COVID-19 South Africa
Ride-Hailing Businesses Begin to Recover
Sourced from Forbes. Uber Technologies Inc.’s global rides business is down 70% from this time last year, a small improvement from its rock-bottom fall during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Though slight, it is an indication that recovery is coming, albeit slowly. The decline in rides seems to be offset, if partially, by a boom in food delivery. Uber Eats’ gains have more than doubled, and they continue to accelerate, says Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s CEO, speaking at a virtual tech conference hosted by Bank of America. Bloomberg reports that the ride-hailing company intends to continue to look for opportunities in the food delivery market. Khosrowshahi declined to comment on Uber’s proposal to buy Grubhub Inc., which was first reported by Bloomberg last month. Since being so hars...
COVID-19 Boosts Demand for Human-Centered Digital Design
Sourced from TTEC.com If there is one thing that COVID-19 has highlighted; it is the importance of people in the economic value chain. Sandton-based business management consultant Immersion Group says that one of the emerging trends they’re seeing is that more organisations are seeking human-centred design experts to enhance or improve digital customer experiences, breaking down barriers that may be hindering their ability to satisfy their customers. Organisations are now facing urgent decisions as they pivot to accommodate the many unexpected circumstances, and when these challenges risk affecting the bottom line; it’s crucial that organisations rapidly take stock of what is working and what isn’t working when prioritising digital experiences that put the customer first. From onboarding t...
To Emerge from COVID-19 Businesses Will have to “Re-Think” Traditional Models
Sourced from Tech Loot Traditional models of business funding need a re-think if South Africa’s small businesses and entrepreneurs are to emerge from the financially crippling “winter of coronavirus” into a spring of growth and rejuvenation. Accepting that downturns, recessions and economic crises are inevitable, one needs to shift the focus into building “Zebra” companies – sustainable businesses with steady growth, strong balance sheets and cash flows, and able to withstand downturns – rather than “Unicorns that will die without the next round of funding”, says University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) Senior Extraordinary Lecturer, Daniel Strauss. “In the past, we had a mindset of ‘or’ – we either had a traditional SMME that was funded through debt or we had a start-up that was f...
