Recources Archives - Page 10 of 39

Inside Labour: The real question about the 4th industrial revolution

Mar 23 2018 – Terry Bell

It is rather worrying that so many of the arguments about the fourth industrial revolution are so simplistic and often crude.

This is especially so, given the amount of readily available information and analysis. As a result, the major problem facing the global community because of the rapid development and introduction of new technologies is, for the most part, seldom debated.

It is a problem that was summed up clearly in 1949 by the “father of cybernetics”, the mathematician Norbert Wiener. With computing and automation becoming talking points, he looked to the future and noted that it would be possible to “live a good life with the aid of the machines”.

These, he pointed out, could ultimately carry out most labour more efficiently and effectively than humans can. But Wiener went on to warn that the same machines could usher in “an industrial revolution of unmitigated cruelty”. He […]

Estie2018-03-27T10:48:45+02:00March 27th, 2018|Human Capital, Recources, Syllabus Topics|

How to beat shrinkflation

Mar 18 2018

Shrinkflation, an unpopular term among consumers, is the process of items shrinking in size or quantity while their prices remain the same. Manufacturers engage in this practice to make money. Angelique Ruzicka has some tips on how to beat them at their own game

Manufacturers often want to increase their prices, but don’t want to do so in an obscene way that may lead to them being labelled “the bad guys”. But if they are facing margin pressure, they have to find solutions. So, what do they do instead?

They reduce the size or the number of portions while keeping the packaging the same.

Alternatively, they use less of the more expensive ingredients and puff up the product with cheaper contents.
This results in manufacturers paying less to produce an item while the consumer pays the same price or more.
The payoff is that the consumer does not notice this shrinkage as the […]

Estie2018-03-27T10:45:48+02:00March 27th, 2018|Environments, Ethics, Marketing, Recources, Syllabus Topics|

Three major mistakes Tiger Brands made in response to the listeriosis crisis

Mar 16 2018 – Ilse Struweg

TIGER BRANDS, the South African food giant at the centre of the listeriosis storm engulfing the country, is facing serious brand erosion as a result of the way it handled the unfolding crisis.
It could have responded better.

Tiger Brands was thrown into the centre of the listeriosis storm after South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases announced that its investigation had traced the origins of the disease to one of the company’s biggest meat processing plants.

The culprit was identified as polony from the Enterprise Foods facility that produces a range of cold meats. Tiger Brands, a $2.5bn Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed business, owns Enterprise Foods among other continent wide popular food brands.

South Africa has been struggling with the listeriosis outbreak for 14 months. Unable to find the source of the affected products, the outbreak developed into the worstcase of listeriosis in the world. By the end […]

Estie2018-03-27T10:37:50+02:00March 27th, 2018|Environments, Recources|

Ad firms use tools to read your mind

Dec 24 2017

New York – More and more advertisers are trying to tap into the unconscious to tap into the invisible forces that drive those spending decisions.

Using gadgets to track eye movements, computer maps of faces to capture a momentary grin (approval) or squinting (anger), and sensors to measure perspiration or monitor brain activity, companies are mining consumers’ raw emotions for information.

Traditionally, ad firms have measured the success of their campaigns through consumer surveys, but that technique has its limits.

“It’s not that people won’t tell you, they actually can’t tell you why they’re making the decision they’re making,” said Jessica Azoulay, vice president of the market intelligence practice at Isobar, a digital marketing agency.
The new techniques recognise that our purchase decisions are driven by both rational and emotional factors, and reflect research showing the brain takes in information on different levels.

Downloaded from https://www.fin24.com/Companies/Advertising/ad-firms-use-tools-to-read-your-mind-20171224-2

Estie2018-03-27T10:21:35+02:00March 27th, 2018|Marketing, Recources|

Consumers likely to buy after watching video – research

Feb 22 2018

Cape Town – Consumers are 64% more likely to buy a product after viewing a product video, according to Desiree Gullan, executive creative director at G&G Digital.

In her view, visual marketing – in the form of photography and video – is no longer a “nice-to-have” for brands, but a “must have”. Video content actually represents 74% of all internet traffic.
“When people hear information, they’re likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later,” explains Gullan.

“If an image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later.”
Consumers “buy with their eyes” and are led by how brands make them feel.

“Captivating videos and professional photos cue quality and credibility. Consumer attention is scarce and a first impression can be the difference between being engaged with or ignored, she adds.

“In an ocean of online videos and photos, there simply isn’t […]

Estie2018-03-27T09:16:28+02:00March 27th, 2018|Marketing, Recources, Syllabus Topics|

Media24 agrees to pay R14m in price-fixing settlement

2018-03-16 – Carin Smith

The Cape Town Central City Improvement District noted Media24’s revamped building, adding value to the CBD property value.

Cape Town – Media24 has agreed to pay an administrative penalty of R13.83m as settlement in a price-fixing case brought against it and 27 other media companies by the Competition Commission. The settlement follows similar penalty agreements between the commission and Caxton and CTP Publishers and Printers (R5.8m), Independent Media (R2.22m) and DStv Media Sales (R22.26m).

“This is one of the legacy media practices that survived the introduction of the Competition Act in South Africa. It is a problem because it consolidates operations of a few media houses that gang up against mainly small advertising agencies,” Competition commissioner Tembinkosi Bonakele commented earlier.

As part of the settlement, Media24 has also agreed to contribute R4.98m to the Economic Development Fund over a three-year period and provide 25% bonus advertising space for every rand […]

Estie2018-03-27T09:10:00+02:00March 27th, 2018|Environments, Performance of the business, Recources, Syllabus Topics|

Moody’s reprieve ‘not enough’ for hard-pressed consumers

Mar 24 2018 – Tehillah Niselow

Johannesburg – Although all South Africans will benefit from the Moody’s move not to downgrade South Africa, it is not enough for hard-pressed consumers, warned debt counselling firm Debt Rescue.
The Banking Association of South Africa (BASA) on Saturday welcomed Moody’s affirmation of South Africa’s investment rating, saying that another downgrade would have increased the cost of borrowing for the state, companies and financial institutions.
On Friday night, the ratings agency affirmed South Africa’s long term foreign and local currency debt ratings at ‘Baa3’ and revised the outlook to stable from negative, citing changes in the political arena, the strengthening of key institutions, improved economic growth and commitment to fiscal consolidation as reasons for their decision.
“All South Africans – business and consumers – will benefit from this show of confidence in the progress the country has made in addressing some of the concerns previously raised by […]

Estie2018-03-27T09:02:59+02:00March 27th, 2018|Investment and insurance, Recources, Syllabus Topics|

How to start saving from your first pay cheque

Mar 16 2018

Cape Town – Investing when you are young sounds like an expensive and daunting task, especially when you have just started your first job, says Lance Solms, managing director at Itransact. He says the best time to start is with your first pay cheque.

“There are plenty of investment options available that don’t require you to have millions. How much you save depends on what you want and what your goals look like, there are investment and savings options that require even as little as R300 per month,” said Solms.

He shares some tips on how to get started:

Start early
Keep in mind, savings accumulate and the interest compounds without taxes, as long as the money is not withdrawn. So, it’s wise to establish an investment vehicle early in your working life.

“Another reason to start saving early is that, usually the younger you are, the less likely you are to […]

Estie2018-03-27T09:00:41+02:00March 27th, 2018|Finance, Recources, Syllabus Topics|

Even at 15%, South Africa is not paying too much in VAT compared to the rest of the world

Timothy Rangongo , Business Insider SA

• Value added tax (VAT) was increased by one percentage point to 15%.
• The hike was met with heavy criticism by businesses, consumers and the opposition.
• South Africa’s VAT rate is still relatively low compared to the rest of Africa and the world.

It didn’t take long for the DA to launch a full-on offensive at the planned one percentage point increase in VAT, complete with an online petition.

So will South Africa be paying too much in VAT?
As it turns out…
The hike could actually be justified as our VAT rate is lower compared to the rest of Africa. So, they could have gone with a 2% increase but probably decided against it when factoring in its impact on the poor.

Severus Smuts, Indirect tax specialist at Deloitte
The 15% VAT South Africans will have to pay from 1 April, is mild compared to the rest of the world.
Global VAT […]

Estie2018-03-27T08:52:31+02:00March 27th, 2018|Environments, Finance, Recources, Syllabus Topics|

We compared South Africa’s most popular takeout coffees — and the winner is clear

Jay Caboz and Helena Wasserman , Business Insider SA

• Our team pitted Vida e Caffè, Seattle, Wimpy, McDonalds, Woolworths and Mugg & Bean takeaway cappuccinos against each other.
• One popular coffee brand scored a big fat zero out of 10, while another was deemed “wood in a cup.”
• The winner was Woolworths, with Seattle in second place.

Arguably the most important liquid fueling the economy, apart from petroleum, is coffee. And while everyone has their preferred brand of takeaway coffee, we were desperate to determine which one is the best.
We turned to an expert panel of Business Insider South Africa taste-testers to find our favourite. Our testers included Freeman Nofemele, a professional barista in Cape Town; Emily Cohn, head of audience development at Business Insider in New York, on visit in SA; and James de Villiers, journalist with Business Insider SA and self-proclaimed coffee addict.

The tasting team pitted Vida, Seattle, Wimpy, McDonalds, […]

Estie2018-03-27T08:48:19+02:00March 27th, 2018|2018 Case Study, Recources|