketplace.

How to be Good at Performance Appraisals: Simple. Effective. Done Right

One of a manager's toughest - and most important - responsibilities is to evaluate employees' performance, providing honest feedback and clarifying what they've done well and where they need to improve.

The Performance Pipeline: Getting the Right Performance at Every Level of Leadership

From Stephen Drotter, coauthor of the bestselling book The Leadership Pipeline, comes the next-step resource designed to help leaders at every level succeed in an uncertain business environment. The Performance Pipeline is a groundbreaking book that is based on Stephen Drotters forty years of in-depth work with more than 100 companies worldwide.

Beyond Performance Management

In Beyond Performance Management, Jeremy Hope and Steve Player offer answers, critically reviewing forty well-known management tools and practices - from mission statements, balanced scorecards, and rolling forecasts to key performance indicators, Six Sigma, and performance appraisals.

A Guide for Coachees: How to Optimise Your Personal Coaching Journey

This gem of a book is a must-read for everyone who is considering working with a coach.

Mentoring & Coaching

The Bottom-line Impact of Mentoring and Coaching, Team Mentoring and Coaching, Impact on Diversity

Coaching & Mentoring Supervision: Theory and Practice

This is the first book to address the full spectrum of coaching and mentoring supervision. The reader gets an opportunity to compare and contrast different approaches and models, and is introduced to theory in a concise, accessible way

The Complete Handbook of Coaching

This comprehensive book explores the full variety of coaching theories, approaches and settings, and offers strategies for the reader to identify and develop a personal style of coaching.

Sbu Gule appointed Chairman of Norton Rose South Africa

Sbu Gule has been appointed Chairman of Norton Rose South Africa with effect from 1 April 2012. Sbu's knowledge of business and experience as a leading labour lawyer make him the ideal candidate for the role of Chairman.

High Performance Coaching for Managers: 7 Effective Keys

The author has succeeded in producing a book that reads easily so that both managers and professional coaches might find it of interest

2012 Tax Related Budget Proposal

The following is a summary of the tax related budget proposals announced by the Minister of Finance on 22 February 2012.

Gordhan delivers safe no surprises budget with some relief for taxpayers

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan delivered a safe, no real surprises budget today (Tuesday 22 February) with R9.5-billion personal tax relief achieved by increasing the personal tax brackets

Keep Records or Face Jail

Directors of South African businesses need to ensure that they are fully compliant with the latest record keeping regulations in terms of the new Companies Act, in order to avoid potential legal feels and in some cases, imprisonment and business closure

Marketing the Future

Life and everything we do seems to be speeding up – so fast, so vast, limitlessly propelled beyond the referential sphere of reality, the present and consciousness.

Investment Management

The investor should assess existing obligations, annuities and assets when trying to plan an alternative strategy.

The value of the MBA

The value of an MBA degree has been widely criticised by scholars and business practitioners.

Diversity - A Business Imperative

Diversity in the boardroom is critical in today's increasingly competitive multinational and multicultural markets and requires continuous focus.

Unemployed vs Unions

More than 6 million South Africans are unemployed and unionised members are becoming more cautious about their union engagement.

Growth for Africa : The Golden opportunity is now

The African continent's economic pulse has quickened, creating a dynamic African business sector with ample commerce opportunities empowering countries across the continent to achieve greater economies of scale, increased investment and become more competitive.

Hosting our Diversity

Firstly, the global recession, though fortunately less prevalent locally than abroad, has caused an industry-wide slowdown in 2011, which however is unlikely to continue as both domestic and foreign players push for economic recovery.

Zoom appoints a new Creative Director

ZOOM Advertising, Ogilvy's expert retail and 'brands at retail' agency, announces the appointment of its new Creative Director: Nina Daniel-Gruber.

Marrying mobile and retail for all customers

According to eBay’s CEO, John Donahoe, there will be more change in the way consumers shop and pay in the next five years than there has been in the last 10.

Suretyships and business rescue

When a company is placed under business rescue, the question arises as to the enforceability of a suretyship given for the debts of or by the company.

Better quality data equals increased profitability

In sectors such as mining and manufacturing, where prices are often fixed or at least expected to fall within certain parameters, improving profitability is not simply a matter of increasing the selling price.

Major easing of exchange controls announced

Finance minister Pravin Gordhan has kept his mid-term budget promise made in October last year to further ease exchange controls, with a series of recently announced relaxations.

Maputo: The Bay of plenty - Hotel Cardoso

At just under one hour, the flight to Maputo is over in a flash. The gorgeous bay that is overlooked by the Hotel Cardoso, is not visible - only heightening the sense of urgency and excitement of travellers desperate to touchdown on local shores.

Fine dining in the bank - Clico Boutique Hotel

Clico is an established 5-star guesthouse, offering chic accommodation, divine dining as well as versatile conference and events facilities.

Breathtaking beauty in the bush - Tuningi Safari Lodge

Luxury Safari lodges often have to compromise on either the authenticity of 'the bush experience' or the extravagance of the setting in order to provide the visitor with a bona fide lodge stay.

Confidence: The key for unlocking your future

Having confidence is the key to unlocking opportunities. Sadly, however, many talented people miss out on discovering their true potential and abilities due to a lack of confidence

Five tips to grow your business in a downturn

Governments are using austerity measures to battle the downturn. Families are tightening their belts. But for businesses there are five simple ways to save costs and grow even during economic turmoil.

Disclosure of D & O Policies under Commercial Agreements

A 2011 Australian court decision in BOS International v Babcock ruled that an undertaking in a commercial agreement to provide information about a company's assets and financial position overrides a confidentiality clause in a directors & officers insurance policy.

ORM helps marketers turn crises into opportunities

Many marketing managers barely pay attention to social media until a real crisis hits their brands. At that point, they'll rush into action with no real plan or strategy behind the frantic tweets and Facebook posts they send out in response to the rapid spread of untrue rumours or angry complaints across social networks.

Another CA(SA) to provide SA views to development of IFRS

Bruce Mackenzie, Managing Partner at W.consulting, has been appointed to represent the South African Financial Reporting Standards Council (FRSC) on the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Advisory Council.

Anti-corruption legislation is becoming an international norm

Internationally, corruption in business is coming under increasing scrutiny, particularly in regard to corrupt payments made to government officials in order to gain trade advantages. No longer can the greasing of palms be regarded as an acceptable (or risk-free) way of growing a business.

Certification fraud denting market

Fewer available places at tertiary education institutions and a marked decrease in learners who have matriculated with mathematics and science is a major concern to education authorities and employers.

Launch of new qualification will fill vital skills gap

South Africa, presently rated as one of the least competitive countries in the world, could see the business tide beginning to turn in the nation's favour when a practical, multi-faceted approach to the development of crucial business skills gets underway at Rhodes University this year.

SA loses scarce skills to Africa

South Africa stands to lose scarce skilled resources to other African countries

Eversheds appoints a new chairman

Eversheds is proud to announce Lavery Modise as their new first black chairman

The Three Pillars of Human Resource Outsourcing

Outsourcing a strategically important business function such as Human Resources is a difficult business decision to make

Is 2012 the year of ‘delivery’ for data quality?

The relevance of data quality in achieving delivery for Business Intelligence (BI) implementations has becoming increasingly clear over the past few years, and in 2012

Defining your financial goals for 2012

Most businesses are created, at least in part, to make money, and financial achievement is an important way to measure the success of a business

New board appointment at credit guarantee

Credit Guarantee announced today that Dheven Dharmalingam has been appointed a non-executive director of Credit Guarantee Insurance Corporation from 1 January 2012.

Top SA law firms merger

Bowman Gilfillan and Adams & Adams have agreed in principle to merge Bowman Gilfillan's intellectual property law practice with Adams & Adams on 1 March

Information is the new currency. Is your data adequately protected? - Part 2

An XML database firewall monitor is another necessary security measure, as this will monitor all requests to the database and block and flag irregular or malicious requests whilst checking employees' access rights and permissions.

Socialising on a global scale

The widespread growth of social networking proves that the ability to reach a multitude of people quickly, instantly and without interruption is a highly attractive proposition for consumers of all ages and backgrounds

Demystifying the steps to a greener organisation

Sustainable energy has emerged as an important corporate agenda point and many organisations today communicate their efforts in strategic marketing campaigns.

How does HTML5 fit into your mobile strategy?

The thorny issue of the role HTML5 can play in the mobile landscape has yet to be put to bed for once and for all.

2012: Trends in the contact centre

Change is afoot in the South African contact centre industry, as savvy companies realise that their customers are communicating with them in new and different ways.

Information is the new currency. Is your data adequately protected? - Part 1

Towards the latter part of the 20th century, computers began to emerge as a powerful force to be reckoned with, and as the 21st century continues it has become increasingly clear that information has become the new currency and data can be regarded as a measure of wealth in today's world

Three Cheers for Civilisation and Free Markets this Festive Season

As you open your gifts this festive season, or tuck into your dinner, take a moment to think about the extent to which free markets have made this possible.

Shining a light on local content

Last week, the amendments to the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) came into effect. The new amended Act gives the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) the power to cherry-pick certain sectors and products within the South African economy for special privileges

The art of law - contracts for the disposal of the company's business and major assets

The decision in Royal British Bank v Turquand was handed down in the English courts over 150 years ago, but it remains a cornerstone of company law.

The art of law - An expert contract draftsperson

The art of law - An expert contract draftsperson will foresee what could go wrong after the contract is signed, and make sure that the contract regulates those eventualities.

e-taxline - The evolution of voluntary disclosure

The Voluntary Disclosure Programme (VDP) expired on 31 October 2011. This program allowed taxpayers who voluntarily disclosed certain defaults to SARS to be granted relief from additional taxes, penalties and interest

Not always above board

Non profits that are struggling to successfully apply for funding from the National Lottery Board (NLB) should persevere in their attempts – even if it means finding a public interest lawyer to stand in their corner.

Unemployed versus Unions: Getting the Priorities Right

More than 6 million South Africans are unemployed and unionised members are becoming more cautious about their union engagement

Five communication trends for the contact centre industry

The age of the one way communication street - where brands controlled the manner in which their customers communicated with them – has passed.

ERP's Value for listing

Listing on the stock exchange may be a daunting prospect but it is destined to offer a wealth of benefits and opportunity for the business, not least of which is the elevated status and financial standing created.

2011: The year of big data

This was the year of big data. In the last two to three years we have accumulated more data than ever before¹. This provides both a challenge and an opportunity for companies, and the ones who get it right fastest are going to lead the pack.

Why labour broking works in the software development industry

A study by the Development Policy Research Unit at the University of Cape Town has shown that 20% of all jobs created in South Africa since 1994 have been for temporary employees and were generated by labour brokers.

How should trustees of pension funds control administration fees?

Trustees of pension funds have been in the news of late for the wrong reasons – investments gone awry. One of the ways in which trustees can reduce the risk of this happening is by the appointment of expert investment administrators

E-Tolling - impractical, inefficient and ungovernable

The latest debacle and confusion around the how the authorities intend to enforce e-tolling offenders is yet another example of how little thought was given to this process.

New rules make international arbitration more efficient and cost-effective

The Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has introduced new rules of arbitration which will have a far-reaching impact on the resolution of international business disputes.

Watershed year for SMS approaching

2012 is the year the electronic communications opt-in vs opt-out debate is going to come to a head, and the fallout is going to have a significant impact on both businesses and consumers.

Protection of Personal Information Bill: Companies should get their houses in order, soon

Organisations hesitant to fork out the extra cash and effort needed to start complying with the Protection of Personal Information Bill should consider the significant international trade implications of noncompliance.

The importance of project management

Today's corporate organisations have developed a completely new way of doing business that has overturned the rigid, hierarchical and divided system of labour in years past.

Cipcing into chaos

In July financial journalist Ann Crotty reported on the chaos that is being experienced with the registration and deregistration of companies and close corporations at the office of the newly established Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC)

Credit card fraud can be stopped

The rise in credit card fraud over the last year is a cause for major concern and financial services organisations need to tighten their grip on illicit transactions fast, or face not only losing money but losing customers as well, not to mention the reputational damage that may be incurred.

HR and Payroll Legislation Expected in 2012 and beyond

The new methods of granting a measure of tax relief on the contributions made to medical schemes will be implemented from March 2012, and is expected to be followed by similar amendments to the taxing of medical expenses in 2013

Without connectivity we are lost

The recent data outages at international company Research in Motion (RIM), which left Blackberry users across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Brazil, Chile and Argentina without connectivity for days on end and sparked outrage from these users on social media platforms, only serve to highlight how dependent the modern world has become on stable Internet connectivity, particularly through previously non-traditional channels such as smartphones.

Choosing the right PR agency

Companies looking to further their corporate communications strategies serve to benefit greatly from appointing the correct public relations agency. PR is a long-term investment, so it's vital that you make the right decisions when it comes to deciding whom to hire. Take the following points into consideration:

The China effect - eroding SA's economy, increasing unemployment and delivering inferior products

We've all heard the saying 'local is lekker' and seen campaigns by local manufacturers urging us to support South African brands. However, the China effect is being felt the world over, our own country included, as businesses and retailers increasingly look towards the Far East to source products rather than supporting local manufacturers. This because of the plain fact that goods manufactured in China are cheaper.

Experian SA appoints new Managing Director

Michelle Beetar has been appointed Managing Director for Experian South Africa, the leading supplier of credit management solutions, effective 01 December 2011. She succeeds Jim Fick, who will be taking on an executive role at Experian Global.

Starting sweating? New tax bill threatens your rights!

The Tax Administration Bill 11 of 2011 may face constitutional challenges should it be promulgated in its current form.The Bill gives SARS much wider powers, impacts on taxpayers’ rights andcontains provisions that could affect taxpayers’ rights to hold a passport, to travel and to trade.

Accounting Solutions - Die by the count

Business owners’ are under pressure to keep their businesses alive – maximise profit, whilst at the same time minimise costs without this being a detriment to operations. The monitoring of this vital process is called accounting – which incorporates the analysis and management of financial statements detailing assets owned and debts owed.

Entrepreneurship : Grow your own way

Entrepreneurship represents opportunity! Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are sprouting globally and in South Africa based on the tenuous economic climate.

Steps to financial independence

Our easy to execute twelve step plan gives you one task a month. Execute each of these according to your circumstances and priorities and you are well on your way to financial freedom.

Shaping Brands in 2012

‘Autonomy’, ‘recognition’, ‘freedom and discovery’, ‘belonging’, ‘more global, more local’, ‘identity blur’, ‘new consciousness’, ‘vitality’, ‘wired world’ and ‘take a stand’ – 10 phrases that South African brand owners should pay serious attention to as they hold the key to current shifts in consumer attitudes and behaviour.

Retail under fire

The retail sector in South Africa faces a number of security challenges, chief among them being theft and a growing trend towards violent armed robbery. Theft is a common problem across retailers, from grocery stores to clothing merchants and everything in between, whether the stores are located in malls or are street facing. This age old issue includes petty theft from within the stores, items going missing in delivery bays, and items not being scanned at till points, all of which contribute to increased risk and lowered profitability.

ANCYL misconceives economic freedom

According to US economist Walter Williams, a simple definition of "economic freedom” (more generally known as "a free market”), is "voluntary exchange between individuals free of third party intervention”. This is certainly not what the ANC Youth League mean in their declaration that "7 cardinal pillars of economic freedom in our lifetime are identified as the most vital components of the immediate tasks and functions to be pursued in the consolidation of real and sustainable economic transformation”.

The Marketing Association of South Africa appoints new CEO, Sarel du Plessis

Sarel du Plessis, is the newly appointed CEO of the Marketing Association of South Africa MA(SA), the representative voice for organisations and individuals within the South African marketing industry. Read more about Sarel here.

FSP’s face closure

Failure to comply with the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (FAIS) can result in hefty fines or possible closure by the Financial Services Board (FSB) for any Financial Services Provider (FSP) or financial intermediary who does not ensure an accurate record of all services rendered or advice offered, and securely store the information for up to five years.

Convergence driving business expectations

Technological convergence - initially confined to the integration of voice, video and data communications onto a single (IP) network - has entered a new era with the coming of age of Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC).

Katz Breskal Insurance Brokers joins RBS to Create one of SA’s leading independent brokerages

South African insurance brokerage, Risk Benefit Solutions (RBS), has merged with Western Cape based Katz Breskal Insurance Brokers (KBIB) to form one of the largest independent insurance brokerages in the country. The merged company - RBS Katz Breskal - will service a book of approximately 20 000 clients and approximately R300 million in annual premium income.

Walmart changes landscape for future mergers

Merging companies need to give careful consideration to whether their transaction gives rise to public-interest concerns, and if so, they should deal with these at an early stage of planning their transaction.

Promotion of Access to Information – is your manual ready?

The deadline for businesses to submit their manuals on how to access their records, as required by the Promotion of Access to Information Act of 2000 (PAIA) is fast approaching..

Attention No-one! Have I got a brand unavailable for you!

In a R30 billion plus industry, the average South African is bombarded by advertising. Some of its good, some of its bad, some we take (a little) notice of, while some annoy or irritate and some of it helps us in our lives.

Harvard Business Review on Succeeding as an Entrepreneur

Great entrepreneurs don't take risks. They manage them. If you need the best practices and ideas for launching new ventures this book is for you. Here are nine inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: zero in on your most promising prospects, set a clear direction for your start-up, test and revise your assumptions along the way, tackle risks that could sabotage your efforts, carve out opportunities in emerging markets, launch a start-up within your company, and hand over the reins when it's time.

Harvard Business Review on Greening Your Business Profitably

Protect the earth and your bottom line. If you need the best practices and ideas for turning sustainability into competitive advantage--but don't have time to find them--this book is for you. Here are 10 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: craft strategy to compete on green turf, redesign your business model, products, and processes to achieve green goals, parlay your efforts into lower costs and higher revenues, capture more value from clean-tech investments, launch sustainability programs with impact, synchronize green initiatives by overhauling your supply chain, engage constructively with environmental activist groups, and mitigate the risks of climate change.

Harvard Business Review on Winning Negotiations

Persuade others to do what you want--for their own reasons. Here are 10 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: seal or sweeten a bargain by uncovering the other side's motives, conquer faulty assumptions to make the right deals, forge deals only when they support your strategy, set the stage for a healthy relationship long after the ink has dried, make promises you can keep, gain your adversaries' trust in high-stakes talks, and know when to walk away.

Harvard Business Review on Thriving in Emerging Markets

Beat local companies at their game. If you need the best practices and ideas for gaining market share in developing economies--but don't have time to find them--this book is for you. Here are 10 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: manage risk in unstable environments, ward off political threats to your business, customize your business model for emerging markets, tailor your strategy to capitalize on countries? strengths, gain ground on emerging giants, compete in China’s new high-tech market, win the war for talent in developing economies, and serve the bottom of the pyramid profitably.

Harvard Business Review on Reinventing Your Marketing

Stop pushing products--and start cultivating customer relationships. Here are 10 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: figure out what business you're really in, collaborate with customers to meet current and future needs, create products that perform the jobs people need to get done, get a bird's-eye view of your brands' strengths and weaknesses, tap a market that's larger than China and India combined, deliver superior value to your B2B customers, and end the war between sales and marketing.

Harvard Business Review on Rebuilding Your Business Model

Revise your game plan--and profit from the change. If you need the best practices and ideas for creating business models that drive growth--but don't have time to find them--this book is for you. Here are 10 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: reinvent your business profitably, set your model up for success with a winning competitive strategy, test and change your assumptions about customers, spot trends that could transform your business, exploit disruptive technologies, give traditional offerings a shot in the arm, produce game changers for your industry or market, and build a new business in an established organization.

Harvard Business Review on Managing Supply Chains

Find and fix your weakest links. If you need the best practices and ideas for making your supply chain strong and agile then this book is for you. Here are 10 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: use your supply chain as a competitive weapon, gain customers' trust by revealing where your products come from, collaborate with other companies--even rivals--to achieve scale, make smart decisions about where to manufacture, pick the most profitable supply chain for your products, align partners' interests with your own, and revamp your supply chain to meet green goals.

Harvard Business Review on Increasing Customer Loyalty

How do you keep your customers coming back-and get them to bring others? Here is a collection of best practices and ideas for making your customers loyal and profitable--but don't have time to find them--this book is for you. Here are nine inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: turn angry customers into loyal advocates, get more people to recommend you, boost customer satisfaction by satisfying your employees, focus on profitable customers--whether they're loyal or not, invest in the right CRM technology for your business, mine customer data for more effective marketing, and increase your customers' lifetime value.

Harvard Business Review on Inspiring & Executing Innovation

Fresh ideas can mean big profits--but only if they make it to market and sell. Here are 10 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: decide which ideas are worth pursuing, adapt offerings from the developing world to wealthy markets, plan all-new ventures by testing and tweaking, tailor your efforts to meet customers' most pressing needs, make inexpensive products on a vast scale, measure and improve innovation performance, and avoid classic pitfalls such as stifling innovation with rigid processes.

Harvard Business Review on Fixing Health Care from Inside & Out

How can management cure health care's ills? If you need the best practices and ideas for transforming health care--but don't have time to find them--this book is for you. Here are 10 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. The HBR articles in this collection propose several remedies: focusing incentives on patients' recovery, saving lives and dollars by designing clearer work processes, sharing knowledge through industry networks, knocking down barriers to innovation in funding, policy, and technology, treating common ailments with simpler interventions, bridging the divide between clinicians and administrators, and ramping up R&D productivity by returning power to scientists.

Harvard Business Review on Communicating Effectively

Customize your delivery for maximum persuasive power. Here is the best practices and ideas for communicating effectively. Here are 10 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: pitch your brilliant idea successfully, connect with your audience, establish credibility, inspire others to realize your vision, adapt to your listeners' decision-making styles, frame goals around common interests, build consensus and win concessions, and neutralize stressful conversations.

Harvard Business Review on Aligning Technology with Strategy

Most companies waste billions of dollars on technology. Don't be one of them. If you need the best practices and ideas for unleashing technology's strategic potential, this book is for you. Here are eight inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: clarify corporate strategy with your IT department, fund only IT projects that support your strategy, transform IT investments into profits, build one technology platform for your entire organization, adopt new technologies only when their best practices are established, use analytics to make smart decisions at all levels of your company, and integrate social media into your business.

Harvard Business Review on Finding & Keeping the Best People

Is your company's top talent jumping ship as good replacements become harder to get? If you need the best practices and ideas for winning the race for talent--but don't have time to find them--this book is for you. Here are 11 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: look for good people in all the right places, interview more effectively, make--and keep--compelling promises to candidates and employees, mitigate the risks of hiring stars from other companies, coach and mentor to shore up commitment, stretch promising employees' responsibilities, rotate high performers into a variety of teams, and reverse the female brain drain.

Harvard Business Review on Making Smart Decisions

Why do bad decisions happen to good managers? If you need the best practices and ideas for smart decision making--but don't have time to find them--this book is for you. Here are 10 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: make bold decisions that challenge the status quo, support your decisions with diverse data, avoid choices that justify past bad decisions, evaluate risks and benefits with equal rigor, check for faulty cause-and-effect reasoning, test your decisions with experiments, foster and address constructive criticism, defeat indecisiveness with clear accountability, and root out unconscious prejudices.

Harvard Business Review on Collaborating Effectively

Join forces to solve your toughest problems. Here is the best practices and ideas for putting heads together. Here are nine inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: forge strong relationships up, down, and across the org chart, build collaborative teams, know when not to collaborate, pick the right type of collaboration for your business, harness employees' informal knowledge sharing, manage conflict wisely, make smart trade-offs, and put social media technologies to work for your organization.

Harvard Business Review on Building Better Teams

Most teams underperform. Yours can beat the odds. Here is the best practices and ideas for superior team building. Here are 10 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: boost team performance through mutual accountability, motivate large, diverse groups to tackle complex projects, increase groups' emotional intelligence, reverse the fortunes of a struggling team, prevent decision deadlock, extract results from a bunch of touchy superstars, fight constructively with top-management colleagues, and ensure productivity in far-flung teams.

Harvard Business Review on Advancing Your Career

If you need the best practices and ideas for achieving career growth and fulfillment--but don't have time to find them--this book is for you. Here are 9 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in one place. This collection of HBR articles will help you: break out of a career rut, earn a spot on your company's high-potential list, find out what's really holding you back, get the kind of mentoring that leads to a promotion, groom yourself for an external move, turn the job you have into the job you want, crack the code of C-suite entry, and take control of your career after being fired.

The art of law - not every financially distressed company is a suitable candidate for business rescue proceedings

The decision of the Pretoria High Court in Swart v Beagles Run Investments 25 (Pty) Ltd [2011] ZAGPPHC 103, handed down on 30 May 2011, is the first reported decision involving the business rescue provisions in chapter 6 of the Companies Act 71 of 2008, and is a useful early indication of the attitude of the court to such applications.

Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It

In this thoroughly revised and updated edition of their bestselling book Credibility. Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner explore why leadership is above all a relationship, with credibility as the cornerstone, and why leaders must "Say what you mean and mean what you say." Building on their more than thirty years of ongoing research, Credibility expands on their seminar work The Leadership Challenge, and shows why credibility remains the foundation of great leadership.

The Zappos Experience: 5 Principles to Inspire. Engage, and WOW

The Zappos Experience takes you through - and beyond - the playful, offbeat company culture Zappos has become famous for. Michelli reveals what occurs behind the scenes at Zappos, showing how employees at all levels operate on a day-to-day basis while providing the "big picture" leadership methods that have earned the company $1 billion in annual gross sales during the last ten years - with almost no advertising. Michelli breaks the approach down into five key elements:

StandOut: The Groundbreaking New Strengths Assessment from the Leader of the Strengths Revolution

StandOut is more than the next revolutionary book in the strengths movement. It is a one-of-a-kind invitation to discover and activate your unique competitive advantage at work every day. With StandOut, you receive top-notch business and leadership knowledge from one of the world's most acclaimed authorities on strengths.

I moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else's Maze

Over a decade ago the bestselling business fable Who Moved My Cheese? offered its answer to this question: accept that change is inevitable and beyond your control, don't waste your time wondering why things are the way they are, keep your head down and start looking for the cheese.

Prosper: Create the Life You Really Want

Ethan Willis and Randy Garn have helped tens of thousands of people in over eighty countries find their own paths to satisfying prosperity. In Prosper they share the Six Prosperity Practices that enable you to create a personal plan for prosperity that is rooted in your deepest goals and aspirations - a plan that is sustainable over the long term. You will not simply succeed - you will truly prosper.

I am Talent

This publication will help you cope and flourish in the workplace. It will support you as you take stock of your inner strengths, personal attributes, skills and capabilities, on your journey to being the best that you can be. I am Talent is a user friendly resource guide aimed at optimising your talent and potential, coaching you how to differentiate yourself and succeed in a competitive and dynamic global business environment.

Steve Jobs

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years - as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues - Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionised six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing

Emotional Intelligence: Tipping Point in Workplace Excellence

This book is intended to equip individuals to function more effectively, both in their personal lives and in organisations, by enhancing their development and practice of emotional intelligence.There appears to be an exponential growth nowadays in the stress that individuals experience, and a corresponding increase in health risks such as hypertension, secondary diabetes, and other ailments linked to high levels of stress. It appears that individuals and organisations are increasingly unwell

The 3rd Alternative: Solving Life's Most Difficult Problems

From the multimillion-copy bestselling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - hailed as the #1 Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century - The 3rd Alternative introduces a breakthrough approach to conflict resolution and creative problem solving. In The 3rd Alternative, Covey turns his formidable insight to a powerful new way to resolve professional and personal difficulties and create solutions to great challenges in organisations and society.

Great by Choice

Ten years after the worldwide bestseller Good to Great, Jim Collins returns with another groundbreaking work, this time to ask: Why do some companies thrive in uncertainty, even chaos, and others do not? Based on nine years of research, buttressed by rigorous analysis and infused with engaging stories, Collins and his colleague, Morten Hansen, enumerate the principles for building a truly great enterprise in unpredictable, tumultuous, and fast-moving times.

Keeping employees records

Employers should familiarise themselves with those employee records that must be retained if they are not to incur severe penalties . These records can be maintained electronically and copies of documents scanned and kept online (Paymaster can do that for you)

The New Strategic Thinking, Pure and Simple

The old model of creating corporate strategy—hiring an army of consultants to tell management how to run the business—is dead, according to author Michel (Mike) Robert in his ground-breaking new book published by McGraw Hill, The New Strategic Thinking, Pure and Simple.

Jurisdictional challenges may be raised at the arbitration stage of the dispute-resolution process

A perennial issue that arises in disputes that are referred to the CCMA relates to when an employer is entitled to raise a jurisdictional point on whether the CCMA can adjudicate a matter referred to it. There have been various differing decisions over the years on this question. This issue came up again in the recent judgement of Bombardier Transportation (Pty) Ltd v Mtiya NO & others (2010) 31 ILJ 2065 (LC).

Working hours and how to pay correctly

The Basic Conditions of Employment Act applies to all employers and workers, but not members of the -

National Defence Force,
National Intelligence Agency, or
South African Secret Service; or
unpaid volunteers working for charity

The art of law - the company secretary is an important corporate officer

The role of the company secretary in the affairs of the company has grown in importance since the early days of company law, when he or she was merely a lowly clerk.

Economic Freedom Defined

What is economic freedom in plain language and in newspeak? It has such a well-established and universally acknowledged meaning in that anyone who predicted a few months ago that it would be used to connote its opposite and be taken seriously would have been asked what they were smoking.

The Coaching Manual

This book has the ability to pertain to experienced coaches, those just starting out or a busy manager looking for techniques to use with the team. The book relates from the start up process of coaching and also includes fresh perspectives on the skills you need to develop. Julie Starr brings together 20 years of experience with business and change management, she is a highly respected coach and management consultant who guides you with what to do and how to do it.

The art of law - Agreement between the parties to resolve their differences

It is not unusual for the minority shareholders in a company to believe that the way the business of the company is being run and its affairs conducted is unfair toward them. In these circumstances, their primary legal remedy is the so-called "oppression section" of the Companies Act.

IDZs get additional tax incentive for manufacturing projects

The 2011/12 Budget speech by the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, highlighted tax relief for qualifying industrial policy projects, as part of the priority programmes required for implementing the New Growth Path.

Simplified learnership tax incentives to support job creation

The Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, emphasised in the 2011 Budget speech that the Government’s aim is to put development first and not dependence on welfare – training our youth to become pioneers in industry will accelerate the creation of employment in the future.

Allowances relating to leasehold improvements

In terms of certain lease agreements, the lessee may be obliged to effect improvements to the leased asset either by erecting a building on the land or improving an existing building. The issue with such arrangements is that as the land belongs to the lessor and because in law, buildings attach to land, the building becomes the property of the lessor when it is built. The lessor, however, is not entitled to the use of the building until the end of the lease period.

The importance of the statement of assets and liabilities

Local assets and liabilities must be individually listed, eg fixed properties, shares in private companies, mortgage bonds and bank overdrafts. The local assets and liabilities must be reflected at cost. The foreign assets and liabilities are translated to rand using the exchange rate as at the end of the year of assessment.

Overhaul of R&D allowances

Five years ago, attractive Research and Development (R&D) income tax allowances were made available to those taxpayers that conducted research or were involved in devising, developing or creating any invention, design or computer program. In terms of section 11D of the Income Tax Act, taxpayers who were involved in R&D could claim a 150 percent allowance on expenditure (excluding capital expenditure) actually incurred by such taxpayers directly in respect of activities undertaken in the Republic.

Creative destruction makes the world go around

Is it a selfish desire that drives individuals to seek new ways to make life easier, more enjoyable, and more rewarding? Does this selfish desire require a God-like presence to steer it and manage it so that whatever developments take place become available to everyone in the country? Or should it be left to the creative instinct of ‘man’ to satisfy the needs of his fellows?

The art of law - steering clear of the general anti-avoidance rule in the Income Tax Act.

One of the most significant amendments to the Income Tax Act in recent years was the repeal of section 103(1) which contained a GAAR (general anti-avoidance rule) and its replacement by a new Part IIA of the Act (embodying the new GAAR). The new GAAR applies to "impermissible avoidance arrangements" (as defined in the new section 80A) entered into or carried out on or after 2 November 2006.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Multiple statistics have abounded in the first two quarters of 2011. One of the most powerful of these is the statistics is that local M&A activity in South Africa has surged 133% for 2010. Local companies have become more sought after and competitive choices as acquisitions with the increase in consumer purchasing power.

Management Education

This management education feature addresses the role of the South African Qualifications Authority(SAQA), as they grapple with the challenges of instituting the new National Qualifications Framework. We then unpack the issues behind the skills shortages in managerial positions in South Africa, particularly the financial services sector. In addressing these shortages, several options await a prospective employer. There are longer executive MBA programmes that focus on business management and education, and shorter seminars and workshops for the manager with less time at his or her disposal.

How to save for Education!

Most parents in South Africa place a high importance on ensuring their children receive a primary and secondary education. However, without a certified tertiary education, the chances of finding long-term employment are discouraging. Parents are urged to start saving now for their children's tertiary education in order to give them the best chance of overcoming the cycle of unemployment and poverty afflicting the country.

Neo-Communication Zeitegeist

The face of marketing has transformed substantially. It's no longer a one directional banteror broadcast dais dominated by a production line of messages. The future of marketing has signalledthe end of one-way advertising as we know it. The zeitgeist of postadvertising reigns.

The irony? Space safety regulations could put you behind bars

There are confined spaces in many industrial workplaces and the term 'confined space' is mainly used to describe items such as, vaults, cellars, mine shafts, tunnels and ducting, basically an area large enough for a person to enter to perform tasks. A confined space is also an area that is shut off from the rest of the world because it is not designed or configured for continuous occupancy and has limited or restricted means of entry or exit.

Transfer Pricing Challenges

In an ongoing effort to modernise South Africa's transfer pricing regulations and tackle potential tax collection deficits, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) is focusing on those problematic areas where it believes there is non-compliance bytaxpayers and significant potential for increased collections for the fiscal year. Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, singled out transfer pricing as a key focus area for SARS in his 2010 Budget Speech, specifically where it involves shifting profits to jurisdictions outside South Africa.

The give and take of CODESA III

For the past few months, I have been proposing that we repeat the experience we had in the early 1990s, today. Then there were two Codesas to iron out a new constitution and turn South Africa into a full-blown democracy. We now need another Codesa to create a blueprint for a sustainable economy which, among other things, means creating one million new businesses by 2020 - that is if the government wants to achieve its target of five million jobs by 2020. Businesses are ahead of jobs in the causal chain.

The art of law - a director who fails to disclose his personal interest in company contracts risks imprisonment

It is widely accepted in the business sector and the community at large that company directors have legal duties of various kinds. It is also accepted that, where directors fail in their duties, they may be faced with claims for damages from the company, or from its shareholders.

Why sustainability matters...

We face unprecedented challenges as we enter the second decade of the 21st century. In the last 50 years the global population has doubled from 3.5 billion to 7 billion. By 2050 it is estimated there will be 9 billion people on the planet.

The art of law - in litigation between a taxpayer and SARS, the onus of proof is generally on the taxpayer

In any litigation, that is to say, a dispute played out in court between opposing litigants, the onus of proof is crucial. The court itself does not undertake any investigation into the disputed facts, and it is for the parties to prove their version of the facts by placing evidence before the court, either in the form of documents or by calling witnesses to testify on oath.

The HR Survey 2011 Report

Knowledge Resources and SABPP conducted an extensive survey among HR Executives to determine the trends, needs and best practices in the HR profession. This HR Survey Report 2011 represents over 1 million employees and more than 15,000 people employed in HR departments.

Transformative HR

Transformative HR is a new ground-breaking book that is a must read for every HR Executive. It is the contention of John Boudreau and Ravin Jesuthasan that in order for companies to stay competitive in the increasingly global market place, they must have the ability to make informed human capital decisions. This ground-breaking book offers a dynamic process for leaders who want their organisations to thrive. The evidence-based method outlines in this book refers to approaching HR processes and investments based on well-grounded evidence that relies on logic, strategic awareness, and savvy change management.

Careless words to a creditor may result in sequestration

Watch your words when writing to a creditor - you may inadvertently commit an "act of insolvency"

It is sound advice to choose your words carefully when you speak, and be doubly careful when you commit yourself in writing, because what you say could come back to haunt you.

Directors - banned for life?

Amongst the myriad of factors that a director needs to be aware of, there is also the potential that he can be placed on probation or declared delinquent. This includes members of close corporations who are participating in the management of a CC. It also includes prescribed officers (for example if you are a senior manager with executive control). The director does not even have to be a current director - the application can still be made against an ex-director as long as it is submitted within the twenty four months preceding the application he was a director of the company.

Should my company be voluntarily audited?

The new Act aims to relieve certain levels of business from the formal requirements of an audit. Public and State-owned companies have to be audited. However, a private, personal liability or non-profit company will only require an audit if it is desirable in the public interest, having regard to certain factors such as annual turnover, size of workforce and the nature of its activities, and those who fall outside the public interest criteria will be required to have an independent review of their annual financial statements.

What about our shareholder's agreement?

Most people who are married have an antenuptial contract, yet how many shareholders in business have a contract which offers them, together with the business, a form of protection in the event of unforeseen circumstances? The advent of the new Companies Act by no means changes the fact that a shareholder agreement is still vital to your business, as it deals with the very crucial relationships between the shareholders themselves and the company.

Your MOI - Tips for the way forward

Your company's Memorandum and Articles of Association is now automatically referred to as a Memorandum of Incorporation or MOI. It is the same document, just with a new name. Companies which existed before 1 May 2011 have been given a 'grace' period of two years until 1 May 2013 in which to convert their old Memorandum to comply with the new Act. The amendment needs to be registered at the Commission, together with a special resolution.

New VAT registrations increasingly complicated

More stringent verification procedures put in place SARS has attempted to curb Value-Added Tax (VAT) fraud by implementing strict verification procedures for VAT registrations.

The new Companies Act 2008

The art of law - in certain circumstances, the new Companies Act of 2008 empowers a court to declare a company not to exist as a legal entity.

The consequences of the "unconscionable abuse of the company's juristic personality"

Improve Schooling: Let in the Entrepreneurs

The education industry has the potential to become the largest investment sector on the world’s stock markets. However, for this to occur, governments would have to relinquish their existing dominance over and control of education.

Grant Thornton welcomes VAT relief for residential property developers

October 2011

Grant Thornton is pleased with legislation that provides temporary relief from VAT payments for residential property developers who lease units before intended sale.

Does the private health sector fall short?

Critics of private health care in SA argue that the private sector does not do enough, that it dumps patients on the public sector and is only interested in "money first". Sonderup, Spearman and Geffen recently argued in the Business Day article, When the private sector falls short, 3 Oct. 2011, that medical schemes are evil because they "do not cover the treatment of many diseases causing many patients to fall into the void between the public and private sectors".

No time to talk about the business - is the governance burden dominating Board agendas?

The burden of governance issues at Board level has become ever greater and these issues are crowding out other items on Board agendas. Despite more frequent and longer Board meetings, directors complain that there just isn’t enough time to talk about the business anymore.

A manager may be obliged to disgorge secret profit

How wide is the range of a company's officers and employees who owe it a fiduciary duty?

The decision of the Supreme Court of Appeal in Volvo (Southern Africa) (Pty) Ltd v Yssel 2009 (6) SA 531 (SCA) throws useful light on one of the most fundamental concepts in company law, namely, that of a fiduciary duty which is owed to the company by certain individuals within the company structure.

Labour: Time for Government to Start Listening

The country’s greatest crisis lies in the large-scale unemployment that is causing havoc in the lives of millions of people. The situation has not improved. In fact, it is being made worse by deliberate actions that result in more people being unemployed.

NRSA Insurance law September update

With the ever-increasing practice of leasing aircraft for operation across Africa, owners and financiers would be well-advised to familiarise themselves with their insurance policies, and to look beyond their policies for additional security in the form of registering rights and mortgages.