The Squeeze: Oil, Money, and Greed in the 21st Century, Tom Bowler

Why do you need to know about the oil industry? For starters, it is the world's biggest business and then because every aspect of mankind's lives depend on the refining of crude oil into energy, plastics, chemicals and drugs. For a century the commodity has been on a rollercoaster, swinging from surplus to shortage. Cheap oil has fuelled booms while high prices have plunged the world into recession.

It is blamed for the destitution in the Niger delta, the contamination of Alaska's pristine wilderness, the destruction of Canada's forests and spreading corruption across Africa. The oil industry is among the least stable of all business sectors and supplies are utterly dependent on corrupt despotic "petrostates" with uncertain futures.

Join me at breakfast and learn more about the power of BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, the unbridled greed and machinations of the oil traders, the rise and fall of the Russian billionaire oil-oligarchs, and more...

Owning Up: The 13 questions every board member needs to ask, Ram Charan

Boards of directors are Ram Charan's speciality and his knowledge of the workings of boards has been deepened through his practical work with so many of the finest and largest companies in the world. He currently serves on three boards and was named one the "Top 100 Directors" of the year by Directorship magazine. This book clearly reflects a combination of practical experience and sage advice.

The book is comprised of fourteen questions that every board member needs to ask, and especially as the business environment becomes more difficult. When a company does poorly we need to look to the board as harshly as we do to executive management, says Charan. Most of the examples brought in the book are from enormous companies, but almost all of the questions apply equally to medium-sized companies with few directors.

Knowledge worth having

Gateways Business Book Breakfasts have been held every year from February through November for the past 15 years!

Venue and Date:
Michelangelo Hotel, Sandton Square, WEDNESDAY 3 February 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.

Please confirm your attendance or non-attendance by replying to this email or by calling 011 788-8903

We look forward to seeing you

Ian Mann

Note: We charge you only the cost of the breakfast, which is now R 210.00 inclusive, so invoices are raised on your confirmation of attendance.

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