How the mighty have fallen …

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Guest Author Leave a comment

Sol Kerzner, South Africa’s mightiest hotel magnate, is struggling under huge amounts of debt. He will shortly be stepping down as the CEO of Kerzner International, but will stay on as chairman of the company.  The main reason for all these problems is that he funded all his equities through debt. Doing that is like jumping blindfolded off a bridge and hoping there is a big soft marshmallow at the bottom to break your fall, and there isn’t.

This is a preview of How the mighty have fallen …. Read the full post (332 words, 1 image, estimated 1:20 mins reading time)
Business news ,

A Phoenix rising from the ashes

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Guest Author Leave a comment

Downtown Johannesburg, once a place of business and industry, now a place of high rise slums, is being revived. Most of the high rise buildings were abandoned by businesses decades ago, and were subsequently turned into slums by squatters. This led to a drop in the economic prosperity of the area, but all that is changing. Many entrepreneurs are seeing an opportunity to revitalize this dilapidated part of Joburg, by opening up several market galleries, museums, shops, studios, clubs and restaurants.

This is a preview of A Phoenix rising from the ashes. Read the full post (416 words, 1 image, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)
South African business news ,

Back to the Gold Standard?

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Guest Author Leave a comment

The financial crisis in Europe and the looming threat of an inflation frenzy have caused an increasing number of economists to talk about bringing back the Gold Standard. This is not surprising considering that gold is the only material which meets all five characteristics of money: portability, durability, homogeneity, divisibility and value. Gold used to be considered as the only currency with real value and it was the basis of all wealth. “People know that something is wrong with the Dollar,” said Steve Forbes, billionaire publisher and former U.S. presidential candidate. “If the Dollar was as good as gold, other countries would want to buy it.”

This is a preview of Back to the Gold Standard?. Read the full post (503 words, 1 image, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)
Business news , ,

How to Insure a Vehicle in South Africa

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Guest Author Leave a comment

Insuring your vehicle is increasingly important as the price of cars and car repairs have risen through the years. Purchasing your vehicle is most likely the greatest purchase you’ll ever make, aside from property. As a result, it’s imperative that the vehicle is protected against unforeseen problems.

In South Africa, there are three different kinds of cover:

Comprehensive

This is the most expensive cover and is usually required in order to get financing. Policies provide comprehensive cover against fire, theft, collision, damage and hijacking. You will also be covered for third-party claims.

Limited

This is a preview of How to Insure a Vehicle in South Africa. Read the full post (339 words, 1 image, estimated 1:21 mins reading time)
Personal finance

5 Tips for Turning a Service into a Product

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Guest Author Leave a comment

Having a service-based business can be very rewarding, but it usually means that you only get paid for the number of hours you work. It also means that the growth of your business can be very slow since service means employees, and people are the highest cost to any organization. Remember that before launching your service-based business you must first ask yourself whether it truly has the capability to be profitable, and if it is something you can see improving and expanding on in the future.

This is a preview of 5 Tips for Turning a Service into a Product. Read the full post (436 words, 1 image, estimated 1:45 mins reading time)
Business news , ,

Trevor Manuel’s 20 Year Plan

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Guest Author Leave a comment

Clearly South Africa has a lot of problems. The National Planning Commission on Friday released its twenty year plan; that’s not five years but twenty. Twenty years might seem like an age but with the colossal vision of achieving all that it sets out to, twenty years seems short.

Its primary goals are to minimise poverty and inequality largely by focusing on unemployment. It aims to reduce the unemployment rate, which is now at 25%, to 14% by 2020 and to 3% by 2030. It will do this by employing 11 million South Africans. One of the ways that it proposes to do this is by encouraging small and growing businesses to employ staff by giving them a tax subsidy for employing unskilled employees.

This is a preview of Trevor Manuel’s 20 Year Plan. Read the full post (433 words, 1 image, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)
Business news, South African business news , ,

Are you ensuring your financially stable future?

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Guest Author Leave a comment

All of us dream and hope that one day we’ll be financially comfortable: A nice house in a good neighbourhood, a good car, an indulgent lifestyle filled with clothes, holidays and good food. But the real question remains – if you want all of this are you taking steps to get there and to make it reality, not just a dream? Here are some steps you can follow:

1.     Start saving now

This is a preview of Are you ensuring your financially stable future?. Read the full post (669 words, 1 image, estimated 2:41 mins reading time)
Finance, Personal finance , , , ,

Investing in Money What is the Forex Market?

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Sandy Leave a comment

Although the idea of diversifying one’s investments is pretty standard, most investors seldom get the job done. They try to buy a few mutual funds, bonds and stocks and call it good. While there’s nothing wrong with these investments, you’re not truly diversifying your account if you only have these options. To gain true diversification, you may have to go outside the norm and put some money into a few alternative investments. One such investment is the foreign exchange market or Forex.

This is a preview of Investing in Money What is the Forex Market?. Read the full post (568 words, 1 image, estimated 2:16 mins reading time)
Finance, Personal finance ,

10 qualities for becoming a CEO

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Guest Author Leave a comment

Ever wondered how people become Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)? Technically, anyone can fill that slot, but only those who have distinguished themselves from the crowd in terms of education, experience and personality traits will be able to take over the job. Of course, an outsider with a degree is no match for someone who has been with the company for many years and knows it inside out. However, in most cases if you have the degree plus the experience, you will be a more likely candidate for the position than someone who only has one of the two. Let’s take a brief look at some of the qualities necessary to become a CEO.

This is a preview of 10 qualities for becoming a CEO. Read the full post (537 words, 1 image, estimated 2:09 mins reading time)
Business news ,

10 reasons for supporting local businesses

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Guest Author Leave a comment

As we all know, the ‘Proudly South African’ campaign launched in 2001 is an initiative taken by the government, local businesses, labour, and organizations to encourage the support of local businesses in South Africa. However, many of us still do not realize the importance of buying from local businesses in boosting job creation, supporting the economy and ourselves, as well as encouraging homegrown products and services. Here are the top 10 reasons for why you should buy and think local.

  1. 1.     Employment opportunities. Small, local businesses are the largest national employers, and by supporting local businesses you are providing job opportunities for your fellow citizens.
This is a preview of 10 reasons for supporting local businesses. Read the full post (442 words, 1 image, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)
Business news , ,