Professional Services

Cybercriminals are employing more sophisticated techniques all the time and far too many companies and organizations still don’t have the protection they really need to safeguard their systems. The prevalence of targeted attacks and advanced persistent threats (APTs) is disturbing.

Change is known to be a major source of stress for most people, which means that no matter how hard you have worked for a promotion at work, or how excited you are by the challenge of moving to an innovative new company, you are likely to find the transition stressful.

The First Quantum Minerals (FQM) story began in the late 90s and spans humble beginnings from a tailings retreatment process at Bwana Mkubwa in Zambia, to its present day achievable aspiration to be one of the world’s leading copper producers. The financing and development of Kansanshi marked the transition of the company to a fully fledged miner and the beginning of a spectacular growth story for the company over the last decade.

Creativity and innovation, although similar and often used interchangeably, have a subtle, yet significant distinction. Creativity is related to the development of ideas that are both novel and useful, while innovation is related to the application of those novel and useful ideas, thus making them a reality. Both are crucial for a successful organization. Dr Warren Bennis, a leading management scholar, once said that the organizations of the future will increasingly depend on the creativity of their members to survive.

Working to the highest international standards, Global Sourcing & Supply (GSS) is an integrated facility management and contract supply operation supported by an advanced logistics capability.

The concept of customer relationships makes sense in the context of meeting personal needs. As in all interpersonal relationships, from friendships, to marriage, to company and client, trust and the promise of mutual benefits are the foundation for growth and development. When we put others’ needs first in relationships, we’re more likely to make those relationships work. 

Almost twenty years ago, I had the opportunity to work with a major automotive parts supplier that was looking to significantly expand their business in the repair parts aftermarket. They saw this as a global opportunity, and one of the assignments I had was to describe the aftermarket environment as it evolved from the then-embryonic markets of countries like China and India to the differentiated markets of southern Europe and Brazil to the highly efficient and organized markets of North America and Japan.

In today’s world, where immediate access to information is literally at our fingertips, the need for speed can sometimes supersede due diligence, but in the absence of thorough background checks on potential employees, haste can result in waste – and sometimes worse.

The move by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa comes as emerging economies across the world have been hit by speculation that US may scale back its key economic stimulus programme soon, which has in turn prompted investors to pull out money, hurting the currencies of emerging countries.