The sorry state of our economy

Wed, 14/05/08 - StephenWilson
StephenWilson's picture

Who do you get from business -- which captain of industry -- to enlighten us about the budget?

Here’s proof positive of the malaise that besets our once-clever country. In the lead-up to the budget last Monday, ABC radio’s “The World Today” interviewed just one senior business identity for their view on what the economy needed from the government. It was Gerry Harvey.

In a progressive, innovative, competitive country – like Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Ireland or Finland perhaps – you’d expect to hear from CEOs in smart, export-oriented industries, such as biotech, energy, IT or communications. But in Australia, the most influential magnate we have is a consumer goods retailer. Isn't it really pathetic that a country's economy can be so dominated by the retail sector? No wonder the chief economic policy lever in Australia is the blunt instrument of interest rates.

And to add insult to injury for those of us who wish we were cleverer, when interest rates are hiked to slow things down, the Gerry Harveys of the world proudly proclaim it's not making any difference to them. Nope, sales just keep on keep rising!

When interests collide…

Wed, 14/05/08 - Douglascomms
Douglascomms's picture

Who comes first, the customer or the shareholder?

Define a "Working Family"?

Wed, 14/05/08 - alison gordon
alison gordon's picture

Is the introduction of means testing for welfare payments such as the baby bonus really going to bring us all closer together - or just reinforce a class divide and "us vs. them" mentality? 

Combating the skills shortage means rebuilding from within

Tue, 13/05/08 - Megan Motto

Megan Motto

We need to shift our organisational paradigm to measure our peers and ourselves based on results, not hours spent in the office.

We have to stop deluding ourselves. We have to let go of this baseless notion that the current skills shortage is somehow cyclical, and that someday soon we'll wake up to an economy where sourcing skilled staff is again a challenge but not an impossibility.

The problem is now critical. For the third year running a survey of our membership at the Association of Consulting Engineers Australia indicated that up to two thirds of projects are having to be delayed or put off indefinitely due to insufficient personnel to do the job.

Phil Burgess and what's wrong with our political culture

Tue, 13/05/08 - Site Administrator

Nicholas GruenBy Nicholas Gruen

It's not just bad politics to turn up somewhere in a powerful position and tell the locals that they don't quite measure up to standards back home.

I haven't paid much attention to Telstra's participation in the public policy debate. It usually manages to get itself seen in a fairly poor light at least if one is not paying much attention as I haven't been. Even so, I've just read this speech by Phil Burgess, and I'm impressed. I'm impressed with it because its argument is interesting, and quite persuasive - except for one thing. He outlines some differences between Australian and American political culture. He does so in a very informed and perceptive way (at least for someone who's only been here a while - and I presume he had some decent research assistance, and indeed wonder whether, as such leaders often do he's passing off research assistance as his own wide reading. But I may be being ungenerous.)

In any event, Phil thinks that Australian debate is not vigorous enough. That people defer too much to what the government and senior government figures think...

Paranoid about customer satisfaction? So you should be

Mon, 12/05/08 - Site Administrator

By Neil Stollznow

Responding to customer complaints and attempting to win them back generates a surprising level of customer loyality and enables you to create a significant point of difference in an otherwise indifferent market place.

Here's a scary thought: some of your customers don't like you, and no I don't just mean they are a little bit annoyed.

Why do they stay with you?  Some are so jaded that they don't believe they'll get anything better from anyone else, others find the transfer costs (i.e. their time) too onerous and the rest are locked into a contract - a little like consumer gaol.

Now, none of this is a problem so long as you're not working under the misconception that they're with you because they like your product or service, and that they're going to stay after their "contract" expires.

Here's an even scarier thought: some of your ex-customers don't like you, left without telling you, and are actively undoing all the good work your marketing department have been doing for so long.