Author: Editor
By Synthesis Director of Integration and Products, Steyn Basson When I was a teenager I loved to read. I still do, but an abundance of audio-books, on-demand television shows, podcasts, and general work means I don’t get to do it as often as I used to. One of the main reasons I loved reading, was because of (amongst others) an amazing writer called Douglas Adams. He let me in on little inside jokes and ideas that I was blind to before, but which I suddenly started noticing everywhere (see “Baader-Meinhof phenomenon” for more details). Amongst this treasure trove of information…
Ralph Berndt, Sales and Marketing Director at Syrex The past 12 months have brought about significant disruption in organisation’s technology processes. Instead of dealing with a predominantly centralised workforce, IT teams must now manage a work from anywhere environment while still ensuring systems run optimally. Addressing this will be one of the strategic priorities for operational success in a cloud-driven world. During the start of the hard lockdown, many employees struggled with connectivity as they transitioned to working from home. And even though fibre rollout initiatives have accelerated in recent years, access is not pervasive leaving a significant portion of…
By Angela Ho Talking with friends recovering after contracting COVID-19, it is clear that that one does not only survive the virus. There is a recovery period that is substantially longer than just hospitalisation. Post-COVID-19 syndrome or long-COVID has shown to drag on while your whole body experiences heightened symptoms or new reactions to this disease. As only one aspect of the global pandemic, in reflection, while scanning the news of outbreaks of new variants of COVID, the other is the ‘long’ and persistent mental impact of how businesses and homes have had to endure radical daily shifts in life.…
A new concept, cargo loyalty, has emerged within retail and related marketing, and all evidence suggests it is already helping to lift the ailing aviation industry off its knees. Leading independent customer relationship management company, LoyaltyPlus, says aviation has taken a serious hammering from the global COVID-19 pandemic and is looking at various ways to encourage business. Cargo loyalty is being discussed as a credible means of doing just that. Online research shows that aviation is leaning on air freight and cargo to make up for the impact of lockdowns on conventional passenger air travel. A report published by Simpleflying.com…
International Women’s Day (8 March) highlighted the importance of gender equality while celebrating the efforts by women and girls in shaping a more equal future. But more than that, Nicol Myburgh, Head: HCM Business Unit at CRS Technologies, believes it has also put the focus on companies, their treatment of all genders, and the workplace practices required to affect meaningful change. “How people of different genders are treated is still a significant obstacle to overcome for organisations across industry sectors,” he says. “And even though laws are in place to prevent this from happening, the reality is that these concerns…
SARU is operating a class system in the game, claims former Springbok captain Tom Bedford in an open letter to SA Rugby president Mark Alexander. He says rugby in South Africa has again morphed into a game that is not equal for all. It has become a game for the four “haves” (the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks and Lions) which form a first-class cartel.Share with us your five, ten-year or greater plan and your intention to fund and develop the game across the country, asks Bedford, who now resides in London. The PresidentSouth African Rugby Dear Mark Alexander, Since the malaise of 2019…
By Angela Ho If you have not yet heard, the ex-President of the United States of America has started his own social media platform. Yes, it is called “From the Desk Donald J. Trump”. This is my rant from the desk of Angela Ho. As a practising marketer, I did not have much choice in dabbling in the dark arts! Let us not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Social media has provided us with the ability to have access to global news to anyone with an internet connection and a device to read it. It has also provided…
By Angela Ho “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” yelled Zach Braff or otherwise known as Chicken Little. This noughties animation film is about a piece of the sky falling on the head of Chicken Little. Initially, no one believes him. However, his friends trust him, and together they save the world from ending. Last year during the lockdown, South Africans held their heads high and chests proud as Elon Musk, SpaceX successful voyage to the International Space Station was broadcast. Honestly, that last link to the Space Station was a little like watching paint dry. This weekend…
By Howard Feldman, Head of Marketing & People at Synthesis News that Bill and Melinda Gates are to get divorced after 27 years of marriage, hit me hard. Not because I know them or their children, but because if any couple stood a chance of growing old and miserable together, it was them. These are good people. They have focused on philanthropy, try valiantly to get rid of their money to good causes and will no doubt be leaving the world a better place than they have found it. That said, they are also a bit dull. As a couple…
If there is one benefit to be gleaned from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is that it has brought the construction industry to the brink of a digital renaissance. “The emphasis on quality, safety and timely delivery of projects is greater now than ever before, and companies are being forced to accelerate their adoption of technology,” says Databuild CEO Morag Evans. “It’s no longer a question of if companies will digitalise, but when and how they are going to bring their businesses into the 21st century and adapt their day-to-day operations to streamline the building process.” Evans points to six emerging…