Van Schaik Publishers | News, Reviews, Awards, Company News

Van Schaiker of the Year Award

Van Schaik Publishers (VSP) is proud to announce that Phillemon Ngoepe was awarded the Van Schaiker of Year award at this year’s annual VSP sales conference held at Mongena Lodge in February. This award is presented to an individual who is nominated by fellow colleagues for outstanding performance throughout the year. Phillemon has made and continues to make a valuable contribution to the success of VSP, and we feel he is deserving of this prestigious award. Once again, congratulations Phillemon!

Phillemon Ngoepe (left) and Leanne Martini (right) holding the Van Schaiker of the Year trophy

Via Afrika Excellence Awards

November 2010 - Via Afrika Excellence Awards

Werner von Gruenewaldt won the prestigeous Via Afrika Boetie van Zyl award at a glamorous event in Cape Town earlier this week. This is a merit award in recognition of excellence in service levels. The contribution he makes to Van Schaik Publishers is evident in the role he plays to make us an award winning company and a top player in the market. Congratulations from the Van Schaik team!

Werner von Gruenewaldt (left) and Lana Billington (right) receiving their awards from Media24 CEO Francois Groepe

Courageous Conversations

Hot off the press

Courageous Conversations by David Gleason, Derick de Jongh and Stella Nkomo

This book by South African captains of industry is a fearless exposition of real-life leadership through a series of candid and often brutal interviews with leaders such as Maria Ramos, Mark Lamberti, Sizwe Nxasana and Bobby Godsell. The ultimate goal: to discover what lessons can be learned and adopted by South Africa's next generation of corporate leaders.

Courageous Conversations stands apart from other books in the field of leadership with its dual-analysis format. For each interview there is one analysis written by David Gleason, a well-known financial journalist and columnist, and a second, academic analysis provided by Professor Stella Nkomo, with contributions from Professor Derick de Jongh. Each interview has been copied onto a CD packaged with the book.

The launch of Courageous Conversations at the Hyatt Hotel in Rosebank, Johannesburg on 26 November was attended by several well-known figures.

Back row (from left): Michael Spicer (CEO of Business Leadership South Africa), Carolina Koornhof (dean: faculty of economic and management sciences, University of Pretoria), Derick de Jongh (director: Centre for Responsible Leadership, University of Pretoria), Bobby Godsell (Former CE of AngloGold Ashanti), Tom Boardman (Former CE of Nedbank) and Sizwe Nxasana (CEO of FirstRand Bank).

Middle row: Bernie Krone (CEO of Esor Limited). Front row (from left): Brian Gilbertson (founder & director of Pallinghurst Resources), Professor Stella Nkomo (faculty of economic and management sciences, University of Pretoria), Cheryl de la Rey (vice chancellor, University of Pretoria), Maria Ramos (Group CE of ABSA), financial journalist David Gleason, Mark Cutifani (CE of AngloGold Ashanti) and Mark Lamberti (non-executive chairman of Massmart Holdings).

Courageous Conversations
David Gleason • Derick de Jongh • Stella Nkomo
436 pages
2010
ISBN: 978 0 627 02826 7
R349.95

Understanding the economy - Philip Mohr

Everything you always wanted to know about the economy but thought you would not understand

Recession, depression, inflation, deflation, exchange rates, interest rates, monetary policy, fiscal policy, balance of payments deficit, budget deficit, competition, collusion, monopoly, oligopoly – what do these and other economic concepts and issues mean? Are they linked? If so, how? Why are they important?

Understanding the economy explains the key economic concepts and issues and the linkages between them in a straightforward, practical and non-technical way. A question-and-answer format is used and all the everyday questions people ask about the economy are answered. In the process, a variety of economic concepts are defined and explained, making the book particularly useful as a quick reference (eg to settle arguments).

Leadership thoughts: Inspire yourself, inspire others by Gerhard van Rensburg

The failure of government, businesses and public service and other organisations is often attributed to poor leadership. As a result, various stakeholders and society in particular has lost faith in leadership. Sadly, leaders make themselves guilty of unethical behaviour, fraud, poor governance and ineffective leadership practices, resulting in underperforming companies and corporate scandals. This book addresses one of the fundamental flaws in traditional leadership thinking and practice, i.e. the leader-follower mindset. Leaders first need to inspire themselves before they can inspire others.

Van Rensburg provides critical insight into the complexity of leadership in the modern work and other environments where leaders operate. This unique contribution extends beyond the complexity of leadership and takes the reader back to the basic simplicity of leadership, and that is to inspire yourself and others. Not only does Van Rensburg provide direction to leaders in the new era, but he evokes a sense of hope, key focus, critical thinking and reflection.

This book is essential reading for anyone wanting to achieve increased awareness of leadership behaviour and personal mastery in the dynamic and evolving field of leadership. Thus, the importance of key dimensions of leadership such as character, values and beliefs is clearly articulated in the book.