Business Archives - Page 27 of 29

9Mar

By Prenisha GovenderNo Comments

Business, South Africa News

New Export Tax on Chrome Ore Intended to Resurrect the Ferrochrome Industry, but challenges prevail

By Prenisha Govender, Associate, Tax, and Angelo Tzarevski, Senior Associate, Competition & Antitrust, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg The South African Government recently approved a tax on South Africa’s exported chrome, although the tax percentage and further details are still to be announced. The ferrochrome ore industry has been severely threatened in recent years, mostly due to increases in electricity tariffs for heavy use industries, which, combined with the unreliable supply of electricity in South Africa, have crippled the industry to such an extent that reportedly 40% of the country’s ferrochrome mines have been unable to continue production. Some industry stakeholders have suggested that a special electricity tariff would be a better way to support the ailing industry, stating...

6Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, South Africa News

Resilience – the antidote to a recurring crisis

The Covid-19 pandemic has provided the ideal opportunity for leaders to step up and move people forward to a preferred future despite global crises. However, according to the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer, trust levels are hovering at all-time lows, with only the business community regarded as both ethical and competent. Consequently, whether they like it or not, employers are now regarded as the mainstay of trust. This is a huge responsibility because leaders themselves are struggling with working between children requiring homeschooling, navigating almost paper-thin or non-existent boundaries between work and home, and still having to deliver on the bottom line. Working virtually does not necessarily lend itself to trust-building the way we are naturally wired to in terms of social dyna...

Golden age of tech coming, but scores of jobs at risk, says futurist

2Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, Tech

Golden age of tech coming, but scores of jobs at risk, says futurist

Smart connected machines are set to put both blue collar and white collar workers out of jobs in large numbers, and this wave of change will force paradigm shifts in education, work and society as a whole. So says Sean Culey Business transformation expert, futurist and author of ‘Transition Point: From Steam to the Singularity’, who was speaking during a webinar hosted by the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) special interest group on AI and Robotics and the special interest group’s chairperson, Johan Steyn, a technologist and management consultant. Culey, whose book took over five years to research and covers a number of similar waves of industrialisation and economic and societal change over the past 1,000 years, says the world is now in a transition...

2Mar

By Jimmy De WaalNo Comments

Business, Tech

How Your Print Buyers’ Needs Are Changing And How To Add Value Amidst Digital Fatigue

By Head of Marketing at Canon South Africa, Jimmy De Waal Despite 46% of marketing budgets being dedicated to digital media, nearly 50% of brands are using print frequently in their campaigns[1]. With digital fatigue amongst consumers continuing to grow in light of recent global events, now is the time for print to step into the spotlight. But while marketers are keen to capitalise on the cut-through value that printed communications bring to the table, they’re looking for more guidance from their print service providers (PSPs). They want creative ideas that they haven’t considered, approaches targeted to their customers’ preferences and advice on how to deliver ROI. A clear opportunity exists for PSPs to build a more consultative relationship with their customers. By listening more closel...

The top 5 reasons why investing in Ireland makes sense for African businesses

24Feb

By Daireann GibsonNo Comments

Business, Main, South Africa News

The top 5 reasons why investing in Ireland makes sense for African businesses

By Daireann Gibson, Managing Partner at Gibson & Associates Solicitors Ireland is becoming an increasingly popular destination for individuals from across Africa who are looking to move abroad. South Africa in particular has seen 3,000 immigrants choose Ireland as their new home, and for investors in particular, Ireland provides a wealth of opportunities. The relationship between Ireland and the continent of Africa has long presented a lot of potential with regard to business. Plans are currently in action to increase the value of a two-way trade deal between Ireland and Africa, which is projected to be worth at least €5 billion by 2025. Trade in goods and services between Ireland and Africa increased by 29% between 2010 and 2017, from €3.4 billion to €4.4 billion. In addition, Irish e...

24Feb

By SuhailNo Comments

Business, Forex

The Best way to Invest in S&P500, the Global Information Technology Index

The global stock market remains a fast-growing entity, and one that boasts a cumulative value of $85 trillion. In total, the world’s equity market has since its total capitalisation increased by 320% since 2009, as online and digital trading has become increasingly popular. Interestingly, the stock market is also home to some popular and insightful indexes such as the S&P 500. Entities of this type offer value outside of stock and share values, especially when tracking the performance of the global economy. In this article, we’ll explore this in further detail, while appraising the best ways of investing in the S&P 500 in the modern age. What is the S&P 500? In simple terms, the S&P 500 (or the Standard & Poor’s 500) is a market cap-weighted index of the 500 largest pub...

Celebrity Marketing: No Longer Just for Big Brands

18Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, South Africa News

Celebrity Marketing: No Longer Just for Big Brands

Celebrity influencer marketing is nothing new for big name brands: who could forget Cell-C’s adverts featuring Trevor Noah; or Tendai ‘The Beast’ Mtawarira shaving with a BIC razor; and more recently, Bouwer Bosch ‘skoffeling’ for King Price. "Having the famous and influential as ambassadors of your brand is a great way to build exposure, especially if you’re a multi-billion Rand company in a crowded market. But for most businesses – particularly those of the micro, small and medium range – significant financial and even administrative barriers have made it near impossible to enlist the help of someone famous…until now,” says Wouter Lombard, Co-founder and Head of Talent Management at myFanPark, South Africa’s leading celebrity engagement platform, connecting everyday people and businesses...

16Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, South Africa News, Tech

Avoiding common mistakes while crafting the ultimate customer experience

Creating a memorable customer experience is fast becoming a top priority for businesses – and for good reason, says Reynhardt Uys, Chief Experience Officer, Immersion Group. He notes that customers no longer base their loyalty on price or product alone. Instead, they stay and spend, with companies based on the overall experience they receive. “Quite simply, organisations who fail to adopt a customer-centric approach risk lagging behind competitors who have already become customer-obsessed.” While research shows 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience, Uys says there are several common mistakes that can derail efforts at personalisation and the customer journey. “Developing an unmatched customer experience involves applying the most appropriate methodologies an...

11Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business

How installing a conveyor belt system could help your small business

Conveyor belt systems originated all the way back in the 1800s, and these days are an essential part of almost every industry in some form or another. This invention has transformed the way that we transport goods within a small area, as well as sort them, package them, and process them. We often think of conveyor systems as only being relevant for large-scale businesses. However, these days more and more small businesses are beginning to see the advantages of having such equipment installed. Read on to find out more about what a conveyor belt system is and how having one could help your company. What is a conveyor belt system? Simply put, a conveyor belt system is a piece of machinery that transports materials or objects from one point to another. However, this doesn’t quite do justice to...

N’Gunu Tiny on Why social entrepreneurship supports local communities throughout Africa

9Feb

By Veselina DzhingarovaNo Comments

Business, Ghana News, Kenya News, Mauritius News, Nigeria News, Sierra Leone, Startups, Tanzania News

N’Gunu Tiny on Why social entrepreneurship supports local communities throughout Africa

Transformative tech and social innovation expert N’Gunu Tiny talks about how social entrepreneurship helps communities in Africa. N’Gunu Tiny, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Emerald Group, is an expert in transformative tech and social innovation. His book Impacting Lives will be published in Fall 2021. Before the pandemic, Africa was surging ahead with local and national developments across all sectors. And COVID-19 isn’t slowing the emergence of social entrepreneurship that is creating ways out of poverty and empowering Africa’s people. From technology to healthcare, grassroots organisations and local communities are fighting to improve local economies. Social entrepreneurship is the key to encouraging this level of development throughout the continent. Social entrepreneurship is...