When was the last time somebody asked you for your CV? I’m not talking about the notion of a CV in the broader sense, the what-I-did-when — that will always be relevant when you need to send off a profile to, say, the conference organizer who wants you as a speaker. What I mean is […]
Business
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
A cellular licence to print money
Cellular companies were happy to take advantage of consumers – many illiterate and poor, and for whom a cellphone is a necessity that comes at a disproportionately large monthly cost – for as long as they could get away with it.
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle
Targeting gaps in the food supply chain
Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet. Agricultural production is only the first step in moving the world’s food from farm to fork, according to Nourishing the Planet, a project of the Worldwatch Institute. The other links in the food chain – harvesting, packaging, storing, transporting, marketing, and selling – ensure that food actually […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle, Media
Walmart and South Africa’s misplaced inadequacy
I think South Africa has a small touch of an inferiority complex. An amazing country, with so much potential, but you just don’t always know it. At least I’m assuming this to be the reason why business leaders, government and excited shoppers have rolled over and prepared for a “corrective” rape from one of the […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Why Jeffrey Sachs is wrong about sweatshops
The news that a Romanian sweatshop manufactured one of Kate Middleton’s most famous dresses has inspired renewed popular interest in the ethics and economics of outsourcing jobs to utilise super-cheap labour. This is only the most recent in a string of cases that exemplify the shocking proliferation of sweatshops — even across Europe — over the […]
Posted inBusiness, Media, News/Politics
Polishing turds won’t save our papers
Circulation of English language broadsheets in South Africa is largely in decline. We all know that. But the response hasn’t been to invest in better content. Instead, staff numbers have been slashed, news from elsewhere gets regurgitated and a fixation with other media — websites, multimedia and, of course, Twitter — has developed. Most of […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Saving Uganda from its oil
In 2006, Uganda confirmed the presence of enormous commercial petroleum reserves around Lake Albert along the country’s western border. Since then, geologists have proven at least 2 billion barrels. With only about 25% of the region explored, some reports indicate that there could be as much as three times that amount — enough to make Uganda […]
Posted inBusiness, Media
Celebrating the Consumer Act
It’s taken me a little while, but I’m truly starting to understand and revel in the full implications of the Consumer Protection Act brought into effect in March this year. The introduction of the CPA, along with some personal experiences in the first half of this year have certainly fuelled the fire of my desire […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
China’s alternative to an American addiction
Last week saw the launch of BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy, a rich seam of energy industry stats that journalists, analysts and academics will spend many hours mining for nuggets of data that support their chosen narratives. The Financial Times led with “China becomes leading user of energy” – hardly a revelation to even […]
Posted inBusiness, Media, News/Politics
Cowardly big business is failing our democracy
Democracy is an ecosystem. Its survival is dependent on many things: a sound legislative framework, an independent judiciary, a vibrant parliament and a responsive government. Beyond this, it also needs a vigilant, proactive civil society, engaged voters and a free media: three elements that ensure government is held accountable for its actions, transparent about what […]
Posted inBusiness
Walmart, Massmart, nationalisation and MTN
Pick ‘n Pay recently rolled out its Smart Shopper card, one of those loyalty cards that allows you to amass redeemable points. Do I smell the influence of the recent move of US retailer Walmart into South Africa, via Massmart? It’s a possible small example of the benefits of competition or the threat of competition. […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
Poor schooling’s retarding SA’s economic growth
Unless we pursue a highly focused and coordinated strategy to improve the quality of our education system, especially for our poor communities, we will not be able to sustain our competitive advantage on the continent. We will also fail to uphold our status as a credible member of the Bric club of emerging economies. To […]