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Earlier this year a comprehensive research study was carried out to identify the issues most affecting Australian businesses today. In particular, it sought to identify current business confidence levels, attitudes to business and employment issues, investment priorities, major business challenges of the past 12 months and anticipated challenges for the year ahead. What no one expected was that a division based on the participants’ gender would deliver clear-cut differences in business practices and expectations.

For a SMB’s, social networking sites like Facebook can provide a real dilemma. Do you allow your employees access and open a potential Pandora’s Box of problems such as unintended security breaches? Or should you impose a blanket ban and risk losing a valuable channel of communication and collaboration?

Cashflow is currently the biggest challenge facing small business, recent research has shown, with delinquent accounts – where payments were over 90 days late – increasing by 20 percent in the March quarter.

Expanding globally can be a great way to grow your franchise business, but its no easy ride.

With the arrival of 2011, employers should familiarise themselves with their obligations under the paid parental leave legislation which came into force on 1 January 2011.

Optus and NEC Australia have joined forces to offer small and medium sized businesses a phone system and mobility solution that enables people to work smarter and faster by streamlining their communications.

The Federal Government & the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) continued to alienate themselves from the business sector last week with the Tax Office releasing its final ruling on discretionary trusts distributing surplus income to corporate beneficiaries.

The big news in 2009 was the federal government’s Investment Allowance, so if yours was one of the larger companies which took advantage of the 30% investment allowance, the end of tax year is your final deadline.

Scientifically, mental toughness is “an unshakeable perseverance and conviction towards some goal despite pressure or adversity”.

ConnectFurniture co-founders Silvio Salom and Joe Bruzzaniti have put their heads together to write about their own experiences starting up a business – what to avoid and what to pursue – which is essential reading for any budding business mogul.