Three innovative ways to reduce staff turnover

Tue, 10 Apr 2012

Today a manager’s role is not just about overseeing a department and keeping an eye on the bottom line, it is increasingly about building relationships with staff. Amy-Jane Louw talks about how nurturing healthy relationships will ultimately retain employees.

4 Ways to reward your staff

Wed, 04 Apr 2012

Rewarding your employees is important as it will help them to stay motivated and competitive, and can act as a sort of training tool, showing them what kind of behaviour is met with rewards, and what isn’t.

Effective office management skills

Tue, 27 Mar 2012

The modern-day office has become a very demanding place that requires more efficient processes, clearer communication and better solutions. Here are 4 important skills that every office administrator needs to be successful.

Four ways to keep up with payroll and tax law

Thu, 22 Mar 2012

Payroll management software has made it incredibly simple for just about anyone to fulfil this vital role within a business – but there are pitfalls to this approach. The following tips can be applied in your business to help you avoid setbacks.

Are you a manager?

Wed, 14 Mar 2012

What is the definition of a manager? Many people take on the role of a manager without realizing it, while others are thrust into a position of leadership without any formal training. If you find yourself in a position of power follow these useful tips.

Product thinking vs. brand thinking

Thu, 08 Mar 2012

Brand power has the potential to save businesses, attract and retain customers and effectively wipe out the competition. Coca-Cola's notorious marketing error proves that the power of a brand should never be underestimated.

New age media skills

Wed, 29 Feb 2012

Media skills such as blogging, online reaserch, basic coding and the ability to reconfigure images in photshop have become a necessity for professionals in the media, PR and management fields. Anna provides insight on these new age skills.

Cutting edge labour law service goes online

Thu, 23 Feb 2012

A new interactive labour law community has been born. Created through the combined efforts of the UCT Law@work unit and GetSmarter this exclusive online club will feature video tutorials and a modern discussion platform allowing members to interact with labour law experts.

Become an exceptional corporate coach

Today's fast-paced business environment requires a level of performance and far-sightedness that only a corporate coach can bring. Corporate coaching skills are now in high demand as businesses seek to become more efficient and reflective and Getsmarter’s coaching course aims to meet that demand.

Virtual classrooms become reality

Virtual classrooms are no longer a pipe dream or a farfetched theory but are fast becoming the most practical solution to the challenges that training providers face in delivering a variety of courses to different regions. Learners can now interact with trainers without incurring the costs of travelling.

Mobi-Site provides integrated higher learning experience

The development of an academic mobi-site known as MyAcademic has been labelled a breakthrough in e-learning technology. The site, the first of its kind for South African students is the mobile offering of the successful space for students and educators who wish to access and share academic information.

Alternatives to university

Matrics who don't have the opportunity to study further should thoughtfully review the many alternatives, when planning for the future. Anna Malczyk highlights four options available to schools leavers that could be the entryway to a prosperous career.

5 tips for investing smartly

Investment can be a profitable yet tricky exercise. If you are in the market to invest and don't know where to begin follow these five simple tips to getting you started on the right investment path.

Your learning resolutions for 2012

Continuous learning and personal development are integral to the success of business professionals in the 21st century and every accomplished individual knows that embracing these concepts is step one to achieving any goal. Have you made lifelong learning a priority for 2012?

Defining your financial goals for 2012

There is more to setting financial targets then adding more zero's to the totals from the previous year, issues such as organisational growth and creating genuine wealth should be thoroughly researched before planning your 2012 financial goals says Anna Malczyk.

Designed to discover

There has been an increasing focus on design and the use of space in work and home environments but the design of learning areas is no less important, as comfortable learners are more likely to excel. Anna Malczyk says design involves transforming the way we think about our world.

Write a food and wine feature

For many people, the idea of combining decadent dining and becoming a feature writer is the ultimate dream job but while the idea might be appealing it’s also very hard work, and few people succeed in becoming fulltime writers.

It’s all about the target market

Can a haphazard marketing approach harm your brand? With the wide range of free marketing platforms it may become tempting to promote your product on every available online space but reaching your target market requires thought, planning and precision.

Stakeholder communication: how much is enough?

Every project consists of three primary stakeholder groups, the project team, senior management and project partners who play an 'ancillary role'. The success of the project is often determined by the level of communication between these groups, improve your correspondence through these tips.

The cost of neglecting a health and safety plan

Health and safety plans are often disregarded because of the misconception that developing an effective plan is a waste of company time and resources despite the numerous reports which prove that healthy workers are more productive, happy and motivated.

Stuck in a rut? Become a paralegal

What does it take to become a paralegal? If administration is your strong point and you are looking for something a little more challenging than picking up the phone and putting it back down again perhaps a career as a paralegal is the answer. Learn more about the responsibilities and the opportunities available in this profession.

Understand marketing planning and management

'Today, marketing is acknowledged as a practice that must be adopted throughout the business by every employee with a focus on the customer' says Carla Fourie as she addresses the marketing proccess and talks about how to implement an effective marketing plan.

How to be the best project manager

Project management is no walk in the park as seen on 'The Apprentice' which shows the realities of leading teams and the challenges project managers face when attempting to simultaneously organise, delegate and deal with a variety of personalities.

Managing people according to their personalities

Conflicting personalities can lead to tension in the workplace and 'the key to eliminating these problems is to understand the team’s personalities and manage every individual in the way that works best for them’, follow these tips and correctly identify the personalities in your office.

No frills study loan makes learning possible

Through an exciting new partnership which aims to make quality education accessible to all South Africans, Eduloan in collaboration with Getsmarter will offer study loans for the value of the online university courses which could result in payments of R180 per month over 36 months for students.

The role of 'curators' in learning

The Information Age gave birth to the concept of 'information overload' as the sheer amount of data available online made it difficult to find anything that was accurate, relevant or high quality. Now content experts also known as 'curators' have become an invaluable part of the learning process.

RHS creative writing student gets published

Stanley Kenani a former student of GetSmarter, an online education company, has been chosen as the first author to be published under Random House Struik's brand new ebook imprint, eKhaya.

Social revolution in education

Social media can provide an effective and innovative tool for learning and networking forums seem to offer the best medium for collaboration, participation and sharing however educators shoul be cautious about the way they approach social networking tools in the learning environment.

Best learning happens in playtime

Incorporating meaningful elements of gameplay into curricula is one good way to stimulate students’ interest and increase both motivation and engagement.

Universities drive open learning online

Free education for all is becoming more than a catchy phrase as universities around the world are making entire courses available online.

24 hour maths lesson for matrics

Results show that the matric maths pass rate is declining while those who are passsing are barely scraping through, but a new online maths course which covers the entire grade 12 maths curriculum, gives learners the opportunity to pass their final exam with flying colours.

Innovative lessons lead to interactive learning

Xbox Kinect and interactive whiteboards are just some examples of the technology being introduced into the classroom today, as educators discover the importance of integrating technology into the lesson plan to retain the attention of learners. But is it all fun and games?

Quirk Education courses empower UCT students

Quirk Education, the most relevant form of digital accreditation in and outside the marketing industry has sponsored eight UCT students a spot in their eMarketing course.Their courses provide "first-hand experience of working on live projects to garner skills not readily available at tertiary education institutions", says Dr Ian Corbett, SASDI founder and Chairman.

Online training is the cost-effective way to learn

If you're considering part-time professional training, you have two options: conventional attendance-based classes or internet-based courses. Though the costs may seem comparable, which is the better deal?

Online education – a product or a service?

The internet is an amazing platform for educating: it’s global, borderless, quick, collaborative and its content is infinite, meaning that many people can all take part at once. Educators have experimented with a wide range of approaches like creating education products or providing educational services. We look at each of these options in detail.

Digital textbooks and the future of learning

Everywhere around the world, people are embracing ebooks and ereaders for news, leisure reading and learning, writes Anna Malczyk. The academic world has been a bit slower at embracing the new trend but it is vital that electronic textbooks gain acceptance, since they have the potential to revolutionise learning.

E-learning: the future of education?

Bill Gates recently commented on how the internet has changed so much of what we do – from buying airline tickets to voting in elections – and that it’s high time for the education sector to catch up in this dynamic field. If Bill Gates is excited about online education, you should be, too.

Students embrace online learning

Research shows that over 4.6 million students enrolled for online courses in 2008, a 17 percent increase on the numbers reported for the previous year. Despite global economic challenges, 2009 saw yet another increase. Edexcel's Ian Yoell believes that a combination of online and traditional learning offers the best of both worlds for students.

A milestone for online training in South Africa

GetSmarter is seeking to reinvent the tired concept of correspondence learning by creating a new breed of online education that is fun, easy to access, full of interaction and support, and immensely varied and fulfilling. They are the first company offering online tuition to receive accreditation from the Services Seta.