Daddy, where do bulls and bears come from?

Most people would at least have a basic idea of what the terms bull and bear markets mean. In very short: the one is a market on the up and the other a market on the down, and mostly used in the context of the stock market. Where the terms come from is less clear, with some interesting possibilities.

Read more: Final word

New online assessment tool launched

Just how well governed is your organisation? The answer to that question may be more complex than initially meets the eye; and with the King III™ Report broadening the scope of regulation in South Africa to businesses of all sizes, answering it is important for many more directors. Assessing governance posture can be an expensive and complex exercise, which is why the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa (IoDSA) has launched a tool to help gain a quantitative indication of the state of their governance.

Read more: Business governance

Reliability is key – telecoms in the financial services industry

No matter what industry sector an organisation falls into, telecommunications forms the vital backbone of the entire infrastructure, and needs to be up and running at all times. 
However, for the financial services sector reliability and durability are paramount, as communications, which often happen via a telecoms network, are mission critical to the success of the business, writes Fiona Mclean-Banks who’s a Polycom Business Development Manager at Zycko.

Read more: Opinion

Certain changes on the cards

A shift in South Africa’s currency policy – long resisted by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and the Treasury – may be on the cards later this year. However, it is not likely to go as far as pegging the rand as has been called for by the left-wing allies of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), although they have some seemingly unlikely support for their stance.

Read more: Currency policy

Can a professional oath turn the tide?

In this second article on the role of morality - or the lack thereof - in the financial and broader economic crisis in which the world presently finds itself, we take a look at what may be required to turn business management into a true profession via a universal professional oath. Would an oath on its own do the trick to ensure that business, besides maximum profit, also seeks to achieve the greater good of society?

Read more: Financial crisis and morality