News

The NBN will reduce costs and open up revenue generating opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses. Kevin Brown, Head of Corporate Services at NBN Co Limited, explains how.

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.

The end of the financial year is one of the most anxious times for Australian small businesses, with many reporting bewilderment at the complexity of tax reporting in the latest American Express Tax Time Survey.

Sydney’s up and coming small businesses are being invited to register for the 2011 City of Sydney Business Awards, which are being badged as the ideal springboard for any business looking to raise its profile.

Logitech’s Australian director George Saad blogs about the impacts to employee comfort, productivity and performance when businesses choose to use laptops over desktop PCs.

“With laptop technology matching some desktop computers, businesses are opting for the portability of laptops. The convenience of this is self-evident, however the price is more than the dollars spent.”

Telstra has detailed plans to invest significantly in cloud computing over the next five years, to better support growing demand from Australian businesses of all sizes for cloud services.

Small and micro businesses are being driven from the CBD’s of at least three major Australian cities, due to the tight commercial market and a lack of affordability for premium office space.

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?

99 percent of small business owners making use of the Government’s Superannuation Clearing House have reported being satisfied with the service, and said they’d recommend it to other small businesses.

Make it Cheaper’s Tim Wolfenden spent some time in country NSW recently, which allowed him to get a “bit of a reality check” about upcoming electricity price rises.

“Households and small businesses across NSW will see their electricity bills soar by an average of 17.3 percent. This will add an extra $1000 onto an average small business bill of $6000. Where’s that going to come from?”

40 percent of Australian businesses are successfully winning new customers through social networking activity, according to a new global survey from Regus, with over two-thirds reporting that marketing campaigns are less effective if they don’t feature a social media component.

Brett Morris blogs about the most effective means of managing employees.

“In a frenetic business environment, managers are easily pulled every which way. Couple this time pressure with a lack of management maturity and too often managers fall into the fatal trap of attempting to manage their people as a group.”

The second annual Dream Employers survey was launched by RedBalloon and Insync Surveys this week, giving the public an opportunity to again cast their vote for the most desirable employers in Australia and New Zealand.

Frequent flyers have singled out the American Express Velocity Platinum Card as the most rewarding co-brand card for high-spending flyers.

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.

Just 26% of Australian businesses expect to increase hiring in the next three months, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, which found the Retail and Manufacturing sectors are holding back the rest of the employment market.

Julian Smith blogs about the importance of looking beyond the end of the financial year.

“Yep, I know time is scarce – you’re already flat out trying to wrap up this financial year and time to plan ahead looks hard to find – but do try to set the time aside, as it will give you the opportunity to set your business up to start the new financial year on the right foot.”

Organisations without clearly defined mobile phone usage policies and monitoring systems leave themselves open to financial, reputation, legal and security risks, a Stratatel leadership paper has found.

SMBs have just a couple of weeks left to ensure they’re prepared for changes to rules regarding paid parental leave and sex discrimination, according to Truman Hoyle partner and employment law expert Fiona Inverarity.