Do you want to keep up to date with the latest developments in finance, but you are short of time? Don't worry. CFO South Africa weekly collects 10 of the most important articles from international media for your convenience.
0. The CEO of a £1.4 billion software giant says blockchain won't succ...
The CEO and founder of cloud accountancy software giant Xero thinks blockchain, one of the hottest concepts in technology at the moment, won't succeed in banking because of "surveillance culture and tribalism."
1. How to Calm Your Nerves Before a Big Presentation
It's not easy getting ready for a big presentation. The stakes can feel high, and in our desire for things to go well, the anticipation builds. Fear, anxiety, or even paralysis can kick in. What can you do to calm your nerves when this happens?
2. Leadership and behavior: Mastering the mechanics of reason and emotion
A Nobel Prize winner and a leading behavioral economist offer common sense and counterintuitive insights on performance, collaboration, and innovation.
3. CFOs take wait-and-see approach to recruiting
For years, top executives have lamented a lack of available talent. In a 2012 Deloitte report, a hefty chunk of executives said that recruiting hard-to-find skillsets was among their most pressing concerns. A PwC report of global CEO sentiment that year showed that 53% were concerned about recruiting and retaining high-potential middle managers, a key element in creating a leadership pipeline.
4. 4 tips to persuade talented people to stay
The traditional exit interview has long been a popular way to gain insight into the reasons behind employee turnover, but it is conducted too late to help the employer keep the person that's being interviewed. In an effort to solve employees' problems before they leave in frustration, some employers are conducting "stay interviews". These sessions are designed to encourage open dialogue and can lead to results that improve the employer's business and make employees more eager to stay.
5. Reducing Uncertainty with Predictive Modeling
The business corollary of the popular quote, "The only thing that is constant is change," by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, is that the only thing constant in business is uncertainty. How businesses deal with that uncertainty is everything. It can limit opportunities and hamstring the business, or it can provide a competitive advantage. CFOs who recognize the upside and act on it will have an advantage in their markets.
6. Special Report: The Promise of Predictive Analytics
What can applying predictive analytics the branch of analytics used to make predictions about unknown future events do for an organization? A lot, according to the experts. As Viral Chawda says in one of the articles in this special report, (see "Five Ways CFOs Can Implement Advanced Analytics"), "Advanced analytics can extract hidden patterns behind big and unstructured data, model hundreds of possible scenarios, and optimize the best action plans among all alternatives."
7. Reorganization without tears
Most executives and their employees dread corporate reorganizations, as we can personally attest. During our combined 35 years of advising companies on organizational matters, we've had to duck a punch, watch as a manager snapped our computer screen during an argument, and seen individuals burst into tears. A corporate reorganization doesn't have to create chaos. But many do when there is no clear plan for communicating with employees and other stakeholders early, often, and over an extended period.
8. How to defuse political debates at work
Talk around office water coolers may get out of hand as a charged and divisive campaign season to elect the next US president nears its peak November 8th, a survey by staffing firm Accountemps suggests. Of the more than 1,000 US workers Accountemps polled, 56% worried that office discussions about politics and the presidential election could get heated and offend others rather than keep everybody informed. Millennials, those age 18 to 34, are most likely to lose productivity because of discussing politics in the workplace.
9. Neuroscience Has Discovered the Secret of Creativity
What are some good ways to foster creativity and innovation in everyday work? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. Answer by Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time, on Quora:
10. Gartner's 10 strategic predictions for 2017
.and beyond
Claiming a 78% accuracy rate based on prior years' results, chief of research Daryl Plummer delivered Gartner's 10 strategic predictions for the next three-to-five years at the company's Symposium/ITExpo.
