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Chicken Wars – Counting the Cost

The South African Trade & Industry Minister has recently increased import duties on certain categories of chicken following recommendations by the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC).  The tariff increases are in response to the “illegal dumping”...

Software Selection

Cost accountants have a vital role to play in ensuring that new software is successfully implemented in an organisation.  From raw materials to finished products, from bid preparation to determining customer credit terms, cost accounting impacts on every aspect of...

What is Good Enough?

A recent article by Lucy Kellaway entitled “Good enough is better than perfection” (Financial Times, 2 September 2012) got me thinking. The subject of the article was prompted by watching a documentary about Jiro, an obsessive sushi chef, who never misses a day’s work...

BPS becomes Carbon Neutral

BPS is proud to announce that it is a carbon neutral company, having purchased sufficient carbon credits to offset its emissions during the 2009 financial year. “Whether or not you have taken a position in the climate change debate, the business reality is that...

Brute Force vs Intelligence

The avalanche of data continues. An Exabyte (EB) of data is 270 bytes or a million Terrabytes (TB) and International Data Corp (IDC) estimates that 1,200 EB of digital data will be generated in 2010. The Large Hadron Collider generates 40TB worth of data every second,...

Cost Cutting in Recessions

Cutting costs – everyone’s at it. One of the features of severe economic conditions is a renewed focus on the containment and reduction of costs. Why is it that the first casualty in any cost-cutting exercise is a usually a very significant area of discretionary spend...

Sustainability and Reporting Standards

Mervyn King, the champion of corporate governance in South Africa, spoke at a sustainability seminar in St James’s Place, London recently. The language amongst politicians and business leaders in 2010 is becoming one of sustainability; Of the 100 largest economies in...

Regulators and Tariff Increases

There has been much press coverage regarding Eskom’s proposed tariff increases following a series of presentations at roadshows around the country. Nersa, the industry regulator, has been asked to approve an increase of 35%, compounded over 3 years, to fund the...