 | MASSAGE ON THE HOUSE AT WORK |
| | - Penny Haw , 14 May 2007 |
| | THERE could come a time in the not too distant future, it seems, when workers will be reluctant to leave the office due to all the special perks available there. |
| | read
more > |
|
 |
 |
| FINDING BALANCE WHERE BUY-IN IS IMPORTANT |
| | - Cara Bouwer , 26 Feb 2007 |
| | In this fictional case study we confront that dreaded issue — the personality clash — and how it should be tackled |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| MULLING OVER BUSINESS EXPANSION |
| | - Wendy Hall , 23 Jan 2007 |
| | In this fictional cast study, a courier firm considers various options for growth |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| USING INCENTIVES TO REWARD PERFORMANCE |
| | - Wendy Hall , 12 Dec 2006 |
| | This fictional case study examines what to do when a top salesperson underperforms following a promotion |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| DEALING WITH A RAPIDLY GROWING BUSINESS |
| | - Wendy Hall, 22 Nov 2006 |
| | In this fictional case study, the intricacies of marketing an expanding business are highlighted |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| VENTURE BASED ON PASSION FOR TEACHING |
| | - Wendy Hall , 18 Oct 2006 |
| | In this live case study, Wow Group spotted a gap in the market to provide in-house training solutions |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| FIGHT THE UNETHICAL POACHING OF CLIENTS |
| | - Wendy Hall , 20 Sep 2006 |
| | In this fictional case study, a start-up financial firm faces ruin when an employee resigns and takes investors along |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| REINING IN YOUR TROUBLESOME EMPLOYEES |
| | - Wendy Hall , 22 Aug 2006 |
| | A new but particularly talented saleswoman is upsetting the company apple cart by doing things ‘her way’ |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS OF VENTURE CAPITAL FINANCING |
| | - Wendy Hall , 18 Jul 2006 |
| | Listing on JSE’s small business bourse is another option, but some control will also be lost |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| WHAT WILL THEY DO WHEN I’M GONE? |
| | - Wendy Hall , 21 Jun 2006 |
| | This fictional case study examines the pitfalls of looking for a successor to run a company |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| YELLOW DOOR DELI NEEDS TO BE NIMBLE TO KEEP AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION |
| | - Wendy Hall , 25 Apr 2006 |
| | A small, specialist company can use its size and flexibility to compete with much larger rivals |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| FINDING WAYS TO SURVIVE IN STRUGGLING CLOTHING INDUSTRY |
| | - Wendy Hall , 22 Mar 2006 |
| | In this fictional case study, Fabric Depot has to be innovative to stay afloat and cannot bank on China’s decision to reduce exports to SA |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| EXPANDING IN AFRICA — SOLO OR SIDEKICK? |
| | - Wendy Hall , 21 Feb 2006 |
| | DAVE Carlson scanned the flight schedule board in the departure hall at Johannesburg International Airport. Flight 581 to Lagos. Delayed. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| STAYING INDEPENDENT CAN STUNT GROWTH |
| | - Ruth Tate , 17 Jan 2006 |
| | THE whirr of sewing machines is countered by the chatter of the sewers, hands abuzz as pins are pulled from stitched fabric and falling onto magnets. In one corner, at a large table stand the fabric cutters. Fine swathes of fabric are snipped and chopped into what will become clothing for those who can afford hand-made boutique items. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| SPOILT FOR CHOICE: EXPAND OR SELL? |
| | - Ruth Tate , 22 Nov 2005 |
| | JUST a few months ago, William James was at his wits’ end. His plans to expand his office furniture business, RightFurn, were coming to no fruition and finding a suitable black economic empowerment partner was frustrating, to say the least. James was ready to sell his stable little business and start something new. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| FOUR SEASONS SEEKS RECIPE FOR GROWTH |
| | - Ruth Tate , 18 Oct 2005 |
| | ANDREA Adami started her business at the beginning of this year with four recipes, an industrial mixer and her own elbow grease. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| THE TROUBLE WITH LANDING A BIG DEAL |
| | - Ruth Tate, 16 Sep 2005 |
| | In this fictional case study, a managerial dilemma is presented with solutions offered by experts. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| TEXIES GOES FISHING FOR WAYS TO EXPAND |
| | - Ruth Tate, 16 Aug 2005 |
| | IT IS odd, in a country where there is plenty of labour and plenty of fresh produce, that the goods are exported. You would think we would pair the two, adding value to the fresh goods, creating jobs and wealth. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| STORAGE SPACE A STEPLADDER AWAY |
| | - Ruth Tate, 19 Jul 2005 |
| | URBAN life is constricting us, space comes at a premium. And this causes a problem with our hoarding nature, but stuffing our cheeks or burrowing in the sand is not effective when you have old university English files and bits of a broken chair you vowed to repair one day. The average South African could do with more storage space, but in most new houses, there simply is not enough. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| WHEN THE IRRIGATION STREAM RUNS DRY |
| | - Mike Holmes, 21 Jun 2005 |
| | SHAUN Cairns' landscaping and irrigation business in Cape Town was doing well. Then came water restrictions — and dwindling opportunities. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| AN OFFICE AWAY FROM THE OFFICE |
| | - Mike Holmes, 18 May 2005 |
| | BUSINESSPEOPLE on the move often find themselves needing “an office away from the office ”. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| DRUMMING UP SUPPORT FOR AN INNOVATIVE BUSINESS |
| | - Mike Holmes, 19 Apr 2005 |
| | CAPETONIAN Clifford Krotz has drummed up a whole new life since the early 1990s when he was first a driver/storeman for a knitwear materials supplier and then a handyman doing painting and other casual work. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| HOOKING UP THE RIGHT BEE PARTNER COMES AT A PRICE |
| | - Mike Holmes, 23 Mar 2005 |
| | WHEN Kate Blaine and Fiona Ross launched their corporate training business Learn to Lead in Cape Town last year, things went without a hitch. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| DIRECT OR INDIRECT SALES MODEL? |
| | - Ruth Tate, 24 Feb 2005 |
| | MOST large information technology manufacturers sell their products through a channel of smaller reseller companies, which may simply sell the product on but often offer additional value-added services such as maintenance and integration with other systems. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| TAKING THE GREAT OUTDOORS TO THE HEART OF SUBURBIA |
| | - Ruth Tate, 18 Jan 2005 |
| | ON A bustling Saturday morning at the height of the shopping hour, Real Business finds itself at BBQ and Braai World in an upmarket shopping centre, west of Johannesburg. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| DOGGING QUESTION OF EMPOWERMENT |
| | - Ruth Tate, 14 Dec 2004 |
| | IS SA really getting the hang of black economic empowerment? So much is written about it and many businesses are claiming credit for what they are doing in this area, but there still seems to be apathy in
getting it going at every level. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| TIME TO 'BREAK OUT' — BUT HOW? |
| | - Ruth Tate, 23 Nov 2004 |
| | INDUSTRIAL filter bags are not something you usually have on your shopping list. Rather they serve specialised industries such as manufacturing and mining: wherever furnaces generate smoke and the gases have to be released through filtration bags. The marketing of such niche products is not always easy, as Clifford Thackwray, owner-manager of TIP Textiles has found. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| GET THE BEST OUT OF A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY |
| | - 20 Oct 2004 |
| | ARMED with a healthy mix of cynicism and optimism, Jane Nhamo started a costume jewellery wholesale company, Jewellery
Gallery, six months ago. She possesses a healthy cynicism about some business practices, and seeks guidance on some of these
issues, while she also has an infectious optimism about her products and prospects. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| GETTING BUSINESS BACK ON TRACK |
| | - Shellee Buckham, 21 Sep 2004 |
| | IT WAS a few years ago while CEO Enver Buys was watching a movie, which used short message service (SMS) to advertise
a website, that the idea for Psinetic was born. The plan was that Psinetic would have a variety of brands on offer, but the bulk
of its revenue would be generated from SMS messages sent to its premiumrate numbers, which could range in price from R1 to
R30 an SMS. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| THE YOUNG AND THE BOLD |
| | - Ruth Tate, 19 Aug 2004 |
| | It is a courageous move to take over a failing company and try to resuscitate life back into it. Twenty-two year old Hishaam
Petersen saw potential in the almost bankrupt Denegeur Motor Spares in Mitchell's Plain. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| TIER ONE EXPERIENCES FIRST GROWING PAINS |
| | - Ruth Tate, 07 Jun 2004 |
| | Company needs to secure finance with which to grow the business while it battles to build brand awareness <!--20040217--> |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| TAKING A PRODUCT FROM CONCEPT TO MARKET |
| | - Colin Anthony, 07 Jun 2004 |
| | After a year of development, ReportingIT is now ready to introduce its new business system to the market <!--20040202--> |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| TAKING ADVANTAGE OF BUREAUCRATIC SHUFFLE |
| | - 07 Jun 2004 |
| | Rakoma has identified a gap in the maketplace and now wants to expand |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| ENSURING WANDIE’S STAR CONTINUES TO SHINE |
| | - Colin Anthony, 24 Oct 2003 |
| | Owner Wandie Ndala’s top priority is to ensure long-term sustainability of his now famous eatery |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| FUNDAMENTALS OF BUILDING SOLID FOUNDATIONS |
| | - Colin Anthony, 24 Oct 2003 |
| | AFROCENTRIC Design, a hair-care company, has grown quickly throughout SA and is preparing for expansion into Africa. But first it needs to solidify its structure. What is the best way to do this? |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| STONE PLANS TO TAKE THE FRANCHISING ROUTE |
| | - Ruth Tate, 24 Oct 2003 |
| | REAL Business published a case study on Afrocentric Design in June and panel members provided advice on ways to strengthen the local infrastructure of the company before expanding into Africa. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| FUNDING AND THE ART OF CASH PROTECTION |
| | - Colin Anthony, 15 Aug 2003 |
| | STE Publishers has grown rapidly in the seven years of its existence. It has the opportunity to accelerate this growth but does not want to fund it through revenue because it may cause cash flow problems. However, it is not too happy with the terms demanded by banks. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| THE IMPORTANCE OF FINDING THE RIGHT PARTNER |
| | - Colin Anthony, 15 Aug 2003 |
| | ABE Wang arrived in SA from Taiwan in 1991 armed with 20 years’ experience in the auto parts sector. After three years working in the industry in SA, he and Josephine Wang launched MIT Auto Parts, which deals mainly with car body parts, renting a warehouse in Selby, Johannesburg. The Wangs are the majority shareholders in the business. |
| | read
more > |
|
|
|
| THE CHALLENGES OF A CHANGING INDUSTRY |
| | - Colin Anthony, 15 Aug 2003 |
| | THE rand’s fluctuations have a huge impact on just about every business in the country. Knysna Leisure Industries, which manufactures pine mouldings, is no different, even though it does not export its products. |
| | read
more > |
|
|