If it was up to Australia’s small businesses, the Coalition would retain government if an election was held this month, according to the MYOB Australian Small Business Survey. Forty five per cent of small businesses surveyed believed that John Howard would make a better Prime Minister than Kevin Rudd (at 33%), a slight increase in […]
Former US Vice President Al Gore will be the keynote speaker at the launch of the FEX Sustainability and Cleantech Investment Market (FEX-SIM) on September 14. FEX-SIM will be an Australasian equity market designed to encourage investment in sustainable businesses and clean technology entrepreneurship. While the market will certainly attract ethical and ecologically minded investment […]
What are your staff worth? A study conducted by recruitment firm Chandler Macleod has revealed that only 55 percent of all professional workers surveyed received a pay rise in the last 12 months. Of the professionals who received a salary increase, 40 percent had to ask for it, suggesting that many employees knew their worth […]
Almost 60 percent of small business owners are dissatisfied with their financial services provider, states the results of the Australian SME Market Industry Report, jointly undertaken by JP Morgan and Fujitsu. Of these dissatisfied owners, all would consider switching lenders. Despite this, half of the business owners surveyed have never switched lenders because they believe […]
Retailers in the Sydney CBD have suffered a dramatic slump in sales due to the APEC summit Those shops in the Pitt Street Mall and surrounding streets have been especially hard hit and many shop staff have been told to stay at home, or work reduced hours. Fears have also been expressed that staff working […]
September is set to be a beacon in the gloom according to a recent survey conducted by Dun & Bradstreet. The D&B Business Expectations Survey, completed by 1,200 business owners and executives, projects positive things for the September quarter including expectations of increased sales and capital investment and positive growth in profits, employment and inventories. […]
Despite succession being one of the most important issues that will affect small businesses, results from the Australian Family and Private Business Survey show that 75 percent of Australian small business leaders have no documented succession plan in place. This statistic prompted Ernst & Young Australia to launch the Small Business Succession Planning program, a […]
Improving the financial health of your business is more than just getting more clients or more sales across the line – In some cases, growth can actually elicit problems in the business, especially if cash flow isn’t managed properly – Christine Christian takes us through simple steps to help manage cash flow and mitigate risk […]
There’s been some confusion since WorkChoices about employers’ rights and responsibilities when setting up contracts for their workers – At the minimum, employment contracts should at least meet legal requirements and be clear to both parties – Mark Dunphy and Alison Baker examine the crucial clauses and explain what a court may deem to be ‘reasonable’ […]
