Management

Many small and medium enterprise (SME) owners grapple with the stress and strain of running a business. This was confirmed by the findings of the second quarter 2018 SME Confidence Index, which reveals that 76 percent of the SME owners surveyed say that the pressure of running their own business can sometimes be overwhelming and limit their potential.

In July this year, Eskom released their much-delayed financial results. Poor results revealed, amongst others, a net loss of R2.3 billion and an amount of R19.6 billion that was attributed to irregular expenditure. 

Organisational succession planning, and the associated management and implementation of such plans, has traditionally been viewed as a long-term, deliberate and well-thought-out process.

South Africa’s approach to entrepreneurship needs to undergo a paradigm shift and developing the right mindset among young would-be entrepreneurs in particular is the starting point.

The word strategy is often bandied about but if you were to ask 100 people for the definition, you would get 100 different answers. Understanding strategy and having the discipline to sit down and formulate your own business strategy is critical to your success as an entrepreneur.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the real job creators that will turn our economy around. It is incredibly difficult to turn a business idea into a business, and a small business into a growing business.

The recent IODSA’ panel discussion on directors’ duties in respect to climate change highlighted the increasing realisation that directors need to factor climate change into their governance deliberations about strategy, risk management, products and services.

The recent court order instructing the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) to make available audio recordings of one of their board meetings has highlighted the urgent need for boards to develop policy around this issue.

There are strong ties between stress, mental illness and substance abuse, with each of these influencing the other to some degree.

Entrepreneurs are not thriving and more needs to be done to improve South Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. This reflects the results of 'the real state of entrepreneurship survey 2018' which was reached after surveying more than 1,000 entrepreneurs across the county.