The Cost of Climate Change

The effects of climate change pose serious so­cial, economic and environmental threats to the world today. Over the next 50 years an es­timated 200 million people will be displaced due to the rising sea level. 15-40% of the Earth’s species face extinction, and the malaria death toll will be greatly increased due to the expansion of the tropics. A study con­ducted by a Deutche Bank economist states that “forest decline could be costing about 7% of global GDP”. This translates to staggering global losses of between US$2 and US$5 trillion per year, losses we can ill afford in the current economic market. For businesses, addressing climate change is becom­ing increasingly important and the risks of inaction could have far reaching and dire effects on traditional business models. A growing number of South African companies are taking action and enjoying savings by utilizing the serv­ices of climate change and carbon reduction consultan­cies.

 

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The 12 R's of Community Engagement

The latest Web 2.0 technologies have made connecting people together significantly easier, but getting community members to engage with your organisation is not an easy task. Jonathan Hall, CEO of community engagement specialists, The Virtual Works, identifies twelve key factors that any organisation about to deploy a community en­gagement programme needs to consider. Most businesses appreciate the potential competi­tive advantage they can gain through community engagement the continuous exchange of infor­mation and ideas with the people that make or influence decisions within their business ‘value’ chains. From stimulating channel partner commitment and breeding innovation to generating market intelligence and being able to respond quicker to changes in the mar­ketplace, the benefits of community engagement are tan­talising. While advances in communication technology have made connecting people together significantly easier, binding them into sustainable communities that engage effectively with their host organisation is not an easy task to get right. It is far from a case of simply plugging the system in and switching it on.

 

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Sustainability Critical in Good Corporate Governance of the Future

Disempowerment is not just the lack of ac­cess to the means of financial well-being; it is a mind-set that manifests itself in behaviour. Typically this includes waiting for instructions, not putting in maximum effort, not taking initiative, not being proactive, and blaming others for one’s own mistakes. It is this mind-set that needs to change but one can­not legislate a change of heart. Government has put in place wide-ranging legislation to bring about em­powerment but regulations cannot empower poor peo­ple. The change needs to come from the inside out. It is widely accepted that significant entrepreneurial activity stimulates economic growth but South Africa’s en­trepreneurial activity is predominantly of a survival kind, which does not achieve this. The occupational perform­ance level of the majority of emerging entrepreneurs is generally too low for the entrepreneurial demands they face.

 

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