News

The Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) plans to further strengthen its position as South Africa’s premier business tourism destination. Cawe Mahlati, chief executive officer of the GTA says increasing both local and international business tourism to Gauteng is one of the organisation’s strategic priorities. “We believe Gauteng is uniquely positioned as South Africa’s home of BusinessUnusual, providing the ideal getaway and allowing for innovative thinking.” 22 Mar 2007

IP telephony provider BizCall, a member of the Alt-X listed DataPro Group, is now an official reseller of the Epygi IP PBX range that makes the benefits of voice over IP (VOIP) telephony available to small and medium businesses in a simple, affordable package. 19 Mar 2007

The workplace is not what it used to be. Employees do not necessarily fit traditional profiles and cannot be easily categorised. At the same time businesses are under increasing pressure to review their structures and critical operations in order to keep up with daily innovation in digital communication equipment and resources. 19 Mar 2007

Five carefully selected, enthusiastic young scholars are learning the ropes at Cape Town's five-star Cape Grace hotel as part of a new initiative designed to support the industry with much needed skill. 16 Mar 2007

In its ongoing efforts to ensure that holidaying in South Africa is made more accessible and affordable to South Africans, South African Tourism, in conjunction with eWards Lifestyle, has introduced the Ezee Travel Club as part of its popular Sho’t Left initiative. 16 Mar 2007

A report released by independent market analyst Datamonitor three years back predicted speech-enabled self-service technology would compete with offshore contact centre customer service agents. Testament to this shift came early in March 2007 when Lloyds TSB, the UK’s fifth largest bank, announced it is to close its contact centre in Mumbai. 13 Mar 2007

The lack of proper retention strategies is damaging South African companies dearly as replacing key staff is disruptive, expensive, time consuming and may even threaten the sustainability of an organisation. Says Hilton Brown, CEO of Adcorp Talent Resourcing (ATR), “In all other areas of an organisation, the business looks for a return on investment, yet human capital and people management is still wrongly viewed by many companies in terms of an expense." 13 Mar 2007

The increase in adoption and integration of payroll software into the workplace represents a significant step forward in the quest for effective management, calculation and processing of payroll. The rate of adoption of software solutions is such that a comprehensive ‘entrance-to-exit’ product range does add immediate value. 12 Mar 2007

Wireless broadband provider iBurst is now offering three insurance options covering customer hardware and contracts. “Good planning in the form of appropriate insurance cover for highly mobile hardware in particular will ensure peace of mind for iBurst subscribers,” comments Thami Mtshali, iBurst CEO. 5 Mar 2007

An effective communications infrastructure is essential to the survival and success of businesses. The ability to interact electronically with the market has to be functional and constructive, and this is best achieved through stable, robust technology. One of the primary steps in acquiring the necessary infrastructure is to analyse the core operations of the business and visualise the role external communications plays. 14 Feb 2007

The current power cuts have caused many problems for employers, including some possible liability with the reduced working hours. The question that arises is whether employees can demand to be paid their full salaries or wages if their working hours have been cut as a result of such power failures. 1 Feb 2007

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has unveiled a self-service check-in kiosk, dubbed Flightcheck, at its four major airports: O.R. Tambo, Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. 18 Jan 2007

The payroll has yet to acquire its rightful place in the field of data-mining, decision making and planning. Despite its reputation for being an action-driven process with limited reporting capabilities, payroll can be effectively mined, interpreted and analysed. It is simply a matter of having the right technology on board. 15 Jan 2007

Annex Distribution, together with its international IT supplier partner Fujitsu Siemens Computers, recently launched the Pocket LOOX T Series. This all-in-one PDA device combines GSM/UMTS/mobile phone with complete handheld functionality. 12 Jan 2007

In my view, for the IT security sector, 2007 needs to be a year where more emphasis is placed on the requirement for good quality, unified protection systems, and one where product substance takes over from the usual industry hype. 8 Jan 2007

At a session of Biznetwork held earlier in 2006, the networking club for business owners established by First National Bank (FNB), a panel of speakers addressed BEE misconceptions in the public’s mindset. 13 Dec 2006

Wouldn’t it be great if banking were really as friendly, fast and simple as marketing campaigns make it look? Sadly, in the real world, most of us find interactions with our banks extremely frustrating. Are banks really in touch with our requirements, or are their processes focused on their own agendas and what they think we ought to want? 4 Dec 2006

A survey of small businesses in Gauteng has shed new light on this critically important sector in South Africa’s economy. The aim of the survey, commissioned by the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP) and the FinMark Trust, and supported by the dti, FNB, Standard Bank, Absa and TransUnion, was to remedy a lack of reliable and accurate information about small businesses, using Gauteng, South Africa’s richest province, as a pilot. 24 Nov 2006