Reputation Challenges: Hilburg’s five essential lessons in Crisis Management

Those who get themselves to GIBS in Inanda, Johannesburg tomorrow evening are in for a treat. The world’s foremost Crisis Management guru Alan Hilburg will be talking about Protecting Brands, Trust and Leadership in Times of Crisis. After an interview last October  on CNBC Africa, I had the privilege of breaking bread with him, getting to probe … Read more

New-Age MBA must need to reach beyond business, engage their heart

Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett reckons business schools should teach only one thing – case studies of businesses that have failed and succeeded. He warns against any formula that you cannot work out in your head, and especially anything that contains a letter from the greek alphabet. Buffett is the most successful investor of modern … Read more

Meet Jugaad – the secret weapon that’s swinging it for Emerging Markets

When those with Dutch Disease meet those employing Jugaad, the winner is obvious. He who is hungrier, has shining eyes and burning ambition will invariably triumph against the over-confident and over-resourced. Malcolm Gladwell’s latest masterpiece, David and Goliath, offers a string of examples. And in this blog, Wits commerce student Kuvanya Pillay shares her introduction … Read more

Fixing SAA and SA tourism: ditch Beijing, promote 50p beers to travel-hungry Brits

When you’re Proudly South African, the silly economic decisions big state-funded enterprises and government ministers make get under your skin. South African CEO Chris Brewer, a popular blogger, takes aim this week at some of the moves – or lack thereof – by SAA and other South African tourism players.  There are so many fantastic … Read more

With 8% success rate, something serious amiss with “Business Rescue”

As the penny starts dropping that we’re into the Second Machine Age – with all the disruptive innovation that implies – more attention will have to be given to developing and supporting entrepreneurs. One of the best ways of doing so is to help those job creating risk-takers who fail and support those who are … Read more

Four big mistakes business start-ups make

It’s great fun planning a new business, particularly the superficial details – like what your desk and new chair will look and feel like and how you will make sure you get the office party started before the weekend. And, we’re told to dream big, so it’s nice to imagine those big billboards you are … Read more

Alexx-Zarr - BizNews.com

Collectivism is as dead as the dodo

Sometimes, the debate between those who favour a free market system, and those who favour state-led development gets oversimplified. The debate is caricatured as a binary choice: Wild West, unregulated free markets on one side, and intrusive, Soviet-style government control on the other. But as this contribution from Alex Zarr argues, this is a false … Read more

Not in the job description? When saying ‘no’ to a boss means trouble

With companies increasingly relying on fewer people to do more, it is highly likely that you will be asked to perform a task that is not in your job description. For some people, it’s no problem to step out of the pre-determined list of responsibilities and try something new or different. For others, it’s a … Read more