World leaders are to meet next week for urgent talks aimed at preventing tens of millions of the world’s poor dying of hunger as a result of soaring food prices. The summit in Rome is expected to pledge immediate aid to poor countries threatened by malnutrition as well as charting longer-term strategies for improving food production.
A former senior manager at Siemens on Monday admitted building up an elaborate system of slush funds and shell firms at the request of his superiors to help Europe’s biggest technology group win overseas contracts through bribes. Reinhard Siekaczek told a Munich court that he had informed his entire divisional board about the system.
Britain’s first interfaith game show is to be launched, pitting Jews against Muslims, Sikhs against Christians and Hindus against Buddhists, with contestants competing for cash prizes. Faith Off, the working title of a series on the Islam Channel, will attempt to promote good relations and mutual respect between Britain’s religious communities.
Fraud convict Schabir Shaik has been admitted to the critical care unit of Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital, his brother, Mo, said on Monday. Mo said this was because of fears that his high blood pressure could lead to heart problems. chabir was first admitted to the hospital on April 1 and has been there ever since.
Foreign aid workers on Tuesday pressed into Burma’s Irrawaddy Delta, testing the junta’s pledge to open up areas where one million people have yet to receive aid three weeks after the cyclone. Six foreign staff based in Rangoon with the United Nations Children’s Fund were allowed to join teams of mainly Burma workers.
Black economic empowerment is supposed to ensure that the hoary cliché — "our greatest resource is our people" — comes to life. The intention is to open opportunities across the economy for black South Africans whose potential as economic actors has been constrained for years.
The tendency to deal with empowerment as a system of scorecard compliance impedes transformation because there is no values-based leadership in such an exercise. Scores do not achieve wholesome change or a new way of doing business — sustainability cannot be achieved that way.
When I first call <i>Car Torque</i> presenter Richard Ndlela to set up an interview at the Porsche Centre in Lonehill, he tells me that I will recognise him by his trademark "BEE look" of designer jeans and a jacket. When I arrive in Lonehill I am surprised to see him alight from the passenger side of a modest Toyota Corolla, which he tells me belongs to his partner. The vehicle Ndlela is here to drive is the new Cayenne GTS.
How often does the market beat the asset manager? The consensus is that more often than not the market comes out tops. Sanlam Investment Management managing director Armien Tyer says in the United States few managers beat the index over the long term. According to one study, in the period between 1994 to 2004 about 80% of equity managers could not beat the S&P 500.
When thinking about the characteristics of a good assest manager, it seems to come down to knowledge, philosophy and hard work. Cannon’s chief executive officer Geoff Blount says passionate people are an important part of the mix.