How business protects human rights

Posted on: March 20, 2013 by admin

When we think of business in terms of how it relates to human interaction and the protection of our basic human rights, there is not always a clear connection between the two. Since business is usually seen as a sector of society that idealizes professionalism and individual progress.

However, there is, especially in South Africa, quite a strong link between business and various communities, both in terms of outreach and development programs and the development of labour relations.

The link between community and business in South Africa is relatively strong, and there is a wide range of already established and startup initiatives that enable communities to develop skills directly related with companies and their internship programs. Outreach programs, some of which extend to other countries (such as the Texas A&M...

Roodepoort By-Laws concerning fireworks

Posted on: February 28, 2013 by admin

The various festive seasons that are celebrated in South Africa due to the vast cultural differences shared by its people are usually times of happiness and great fun for those of us celebrating. These periods are normally times of feasting, gift giving, remembrance and socializing.

However, the practice of setting off firework displays has, for a relatively long time, been banned outright in most residential areas throughout South Africa due to the harmful and sometimes erratic manner in which they are used. Not only do they pose a danger to us and our children, but to our beloved pets, most of whom have significantly heightened sense of hearing and fear when trapped in confined spaces during these fireworks displays.

The municipalities of Roodepoort and...

How to protect yourself against the January Slowdown

Posted on: January 21, 2013 by admin

January is the time of year that is possibly the most difficult for everyone. Not only has the holiday season come and gone (and it always seems to be much too short!) but the financial expenses from the December period also start taking their toll. Either we tend to use our credit cards a bit too liberally and forget to weigh the consequences, or we are left struggling to get through the January window as a result of overspending.

For this reason, businesses also tend to have a slow January, as customers are more wary of spending money they now realize that they don’t have. It is important for businesses to also recognize this and adjust their approach accordingly.

A good way to do it is to review financial statements from previous December/January periods, look at how much...

SA drops further in corruption perception survey

Posted on: December 6, 2012 by admin

The perception of the prevalence of corruption in South Africa's public sector is worsening, with the country slipping further in Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

The lower ranking, which places South Africa on par with its Brics counterpart Brazil, did not surprise industry commentators canvassed by Engineering News Online, who said that the ranking was an accurate reflection of increased negative perceptions about the prevalence of corruption in the country.

The CPI, released on Wednesday, ranked South Africa 69 out of 176 countries, with a score of 43, which is also the global average.

Last year, the index ranked countries out of a score of ten. South Africa scored 4.1 out of 10 and ranked 64 out of 183 countries. In the prior year, South Africa ranked 54 out of 178 countries.

The index rated countries according to perceptions surrounding corruption in each...

Tracking of Business Growth on the West Rand

Posted on: December 5, 2012 by admin

ROCCI, the Roodepoort Chamber of Commerce, has recently begun taking steps to ensure that business growth and statistics on the West Rand of Johannesburg will be properly documented and tracked.

The development plan set forth by the Region C local government stated that the entire region’s commerce industry, as well as all surrounding fields will be drawn into the Economic Growth Plan within the next few months. This Economic Plan intends to act as a guiding strategy in the development of economic growth initiatives, and as such, will form part of the economic growth plan being set into place across the country.

The importance of economic growth statistics in this day and age is paramount. Not only does the access to these figures give business owners a better idea of which areas they might need to improve on, but it also allows the entire region,...

ROCCI on Coal 3 in addition to Kusile and Medupi

Posted on: October 16, 2012 by admin

Minister of Public Enterprises, Malusi Gigaba’s allusion to a third coal fired power station, whilst sure to raise controversy, heated debates and the ire of the green economists has to be seen in context of SA’s reality.

With both power stations only coming on line by soonest 2014 with the possibility of a further delay, it in no ways alleviates our current tightness of electricity supply to the state of self-sufficiency.

Coal power given the country’s rich resources still remains the cheapest source of energy and therefore the suggestion to build Coal 3 is both timely and visionary.

Nuclear power has its own challenges in respect of risks and costs and current plans to build 3 new nuclear plants by 2029 will bring us back to the 2008/9 era of outages due to demand.

The potential of Shale gas supplementing our energy grid...

ROCCI welcomes “Roodepoort stays under Johannesburg” – Roodepoort Record 21 September 2012

Posted on: October 16, 2012 by admin

The Roodepoort Chamber of Commerce & Industry (Rocci) is relieved at the Dept. of  Local Government’s decision to maintain Roodepoort as part of Johannesburg and not to have it incorporated into the newly envisaged West Rand Metro, which would include towns such as Westonaria,Carltonville,Randfontein and Mogale City.

Now that this is settled ROCCI calls on the Johannesburg Metro  to ensure infra-structure development in the Roodepoort area  is hastened, so that it complements the growth and development of Johannesburg as a ‘truly first class African city.

What are these infrastructure developments we speak about that will lead to the creation of employment and growth. :-

• The upgrading and consolidation of all informal settlements 

• The possible creation of a second Cosmos City in reducing informal settlement

• The implementation of the City Improvement District concept to Florida and Roodepoort CBD’s for self-sustenance

• The...

Tourism in The West Rand

Posted on: October 15, 2012 by admin

The West Rand of Johannesburg is well known as an industrial hub, and in the last decade has increased its business capacity to the point where it now has a booming trade and development infrastructure.

A large part of this increase in exposure has come from the tourism industry, which has also grown on the West Rand over the past few years. The region plays host to a number of important sites and opportunities in the field of tourism, such as the world-renowned Cradle of Humankind, situated only 50km away from Northwest Johannesburg. The Cradle contains countless wonders, including lodges, weekend retreat opportunities, caves to be explored, authentic South African restaurants, wildlife reserves, hiking trails and various other adventurous activities.

Around the Cradle of Humankind,...

Cheap and Easy Marketing Tips

Posted on: September 21, 2012 by admin

Marketing your business is one of the most crucial aspects to being successful in any industry. Sure, word of mouth and reputation account for a significant percentage of your traffic, but expert marketing is something that will not only help you grow these aspects of your business, but also expose you to new opportunities and customer bases. Here are a few ways that you can market yourself and gain exposure quickly and easily, without having to implement grand marketing strategies or bringing in outside help:

1.     Newspaper Ad Space – Placing an advert in your local newspaper may seem like an outdated method, and in some ways it is. However, there is still a significant number of people around the country that not only read newspapers on a daily basis, but...

Working from home - the Pros and Cons

Posted on: August 30, 2012 by admin

In the current economic state, people are finding it more and more difficult to find a job, either due to a lack of job availability, or because some employers simply don’t have space/resources to support any extra staff. However, at the same time, individuals are turning to opening their own businesses and running them from home, or coming to agreements with their employers to work from home to save company resources and time.

However, working from home may seem simpler in the beginning, because it saves you the time of having to commute, get ready, etc. (and in some cases, getting out of your warm bed on a cold winter morning). But you’ll soon find that this environment brings its own stressful situations into the equation, and these must be dealt with before any sort of work can be done. Here is a list of a few of the...