Metropolitan Oliver Empowerment Awards 2009

Criteria

Over the past 12 years, Topco Media has developed an in-house B2B research department which contacts companies and researches them for our publications. The department looks at company performance over a range of issues from empowerment, gender equality, financial indicators, policies and procedures to CSI. We have over 15,000 organisations that are researched annually from our database of 50,000 contacts. Our research department shortlists all organizations that potentially could qualify for any of the award programmes. We have identified 2,000 organisations this year in over 150 business categories whom we invite to nominate themselves for participation in our business awards. Nomination is not limited to our database, we encourage entries from all organisations with a base in South Africa.

The winning organisations will have demonstrated exceptional performance in the seven BB BEE pillars of Codes of Good Practice, as specified by the DTI. Topco Media defines this in partnership with BEE Online, a registered BEE certification company.

  • Residual Factor
  • Enterprise Development
  • Preferential Procurement
  • Skills Development
  • Empowerment Equity
  • Management
  • Ownership

Criteria

Private Sector Organisations (over R50 million turnover)
In their respective sectors, businesses must show:

  • innovative strategic vision and excellence
  • Be a profitable enterprise and have an established stable client base/service
  • An ability to stand out from other exceptional organisations in their ability to implement their vision, strategise for their future and integrate a better business practice through empowerment of staff and communities
  • Income, turnover and profitability margins
  • Corporate Governance and Leadership
  • Internal measuring mechanisms for BEE policies

Top SMME Business (under R50 million turnover)

  • The company must have at least two years business experience in South Africa
  • The company must demonstrate exceptional growth and show a commitment to the advancement of BEE.

Top New and Innovative Company

  • The business must be BEE and be under three years old
  • The business must show a commitment to innovation and have successfully developed and launched a product or service
  • The business must demonstrate excellent profitability and turnover

Most Improved year on year BEE scorecard (over R50 million turnover)

  • Qualifying organisations must have been in operation for over three years.
  • This will be taken from the application forms and the Impumelelo research. We also work with our sister certification company BEE Online.
  • In order to win this category, organisations must submit a copy of their past two year-on-year scorecards certified by a recognised ratings agency

Public Sector Categories

  • They must have a track record of excellence in BEE.
  • We look for innovative strategies and successful outcomes.
  • We look for public sector organisations with a vision and a passion to lead the new South Africa
  • Internal BEE measurement mechanisms must be demonstrated

Top Black Entrepreneur

  • The successful candidate will be male or female and over 35 years of age
  • The candidate must have demonstrated entrepreneurial flair in the past three years
  • The candidate must be a strong leader
  • The business must show high profitability
  • We also look for a unique talent from the applicant

Top Young Black Entrepreneur

  • This goes to a man or woman aged under 35 who has demonstrated excellent business acumen in the last 3 years.
  • This person will have pushed boundaries and succeeded under difficult circumstances.
  • This person will have the drive to succeed and be a role model for young people today.

Top Black Businessman/woman

  • These 2 awards go to a man and a woman in business who can demonstrate their commitment to BEE and who leads by example.
  • They must have broken new barriers and really affected change within their organization by increasing market share and/or profitability and turnover
  • They must have a commitment to other’s personal development.

Top Black Business

  • This is an overall award for the South African business that has shown a long and lasting commitment to BEE and that can demonstrate an increased scorecard, a happy and motivated workforce and strong profitability.
  • Internal BEE measurement mechanisms must be demonstrated