The signing of the Accord on Basic education marked an historic moment in education as it signified the start of a collaboration between role players, stakeholders and social partners to support the drive to achieve quality teaching and learning in South Africa.

Customer's who put up a fuss at every turn are in some instances more valuable than those who silently accept poor service and slip away without a word of complaint, never to be seen again. Clive Price speaks about the importance of learning from dissatisfied consumers.

Highly stressful work spaces and subsequent low productivity levels have become commonplace in the business sector, but Meiron Lees says while this problem stems from a number of uncontrollable factors there are some things managers can do to create a productive working environment.

Do you avoid closing the deal? If the answer is yes than you are making one of the top six blunders prone to sales people. Clive Price lists the common errors of selling and provides some practical solutions to changing these inhibiting behaviours.

The South African school system has officially entered a new phase with the finalization of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), which is aimed at improving the quality of education. But can teachers overcome the challenge of implementation?

With a growing focus on entrepreneurship and innovation managers seem to be overlooking the benefits of an effective team, 'one person may come to be recognised as the ’innovator‘ but it takes a team of good people to make any enterprise work' says Dr Cobus Oosthuizen.

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.

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.

The value and success of your networking strategy is not measured by the number of referrals or contacts you have but rather by the 'net profit generated from business networking' says communications and marketing specialist, Pearl Seigel.

President Zuma recently addressed the need to establish a higher standard of morals in the country, yet the dishonest and corrupt practices by the very government officials who define those morals have been devaluing these good intentions, is it too late for SA to take the high road?

Policy makers, organisations and individuals are struggling to adapt to the post recession economy but taking the time to assess your current position is central to the recovery process says Ruth Spellman, CEO of the Chartered Management Institute.

The fears of at least 98 students have been laid to rest by Public Works Deputy Minister, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu when she personally committed to ensuring that the students participating in the Artisan Development programme would receive employment once the training has been completed.

If a security company loses a contract and the ex client offers the employee from the security company a contract - who is responsible for the transfer of employment? is the security company responsible for a severance package?

What we need is one body that is responsible for acting as leader of all stakeholders in education, training and development (ETD) in the country. SAQA used to try to fulfil this role. But a central quality assurance body can only function if it enjoys the cooperation and respect of all stakeholders in ETD.

Proposed changes to Skills Development Levy Mandatory Grant refunds were published for public comment earlier this year, but were never gazetted. So the proposed reduction in the grant from 50% to 40% will not be implemented in the current year.

In a world where achievement is highly rated, how do individuals and businesses manage to stay motivated on their pathways to success? My 6 steps to setting goals have been used successfully by many entrepreneurs and businesses.

Constitutional law expert Pierre De Vos says that there are two main "great narratives" in South African today. One is the colonial view that Africa is a dark place, seen in the media as articles on corruption, highlighting issues of tenderpreneurs, crime, and so on.

Is there some truth behind the latest satirical comedy 'Horrible Bosses'? Johan Ludik thinks so and urges local business leaders to take responsibility seriously, as he says it is important to have credible, steadfast leadership in place to remain competitive in the local and global marketplace.

The rand’s volatility seems to be benefiting some sectors of the economywhile having inflationary impact on others, and in addition to global uncertainty, forms part of the many factors hampering economic growth according to Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Employers and labour law practitioners will welcome the release of the Draft Guidelines for the conduct of Dismissal Arbitrations at the CCMA. The guidelines set out in detail how the arbitration should be conducted and what factors are to be taken into account. Implementation will be January 2012.

This video shows the difference that a few words can make when used correctly and at the appropriate time. We can change the world through our words.

The shortage of social work professionals remains an issue of great concern to government and in a bid to alleviate the demand the Department of Social Development is to set aside R256 million in the next financial year for a scholarship programme to train more social workers.

Are you battling to engage your subordinates? The shift from managing self to managing others can be a tricky one and Sue Bennie says it is imperative that new leaders undergo training beforehand to learn the basic leadership skills that no manager should go without.

The University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) has been ranked in the top 100 leading business schools in the world at number 65 - the only African representation in the exclusive list - according to the Aspen Institute’s 2010-11 edition of its annual Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey.

Government has committed to supporting the youth by equipping them with business skills geared towards the tourism industry, and young people have been urged to take advantage of the potential job opportunities available in this promising sector.

September is Albinism Awareness Month. To coincide with this, Siyakha Consulting is highlighting the condition and explaining why it can be classified as a disability in the workplace.

SMS is becoming the largest recruitment channel as it streamlines the recruitment process making it more efficient,faster and cheaper for both recruiting agencies and potential canditates, especially those in rural areas. Dr Pieter Streicher highlights the benefits of SMS recruitment and what to look out for.