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Brand-building - a telling story
Why word-of-mouth marketing speaks to the important consumer community of black middle-class women in South Africa.
- Marthinus van Loggerenberg and Frikkie Herbst
National sporting success and investor optimism
Contrary to findings of overseas studies, the mood of South African investors seems to be influenced less by the outcomes of national sporting events.
- Brendan Smith and Niel Krige
Nothing in the drawer
A discussion on the role of business schools and the meaning of research leadership.
- John Powell
Weathering the economic storm
Building an organisation with the buoyancy to withstand turbulent economic cycles is critical to survival and future growth.
- Roger Maitland, Brett Anderson-Terry and Kim Filies
13 ways to turn people on
Past experience at Sasol Mining provides thirteen lessons on how to turn on the people energy to drive sustainable excellence in your internal operations.
- Marinda Swart and Johan Louw
Further research
Pursuing new knowledge: Four USB researchers share their research agendas aimed at serving the needs of industry and society.
- Frikkie Herbst, Dr Babita Mathur-Helm, Wolfgang Thomas and Martin Butler.
Optimising fruit production choices
Mathematical modelling techniques show that choosing the right cultivar mix for deciduous fruit production units can drastically improve profitability.
- Mathys Steenkamp and Wim Gevers
Savings culture for the black middle class in South Africa
South African policymakers need to find ways to discourage excessive consumption and increase the level of public savings. Lessons from India and China are discussed.
- Mark Cronjé and André Roux
Africa pressing forward as an emergent power
There are encouraging signs that opportunities on the continent will increasingly overtake the many challenges with which Africa is grappling.
- Wiseman Nkuhlu

Do market-timing strategies work?
A South African study shows it is possible to outperform the JSE All Share Index by using predictive models that prompt switching between cash and shares ahead of looming up- and downturns.
- Johan Keuler and Niel Krige
Execute strategy with intelligence
What does it take to realise the potential benefits of a business intelligence system as a contributor to strategy execution? This study provides criteria for success. A consolidated framework, tested in practice, is offered.
- Yolanda Smit and Hein Oosthuizen
Growing the fruits of HIV/Aids research
A study identifies the need for a centre to facilitate a strategic mission in HIV/Aids research and stimulate research output and product innovation in South Africa.
- Carl Montague and Hein Oosthuizen
Come fly with me
What attracts customers to a specific airline and booking channel? German tourists air their views and reveal that price dictates their choices. Results of a consumer survey are discussed.
- Felix Faulhaber and Frikkie Herbst
Learning to dance on a shifting carpet
In a global business environment, future leaders must be able to balance many paradoxes simultaneously without losing their footing. An international viewpoint on organisational leadership is presented.
- Michael Osbaldeston
Investing in the bottom of the pyramid
Two companies whose business strategies aid economic development demonstrate the power of a sustainability vision in combating malaria in Africa. A set of practical lessons is extracted.
- Daniel Steenkamp and Wolfgang Thomas
King III – International best practice or best preach?
Let's avoid slipping into 'creative' application and explanation.
- Daniel Malan
New ICT tricks steal the limelight
The scene that is unfolding on the business stage as new information and communication technologies make their appearance may turn many business strategies into mere anachronisms. Progressive business people should take note of ten key trends for 2010 and beyond.
- Martin Butler

EQ may not be enough
Business leaders need multiple intelligences
- Basil Leonard
Get HR to the top
Include HR in the executive team – and make people the star performers in pursuing sustained competitive advantage. Insights from top SA multinational companies are given.
- Gary Pienaar and Laetitia van Dyk
Omega's edge in evaluating portfolio performance
South African equity unit trust data confirm that the Omega ratio is a cut above the Sharpe ratio as a risk-adjusted performance measure. This study shows up the differences.
- Ronel de Wet, Niel Krige and Eon Smit
What venture capitalists look for
South African entrepreneurs who enter the race for project financing should take note of the criteria venture capitalists use when deciding whether to back a business or not. Empirical research gives vital pointers.
- Bart van Deventer and Chipo Mlambo
Clear the road for empowerment deals
Lessons from the establishment of Exxaro Limited can help designers of future Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment transactions to chart a route that bypasses common obstacles. A consolidated approach is suggested.
- Anna-May Fauconnier and Babita Mathur-Helm
Award-winning wines: who cares?
Wine awards are losing their credibility and influence on the purchasing choices of South African wine drinkers. Pertinent messages are conveyed to the wine industry.
- Christiane von Arnim and Frikkie Herbst
Contradictions in market capitalisation computation
The legalisation of share repurchases has brought inconsistencies in the way JSE-listed companies report their market capitalisation. This study highlights the need for applicable accounting standardisation.
- Pieter Bester, Willie Hamman, Leon Brummer, Nicolene Wesson and Wilna Steyn-Bruwer
Global compact - is Africa too slow?
Companies doing business in Africa need to demonstrate greater commitment to the principles of corporate citizenship.
- Daniel Malan
The ascent to the summit
Transforming to a high-performance organisation is a resolute journey sustained by authentic leadership and new-economy values. Learn from SA success stories.
- Christo Nel

Time to move from exuberance to reason
Renounce rampant avarice and espouse sustainability.,The increase in energy and food prices, resulting from economic growth and prosperity in parts of the world, and the global financial crisis are bound by a common denominator - the exuberant desire for affluence. Unmitigated affluence is unsustainable. It is time for reason to prevail.
- André Roux
Linkages that yield a harvest
A working model for land reform.,How can emerging farmers in land-reform projects be assisted to become sustainable in a competitive global market? A success story offers lessons for the design of future programmes. Recommendations for government, the private sector and support organisations are given.
- Rubin Japhta and Stef Coetzee
Cash or earnings: which comes first?
A complex financial time series analysis.,Both cash flow and earnings are important indicators of the well-being of a company. But which of the two is the leading indicator? Will good cash flows generate higher earnings, or is it the other way around: do high earnings precede good cash flows? A progressive step is taken in making predictions from complex financial time series data.
- Annelise Bezuidenhout, Willie Hamman and Chipo Mlambo
The real thing in sales relationships
A personal match between buyers and sellers.,A profile match between sales representatives and their buyer counterparts in retail outlets can help build stronger relationships, suggests a study undertaken in Coca-Cola's Western Cape Region. Practical recommendations for interaction between buyers and sellers are provided.
- Colin Forrest and Frikkie Herbst
How fit are your suppliers?
Apply this scorecard.,On a tough global playing field, supply chain management is critical in the quest for competitive advantage. Distributors need an effective system for managing the performance of their suppliers if they themselves want to perform optimally. A scorecard for measuring supplier performance is presented.
- Brandon Smith and Konrad von Leipzig
How safe is safe?
Lessons learned from Fidentia.,How safe are investor funds when placed in companies that appear to be highly successful? The Fidentia case provides valuable lessons. Four checkpoints are suggested.
- Pieter Steenkamp and Daniel Malan
Redrawing old maps
Applying business strategy in the public sector.,A case study of national mapping organisations in South Africa suggests that business strategy principles can help to improve public sector service delivery. A way of restructuring the industry is proposed.
- Michelle Denner and Hein Oosthuizen
The astonishing pace of the knowledge era
Don't be left behind.,Knowledge is transforming the economy of the world at a dramatic rate. And Asia, right now, is streaking ahead. A macroperspective of world futures is given.
- José Luis Cordeiro

Get SAs challenges into perspective and act
Its time to leave pessimism behind. South Africas ordeals are not unique. Act upon lessons from other developing nations which have encountered similar growth challenges.
- Wolfgang Thomas
Performing at speed
The terrain of business has moved from the highways to the race tracks. Leaders need new conceptual tools to stay ahead. A comprehensive approach to strategic performance management is advocated.
- Susanne Fontannaz and Hein Oosthuizen
A cure for sick-leave abuse
Employees abuse of sick leave costs organisations and the economy dearly. How can this problem be managed effectively? The study offers a model for managing workplace absence.
- Maggie Burger van Eeden and Barney Jordaan
Twinning and winning
Local-level international cooperation in the form of city twinnings can be a powerful tool for development. What is needed to make such alliances succeed? The study breaks new ground in recommending strategies for successful twinning.
- Kosie de Villiers, Tobie de Coning and Eon Smit
The corporate response to sustainability reporting
A 2006 survey found that overall reporting on sustainability and governance issues by listed South African companies has improved, but environmental management needs more attention. This survey covered all companies listed on the JSE.
- Jens Unterlerchner and Daniel Malan
Conflict sours the grapes
The changing demographics of seasonal workers on grape farms give rise to conflict that threatens productivity. How should farm management respond to the challenges of diversity? The study offers recommendations for improving farm labour conflict situations.
- Jacobus Odendaal and Laetitia van Dyk
The return of dividends
An empirical study shows that investors could benefit from paying more attention to dividend policies of companies when making longterm investment decisions. The study targeted the top 40 index of the JSE over a period of 10 years.
- Kagisho Mahura and Johan Smith
Getting boards into shipshape
Company boards are no longer the `buddies clubs they used to be. Among the challenges they have to contend with are increasing shareholder activism, hypercritical media, employee distrust, new legislation and consumerism. In todays turbulent environment, shareholders want an effective team of directors that can steer the company into the future. Recommendations for modernday boards are given.
- Reuel Khoza

Tree of life
African leaders must create an environment of well-being
- Frik Landman
Raising a crop of farmers
Contract farming assists small-farmer development
- Moses Duma and Wolfgang Thomas
Agency influence on leveraging
Debt-equity decisions in the capital structure of SMEs
- Joshua Abor and Nicholas Biekpe
Relationships that can bear fruit
Reforming the relationship between fruit producers and exporters
- Annelie Smuts and Stephanus Loubser
Cash-flow tells a story
Cash-flow patterns assist financial investigation
- Wilna Steyn Bruwer and Willie Hamman
The subconscious mined
Meaningful patterns can be found through data-mining
- Riaan Olivier and Wim Gevers
Leading tourism ventures
A model for tourism entrepreneurs
- Chris van Zyl and Babita Mathur-Helm
Who needs strategy?
Should executives question strategic planning?
- Retha Alberts
Reaping the rewards of risk
Venture capitalists needed for early-stage finance
- Julia Long

In terms uncluttered
Research made accessible
- Eon Smit
Balancing your BEE act
Revisit the empowerment scorecard
- Estelle Bosman and Hein Oosthuizen
Can sugar provide a spark?
Green electricity in KwaZulu-Natal
- Grant Norris and Jako Volschenk
Relief for a profession in spasm
Examining the physiotherapy business environment
- Tania Rossouw and Hein Oosthuizen
The project mindset
Test your corporate culture for project management
- John Morrison, Chris Brown and Eon Smit
The fund performance illusion
Do past results predict the future?
- Daniel Wessels and Niel Krige
Follow the road to Eden
Pointers for project management in local government
- Chris Brown and MC Botha
The dangers of positional smugplacency
Dont appoint people for the wrong reasons
- Basil C Leonard
The right leader for the right time
Matching leaders with organisational states
- Marc van der Erve