whythawk ratings: measuring effective development

1. The hazard of market dominance
(Analysis/Analysis)

...ead business executives into temptation. Price fixing is one symptom of a wider economic problem. During the Competition Tribunal investigations into collusion, it is just as essential that they pay...

2. Netscape, the Internet and Creative Destruction
(Analysis/Analysis)

Governments do not know anything about competition, innovation or the power of individual investment. The best they can offer is collective blame shedding and the waste of taxpayers' money on pop

3. The Miracle of Investment
(Analysis/Analysis)

...hether investments are good ideas or not. Imagine the result. As rents are artificially lowered, not through competition, but through an act of parliament, owners will re-evaluate their properties. ...

4. Killing the Golden Goose, a lesson in Economic Freedom
(Analysis/Analysis)

... deal of money convincing her that this isn't necessary. The result is that consumers lose. Without free competition prices are fixed artificially higher than they would otherwise be. One argum...

5. The spectre of loyalty over ability
(Analysis/Analysis)

...companies are able to keep out any new entrants through market weight or legislative clout. Whenever external competition emerges – as with China and textiles – our companies beg for subs...

6. Black Swans, Cost Overruns and Industrial Tariffs
(Analysis/Analysis)

...ed goods that are imported. The main reason cited for this is that it protects the local industry from unfair competition and saves jobs. We can argue about this where the imports compete with goods...

7. Dow Jones, The Wall Street Journal, and Rupert Murdoch
(Analysis/Analysis)

...Which is bullshit and a contradiction. If The Wall Street Journal is under so much threat from other forms of competition (the Internet, radio and television, as well as other publications) then it i...

8. Atlas Shrugged at 50
(Analysis/Analysis)

...utes nothing to those above him, but receives the bonus of all of their brains. Such is the nature of the 'competition' between the strong and the weak of the intellect. Such is the pattern of...

9. Do you hate the poor enough to be charitable?
(Analysis/Analysis)

...he poor. Why don't the jobs taken by the rich and educated need this type of protection? Because there is competition for these people and companies respond by offering competitive benefits. Thi...

10. The future of newspapers II: of shock-jocks and self-made media-stars
(Analysis/Analysis)

...t to cover a news story; of offering the critical insight that unlocks events and brings down corrupt elites. Competition between journalists and media companies has been the stuff of compelling dram...

11. Sarkozy's French Election: when elephants fight only the grass gets trampled
(Analysis/Analysis)

...ability of foreign firms and increases the costs for consumers EVERYWHERE.  It is only through unfettered competition that the poorest amongst us benefit.  When purified water costs a packet...

12. Internet Bubble 2.0: the future of dotcom depends on the mobile phone
(Analysis/Analysis)

...of South Africa. Not so in the US where the government physically dismantled their monopolies and created real competition.  It is no surprise that Apple, basing their iPhone on US expectations o...

13. Cricket, corruption and the match-fixing that leads to murder
(Analysis/Analysis)

...nce prevails.  There is one electricity provider in South Africa, the state-protected Eskom. With no real competition to focus business strategy, most daily attention is aimed at internal politic...

14. Rating to create a market; questions and answers
(Analysis/Analysis)

The Whythawk team is going through an exciting period of growth; rolling out enterprise development ratings in Gauteng, and developing a new model for rating HIV/AIDS organisations, is pushing us hard

15. The Cold War, Global Warming and the War on Ideas
(Analysis/Analysis)

...eir belief in individual expression and the power of the dynamic tension of freedom of expression and economic competition; or the USSR with their belief in state-directed development in which the nee...

16. Coffee, the miracle of poverty, and other wonders
(Analysis/Analysis)

...an take – whether the rich pay for it or not. Latin American producers introduced the Cup of Excellence competition to stimulate a market in fine coffees.  The region has 25 million grower...

17. Should charitable organisations be allowed to compete with businesses?
(Analysis/Analysis)

...wn beneficiaries.  Textiles workers are in an especially vulnerable industry and so don't need unfair competition. While the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) may disa...

18. The other losing battle: Africa's war on talent
(Analysis/Analysis)

...f the top people at America’s 500 leading companies will retire over the next five years. International competition for ((recruiting)) the best and brightest is hotting up.  Infosys, the I...

19. Albert Einstein
(Analysis/Quotes)

...ident that capitalism has brought with it progress, not merely in production but also in knowledge. Egoism and competition are, alas, stronger forces than public spirit and sense of duty. Albert Eins...

20. X Challenge: Develop the cheapest most effective school
(Analysis/Analysis)

...ape Town. How have budget carriers managed this miracle?  The simple expedient of having a wide range of competition lowers prices.  More importantly, though, budget airlines simply keep th...

21. The poor have never had it so good ... now what?
(Analysis/Analysis)

...hould end it this year. The World Bank, financier of last resort to bankrupt governments, has a great deal of competition.  The Global Fund has $ 6.8 billion.  The Gates Foundation has $ ...

22. School vouchers offer the poorest an opportunity to learn at better schools
(Analysis/Analysis)

...charges more then the parents have to make up the difference. The beauty of this system is that it encourages competition between schools to attract learners.  It allows parents the choice of in...

23. What do Richard Branson and Che Guevara have in common?
(Analysis/Analysis)

...The reason he is able to do so is because of free market capitalism which allows anyone to start a business in competition to anyone else and will protect them from anti-competitive behaviour while th...

24. A sense of scale
(Analysis/Analysis)

...-to-day needs of the family. Larger businesses require staff and are more orientated to delivery, fighting off competition, and that sort of thing. However, these numbers imply that our economy needs ...

25. The Feedback Loop
(Analysis/Analysis)

...gely a form of benevolent dictatorship, has little feedback. There are no consumers to buy products and little competition or differentiation between rival products. Needy people are treated like chil...

26. Vouchers and Individual Choice
(Analysis/Analysis)

...hools still get round this by publishing their own tallies. Vouchers are a significant improvement on ensuring competition between development service providers. However, it will only work where an ob...

27. Our Analysts
(Static Content)

...dustrial Microbiology as linked to enterprise development;  consulting in the creation of a business plan competition for Enablis, a Canadian-sponsored international program to develop and suppor...

28. Terms of Use
(Static Content)

...aterials on this site are protected by South African and international laws of copyright, trademark and unfair competition. You agree to use our site only in a non-commercial manner.  Neither ou...

29. Our Analysts
(Static Content)

...dustrial Microbiology as linked to enterprise development;  consulting in the creation of a business plan competition for Enablis, a Canadian-sponsored international program to develop and suppor...

30. Terms of Use
(Static Content)

...aterials on this site are protected by South African and international laws of copyright, trademark and unfair competition. You agree to use our site only in a non-commercial manner.  Neither ou...