Featured Research: Economy & Business

Video

Memorable moments: What makes a tourist experience?

Tourism is one of the few sectors of the economy that is growing in South Africa, thanks in part to our unique and world-class natural and cultural resources.

Talking Point

South Africa's sugar tax: a bold move, and the right thing to do

South Africa's planned sugar tax has come under severe scrutiny from its parliamentarians. The questions they're grappling with are whether the country needs a tax and how effective it will be. The tax is planned to take effect on 1 April 2017. It is designed to reduce sugar intake from sugar-sweetened beverages by upping the price with a 20% fiscal tax.

Lecture

'Rise of an invisible epidemic – Fighting hearing loss with advances in technology and connectivity'

Hearing loss is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease and affects more than 360 million people. For most, early detection is inaccessible, which precludes timely treatment. Resulting sequelae include educational failure, unemployment, poverty, social isolation, depression and a threefold increased risk of dementia. Recent technological advances and the ubiquity of connectivity...

Talking Point

Opinion: Why barriers to a pan-African passport may be insurmountable

The African Union (AU) has launched a pan-African passport. The idea behind the initiative is that the free movement of people will help create jobs and stimulate economic activity. This, in turn, would increase intra-African trade, boosting economic growth. The organisation’s intention is that by 2018 the passport will be distributed to all African citizens.

Talking Point

Why career counselling is more valuable now than ever before

The world of work is changing all the time – and fast. Jobs have emerged that didn't exist five or ten years ago, and the idea that you'd stick with one career for your entire working life has been left in the dust. The Conversation Africa's education editor Natasha Joseph asked Professor Kobus Maree of the University of Pretoria's Department of Educational Psychology to explain how career...

Video

Pine Tree Pest Biocontrol

Our economies and our ecosystems rely heavily on trees. This means that the health of our planet depends on the health of our forests. Yet now, more than ever before, many trees are sick and dying because of pests and the diseases they cause, and worryingly, plantation forests are even more at risk than natural forests. In fact, 110 million ha of plantation forests globally are currently under...