Tag: competitive advantage

The responsibility for the management of an intellectual property (IP) portfolio for any business is a daunting task. For that reason, many entities create a dedicated position within their broader legal team to oversee and safeguard their IP. Having been thrown into this role myself in my career, I have compiled a list of a few tips and tricks which may stand you in good stead on your first day on the job as in-house counsel, tasked with protecting your company’s IP.

The technology landscape is undergoing a seismic shift comparable to the spread of smartphones in the mid-00’s. While we’ve had a constant stream of technological advancements since then, none have had the same transformative impact as the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

No matter which industry your business finds itself in, advertising forms a crucial part of any company’s go-to-market strategy to help achieve a host of business goals - from influencing consumer behaviour or driving sales and revenue growth, to gaining a competitive advantage and expanding into new markets.

One significant challenge facing African manufacturers is inadequate reporting and analysis capabilities. This often results in inefficient decision-making processes due to siloed data, limiting the ability to respond to changing conditions quickly.

To support the implementation of South Africa's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment published the Sectoral Emissions Target (SET) Report for public comment on 26 April 2024.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa continue to face a business landscape that is simultaneously full of challenges and brimming with opportunities. A still-struggling economy, rising costs, high unemployment figures and an uncertain political future have created a business backdrop against which only the most resilient and innovative businesses will thrive.

For many business leaders, the heat is on. They face inflation, supply chain disruption, labour shortages, and pricing pressures. Protecting margins while meeting customer needs and navigating economic uncertainty is crucial. However, many lack transparency and granularity in actual cost structures.

Geographic information systems (GIS) are transforming banking by integrating location-based insights with customer relationship management (CRM) tools. New technologies are rapidly reshaping the banking sector, signalling a shift from traditional, branch-centric models to a more data-driven, customer-centric approach.

Mining is a historically linear process – we take materials from the earth, make products from them and eventually throw them away as waste. With the intensification of climate change, environmental degradation, pollution – all products of linear economies – the mining industry needs to transition to a circular economy.

Fifty-two percent of CEOs across Sub-Saharan Africa expect economic growth locally and in their Africa territory (compared to 44% globally) in the next 12 months. At the same time, 50% of these CEOs are feeling more exposed to inflation and macroeconomic volatility (40%).