On the dawn of Youth Dynamix’s 15th year anniversary next month, we reflect on how the youth market has transformed in this short space of time and how marketers have had to adapt to survive.  

There’s no doubt, the marketing of goods and services have undergone a profound transformation over the past 15 years. Regulatory advances, new technologies and increasingly open global markets have all played their part in changing how the youth react and interact with products and services.  

The information conundrum….

Children and young adults are more significant forces in the marketplace now. But, while new technologies offer more access to information overall, many young consumers today lack the necessary skills to cope with the increasingly complex, information-intensive marketplaces they’re faced with.  

With many companies struggling to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive open market, they’re forced to bundle related products and offerings, making it difficult for consumers to compare them. As a result, young consumers have had to learn more about markets in order to make good decisions.  

“Show me, don’t tell me”

The youth’s ability and willingness to trade with a company depends on their level of confidence in it. That’s why it’s so important you don’t ignore brand activations. There are very few marketing activities as powerful as brand activations. This because they involve experiential, interactive, emotive and sustainable involvements with the brand. Overall, brand activations offer a more holistic view of the product and allow for an emotive connection with the brand – you cannot offer using new technologies alone.

Be sure to get the most out of your budget…

All engagement and communication campaigns developed by Youth Dynamix (YDx) include an element of measurability.  This gives you the assurance that you’ve met your ROI and have made a relevant impact in the market.   YDx is a youth & family specialist research and marketing agency.

To activate your brand in the youth market, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 071 551 8200.

www.ydx.co.za

What has Talent Management and Organisational Energy have in common?

Well, Service delivery for one thing! And Service Delivery is a Hot Topic because it impacts all of us! Organisations worldwide are currently experiencing a complex and dynamic environment in which most businesses must compete to remain sustainable. Most of these organisations realise that their competitive advantage lies within their intangible assets, namely employees (Chabault, Hulin & Soparnot, 2012; Collings & Mellahi, 2009; Kaye &Smith, 2012). Talent and brainpower are thus becoming the predominant currency in the new era of globalisation (Cheese, Thomas and Graig, 2008; Tymon, Stumpf & Doh, 2010; Sahai & Srivastava, 20

‘Act Local but think Global’ was Professor Nicolene Barkhuizens' crisp reply to my question ‘What makes this Year's Talent Blueprint Conference organised by Northwest University, Mafeking Campus so special?’

'We all aspire to Global Best Practice on Sustainable Talent Management, but each industry and organisation and even Country has its own unique challenges. We invited internationally acclaimed thought Leaders to speak at this conference like Professor Lidewey van der Linde as well as Local Experts, like Dr Lynne Derman, who is a renowned expert in the field of organisational energy and whose Doctoral Study was the first to investigate organizational energy in the South African context.’

‘In her study Lynne also found that Organisational energy can enhance the well-being of employees in South African organisations. Since completing her PhD Lynne has done a lot of consulting in organizational energy and has also validated a measure thereof for the South African context. Her research as well as her expertise in organisational energy makes an important contribution towards creating new knowledge in field as well as important practical contributions for organisations.’

The Talent Blueprint Conference is being held on 16-17 October at the Sunnyside Hotel in Parklands, Gauteng. Nicolene has about 100 scientific publications which include books, chapters in textbooks, journal articles and peer reviewed conference proceedings. Nicolene regularly participate as keynote speaker at various business conferences. She is a registered industrial psychologist and global remuneration practitioner.

Darren August takes us through a few of the experiences and relationships with his own teachers, growing up, which changed his life. He retells the stories of others too, and will surely awaken your school memories. As an experienced motivator, the book leaves not only teachers encouraged to inspire others, but everyone else will feel inspired to reach their potential and live their calling too. 

This book offers a few giggles as we see things from the perspective of a child, but is mostly introspective of the role we play in the way in which children perceive themselves. Teachers and parents will find it particularly motivating – with practical ways you could change young lives, for good. 

This book is a great resource. It’s a celebration of teachers, as instrumental parts of society – it will definitely have you thinking of the teachers that have impacted your life. Scheduled for release in October 2014 – this book is set to motivate every South African reader to once again restore the dignity of ‘The Noblest Profession”. 

About the Author 

Darren August is the Founder and CEO of Dazz Consulting – A dynamic training organisation committed to seeing people thrive and succeed.He is a Corporate Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Life Coach, Entrepreneur, Radio Host & former Lecturer.He is passionate about Life; People and Education and together with his wife – Arlene, they believe in maximizing every opportunity to impact the lives of others. 

To order, for interview requests and other queries, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Pretoria, Gauteng - August 11th, 2014 - CSI Africa, in conjunction with Fides and iFacts, has launched myScreening - the online central verification system that lets HR personnel and other registered users conduct a variety of background checks using a single online interface.

myScreening, an online central verification system, provides a single interface from which a large list of background checks can be conducted by registered users. Some of the background checks available in myScreening include:

• Identity checks
• Criminal record checks
• Credit checks
• CIPC and directors verification
• Driver's licence verification
• CV verification
• Deeds

Background-checking and verification services have been available in South Africa for years, but involves a significant amount of red tape. Varying turnaround times and different result formats make it difficult to consolidate records for convenient access. Many organisations therefore find it hard to conduct efficient pre-employment screening programs to combat workplace crime which often includes internal theft and fraud.

The myScreening online central verification system boasts a direct connection to the Department of Home Affairs, and Afiswitch which interfaces with the South African Police Service (SAPS) Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) to determine the criminal background status of a person.

Because of these direct connections, some results are available immediately.   Other screening results, such as criminal record checks and CV verification, are available in as little as 48 hours. All screening results are delivered in a convenient easy-to-read format to a registered user's inbox, and also stored in the secure myScreening vault for convenient future access.

Cost

The pricing is competitive and done on an invoice basis. Rates are per background check or verification.

Signing up

myScreening registration is free. To use the system the South African Police Service (SAPS) has mandated that registered users complete own identity verification within the myScreening interface. New users will also have to submit their own fingerprints. After verification, SAPS-mandated training is required before the myScreening system can be used.

HR personnel and other interested individuals can register at http://www.csinvestigate.co.sa/myscreening

About CSI Africa

Pretoria-based CSI Africa was established in 2002. We are driven to promote honesty and increased efficiency in the workplace by assisting companies and individuals with our in-house expertise and access to various intelligence systems. CSI Africa is a member of the Southern African Polygraph Federation (SAPFED), and is one of two companies awarded with a Certificate of Suitability at the Gauteng Gambling Board to verify criminal records of applicants. We are a registered reseller of the AFISWITCH product , designed to extract criminal records directly from the SAPS Database.

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For more information, please contact:

Name: Amelia Griesel

Address: 305 Braam Pretorius Street, Pretoria, 0129

Phone: 0861 274 911

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: http://www.csinvestigate.co.za

{pp}Most corporate training and team-building is a total waste of time, and money, if you are looking for long-term results says Tony Dovale – Chief Coach and Alchemist at Life Masters International Team Building.

In order to resolve this dilemma, says Dovale, based upon our past experiences and extensive research, we have launched an innovative corporate Ai team building adventure and staff resilience improvement process that impacts people's head, heart and Soul - "Building a Transformed Team with Soul".