11 May 2021

The Importance of Social Responsibility

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There are four types of social responsibility (Generally followed by Corporate Companies):

  • Environmental responsibility
  • Human rights responsibility
  • Philanthropic responsibility
  • Economic responsibility

All of the above-named form in what we call “Social responsibility”, The below is a break down of what they are and why they are important:

Environmental Responsibilities:

  • Comply with environmental legislation.
  • Hazardous substances covered by Environmental legislation.
  • Waste and recycling.
  • Conservation and Biodiversity issues for Businesses.
  • Prevent and remedy pollution incidents.

As we all know our world is in danger with regards to pollution, it is vital that we prevent that we use natural resources in the most effective and efficient manner in order to reduce environmental impacts.

Here are a few things we can do to help protect the Earth:

  • Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
  • Plant a tree.
  • Conserve water.
  • Volunteer for clean-ups in your neighborhoods.

Human Rights Responsibilities:

  • To treat people with respect and Dignity
  • The right to live your life free of Discrimination
  • The Right to Liberty and Freedom

Human rights are important because it gives all of our society fairness, dignity, equality and respect.

Philanthropic responsibility:

  • Philanthropic responsibility is an act of Charitable acts or volunteering time and efforts.

Companies giving to charity is important because a lot of the charities would not exist if they did not get funding from companies as they are not supported by the Government. Charities often do not have a voice and having big corporate companies backing them helps them get the word out that there are people in need. Companies enhance their reputation and demonstrate their good citizenship.

Economic responsibility:

An example of Economic responsibility is when a company uses recycled products in their manufacturing processes to potentially lowering the cost of materials and also benefiting society by consuming fewer resources.

Economic Responsibility is important because companies can find a solution that can grow their business as well as generate profits with is also beneficial to our community.

Be Kind to the planet and all who live in it.

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About Stephanie Hull

6 May 2021

Quick Fact – May 2021

by | posted in: General | 0

Did you know we offer a Tenders South Africa and Africa Subscription option?

For more information check out our Pricing Page and check out our Infographic later this month for more on L2B Tenders.

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About Sasha Anderson

Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life. Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward

23 Mar 2021

7 Cyber Safety Tips

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1. Think before you click – Avoid suspicious online links from untrusted sources and emails.

2. Don’t overshare – While there are many opportunities to share personal information online it may come at the cost of allowing a criminal to guess your passwords, security questions, and logins.

3. Don’t fall behind on updates – Updates often include fixes to security flaws in an application, this puts you at risk for all sorts of malware.

4. Keep an eye out for phishing scams – This is when a hacker will attempt to trick you to open an application that can infect your system and steal your credentials. Avoid emails with unfamiliar senders and grammatical errors. Hover over any link to verify the destination.

5. Make sure your data is backed up – Your valuable data can be erased or encrypted by hackers, make sure you back it up on a physical location and the cloud.

6. Keep your mobile device secure – Use strong passwords and don’t connect to any public Wi-Fi automatically.

7.Use a Firewall – Using a firewall ensures that all the devices connected to your network are secure, many smaller devices such as webcams do not have sufficient security and a firewall prevents access to these vulnerable points of entry.

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About Barry West

I am a software developer.

2 Mar 2021

Benefits of Budgeting

by | posted in: General | 0

Budgeting – a word that sounds as if you’ve just stripped the fun out of life. You get your salary at the end of the month and before you have even had a chance to look at your balance you are already hearing that familiar tone on your phone letting you know that your balance is reducing, as one by one, those pesky bills are coming off. If you have not done your planning correctly, you may even feel a little stress and anxiety, hoping and praying that you have in fact got enough left over to get through the rest of the 28 days or so of the month remaining. Perhaps you are more organized than others and, even without a budget, you are confident that your income, by far, exceeds your expenses. Then you get a spontaneous urge to go on a much-needed weekend away or indulge in something a little extravagant but are unsure as to how much you actually have available as you have lost track of what is available to spend and what is still to be paid. What if I told you that this does not need to be your reality? And what if I told you that a budget needn’t be a complex schedule of reds and blacks, casts and cross casts, ticks and crosses? Below will highlight the benefits that can be enjoyed from budgeting:

  1. It helps keep focused

A budget will help you figure out your long-term goals and help you work towards them. It may seem fun now, wandering aimlessly through life, throwing money at any pretty, shiny thing that may come your way, however, how will you afford that car you have dreamed of owning, that first down payment on your home, or that trip to Mauritius? A budget will help you keep focus and will allow you to keep track of how far you have gone and ultimately assist you in reaching your dream. You will find it much easier to turn away from that newly released Playstation when you have a goal plan set out and have given yourself a time frame for reaching that goal.

  1. It stops you from spending what you don’t have

Far too many of us spend money that we don’t have all thanks to that little piece of plastic that is so easy to obtain in the form of credit. Credit spending in the country is at an all-time high with BusinessTech stating that in the second quarter of 2020 clients required around 62% of their net income to service debt every month with higher income earners requiring more of their income to service their debt. It’s a pesky reality, the more we earn, the more we spend. So how do we get around this? We create a budget but more importantly stick to it. Sure it is way more fun shamelessly going on extravagant shopping sprees than it is to crunch numbers, but in a year’s time, when appointments are being made with debt counselors, you will be guiltlessly booking that trip away knowing when you return that you will be debt-free.

  1. It helps lead to a happier retirement

If you are in your twenties or even early thirties, retirement might sound like something far too into the future to consider giving any thought or priority to. If this is your thinking, you couldn’t be more off the mark. We should all, from our very first job, be filtering a small portion of our savings into an investment, provident, or retirement account. The more years we have to invest, the greater the earnings later on. A budget will assist us in calculating the amount of money we have available, after set expenses, to invest in our retirement. In our glory years, we would all like to spend our time on golf courses and trips to the beach rather than working at a local grocery store in order to make ends meet.

  1. It helps prepare for emergencies

Life is unpredictable and full of unexpected surprises, twists, and turns. Unfortunately, sometimes life deals us a blow and we may get laid off, get ill, and end up with exorbitant medical bills, divorce, or face death in the family. In order to account for these unfortunate realities, we should be setting money aside each month to accommodate for these unexpected bills. Ideally, each of us should have three to six months’ worth of living expenses saved in case of such emergencies. The thought could overwhelm us if one were to calculate how much that would be, so in order to break it down into more manageable terms, we should be budgeting a portion of that into our monthly costs. If we set that portion aside religiously each month, we would eventually reach this nest egg amount and could even invest it into an easy access account to earn a little bit of extra interest.

  1. It helps us see our spending trends

Creating and reviewing a budget will shed light on our spending habits. You may notice a trend of overspending on groceries or perhaps your clothing fund. This can challenge us to question our spending habits. Did we really need those five new shirts we purchased last month? Did we get more value for money shopping at a certain butcher across town where we have a more reasonably priced butcher closer to home? Are we being wasteful at home as far as our electricity or water consumption goes? If we create a monthly budget, we will soon become aware of the costs of our certain expenses and will help us identify very quickly where we have overspent, which will, in turn, make us more aware of our wasteful habits going forward.

  1. It gives us peace of mind

I’m sure we have all been there, the month has come around and due to unexpected expenses, we are counting our rand and seeing how far it will stretch before that next payday. A number of studies have linked financial strain to mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. By preparing a monthly budget we can ease some of that anxiety but seeing our overall financial picture in an organized and simplified manner. It will also help us to form a plan moving forward by putting steps into place which will make us feel in control of our financial situation and ease our stress and anxiety. Sometimes when put down on paper, things appear clearer and not as overwhelming as when they are running around in our heads.

The six points above are merely the tip of the iceberg. Keep it simple, write down your income, prioritize your expenses, include retirement, emergency contingencies, and goal savings and your balance left over will be your loose cash, to spend as you will. Use this basic method as a template, review and tweak it as your needs change and you will always be left feeling in control of your finances and ultimately be in control of your life.

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About Sheila Davies

26 Feb 2021

Construction Technology

by | posted in: Construction Chat, Did You Know, Recommended Reading | 0

Posted by Brett Long

If it’s not broken don’t fix it, right? Despite technological progress, it’s not uncommon for construction companies to still rely on spreadsheets, manual data entry, and paperwork. Low IT budgets and lack of time for training have contributed to a hesitancy around adopting new methods and technology.

Emerging construction technology isn’t just a fad or a fun new toy. There are real, practical applications and benefits to modernizing your current processes. And if your construction company wants to remain competitive and not be left behind, you’ll need to find ways to integrate new approaches into your strategy and workflows.

These cutting-edge technologies are drastically changing how the industry operates and how future projects will be completed.

Types of Construction Technology Impacting the Industry:

  • Mobile Technology
  • Drones
  • Building Information Monitoring (BIM)
  • Virtual Reality and Wearables
  • 3D Printing
  • Artificial Intelligence

1. Mobile Technology

Mobile technology isn’t just for games anymore. Apps are becoming more of the norm in construction and for good reason. The increased portability of tablets and smartphones allows for greater communication and the ability to work from anywhere. Integrating this type of technology into your current processes can be much simpler and require a smaller upfront investment while still providing major benefits and boosting productivity in your day-to-day operations. So if you want to start implementing technology, this is a good place to start.

Mobile technology can help to save time and keep your project moving forward faster by providing real-time updates and making information available between the job site and the office. You can easily access the latest revisions to plans or report a problem to the project manager off-site.

2. Drones

Drones are the most widely used emerging construction technology. They can conduct site surveys more quickly and accurately than a crew on the ground and are cheaper than aerial imaging. Their high-resolution cameras and the data collected can create interactive 3D or topographical maps and models and take volume measurements.

Another benefit of using drones is the ability to inspect hard-to-reach places such as bridges or around tall buildings, and to do it safely. You can also use them to monitor progress on a job site and see how people are working.

3. Building Information Modeling (BIM)

BIM is similar to CAD (computer-aided design), but not exactly the same. It is software for 3D design to digitally model what will be built. But its capabilities don’t stop there: “It doesn’t just create a visually appealing 3D model of your building—it creates numerous layers of metadata and renders them within a collaborative workflow,” writes Engineering.com. It captures things in a way that paper just can’t.

32.7% of builders are currently using BIM/CAD software, JBKnowledge reports in their 2016 survey. The use of BIM has even been mandated in the UK for government construction projects.

The use of BIM provides space for better collaboration because each person and expertise area can add their piece to the same model, instead of breaking out onto multiple versions of a 2D paper drawing. This way, the model evolves immediately as people contribute, streamlining the process and increasing efficiency. BIM also helps with problem-solving in the design and planning stages of a project, by automating clash detection and providing a more complete picture of the project.

4. Virtual Reality and Wearables

Virtual reality technology is often used in conjunction with BIM to help better understand complex projects. Think of the potential: you create a building design with BIM and can then use VR to actually walk around it. Pretty cool, right? This will give your team, or the client an even more realistic idea of what the project will look like once completed. Having a more complete grasp on the project before it begins allows you to avoid big changes and expensive change orders mid-way through.

Wearables are a construction technology that will have an impact on job site safety and risk management. The Daqri smart glasses, though still in the early stages, are one example. The glasses have an augmented reality display, wide-angle camera, depth sensor, and other features that allow workers to collect and see data based on their environment. The glasses give workers the information and instructions they need to complete a task right on the display, getting the job done faster and with less room for error.

5. 3D Printing

3D printing as a construction technology has the potential to change material sourcing. For prefabrication, materials for a project can be printed and then transported to the job site, ready for use immediately. This can allow you to get materials faster and streamline the process by removing extra steps in the middle.

According to the U.K. Green Building Council, around 15% of materials delivered to construction sites end up in landfills, and the American Institute of Architects believes that building-related waste makes up between 25% to 40% of America’s solid-waste stream, reports Fortune. With 3D printing it will even be possible to print materials right on site, reducing waste and further saving on transportation and storage costs.

One of the current challenges with the adoption of this technology is limitations with mass production. Although some 3D printers can produce on a larger scale, they are expensive.

6. Artificial Intelligence

The construction industry is already seeing the implementation of artificial intelligence on the job site with the use of robotics for tasks like bricklaying and autonomous equipment that can operate and complete tasks without the need for human interaction.

AI can benefit construction projects through increased safety, improving workflows, and getting jobs done faster and better. “AI can replicate the judgments, decisions, and actions of humans without getting fatigued,” said Dan Kara of ABI Research. It can also identify when information or pieces are missing and ask questions, and use the data it collects.

Sources
Device Magic
UK Connect

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About Sasha Anderson

Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life. Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward

25 Feb 2021

Leads 2 Business Monthly Quote

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A Goal is a Dream with a Deadline

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About Sasha Anderson

Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life. Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward

16 Feb 2021

Why Advertise?

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Why Advertise you ask?

If you have a business, whether small or a large corporation, it is always a good idea to advertise your products and/or services and here are 10 good reasons why:

  1. Advertising in the right medium, reaching your target market (that’s a whole blog on its own) generates loyalty to your brand and forms a lasting connection with your customers. #BrandLoyalty
  2. Advertising creates a positive image of your company, your products and/or services. Regular, positive advertising advises customers that you are available, open for business and you can help solve their problems, fill their needs etc.
  3. Advertising can attract new customers and ultimately more business which in turn, generates income – also known as ROI. The market is always changing and there are always new potential customers looking for new business opportunities and ways to grow their business.
  4. Advertising helps you stay ahead of the competition as advertising convinces people to use your company, your products/services and it reminds them why they chose to use your products in the first place.
  5. Advertising generates more income for your company, as I mentioned earlier, but it’s worth mentioning again as this is important. Invest in advertising and watch your business grow and succeed, even in thetough times.
  6. Advertising in the right medium allows you to target your ideal customers in a specific market, by making them aware of what your company can offer them.
  7. Advertising not only attracts new business and customers, but it also creates repeat and continuous business, by reminding customers, that you are there for them whenever they may need your products and/or service again.
  8. Advertising can be used to promote a new service or product that your company is offering and persuade new, as well as existing, customers to try it out by explaining why they need it, what it can do for them and how it can help them. #PowerofPersuasion
  9. Advertising regularly ensures that you maintain a constant, positive, public presence and people don’t forget about your company and what it has to offer.
  10. Advertising can encourage people to contact your company for more information on what you have to offer.

 

And there are many more benefits, but these are just 10 and the bottom line is that by advertising you generate more business and more sales for your company, not just now, but for the future too and isn’t that what being in business is all about? To make money.

 

If you’re in the construction industry and looking to advertise, L2B offers various advertising slots. For more information email Advertising@L2B.co.za

 

Sources:
Duct Tape Marketing
Dsprel
Effortless Outdoor Media

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About Marlaine Andersen

Leads 2 Business Advertising Co-ordinator and Digital Designer

9 Feb 2021

Social Dynamics & Communication in the Workplace

by | posted in: General | 0

Firstly let’s take a look at the definition of social dynamics: As per Wikipedia Social dynamics (or sociodynamics) is the study of the behaviour of groups that results from the interactions of individual group members as well to the study of the relationship between individual interactions and group level behaviours.

Based on this definition, I would say that social dynamics play a very important role in the workplace. Should the interactions between the individual group members not be positive, this would cause discontent, which would cause unproductivity in the workplace. Employers need to ensure that the interactions and relationships between the individuals are conducive to a good working environment.

Let’s look at ways to ensure that the social dynamics remain constructive:

  • Keep your employees motivated, offer them incentives, the more industrious an individual is the greater their feeling of belonging and making a difference to the team.
  • Know your employees, be aware of changes in their persona and their personal appearances, and provide them with safe, undiscriminating channels to communicate their concerns.
  • Be open to the effects that our diverse cultural backgrounds can have on the interactions between individuals.
  • Resolve issues that arise swiftly, before they cause a rift in the social dynamics of the group.
  • The various generations tend to have different attitudes towards work ethics, these variations need to be taking into consideration. Individuals that fall into these groups need to learn to show tolerance and patience towards each other to work in harmony.

Let’s look at the definition of communication:

As per Wikipedia Communication (from Latin communicate, meaning “to share”) is the act of conveying meanings from one entity or group to another through the use of mutually understood signs, symbols, and semiotic rules. The formation of communicative motivation or reason.

I believe that good communication is key to a good working relationship. Without effective communication, the end goal would be misunderstood and remain unmet. Poor communication between individuals and groups leads to discontent and disrespect which leads to unnecessary disagreements which disrupt the workflow.

Let’s look at ways of improving communication within the workplace:

  • Relationships are built on trust; ensure the trust is maintained by appointing leaders that uphold this.
  • Listen, to communicate effectively, one needs to be able to listen to hear and understand employees and colleagues concerns, to enable you to act and not react.
  • Follow through on what you say, if you fail to do so, it will lead to distrust in the workplace.
  • Provide employees with the protocols to follow to improve the communication between colleagues, departments and managers, for them to obtain the required result and work coherently.
  • Employers need to adopt an open-door policy, be approachable, enabling employees to view their concerns in a safe environment.

The uncertainty during the current COVID19 pandemic is certainly affecting individuals in ways that can jeopardise the good social dynamics within the workplace. For this reason, it is more important than ever to keep the channels of communication open and encourage positive social dynamics between the groups within the workplace.

Here’s hoping that you can apply some of the above pointers to you or your organisation to improve the social dynamics and communication within it. I believe that a happy employee with a sense of belonging and loyalty will be a productive one.

Keep well and stay safe.

Sources:
Wikipedia

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About Debora Keet

My journey at Leads 2 Business started in January 2006 as a Private Projects Researcher, Since October 2008, I have been in the Administration and Human Resources department.

8 Feb 2021

2021: Opportunities for the Taking

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Last year was The Great Interrupter. All plans great and small suddenly had to slam on the brakes and reset; practically everything shrunk into insignificance or got slung onto the backburner with lockdown and the hard reality of a pandemic.

But there was also adaptation and resilience. With the Reconstruction and Recovery Plan and the Presidential Employment Stimulus, I’ve seen various Government Departments and Municipal entities advertising for job opportunities, learnership opportunities, bursaries and tenders. The push to make progress in skills development and get SA working again is admirable. Many tenders were put on hold or cancelled because of hard lockdown. These tenders are now being advertised again and then some. Tender notices continue to be published, pricing is being requested and received, awards are being made and construction and supply contracts have start dates.

Plans are being made and strategies are being put into place this is evident in the stats below from Leads 2 Business industry-focused leads for 2021 to date.

SA Tenders published 2015
Africa Tenders published 2125
Tenders Awarded 561
Projects updated 3833
Projects added 69
BoQ’s uploaded 186
RfQ’s sent 310 472

 

The fact is people are still looking to the future and dealing with today while learning from yesterday. There are always opportunities for the taking for those that look for them. Continue to look while utilizing lessons from 2020 and if you want to streamline your search for opportunities, namely Tenders, Project and Quotes sign up with Leads 2 Business today. Contact us to find out how we put new business prospect leads within your reach.

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About Claire Donaldson

I started working at Leads 2 Business in February 2005, and have served as Head of Department of Daily Tenders from 2007 until the present. I oversee both the Daily Tenders South Africa and Africa Departments.

26 Nov 2020

Weird & Wacky Road Signs

by | posted in: General | 1

What would we do without road signs? I would get lost, very lost (although I have managed to do that even with road signs helping me along), who actually thinks about road signs? They are just an accepted norm, you drive along, you look for the sign that indicates how fast you allowed to go, you approaching a town…..where are we? Need to take the next turn after the white house, next to the elephant waterhole by the spaza shop….you look for a road sign as confirmation that you are heading in the right direction. Who invented them? What purpose do they serve (besides the obvious)?

According to most accounts available, the Romans were the first to invent road signs which were milestones, and they were used by ancient Romans in the Bronze Age. The very first road in Rome was the Via Appia, or also known as the Appian Way. This road was built in 312 B.C. At regular road intervals, milestones were placed, and these often stated who was in charge of the maintenance of that road portion and as well as the completed repairs. The Romans also built mile markers at intersections to specify the distance to Rome. I wonder if that is the origin of the saying….” all roads lead to Rome”?

The first modern road signs erected on a wide scale were designed for riders of high or “ordinary” bicycles in the late 1870s and early 1880s. Cycling organisations began to put up signs that warned of potential hazards ahead (particularly steep hills), rather than merely giving distance or directions to places, thereby contributing the sign type that defines “modern” traffic signs. In 1686, the first known Traffic Regulation Act in Europe was established by King Peter II of Portugal. This act ensures the placement of priority signs in the narrowest streets of Lisbon, stating which traffic should back up to give way. One of these signs still exists at Salvador street, in the neighbourhood of Alfama.

Eventually, with traffic on the roads increasing all the time, some form of standardisation regarding road signs was needed and after some debate, it was agreed on some distinct shapes to be used for various situations. The shapes were as follows:
Round: Railroad crossing warning
Octagon: To stop
Diamond: To show that precautions need to be taken in a specific area
Square: To show some care needs to be taken occasionally
Rectangular: For directional or regulation information
Star-Shaped: A unique shape used to mark highways
In Britain, before the 1950s, road signs were a disaster. It took graphic designers Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert to create standard and easy-to-read road signs. After testing different versions, they created new signs based on the European standard that triangular signs warn, circles command and rectangles provide information. They used drawings or pictograms more than words as a picture can convey a message a lot quicker than words. These pictograms have resulted in some hilarious road signs.

Turning left is usually a straightforward affair, but not at this intersection. You’ll first need to turn right and then go left. But be careful not to get confused, as you shouldn’t block the intersection, either.

Photo by Flickr user Paul Heaberlin

This sign is probably warning motorcyclists about an upcoming downhill turn, but it really just looks like a kid showing off on a rainbow.

Defensive Driving
 

Buzz Nicked

I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful country Namibia a few years ago and the images below are some of the pictograms we photographed:

Sources:
Did you Know Cars
Degemill
Wikipedia

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About Debbie Wessels

I started at Leads 2 Business in April 2008 in the tenders Department and transferred to the Projects Department during the same year. I was appointed Head of Department for Projects from February 2011 to March 2022. April 2022 I started a new adventure as Content Regulator.

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