In This Issue

The idea of “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO) is something most of us are now very familiar with. As people, we’ve always had a propensity to worry about missing exciting events or experiences, but social media has exacerbated these feelings by giving us a front row seat into everyone else’s social lives. And this has resulted in a lot of ‘I wish I was there’ or ‘why can’t I be doing that’. But at this point, FOMO has only really related to one’s personal life - however, experts believe this thinking is now playing a role in the workplace, with disastrous effects on mental health.

Frequent and intense weather events and devastating effects of climate change are being experienced all over the world. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), over the past 50 years, extreme weather events have caused two million deaths and cost USD4 trillion in economic losses.

In an increasingly interconnected world, African businesses find themselves uniquely positioned amidst a complex web of economic, political and environmental challenges. From shifting global trade dynamics to environmental imperatives and rapid technological advancements, businesses today must build resilience as a core capability.

Is there a “cheat sheet” for when your executive committee (Exco) sits down with the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to assess progress against strategic goals?

Imagine a world where finance and accounting professionals could process vast amounts of data in seconds, quickly identify patterns and anomalies and provide real-time insights into their companies’ performance. Wouldn’t that be great? Well, that future is not as far off as you might expect.

Read our exclusive cover story titled CFO “cheat sheet” - what are the 5 crucial financial focus areas? by Rowan De Klerk, CEO, The CFO Centre, plus a host of other topical management articles written by professionals, consultants and academics.

Engineers have long drawn inspiration from nature. Examples of such biomimicry include passive ventilation systems modelled after termite mounds and wind turbine blades with scalloped edges, inspired by humpback whale flippers, which reduce drag dramatically.

Open source software has transformed the way we develop and use technology, facilitating a collaborative approach that allows developers to access, modify and distribute code, often without any obligation to pay licence fees to an upstream licensor.

In South Africa's shifting labour landscape, union representation is being tested and pushed to new limits. The case of AFGRI Animal Feeds (A Division of PhilAfrica Foods (Pty) Limited) v National Union of Metalworkers South Africa (NUMSA) and Others (CCT 188/22) [2024] ZACC 13 has sparked a significant debate challenging the traditional scope of union activities and raising critical questions about legal jurisdiction and worker representation. This case serves as a pivotal moment in understanding the complexities of union eligibility across diverse industries.

One of the greatest inventors in human history was Thomas Edison, often called the “Wizard of Menlo Park.” In fact, one of his innovations is used to illustrate individuals coming up with new ideas - the lightbulb. Similar bulbs were in use but unreliable and he came along and changed how things were done, making bulbs less pricey and more reliable.