News

A rare piece of good news for business has been revealed in figures released by IP Australia, which found trade mark applications have risen to pre-GFC levels.

Hamish Anderson blogs about an area of communication most of us now take for granted – email.

“Email has become a pervasive part of our every day, so much so, that many businesses cannot function properly without a live connection. But just how much do we know about email, how much do we take for granted, or what risks does it actually pose to business?”

The first of Woolworths’ big-box hardware stores has opened for business, with consumers in the Victorian suburb of Braybrook the first to set foot in the 13,500 square-metre Masters store.

Appliances Online has received seven nominations in the Online Retail Industry Awards (OIRAs), making it the most-nominated online retailer in the country.

Kogan.com.au saw a 264 percent rise in the number of products purchased this financial year, with Founder and CEO Ruslan Kogan reporting the strong figures are evidence of the online retail boom.

Local businesses in dire need of new business software are being encouraged to enter a new competition from Greentree Business Software, and go in the running to win a $250,000 boost.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has hit the road with Treasurer Andrew Fraser this week in a bid to lure investment and businesses back into the state, in the wake of the devastating floods that hit the state earlier this year.

Shop A Docket and Woolworths have re-established their partnership, in a move that will see Shop A Docket receipts again distributed at the point of sale in Woolworths and Big W stores across Australia.

2.7 million professionals are readily available on Freelancer.com to build an entrepreneur’s or small business’ global team, costing business owners as little as $30, according to CEO Matt Barrie.

Vancouver has resigned its post as the best city in the world to live in, allowing Melbourne to claim the prize position and top the ranks with a score of 97.5 percent.

Brad Callaughan blogs about choosing the right business structure from the very beginning.

“As a general rule, you need to look at the future projection of income you expect to earn. If you’re starting a small business that contains no risk and you’re looking at not exceeding turnover of $75,000, I would be comfortable for a start-up to operate as a sole trader or partnership.”

Harvey Norman has reported a 9 percent rise in profit for the year ended June, saying its franchising operations segment continues to underpin the overall performance of the group.

An independent analysis of Australian frequent flyer credit cards has revealed it can take up to nine years to earn a one-way trip to London. These results are compounded by credit card surcharges from retailers, airline taxes and annual fees that also eat away at points.

Businesses looking to offer their employees the flexibility of working from home are putting themselves at risk if they fail to adopt security measures suitable for dealing with a mobile workforce.

Double digit revenue and profit growth is predicted for the local franchise sector in the 2011 financial year, though poor consumer confidence and unstable global financial markets are leading franchisors to be more conservative in their outlook.

Soon-to-be mother of four and owner of Babes in Arms range Anita Lincolne-Lomax has been recognised as AusMumpreneur of the year, at the Bio-Oil AusMumpreneur Awards Ceremony held in Sydney on Saturday night.

Charles Pludthura blogs about making a decision about the software your business runs on.

“If you believe that your software is getting on in years, ask yourself: does it include modern, integrated productivity tools such as client relationship management, document management and workflow?”

Local CEOs are rapidly losing confidence in the economy; with the latest figures from The CEO Institute Business Confidence Index demonstrating a huge drop in positive sentiment.

Victorian retailers have welcomed news the state Government is looking to enact reforms to the definitions of ‘restricted retail’ zoning, to include a wider number of retail types in an effort to boost economic development.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released a statement about yesterday’s Federal Court decision to allow Metcash to acquire Franklins, unsurprisingly referring to the decision as “disappointing,” whilst consumer group Choice has cautiously welcomed the win.