ARTICLES ON Innovation
New book offers blueprint for systems change in a deeply divided world
As the world battles to shake off COVID-19, it appears increasingly stuck; inequality has widened, climate breakdown is accelerating, and many are suggesting that we may have missed the opportunities presented by the pandemic to build a more just and inclusive system. But a new book out this month shows us that a way forward is right under our noses – it just happens to be invisible to most people.
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Assets to leverage for post-lockdown tourism
As the wheels of South Africa’s tourism industry start turning again, it should leverage the free assets that are in short supply in many of its source markets.
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Caution in the face of promise: South Africa’s new green frontier
Amid the hype of cannabis deregulation, one South African company has methodically planned its entry into the commercial space of this so-called wonder plant. Their cautious approach should be heeded by others rushing to get into the market.
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Pandemic exposes fault lines in South Africa’s strained wine sector
The COVID-19 pandemic has irrevocably altered the field of South African wine, surfacing existing fault lines under immense strain. Bold leadership could not be more pressing.
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Q&A with Siphosethu Komani on the future of startups in Africa
The UCT GSB's Solution Space recently entered phase two of their annual E-Track Programme, in partnership with Ayoba. We spoke to Siphosethu Komani, about how the programme prepares its cohorts to be agile in the face of future shocks.
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The backpack is too heavy: what schoolchildren are carrying into 2021
Many hope that the new year will bring new energy and stability to the education sector, but as the country finds itself still very much in the grip of COVID-19, there is much work that needs to be done to ensure that schools deal with the baggage of 2020.
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Is design thinking an endangered species in the future of work?
With the loss of shared spaces due to the pandemic and a shift toward remote working, the practice of design thinking will need to adapt so that we can continue to harness its power to co-create and solve problems.
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UCT GSB accelerator guides entrepreneurs through pandemic
Battered by COVID-19 lockdown, fledgeling entrepreneurs needed all the help they could get in 2020; the Solution Space at the UCT GSB quickly went online to make sure they were not left out in the cold.
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Building a safety net for young people who drop out of school is everyone’s problem
Low attendance rates and lost school time are signalling a looming skills crisis for the country, as high numbers of young people are likely be lost to the education system and the economy across the next year. To solve this, we need to act together, and we need to do things differently.
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How will the lack of face-to-face interaction affect career progression?
Will the lack of face-to-face interaction negatively impact people’s careers? We asked Dr Christina Swart-Opperman, senior lecturer at the UCT GSB's AGVBL, and PhD Candidate Ella Scheepers, to share their insights.
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Giving initiative a chance to grow
Running a profitable and sustainable business while also making a worthwhile social impact makes things extra tough for social entrepreneurs. These enterprises urgently need more formal support to help them continue doing the good work that they do.
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Turning a tech innovation into a viable business
Why do so many tech startups fail? Shiela Yabo, Programme Manager at the UCT GSB’s Solution Space, recently gave a presentation at the Africa Tech Festival, where she addressed this and other questions around launching a successful tech startup, particularly as a woman.
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Our world needs empathetic intervention - not heroes
As the world battles big systemic challenges, it’s clear that no single person has the answer. Instead, companies, organisations and individuals need to look at processes informed by many different perspectives to point the way forward.
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No going back: COVID-19 has galvanised business schools to embrace new possibilities in online and hybrid teaching
Amid the global pandemic, business schools everywhere have had to practise what they preach — adapt to changing environments, and imagine a world where, truly, it is no longer ‘business as usual’
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Bertha Centre partners with Build Peace 2020 Conference
Fergus Turner, Programme Manager at the Bertha Centre, spoke to Kieno Kammies about the Build Peace 2020 conference, hosted virtually in partnership with global non-profit, Build Up.
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Calling all young South Africans who want to help build social justice and peace
The Bertha Centre at the UCT Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB), is calling on young South Africans to join a global community of peace makers at Build Peace 2020, a virtual international peace-building conference that gets underway this weekend.
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Reimagining the future of tourism
Having received a hammer blow from COVID-19, South Africa’ tourism sector needs to find innovative ways to bounce back.
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Scholarship programme to foster a more just, inclusive and sustainable Africa
The Bertha Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship aims to support a cohort of new leaders across the African continent with its scholarship programme, commencing in 2021.
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International recognition for Bertha Centre (UCT GSB) researchers
The Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship is developing a new teaching case method - incorporating multiple perspectives for the complex issues of our time - which they have been invited to present at the North American Case Research Association (NACRA) 2020 Conference.
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Funders are not seeing the big picture in South Africa
An award-winning case study on local digital animation filmmaker, Triggerfish, has highlighted the absurdity of lack of access to funding for SMEs operating in the creative space.
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Reimagining the future of tourism post-COVID-19
The UCT GSB’s Solution Space recently hosted a virtual Future of Tourism Bootcamp where participants were given the opportunity to develop innovative solutions to solve challenges amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic within the tourism industry.
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UCT GSB’s e-Track programme takes nine local start-ups to the next level
The latest e-Track programme, an initiative of the UCT GSB's Solution Space in partnership with the MTN Group, yields exceptional results as all participating teams progress to next phase.
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Is investing for good reaching its tipping point?
With sustainable investments increasingly outperforming traditional options, millennials - the recipients of the greatest wealth transfer in history — are queuing up to get on board.
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UCT GSB teaching case study on SA film industry wins top international award
Researchers from the UCT Graduate School of Business (GSB) have taken top honours in a prestigious international case writing competition, for their teaching case on the challenges of financing digital entertainment.
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Helping students bridge the digital divide in the time of COVID-19
Three MBA graduates from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB) are spearheading a campaign by Cape Town Education Technology fundraising start-up Feenix, to raise R6.6 million to get laptops, food vouchers and connectivity to final year and graduate students during COVID-19 — ultimately ensuring these students make it into the South African workforce.
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The reality of emerging market challenges for entrepreneurs
Growbox is the subject of a teaching case study by the UCT GSB's case writing centre. Its focus is on the reality of emerging market challenges for entrepreneurs in Cape Town
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How to get ahead while working from home
Just because you’re working from home these days doesn’t mean your career needs to stagnate. There are many things you can do to stay productive and make the most of these extraordinary times.
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SA company rises to the challenge of business evolution in the time of COVID-19
In 2019, online retailer Yuppiechef, made the unusual decision of opening physical shops; a move from clicks to bricks. This story, captured in a UCT GSB case study published last year, surfaced a business model that is supple in finding solutions and deeply customer-centric
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From uncertainty to lasting social value
While Covid-19 is wreaking havoc in our economy and our communities, it is simultaneously giving rise to compassion and innovation. Crisis has always been a driver of change, unlocking new ways of doing things, the question is can we sustain these into the future?
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UCT GSB teaching case study surfaces a business model of agility in action
The global pandemic is forcing businesses around the world to change the way they operate. One South African company, Yuppiechef, is demonstrating that the principles of customer centricity and agility are core to successful adaptation.
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Q&A with Dr Solange Rosa on social innovation and its role in building a better world
Dr Solange Rosa, Interim Director of the UCT GSB's Bertha Centre explains why social innovation is thriving amidst this pandemic, and what we can do to ensure that the benefits it is bringing can be sustained in the longer term.
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Strategic agility is key to business survival during this crisis — and beyond
As the COVID-19 pandemic advances, some companies have been able to change strategic focus to stay afloat in new and innovative ways. Here’s what their actions have to teach the rest of us.
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Video interview - How can Govt better support small businesses during COVID-19?
Dr Tim London interviewed UCT students and researchers, Zaakir Essa and Georgina Borros from Phaphama on their study of a particular group of small businesses that are facing real threats from the impacts of COVID-19.
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We need to mobilise communities in the global fight against coronavirus
While scientists and big pharma work on vaccines, innovations and solutions developed at the community level will be key to slowing the spread of the virus.
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How investors can support small businesses through the COVID-19 lockdown
The Bertha Centre’s Natasha Dinham spoke with Kieno Kammies at Cape Talk, about how investors can help small businesses through these challenging times.
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The globalisation of an epidemic and the epidemic of globalisation
COVID-19 respects no borders and has laid bare some of the vulnerabilities of globalisation. Going forward, we need to look more deeply at how to build a world that protects global supply chains more effectively — and the all people that depend upon them.
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COVID-19 could be a chance to rethink, disrupt and plan for the future of your business
While COVID-19 is expected to wreak havoc on the South African economy, the full extent of this is yet to be determined. But even in crisis, there are always opportunities for innovation.
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NGOs today: competing for resources, power and agency
NGOs play a critical role in advancing social change and transformation, but their current funding model needs to be addressed for them make a sustainable impact in South Africa.
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Multilingual classrooms boost learning
Just 23% of South Africans identify English or Afrikaans as their home language and yet 100% of children are expected to navigate their school years in these languages exclusively.
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Q&A with Tim London on the impact of COVID-19 on education
As the coronavirus continues to play a prominent role in our lives, we are forced to do things differently. With schools closing this week, this is making online learning very much a reality for the immediate future. But is South Africa ready for this?
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Innovation partnerships to tackle youth development
The Bertha Centre at the UCT GSB and youth development lab Lucha Lunako have teamed up to find practical and actionable ways to get young South Africans economically active.
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#AMINEXT has shown us that gender-based violence must be on the agenda 365 days a year
The recent brutal and tragic deaths of several young women have shaken the nation and caused every woman in South Africa to wonder #AmINext?
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The seeds of systems change are all around us
In order to disrupt the systems that perpetuate outdated principles we must involve and connect the people who are most impacted by that change.
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Positioning women as catalysts for innovation in Africa - Gloria Muhoro (MPhil)
Positioning women as catalysts for innovation in Africa
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High-tech and old-school: a winning combination for success - Chad Bartlett (PGDip)
Chad Bartlett, Director of Partnerships at tech company, Grove, describes his time at the UCT GSB, where he completed a PGDip, as a life-changing experience.
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