Author at Dynamic Business
Australians have a love-hate relationship with their banks and research released today confirms what many banking customers already know: banks aren’t listening but they know very well what people want from them.
The bank wars have just begun and small business owners may find themselves in the unusual position of having a whole lot more bargaining power than you might otherwise think.
When you’re running a small business it’s vital to manage your fixed costs. Staff costs are possibly the biggest one. You want to pay fairly but not through the nose for your people, but how do you know what your staff are really worth? Digital tools such as the salary checker app for iPhones may help.
Given differing advice, and with different levels of financial nouse, some Australian councils, churches and charities lost millions during the sub-prime crisis. Today mediation for a class action to recover the money from the now-bankrupt Lehman Brothers Australia begins.
Even before the floods in December and January, business confidence was already on the wane, according to the quarterly business survey released by the National Australia Bank on Tuesday. The survey of 900 businesses found there was a drop in the business confidence index from 9 points in the third quarter to 5 points in the fourth quarter, with a decline in profitability, sales and trading being significant factors.
With work to be done from Far North Queensland to Victoria and WA, as the rebuild after floods, fires and Cyclone Yasi kicks down a gear, Prime Minister Julia Gillard is asking tradesmen to consider packing their bags and mucking in to help, aided by a new apprentice or two.
Facebook addicts, and mobile business people, the world over can soon get their hands on their very own super smart android phone, purpose built for social media. Brand HTC – which is rapidly becoming synonymous with “Google phones” (phones built on the open source, android platform) has launched two new smartphones at the World Mobile Congress in Spain.
Australians may be addicted to a bargain and flocking to the numerous collective buying websites in droves but are some better than others, and is the customer base large enough to go round? If the answers is “yes”, and “no”, that may explain why the various daily deal sites are tripping over each other to proclaim themselves leader of the pack.
Australia’s biggest steel maker, BlueScope Steel, said higher raw material costs, the strong Aussie dollar and reduced local demand resulted in a loss of $55 million for the first half of the 2011 financial year. This compares with a loss of $28 million for the same time in the previous year. Speaking at the half-year results briefing in Sydney, BlueScope Steel’s Managing Director and CEO, Mr Paul O’Malley, said “the result is ‘in line’ with the Company’s guidance at the Annual General Meeting and reflective of the developed world steel industry performing near the bottom of its cycle.
Australians are increasingly comfortable buying goods online but small businesses are lagging behind the trend, and missing opportunities, with new research revealing that only one in three businesses have a website.
