The moment an undergraduate student starts a business degree, their mind is already geared to the job offers they hope will be coming thick and fast upon graduation. Yet there is an ongoing mismatch between what students think employers want, and what employers are actually looking for. Amid concerns that places are going unfilled because some graduates are not making it through selection processes, a new campaign has been launched called Work Ready Graduates to get more university students comfortable with business etiquette. Employers need to make sure the graduates they hire can hit the ground running, but are also flexible employees who can re-train<span class="more-link-wrap"><a class="more-link" href="http://www.abizq.co.za/finance/what-makes-a-business-graduate-more-employable/">Read More →</a></span>

Interceptor evolved out of HI-TEC Sports, the footwear company founded in 1974 by Frank van Wezel. It was Frank’s love for sport that lead him to build an innovative, lightweight and instantly comfortable sports shoe. This lightweight technology could be transferred into safety and uniform footwear. First, Magnum evolved out of HI-TEC in 1982. A uniform and security footwear range that has been an established international brand since 2000. Then, HI-TEC expanded their range to include a range of safety footwear which was called HI-TEC Work. This has now evolved into Interceptor by HI-TEC. Interceptor by HI-TEC, answers to the end-user’s demand in providing high<span class="more-link-wrap"><a class="more-link" href="http://www.abizq.co.za/articles-page/interceptors-heritage/">Read More →</a></span>

SA will relax a moratorium on gas and oil exploration licences implemented earlier in 2018 to allow exploration and production applications already in the system to be granted, mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe said on Thursday. “This amendment will ensure that applications currently in our system are processed and granted,” Mantashe told an oil and gas industry meeting. In June, Mantashe published a notice in the government gazette announcing a restriction on the granting of technical co-operation permits, exploration rights and production rights. “We can’t delay exploration because we want to accelerate investment,” he said. Investment in the industry stalled due to regulatory uncertainty and<span class="more-link-wrap"><a class="more-link" href="http://www.abizq.co.za/labour/halt-on-gas-and-oil-drilling-licences-will-be-relaxed-says-gwede-mantashe/">Read More →</a></span>

Saudi Arabia is in talks to build an oil refinery in SA as part of a pledge to invest as much as $10bn in the economy. Joint studies for a refinery and petrochemical complex will be conducted by state oil giant Saudi Aramco and the Central Energy Fund, energy ministers from the two countries said in Pretoria on Friday. The negotiations mark a step forward in SA’s plans to add a refinery, which it has been considering for about a decade. Saudi Arabia made its spending pledge last July as President Cyril Ramaphosa sought investment to revive a flagging economy. Although SA has struck previous<span class="more-link-wrap"><a class="more-link" href="http://www.abizq.co.za/finance/sa-and-saudi-arabia-discuss-building-oil-refinery-in-sa/">Read More →</a></span>

The MMI Group has become the first major insurance group to reach Level 1 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) status under the revised Financial Sector Code (FSC). This rating applies to all companies within the group, including the client-facing brands Metropolitan, Momentum, Multiply (rewards and lifestyle wellness programme), and specialist brands, Guardrisk and Eris Property Group. This is the first time since MMI was established in 2010 that it has achieved a Level 1 B-BBEE rating. Busisiwe Sithole, Group Head of Transformation at MMI said the new rating is the result of a strategic, committed approach to transformation. “Transformation is one of MMI’s key business<span class="more-link-wrap"><a class="more-link" href="http://www.abizq.co.za/finance/mmi-holdings-is-the-first-major-insurance-company-to-achieve-level-1-b-bbee-rating-under-the-revised-fsc/">Read More →</a></span>

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project in the Northern Cape is not only about building a radio telescope to tune into the universe. It is also about investing in bright young scientists, local communities, and South African technology companies. Over R300 million has been spent in the Northern Cape with the construction of the KAT-7, a proof-of-concept radio telescope, and MeerKAT, the precursor to the SKA. The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) spearheads South Africa’s activities within the SKA, an international project. In 2005 the SARAO funded nine students to study in science. Last year it was 103. Altogether 1,000 students have received grants<span class="more-link-wrap"><a class="more-link" href="http://www.abizq.co.za/entrepreneurship/how-the-ska-is-helping-south-africa/">Read More →</a></span>

SA’s manufacturing accounted for 24% of South Africa’s GDP in 1980 but by 2017, it was 13% Hosting its inaugural Business Economic Indaba, Business Unity South Africa (Busa) has unveiled vital areas for partnership with the government that includes equipping people with the means to earn a living, developing ideas to up research & development investment, building the right infrastructure and improving South Africa’s ease of doing business. The indaba, which was conceived in late 2018, brought government and business together to  discuss how to build a partnership that would help drive inclusive growth and transformation. Inevitably topics under discussion included the governance challenges in state-owned entities<span class="more-link-wrap"><a class="more-link" href="http://www.abizq.co.za/entrepreneurship/business-unity-south-africa-keen-to-restore-sa-manufacturing/">Read More →</a></span>

Please take us through your background and how you got into radio? I Mawande Jara (affectionately known as Mkhuzangwe), was born in a small rural town of Qoboqobo (formerly known as Keiskammahoek) in Eastern Cape. I am the eldest of five (5) siblings and was mainly raised by my grandmother. I obtain my basic education in various school in western and in Eastern including Ikamva Lethu High school, where l matriculated. I enrolled for diploma in Public Management in Cape Peninsula University of Technology, l also completed Advance Diploma in Public Administration and I hold a Post graduate diploma in Project Management. Currently I am<span class="more-link-wrap"><a class="more-link" href="http://www.abizq.co.za/news/interview-questionnaire-with-the-ceo-of-zibonele-fm-mr-mawande-jara/">Read More →</a></span>

Founded in 1956, Styria has become the standard for superior stainless steel fabrication. With its single-minded focus and ethos of commitment to client satisfaction, Styria has established a sound base with many blue chip clients entrusting it with repeat business and depending on its capability, capacity and responsibility to partner on projects in throughout Southern Africa. An intimate understanding of materials, together with craftsmanship, professionalism and quality has resulted in a robust company which has exhibited consistent growth and now has two large facilities in Gauteng. Many hundreds of Tanks, Pressure Vessels, Columns, Heat Exchangers, Autoclaves, Settlers and other capital equipment have been designed, fabricated<span class="more-link-wrap"><a class="more-link" href="http://www.abizq.co.za/construction/styria-big-on-stainless/">Read More →</a></span>

Banking on opportunity AT(SA) and BANKSETA team up to fight youth unemployment Employment opportunities are something we all look for. Yet, opportunity is not equally distributed.  Here in South Africa, where the unemployment rate currently stands at 26.7%, the real or ‘perceived’ lack of opportunity generates discouragement, discontent and disillusionment. It is for our youth aged 15-34 that the problem is the most severe. The youth unemployment rate of 38.2% implies that one in every three young people in the labour force is without work. Even more significant is that due to the lack of opportunities, some of these young people have become so discouraged<span class="more-link-wrap"><a class="more-link" href="http://www.abizq.co.za/front-news/1077/">Read More →</a></span>

Business fraud can have a monumental impact on an organization. There are many types of fraud that go by different names, such as financial statement fraud, bribery and corruption and asset misappropriation. It is often the case that fraud instigated by an employee will involve more than one type of fraud. Also, business fraud is not always easy to detect because it does not always show up in a company’s official accounts system. In general, the most typical way to detect this type of fraud is by receiving a tip from an employee, a customer, or an outside vendor. Here is an overview of the<span class="more-link-wrap"><a class="more-link" href="http://www.abizq.co.za/news/3-types-of-financial-fraud-in-business/">Read More →</a></span>

Every business person will experience challenges. This is a default setting in life – Challenges will always come. But, what separates the businesses that rise and rise, from those that experience failure after failure? (Caveat: This is not to say that there are businesses that never fail. ALL businesses fail at some point. Some, however, rise from ashes and shine through.) Passion, then, is the key ingredient between throwing in the towel, or getting up to fight the next round. There is a refining moment where every business owner goes through intense heat. This heat can either polish you or finish you completely but it<span class="more-link-wrap"><a class="more-link" href="http://www.abizq.co.za/front-news-2/passion-and-business/">Read More →</a></span>