News

Online retail is expected to grow by 40 percent by 2012 according to research released alongside the Online Retailer Expo and Conference in Sydney.

The financial services industry has well and truly shrugged off the global financial crisis, with employer confidence at its highest level in close to a decade.

Australian SMB’s are among the most prolific in the world when it comes to sourcing products and services internationally according to data from Alibaba.com.

Housing affordability has continued to worsen over the past year, with first home buyers needing on average 4.5 years to save for a house deposit, up from 3.7 years, and many forced to save for over a decade.

Australian employer confidence has increased to its highest levels since July 2008, with employer hiring intentions for the next quarter up 3.4 percent.

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to hold interest rates at 4.5 percent is welcomed by home owners still struggling after the sharp increases in interest rates earlier this year.

Expectations amongst business owners and executives for the new financial year are lackluster at best, with six key indicators of business strength declining
since the previous quarter.

It’s been tough going recently for small businesses in terms of initiatives introduced by the Government. While it may seem the Government is acting for the greater good, small business will bear the brunt of many of these changes.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has decided in it’s monthly board meeting today to leave interest rates on hold at 4.5 percent as it waits on second quarter inflation data from the ABS.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) have discovered email marketing campaigns that included customer ratings and reviews attained a 40 percent higher click-through rate, which correspondingly turned into higher transaction numbers from electronic direct mail campaigns.

Employers are warned about a potential spike in staff turnover as the end of the financial year means staff bonuses and salary changes start hitting employee bank accounts.

Accounting and business advisory firm, Hall Chadwick, has established a link with China’s biggest domestically owned accounting firm, ShineWing Certified Public Accountants.

National Australia Bank (NAB) has joined rivals Westpac and StGeorge Bank in paying employees superannuation on unpaid parental leave.

Both Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan and Federal Opposition leader Tony Abbott will address the COSBOA National Small Business Summit in Brisbane this week.

A wave of fraudulent emails purporting to be from the Australian Government are in circulation currently, reportedly concerning Tax Refunds and the end of financial year.

Accountants remain the trusted advisers to Australian small business with almost 70 percent of business owners claiming they would consult their accountant on business decisions.

Ray White CBD Residential has acquired inner city rental business Marshall of Brisbane CBD Pty Ltd, expanding its foothold in the inner city residential rental market.

Job ads grew by 2.7 percent in June, following an increase of 2.7 percent in May according to the latest data in the ANZ Job Advertisements Series.

Businesses that use Apple’s iPhone are warned they might encounter trouble with their exchange servers once updating their iPhone’s to the latest iOS4.0 operating system.

Melbourne Medical Deputising Service (MMDS) has won the top honours in the 2010 Telstra Victorian Business Awards.