Opinions and Analysis

What’s holding women back?

This Article was originally published by the economist.com by E.W  Jan 23rd 2015, 16:36 | WASHINGTON, DC IN 2015 the promise of gender equality seems closer than ever. A new report by the Pew Research Centre shows that the majority of Americans think women are just as capable of being good political and business leaders as men. They are perceived as indistinguishable from their male peers when it comes to leadership qualities such as intelligence and capacity for innovation. On other qualities—honesty, fairness, compassion and willingness to compromise—many Americans actually judge women as superior. It’s tempting to read the report as a sign of progress. After all, the 114th Congress includes a record number of women (104) serving in the House and Senate. On the corporate front, 26 women now lead as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies; that’s up from zero in 1995. But, in fact, the 104 congresswomen only make…

Generation Y, which like advertising

People called generation Y (born between 1980 to 2000), it has a very behavior based on immediacy.Most of these people have are the consumer and the working population. The study called the Millennial Band Advocates, Social Chorus makes an interesting analysis of how this shows the world population deals with brands and marketing companies. The conclusion is that Generation Y does not believe in advertising. Generation Y is a lover of social networks where they appear with a major expressiveness. This inclination for what is immediate and with just one click, makes the marketing department of any company that wants to reach this audience understand some aspects that are specific to this generation. Usually longer believe in experiences that your friends have with certain brands to the detriment of advertising messages. The positive or negative image of that audience with certain brands depends on the experiences in respect of them.…

5 ways to navigate change in business today

“We have this big myth in the technology industry that we like to impose on everybody — disruption is going to happen and it’s going to destroy you. But this pattern of change actually takes time.” And so began Andy Lark, CMO of Xero, launching into an overview of the actual rate of change in the digital era at Xerocon Denver 2015. Why do companies increasingly struggle to stay up-to-date with the accelerating pace of digital transformation? How can individuals and businesses learn to navigate today’s shifting landscape in a way that better prepares them for the future? They key, Andy says, is figuring out what is driving the change in business so you can get in front of it. Here are Andy’s 5 tips for improving change management in an evolving world: 1. Learn how to participate The days of pushing information out to customers are over. Companies will grow…

SGR must tackle Mombasa Road traffic chaos better

The standard gauge railway (SGR) is Kenya’s single-largest infrastructure investment since the British built the old Kenya-Uganda railway in the 1900s. More importantly, it is only a matter time before Kenyans begin paying for the piece of infrastructure costing billions of shillings. Indeed, the repayment schedule will most likely test the economy than ever before. The most acknowledged benefit of the new railway, whose first phase is set to be completed by June next year, is that it will cut travel time for passengers as the new locomotives will cover the 480 kilometres from Nairobi to Mombasa in half the 10 hours it currently takes. That will encourage travel to and from Mombasa and boost the economy considerably. Needless to add, the most benefits will accrue through quicker cargo turnaround. However, for the public to realise swift and lasting benefits from the new railway, besides getting buses and trucks off…

Why businesses should pay attention to new commercial laws

Kenya has undergone major legislative changes in the past 10 years. New laws geared towards making the country the region’s trading hub have been enacted and implementation is expected to begin in earnest. To spur growth in the commercial sector, for instance, laws touching on business vehicles available have been enacted or updated. The developments are meant to take away some of the barriers that have made the country less competitive globally. Kenya is currently transitioning from a regime of archaic commercial laws to one that takes cognisance of contemporary trends. More recently, Parliament enacted the Limited Liabilities Partnership Act in 2011 and the regulations governing the Act were released in 2014. In 2015, the Companies Act and the Business Registration Services Act came into effect. A glimpse at these three Acts shows that the reforms have essentially covered all the possible business vehicles that one can incorporate to trade…

5 African Consumer Trends for 2016

DIVASUMERS, FEMCENTRICITY, COMMON SENSE PRICING & BENEVOLENT BRIBERY: 5 AFRICAN CONSUMER TRENDS FOR 2016 Despite slowing growth brands remained strong and new business opportunities were exploited by those advantaged more than others due to the kind of information they had access to. In 2016, it will be imperative for B2C professionals operating in Africa to understand the direction of consumerism across multiple dimensions. The slump in commodities prices affected many countries in Africa this year but it was not enough to hold down African brands from competing globally and challenging the status quo of western domination in business. From South African manufacturers approached to produce clothing for the Royal Court of Sweden to Nigeria’s iRokotv’s Nollywood streaming deal with Netflix, a global leader in internet video streaming service, 2015 proved that the world is taking Africa seriously and 2016 will not be different. Here’s a summary of the report, contextualized by…

Navigate