Small firms – Big factor

As the federal election looms, a newly released white paper from the Media Precinct reveals that Australia’s small and medium-sized enterprises may now emerge as the deciding voice at the ballot box.

Boosting small business

CPA Australia has called on the next federal government to take urgent action to revitalise small business after its Australia-Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey has revealed low confidence in the Australian economy.

Are tax breaks broken?

Tax breaks for businesses are designed to encourage investment and economic growth, but – apart from filling the nation’s roads with aggressive Ute drivers – do they really work?

The soaring cost of retail crime

A new retail crime study has revealed escalating challenges for the retail sector, with shoplifting, employee theft, fraud and customer aggression rising to record levels.

The tax dodgers

Large companies in Australia and abroad spend a lot of time and effort avoiding their fair share of tax, often paying little or nothing back to society while reaping billions of dollars of profit.

The grey area

A new study from the University of Adelaide has revealed key markers that influence how commercial behaviour is perceived by courts, clarifying the line between legal and illegal conduct in commercial law.

Hi five!

‘Ebullient leadership’ can lift your workers out of the doldrums and increase productivity by making the office a ‘fun’ place to work.

You are being ripped off

Angry at covert pricing tactics? Blame inflation, a lack of competition and the insatiable greed of Australia’s supermarket duopoly.

Death by powerpoint

We’ve all sat through dreary powerpoint presentations which have distracted from, rather than complemented, the material being discussed, so how can it be done better?

Jobs for the boys?

Calls to ban the big accounting firms from auditing the companies they are also paid to consult sound sensible but could have unintended consequences.

Tourist traps

A decade after short-term tourist rentals debuted down under, the changes to tourist towns can be broken down to the good, the bad and the ugly.

Blockchain microcredit could boost international SMEs

A new blockchain approach to micro-credit transactions in Kenya could pave the way for its adoption in other developing nations – including the South Pacific.