Economy
Increased competition between the major banks on new lending following the global financial crisis is opening up a new opportunity for stable businesses seeking access to finance.
The labour market has picked up according to the ANZ’s measurement of job ads, with the number of advertisements up 7.5 per cent over the last 12 months.
While it may be hailed as the “race that stops a nation”, a new survey suggests the Melbourne Cup imposes a productivity cost of more than $1bn on the Australian economy.
For those who have long desired to make their own pizza toppings, there is a new mobile application allowing customers to design and market new pizzas while keeping a slice of the profits.
The September fall of the Aussie dollar of more than 6% in two weeks will bring much needed relief to many businesses who have long struggled with a strong exchange rate. However, spare a thought for importers, for example, who costed the dollar at US90c back in August.
Smaller Australian food producers would benefit if government institutions, including schools and hospitals, bought locally when sourcing their food instead of favouring international suppliers.
A new study has found the number of workplace meetings is rapidly on the rise, taking up increasing amounts of time, reducing productivity and largely seen by employees to provide valueless outcomes.
Tax experts and small business advocates have urged that any increase to the rate or base of the GST be accompanied by other tax changes that will help ease the burden on SMEs.
The head of the corporate regulator has sent a chilling warning that Australia has become a “paradise” for white-collar criminals due to a lacklustre penalty regime for offences.
The recruitment industry is facing yet another wave of digital disruption with a new mobile platform allowing employers to fill positions by seeking referrals from those in their most trusted networks.
The latest agricultural green paper aims to give a leg-up to struggling farmers by tweaking with a range of key tax concessions to help improve cashflow in periods of drought and economic turbulence.
Small time builders operating in regional areas stand to benefit from changes to the tender process for construction projects fully or partly funded by the government.
Pressure is mounting on the government to further tighten competition policy by allowing courts to order companies found to be in breach of consumer law to reduce their market share.
10 international conferences have been secured by the City of Sydney, a move the City says will provide the local economy with a $42 million boost.
Tony Abbott has unveiled his new $400 million policy blueprint to bolster industry performance, enhance competition, drive business innovation and better harness the commercial and economic potential of the scientific and research community.
A majority of business owners want the government to develop policies to bolster industry in sectors where Australia has a competitive advantage, a new study suggests.
A new Productivity Commission report has found the cost of doing business in the Australian retail sector is inflated by inefficient red tape and a number of anti-competitive restrictions.
The IMF has assumed Australia’s unemployment rate to be the second highest in the Asia Pacific region over the next two years as it cut growth forecasts and raised the likelihood of global recession from 20 to 33 per cent.
A lack of clear strategic planning and execution is behind the failure of too many SMEs with the latest ASIC figures showing it is the leading cause of insolvency for 42 per cent of businesses in the last financial year.
The banking industry is set to face new competitive disruption as it scrambles to preserve its stake in the growing mobile payments market. New figures show that worldwide mobile payments are expected to increase by nearly 61 per cent to 47 billion transactions by 2015.
