Robot managers: the future of work or a step too far?

First they took the factory jobs; next, robots are expected to replace mortgage brokers, paralegals, and accountants. It has always been assumed, however, that jobs requiring human interaction would remain safe.

Not so, according to one Canadian company, which has automated many management and administrative processes to such an extent that it does not have a human resources department.

Klick, a digital agency of 700 people, achieved this with an internal operating system that tracks things like billable hours, workflow and employee attendance, as well as managing recruitment and training.

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Estie2018-08-03T06:32:16+02:00August 3rd, 2018|General management and CSR|

How to open a petrol station franchise in South Africa – and how much it costs

Thanks to Tamarin Vorster from Bishop Bavin who kindly shared this article with the Business Studies community via our platform

How to open a petrol station franchise in South Africa – and how much it costs

Staff Writer 10 July 2018

One of the more resilient industries capable of delivering healthy profits during times of slow national economic growth is the fuel retail industry, says James Noble, a business development manager at Absa Business Banking.
“The industry proved itself to be recession proof. This makes the sector a worthwhile consideration for people thinking of financial independence and wealth creation opportunities as well as existing business owners seeking to add to their growing business portfolio,” […]

Estie2018-07-11T19:42:06+02:00July 11th, 2018|2019 Case Study, Entrepreneurship, Recources, Syllabus Topics|

6 ways successful organisations approach human capital management

HR and talent professionals have known it for years and now it’s been proven: a better-prepared workforce delivers better results. In fact, a global survey of more than 2,700 executives conducted by Oxford Economics and SAP backs up intuition with data. The study examined thousands of high- and low-performing companies worldwide, examining correlations between workforce priority and financial success.

The results named several key characteristics of high- performing companies that leverage talent to drive bottom-line growth. Many HR departments make the case that talent drives results to the C-suite, and some findings show that employees are worth investing in. High- performing organizations approach their human capital management in specific ways, including:

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Estie2018-06-17T16:29:24+02:00June 17th, 2018|Human Capital|

Five biggest talent management challenges in 2018

Human resources is a varied field, which means HR managers will be looking in a number of directions to plan 2018’s activities depending on their specific needs and the challenges of their industry. Talent acquisition and employee retention will likely be the top concern for many, but there are also issues surrounding technology and wellness that HR managers will have to pay attention to in the coming year.

John Bersin, founder of Bersin by Deloitte, has said this year will “be one of the most important years for HR in decades”. This is why.

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Estie2018-06-17T16:27:52+02:00June 17th, 2018|Human Capital, Uncategorised|

Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends

Organizations face a radically shifting context for the workforce, the workplace, and the world of work. Our survey of more than 10,000 business and HR leaders from 140 countries reveals 10 areas for businesses to focus on to better organize, manage, develop, and align people at work.

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Estie2018-06-17T16:27:28+02:00June 17th, 2018|Human Capital, Uncategorised|

Top 8 Influencer Marketing Trends for 2018

It’s fair to say that 2017 was the year of influencer marketing. Brands flocked to influencers in hoards to help sell their products and services to engaged audiences.

Don’t expect this trend to stop any time soon. Influencer marketing is going to continue to be a driving force for brands looking to grow their audience and improve sales through social media in 2018.

The question is, what can you do to get the most out of influencer marketing this year? Will the same tactics from 2017 pay off in 2018?

We’re here to answer all those questions for you. Let’s take a look at how to be successful with influencer marketing in 2018:

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Estie2018-06-17T16:28:17+02:00June 17th, 2018|Marketing, Uncategorised|

13 Biggest Content Marketing Trends that Will Dominate 2018

As we reach the end of the year, there are two things we can say for certain for 2018:

Content marketing will become even more important
Content creation and distribution will change radically

There’s a reason Seth Godin calls content marketing “the only marketing left” – it’s authentic, useful, and perfectly suited for the internet generation.

But while few can doubt the effectiveness of content marketing, the channels, tactics and tools marketers use to create and distribute content will continue evolving in 2018 and beyond.

What content marketing trends should you watch out for? How should you change your marketing strategy to keep pace with these changes?

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Estie2018-06-17T16:21:31+02:00June 17th, 2018|Marketing|

Tips for SMEs expanding into Africa

In light of Africa Day on the 25 May, more South African small and medium enterprise (SME) owners should be encouraged to look at how they could expand their operations into the rest of the continent.

This is according to Mark Paper, chief operating officer at Business Partners International, who says that Africa has for long been regarded as a region with untapped economic opportunity.

“The African Development Bank reports that the economic growth in Africa is set to accelerate to 4.1% over the course of 2018 and 2019, which can potentially yield benefits for SMEs.”

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Estie2018-06-08T17:15:07+02:00June 8th, 2018|Entrepreneurship, Environments|

Previously disadvantaged face more tech start-up challenges

Cape Town – While tech start-ups generally face the same common challenges as other small businesses, previously disadvantaged members of the tech ecosystem face additional challenges, according to Kerry Petrie, general manager at Silicon Cape, an initiative by local entrepreneurs focused on branding and promoting tech in Cape Town.

Commonly cited challenges for start-ups are usually access to markets, funding and governmental red tape. Previously disadvantaged individuals trying to enter the tech SME sphere face additional challenges like skills deficits, structural inequalities and very limited social capital.

“Many service providers are seeing the need to work with this sector. From the largest legal and financial firms in the country to small, localised consultants, there is value in developing business clients from early relationships,” explained Petrie.

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Estie2018-06-08T17:13:47+02:00June 8th, 2018|Entrepreneurship|

Entrepreneurs flock to Cape Town, Africa’s start-up capital

Cape Town is the continent’s start-up capital, says Wesgro, the official tourism, trade and investment agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape.

James Milne, head of Wesgro’s investment promotion team, and Boitumelo Menyatswe, ecosystem manager at Silicon Cape, shared their insights with Fin24.

From across the globe, start-ups choose Cape Town for various reasons: lifestyle, community, access to funding, a culture of creativity, and available talent. The latter is due to many top tertiary institutions in the area.

Additionally, investors are drawn to the city, thanks to the range of quality start-ups, tax incentives and access to the rest of Africa.

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Estie2018-06-08T17:11:35+02:00June 8th, 2018|Entrepreneurship|