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Research

This organization continuously engages in research exercises on international case law, national statutes and various international codes of good practice on sustainability, corporate / enterprise / institutional governance, and the finds that not all are as comprehensive and integrated into management practices as the Bridgehead Global system, but place emphasis on inclusion of the metrics in annual reports. While a concerted effort has been made by some businesses in South Africa and abroad, to bring some congruence between performance management and governance metrics, our research confirms that it is a handful of institutions and businesses which have done this meaningfully, using an integrated instrument and framework. Further, evidence of economic downturn worldwide and gruesome errors committed by captains of industry and political leadership in managing the world economy leading up to the global recession of 2009, point to a frayed approach and an emphasis only on sustainability reporting, as a separate line item in executives’ performance measures, mainly as form certified by external auditors rather than substance.

Bridgehead Global has established a fully fledged office of Researchers along specialized industry portfolios. Each portfolio offers the same breadth of product and service offerings. However this structure enables the application of knowledge and wisdom harvested in each industry to be applied for the benefit of that particular industry, whilst recognizing the unique nature of each industry operation and the value chain of its participants.

Product Development

The founders of this business have to a greater extent established Africa’s firsts if not internationally so, in the form of a sustained business understanding passed on to employees as stakeholders, followed by probably South Africa’s first Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment initiative back in 1997 in the sugar manufacturing and refining industry; where shareholding was extended to the employee component as one of the key stakeholders in the business. Not last; the same lessons on sustainability initiated and driven by the founders of this business, further bore fruit, when one of the largest companies in the sugar industry adopted this best practice and established a dedicated Chairman’s Report to employees as stakeholders in the business.

In one large exporting group of companies in the Steel and Engineering sector, the Bridgehead Global founders initiated the “How Are We Doing Report” as early as 1992. These humble initiatives have become the bedrock of concerted efforts toward outcomes based performance, sustainability, institutional / enterprise governance management and reporting systems in the companies referred to above. The same could be done far much broadly as effective and as efficiently as possible, than the isolated silo reporting on one element just because it has been legislated. That minimalist approach has in most instances been proven completely unsustainable.

The African continent in particular has risen to the realities that business conducted under the severe conditions of political savagery and opportunism, which also fails to observe the most basic moral principle of accountability to the stakeholders and responsibility for the environment in which these businesses operate.

Bridgehead Global builds on the very cornerstone that the builders should dare not reject; the African defined and managed framework of compliance to good business practices, which look at sustainability, institutional / enterprise governance and outcomes based performance as management systems of which neither can be applied at the total exclusion or in isolation of the others. This homegrown thought leadership is an African solution to the world and Africa’s problems, similar in intent with the African Peer Review Mechanism, yet different in that Bridgehead Global advocates use of management systems rather than voluntary adoption of inspirational codes/ import of measures which have no relevance to Africa’s challenges. It is time Africa embraces its own and harvests the knowledge she has learnt from such harsh experiences to lay down standards in this area.

The scope of this business is the Republic of South Africa and the African continent first and the world. The intent of the founders is that the indices that this business develops take pride of place in the global market place of international rating agencies, to instill confidence in the businesses and institutions which pass the stringent vetting processes that Bridgehead Global conducts, thereby creating real and balanced social and economic value as well as political stability in countries and economies adopting this framework.

The focus of this business is to provide such radar for Governments at all levels and private / listed businesses whose leadership and boards look beyond just managing within a regulated terrain, but focus on service delivery which meets citizen expectations for governments and sustained value creation by business for all stakeholders, doing so navigating by way of one radar. Hence our conviction that beyond management..Navigate. ^TM

Product Development is a specialized function which feeds from research to customize product and service offerings, taking into cognizance the uniqueness of each industry without deviating from the broader framework of Bridgehead Global.

Business Development & Customer Relationship

This is the sales, operations and client retention function. All customer and client facing activities of Bridgehead Global are housed in this division. All on-line enquiries regarding products and services are received through this function for synthesis and a response.

Program Management

This is an implementation or execution arm of the business immediately after sales and formal contracting.

Finance and Corporate Services

This function houses the Secretarial function, billing and overall financial management of Bridgehead Global.

The Vetting Council (Panel of Experts)

Reporting to the Chief Operations Officer is the Panel of Experts or a Vetting Council, formed by an equal number of permanent and independent business analysts.

The Vetting Council supervises and carries out the proper analysis of client applications submitted by the Bridgehead Global analysts after the requisite due diligence. These members are security cleared to protect the confidentiality and integrity of client information. The Council’s processes are also subject to the quality assurance of SANAS.

The Licensing & Accreditation

This is the Committee of the Board of Bridgehead Global, which makes recommendations of contractor accreditation and system user licensing. Acting on the recommendations of the Vetting Council, this Board Committee has the power to recommend issuing of signal flares / matters of observance to clients and as a last resort; recommend to the Board, the revocation of the user license in cases of deviation repeated non-adherence.