Everyone can identify with being in high school and exam time. The class would always be divided into groups of people who had done all the hard work and preparation for months and the other half who would be the less than eager learners who hadn’t done any studying other than cramming the night before.

When the end of year reports were issued the hard workers, who had been preparing for months and had planned and expected every question, had earned every mark that they deserved and had done far better than those who crammed the night before.

BEE is quite similar. The companies, who educated themselves on the scorecard, had been diligent through-out their financial year with regard to logging spends, collecting documents and finding ways to earn more points, did far better on their BEE Scorecard than those who weren't that well prepared. The former companies are also able to take advantage of all the easy points, make informed non-rushed decisions and make business sense out of their BEE deals.

The point over here is that the kids in high school, who prepared for their exams, knew that they would receive their desired results; companies who work hard on their scorecards know that they are going to do well. Therefore it is a good idea for them to be verified. Whereas there was no point in the crammers even writing the exam just as there is no point in going for verification if you are going to be non-compliant. The only way to obtain a good BEE score is to BEE Prepared.

EconoBEE offers a complete managed service which will take all of the effort out of becoming BEE compliant. Our managed service will guide you throughout the year to help you log your spend, collect documentation and find ways to earn more BEE points.

This article aims to showcase some of the highlights and low-downs of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment in 2009 as well as to give experiential insight into 2010’s expectations.

In the very early days of B-BBEE, many, including myself, thought that by 2009 we would be a long way further than we actually are.

Unfortunately, empowerment has taken a back-seat for many who still do not understand the true implications of Black Economic Empowerment. A case in point is the continuous calls for BEE to become more broad-based. The tragedy is that BEE is already broad-based and encourages businesses to commit more towards true empowerment in the form of Education, Entrepreneurship and Innovation through Procurement.

2009, however, has been the most successful year thus far for B-BBEE. Even though we still had many unresolved issues, it was the first year that saw some of the issues being solved and it also created wonderful opportunities for positive discussion to sort out the rest.

Read more...

Our last newsletter heard Keith Levenstein, CEO of EconoBEE call for a BEE ombudsman. This would help ensure accuracy and consistency in the BEE industry.

His call for a BEE Ombudsman has received many positive comments from clients, contacts and associates alike. As a result Keith was interviewed on Classic FM regarding this idea. To listen to the 10min long interview click here.

More details about the communications sent to The Department of Trade and Industry minister Rob Davies as well as other information to follow shortly.

We are living in an ever changing environment, new ideas and concepts come in almost as quick as old ones go out.
The concept of sustainability is very complex and therefore we have enlisted the help of two experts in the field. With them on board we have designed 4 sequential afternoon half day workshops.

Our first short course: Introduction to sustainability and practical tips for your company will take place on the 3rd of February between 13h00 and 17h00 at the EconoServ Offices:
4th Floor Willow Grove
Houghton Estate Office Park
Cnr. Louis Botha Avenue and Osborne Road

This session provides an introduction to sustainability, highlighting its evolution over time and the development of key concepts, including triple bottom line, corporate social responsibility and corporate citizenship.  It then highlights a variety of tips and mechanisms for promoting sustainability within your company, using case study examples from around the world.

After this session, participants will:

• be able to differentiate between various approaches to sustainability within the corporate environment
• be aware of a range of mechanisms to promote sustainability within their company

This session assumes no prior knowledge.

The complete schedule is on our website. For more information or to book your place please call EconoBEE on 0861 11 3094.

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