Louis D. van Niekerk - Business Services

10/06/2021

I can write a paper on this picture.

I suspect future generations will judge us on this and ironically it is a small handful that drives the narrative of “shareholder value”.

The majority are worker ants who just wrestle to keep the pot boiling.

The question I wrestle with (at times) is: Is it futile to try to fight the systemic rot or should I merely accept our fate and enjoy my ride here in the first class compartment until we step over the precipice?

What do you think?

31/05/2021

I love my country. I love the fact that we are a free democracy. What I don’t like is that we are editing out our history as if it did not play a role to define who we are collectively.

It has been 27 years on the 27th of April since we became a true free democracy and it is wonderful that we celebrated that. Yet...

Today, 60 years ago, we became a republic. To arrive at 27 April 1994 and rid ourselves of the shackles of Apartheid, we first needed 31 May 1961 to rid ourselves of the shackles of the British Empire. It is as worthy a celebration - perhaps as significant as a primary school graduation where becoming a true democracy was the high school graduation.

It is just sad that nobody says a word about this significant milestone in our country. Yes, independence was not a free democracy that we have today, but we were free from British interference. Yes, when we became a union in 1910 we had a degree of self determination but that was as artificial as the homelands were during the apartheid regime. Independence was the first step toward the democracy we are today.

I will never not celebrate 31 May as much as I will celebrate 27 April. Join me.

11/03/2021

One of the positives of the pandemic is that it gave is easily digestible metaphors. Suddenly most people understand exponential growth so explaining compound interest becomes easier as you can ride on that metaphor that “it increases in the same way as the virus did”.

Similarly, we can explain, as Marcelo Gleiser does here, how the same principles for reaching a majority view, reach that that tipping point (as Malcolm Gladwell calls it) through slow viral “infection” of the “herd” with the view that we want held. This is not news, politicians have know this for years, yet it is now easy to explain to the common man why his single voice can be so important in the chain of change due only this time we want him/her to infect the others with the positive message.

At the same time, it is helpful (and I am not leading that charge) to explain that the spread of rumours or fake news are transmitted in the same fashion and just like wearing a mask you can stop a very potent chain of spreading by not repeating rumours or fake news.

We can “vaccinate” against climate change, so to speak. We just have to reach environmental herd immunity, writes physicist Marcelo Gleiser.

Here's how: https://bigthink.com/13-8/individual-action-on-climate-change

22/02/2021

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21/02/2021

Laat my toe om my 20+ jare ervaring hier te laat geld.

13 Jaar gelede was ek die konsultant wat die korsortium wat hierdie proses begin het van mark inligting verskaf het. ‘n Lekker groot studie waarin die impak van die vervaardigers se dominansie op die verbruiker se beursie geïllustreer is van verskeie hoeke af.

Kort daarna het die kompetisie raad my betaal vir ‘n kleiner meer getaileerde studie en toe is dit skielik stil. Nou en dan het ek terugvoer gekry van die konsortium dat daar nog gesprekke is, maar meestal niks.

Intussen het Europa se “Block Exception” wetgewing (waarop hierdie gebasseer is) aanbeweeg met nog meer beperkinge op vervaardigers. Ek het hier rondom 2016-17 begin glo dat hierdie wetgewing nooit in Suid-Afrika sal gebeur nie.

Skielik in 2018 begin “Right to repair” meer en meer die media haal sodat ek my voorspelling dat dit nie meer sal gebeur nie moes hersien. Rondom die tyd skarrel al wat leef en beef wat nie vervaardigers is om te kyk hoe hulle ‘n stukkie van die koek kan kry sonder dat enige noemenswaardige veranderinge gebeur het (ok, Car Service City het nogal goed en vinnig gegroei om Bosch Car Service wat toe mooi op dreef was te opponeer), maar dit was omtrent al.

Dit is dus vir my nogal ‘n mylpaal.

Nie soseer vir my loopbaan nie, al het ek ‘n rol gespeel, maar vir die industrie wat ek al meer as 2 dekades bedien. Hierdie gaan die landskap van die na-verkope mark aansienlik verander:
- Jy gaan jou nuwe Merc (bv.) kan diens by nie-Merc handelaars nie én jy gaan nie ‘n malprys vir ‘n motorplan betaal as jy die voertuig koop sonder dat dit jou keuse was nie
- Die tweedehandse mark gaan op sy kop gedraai word want skielik is die waarde van ‘n tweedehandse voertuig sterk(er) beïnvloed deur sy motorplan status wat dit onmoontlik sal maak om een Hilux met ‘n volgende te vergelyk sonder om detail na die inhoud en status van die motorplan te kyk.
- Min indien enige verbruikers kan ‘n rasionele oordeel fel oor die waarde so motorplan nie want in wese is dit baie komplekse aktuariële somme wat jou werklik sal laat oordeel of die R20 000 (bv.) die plan werd is of nie.

Tog, is hierdie uitstekende nuus vir ons as verbruikers. Vir 20+ jare staan ek en toekyk hoe Suid-Afrika se vervaardigers met onder gemiddelde diens standaarde van die beste presteerders op die wêreldverhoog is (bv. BMW SA beste presteerder in BMW groep ens.) nie omdat hulle so goed is nie, maar omdat hulle ‘n motorplan stelsel het wat eienaars “gevange” hou vir 5 jaar en daarom so baie parte verkoop. In Engeland bv. doen ‘n vervaardiger goed as hy al die parte verkoop tot en met drie jaar. Hierdie nuwe wetgewing maak die speelveld gelyk, maar omdat dit Suid-Afrika is gaan daar baie goggas daarmee saamgaan want ons regulering is sub-standaard.

Ten minste as jy jou kar by die vervaardiger laat diens het was daar ‘n waarborg dat die parte en werksgehalte van ‘n seker standaard is en hoewel die nuwe wetgewing in teorie wil toegee dat ‘n soortgelyke standaard gehandhaaf moet word is die implimentering en meer belangrik sertifisering (en pollisiëring) daarvan waar ons gaan struikel. So daar sal woes baie groei pyne wees, maar die regte baba is gebore. Die regulering is waar die groot uitdaging is want vervaardigers self-reguleer want dit is in hulle belang.

En ek? Ek gaan my kar nog by die vervaardiger diens sover dit sin maak vir ten minste vyf jaar totdat ek oortuig is dat ‘n werkswinkel (soos Bosch) werklik die standaarde handhaaf wat ek weet die vervaardiger handhaaf want ek weet dat selfs Bosch (wat gevestig is) dit steeds nie doen nie omdat nie niemand toesin dat hulle wel doen nie.

Baie geluk as jy tot hier gelees het. Druk ‘n knoppie dat ek weet jy het :-)

Big changes are coming to South Africa’s motoring landscape on 1 July 2021 — for the first time, owners of new cars will have the right to repair or service their vehicles at an independent provider of their choice, with the parts of their choice.

19/02/2021

In this video I explain the effectiveness of levering compounding interest in your repayment plan. The video uses a simple example of Jack and Jill who each...

19/02/2021

Why does Einstein call compound interest the 8th wonder of the world? I explain why in this video.

In this video I explain the basics of compound interest. Albert Einstein called compound interest the 8th wonder of the world. He said about compound inter...

15/01/2021

We seem to struggle to put science first and our selfishness second time and time again.

An estimated R747-million was reported to have been spent on a bold plan to restore the natural ecology of one of South Africa’s first World Heritage sites after 60 years of continuous human interference. Now a group of top water and ecology scientists have asked environment minister Barbara Creec...

17/05/2020

This post fascinates me for a few reasons. One, it's May 17 and I see it today and yet it's already been posted by Wave in January - the pace of sharing.

Secondly, the answers and accompanying comments are both sad and informative. Dozens of idiots who make the sum wrong even give a clue as to why they are right. The post says that 90% of people will get it wrong and indeed, the commenters prove it - one after another says it's 1 and then there is a light spot here and there with 12. Of course there will always be wise cracks who want to be different and not get 1 or 12, but come up with their own answers in their own universe.

Now is this not a mirror of life? People are caught out by things much more complex than the sum on a daily basis and they remain so convinced that they are right that they even give lessons (sometimes in the form of violence ... road rage, wars, etc.). Then there are the wise cracks that are different regardless of any logic or facts - it's worse because at least the first group tried to be right, but were caught out.

Finally, the ones that are right. One senses the frustration of the minority - how do you now have to get these top two groups to realize that the answer is actually 12, when indeed it is?

[I originally posted this years back on my private feed in Afrikaans. I then asked Google to translate it which it did with only one tiny mistake that would not have deterred from the meaning. That is a third level of fascination]

What's the answer?

29/03/2020

"Current estimates of Covid-19 deaths 'deeply flawed' – The Wall Street Journal - Linda van Tilburg" Let's just remind ourselves of the current confirmed cases because ultimately the estimated deaths are derived from this data. Below is an animation of the fatalities over time (you must press play in the bottom left hand corner). This headline immediately had my attention. Since I made… [ 899 more words ]

The Wall Street Journal says that current predictions are "deeply flawed". We take a look at what predicted mortality rates might be for South Africa.