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BOOK REVIEW: Not for Free: Revenue Strategies for a New World

06 December 2011

It used to be that only dotcom start-ups lacked workable business models. But now the ubiquity of cheap communications and computing is deeply wounding business models across the board. Combined with rapidly changing customer expectations, the rules for how value is delivered and what, when and how much customers will pay are in flux. What can you do to ensure that you have a business model that will work today and in the future – all while riding out economic turbulence? Read more

Category: Strategy

Strategic South Africa

06 December 2011

From the days of its strategic importance as a vital link on the East-West trade route for the Dutch East India Company to the current day faith being shown in South Africa by the emerging BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) as a strategic gateway into Africa, the words of Vladimir Lenin have never held so true as they do today: “Whoever controls the tip of Africa controls the world.” Recognising the tactical importance of South Africa and how to harness this role is central to the academic focus of the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). Read more

Category: Strategy

BOOK REVIEW: Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our Own Mind and Other People's Minds

14 November 2011

Minds are exceedingly hard to change. Ask any advertiser who has tried to convince consumers to switch brands, any CEO who has tried to change a company's culture, or any individual who has tried to heal a rift with a friend. So many aspects of life are oriented toward changing minds – yet this phenomenon is among the least understood of familiar human experiences. Read more

Category: Other

Getting to grips with the ‘green’ economy

14 November 2011

What is biodiversity? What is the importance of grassland areas? How can we align a business and financial agenda with an appreciation for ecosystems and natural balance? Is there a shared platform on which the green movement and business can come together to pay more than lip-service to the notion of sustainability? Read more

Category: Economics and Economies

BOOK REVIEW: The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work

24 October 2011

What really sets the best managers above the rest? It's their power to build a cadre of employees who have great inner work lives – consistently positive emotions, strong motivation and favourable perceptions of the organisation, their work and their colleagues. The worst managers undermine inner work life, often unwittingly. Read more

Category: Leadership

Driving change in the automotive industry

24 October 2011

While still on the road to recovery following the global recession, the automotive industry is looking to the future as a time of exciting change. Read more

Category: Marketing and Sales

BOOK REVIEW: Billions of Entrepreneurs: How China and India Are Reshaping Their Futures – and Yours

04 October 2011

China and India are home to one-third of the world's population. And they're undergoing social and economic revolutions that are capturing the best minds – and money – of Western business. Read more

Category: Entrepreneurship

The role of Japan and SA in promoting growth in Africa

04 October 2011

Africa has changed from the continent of disaster to the continent of growth opportunities and this has brought about a shift from aid to trade and investment, said Japan’s ambassador to South Africa, His Excellency Mr Toshiro Ozawa, at a recent GIBS Forum on The Role of Japan and SA in Promoting Growth in Africa. Read more

Category: Economics and Economies, Emerging markets

BOOK REVIEW: Fully Charged: How Great Leaders Boost Their Organization's Energy and Ignite High Performance

12 September 2011

As you're well aware, your individual energy ebbs and flows – leading to high and low productivity cycles. Fail to manage your energy correctly and you risk falling into traps including inertia, complacency and frenzied, unfocused activity that only erodes the quality of your life. The same holds true for your entire organisation. Read more

Category: Leadership

Driving economic change: Nationalisation vs improved competitiveness

24 August 2011

The fundamental challenges we face as a country in the next 10 or more years are our levels of poverty, unemployment and the inequality in our society. Read more

Category: Economics and Economies