Financial Mail articles from March 2006

Financial Mail archives from March 2006

site of the week.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) nsite of the week www.xe.com This useful universal currency converter can tell you exactly how many US dollars a euro is worth, how many Japanese yen are in a rand and everything you need to know about 180 other...

CORRECTION.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) nCORRECTION You may have noticed that it's not August, as the date on the cover of last week's issue indicated. We noticed too though rather belatedly. The date should have read March 24 2006. We regret the error.

Parliament at a glance.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Parliament at a glance Size:There are about 12 political parties represented in parliament. The SA parliament consists of two houses: the national assembly, with 400 members and the national council of provinces...

Q & A. Ask the Guru.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Q & A Ask the Guru Q:What is the difference between earnings per share and headline earnings? A:Earnings per share (EPS) is calculated by dividing a company's profit by its number of common outstanding shares. If a...

LETTERS.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: MME, Christine Strutt I have enjoyed all of the stories in FM Campus, in particular the language debate and the management of money issues. I would like to suggest a story about identity. It seems that a...

Winning letter.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Winning letter Write us a great letter and you could win a CD from Gallo. Choose from Madonna's latest album or the Notorious BIG Duets.

MPs make all the rules.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) MPs make all the rules Parliament must protect SA's constitution and the public SA is a constitutional democracy, with a three-tier government system and an independent judiciary. The national, provincial and local...

The state of the economy: cooling growth could hot up again.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Cees Bruggemans The state of the economy: cooling growth could hot up again is chief economist at First National Bank. He writes a monthly column for FM Campus. The economy's expansion since 1999...

POINTERS. DEFICIT.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) POINTERS DEFICIT:When an entity (such as a government) spends more money than it generates. The opposite is a surplus.

CAMPUS NEWS.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) CAMPUS NEWS Student leaders at the University of Zululand are divided over the future of the university's chancellor, Jacob Zuma. As the battle between Zuma's supporters and denouncers rages outside the Johannesburg...

POINTERS. MERGER.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) POINTERS MERGER:The combination of two or more entities to form a single business or institution.

POINTERS. TENDER.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) POINTERS TENDER:A formal offer to enter a contract to supply specified goods or services at a stated cost or rate.

POINTERS. COLLATERAL.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) POINTERS COLLATERAL:Something of value that is pledged as security for a loan. It is subject to seizure if the loan is not repaid.

POINTERS. PEACEKEEPING.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) POINTERS PEACEKEEPING:A way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace, according to the UN.

COAL INDUSTRY. Coal a popular energy source.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) COAL INDUSTRY Coal a popular energy source Heavy reliance on electricity stokes demand for coal Are the lights on in your room? Have you watched TV, used a hairdryer or made microwave popcorn today? If so, chances...

ECONOMY. Bust likely after spending boom.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) ECONOMY Bust likely after spending boom Concern at SA's consumer-driven economic growth At some stage we all get carried away and spend money we don't have on things we don't need. But sometimes, access to credit...

BANKS. Not business as usual at Absa.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) BANKS Not business as usual at Absa Winds of change sweep through local bank since takeover Culture and norms are key foundations of societies and countries. At university, students get the opportunity to belong to...

ELECTRICITY. Power cuts hurt Cape businesses.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) ELECTRICITY Power cuts hurt Cape businesses Companies count billions in losses after electricity crisis The world has come a long way since Benjamin Franklin discovered the nature of electricity in 1752. Since then,...

TENDERS. Advertising right up for grabs.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) TENDERS Advertising right up for grabs SAA warns bidders against nepotism and window-dressing Everyone wants an equal shot at an opportunity up for grabs. When jobs are being handed out, we want to compete fairly...

INNER CITY. Finding housing for the homeless.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) INNER CITY Finding housing for the homeless Landmark ruling makes it illegal to evict squatters While trendy lofts are being built in Johannesburg's Newtown and a stream of well-dressed lookers from the suburbs make...

MILITARY. Evolution of the army.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) MILITARY Evolution of the army The military is changing to meet different challenges In the bad old days, every young white SA male had to register for military duty. You were required to register when you were 16...

TALK ABOUT IT:.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) TALK ABOUT IT: 1)Why have more players suddenly joined the coal mining industry? 2)What are the pros and cons of using coal as an energy source? 3)What macroeconomic benefits can come from an expanding coal...

TALK ABOUT IT:.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) TALK ABOUT IT: 1)How is foreign direct investment important for a country? 2)Why is it important to maintain national debt at a certain percentage of GDP? 3)Why is there an indefinite trade-off between inflation and...

TALK ABOUT IT:.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Mergers & Acquisitions; Companies TALK ABOUT IT: 1)Why do companies merge? 2)What are some of the challenges that must be overcome when universities are merged? 3)Are mergers and acquisitions always...

TALK ABOUT IT:.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) TALK ABOUT IT: 1)What can happen to governments that fail to provide basic services efficiently? 2)Discuss the direct and indirect costs involved in the loss of production time. 3)What are the opportunity costs...

BALANCING THE BEER.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Artwell Dlamini Responsible drinking A few drinks are part of a good party, but alcohol misuse has become a big problem Booze is an inseparable part of the jolly good time students have at university....

TALK ABOUT IT:.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) TALK ABOUT IT: 1)What are some of the problems experienced in the tendering process? 2)Should there be standard limitations to who actually gets the tendering deal? 3)How should government balance the number of...

TALK ABOUT IT:.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) TALK ABOUT IT: 1)Does local government have a duty to provide housing for everyone? 2)Will the provision of housing for squatters encourage squatting? 3)What should an urban regeneration plan do to meet the needs of...

TALK ABOUT IT:.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) TALK ABOUT IT: 1)Is it necessary for SA to intervene on the African continent or is minding our own affairs a better policy? 2)Should an army be run like a big company, or would another model be better? 3)How much...

Q & A. NOZIZWE ANSWERS TEN ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Robert Quarshie NOZIZWE ANSWERS TEN ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS 1 What time do you get up? 7.30am. 2 What do you like about your job? I get to work with some really smart people. It keeps me on my toes. ...

POINTERS. BARRIERS TO ENTRY:.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) POINTERS BARRIERS TO ENTRY: Obstacles that make it difficult or costly for new firms to enter a market.

INBOX. CIO AFRICA EDITORIAL.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Duncan McLeod DUNCAN McLEOD mcleodd@fm.co.za WILLIE APPEL, vice-president and programme director at Gartner Executives Programs, says he can't think of a single CIO in SA who has moved on to become the...

Marty Roeschwho.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Marty Roeschwho created the open-source intrusion-detection program Snort, recently sold Sourcefire, the company he built to sell add-ons to Snort, to Check Point for $225m. He says: I was never motivated by...

Barry Strasnick.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Barry Strasnick This CitiStreet CIO likes the services model in which a company sells support for a single open-source code base, because all my money goes into implementation and support.

Marketing to the world.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Larry Claasen Marketing to the world But the Web's wide span is no silver bullet for businesses Small companies are finding that the Internet provides them with a reach they could only dream of before: a...

Remote advantage. IT in small and medium business.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Larry Claasen IT IN SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESS Remote advantage Allowing employees to work away from the office ties in with the concept of the 'knowledge economy' BY LARRY CLAASEN MOST SMALL businesses...

POINTERS. OUTAGE.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) POINTERS OUTAGE:A planned or unplanned operational interruption of a power supply.

New shape of IT.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Dave Aron New shape of IT BY DAVE ARON Developing and running systems is a great foundation for business value, but it is no longer the end game IT MANAGEMENT IT has taken centre stage in a world...

It's all about control. Furber.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) It's all about control Early attempts at enforcing copyright in the digital age have had chilling effects on free speech and technical innovation COPYRIGHT CONTROL It seems superfluous to state that computing of...

Take another look.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: JAMES ROBERTSON Take another look BY JAMES ROBERTSON The best IT solution for your enterprise is quite possibly the solution that you already have IT MANAGEMENT Many corporate head office buildings are...

Who makes open source?
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Christopher Koch Who makes open source? As open-source software becomes increasingly important to the corporate infrastructure, IT staffs are beginning to contribute to the code basesnot just at night...

FREE CODE. FOR SALE.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Christopher Koch CIO Open-source software Open-source software is becoming a vital piece of corporate IT infrastructure. Its development is becoming a moneymaking proposition. And now, understanding the...

Net, Web Services, and the End of the Vendor Era.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Scott Berinato Software as a service .Net, Web Services, and the End of the Vendor Era When Microsoft announced .Net, Bill Gates called it a bet the company thing. But in the process of becoming far less...

Microsoft goes all in.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Scott Berinato Microsoft goes all in By now, .Net was supposed to be the centrepiece of Microsoft's empire. Yet when the company met with Wall Street analysts last year, it didn't focus on .Net. Instead,...

Medscheme. Finger on the pulse.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Lance Harris Medscheme Finger on the pulse Medscheme has completed a huge overhaul of its data centre, sweeping away proprietary and legacy platforms BY LANCE HARRIS WHEN MEDSCHEME needed to find a new...

National Credit Bill. Days of reckoning.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Brian Bakker National Credit Bill Days of reckoning New bill on granting credit will add significantly to the cost and complexity of IT systems, critics say BY BRIAN BAKKER THE NATIONAL Credit Bill, new...

Chipping in, slowly.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Lance Harris RFID Chipping in, slowly SA is expected to play catch-up in the next few years as RFID technology gains acceptance in business BY LANCE HARRIS RADIO FREQUENCY identification (RFID) tags are...

RFID in brief.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Lance Harris RFID in brief The ultimate goal is to have control over movable goods RFID is an automatic method of identification based on the storage and access of data on tiny devices called RFID tags...

Keeping tabs.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Lance Harris Keeping tabs Global applications display the technology's versatility Research house Gartner says companies should not think of RFID tags as a replacement for barcodes, but use them to drive...

DATA PROJECTORS. HOT STUFF.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) DATA PROJECTORS Shine on, shine bright They were once prohibitively expensive but have now become a standard fixture in the company boardroom. Yes, the data projector has consigned the overhead projector to the...

Vision for the way ahead.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Vision for the way ahead Symposium will address CIOs' burning questions CIO Africa is the official media partner for the Gartner Symposium/IT Expo 2006, SA's premier event for IT decision-makers and IT...

ONLINE ADVERTISING. Google users are is for the rich and clever.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Paul Roberts ONLINE ADVERTISING Google users are rich and clever Google users tend to be richer and have more Internet experience than those who primarily use competing search services from Microsoft,...

ONLINE MEDIA. Murdoch forecasts the direct way.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Jeremy Kirk ONLINE MEDIA Murdoch forecasts the direct way Portals like those from Yahoo and Microsoft will fade in popularity as savvy users go directly to the content they want to view, predicts...

WORK IT ...
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Robert Quarshie A young brand manager works with hair-care products and loves every day of her job My family get irritated whenever we go shopping because I always go straight to the hair-care section...

Software as a service.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) When vendors start getting outside the standards, they start putting CIOs like me at risk. Tom Shelman, Northrop Grumman CIO

SA REVENUE SERVICE. Taxman on the lookout hunts for a new CIO.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Lance Harris SA REVENUE SERVICE Taxman on the lookout hunts for a new CIO The SA Revenue Service (Sars) has started the search for a new CIO following the resignation of the high-profile incumbent, Ken...

CUSTOMISATION. In tune with customers.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: James Niccolai CUSTOMISATION In tune with customers Using computers for a task as subjective as discerning your music tastes sounds like a tall order. Nevertheless, some commercial companies and...

WORLD CUP SOCCER. Fifa passes on the smart ball.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: John Blau WORLD CUP SOCCER Fifa passes on the smart ball World Cup soccer players should be happy: a new chip-enabled soccer ball won't be ready for use at the World Cup soccer tournament in Germany this...

Tax evolution. DECADE OF CHANGE.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Ethel Hazelhurst Tax evolution DECADE OF CHANGE What the past 10 years has brought for taxpayers in SA SA's income tax landscape has been reshaped since 1997. The changes to the tax law have been...

Another week.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) AT HOME Intelligence inspector-general Zolile Ngcakani says e-mails purporting to relate to plots to discredit Jacob Zuma and ANC secretary-general Kgalema Motlanthe were fabricated within the national intelligence...

PERPLEXITIES OF OUR LOOKING-GLASS WAR.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) PERPLEXITIES OF OUR LOOKING-GLASS WAR The US Nobel physics laureate Richard Feynman was once explaining to an audience that gravity was the weakest of all forces in nature, when an overhead light fitting snapped...

Editor's note.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Barney Mthombothi We are, it seems, past the age of innocence. The whirlwind romance having run its course and the nuptials duly conducted, the couple have now reverted to type, with almost every act,...

TACKLING THE RACE STIGMA.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: George Ellison TACKLING THE RACE STIGMA Without pressure it is unlikely alternative blood screening technology would have been introduced George Ellison is health sciences professor, St George's,...

Open-source checklist.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Christopher Koch Open-source checklist Open-source software has to meet all the usual criteria that dictate software success... and then it has to meet some more: The licencethe most restrictive...

FREER AIRWAVES MEAN FREER SPEECH.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) FREER AIRWAVES MEAN FREER SPEECH Talk Radio 702 seems to lead a charmed existence. Its creation in 1981 was an unintended consequence of the apartheid government's bantustan policy. By the National Party's own...

Choose carefully. Buying unwisely can sink a business.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Larry Claasen Choose carefully Buying unwisely can sink a business BY LARRY CLAASEN DON'T OVERSPEND. That's the advice of Terry White to small businesses regarding their investment in IT. White is...

UNSOLICITED E-MAIL. Sailing the seas of spam.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Scott Berinato UNSOLICITED E-MAIL Sailing the seas of spam Think spam (unsolicited e-mail) is a problem? You don't know the half of it. According to antispam vendor Postini: The approximate number of...

How individuals fared. THE GIVING AND THE TAKING AWAY.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Ethel Hazelhurst How individuals fared THE GIVING AND THE TAKING AWAY For 10 years, finance minister Trevor Manuel has given with one hand and taken with the other. There has been tax relief for...

ASSORE. General mining.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Brendan Ryan ASSORE General mining Try ARM or Kumba Ord price: R115 Market cap R3,2bn Div yield: 1,7% 12-month high, R150; PE ratio: 6,9. Sector PE: 14,0 Low, R100 Six Turn- *Operating Pretax Headline...

Cinema. ENDSVILLE.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Peter Wilhelm Cinema ENDSVILLE V for Vendetta directed by James McTeigue, written by the Wachowski Brothers This strange, post-apocalyptic film, a kind of sequel to the Matrix trilogy, has a tangled...

ALEX WHITE HOLDINGS. Containers & packaging.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Michael Coulson ALEX WHITE HOLDINGS Containers & packaging Astrapak shows good sense of timing Ord price: 306c Market cap R55,5m Div yield: 12-month high, 306c; PE ratio: 16,3. Sector PE: 14,9 Low,...

Military capability. SA ARMY REGROUPS TO FIGHT FOR PEACE.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Peter Honey Military capability SA ARMY REGROUPS TO FIGHT FOR PEACE The SA Army is reforming and refocusing itself to better cope with SA's growing commitments to peacekeeping and peacemaking...

BARPLATS. Platinum.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Brendan Ryan BARPLATS Platinum Needs more money Ord price: R9 Market cap R2,8bn Div yield: 12-month high, 1050c; PE ratio: (6,4). Sector PE: 24,7 Low, 535c Six Turn- *Operating Pretax Headline Dividend...

Residential development. BART MAKES ART OF MICHELANGELO.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Ian Fife Residential development BART MAKES ART OF MICHELANGELO The interiors of flats are nearing completion in Michelangelo Towers, the luxury high-rise in Sandton's CBD. Developer Bart Dorrestein is...

BELL EQUIPMENT. Commercial vehicles & trucks.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Michael Coulson BELL EQUIPMENT Commercial vehicles & trucks Price hard to justify Ord price: 1050c Market cap R995m Div yield: 12-month high, R11; Sector PE: 13,4 Low, R5 Year Turn- Operating Pretax...

BIG SCREEN DAMAGE.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Rob Bothma Cinemas should realise they need to create a decent value proposition to entice people to their establishments BIG SCREEN DAMAGE I read the article Collateral damage" (Companies March 24) with...

RIOT AWAY, BUT SAY ADIEU TO YOUR ECONOMY.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Jamie Carr RIOT AWAY, BUT SAY ADIEU TO YOUR ECONOMY Once more, French students are revolting. This seems to be such a regular part of life at the Sorbonne that the realist might suggest dispensing with all the...

CD review. FIFTIES FAVOURITES.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) CD review FIFTIES FAVOURITES Classic from the Lone Hill label Now that royalties have run out on many jazz recordings and they have fallen into the public domain, independent record companies are releasing music...

Coal industry. BURNING BRIGHTLY.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Brendan Ryan Coal industry BURNING BRIGHTLY Demand for 'black gold' from Eskom and the export market seems insatiable South Africa's coal sector is finding its second wind and looks set to sprint ahead...

Sipho Nkosi. QUIETLY PILING UP POWER.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Brendan Ryan Sipho Nkosi QUIETLY PILING UP POWER If SA's burgeoning coal sector has a leader, it's Eyesizwe Coal CEO Sipho Nkosi, who has become one of the country's most successful mining entrepreneurs...

Intelligence agency. RED-FACED SPOOKS.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Prakash Naidoo Intelligence agency RED-FACED SPOOKS Political succession battle feeds concerns over misuse of state institutions It is, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) admits, an incident that...

Development. ONE BIG BUILDING SITE.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Ian Fife Development ONE BIG BUILDING SITE SA enters decade of massive property development, but has anybody planned beyond five years? A decade of property development has begun and is about to turn our...

NO LIBERTY BELL.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: DA Diamond NO LIBERTY BELL Some weeks ago (January 27) you printed a letter from a reader who owned Sun Life insurance policies (taken over years ago by Liberty Life). I write to you in desperation. I,...

Diamond: MTN. Dog: Primeserv.
March 31, 2006... (From Financial Mail) Byline: Jamie Carrr Diamond MTN There's not much you can do other than applaud when presented with a set of results such as that dished up by MTN last week. The yellow peril has grown into a spectacular...