When the time comes to expand your retail business, how will you know? Some shop owners decide purely on gut feeling. Some people decide based on excess cash-flow. Forward-thinking retailers decide because they see the signs in the data. As cloud technology has become affordable and accessible to small retailers, now they can take advantage of store data - like foot-traffic converting into sales - that illuminates opportunities for growth from one store to many.
Updated 5 Years ago

With the midpoint of the calendar year behind us, and the distractions of summer in full swing, there is likely a temptation among your employees to lose focus in the second half of the year. In truth, it’s more than a temptation. It’s a reality that must be managed, both for high and under-performers alike. Managing people is a year-round obligation but it’s on the downhill side of the year when it is especially important. With revenue projections perhaps under target, and the window for closing sales narrowing, a focused plan that lays out measurable performance metrics is critical. We call these plans “cookbooks” as they hold the recipe for success. Here are some necessary ingredients.
Updated 5 Years ago

Any manager who has decided to test remote working at a company is probably pretty confident in his or her leadership abilities. But be careful: The skills of a traditional manager do not always translate well in a distributed work environment. Maintaining a fun, creative culture is an important aspect of remote leadership. The chat system of my company, Formstack, is stuffed with terrible puns, funny gifs and pop culture references.
Updated 5 Years ago

JSE-listed gold miner, AngloGold Ashanti, on Wednesday said it had successfully hoisted 3,300 workers at its Great Noligwa and Moab Khotsong mines to surface yesterday. The workers were brought to the surface after a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit South Africa yesterday.
Updated 5 Years ago

Reproved and reviled for damaging hearts, Tobacco may soon win the heart of even the most hard-line anti-smoking campaigner if the made-with-tobacco-Ebola-drug proves to be the genuine cure for the virus that has claimed close to a thousand lives since February. The Tobacco plant, (un)popular for helping make smokers liable to die young is the crucial component of a trial drug that is helping Ebola patients live longer, and, it is hoped, even fully recover.
Updated 5 Years ago

Jinko Solar, an NSE-listed Chinese solar PV manufacturing company has opened a $7.4 million (R80 million) solar photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturing plant in Cape Town, South Africa. This is in line with the vision of the South African government’s Industrial Policy Action Plan and renewable energy support programme which seeks to foster the use of renewable energy for industrial growth.
Updated 5 Years ago

Dubai-based Emirates announced that it will be suspending flights to the Iraqi city of Erbil from August 12, 2014, as clashes continue between Islamic militants and government forces in the country. In a brief statement on its website, the airline said the move was being carried out for “operational reasons.”
Updated 5 Years ago

The UAE is expected to award infrastructure projects worth $15.18 billion in 2014, almost five times more than the value of contracts awarded in 2013, a study by construction intelligence firm Ventures Onsite showed. The Gulf Arab country’s successful bid for the Expo 2020 has further fast-tracked plans to spend on infrastructure projects such as building roads and improving transport.
Updated 5 Years ago

With a name like China Joy, it's easy to associate it with digital and entertainment fiestas like the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles or Comic Con in San Diego. But that would be a mistake. That's not to say that China Joy's isn't fun. China Joy really is a spectacle.
Updated 5 Years ago

It seemed as if endless streams of eager young men were flooding the halls at the annual pageant for the Chinese gaming industry. China Joy is like a catwalk for bachelors, to the eyes of some young ladies still looking for their perfect match. Unfortunately, they may just be looking at the wrong place.
Updated 5 Years ago