Tag: collaboration

Collaboration between government and business is vital to realising economic growth. Government should set up a conducive environment for businesses to operate while businesses ensure that they help grow the economy and employ citizens. This partnership must ensure that socio-economic goals are also met for the benefit of citizens.

Internationally, 75% of startups consider partnerships with corporates critically important to their success, with a further 63% anticipating that these relationships will gain even greater importance in the future. In South Africa, however, corporates’ support for entrepreneurs is lacking and must be urgently remedied by the country’s businesses.

2024 has been dubbed the ‘super election year’. According to Statista, around half the world’s population lives in the more than 60 countries holding national elections in 2024, and with roughly two billion eligible voters, this is being described as the largest election year in history.

It reads like a paragraph from a history book; first there was the Great Resignation, followed by the Great Renegotiation, all in span of three years. The pandemic led to millions of employees resigning their positions monthly.

Mandatory health cover of formally employed is tried and tested and if put to use in South Africa could reduce the public health burden, increase public per capita spend on health, and free up resources that could help address the country’s most pressing health crises.

Producing personalised mass communication, like we see in the insurance industry, is a complex and time-consuming process and many businesses have invested in document automation technology for this purpose.

We are acutely aware of the challenges posed by recent minimum wage increases mandated by the South African government. While the intention behind these increases is to improve the livelihoods of minimum wage earners, the reality is that they often create a complex web of consequences, particularly in industries like contract cleaning.

In recent years, family offices have emerged as formidable players in the global financial landscape, managing substantial wealth on behalf of ultra-high-net-worth individuals. Although there is still a preference by some family offices to adopt a more hands-on approach by directly acquiring private companies and properties, many are mitigating risk by co-investing with seasoned private equity professionals in direct investments.

The phenomenon of job-title inflation has gained traction in South Africa, driven both by young professional’s ambition for accelerated career progression and employers' efforts to engage staff while managing costs. This trend has led to an increase in roles with prestigious titles, such as 'Lead', 'Vice President', or 'Manager', being offered to individuals with limited experience, skills, or corresponding salaries.

As the hype around artificial intelligence (AI), and more particularly, Generative AI, continues to grow, manufacturers must assess the benefits of adopting this cutting-edge technology into their platforms and processes. Similar to the innovation in cloud technology, the closer AI is to a business’s processes, the more transformative it will be.