Time for change in the workplace?

The relentless march of technology has delivered many labour saving devices but greater productivity has benefited employers more than employees. So will large language models and generative artificial intelligence deliver a golden age of social prosperity or drive millions out of work?

Checkout capitalism

As you pack your own purchases at Coles or Woolworths this week, having paid 50% more for your family’s food that you did a couple of years ago, take a moment to consider the ways Australia’s predatory duopoly dominates the nation’s food supply and exemplify the ‘chokepoint capitalism’ defined by Cory Doctorow.

Zombies in the corner office

Outdated “zombie” perceptions of leadership persist across society despite being repeatedly debunked, University of Queensland research has found.

The big rip-off

After decades of relatively stable prices, big Australian businesses such as the energy firms and supermarkets leapt at the chance to rack up prices and record profits after the pandemic.

The right to disconnect

Australian workers are set to have the right to disconnect from their workplaces once they clock off for the day.

Mixed reality – mixed results?

Companies such as Occulus, Microsoft and Meta have been trying to make virtual reality headsets happen for years, but Apple has a knack of dominating segments by charging twice as much for an established idea and pretending it invented them, so how will its $4,000 Vision Pro do? Can it make looking ridiculous cool?

The backlash against big tech

Governments around the world keep filing antitrust lawsuits against the ‘big four’ tech companies. Here’s why that matters for everyone who uses their products.

Five reasons why smaller firms should embrace ESG

Investors, regulators, and consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the ESG performance of small and mid-sized companies, meaning such firms must take their performance more seriously to compete.

In search of sustainable finance

Targeted disclosure rules, sustainability duties for company directors, and mandatory human rights and environmental obligations for large companies should be included in Australia’s Sustainable Finance Strategy.

Old wine in new bottles

Mass market wine producers would like to boost their profit margins by swapping glass bottles for plastic, aluminium or paper containers under the guise of reducing carbon emissions and are researching why consumers still prefer traditional bottles.

Plays well with others

The surge in people working from home has increased, rather than decreased, employers’ demand for employees with good inter-personal skills.

Shops till they drop

Retail has long been on the retreat in the nation’s state capitals, with competition from online stores, traffic congestion and residential developments, and the recovery from the COVID disaster has been slow, not least in Melbourne.