I think most readers will be familiar with that unbearable screech which sometimes blasts out of a concert’s or meeting’s sound system. Well, that screech is caused by the feedback into the sound system of some of the amplified sound already produced by the system. Because the sound wave of the feedback is in phase […]
General
Posted inGeneral
Understanding the new workflow world
Technological advances are occurring that allow for full integration between communication systems and workflow tools. These advances will engender significant changes in the way companies do business – internally and with all business partners. But an organisation’s ability to take advantage of these developments rests, as always, on its ability to assess its status quo […]
Posted inGeneral
Has school sport lost its way?
Have we lost our way in school sport? To a large extent I believe we have. Let me attempt to explain why. I have, for many years, heard the phrase “high performance”. It worried me then and it still does. How can we slot a 14-year-old into a high-performance programme when the maturation and growth […]
Posted inGeneral
Meyer: a coach, not an investor
We’re heading into the Test rugby season, which will put the Super series on hold. From many quarters now, we’re hearing a call for investing in the youth and Fourie Du Preez saying that he is available for the Boks but preference must go to the next generation. That’s all good and well when you’re […]
Posted inGeneral
The (ir-)rational market versus democracy
The e-tolling debacle concentrates, in microcosmic format, the tension — if not the opposition — between the market and democracy, even if many regard the “free market” as the zenith of democracy. Or, to put it differently, this tension — which is always there — establishes the economic domain and the political in a specific […]
Posted inGeneral
Risk management: It’s not rocket science
Life is not under our control, and risk is ever-present. Fortunately, many risks can be reduced by acting with basic common sense, and many can be insured against. For example, the biggest physical risk most of us face every day is getting into our cars. But if you obey traffic rules and drive defensively, you […]
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Press clubs are no places for politicans, period
I was hurt and angry when officials from the ruling party called me and my colleagues the “real opposition” of the ANC. That was a few months ago when ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe and other senior officials were at pains to explain why they thought a media appeals tribunal and other oppressive statutes would […]
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Condoning corruption: The Achilles heel of SA’s democracy
In the dying days of the old National Party regime, when I was still working at the old Africana Museum (now Museum Africa), I was given a first-hand taste of the corruption that was by then running rampant at all levels of government. It was just before the 1992 summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain and […]
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A crisis of moral leadership
By Gregory Solik The struggle against apartheid produced a long tradition of exemplary leaders. This tradition continued through the negotiations post 1994 during the years of transition. Yet despite this strong tradition, we currently talk very often about the “crisis in leadership”. Julius Malema’s recent expulsion from the ANC has been upheld and this marks […]
Posted inBusiness, General
The economic week in review: Fairly awful, actually
Aside from some unexpectedly upbeat news from manufacturers in the US and – to a lesser extent – China, this week saw the release of some truly awful economic data. Here’s the rundown. United States On Tuesday, the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) manufacturing index – an indicator of future activity – defied consensus expectations […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
Is it time for a South African Spring?
Let’s face it, our world is in a total mess right now. Social strife, political skullduggery and infighting, environmental degradation, and, for most, severe economic hardship, are pretty much the common denominators across every nation which makes up the global community. What makes this mess so particularly vexing to contemplate in South Africa is that […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle
The rise of the slacktivist
We’re all guilty of it. Some more than others, but nonetheless, we’re all culpable. Log on to Facebook or Twitter, hit the “like” or “favourite” button and, for a fleeting moment, we feel like we’re somehow making a tangible difference in the world. But surely it’s slightly more complicated than that? In 1970, poet Gil […]