| PERSONAL VIEW |
|
Mbeki has little to celebrate, much to make amends for 2008-02-04 06:00:01 President Thabo Mbeki delivers his last hurrah this Friday. Next year's state of the nation address, which will come just five months before the election of South Africa's new president, will largely be a perfunctory affair. It's unlikely to unveil major policy announcements or big infrastructure project plans. [Full Story...] Bank independence must be balanced with accountability 2008-01-24 06:00:01 The assertion by Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille, a few weeks after the ANC conference in Polokwane, that "the battle for the soul of the ANC has been won, the battle for the soul of South Africa has just begun", is increasingly being taken up in media debates over our country's future economic policy. [Full Story...] Goldman's subprime raspberry to Wall Street 2008-01-22 06:00:01 In retrospect, the most intriguing subplot in the collapse of the subprime mortgage market has been not the size of the losses but their distribution. [Full Story...] Fundamentalists of gold put the myth before the reality 2008-01-17 06:00:01 I am a gold bear. Have been for most of my adult life, ever since I discovered how little practical use exists for the metal and how much of it lies untouched in central bank stockpiles or private hoards. [Full Story...] Eskom keeps us in the dark on reasons for its crisis 2008-01-14 06:00:01 The plot thickened at the end of last year with President Mbeki's "admission" that Eskom had advised the government, who did not listen, that more capacity was needed. [Full Story...] Where Tata leads, African firms need to follow 2008-01-14 06:00:01 The Tata Group made history last year by taking over Corus, the Anglo-Dutch steel and aluminium giant, in a transaction valued at about $11.3 billion (R76.9 billion). [Full Story...] Standard Bank deal signals China's changing approach 2007-11-05 06:00:01 It's rare that a business deal intrigues investors and political scientists alike. The move by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) to buy 20 percent of Standard Bank is such a transaction. [Full Story...] Blackstone Group is key to Ramsay's recipe for success 2007-10-15 06:00:01 What's the secret of Hell's Kitchen star Gordon Ramsay's success? [Full Story...] JSE can go in to bat against the world's best 2007-10-11 06:00:01 I believe the recent World Twenty20 cricket championship provided a positive image of South Africa. Not only did I see people of all races happily mixing and enjoying themselves, but the event appeared to be well organised. [Full Story...] Can SADC and the EU conclude a fair deal before Janaury? 2007-10-10 06:00:01 The EU is negotiating an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with some members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) - Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Tanzania. [Full Story...] Tariffs intended to boost jobs are actually tying them down 2007-09-11 06:00:01 The government and labour unions have rightly been concerned about the significant loss of jobs in the textile industry, caused by the opening of world markets after the demise of apartheid. [Full Story...] Thanks to IFRS, JSE's results don't tell the real story 2007-08-21 06:00:01 Last Tuesday saw the presentation of the JSE's interim report for the end of June - a year to the month from when the exchange listed. [Full Story...] Actis: clueless, insensitive or just racist? 2007-08-20 06:00:01 Jimmy Manyi, president of the Black Management Forum, is proving to be very adept at verbalising widespread perceptions of racism in corporate South Africa. The latest was an accusation that a private equity consortium led by Britain's Actis was motivated by racism when it appointed a white executive chairman to lead pension fund administrator Alexander Forbes, thus belittling the company's existing black chief executive. [Full Story...] Copy Brazil and go organic - this is the biofuel way 2007-08-14 06:00:01 Let's look at a model that can create jobs, food, textiles and, as a by-product, biofuel. [Full Story...] Who are the readers surfing the wave of anti-God bestsellers? 2007-08-10 06:00:01 It seems that going after God is the popular thing to do these days. [Full Story...] Investment capital holds the world to ransom 2007-07-25 06:00:01 "We have to be mindful that we must position [ourselves] in a global environment where there is fierce competition for investment." [Full Story...] Business community must take back power 2007-07-11 06:00:01 Business Unity South Africa (Busa) and other organised business structures have been noticeable by their absence during the last six weeks, allowing Cosatu to run rampant through the country trashing every notion of peace, order and civilised behaviour. [Full Story...] Don't forget pensions in sorting out Zimbabwe 2007-07-04 06:00:01 Business Report has recently brought to public attention the international aid required to put Zimbabwe back on its feet ("Donors will move in when Mugabe finally leaves office", June 19). [Full Story...] SMEs face daunting challenges to compete globally 2007-07-03 06:00:01 Smaller businesses in Africa are enjoying better access to finance from banks, venture capitalists and other sources. [Full Story...] Licking Queen Victoria's portraits is better investment for the super-rich 2007-06-17 06:00:01 Jeremy Grantham, the chairman of Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo investment firm in Boston suggested earlier this year that the world was witnessing "the first truly global bubble". [Full Story...] Buffett should sell PetroChina holdings to save Sudanese lives 2007-05-02 06:00:01 PetroChina isn't the kind of company that fits the classic mould of Berkshire Hathaway investments. [Full Story...] More jobs and better education for women can solve many economic problems 2007-04-30 06:00:01 We live in a world of daunting economic challenges: debt imbalances, out-of-whack currencies, Chinese overheating, wobbly housing markets, erratic energy prices, terrorism, geopolitical risks, you name it. [Full Story...] Dollar's pounding is probably not over yet 2007-04-26 06:00:01 You need to be at least 40 to remember when the pound sterling regularly traded at more than $2. [Full Story...] Climate change is the Cold War of the globalisation age, warn US military leaders 2007-04-25 06:00:01 You know climate change has become a top priority in Washington when it starts penetrating the thinking of leaders in the US military and intelligence community. [Full Story...] Circle of knowledge ensures victory of globalisation 2007-04-25 06:00:01 A 200-year-old American publisher is completing the circle of knowledge. [Full Story...] To avoid financial crises, keep an eye on the black swan 2007-04-23 06:00:01 A slump in Chinese stocks on February 27 triggered the worst week for US equities in more than four years and the biggest one-day jump in volatility ever - the financial equivalent of a butterfly's flapping wing in New Delhi causing a hurricane in North Carolina. [Full Story...] India's crystal balls on monetary policy should be laid bare 2007-04-11 06:00:01 A troubling feature of the Indian economy today is the apparent arbitrariness of monetary policy making and the ripples it causes in asset markets. [Full Story...] Techno change will force businesses to limber up 2007-04-05 06:00:01 Change in South African business is generally understood to mean greater representivity in management and ownership, while the agility challenge is seen as a matter of flatter structures and corporate re-engineering. [Full Story...] Happy planet index is a start to measuring real value 2007-04-04 06:00:01 Economics may be about to be liberated from the narrowness of its assumed purposes. [Full Story...] Knowledge spas are Mumbai's latest outsource success 2007-03-28 06:00:01 The 2 325m2 Mumbai campus of Integreon Managed Solutions is a knowledge spa. [Full Story...] India's road to riches is running out of land 2007-03-20 06:00:01 For 400 years, Anglo-Saxon common law has protected the right of a government to take over private property for public use. From the US interstate highway system to Tokyo's Narita Airport, important pillars of the global economy couldn't have been built without the state acquiring land it didn't own. [Full Story...] The devil is in the delivery, not the details 2007-02-27 06:00:01 A key challenge facing South Africa's public and private sectors is the most fundamental transformation of all - moving from planning to implementation. [Full Story...] Newcomers to pay-TV market will have to blaze fresh trails 2007-02-14 06:00:01 The imminent licensing of new players in the South African subscription TV market is an exciting development in a market dominated by the incumbents, M-Net and DStv. [Full Story...] Brown and King's silence over pound is deafening 2006-12-14 06:00:01 As sterling reaches its highest level against the US currency in 14 years, it is hard to find anyone who doesn't have an opinion on the $2 pound. [Full Story...] Ordinary Wall Street investor is the peasant at royal feast 2006-12-13 06:00:01 One of the miracles of Wall Street is its ability to create a class system without class resentment. [Full Story...] Internet's free services start to put bite on bankers 2006-12-07 06:00:01 The internet has the financial- services industry in its sights. Recent initiatives show that the Web is chewing away at some profitable areas of banking. [Full Story...] Nature's bounty is an asset for all, forever 2006-12-05 06:00:01 Hands up who has heard of the Alaska Permanent Fund (APF) and the dividend flowing from it. Not many; but remember the name. Its counterculture approach to ownership of natural resources is spreading and, when the pendulum swings, could replace the private, competitive and exploitative model of ownership and revenue collection. [Full Story...] Make the most of the next down cycle by continuing to invest 2006-11-29 06:00:01 Rising interest rates, slowing sales growth and fears of a deceleration in credit demand create the prospect of a downturn for some retail and service sectors. [Full Story...] Kebble saga slowly unravels 2006-11-24 07:00:01 The investigation of the murder of Brett Kebble has become very much like a bubbling bog, with strange facts and rumours that continue to well to the surface. [Full Story...] New complementary currency brings out trading talents of locals 2006-10-31 06:00:01 Cometh the hour, cometh the complementary currency. When apparently logical man-made systems create obviously unnecessary suffering, people can sometimes take a step back, spot the defect and correct it, starting at the local level. [Full Story...] More state spending handicaps expansion, limits job creation 2006-09-27 06:00:01 It was with both shock and surprise that I read the article by Margaret Legum (Business Report, September 12), which is based on a study by the International Poverty Centre. [Full Story...] Government has sensitive approach to inclusionary housing 2006-09-26 06:00:01 Business Watch (September 19) makes a number of sensible comments about the government's plan to get property developers to set aside a portion of their developments for low-cost housing. [Full Story...] Avoid the 10 deadly sins that bedevil business change 2006-09-05 06:00:01 Politically, South Africans are sometimes hailed as world champions of change. Unfortunately, local experience of business change has been much more variable. [Full Story...] Wal-Mart is a microcosm of how globalisation can be a temptress, and not a cure 2006-09-03 06:00:01 US labour leaders were incensed last month when Wal-Mart Stores let employees in China unionise. [Full Story...] SA needs robust bosses to play on global stage 2006-08-30 06:00:01 Managing in an increasingly complex and globalising world presents a number of challenges and opportunities for emerging leaders. What are these challenges? [Full Story...] US rekindles scramble for Africa as China pulls in 2006-07-05 06:00:01 Following years of playing hardball during the failed free trade agreement talks between the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) and the US, it seems as if the US is engaging in a new push for Africa. [Full Story...] How SA is missing out in seeking a trade deal with the US 2006-06-14 06:00:01 With South Africa having missed out on signing a free trade agreement and with renewed African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) aid under pressure in the US congress and in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), are the country's trade relations with the US at a particularly low ebb? [Full Story...] WEF's shindig simply can't give impartial advice to governments 2006-06-06 06:00:01 My friend Grace recently engaged a security firm to send one guard to her home from 6pm to 6am each night. She paid the firm R14 000 a month. We all now know that the guard himself was paid between R1 050 and R1 300 a month, regardless of hours worked. Nice profit. [Full Story...] Cellphone law could knock informal trade 2006-05-30 06:00:01 A proposed new law (as currently drafted), due for implementation on 30 June 2006, could destroy 50 000 informal jobs and income opportunities in the cellular industry overnight. [Full Story...] Government invites business to join the drive to cut BEE red tape 2006-05-24 06:00:01 In "Red tape tying up growth - survey" (May 16), the government is accused of "making it difficult for us [business owners]" to contribute more effectively towards economic growth, "because there is a lot of red tape on BEE [black economic empowerment]". [Full Story...] |
