The ICT industry boomed with the dot-com era in the late nineties. Business, however, has changed, as have ICT requirements.
In order to remain competitive in what has become a highly volatile market, e.com institute has expanded, restructured and refocused its business to meet the changing of its customers. The paradigm shift from ICT to business focus has put e.com institute holdings on a growth path that will see it double its turnover within the next year.
Says newly appointed CEO at e.com institute, Boetie Swanepoel: "E.com institute built its name during the e-commerce revolution, assisting companies to do business and communicate with shareholders - ie, clients, suppliers and investors - in the then new e-commerce environment, by helping them align their ICT infrastructure to leverage this phenomenon. It successfully conquered the ICT arena with major accomplishments in the banking/financial, manufacturing and mining sectors, to mention a few.
"However, the market has evolved and new dynamics have been introduced. We realised that e.com institute also needed to evolve its approach. Today, performance, governance and agility have become key to driving businesses forward in an increasingly competitive climate. New organisational challenges have emerged and e.com is gearing itself to meet them."
The company made a strategic decision to merge with Acquismart towards the middle of 2007, a company that focuses on consulting, performance management (PM) and turnaround strategies. These newfound skills and resources have assisted the company to adapt its business model and address the six critical areas that have emerged as key elements that are central to the performance within an organisation, namely:
* The business strategy;
* The people;
* The processes;
* The systems;
* The assets; and
* Access to information.
With its new focus set, e.com institute will address key areas in business: the alignment of business and ICT requirements, enhancing people skills and providing skilled resources, and assisting companies to enhance performance and refine their business strategies. It will also be expanding its business interests beyond South Africa's borders.
Swanepoel adds: "Many businesses do not achieve business wisdom: the ability to view and understand the past and present in order to predict the future more accurately and make better decisions. Another challenge for companies is that the implementation of a system that is supposed to improve efficiencies in an organisation often reduces performance, increases risk and delivers no value. e.com institute has recognised this challenge and its new business structure is geared to only deliver solutions or systems that provide value, reduce risk and improve performance."
People are an integral part of any business, and e.com institute holdings has thus created two focused businesses that address the need for skills and resources in an organisation. The SUSA institute, a training organisation with a difference, offers a comprehensive approach to training that incorporates a full company training analysis from top executives down to staff at the coalface of the organisation. Once the assessment is done, the correct 'prescriptive' training is recommended. This may include classroom training, coaching/mentorship and/or ongoing assessments of the candidate applying the learning. The SUSA institute thus addresses not only company training requirements, but also contributes to an increase of skills that are seriously lacking in the local market.
Recruitment is another area that e.com institute is addressing. It has transformed its human capital institute into an independent business, called Staffit, providing a recruitment service that accurately matches a prospective employee's skills, aptitude, personality and culture with the vacant position's requirements.
To further support its new focus on business performance, e.com institute also intends launching a turnaround business unit in 2008 that will assist businesses to return to profitability from a state of decline. Swanepoel explains: "Often, the decline of a business is due to a lack of proper management skills, a cashflow problem or a lack of marketing. Our turnaround business will address the core areas in an organisation in order to return it to a state of profitability, while our other business units, such as the SUSA institute, will provide assistance with regard to management training. The synergies between the parallel businesses within e.com institute holdings allow us to address various areas of a business, collectively working together to ensure better performance."
e.com institute is not only focusing on local business. The company has expanded its operation to the Caribbean, with an office that will be opening in St Vincent and the Grenadines in January 2008. Swanepoel adds: "This was a strategic place to start as these islands are the 'springboard' into the rest of the 19 countries that form the CARICOM region. e.com institute also has plans to expand into India, further driving international business through its new structure and approach to performance within a business.
"The new business structure now supports the shift from a pure ICT focus to one that encompasses all business issues, including performance management. ICT is now regarded as the underlying enabler of business solutions, approaches and methodologies rather than the driver of business. This paradigm shift allows e.com institute to better meet its client's business needs and requirements."
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