Exceptional customer service is the holy grail of business. Communication and marketing teams around the world focus on this key element, but despite the focus it receives, exceptional service remains elusive at best, and often highly problematic for many organisations. One of the primary reasons for this is that the interplay between technological evolution and […]
General
Posted inGeneral
Outdoor stoving
The Australian likes the outdoors. He likes a bit of time in the garden, down the beach, out in the bush. So it stands to reason that he should make a good braai. But to be blunt, he doesn’t. There is no art to the Aussie braai. In fact, you can hardly even call it […]
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Tsolekile has it all to do
Cricket South Africa named their list of 22 centrally contracted players for the 2012/2013 season, and it would fair to assume that the biggest eyebrow-raise was reserved for Thami Tsolekile, for all intents and purposes, being named Mark Boucher’s Test successor after he was awarded a contract. The vexing question of who replaces Boucher in […]
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You may already be using UC
Many companies and individuals already use a form of unified communications, whether rudimentary or quite advanced. Basic dabblers On the ‘basic’ end of the scale, solutions take a wide array of forms, often entailing point products. Most small organisations or individuals dabbling in UC at this level are at an early stage of their […]
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An industrial revolution for whom?
By Alex Lenferna As a person who is going to live quite a bit longer than President Zuma, (or so I hope, although perhaps six wives supported by the state is the key to longevity) the State of the Nation address (SONA) was worrying. Not only did Zuma spark a rather ironic note by swearing […]
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The superficiality of our culture
This morning, re-reading Nietzsche’s early essay of genius about the strife between the ancient Greek gods, Dionysus and Apollo – The Birth of Tragedy out of the Spirit of Music – I was struck anew by the utter superficiality of the (global) culture we live in. This superficiality was captured succinctly by Theodor Adorno in […]
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Saru’s Super Rugby riddle solved
It is agonising to watch the South African Rugby Union (Saru) wrestle with what might appear a most complex solution to including the Eastern Cape in Super Rugby. Yet the solution to this is extraordinarily simple, delivering a non-conflict remedy that would otherwise decimate South African rugby to the benefit and advantage of the Kiwis, […]
Posted inGeneral, News/Politics
Zuma’s best laid economic schemes for 2012
With my dangling laptop bag bumping rhythmically against my well-cushioned behind, I sprint from the parking lot at OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg), up and down the stairs and through the crowd of baggage-wielding travellers. After tossing my laptop plus all the earthly belongings in my pockets onto the conveyer belt for security scanning, I […]
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You have the right to fart silently but violently
Thought Leader’s Sarah Britten has requested us to kindly write a piece on why we love the South African Constitution and then ask you lot to do the same via Facebook, Twitter, SMSing 078 949 3735 or going to the website www.wethepeople.org.za. Apparently her group are trying to get 1 million South Africans to tell […]
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Troubles with capitalism
Anyone who has been reading international news media such as TIME magazine recently will have noticed that people seem to be very worried about capitalism, judging by article headings such as “How to fix capitalism”, “Is capitalism broken?”, “Let’s fix this mess”, “Capitalism under fire” and “Keeping Wall Street honest”. In one of these – […]
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Soap bubble media
For my inaugural Thought Leader blog, I thought it appropriate to explore what exactly a blog is, as opposed to what a column is, or a feature or other form of journalism, and how I come to find myself here. After the demise of the failed Newstime site, where I authored the Bush Babe column, […]
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An open letter to Verashni Pillay
From Neil Pretorius Dear Verashni, As an avid Mail & Guardian reader, and as one who has on many an occasion appreciated the wit of some of your past opinion pieces, I feel somewhat dismayed at having to write this open letter to you. You state that Lindiwe Mazibuko is not the role model that […]