Harnessing The Power of Purposeful Networking for Local and Global Challenges
Upon invitation from His Majesty’s Deputy Lord Lieutenant for County Durham and Northumbria University’s Visiting Professor, Richard Swart, a Durbanite and global businessman, South African Chamber United Kingdom Chapter Leader David White and Andrew Kruger of DRG and BusinessFit visited Northumbria University in northeast England. Their trip included meetings with academic leadership and participation in the University’s SME Commonwealth Conference.
The purpose of David and Andrew’s trip from South Africa was to share their BusinessFit Blueprint Model, and its scientific approach to helping SMEs build sustainable businesses that meet governance, stakeholder and market expectations.
Professor Alan Reed Head of the Business Faculty at the Northumbria University welcomed the visit and took a special interest in understanding BusinessFit’s passion for SME development, and the model’s purpose and value to South African and Commonwealth SMEs. Further, Alan was interested to understand in more detail components of the South African black economic empowerment transformation legislation.
There is no doubt that the procurement element of the South African Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act (B-BBEE) is propelling SMEs forward in each business sector within South Africa, and at a pace far quicker than many other countries within the Commonwealth – and across the world. In short, the “perfect storm” created through South Africa’s procurement transformation legislation, is that the Act’s intention encourages large organisations to procure at least 30% of their local goods and services from SMEs, while also providing 3% of NPAT business support for the development of SMEs that are at least 51% black owned.
The Procurement Element of the B-BBEE Act further provides bonus points where an engaged
SME employs new staff members, and improved procurement recognition points when a large company provides support and mentoring prior to the enterprise becoming a service provider. This is referred to as Enterprise Development.
The BusinessFit Blueprint has been designed in line with South African conditions and legislation. However, and as pointed out by Ed Cottam, Director of the Northumbria University Business Clinic, its principles in business mindedness, sustainability and governance are universal. The Business Clinic’s function within the University provides an alternative to traditional dissertations, where final year undergraduates and master’s students may undertake a private sector consultancy project – supported by highly experienced Business Clinic staff.
Ed was hugely excited about the simplicity of the BusinessFit Blueprint model, and immediately offered to involve the University’s computer students to help create an App for the Blueprint methodology. Ed also remarked that he would like to include the BusinessFit material in the Business Clinic’s curriculum and invited David and Andrew to return to the University to present their model’s value and methodology to students.
The Northumbria University SME Commonwealth Conference was held in the Lancaster building in Newcastle. Richard Swart was the conference convener and facilitator and assembled a highly energised and purposeful team of contributors. Keynote speakers included Professor Luis G Franceschi, who is the Assistant Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Secretariat, shared that the world in many ways, is facing far reaching consequences of circumstances and accelerated change. His message was clear: together we can overcome local and global challenges, as past generations have done before. However, he explained, we need to ensure a foundation of collaboration for good, and to help ensure that no nations are left behind. Through capabilities within AI, knowledge is no longer a core factor in ensuring prosperity of nations, but rather the key to success and sustainability being when we can work together and create common value for all nations and people.
The next keynote speaker Kuseni Dlamini, a well known, and popular South African personality and current Chairman at Aspen Pharmacare and GIBS Business Institution. Kuseni spoke about the critical importance of Commonwealth countries collaborating to ensure opportunity for economic growth, stability, and access to resources. He highlighted further the positive effect purposeful integration, participation, partnering, and teamwork can have on the creation of employment and the reduction of poverty.
At a dinner party after the conference, Luis Franceschi came to understand that the Northumbria University Business Clinic had offered to create the BusinessFit Blueprint App. He remarked with joy that such a business development and networking tool is critical across the entire Commonwealth. He guided our minds to encourage that BusinessFit and the University collaborate in such a way as to make the app’s science and methodology available to all SMEs across the Commonwealth.
It was so easy for Alan Reed, Ed Cottam, David White and Andrew Kruger to agree to Luis Franceschi’s call to action. David, Andrew and Ed are now working on the creation of the BusinessFit Blueprint App, which through its encompassing SME Gateway methodology, aims to help SMEs build better businesses, and help ensure more SMEs are given opportunity to succeed in growing their businesses and in finding new trading opportunities.
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