News
A new franchise opportunity has opened up for adventurous entrepreneurs looking to work in a fun and heart-racing industry. Extreme Driving Rally Drive Day Centres is looking for franchisees in all states and territories across the country. The company currently has six Rally Drive Centres around the country, with plans to open an additional 20 […]
Research in Motion (RIM), the company behind Blackberry, has today unveiled a new regional headquarters in Sydney to service the Australian and New Zealand market. The new headquarters was formally unveiled by Mr Thomas A.MacDonald, Consul General of Canada and features extensive training facilities, a research and development centre, a strategic partner marketing centre and […]
A new business survey conducted by Reckon Limited, has shown that despite a slowing economy, rising unemployment and the fear of recession, Australian businesses do not expect their business to slow down. The survey, distributed to more than 21,000 business owners in December of last year, revealed that 53 percent of business operators expect an […]
A draft plan by the Australian Tax Office may see employers forced to include overtime, maternity and paternity leave into time earnings when calculating superannuation. The move could cost businesses $1 billion, according to estimates by the Australian Industry Group. Small business opposition spokesperson Steve Ciobo says an employee on an average wage taking 12 […]
The market for first home buyers has just gotten a whole lot sweeter with the launch of new website Our Home Sweet Home www.ourhomesweethome.com.au, designed to provide first home buyers with all the information they need to purchase a home and realise the great Australian dream of home ownership. The independent site offers tools, calculators […]
Research conducted by Optus has highlighted the need for small to medium businesses (SMBs) to receive training and advice on how to run their business, with over 60 percent of those surveyed wanting more “grassroots advice and training” according to Phil Offer, Optus small and medium business marketing director. The key areas of focus for […]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has encouraged the Australian Government to let the Federal Budget go into deficit for the longer-term benefit of preserving the Australian economy. The fund has predicted that Australia can expect a 0.2 percent contraction to the economy in the coming year. Government spending has already softened the impact of the […]
If the threat of terrorism wasn’t enough of a blow, the tourism industry looks like it will shed thousands of jobs due to the global financial crisis and the subsequent drop in travel. Almost 500,000 people are directly employed in the tourism industry. More than half of tourism operators will look to cut staff this […]
While most franchise companies find it difficult to attract female franchisees, for Xpresso Delight co-founders Stephen Spitz and Paul Crabtree, it is a piece of cake. Women comprise 39 percent of Xpresso Delight franchises; a feat considering the industry average is a mere 27.9 percent. According to Spitz, the business allows for women to work […]
Moves by federal advisory organisation, the National Preventative Health Taskforce, to ban advertising junk food and alcohol under certain conditions would dampen economic activity, according to the Advertising Federation of Australia. “This is not the time to destimulate the economy, certainly not when $20 billion is being spent stimulating it,” notes Mark Champion, the group’s […]
Whether inflation rises or falls, the Reserve Bank is likely to cut the official rate by another 75 to 100 basis points (0.751 percent), predict economists. Figures to be released later today are expected to show a drop in inflation, though economists are divided as to the direction of the consumer price index (CPI) for […]
Employer confidence has dropped to critical levels according to a report issued by HR Coach Research Institute, with the National Employer Confidence sitting at just 65 percent. The latest HR Quarterly Index figures have everyone concerned, with the employer confidence crisis at risk of reducing business productivity levels, according to Louise Broekman, founder of the […]
One concept that has dominated the financial services industry for decades and which has had a significant impact on the performance of portfolios in recent years is the notion of dollar cost averaging. According to industry experts, dollar cost averaging reduces the risk of investing in volatile markets and helps to avoid the ‘so called’ […]
More than half of Australians fear a Depression is not far off, according to TNS’ Financial Crisis Study. The study looks at how the global financial crisis is affecting consumers in the UK, France, Germany, US and Australia. While Australians remain more positive about the outlook for 2009 than the UK, France and the US, […]
It’s that time of year again, when the world’s leading media executives and entrepreneurs gather together for Media ‘09 to discuss the future of digital media and how businesses can survive in a downturn. The one-day international gathering, to be held in Sydney on February 13, entitled “Media 09: The Annual Forecast for Digital Media […]
Super funds have taken yet another beating from the global financial crisis, sliding 19.7 percent last year, and recording a marginal loss of 0.12 percent for December, according to SuperRatings. The financial crisis, which has seen world share markets decline by 40 to 50 percent, has had a largely negative impact on super funds, but […]
SMEs are warned to be aware that staff entitlements must be upheld even in times of financial crisis. The Federal Workplace Ombudsman recently awarded $65,000 to eleven workers at a Brisbane manufacturing company who lost their jobs following the business closure last year. Executive Director Michael Campbell said that initial efforts to recover the money […]
Business is going mobile with market research firm iSuppli reporting that in the third quarter of 2008, global laptop computer shipments topped those of desktops for the first time ever. Laptop shipments rose nearly 40 percent while desktop shipments declined 1.3 percent, both compared to the same period the previous year. “Momentum has been building […]
It seems that despite all the doom and gloom surrounding the global financial crisis, Australian businesses remain surprisingly optimistic about the future. According to the 2009 Grant Thornton International Business Report, Australia is one of only 12 countries in the world that remain positive about the financial outlook for 2009. While global optimism has slumped […]
The rental property market has taken another blow, with figures released by ABS showing that investment housing loans dropped 7.4 percent for the month of November. These figures are worrisome, according to Housing Industry Association (HIA), chief executive, Chris Lamont who believes that this will have a severe impact on the rental market and could […]
