Sector

1 April 2016

Which Companies Will Weather the Oil Price Storm

It is possible that prices may jump again but they will almost certainly stay below US$50 per barrel throughout 2016. Speculation may increase prices but, without any substantive changes in supply-and-demand, any rally will be short-lived — as has happened...

1 April 2016

To Catch a White-Collar Thief via the Internet

The increasing use of the internet in recent years has caught the fancy of consumers and producers, in commodities, services, and leisure activities. The wide prevalence of wireless internet access and the portability of devices such as smartphones and tablets...

25 March 2016

Is the Customer Really Always Right?

Customer focus is an enduring and fundamental principle of business. The logic goes that success will follow if you identify and solve customer problems, use them to build new products or services, and create strong relationships. However, the truth is...

24 March 2016

Is the Oil Rally Over?

Oil prices have climbed by about 50 percent from their February lows, topping $40 per barrel. However, the rally could be reaching its limits, at least temporarily, as persistent oversupply and the prospect of new shale production caps any potential...

18 March 2016

‘Zero Ratings Plans’ Could Undermine Net Neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made net neutrality the law of the land and pledged to enforce it when it issued its “open Internet order” 13 months ago. That ruling barred Internet service providers (ISPs) from discriminating against certain types...

17 March 2016

Oil’s Inventory Problem

Oil prices have shown signs of life over the past few weeks, as production declines in the U.S. raise expectations that the market is starting to adjust. As a result, Brent crude recently surpassed $40 per barrel for the first...

16 March 2016

Western-style Management Pushes Africa’s Ubuntu Aside

Clive Chilvers / Shutterstock.com Ubuntu has been a buzzword in African management-talk for two decades, but appears not to have delivered in African economies. Clive Chilvers / Shutterstock.com Ubuntu has been a buzzword in African management-talk for two decades, but...

15 March 2016

A Sharapova Comeback? Perhaps

Reckless beyond description. These were the words of former World Anti-Doping Agency president Dick Pound following Maria Sharapova’s shock announcement that she tested positive at the Australian Open for the banned substance meldonium. Poignantly, Pound added: “Running a US$30m business...

14 March 2016

The Price of Oil is Falling Again Because…Iran?

The price of oil is seeing its biggest decline today since February 23.  The ostensible reason is that Iran once again reiterated it would only consider capping its output after it reached four million barrels a day, its pre-sanction output....

9 March 2016

Getting Your Company to be ‘The Uber of…’ Something

Online marketplaces, also known as platform companies, are sprouting up everywhere and redefining business in every industry. “The Uber of ….” has become shorthand for tech startups looking to redefine the way everything is delivered, from legal services (Sydney-based LawPath)...

8 March 2016

British Government Hell-bent on Privatising the NHS

Despite the exorbitant costs and cruelties of the US-style private healthcare model, the UK is moving towards a similar model. The US companies are poised to take control of the system. Supporters of a single-payer healthcare system in the US...

7 March 2016

3D Printing Industrial Revolution

  3D printing, sometimes called additive manufacturing, is the process by which three-dimensional objects are made from a single digital file created by 3D design software. What few people know is that 3D printing is about to transform the world...