There’s one factor above all others that can help lift a nation’s productivity growth and boost its prosperity and living standards according to a recent report by CSIRO, NAB and 20 other organisations. That factor is technology adoption.
The business conditions index decreased 2pts to +13 in 2018 Q3, but remains well above its long-run average. Business confidence also fell, declining 4pts to +3 index points, a little below its historical average.
Australian agribusinesses are joining forces with universities to harness growing interest in agricultural careers and develop the future industry leadership needed to succeed in the global agricultural marketplace.
Traditional law and accounting firms need to take a hard look at their business models and ways of pricing, or they risk getting left behind. The man who brought the term NewLaw to the world and has researched and written extensively on the subject gives five pieces of advice.
In a changing world, success increasingly comes to those who can devise the most creative solutions to pressing problems. Here we profile seven books to help you reset your thinking, up your flow and tap into your inner creative.
Corporate social responsibility sounds like an excellent idea but in practice it often goes straight into the too-hard basket. Here’s how taking your staff away from the daily grind can save your business in all the ways that matter.
Does focusing on staff satisfaction and building a reputation as a great place to work translate into bottom line benefits for companies? Analytics company SAS believes the answer is yes.
Business leaders can feel isolated with nowhere to turn for advice or support – which is what inspired Jason Tunbridge to co-found the Leadership Think Tank. He and three members discuss the benefits of speaking out.
Empathy is vital for good leadership but technology can get in the way. Leadership coach Mike Irving discusses the role of empathy in the workplace and how to build your skills.
This talented Australian professional sportswoman has been kicking goals both in the world of international football and at her university studies in pharmacy.
New laws will soon protect small businesses from unfair terms in standard form contracts. Philip Trinca, a partner at law firm Ashurst, discusses the impact of the changes.
Listening to their customers’ needs and responding has helped husband and wife team Anoop and Fiona Anchal build a successful business specialising in custom-made corporate uniforms.
Former refugee Dr Munjed Al Muderis is an orthopaedic surgeon specialising in hip, knee, trauma and osseointegration surgery – a high-tech procedure that has transformed the lives of many amputees, both in Australia and around the world.
Digital innovation as well as increasing demand for Australia’s health expertise overseas are two of the big opportunities ahead for the local healthcare sector, says NAB Health’s new General Manager, Cameron Fuller.
More flexible working hours at all levels of business – for both men and women – and family-friendly workplaces are just some of the changes that need to be widely adopted if parity is to be achieved.
Hard work, patience, sound recruitment practices and good advice are behind the growth of Johnson Partners, according to Theo Rigopoulos. These attributes have helped the accountancy firm grow tenfold. Now employing 40 staff, it’s in demand with SMEs and high-net-worth individuals.
Kim Brotherson, Managing Director of Pharmacy 777 and Bruce Annabel, Pharmacy Business Consultant and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacy Management at QUT, share their top five tips for creating a thriving community pharmacy.
“Success always starts with passion and an unrelenting drive to make it work,” according to leading workplace lawyer Fay Calderone, who is a Partner at DibbsBarker Sydney.
The health and wellbeing revolution is sweeping through workplaces, with forward-thinking companies making an effort to promote healthier lifestyles, more flexible working conditions and better work-life balance. We discuss some simple ways SMEs can get on board.
Ainslie Chemmart Compounding Pharmacy’s Colette Needham is embracing the challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry by positioning the pharmacy as an all round destination for health and wellbeing.
Taking charge of the family business after the death of his father, Peter Freedman persevered through tough times to grow Freedman Electronics from a single shop in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield to become RØDE Microphones – one of Australia’s great export success stories.
A new medical practice can be designed to reflect your vision and may also cost less than an established business. Nathan Marris, Relationship Manager at Medfin Finance, shares his tips for success, and practice owner Dr Prema Joseph discusses why she chose to start from scratch.
The stronger the team, the more successful the company. Rob Scott from Presence of IT, an HR/payroll and workforce management consultancy, shares his tips for recruiting, retaining and managing the highly-skilled people a growing business needs.
Amanda Dobbie, CEO of not-for-profit organisation, Women in Banking and Finance (WiBF), reflects on her role promoting gender balance and shares her top tips for small businesses looking for greater gender diversity in their organisations.
After bringing the Fitness First chain to Australia and building it into the biggest chain of health clubs in the country, Tony de Leede left in 2008. He now co-owns a range of health and wellness businesses. See what a typical day in his life looks like.
Managing staff leave effectively is an ongoing challenge for business owners. Martin Nally, Founder of hranywhere, explains how openness and flexibility help keep employees happy and keep any impact on the business to a minimum.
Launching a casual home-style Mexican restaurant in Swan Street, Richmond, in 2011, Fonda now has four restaurants in Melbourne with 160 staff and annual turnover of $15 million.
Like every other business owner, a general practitioner (GP) needs a business plan. Tristan Bond, Founder of The Healthcare Business Group, and GP Dr Karen Price discuss the benefits of a plan, what it should cover and how a business coach could help doctors to stay on track.
Australian companies are leading the world in their use of online freelancers. Kyri Theos, Australian Country Manager of Upwork, and Toby Jenkins, co-founder and CEO of Bluewire Media, discuss how having international access to millions of skilled people could change the way we do business.
Meetings can be an expensive use of your time. Ed Robins, Director and Principal Consultant at ProFocus Business Performance Consulting and Training, discusses the importance of testing the business case, considering alternatives and keeping everyone on track.
It’s half a century since the founders of The Pancake Parlour first wowed Aussie diners with fresh, delicious pancakes but age has not wearied the Melbourne dining institution whose charm and innovative strategies continue to drive its success.
Simon Hill is the Co-founder, Director and Investor in a diverse range of e-commerce businesses. He believes in promoting a less stressful work environment by giving his employees more control over how many hours they work and from where.
Continuous improvement is fundamental to business success. Training and management consultant Derek Stockley explains how leading by example and creating the right culture can engage and motivate your employees as well as generate new ideas.
Vince Frost has built a successful design business by saying ‘yes’ and meaning it. He discusses the benefits of a building a positive culture, the importance of moving outside your comfort zone and why it pays to think twice before saying ‘no’.
Influence isn’t about telling people what to do or even expecting them to respond to a logical argument. Neuroleadership expert Jon Pratlett draws on the latest findings in neuroscience to provide practical advice on using influence to shape a successful business.
Every working environment has the potential to create stress but, when you’re running a small or medium enterprise (SME), the pressure can be particularly intense. Exercise, healthy eating and shedding unhealthy habits are recommended as some of the best methods to cope.
With a skilled workforce of blind and vision-impaired employees, the Royal Society for the Blind Industrial Services in South Australia has carved out a reputation for providing efficient, cost effective and high quality packaging and assembly services to a range of businesses.
Given the link between workplace satisfaction and productivity, and between consumption and wellbeing, creating a happy workplace should be a key focus for any business. We share some intriguing data to help businesses considering how to improve staff engagement and customer satisfaction.
BRW named brand promotion business, Zinc, one of the top 10 ‘great places to work’. Believing the commitment and loyalty of his team has been fundamental to Zinc's success, Peter Cleary shares his secrets for keeping good people by creating great workplace culture.
From fresh-faced cadet journalist to business publishing kingpin, Alan Kohler has traversed a lot of ground. In his journey across the desk he’s learned the difference between business commentator and business owner, and just how much graft it takes to make a business work.
As a small business gets bigger it increasingly becomes a people business. Chief Happiness Officer at The Happiness Institute, Dr Timothy Sharp, explains the importance of culture in an organisation and how a person’s immediate manager becomes most vital to a sense of wellbeing.
Turning a business around can be challenging – but the tougher the turn, the sweeter the rewards. David Koch, Chairman of Port Adelaide Football Club, explains how he helped take the Power from financial hardship and the bottom of the AFL ladder to the finals in three short seasons.
Barwon Health’s Volunteers Services Director sees volunteers as community advocates who enhance the healthcare experience of consumers. Recognised at the 2014 NAB Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards, Zoe Waters is now taking her message to a wider audience.
The inaugural NAB Australian Business Diversity Index is a new addition to NAB’s Quarterly Business Survey, and it aims to help Australian industries and businesses better understand diversity performance, in an effort to drive change.
If your employees underperform there may be a good reason. Jon Pratlett, creator of the seminar ‘Leading with the brain in mind’, suggests some simple ways to understand employee behaviour, become a ‘brain friendly’ leader and nip poor performance in the bud.
Many general practitioners have been exposed to aggressive behaviour yet few have taken steps to protect themselves. Researcher Dr Danny Hills explains his six simple strategies for keeping a medical practice a safer and less stressful place to work.
In this edition, Business View magazine highlights the success of businesses working with, inspired and supported by family. Our cover story features how Mildura Brewery owners Stefano de Pieri and wife Donata Carrazza successfully blend family and business.
George Kohlrieser, veteran hostage negotiator and Professor of Leadership and Organisational Behaviour at the International Institute for Management Development, shared key insights into how leaders can best draw out the potential of their teams.
Good ideas with no execution ends in no results. There are seven simple tools for developing a culture of excellent execution, says global business and leadership consultant Ram Charan. He has worked extensively with some of the world’s leading corporates.
Lyn Heward, former Director of Creation, President and COO of the Creative Content Division of Cirque du Soleil challenges every individual and company to go through what she calls ‘the seven doors’ to enhance creativity, motivate high performers and foster innovation.
There’s been a lot for Aussie businesses to talk about recently, from shoes to defence contracts - Australian and global markets appear to be bursting with opportunities. Here's a selection of business insights to help you uncover the opportunities across all business sectors in 2014
National wellbeing improves after falling in the previous two quarters, but anxiety continues to rise with more than one-third of Australians currently “highly” anxious. The NAB Australian Wellbeing Index rose to 64.6 points in Q1 2014 (63.5 points in Q4 2013).
Bullying can cause physical and psychological harm to employees and undermine good business. Alex Jenkins of Davidson Trahaire Corpsych suggests ways to create a workplace culture which supports the health and productivity of everyone in the organisation.
Finding and keeping the right people is fundamental to the success of any business. Gavin O’Meara, Manager of People and Culture at Ramsay Health Care, explains how planning, preparation and ongoing support can help you build an engaged and productive team.
The summer edition of Business View Magazine explores the ecosystem behind the business of sport, looking at how entrepreneurs working in and with the sports sector deal with changes in the business environment. Download the free iPad edition via our new publications app NAB Think.
A farm can be a dangerous place for farmers, their families, workers and even visitors. John Temperley, Executive Officer of Farmsafe Australia, discusses some of the most common hazards and shares practical steps for making farms safer for everyone.
A successful business needs quality employees but in agriculture, skills are in short supply. Rimfire Resource's Nigel Crawley suggests ways to attract the right recruits and explains how the Career Harvest initiative could bring more young people into the industry.
A business that depends on one person for its success is a business at risk - but stepping back is rarely easy, particularly for the founder of a family business. Bill Noye, Partner in charge of KPMG Private Enterprise in Brisbane, suggests ways to make the process as smooth as possible.
As the war for talent intensifies, business owners with an eye on the future are nurturing older workers. Michael Hyatt, Director, Human Capital Advisory at Deloitte Australia, discusses the benefits of maturity and the importance of harnessing skills and experience.
In this edition, we delve into the experiences of finance commentator turned business builder Alan Kohler, detail bringing an invention to life and explore running a business in an extreme climate. We also cover retaining staff, handling tax in your SMSF and negotiating contracts in China.
Agriculture in Australia has an exciting future. The changing landscape of Australian agriculture is creating a raft of opportunities across the sector and for the first time in years, agricultural student enrolments are up, and quite significantly.
The NBN will make it possible for more employees to work anywhere - could that be good for your business? Dr Yvette Blount, Research Coordinator of Macquarie University’s Anywhere Working Research Network, discusses the benefits and obstacles you might want to consider.
Business conditions improve in the quarter but still soft. However, Monthly survey results suggest conditions weakened towards the end of the quarter. Forward indicators remain very weak. Confidence up a touch but still at downbeat levels – especially mining
Businesses can't plan for every adversity but Italian restaurant franchise, La Porchetta has proved that a good crisis plan helps owners and employees deal with the worst of tragedies.
Currently working with family, or considering it? KeepCup CEO, Abigail Forsyth, who’s in business with her brother Jamie (both pictured), gives the scoop on how to make it work.
Commentary on labour productivity growth. Labour productivity growth has slowed markedly in recent years, prompting calls for further economic reform. There is evidence that the mining and utilities industries may have been responsible for around half of this slowdown. This may reflect delays in high levels of new investment coming on stream and the strength […]
Do you run business meetings that tend to go overtime and don’t stick to the agenda? How you chair a meeting can impact dramatically on the outcome. From body language to voice tone, here are some tips to help chair with flair.
Whether you’ve been asked to perform your first keynote, or you just want to face a fear, speaking in front of a crowd can be enormously empowering. It can also increase your visibility as a business leader. Fortunately, the speakers’ stage is not reserved for veteran CEOs. What audiences want The one demand Australian audiences […]
With Australia’s constantly evolving population, cultural diversity should be firmly fixed on the radar of every business in this country, according to Lena Belin, founder of intercultural consultancy and training company, Cultura Franca.
Passionate business owners know they have a lot to offer employees but how do they communicate that to job hunters and existing staff? There are some initiatives businesses can employ to attract and retain the right people.
Businesses need to differentiate themselves from competitors if they’re to be successful in the quest for talented staff. The quest for talent is set to heat up and as businesses compete for staff, there are strategies managers can use to ensure that their businesses attract and retain good people. Suzie Ward, senior consultant at specialist […]
With an increasing focus on work–life balance, an organisation has a lot to gain from allowing employees to work from home. Creating a virtual office environment can transform a business, save money and improve staff morale and work rates, according to John Maley, Director of Unisys HR. Speaking from direct experience. Unisys, an information service […]
Adopting a systemised sales structure not only leads to greater efficiency for the sales team but also strengthens overall business performance. Many of Lackovic’s clients complain that, while they’re able to systemise processes such as accounts, administration, recruitment and so on, it’s very difficult to systemise sales. But without a structure, he says, sales teams […]
When it’s time to pass the family business baton on to the next generation, it’s vital to make sure that it’s a well-rehearsed and seamless transition. In any business, succession planning is critical to continuity and long-term success. But research suggests that in family businesses, this important area of planning is often neglected. Andrew Ward, […]
Identifying and utilising the strengths of individuals is key to both business growth and employee engagement. That is the overriding message that Lanja Fletcher delivers to business owners when teaching about strength-based leadership.
