News
Retailers will continue to face challenges over the next year as consumers return to saving their money, a franchising expert says. Stan Gordon, managing director of Franchised Food Company (FFCo) which owns Cold Rock Ice Creamery, Mr Whippy and Pretzel World, said shoppers had become frugal as a result of the global financial crisis. His […]
Apple, to celebrate its 10 billionth song download, is offering one lucky music lover a $10,000 iTunes gift card. Apple has seen continued success with its iTunes store and more recently their iPhone App Store, with 13-year-old Connor Mulcahey winning a similar Apple contest surrounding its 1 billionth application download. At the time of writing, […]
Tax agents are facing cashflow problems as the Australian Tax Office’s (ATO) new income tax processing system has been delayed. The common practice of accountants deducting their tax preparation fee from taxpayers’ refunds has been put into turmoil as the ATO have not processed 705,000 tax returns since last year. Adrian Raftery, CEO of accountantsRus, […]
In new research out today, an extension of the Do Not Call Register to include all Australian businesses phone and fax numbers will place a significant financial strain on the majority of Australia’s small businesses. The study commissioned by business search directory, TrueLocal.com.au in partnership with the Council of Small Business of Australia revealed 78% […]
Australian company Servcorp has serious growth ambitions, with approximately 50 new office openings on the horizon. Over the next 12 months, Servcorp is opening new doors in Australia, USA, Europe, Japan, Asia, Middle East and India. Most notably, Servcorp is taking on the business capital of the world and opening over 10 new offices on […]
Facebook’s privacy settings and the issue of identity theft are under the microscope again, with AVG warning users against over-sharing their personal information online. With more and more people using Facebook and sharing personal data, criminals are finding it a rich source of income – they are harvesting and selling information, stealing identities, sending spam […]
In news that will come as no surprise to many employers, employment site, CareerOne.com.au today revealed its list of top 10 interview mistakes made by job hunters. CareerOne.com.au spoke to employers and recruiters who offered up some of their worst interview experiences. Angela Vithoulkas who owns the VIVO Café franchise in Sydney said that one […]
Australia’s publishing industry received a significant boost today as the Federal Government established a new Book Industry Strategy Group. This group will help Australia’s $1.5 billion book industry meet the challenges of increased online book sales and grasp the opportunities presented by the emerging ebook market. The strategy group will bring together representatives from across […]
Sydney’s M4 motorway will be going toll free as of midnight tonight after the company operating the toll road State Wide Roads hands over control of the motorway to the state government. Opinions differ as to whether removing the toll will benefit commuters, with the SMH arguing “Scrapping the M4 toll now would leave a […]
Melbourne has edged out arch rival Sydney in the annual global livability survey by The Economist magazine’s Economist Intelligence Unit. Melbourne came in 3rd with Sydney 5th in the livability index. Amazingly Australia holds four of the top ten places with Adelaide and Perth sharing 8th spot on the ladder. The survey ranked 140 global […]
Google has updated the Chrome beta for Mac, adding support for extensions to the web browser. The new beta release of Chrome for Mac offers extensions, bookmark sync, and more. With this new version, you’ll be able to install any of over 2,200 extensions (and counting!) currently available in Chrome’s extensions gallery. You can manage […]
Online marketing spend may have increased, but marketers still don’t know how to use online tools effectively is the conclusion of a global Coremetrics study, “The Face of the New Marketer,” which finds that while most marketers report a desire to use online data to personalise their marketing efforts and deliver tailored offers to their […]
Australia’s only survey on fraud in the not-for-profit sector has revealed that the incidence of fraud among respondents has fallen over the past two years and involves relatively small amounts of cash or inventory when compared with large public and private companies. The 2010 survey, conducted biannually by leading national accounting and advisory firm BDO, […]
The latest Bank of Queensland Straight Talk Survey has found that even in the internet age, customers are most likely to vote with their feet when confronted with poor service. “Eighty-four percent of those surveyed said they would simply take their business elsewhere when dissatisfied with customer service,” Bank of Queensland Group Executive Daniel Musson […]
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 is the topic of discussion at Macworld 2010. Microsoft is answering with details on how you can create and share your ideas using Office for Mac 2011, the next version of the productivity suite on the Mac. The suite has new connections to Microsoft services so you can work together […]
The Woolworths price check website, launched on Thursday is a long overdue recognition by the supermarket giant that consumers deserve greater price transparency on grocery products. The new Woolworths price check website follows the growing calls from consumer advocates for the major supermarket chains to publish on their respective websites the prices of all products […]
Workplace bullying is in the spotlight as the Victorian Government through WorkCover deploys a team of specialist inspectors to crack down on bullying in the workplace after the tragic death of 19-year-old Brodie Panlock. In the wake of Ms Panlock’s death, up to 40,000 workplaces will face snap inspections as a part of the WorkCover […]
The National Institute of Accountants (NIA) has recommended to the Federal Government that small businesses should be compensated for the time they spend being unpaid tax collectors. Increases in the level of complexity of tax laws have meant compliance has become more onerous with the costs on small business being disproportionate to their ability to […]
Businesses are looking at the fundamentals of demand for green initiatives from customers as political debate rages on the best way to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions, with a new report finding that consumer demand outweighs tax incentives as a key driver to operate a more sustainable business. Over 250 businesses across Australia were analysed by […]
Campos Coffee have teamed up with KeepCup to introduce reusable takeaway cups at Campos Coffee in Fortitude Valley, saving an estimated 3.5 million wasteful paper cups this year, or the equivalent of 49 tonnes of landfill. Designed in Australia and made from a durable polypropylene material, the Campos KeepCup has already proven popular with regulars […]
