Business Archives | Jedidiah

Olympics 2021 – A reflection

David Malherbe (@DGMalherbe) — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 20:21:00 +0000

In the aftermath of the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, the SA team’s achievements made me think of a scripture in Hag 2:16 that says “When anyone came to a pile of grain to get 20 measures, there would be only 10. And when anyone came to a wine vat to draw out 50 measures, there would be only 20 in it.”

Disappointment

The South African Olympic Committee expected that the South African team would bring home at least 13 medals, but only 3 medals found their way to ... continue reading

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Groupthink

David Malherbe (@DGMalherbe) — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 16:03:38 +0000

You may wonder what groupthink is and why I consider it worthwhile to write about it? On the webpage Investopedia.com, Will Kenton describe groupthink “as a phenomenon that occurs when

a group of individuals reaches a consensus without critical reasoning or evaluation of the consequences or alternatives.

Groupthink is based on a common desire not to upset the balance of a group of people. This desire creates a dynamic within a group whereby creativity and individuality tend to be stifled in order to avoid conflict.”

Disastrous consequences

After the space ... continue reading

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Lockdown – From port to starboard

David Malherbe (@DGMalherbe) — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:56:58 +0000

In one of his classic quotes Forrest Gump said, “Mama always said ‘Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.’”

To my mind this is what we experience at present.

You never know what to expect when it is announced that the President will speak tonight.

Someone said it almost feels like when your mother used to say “Just wait till dad gets home tonight.”

Eenie meenie miney mo

The past year was like “eenie meenie miney mo,” you may not buy liquor, now ... continue reading

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Customer effort leads to disloyalty

David Malherbe (@DGMalherbe) — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 19:28:27 +0000

When you’re in business and a client tells you “I am in the market for ‘let’s say a motorbike’” you as the dealer knows that it is time to perform; a client with money that he or she wants to spend, needs your undivided attention.

One must remember that there are always more dealers that a client can turn to for the same business. So if you do not serve him or her well, the client’s money will just go to your opposition.

Customer effort

Matthew Dixon et al in ... continue reading

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Economic reality and a new normal

David Malherbe (@DGMalherbe) — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 19:32:30 +0000

According to Mike Schüssler of economists.co.za the economic figures for the month of June gives a much more realistic picture of the extent to which the Covid-19 pandemic has played havoc in the South African economy.

According to Schüssler it is much worse than anticipated.

Fewer salaries

He says according to the figures released by BankServAfrica, 20,7% fewer salaries were paid out in June 2020 in the formal sector of the economy compared to the year before. This means that one fifth of workers in large and medium sized organisations ... continue reading

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A matter of the heart

David Malherbe (@DGMalherbe) — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 20:00:17 +0000

There is a proverb that says “what you behold you become.” I think that is exactly what the current wave of negative news is doing to us all, it makes us negative. We are bombarded with news about Covid-19, corrupt politicians, rioters that want to bring the economy to a standstill (as if it is not bad enough yet) and racism blown up to unprecedented proportions whilst most of us just want to carry on with our work in the hope to rescue what is left of our failing economy.... continue reading

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Economic shift

David Malherbe (@DGMalherbe) — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 22:39:18 +0000

During the last couple of lockdown months, I’ve been on more webinars and Zoom meetings than ever before in my life. Will this be the new trend for the future?

Working from home

I recently read an article in Die Burger that asked the question if working from home is here to stay. According to the article only about 10% of people worked from home before the lockdown, but during lockdown it jumped to as high as 75% for many companies.

According to the article,

this trend is not easily ... continue reading

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Child in the mail

David Malherbe (@DGMalherbe) — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 19:49:21 +0000

Can you believe it? A hundred years ago Mr. Merritt Chance the postmaster of the post office in Washington D.C. received three applications to post children by mail under the same regulations that permitted live animals to be sent.

In June 1920 Mr. John Koons, the Assistant Postmaster General of the United States answered a request for an interpretation of postal regulations and then ruled that children could not be sent through the mail by parcel post. Koons, reviewing the regulation, pointed out that parcel post was limited to “harmless ... continue reading

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Mind over matter

David Malherbe (@DGMalherbe) — Sat, 09 May 2020 10:20:30 +0000

“You must have a positive vision of the future”,

is a quote that I’ve once written down on a piece of paper and it stands on my bookshelf right in front of me where I can see it whenever I work on my computer.

For any business this is vital for success and to keep on keeping on when times are tough. The hope for a better future is what makes one willing to take risks in business. You are willing to borrow money when you believe that business in ... continue reading

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Online reality

David Malherbe (@DGMalherbe) — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 20:09:11 +0000

When I started teaching about fourty years ago, we had no idea that we would one day have a computer in the school that would be able to perform certain administrative tasks. Yet about 15 years later the school had its own computer and we need not write each student’s report card anymore. It was printed on the computer, yet only those teachers trained for it were allowed to work on the computer.

Computers came to stay

We all realized that computers came to stay and I had the privilege ... continue reading

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