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Digitisation Of SA Schooling System Could Prove Beneficial For Learners

Staff Reporter — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:46:13 +0000

More and more South Africans are downloading eBooks and steering away from purchasing physical books. Over 3000 eReaders were sold on kalahari.com this festive season and the online retailing giant experienced a 100% increase on the sale of eBooks for the same period.

“South Africans appetite and aptitude for eContent is growing. In this information age, there is no reason why this could not extend to the education sector to increase access to content, aid learning in the classroom and also reduce the cost of learning materials over time.” says Gary Novitzkas, CEO of kalahari.com.

“Every year hundreds of thousands of youngsters leave the system to all intents and purposes illiterate and innumerate with little prospect of employment. The impact on South Africa’s capacity to compete globally is undermined at its very foundations.” says Dr Michael Rice, independent educationalist and former special advisor to the Minister of Education.

“While the world around us has been rapidly transforming itself through information and digital technologies we still educate our children using a centuries-old model of educational content delivery and curriculum presentation. However, international experience in implementing digitisation suggests opportunities for circumventing some of the most intractable obstacles that impact on teaching and learning in South African schools.” says Rice.

One of the issues impeding our matriculants from tertiary institutions is the cost of learning material. University textbooks can amount to 10% of a first year student’s already expensive course fees and costing an average of R500 per book.

kalahari.com is the first retailer embarking on introducing eContent widely to learners and university students. Partnering with The PETS Foundation (Programme for Educational Tablets in Schools) kalahari.com is supporting a research project that will introduce the most effective new technology tools into the learning experience. This project intends to explore the educational, financial, technological and logistical viability of introducing tablets, digitized texts and related technologies into the South African school system over a period of five years (2012-2016).

Gary Novitzkas says: “Imagine a South Africa where learners have direct access to their new digital textbooks at the start of the school year. Dedicated devices will allow textbooks to be revised and updated at the press of a button, plus will allow interactive learning and a choice of content and language preference.”

Working with PRAESA, The PETS Foundation has introduced a pilot program that placed 350 eReaders, donated by kalahari.com, into the hands of learners around the country. One of the recipient groups was the Vulindlela Reading Club at the St Louis Primary School in Langa. The Vulindelela learners were excited at the introduction of these devices, and project partners look forward to opening up many opportunities to faciliate and improve learning and literacy in these key environments.

Novitzkas says “Our challenge is to make tablet and eReader technology a viable option for education. Each device must be lightweight, durable enough to stand up to the treatment of young users and affordable in large numbers for schools.”

Already, educationalists in Ghana, Bangladesh, USA, Taiwan, Europe and China are exploring the possibility of switching to digital textbooks. “Students and teachers in South Africa alike are embracing the role that technology can play in improving and enhancing the learning experience and we are 100% behind this project,” concludes Novitzkas.

Ideate is one of South Africa's biggest business blogs, with a team of authors all of whom have had entrepreneurial experience. Ideate is read by entrepreneurs thinking BIG. Follow us on Twitter here. View more articles by Staff Reporter.

How To Come Up With Your New Business Idea: Four Vital Tips

Anna Malczyk — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:00:25 +0000

Employment opportunities are few and far between these days, and those that are available rarely tick all the boxes. In response, South Africans of all shapes and colours are starting their own businesses – by all accounts, 97% of all local businesses are self-started small, medium and micro enterprises.

While running your own business certainly has its fair share of challenges, it can also be an extremely rewarding, lucrative and empowering pursuit.

Moneymaking opportunities are all around you if you have the knack for spotting them, though it can be difficult at first to develop a solid, marketable and interesting concept for a small business. Here are four vital pointers that you should follow before you pay a cent or take the first step to starting your own business.

1. Tap into your passion
It’s no good thinking you want to start a small business and then trying to come up with a likely idea – entrepreneurs who take this back-to-front route often fail because their hearts are not really in the project for the long haul. On the other hand, those who throw themselves into a lifelong passion or who realise a dream that’s been niggling for a decade tend to flourish. Ask yourself honestly if you have an idea you are so passionate about that you could devote the next 10 years of your life to it. And don’t forget to consider if starting a small business is really for you – if you’re not interested in the all-or-nothing entrepreneurial world, you may find it hard to get your idea off the ground.

2. Solve a problem
All businesses, big and small, have one thing in common – they provide a service or product that solves a problem. Dishcloth manufacturers solve the problem of dirty plates; personal trainers solve the problem of being unfit or unmotivated; wedding planners solve the problem of too-much-to-do, not-enough-time. So, ask yourself – what problem do you want to solve? And once you’ve defined it, ask if there is a problem at all. How many people have this problem? Can they solve it for themselves, or do they need help? Is anyone else trying to solve the problem? Answering these questions will give you a good sense of whether the idea is worth pursuing at all, and what niche or group it would be aimed at.

3. Create your elevator pitch
An elevator pitch is a 20-second summary and explanation of your idea. If you were stuck with someone in an elevator, how would you describe your business during the short ride? Ideally, your elevator pitch should include one sentence that fully summarises your offering, and then a bit of extra detail if there’s time. For example, “Susan’s Stylings is a one-stop home decoration service that covers everything from sourcing furnishings to hands-on interior decorating,” or, “The Gym-a-thon is an innovative handheld device that tracks your workouts and helps you reach your fitness goals.” Creating an elevator pitch provides you with a lot of clarity on your concept. If you can’t summarise your idea in a sentence, then it probably needs a bit more defining.

4. Research, research, research
There is absolutely no substitute for performing thorough research before you even consider launching a business around your idea. You need to gather information on how many local businesses already fill a similar need, whether anybody is experiencing the problem you want to solve, what your target market looks like and how much somebody would be willing to pay, among other things. The offshoot of this is that you may end up with a very different and much better idea.

You can conduct research in a number of ways. The internet is your friend – spend time searching for keywords and phrases related to your business and see what comes up. Look at local business blogs and directories, read trade publications, scan the job ads, browse on social networks and look for related business websites. Don’t forget to talk to people – canvass you friends for their opinions, and speak to people in your target market to see whether they would pay for the sort of service or product you want to offer. Chat on business or industry forums, run an online poll – do whatever it takes to gather information about the potential of your idea. Every minute spent researching is an investment in your future.

Anna Malczyk is a member of the academic department of GetSmarter, a specialist online training firm. GetSmarter works together with University of Cape Town to present short courses in small business management, project management, internet marketing, financial management and more. View more articles by Anna Malczyk.

New Restaurant Booking Site Launched In Cape Town

Staff Reporter — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:18:22 +0000

The launch of ‘Come Dine’, an online restaurant booking website, was announced in Cape Town this week. The site aims to give Capetonians access to +450 restaurants all at a click of a button. The website gives visitors the chance to browse all options available to them, as well as the ability to book a table at some of Cape Town’s hottest spots.

Come Dine is the brainchild of Martin Rose and Greg Whitfield, who’ve been best buddies since they met at boarding school. Martin is just back from a four-year stint in London, where he gained invaluable experience in the online booking segment working as a developer for the leading online booking site, LiveBookings, which processes more than one million bookings a month.

Rose explains: “No more searching for the restaurant’s telephone number; no more struggling to get through to make a booking. Come Dine also gives an indication of the average price of the main course, so it’s great from the budget-conscious too, or when planning a big ‘do’ like the year-end office party.”

“With the holiday season around the corner, you can visit www.comedine.co.za to beat the rush, avoid queues and plan better by booking all eating out feasts online.”

Greg, who has also worked in London as an investment banker, but has now decided to give the life of an entrepreneur a bash. Together they bring an awesome combination of creativity, web savvy and business acumen to their new venture.

“We aim to offer not only convenience, but a fun and quirky vibe,” say the partners. “We’re also looking to deliver a very interactive experience, and will be engaging consumers through online competitions, polls, newsletters and an active social networking presence.”

Come Dine is launching with its Cape Town listings, and listings for Mzanzi’s other hotspots – including Joburg, Pretoria, Durban and PE – will be available within the next few months.

To browse Come Dine and book a spot at your fave restaurant, visit www.comedine.co.za.

Biomimicry: Your Next Big Business Idea Will Be Inspired By Nature

Staff Reporter — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:30:31 +0000

Business ideas over the past few years have all been about biotechnology and digital; but the next big thing is biomimicry. Bio-what? we hear you ask. Biomimicry is science, engineering, and design inspired by the natural world.

Basically, industry around the globe is looking at the environment around them for ways to solve design and innovation problems.

According to Wikipedia, biomimicry is:

‘the examination of nature, its models, systems, processes, and elements to emulate or take inspiration from in order to solve human problems. The term biomimicry and biomimetics come from the Greek words bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate. Other terms often used are bionics, bio-inspiration, and biognosis.’

The thing is, biomimicry has always been part of the fabric of business.

Fast Company has just completed a wonderful article listing Biomimicry’s ‘greatest hits’ - citing airplanes, needles, skyscrapers, tanks and velcro as previous examples of biomimicry in history. These are all examples of where our natural surroundings have evolved our ideas into sustainable and profitable business solutions.

Now, to document the rise in biomimicry initiatives there is even a business index called the “Da Vinci” index.

So, what is your idea?

The 5 C’s Of Entrepreneurship: Part 5 “Confidence”

Bruce Wade — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:30:28 +0000

Fear of failure, fear of friends and fear of success are common in our excuses why we don’t perform. We duck and dive and delay the inevitable day when we have to step out into the spotlight and announce to the world that we are either a success – or just an average person who will never amount to much.

The opposite of fear is confidence. Confidence comes from a number of habits that are instilled in business leaders. Some of these are easy to define and practice. Issues such as the removal of clutter from our daily lives. Finding focus on our purpose. Understanding who, what and why we are. And to top it all, practice.

Creating a number of daily habits that include practicing for what lies ahead will overcome the fear and replace it with confidence. Even if you are unsure what to say or do, to do it with confidence will swing the odds of success in your favour.

Learn to stand tall and build your self image around a positive attitude and confident mindset.

In my books, confidence starts in the brain and moves to the heart and from there to the very tips of your being. Make no mistake – this is easily toppled, so a daily adjustment is required to get and keep it in shape and ready to face the world.

Confidence results in the ability to try, and trying results in a chance at success.

Remember that you will miss every shot you do not take.

Bruce Wade is a survivor of the corporate and NGO world, author, speaker, business owner and entrepreneur, Bruce now runs the Entrepreneur Incubator; a member based organisation dedicated to serving those in the trenches of business through coaching, mentoring and leadership education. View more articles by Bruce Wade.

The 5 C’s Of Entrepreneurship: Part 4 “Cooperation”

Bruce Wade — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:30:35 +0000

Imagine that you run an illegal business and drive an unroadworthy car and employ illegal staff. Now imagine how much energy you need to consume each day to make sure you are not caught or found out. Believe it or not, this sorry state of affairs is the status quo of many small business owners in South Africa.

If you are one of these, ask yourself the question: how do you feel when a police car drives up behind you, or you get a call from the SARS or Labour offices. What is your initial emotion? Fear, anxiety, hesitancy… panic?

How much of your business dealings are not up to scratch when it comes to regulation compliance and legislation? I’m not talking about dealing in drugs or brides imported from Russia; I’m talking about everyday stuff like tax, labour, finance, banking, fair trade, paying accounts, dealing with customers and marketing.

Take note: to cooperate with the governing bodies and get your business compliant has to be one of the most relaxed positions we can achieve.

Personally, I just love the time of month when I pay all the accounts and look at the empty in tray; it gives me a sense of achievement and confidence.

And when the phone rings, I can answer it with confidence that whoever is looking for me it is not about some bad debt or pending audit. Build your business and future with an attitude of cooperation and it will be a smoother ride.

The 5 C’s Of Entrepreneurship: Part 3 “Collaboration”

Bruce Wade — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:45:35 +0000

It was not that long ago when I still believed, like so many men that if things had to be done right, it was up to me and me alone to get it done. No one else could possibly know what I needed done and it was too much hassle to try explaining it to them. And even if I could, they would stuff it up; so alone I travelled, doing everything myself. Guess what? It all came tumbling down around me.

As entrepreneurs we cannot afford to work alone. It is only through the power of collaboration and leverage that our ideas and businesses flourish.

At my consultancy, I instill a habit in our clients that they must not to do the things they cannot do. To carry around a ‘Do Not Do’ list is as important as the ‘To Do’ list.

Whenever you do something that you do not do well, it just makes you look stupid and incompetent. So why do it? Learning to build a team through collaboration, allowing others to do what they do well and finding your sweet spot is essential to the progress of both you and your business.

Take time today to list the things you do that either you are not competent at. Define the things that make you emotionally unhappy and find others to do these tasks.

You will be amazed at how others just love to do the things on this list: for them it is their sweet spot. When you light another candle with yours, it does not make your flame half the size, it just makes the room twice as bright.

NOTE: Look out tomorrow for Part 4 in this series: “Cooperation”

The 5 C’s Of Entrepreneurship: Part 2 “Convergence”

Bruce Wade — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:00:34 +0000

Not being prepared for an opportunity as a business owner is one of the cardinal sins of entrepreneurship. Yet every time I go to a networking meeting or conference I find people who have not got business cards, flyers or even their contact detail on them.

When asked to introduce themselves they basically ummm and ahhh their way through a bunch of made up facts that tell us nothing more than this guy is just not prepared and not able to promote his business at all.

Other people I chat to who are looking for opportunities seem to have this sit-back-and-wait philosophy. They want to wait for something to come along and present itself to their office door – as if the approved tender is being hand delivered to them even when they did not bother to put in an application. The same goes for people looking for jobs. I’ve met people who insist that just reading the day old Cape Times job column will be enough to secure employment.

Convergence of opportunity is a short time-based window that comes and goes and often never repeats itself. Becoming and being a successful entrepreneur is being able to appear always ready for any opportunity that may present itself, no matter how short this window remains open.

Always have at least 3 elevator pitches rehearsed and ready to go. Always carry business cards or brochures. Have your web and social media sites ready and waiting with auto responders and active landing pages. Your cell and land line answering messages should encourage dialogue and represent you and your brand when you do not answer.

Opportunity is lost when ‘not-prepared’ overrides convergence. Where are you?

NOTE: Look out tomorrow for Part 3 in this series: “Collaboration”

The 5 C’s Of Entrepreneurship: Part 1 “Convenience”

Bruce Wade — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:15:57 +0000

Frustration amongst the general population is a way of life. It’s the default reaction to most phone calls queues or dealings with large organizations. For the small business owner it’s the largest blockage of doing business, but can also be the inspiration for your biggest success.

Scenes of headbutting desks and slamming phones are just a normal part of the day. However, frustration can easily be turned on its head and used as a source of a great business idea – and a way to profit.

The opposite of ‘Frustration’ is something most people will pay dearly for: Convenience. The convenience of not having to put up with delays, traffic, queues, filling in forms, waiting in endless waiting rooms… and THEN there is the whole food and cooking thing.

As an entrepreneur we need to embrace other people’s frustration and pause long enough to ask how this could be turned into convenience and converted into a business for profit.

The people I know will often pay dearly to have their problems removed out from their lives. No I am not speaking about some cloak and dagger hit man; just simple services and products that add value to everyday life that will make my journey through life a little less frustrating and a little more pleasant.

So next time you see someone having a bad day, pause a little and start a new business, it just could be the beginning of your retirement plan.

NOTE: Look out tomorrow for Part 2 in this series: “Convergence”

UCT Launches New Social Innovation Scholarship For African Entrepreneurs

Staff Reporter — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 09:00:38 +0000

UCT has announced a newly established scholarship for the MBA programme, for those students pursuing social or green ventures. ”The Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship” has been established at the GSB as a result of a partnership between the GSB and The Bertha Foundation.

The centre will drive research in, and promote the practice of social innovation and entrepreneurship and will provide courses and is designing an elective action learning programme on the MBA. Furthermore, the centre will run an outreach programme training social entrepreneurs. This moves the GSB one step closer to reaching a goal of motivating “business for better”.

The focus will be on encouraging MBA students to fully realise projects and business ideas that make a real positive impact on society and they will have access to communities and to mentors to build on their ideas and create companies.

The school aims to continue catering for those students looking for the traditional MBA, but there will be an unavoidable added facet – students will graduate with a social conscience.

As part of the Centre’s outreach, five MBA scholarships have been established. Please see the information below about eligibility and applying for the Bertha scholarship.

Please would you circulate this email through your network or send it to individuals that you know of that might benefit from this bursary.

Eligibility for the scholarship

The criteria used for selection of Bertha Scholars are:

Candidates must be a resident of an African country
Candidates must have started or worked in an entrepreneurial social or green venture, or have worked on developing base of pyramid or social business strategies in a corporation for at least 1 year
Candidates must demonstrate a strong moral character, strong entrepreneurial drive, a track record of action, leadership qualities, traits of social activism and a commitment to the sustainable development of emerging economies
Through the submission of an essay, candidates must show how the MBA at this stage in their career will help to accelerate their impact and how it will contribute to the wider creation of value for society
Candidates must demonstrate some need for the scholarship, through either previous work experience, personal background or demonstrated commitment to start a social venture, which make self-funding the MBA a significant burden.

How to apply for the Bertha Scholarship

Candidates must independently and concurrently apply for the MBA of the UCT Graduate School of Business. See www.gsb.uct.ac.za/mba for full details about the MBA programme, eligibility, criteria and how to apply to the business school.
At the time of applying for the MBA, or after their submission, interested candidates must state their interest in the scholarship by emailing the Bertha Centre at berthacentre@gsb.uct.ac.za with the words “Bertha Scholarship” in the subject line and your full contact details in the body of the email.
After the submission of your MBA application, GSB admissions will first assess your application to ensure that you meet the academic requirements sought by the school. Those candidates accepted onto the MBA will be sent an essay question for application to the Bertha Scholarship that should be submitted to berthacentre@gsb.uct.ac.za.
Following the submission of the essay, the Bertha Centre will consider the candidates for the Bertha Scholarship and will invite a shortlist for a video, phone or personal interview. The final decision and award of the scholarship will be made by a panel decision of the Bertha Centre and the MBA staff representative shortly afterwards, following which candidates will be informed.

High value of the scholarship

The Bertha Scholarship covers full costs of the MBA programme at the UCT Graduate School of Business. The Scholarship may also assist with a modest stipend to partially cover living expenses or travel to Cape Town to those candidates who demonstrate such a need. The Scholarship Committee assesses need based on previous earnings, personal circumstances, geographical location, and future earning potential.

For further information, see www.gsb.uct.ac.za/berthacentre
For any queries about the Scholarship, please email berthacentre@gsb.uct.ac.za with the words “Scholarship Query” in the subject line.