Andrew Kinder of Infor explains everything you ever wanted to know about ERP but were too afraid to ask.

Just what is ERP?

ERP is an abbreviation for ‘enterprise resource planning’. It is simply an integrated IT system which translates business management practices and the core business processes of an organisation ‘into’ modern technology and vice versa.

With more people going online using mobile devices, the PC is no longer the default mode of web access. As Boris Kraft of Magnolia CMS explains, this demands a significant attitude shift for any business running a website. If you don’t have a mobile internet strategy, then it’s important to give serious consideration to whether you should.

Paul Docherty, CEO and founder of i-nexus, outlines the multiple benefits of introducing business execution software.

New financial years come and go, and organisations face the same execution-related issues every time. Conference Board Surveys of CEOs highlight ‘execution’ as one of their major challenges. Coupled with the fact that only 10 per cent of global organisations consistently deliver on their objectives, it’s no wonder that CEOs are viewing execution with such trepidation.

La’ala Al-Kuwait Real Estate is proving that urban development and ecological protection can go hand in hand. Ian Williams talks to Gay Sutton about the symbiotic relationship between engineering and the environment at the new Sabah Al-Ahmed Sea City.

Pan African Shopfitters set up its own shop a long time ago and today, the retailers of Africa and beyond depend on it to turn their brand identity into reality on the street.

Now under the management of the third generation of the Blumenthal family, Pan African Shopfitters is nothing if not a dynastic enterprise, with all the advantages that entails. It is close knit, with shared values and policies; and it is agile—decisions about strategy, policy and investment can be made very quickly.

Alan Swaby talks to one Zimbabwean business gradually regaining its feet and trying to make sense out of the chaos of the recent past.

Alan Swaby talks to an inspirational business leader in Kenya who has taken on the might of the land and by force of will, won.

To fight Goliath, David needs to be either very brave, completely reckless or not completely understand what he’s letting himself in for. Tabitha Karanja, CEO and founder of Keroche Breweries in Kenya, fits into the last category. She freely admits that if she had known what she would have to face in getting the business to where it is today, she probably would have never embarked upon the journey.

For South African flooring company, Floorworx, the main challenge is how to maintain its leading position in Southern Africa. Managing director Dr Donald Platt tells Gay Sutton about the importance of quality, innovation and raising industry skills levels.

UK bank Barclays has launched a £100 million fund for UK farmers investing in renewable energy.

Developed with sector specialists, the fund is available for solar, wind, and hydro projects in the UK, with Barclays including projected feed-in-tariffs when assessing each loan.

The bank said that new figures show that over one third of the UK’s 200,000 farmers are expecting to invest in renewable energy, with the majority doing so within the next year. It added that farmers expect the investment to generate returns averaging £25,000 per year.

A reputation for reliability and a track record for delivering on time and on budget has helped to turn one Saudi Arabian business into an international giant.

Saudi Arabia has an impressive programme of converting its oil dollars into other forms of essential infrastructure. Billions are being spent on water desalination plants and even more on ever increasing electricity capacity (although it has to be said that not all projects have yet received their financial green light).