SME Sustainability in South Africa Post-COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. 419-437
Author(s):  
Vannie Naidoo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Infection Rate ◽  
Healthcare Education ◽  
Business Sector ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The World ◽  
Financial Losses ◽  
Education Business

COVID-19 has spread across countries throughout the world. This deadly virus has had devastating effects on government, society, healthcare, education, business, and the economy. As researchers and scientists throughout the world are searching for a cure, the virus remains deadly, and the infection rate is on the rise. SMEs throughout the world have been affected by this global pandemic. Since many countries imposed lockdown, SMEs were one of the most vulnerable in the business sector and suffered some devastating financial losses. During COVID-19, lockdown Stage 5 in South Africa occurred, where many SMEs that were non-essential were asked to shut down during this period.

scholarly journals Competitive intelligence: An instrument to enhance South Africa’s competitiveness

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilma Viviers ◽  
M Muller ◽  
A Du Toit
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Competitive Intelligence ◽  
Business Sector ◽  
Academic Field ◽  
Global Competitiveness ◽  
The World ◽  
Private And Public

The case for Competitive Intelligence (CI) as an instrument that can enhance the competitiveness of South African companies and South Africa as a country is strong. Various global competitive rankings measurements have indicated over a number of years the areas in which competitiveness is lacking. Moreover, these rankings have indicated that South Africa has failed to improve its position year on year. The fact that the world is becoming increasingly competitive for South African entities is undisputed. Coupled with a fluctuating exchange rate and the country’s geographical proximity, this poses unique challenges facing South African managers who have to deal with various regulations and legislative matters. In order to create and sustain an effective knowledge economy and to enhance global competitiveness, South Africa however has to put appropriate strategies/measures in place to stimulate, encourage and grow knowledge practices. Competitive Intelligence (CI) as a means of making more sense of the competitive business environment and to identify opportunities and risks in time to act upon can be effectively used as a means to enhance competitiveness. Valuable lessons from successful CI practices in the business sector and government can be learnt from elsewhere in the world. CI should be investigated and adapted for South Africa’s business environment. It is therefore the aim of this article to first attempt to describe the role of CI in enhancing competitiveness, specifically in South Africa and secondly, to stimulate thought on how to secure momentum in enhancing CI as an academic field by developing relevant CI courses as well as demonstrating the value of CI to companies in South Africa through research and collaboration between academics and the private and public sectors. 

Ethics in Accounting and Finance

2021 ◽  
pp. 30-41
Author(s):  
Vannie Naidoo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Public Enterprise ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Business Sector ◽  
Fair Share ◽  
Accounting Profession ◽  
The World ◽  
The Many

Ethics forms the cornerstone of business and commerce today. It is the lifeblood of every institution be it private or public enterprise. Organisations have to develop and implement a properly structured policy on ethics outlaying proper governance within the institution. Accounting and finance services are crucial in managing a company's finances and wealth. In the accounting profession, in order for there to be transparency and trust, ethics is a crucial area that needs to be present. The many scandals and ethical dilemmas faced by countries organisations throughout the world has made us pause and take stock of what is happening in industry and has prompted action in law and governance towards ethics and corporate governance. South Africa too, has had its fair share of scandal that has had its legal fraternity, government, and business sector develop the Kings I, Kings II, Kings III, and Kings IV laws that stipulate corporate governance and ethics. Organisations have to be honest, professional, and transparent in their business practices.

scholarly journals COVID-19 responses: infrastructure inequality and privileged capacity to transform everyday life in South Africa

2020 ◽  
pp. 095624782097009
Author(s):  
Jiska De Groot ◽  
Charlotte Lemanski
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Urban Poverty ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Local Contexts ◽  
The World ◽  
Basic Infrastructure

Throughout the early months of 2020, COVID-19 rapidly changed how the world functioned, with the closure of borders, schools and workplaces, national lockdowns, and the rapid normalization of “self-isolation” and “social distancing”. However, while public health recommendations were broadly universal, human capacity to accordingly transform everyday life has differed significantly. We use the example of South Africa to highlight the privileged nature of the ability to transform one’s life in response to COVID-19, arguing that the virus both highlights and exacerbates existing inequalities in access to infrastructure. For those living in urban poverty in South Africa, where access to basic infrastructure is limited, and where overcrowding and high density are the norm, it is frequently impossible to transform daily life in the required ways. The failure of global public health recommendations to recognize these inequalities, and to adapt advice to national and local contexts, reveals significant limitations that extend beyond this specific global pandemic.

scholarly journals The professional nurse’s experience of the dying process of the terminal Aids patient

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Bester ◽  
Engela Du Plessis ◽  
Minrie Greeff
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Infection Rate ◽  
Full Text ◽  
The World ◽  
Hiv Aids

The increase in HIV/AIDS raises international concern. Statistics indicate that South Africa has the fastest increasing HIV-infection rate in the world. Opsomming Die toename in MIV/VIGS wek internasionale kommer. Statistiek toon dat Suid-Afrika die snelstygendste MIVbesmettingskoers ter wêreld het. *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full text.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Pandemic: A review of economic package of India using Sentiment and Emotional Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-97
Author(s):  
Sarla Bharadwaj ◽  
Piyush Bharadwaj
Keyword(s):  
Coming Out ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
North India ◽  
Business Sector ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Indian Government ◽  
North West ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Turbulent Times ◽  
The World

COVID-19 global pandemic has created an unprecedented crisis and the entire global community passing through turbulent times. With the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases growing exponentially, the entire world has come to a standstill. This Covid-19 global pandemic has created stressful unsettling circumstances for the whole world. It has completely disrupted the normal socio economic activities. Most of the countries have enforced a complete lockdown and taking several pro-active measures and necessary precautions to ensure health and safety of its citizens. There is a huge loss in business sector leading to another recession around the world. Every country is coming out with a plan to save their economy. India is the fifth largest economy in the world and to save their economy, the Indian government has announced an economic package of Rs. 20 lac crore for its economic revival. People have flooded their social media accounts with their opinion on this economic package. In this paper, 1.8 lac tweets are extracted and analysed from different states and UT’s of India. The findings show that more than 50% of people are positive about the economic package. Around 50,000 people are neutral about the economic package and around 30,000 people are negative regarding the economic package. The paper also analysis state-wise tweets and concludes that all states have a majority of positive tweets for the economic package. The study also analysis that north west India has most positive tweets and neutral tweets and north India has most negative tweets.

scholarly journals Clinical Legal Education during a Global Pandemic - Suggestions from the Trenches: The Perspective of the Nelson Mandela University

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Marc Welgemoed
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Electronic Devices ◽  
Legal Education ◽  
Legal Practice ◽  
Nelson Mandela ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The World ◽  
Academic Year

Summary/Abstract   The Covid-19 pandemic has plunged the world into turmoil and uncertainty.  The academic world is no exception.  In South Africa, due to a nationwide lockdown imposed by government, universities had to suspend all academic activities, but very quickly explored online teaching and learning options in order to ensure continued education to students.  As far as Clinical Legal Education, or CLE, is concerned, such online options of teaching and learning could present problems to university law faculties, university law clinics and law students in general, as CLE is a practical methodology, usually following a live-client or simulation model, depending on the particular university and law clinic.  This article provides insight into the online methodology followed by the Nelson Mandela University, or NMU.  The NMU presents CLE as part of its Legal Practice-module and conventionally follows the live-client model.  As the national lockdown in South Africa required inter alia social distancing, the live-client model had been temporarily suspended by the NMU Law Faculty Management Committee and replaced with an online methodology.  The aim of this was an attempt to complete the first semester of the academic year in 2020.  This online methodology is structured so as to provide practical-orientated training to students relating to a wide variety of topics, including drafting of legal documents, divorce matters, medico-legal practice, labour legal practice, criminal legal practice, as well as professional ethics.  The online training took place in two staggered teaching and learning pathways in line with the strategy of the NMU, underpinned by the principle of “no student will be left behind.”   In this way, provision had been made for students with online connectivity and access to electronic devices, students with online connectivity only after return to campus or another venue where connectivity is possible and electronic devices are available, as well as for students who do not have access to online connectivity and electronic devices at all.  The reworked CLE-programme of the NMU, planned for the second semester of the 2020-academic year, will also be discussed in this article.  The online methodology, followed by the NMU, should however not be viewed as definitive or cast in stone in any way.  There might be – and there surely are – alternative methodologies, both online and otherwise, that may provide equally good or even better training to CLE-students during a global pandemic.  Alternative suggestions in this regard will also be discussed in this article.  It is hoped that this article will provide inspiration, as well as assistance, to university law faculties and law clinics that are struggling to engage with continued practical legal education during the testing and uncertain times brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.  It is further hoped that this article may provide guidance in other difficult and unforeseen future instances that may await CLE.  In this regard, it is important to remember that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is rapidly increasing its grip on the world and that CLE will have to adapt to the demands thereof.

Invasive Shot Hole Borers Euwallacea fornicatus, E. kuroshio, and E. perbrevis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

EDIS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Demian F. Gomez ◽  
Jiri Hulcr ◽  
Daniel Carrillo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Economic Impacts ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Ambrosia Beetles ◽  
Invasive Insects ◽  
The World ◽  
And Control

Invasive species, those that are nonnative and cause economic damage, are one of the main threats to ecosystems around the world. Ambrosia beetles are some of the most common invasive insects. Currently, severe economic impacts have been increasingly reported for all the invasive shot hole borers in South Africa, California, Israel, and throughout Asia. This 7-page fact sheet written by Demian F. Gomez, Jiri Hulcr, and Daniel Carrillo and published by the School of Forest Resources and Conservation describes shot hole borers and their biology and hosts and lists some strategies for prevention and control of these pests. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr422

The World Economic Forum Principles on "Climate Governance on Corporate Boards": can soft law help to face climate change around the world?

2020 ◽  
pp. 37-55
Author(s):  
Sabrina Bruno
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
Soft Law ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
World Economic Forum ◽  
Financial Factor ◽  
The World ◽  
World Economic

Climate change is a financial factor that carries with it risks and opportunities for companies. To support boards of directors of companies belonging to all jurisdictions, the World Economic Forum issued in January 2019 eight Principlescontaining both theoretical and practical provisions on: climate accountability, competence, governance, management, disclosure and dialogue. The paper analyses each Principle to understand scope and managerial consequences for boards and to evaluate whether the legal distinctions, among the various jurisdictions, may undermine the application of the Principles or, by contrast, despite the differences the Principles may be a useful and effective guidance to drive boards' of directors' conduct around the world in handling climate change challenges. Five jurisdictions are taken into consideration for this comparative analysis: Europe (and UK), US, Australia, South Africa and Canada. The conclusion is that the WEF Principles, as soft law, is the best possible instrument to address boards of directors of worldwide companies, harmonise their conduct and effectively help facing such global emergency.

Social Design for Services Framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie SARANTOU ◽  
Satu MIETTINEN
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Research Group ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Social Design ◽  
Practical Action ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World

This paper addresses the fields of social and service design in development contexts, practice-based and constructive design research. A framework for social design for services will be explored through the survey of existing literature, specifically by drawing on eight doctoral theses that were produced by the World Design research group. The work of World Design researcher-designers was guided by a strong ethos of social and service design for development in marginalised communities. The paper also draws on a case study in Namibia and South Africa titled ‘My Dream World’. This case study presents a good example of how the social design for services framework functions in practice during experimentation and research in the field. The social design for services framework transfers the World Design group’s research results into practical action, providing a tool for the facilitation of design and research processes for sustainable development in marginal contexts.

International Listening Post report summary: the world at the dawn of 2019

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-124
Author(s):  
Sandy Henderson ◽  
Ulrike Beland ◽  
Dimitrios Vonofakos
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Faroe Islands ◽  
The South ◽  
The World ◽  
The Uk

On or around 9 January 2019, twenty-two Listening Posts were conducted in nineteen countries: Canada, Chile, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Germany (Frankfurt and Berlin), Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy (two in Milan and one in the South), Peru, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, and the UK. This report synthesises the reports of those Listening Posts and organises the data yielded by them into common themes and patterns.

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