adminPipe Spring Marketing managing director Mr Ndawo Khumalo, whose company is organising a conference to take place in Victoria Falls next week, said the event focuses on discussing strategies to re-invent business potential and opportunities.
“The conference will be held from 13 to 14 September at Elephant Hills in Victoria Falls under the theme ‘Reinventing Business Potential and Opportunities’. We are saying the country has experienced shortcomings that have affected economic growth, and to stimulate productivity in industries we need to reinvent our opportunities and potential in light of the challenges facing the economy,” he said.
At least 100 delegates comprising company chief executives, chairpersons, board members, executive managers and line managers are expected to attend the conference.
To reinvent the business potential and opportunities, Mr Khumalo said, company executives were required to look at the organisations holistically in terms of legal, production and marketing aspects.
“The success to business calls for the need to look at organisations holistically. Aspects such as how do we lead the organisations, legal aspect, labour market and the policies being implemented by Government need to be looked at so that we reinvent business potential and opportunities,” he said.
He said a number of businesses at the moment operate outside the legal parameters or policies implemented by Government.
He said it was critical for local industries to adhere to ethical standards and produce products that meet customers’ specifications for them to have a competitive edge in the face of stiff competition posed by their foreign counterparts.
“Of late, a number of companies have cried foul over stiff competition from imported products that have seen consumers preferring foreign goods and services. The local industry needs to produce products, although little as they may be because of low capacity utilisation, items that meet the demands of the local market,” he said.
He added: “Marketing strategists should not only focus on protecting their products by saying consumers prefer imported products at the expense of locally manufactured items. We should stimulate the need for our companies to satisfy the market. Foreign industries have competitive advantage over the local industry because of the quality of their products.”
Against this background, Mr Khumalo said, the forthcoming conference will be anchored on discussing national trade and industrial development policies, the role of directors under a rescue or resuscitation process, legal aspect, causes of business failure and operational issues, among others.
Some of the confirmed speakers at the business event include economic commentator Dr Eric Bloch, Stop To Start International founder and director Mr Zwelibanzi Ndlovu, Mr Edward Kabwe, who is an active member of the Institute of directors of Zambia, and renowned South African entrepreneur Advocate Job Moraka.
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