Tag: cultural norms

After a little more than a year into my role as Chief Marketing Officer, I have started to think very differently about death and the business of death. Coming from an FMCG environment, I found the transition to the services sector, specifically funeral and life insurance, significant. However, I also discovered that there are similarities between the two sectors.

As I navigate the ever-evolving landscape of digital transformation within various industries, I've come to realise how vital the tools we adopt are to our efficiency, connectivity, and competitiveness. In my experience, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra epitomises the kind of transformational tool that transcends its basic function as a smartphone to become a cornerstone for innovative business practices.

It’s fast heading into year-end and the season for giving is in full swing. Corporate gifting is a thoughtful way for businesses to express appreciation to clients, employees, suppliers, partners, and other stakeholders, and to build and reinforce those valued relationships.

At the current rate of progress, the World Economic Forum says it will take 102 years to close the gender gap in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is therefore vital to ensure girls have equal opportunities not only in the workplace but in school to accelerate closing the gender gap.

As African liberal minds assemble in the ‘Mother City’ to trade ideas on a variety of strategies for effective liberal governance on our continent, the old English adage says, when big minds assemble in one room, it is unlikely they will agree on anything, is appropriate.

The digital transformation of business and society has found fertile ground with early promise for the super-app model, specifically in the Middle East and Africa, even as mobile digital platforms continue to offer proprietary and third-party functions under a single brand.

Culture and religion are interwoven into the fabric of society and play a critical role in sharing important values in homes and communities. For many, culture and religion define how they see and understand the world and provide the guidelines and norms underpinning their behaviour.  

The world over companies are facing enormous pressure under the ‘new or never normal’, as the COVID-19 pandemic is highlighting, and in some cases, deepening existing workplace inequalities. Gender mainstreaming in the workplace still has a long way to go and the time is now that we give it the attention it deserves – not only through women’s month, but throughout the year.

Some attempts have been made by the government and NGOs to advocate for more equal rights for women. Few months ago, President Ramaphosa announced his new cabinet in which half of all ministers are women. However, the private sector has been slower on the uptake. The world of business is still very much dominated by men.