Forty-two startup hopefuls delivered a minute-long hypothetical pitch to the Oracle of Omaha at Rice's Business Plan Competition. Here are our favorites.

From China to Spain to the United States, investment fell sharply as countries cut back.

The downturn forced many boomers to get the message. They had borrowed too much, saved too little, and had the bad luck to watch their homes and 401(k)s plunge in value in recent years.

Are shoppers really drawn by the siren call of a good deal? It's actually a lot more complicated than that.

True confession: I started writing this article more than two months ago, and I am just finishing it now.

Launching a new enterprise—whether it’s a tech start-up, a small business, or an initiative within a large corporation—has always been a hit-or-miss proposition.

Our lives are now filled with a stream of disruption, things that are new and strange. Whatever our first reaction, we now like to pretend we were early adopters and enthusiasts. Call it "disruption denial."

South Africa suffers from a shortage of entrepreneurs. With the Brics summit of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa business communities fresh in our minds we recall that the country most similar to ours in its problems with economic development is Brazil.

Before Carrie Kerpen could excel at the helm of the social media firm she co-founded, she had to change some things about herself. Here she explains.

There is no denying the long-term value of a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Just as helpful to students' career goals is a business school's MBA alumni network.

Businesses today operate under unprecedented conditions of competition and turbulence, making it increasingly difficult to attract and retain talented employees and fill scarce-skills positions. In a recent article by SAICA (2013: Moneyweb), the chief executive officer of SAICA, Matsobane Matlwa, says, “Companies trying to survive and thrive have turned to the advanced financial management skills of CAs(SA) to steer them through the toughest economic times of our generation. In troubled times it is not just about controls, tax or ratios – though these are important – it is about grasping and managing risks and strategic opportunity. This is why CAs(SA) also dominate the chief executive function in South Africa, with three out of ten (29.7%) listed company leaders also having achieved the CA (SA) qualification.” Critical CA leadership talent is becoming increasingly scarce in South Africa due to this appreciation of the abilities of CAs and the resultant demand exceeding supply, growing skills shortage in the profession (continuous shortage of 5 000 CAs as far back as 2008). The laws of economics dictate that a high demand and shortage of supply of top talent should lead to a highly competitive market for CA talent. For your organisation to thrive, it is important to be ahead of the game in terms of attracting the best chartered accountants in the country.
 
If you require a more detailed discussion around your organisation’s leadership talent strategy, feel free to contact Anneke Andrews at anandrews@deloitte.co.za
 
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