BUSINESS NETWORKING Frankston | Mornington Peninsula | Dandenong
FEBRUARY 2015 I FREE
MAKING MOVIES EVERY PICTURE TELLS YOUR STORY
ENERGY WARS DIVIDENDS DROP AS GAS PRICES FOLLOW OIL
RETIREMENT BENEFITS
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BRINGING A LIFETIME OF EXPERIENCE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS FOR THE DISABLED
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ISSUE 53 / FEBRUARY 2015
FRANKSTON / MORNINGTON PENINSULA / DANDENONG
TONY MURRELL KEITH PLATT MARG HARRISON DAVID HILET MELANIE LARKE SIMON BROWN Design MARLON PLATT Finance ANITA HILET
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VIGILANCE CALL: Business group calls on traders to watch for evidence of terrorist activity. INDIVIDUALISM REIGNS:
There is a gradual loss of faith in the old institutions ... they’re all on the nose.
COLUMNS Networking: Ivan Misner Social Media: Jessica Humphrey Law: Jacqueline Conquest Health: Mike Ellis Markets: Richard Campbell Managing: Hamish Petrie COVER: Bill Hallet is part of a group making life easier for the disabled. PAGE 12 Cover photo: Keith Platt
BUSINESS
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ON LOCATION: Sean Cousins teaches travellers to document their adventures. PAGE 20
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FEBRUAR Y 2015 I
FREE
MAKIN MOVIESG
EVERY PICTURE TELLS YOUR STORY
ENERGY WARS
DIVIDENDS DROP AS PRICES FOLLOW GAS OIL
RETIRE BRINGING
A LIFETIM
MENT BE
E OF EXPERI
ENCE TO
SOLVE PROBL
NEFITS
EMS FOR
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PROFILE
n Bizzquiz Our business planning entails... doing the best job possible for each and every client
I dreamed of being... a princess with magical powers.
I’ll know I’m successful when... I no longer care what others think of me
My first paid job was... for $3 an hour at the fish and chip shop. My boss said “you work for me longer, and I’ll pay you more”. I didn’t stay on for the pay increase.
My mother and father always told me... about the importance of making the most of your education
In 10 years I will be... operating a wellrespected and established legal firm on the Mornington Peninsula and enjoying adventures with my husband.
I wish I had not… I have no regrets.
Tip for success... work to your strengths and get help for those things you are not so good at I am inspired by... Sir Richard Branson, for his drive, vision, sense of adventure and fun. Anyone starting a business should... do your homework, have a clear vision and go for it.
I wish I had... a photographic memory
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BusinessTimes Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong | February 2015
NATION’S EYES AND EARS
Terror alert plea to business government agencies involved in national security would like small business people to report anything they consider suspicious - whether it’s the purchase of chemicals that normally wouldn’t occur, odd money transactions or any other behaviour that may be of concern.
We may need to get over a natural reluctance to dob someone in or get involved. – Peter Strong , CEO, Council of Small Business Australia
“We have always kept a watch out for criminals and thieves, for fire traps and dangerous situations and we work with the relevant authorities as necessary to help minimise risk. “The current national security situation is challenging for all of us as we try to under-
stand the dangers and risks. The government agencies do not want us to be alarmed but they do want phone calls to be made if we see something of concern.” • In the lead up to the November 2014 Victorian election COSBOA and the federal government seemed to be marching to a different drum. The organisation’s logo appeared in newspaper advertisements as part of a Real Estate Institute of Victoria campaign critical of the Denis Napthine-led Coalition. Small Business Minister and MP for Dunkley Bruce Billson criticised COSBOA’s involvement and, within days, Paul Nielsen replaced its chairman, Robert Mallett. “This was a quite extraordinary episode and one that brings no credit to those involved in seeing the ad appear with COSBOA’s logo included with no proper authorisation to do so,” Mr Billson reportedly told The Age.
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The threat of terrorism has seen small business branded as being “the eyes and ears of our nation”. Council of Small Business Australia (COSBOA) CEO Peter Strong wants small business people across the country to use “the natural awareness of their environment to provide support to the government in its security processes” by reporting “anything they consider suspicious or strange”. “We may need to get over a natural reluctance to dob someone in or get involved.” Mr Strong’s call for vigilance came in the same week that it was announced Victoria Police had been elevated to high alert. “Small business people by nature have an enhanced awareness of what is happening in or around them and have always been an important part of the security in our communities,” Mr Strong said. “We know that the
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February 2015 | Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 5
BUSY BITES
The Productivity Commission is seeking comment on difficulties facing people setting up, transferring or closing a business. The commission will consider all comments and submissions as part of its inquiry, which aims to: • Identify barriers facing people when setting up, transferring or closing a business, or • Recommend ways to reduce these barriers. You can have your say by: • Sending a brief comment about your experiences in setting up or closing a business in Australia, or • Making a written submission to the inquiry. An issues paper has been released to help those preparing submissions. Comments and submissions are due 20 February. There will be an opportunity to provide more feedback once the draft report is released in May.
Franchising changes Changes to the Franchising Code of Conduct started on 1 January. They include: • A requirement for franchisees and franchisors to act in good faith when dealing with each other • New fines and penalties for serious breaches of the code and improved transparency of marketing and advertising budgets • A requirement for franchisors to provide a short information sheet to prospective franchisees that outlines the risks and rewards of franchising • Simplified disclosure requirements about selling online. Visit the Franchising Code of Conduct page on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s website for detailed information on the changes.
10 APPS FOR 2015 Fred Schebesta, co-founder and director of www. finder.com.au, says technology is vital to building a successful business. He says he is constantly researching and testing the latest tech tools and apps to improve his productivity. “Mobile phones are a godsend for business owners and can be used to manage your business and your life more effectively if you use the right apps. “Whatever you’ve got on your phone needs to serve a purpose. If you don’t know exactly what it’s doing there – get rid of it. “Take some time to de-clutter your life, including your phone. “In fact, give all your electronic devices a once over. “If you have to take a second look at an app on your phone to figure out why it’s there, it’s time to delete it.” Here are Schebesta’s top 10 favourite apps to take into 2015: 1. Google Gmail app – It allows for much better email organisation and searching functionality than the generic mail app on the iPhone. 2. Whatsapp – It has better group communication and easier bulk image and video sharing. Also the data stays on your device and not a mysterious server. 3. Slack – It’s easy to use and a very reliable internal chatting application. Very robust. 4. Shazam – It’s perfect for when you just want to know what tune is playing. Music is an important part of my creativity process. 5. Spotify – It’s easy to share playlists and request any song when you need them without ads. 6. Google maps – It kicks serious backside in terms of directions and usability. 7. Uber – When you absolutely positively need to reliably get from A to B. It also allows you to open a business account where multiple people can bill the one central account. 8. Banking apps – Most of them are simple and
quick to use, especially when you’re on the go. 9. Voice memos – Perfect for when you need to record things quickly and email them to people. 10. Notes – A simple pad on which to store ideas and email them later.
BUILDING APPROVALS ON THE RISE The strength of the latest building approvals confirms the strongly positive outlook forecast by Master Builders for residential building in 2015. “The 7.5 per cent seasonally adjusted increase in total building approvals for November 2014 reflects confidence in the market with the strength of the result slightly above industry expectations reflecting positive momentum,” Peter Jones, chief economist, Master Builders Australia said. “The November result was built on strong approvals growth in higher density dwellings in the major cities. “The 17.2 per cent seasonally adjusted rise for other dwellings (units and apartments) confirms the changing face of dwelling demand as higher density living becomes increasingly accepted. “The results point to a sustained pipeline of work over the next 18 months which will result in more jobs in the residential building sector.”
RETAILING IS REBOUNDING Retailing is on track to achieve one of its best years since the financial crisis, according to analysis from the Australian National Retailers’ Association (ANRA) The retailers’ peak body was commenting following the release in January by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) of retail figures showing an increase of 0.1 per cent in spending over November compared to October. Throughout the year to November retail turnover rose five per cent. ANRA CEO Anna McPhee said after six consecu-
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6 | BusinessTimes Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong | February 2015
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Barriers to business
WORK TRENDS: CASUAL AND REMOTE Sydney-based Expert 360 an online “global marketplace for freelance professionals”, has released its top 10 workplace trends for 2015: Continuous job searching: Employees are constantly looking for the next job and networking is the new norm. Smart businesses know the trend and realise that “hoarding” employees will hurt the business
in the long run. More millennials stepping up as boss: A recent study showed 72% of millennials (generation Y, people born 19822004) would like to be their own boss. They have grown up amid the GFC and high youth unemployment. Casual wear: Gymwear and yoga pants are acceptable work attire. Casual Fridays extend across the working week. Ties on men are in permanent hibernation. Ultimately this leads to increased productivity and innovation. Internships: By 2020, 40% of the working population will be millennials and internships provide their first taste of the working world. Businesses can make use of this generation’s entrepreneurial, risk-taking and flexible characteristics. Emerging trends include virtual internships in the financial and consulting industries. Working remotely: Technology and flexible working arrangements mean workers are online at all hours of the day. The bricks and mortar of workplaces aren’t always required for employees to do their jobs. Fast talent turnaround: Companies want to connect with the right candidate and hire much faster than ever before. It won’t be long until the Tinder for recruitment disrupts the market. Work is deeply personal: Work life integration is the new buzz phrase. Work is now deeply personal with professional and personal lives inextricably linked. Hiring for cultural reasons: Cultural fit and character are now being considered when assessing potential candidates. With millennials and baby boomers working alongside each other, making sure there is alignment on the values and vision of the company is critical in bridging the age gap. Talent development key to retention: Corporate loyalty is a thing of the past and employers are responding with training programs and skill workshops previously reserved for those at the top of the pyramid. Freelancers: 30% of Australians do some form of flexible freelance work. Expect this to be 50% by 2020 if we follow the United States. This trend is being driven by technology making it easy for businesses to connect to talent on demand.
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Fewer tip growth CEOs across the world are less optimistic about global growth prospects than a year ago, with 37% of CEOs thinking growth will improve in 2015. This is down from 44% last year, according to PwC’s 18th Annual Global CEO Survey. Significantly, 17% of CEOs believe global economic growth will decline, more than twice as many as a year ago (7%). The remaining 44% expect economic conditions to remain steady. Regionally, the results show wide variations with CEOs in Asia Pacific are the most optimistic about the global economy with 45% anticipating improvement. In Australia, 43% of CEOs are tipping growth.
Name the square The name of Dandenong’s new public square has been shortlisted to five from a field of 160 following a council-run competition. The shortlist includes: •Harmony Square: Coming together as a harmonious community for all • International Square: A gathering place for our international communtiy • Opportunity Square: Embracing our spirit of hope and opportunity for all • Welcome Square: Providing a welcoming community meeting place • Wurundjeri Square: Honouring our past and shared identity as Australians Submit your feedback online via: Namethatplace@cgd.vic.gov.au www.greaterdandenong.com www.facebook.com/greaterdandenong Comments are invited until 28 February.
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tive monthly rises in retail spending, this sustainable pattern in retail sales growth was “good for the economy, on the back of sound fundamentals of low interest rates and employment growth”. “Retail sales have been growing since September 2013 and it’s pleasing to see that retail sales have almost returned to long-term average growth levels not seen since 2008,” McPhee said. “The retail sector’s contribution of around four per cent to the economy can be improved if government’s deregulate trading hours resulting in jobs growth. “Consumers took to entertaining in the home and dining out in November with cafes and restaurants up 0.8 per cent and food retailing increasing 0.6 per cent for the month. In the year to November food retailers (up 6.4%) have continued to outperform the growth seen by discretionary retailers (up 3.3%). “The strength of the property market has continued to spur growth in the household goods category, up 0.6 per cent for the month. The category is now up 11 per cent since November last year. “Other discretionary categories found November challenging as consumers seemed to wind back spending ahead of the spending expectations in December. Department stores growth was flat in November, (0.0%) but on the back of strong performance in September and October. Consumers continued to place lower priority on clothing, footwear and personal accessories (down 0.7%) and other retailing (down 2.1%) both recording falls.”
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February 2015 | Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong |29/01/2015 BusinessTimes |7 1:55:00 PM
NETWORKING GALLERY
1. Mornington Racing Club hosted a business networking day for invited guests in the committee room on 5 December. From left Ewan McCall and Richard Aitkenson, of Construction Equipment, MRC committee member Deb Kroger and Ros McCall, of Land Engineering. 2. Karen and Tom Hoogenbosch and Linda and Brad Fitzsimmons, of Bayside Automotive Group. 3. Frankston Wine and Food Society’s Christmas p arty was held at The Deck Bar Frankston on 10 December. The group was entertained by Lachlan Bryan and Aleyce Simmonds. Pictured are Wally Starborough, of Hastings Produce, and Allison MacEwan, of Sportproof. 4. Entertainers for the society Christmas bash, Aleyce Simmonds and Lachlan Bryan.
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5. Quest by the Bay held its Christmas party on 19 December. Pictured are Myt Plunkett and Sarah Demitiri, of Asian Pacific, and Jack Hayes and Matthew Nelson, of Frankston City Council. 6. The annual Mornington Rotary Art Show was launched at a cocktail party at Mornington Peninsula Theatre on 16 January. Hayley Najim, electoral officer for federal government Minister Bruce Billson, with John Renowden, one of the art show organisers.
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7. Paul Smith, of a Change of Place, with Carl Cowie, new CEO for the Shire of Mornington Peninsula.
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8. Mornington Chamber of Commerce had its Christmas Party at Harbour Grill on 11 December. From left are Kim Rowe, chamber president Judy Edwards and Jeni Doherty 9. Sandra Watt, of Fish ‘n’ Trips, Cr Bev Coombe, and Angela Cleland, manager of Mornington Racing Club. email marg@businesstimes.net.au if you have something to share.
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Networking Galleries
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WHERE THERE’S HOPE, THERE’S A SPIRIT OF GIVING AND SHARING
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Another successful Christmas HOPE barbecue and sports day was held at Dandenong West Primary School on Sunday 14 December 2014, for asylum seekers and refugee families. Dr Mark Timlin, country director of HOPE Australia, said the event has attracted many families in recent years. At a time when most Australians are enjoying festivities, these families have arrived with often just the clothes they are wearing. The Dandenong local government area has the biggest number of people nationwide arriving into the area from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Sri Lanka – often poor, isolated and even traumatised from past events related to war and conflict. Hope welcomes them to a new start in in a new country. Dandenong businesswoman Suzanne Snoeks, of Australian Property Finance, is a HOPE volunteer and has been involved in the program since 2011. “The greatest joy is the look on the children’s faces when they are presented with Christmas gifts after the barbecue lunch of halal meat and salads. The children often cannot sleep the night before because they are so excited.”
Brand Marketing Digital 14
thatmarketingcompany.com.au February 2015 | Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 9
NETWORKING
Continuous partial attention
remember this part of the conversation well, if at all. And we will send a subtle message to this person that they do not matter as much as the activity on our mobile devices. Continuous partial attention can hamper your efforts to build profitable business relationships with the people you want to connect with. I believe a price is being paid by how this constant connectedness is affecting our real-time relationships. The truth is that our brains are not capable of multi-tasking. They don’t work like a computer that can have many programs running simultaneously. Our minds have to switch between tasks. Some of us can task switch extremely quickly, seemingly multi-tasking, but we are not actually multi-tasking. Others of us task switch with a little more difficulty, making it extremely challenging to really pay sustained attention to anything when we try to multi-task. Most of us work at our computers, laptops or tablets with notifications switched on: email, Facebook, Twitter,
Our world is more connected than ever and there are pitfalls as our hyper-connectivity intersects with our business relationships and networking. This pervasive connectivity can lead to a state of “continuous partial attention”, creating a lack of focus and hampering relationship-building efforts – not only on a personal level, but on a professional level, too. When attending a function of any type, it is becoming increasingly common to find people who remain connected to their social networks (beyond uploading a photo or tweet about the event) with mobile devices during the meeting. I see this all the time at networking meetings, such as at a BNI chapter meeting, a chamber of commerce lunch, or even a gala dinner. So, while our desire to connect and be connected is one of the strengths of business and social networking, when we
Dr lvan Misner*
Networking specialist
are actually at an event where we want to effectively connect with others, this desire can actually thwart our efforts by driving us to stay “live” on our online social media sites instead of with the person in front of us. Probably we have all experienced a conversation with someone at a networking function and getting pinged during the conversation. When we take our attention off what is happening in front of our nose to take a look at what is happening on our phone, we lose the connection with the person we’re speaking to. We will not
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10 | BusinessTimes Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong | February 2015
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• Customer Focused Service • Time Management • Effective Meeting Management • Emotional Intelligence – understanding
Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Skype, YouTube, Tumblr, and Snapchat pinging, chirping and whistling as notifications fly across your screen shouting “Look at me! Someone retweeted you! Someone wants to be your Friend!” Even people who do not have attention deficit disorder (ADD) are working in a state of attention deficit due to the distraction all these notifications cause. These are the people in the “prayer neck” posture – hunched over looking down at their hands while holding their mobile device. It is very easy to lose track of who you have just followed up with – you end up sending your follow-up email twice or reference something you were discussing with someone else or worse yet – send an email to the wrong person entirely (who hasn’t done that?). Continuous partial attention keeps you from being alert, attentive and focused and can hamper your post-event follow up, not to mention your day-to- day activities. Be honest. Who do you greet first when
you get up in the morning – your spouse, kids, the dog or your virtual community? Do you reach for your smart phone before you even throw your legs out of bed to get up? I have found myself doing that. I used to never even turn my mobile phone on until after I was up, had exercised, showered and had my breakfast. I think social media is great. I use it regularly to stay in touch and build relationships. But knowing when to focus on the face-to-face interactions and put notifications on Do Not Disturb is also extremely important in this ever expanding digital age.
‘CREATIVE COURAGE’ MARKETING
*Dr Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is founder and chairman of Business Networking International (BNI), the world’s largest networking organisation. Dr Misner is also senior partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company. Email: misner@BNI.com
That Marketing Company (TMC) is a full service marketing agency set up to operate as the marketing department for businesses of any size. Specialising in brand, marketing and digital, TMC brings together marketers, designers and digital content creators. TMC has grown to a team of 12 in four years under directors Taegen Kerley and Ben Vercoe. “Our creative success comes from crossdiscipline, strategic-led conversations with our marketing, design and digital people ... our team is our success and and that means success for our clients, too, .” Kerley said. TMC has moved from Mornington to a larger office in Carrum Downs where it is developing a creative space that the pair hopes will inspire staff and clients alike. “That Marketing Company’s mantra for 2015 is ‘creative courage’... so why not make it yours as well,” Taegen Kerley said. Call TMC on 9775 1591 or email info@thatmarketingcompany.com.au
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February 2015 | Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 11
COVER STORY: BILL HALLET
RETIREMENT
BENEFITS
THE ONLY SCRAPHEAP YOU’LL FIND THESE RETIREES ON ARE THE ONES WHERE THEY CAN SCROUNGE MATERIALS TO USE FOR CONTRAPTIONS TO MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. THESE ARE MEMBERS OF A MORNINGTON PENINSULA GROUP CALLED SOLVE DISABILITY SOLUTIONS.
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ollectively, the members of this can-do team have many of years’ experience in any number of skills. They could, in all probability, do anything on demand, from building a bridge to making a thimble. Their skills begin with problem solving and end with manufacturing. But rather than putting their abilities on the market, this A-team of professionals and tradespeople works for free. They are the Mornington Peninsula members of Solve Disability Solutions, one of 10 such branches in Victoria and part of the Australia-wide TAD Disability Services organisation. The organisation designs and builds equipment that is not available commercially for disabled people. Often one-offs, the products usually meet very specific needs. Bill Hallet, a former systems analyst, says most of the experts volunteering their skills through Solve are retired. They have ended their commercial working lives but want to continue making good use of their accumulated knowledge. As with many good ideas, some of the examples of the work of Solve seem simple. But someone had to come up with the solution to the problem. One Solve “client” could not successfully drink through a straw. It was hard maintain the pressure needed for sucking. Solve put the problem to its members and one came up with the idea of placing a one-way valve in a plastic straw. Problem solved. Another client was able use a computer keyboard but couldn’t pick
Retired systems analyst Bill Hallet works at his Mornington home on a frame for a set of steps to make it easier for a disabled man to get into his van.
up a CD. Simple. Make a pick-up stick. A man who loved to go kayaking posed another more involved problem. He was able to launch his craft from a trailer dragged behind his wheelchair but as he had no legs, could not operate the foot controls necessary to adjust the rudder. “We made a mechanism which allowed him to control the rudder by sucking or blowing through a plastic straw, or tube,” Hallet says. The members of Solve (in Victoria) and TAD (interstate) are often engineers, mechanical or electrical. But with branches across Australia there’s a big mix [of skills]. “We’ve got machinists, welders and mechanics for cars and white goods,” Hallett says. Many, like Hallett, are hands on types; people who can’t resist fiddling with anything and everything mechanical and want to do everything themselves. They love a challenge.
12 | BusinessTimes| Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong | February 2015
WORDS AND PICTURES: KEITH PLATT
hensive school before again seeking employment overseas. This time it was for a South African sugar company and saw him spending the next 15 years in various countries (Zambia, Ivory Coast, Swaziland) and finally four years in Mauritius before taking a redundancy and heading back to the UK in 1985. During his time abroad Hallett met and married (in Zambia) his Mauritius-born wife Eileen and had a daughter, Cathleen (born in Ivory Coast). Son Jeremy was born in Mauritius. Back in England, Hallett worked as a systems analyst, following and improving the manufacturing process for an electrical firm before moving his family to Australia in 1988. Working for printers Cooke and Heathcote he was involved in installing what was probably one of the industry’s first computer systems. 14 “People thought printing was a craft, an art or a trade, but
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When BusinessTimes catches up with Hallett at his Mornington home, he’s “distress” painting a chair. Outside, he holds up the frame for a retractable set of steps he made for a side-opening van. The commercially available steps were too narrow and the man Solve set out to help could only use them by virtually crawling into the van. Hallett’s career began with him studying for his Bachelor of Science (BSc) in pure physics at Bristol University in the United Kingdom. He then enrolled with the certified institute of technology in Bedfordshire to become a soil and water engineer “because I wanted to work overseas, somewhere warm”. With his sights set on somewhere exotic, Hallett found himself in the United States working for a company planning to export irrigated cattle feed lots to Russia (US citizens weren’t interested in such a prospect). But the export orders never came and Hallett quit. On returning to England he taught physics and science at a compre-
February 2015 | Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 13
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COVER STORY: BILL HALLET
we had a forward looking general manager and computers were about to leave printing in the Ark.” That was for the big orders and as time went by Hallett saw that there was still a demand for small-order printing. “People might want just five order books so we introduced some old machinery but with a different mode of operation.” Hallett says the niche market paid off but was “eventually trashed” by one of the subsequent owners of the Morningtonbased printing works. That move, seven years ago, saw Hallett again take redundancy. But this time he chose an even more hands-on occupation – doing maintenance at the St John retirement village, Somerville. “Even when I was at the printers I enjoyed working on the shop floor and have always serviced our cars and done maintenance around the home,” he says. “I liked the oldies and the retirement village and have some great memories of the people there.” After the retirement village he joined former printing colleagues working in Dandenong where fast food company McDonalds had a factory to produce biodiesel fuel from its waste cooking oil. The fuel was used to power the company’s trucks. “I ran a machine installed by a UK company. It was a simple chemical process, really, but made hard because we were using old chip oil,” Hallett says. The process required adding potassium hydroxide to the oil, which also produced glycerol (used in cosmetics) as a by-product. McDonalds has since closed the small Dandenong plant and consolidated its fuel making in Queensland. “I used that fuel to run my own van and you could always smell chips,” Hallett says. “Blocked filters were a recurring problem and everybody who worked that machine would at some stage end up flooding the factory. They rubbished me when I had the factory inches deep in diesel, but they’d all done the same.” Hallett then swung back to home maintenance, taking on the jobs “that no tradie will touch on with a barge pole”. About 18 months ago he saw a write-up about Solve and its Mornington Peninsula chairman Stan Proctor in a local newspaper and realised there was yet another outlet
The disability solutions group Solve worked with the Disabled Surfers Association’s Mornington Peninsula branch to make a “seat” for disabled people to enjoy time inthe surf (above). Since then, Bill Hallett (below) has become secretary of the DSA’s peninsula branch while still working with Solve.
waiting for his ability to analyse problems and fix things. “So I volunteered. Decided to live off my earnings and send my wife out to work,” he laughs. In late 2014 the Halletts also sold a small acreage in east Mornington (‘the kids had had a great time growing up there”), moving to a rambling house closer to the
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town centre. The garage is taken up with Hallett’s tools and collected “useful” bits and pieces. Soon after joining Solve Hallett and Proctor went to a beach day being held by the Disabled Surfers Association’s Mornington Peninsula branch, speaking with carers and the disabled about their special needs. Drumming up work for the Solve team. Once again, Hallett’s knowledge about the DSA came from former colleagues from the printers – Joe Hart and Gary Miller. Original members of the peninsula branch, Hart and Miller coaxed him along and, once he was there, quickly involved him in their voluntary activities. Now secretary of the peninsula branch, Hallett sees synchronicity between his two main “retirement” occupations. The cross pollination has led to a beanbag styled seat which, once on a “soft” surfboard, enables a disabled person to surf sitting upright. A further connection between the two organisations late last year saw Solve modify a wheelchair for use on a flying fox at the YMCA’s Camp Manyung at Mt Eliza.
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TRENDS
Rise of individualism Social analyst *DAVID CHALKE says the “story” of 2015 will be driven by the “confluence of liberating tech and individualism”. His trend analysis is part-based on the results of the annual AustraliaSCAN survey measuring the values of 2000 Australians.
* David Chalke heads The Strategy Planning Group, 03 5977 4422.
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One cause for the rise of individualism is the gradual loss of faith in the old institutions on which we collectively depended in the past. Government, big business, organised religion, trades unions are all on the nose. Faith is now personal, bespoke, variable and short lived. As a consequence, one-term governments – like the Napthineled government in Victoria - and odd balls holding the balance of power will become the norm. Federally, Prime Minister Tony Abbot will be a one-termer too. When you hold the system in contempt, why not send them a Jacqui Lambie, a Ricky Muir or a David Leyonhjelm to mess with their minds? All business is local. This homage to Tip O’Neil’s famous maxim that “all politics is local” is the title of a 2012 marketing book written by John Quelch, dean of CEIBS business school in China and Katherine Joez, a research associate at Harvard Business School. The thesis of the book is that of the four Ps of marketing (product, price, promotion and place) – place is the most important. While it is possible to debate the supremacy of place - few people would knowingly buy an over-priced, deficient product with lousy advertising just because
it was local – there is little question that the prevailing social and technological trends make place increasingly potent. To understand this newly emerging importance it is necessary to reconsider what place actually means. It is best thought of as proximity to or accessibility for the consumer. Physical place or location is the most obvious expression and clearly critical to many purchase decisions. Who would drive across town just to pick up a carton of milk? The nearest convenience store or petrol station would do in most cases. But, place has other expressions beyond the merely geographic which, if successfully harnessed, can bring major competitive advantages. Psychological or emotional place can differentiate a product or service and create a powerful customer preference. This involves creating a customer experience where they feel comfortable, respected and welcomed, an emotional space where they feel at home. This is something that goes beyond just efficiency and compatibility, but into areas of positive self-identification. An example of this cognitive discrimination would be the differing levels of affinity an individual feels in their favourite local coffee shop or cafe as opposed to a featureless fast food joint on the Hume Highway. The newest and most disruptive manifestation of place is the internet or cyberspace. Initially the PC-based, online world started to unbalance once great and powerful industries as consumers found that they could do their research from many sources, go direct to suppliers, bypass expensive middle men and search the world for the
perfect whatever they wanted at a bargain price. But this was just the beginning of what will become a brave new world of commerce and communication based on something even more powerful and personal then a deskbound PC – the smartphone. The old business models based on mass market thinking will be destabilised as more nimble entrepreneurial players exploit the ultimate form of localism – personalisation. The pace at which mobile computing has overtaken the fixed desktop or laptop can be gauged by the sale of Android and iOS (smartphone and tablet) devices relative to PCs. In late 2011 they matched PCs, after only three years in the market. Today they outsell them by four to one, a ratio that is accelerating as PC sales enter long-term decline. The implication of this for small business is that as consumers become more and more habituated to instant, flexible, bespoke solutions delivered via their phones the less they will accept slow, inflexible standardised offerings from unresponsive players. The good news is that this plays directly to the eternal competitive advantage of small business – localism; the ability to know their customers, understand their individual needs and tailor a solution to meet them. The confluence of technological and cultural change (the smartphone and individualism) provides unique opportunities for SMEs. The old, mass marketing order is being destabilised and can be out manoeuvred by more nimble and responsive new wave players exploiting the potential of the digital world. In 2015, as never before, all business will be local.
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SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS IN 2015: VIDEO AND PAID Social media is a fast moving, changing Jessica Humphreys* world. We saw countless changes Social media consultant throughout 2014 and 2015 will be no different. If you are only going to invest in two areas this year make it video and paid advertising. Video content is on the rise in a big way. According to Social Media Newsstats Released for December 2014,YouTube still hold the place as Australia’s second most popular social media platform. However, Facebook is fast becoming YouTube’s biggest competitor. According to Ad Age people around the world are posting 75% more videos to Facebook than they did a year ago – that’s huge. The key lesson here is to consider investing your resources into video content this year. Paid advertising is a must Many businesses still operate under the assumption that social media is free. It really isn’t. Just like all other forms of advertising and promotion there is a cost involved – including time. This topic could be an article in itself – but let’s get to the main point. You need to be prepared to invest in advertising. Facebook has already indicated it will reduce the reach on organic promotional posts and, as you know, it’s already hard to cut through the clutter. No-one is saying you have to spend a bucket load, but being prepared to invest a little, can reap a whole range of benefits. If you need assistance with Facebook advertising contact us now. *Jessica Humphreys operates Social Concepts, a social media consulting business. Send questions to Jessica@socialconceptsconsulting.com
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New Victorian legislation comes into effect this year narrowing the range of people who can challenge a will and make a claim for provision from a deceased person’s estate. Previously anyone could make a claim if they could argue the deceased had a responsibility to make provision for them. The potential claimants included not just dependent family members, but extended to anyone who could demonstrate a nexus relationship with the deceased. The new legislation means that eligible claimants are restricted to the spouse or domestic partner of the deceased, a child or stepchild of the deceased who is under 18, or an adult child who has a disability, or is between 18 and 25 and a full time student. Those eligible to make a claim but only if they can show they were wholly or partly dependent on the deceased are: • Other adult children; • Former spouse or domestic partner entitled to a family law settlement at the time of death; • Registered caring partner of deceased; • Grandchild of the deceased; • Spouse or domestic partner of the child of the deceased, but only if the child dies within one year of the deceased. The Justice Legislation Amendment (Succession and Surrogacy) Act 2014 begins 1 July 2015, if not proclaimed earlier.
February 2015 | Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 17
HEALTH
Why I will save in future An economics professor at Yale investigating the ability of people in different countries to save their money has discovered a very curious thing. It seems to depend on your grammar. Even curiouser, people in countries that are good at saving money are also better at exercising, and at resisting the urge to smoke (and even at using condoms for birth control). When you think about it, this quirky finding has staggering health implications, at a personal and national level. Compared with us – a notoriously poor lot of savers – people in countries like China are far more adept at putting their money away. Every year Chinese people put some six per cent more of GDP (gross domestic product, for those who fell asleep in geography) into savings than we do. It’s a similar story in Japan, Finland and South Korea, and in Russia. In these countries, people retire with 30 to 40 per cent more assets relative to us. Like Australians, English people and Americans are poor savers. Professor Keith Chen wondered what it was about some cultures that predisposed them to saving money, and others even in affluent countries to spend most of what they earned. He discovered that the answer was in language. Without exception, in all countries whose populations were relatively poor savers, the native language had a future tense. English-speaking countries are among the poor savers; English has a future tense. We say that we will do something to distinguish strongly from doing something now or having already done it. So, the argument goes, in our minds the future becomes distinct from the present. It becomes more abstract – a time that will come around vaguely later and we can worry about then. Languages like German and Chinese, by contrast, lack a future tense. When listening to Mandarin Chinese, the only way to tell the tense of a verb is by its context. This is the aspect of English that native Chinese speakers struggle with the most. A Chinese person would say, for example, “I go to the shops,” which could mean they went yesterday, they are going now, or they
Michael Ellis*
Chinese Herbalist
Who is still saying I’ll start my healthy diet tomorrow? will go tomorrow. In Chinese one must add a modifier to place the action in time – yesterday, now, tomorrow. The result of this is that Chinese people actually conceive of time differently than we do. When future and present are less differentiated in everyday language, people consider the future to be equally important, and are less likely to disregard the consequences of their present actions. Apprehending the world in this way predisposes one to saving, among other things. In 2013, Professor Chen published a paper concluding that populations with weak futured languages were in fact 30 per cent more likely to save, 24 per cent more likely to not smoke, and 29 per cent more likely to exercise regularly. “I found that speakers of such languages save more, retire with more wealth, smoke less, practice safer sex, and are less obese,” he wrote.
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“This holds both across countries and within countries when comparing demographically similar native households.” Controlling for other cultural factors, Chen compared people raised in the same countries. In Switzerland, whose people use French (strong futured language) and German (weak) he got the same outcome: the German speakers saved and planned better. To me, the implications of this research are interesting, particularly on the mindset required for changing inherently unhealthy lifestyles. I’ve written before that people are not motivated as much by promises of benefit as by the avoidance of loss (“quit smoking and in a few months you will feel healthier” is not nearly as motivational as “quit smoking or you will die”.) But this research suggests there is more to motivation than that; there is also the immediacy of the problem. Who is still saying “I’ll start my healthy diet tomorrow”? Or the exercise regime, or meditation practice. It also raises another hobby horse of mine. In his conclusion, Chen writes: “One important issue in interpreting these results is the possibility that language is not causing but rather reflecting deeper differences.” We all grow up in a certain place and time, in a particular culture; as we grow up our plastic brains make sense of all the energetic information bombarding them – such as light waves and sound waves – until we develop the ability to interpret that information in a way that allow us to make cohesive sense of things, to function and survive in the world. We come to interpret the world in the way we do because of our formative experiences (language being one) and the culture in which we are raised. This interpretation – which includes our experience of time – then becomes “reality” for us. But we should never be so arrogant to think ours is the only reality, the only way of apprehending the world. Not every culture experiences life the same way we do. We should probably remember that, in future. *Michael Ellis is a registered Chinese herbalist in Mt Eliza. Visit www.mtelizaherbal.com
MARKETS
More than half a century ago Woodside was a penny dreadful searching in vain for oil off the coast of Gippsland. Today it is a premier stock, an almost unquestioned holding for diversified portfolios. Richard Campbell* Stock Analyst
For us the impact of the stand-off will be felt more in gas than in oil because our oil production is now low as Bass Strait steadily dies. For us the impact of the stand-off will be felt more in gas than in oil because our oil production is now low as Bass Strait steadily dies. Gas export contracts are all linked to oil prices over various periods, but the rise and fall clauses mean that “spot” market gas prices are already down 30-35% from their premium post Fukushima prices. Last year Woodside was resisting Japanese pressure to change from oil-linked prices to prices linked to US gas prices and fortunately for Woodside the Japanese power companies couldn’t get their way. If they had, Woodside would be working from base US gas prices that are now around $3 or 80% lower than post Fukushima highs. At time of writing the Australian market seemed almost nonchalant about these pressures. Okay, share prices had fallen, but hey, a rebound was on the way! Many are diving in sensing great bargains as replacement exploration dries up. At Davos
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But in this world nothing is permanent, especially the price of energy. The price of Woodside’s products – methane and light oil – have fallen sharply in recent months as OPEC plays a game of chicken with North American shale oil developers. If OPEC is to retain its 40% share of global oil supply, members believe shale has to be shut out of the market - entirely. From almost zero production US shale producers have lifted output to 4 million barrels per day over the last four years. This is on top of conventional oil of about 6m still flowing from old mature wells in Texas, Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. Canadian tar sands have added a further 2 mbpd while Iraq has added 2 mbpd in the last two years as well. As demand growth is weaker than it has been for many years, all this oil is banking up. US tank farms are carrying more oil – almost 400mb of oil, the highest since the Great Depression. In this situation OPEC has the whip hand as the Saudi Kingdom, the UAE and Qatar can produce oil at under $40-50 a barrel while no shale oil company makes a profit below $50 and few at $60. Off-shore oil is also largely unprofitable below $60 and since 30% of the world’s oil is now off-shore and increasingly in deep waters, the pain is being widely felt as the majors rapidly slash staff and cut capital outlays. This should lead to slow collapse of the shale and tar sands industry over the course of the year and into 2016 as well as swathes of deep water oil.
the CEO of a large Italian oil company complained bitterly about OPEC’s refusal to cut production. He said there would be so little supply in two to three years that oil would jump to $200. It could be that simple, but it may not be. US shale producers are far from uniform. Some can survive at $60-$70 and many may persuade their financiers that it is better to produce some cash-flow than none at all even if in an accounting terms, operations are loss making. The industry owes $200 billion and so financiers may be reluctant to halt production for fear of losing everything. It is also very hard to accept disaster on this scale. OPEC on the other hand cannot afford to allow even a third of the shale industry survive. All members need oil over $100 for their regimes to operate and, in some cases, remain standing. Many grow little food. Oil at $70-80 is slow death for them so there can be no half way. Predicting how these competing pressures will play out is near impossible, but we can see some early indications. The oil majors are taking out $600-700 billion in planned outlays so in that sense a rebound is highly likely at some point – after all that’s what OPEC wants - but the murky issue is the timing and the impact on gas prices. As oil falls gas prices fall and companies relying on the former high margins of LNG exports to energy poor Japan, Taiwan and South Korea may find that revenues fall faster than their ability to reduce running costs. The first casualty will be partial or even total reduction in dividends unless they increase debt, but increasing debt in this climate doesn’t seem smart. The other factor is renewables – chiefly 23 wind and solar. One of the reasons
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February 2015| Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 19
DOCUMENTARY CLASSES
Every picture can tell your story WORDS AND PICTURES BY KEITH PLATT
Making documentaries is surrounded by perceptions of glamour. Shabbily dressed people with expensive equipment is how one suited businessman described his impressions to a travelling producer in an airline club lounge. Being paid to travel and spend time with interesting people in interesting locations is another description of documentary making. And of course there is the excitement of travel, having drivers, interpreters and staying in all sorts of accommodation, from five-star to mud huts. Basically, making documentaries is about telling stories. Reporting, at length, on events or people. Sean Cousins knows a bit about documentaries. As a cinematographer, sound recordist and producer he’s travelled the world, approaching strangers, asking about their lifestyles or issues affecting their lives and then seeking permission to film. Cousins knows that everyone has a story to tell – either about themselves or others – and that in the digital age there is even more demand that these narratives are told with moving pictures and sound. Biographies take on a different aspect when filmed in full, living colour. The Balnarring-based filmmaker says there is a niche in the tourism market for what he terms “experiential travellers” and has established Filmmaker Abroad to focus on that niche. “There are many people who love travelling to exotic locations and for whom budget isn’t the principle consideration,” Cousins says. “For me, these experiential travellers are the most interesting to be around. “Those who seek a more enriching experience on their holiday by engaging more deeply with the local culture. “In so doing they create enduring memories, and even relationships, because they are fortunate enough to be able to
afford to go the extra yard to achieve their goals.” And Cousins’ way to tap into this somewhat rarified tourism market is to offer the chance to go on a trip to make a documentary: either involving yourself or as a pure, professionally edited and scripted record. About as far away from the selfie or iPad recorded images as you can get. Instead of dealing with a “boutique” travel agent, Cousins works with “fixers” – the same ones he’s met during years of making documentaries. These are people on the ground in other countries who can make things happen, know where to stay and how to get there. They can also keep unwary travellers out of trouble. Cousins says documentary makers have “great jobs” that through their normal work life experiences make them ideally suited to taking people overseas “to see and meet people and places outside of the regular tourist experience”. “As storytellers we find places that are challenging to get to and I thought we might be able to persuade others to come along.” The trip isn’t necessarily aimed at making
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a documentary but “that is something they may end up with”. “They might want to just do stills [photographs] or feature themselves, it’s their own adventure. “We use film fixers because they know the best restaurants, places to stay and where to take people for a safe experience.” The three categories of traveller suited to Filmmaker Abroad, according to Cousins, are retired couples; aspiring filmmakers; and schools. “We are like a film school in the field,” he says. “We have researched the stories and they bring their creativity to the story while filming and come home to edit the footage.” Three trips are already booked for 2015; one for three upmarket adventurers, another for eight and another for media studies students from a public school. Ironically, the marketing for Filmmaker Abroad has already earned it international recognition. Soon after going live with his website in 2013, Cousins was invited to enter the Pure Life Experiences annual awards. Describing itself as “the global marketplace for the high-end experiential travel industry”, pure life makes annual awards to “likeminded mavericks” that “push boundaries to create life-enriching experiences” for “the sophisticated traveller”. Apparently Pure Life had found the website, liked what was advertised and decided Filmmaker Abroad fitted the criteria for its particular bill. The awards were held in Morocco and Cousins went, despite being “slightly embarrassed because I hadn’t done a trip at that stage”. He didn’t pick up an award (he was shortlisted for the Best Inbound Travel Designer category) but the experience reaffirmed to him that he was on the right track for a business enterprise. Partners with Cousins in Filmmaker Abroad are Steve Warne (writer/researcher with 16 years as documentary manager at Film Victoria); Rocco Fasano (drama, documentary, music clips, commercials and corporate cinematographer): and Mark Atkins (editor). Between them, there are few parts of the world they have not seen or been involved with from a filmmaking point of view. “We’ve all worked in places where tourists don’t normally go,” Cousins says. The business they have developed will allow them to keep travelling, share their storytelling skills and experiences.
Opposite page: Documentary maker Sean Cousins takes travellers to far flung places to help them film their own experiences . Left: On location on the Kokoda Track, Papua New Guinea.
While at home in Balnarring on the Mornington Peninsula, Cousins plays harmonica and sings with friends in The Brewers, a five-piece band. No longer holding aspirations to make a living from music, The Brewers practice weekly and are mainly booked to play at local parties. Cousins and his wife Steph Ryan (a GP with the Mornington Medical Group) have four children between them – which means “a full house” when it is their turn for parenting. In November, they went to Papua New Guinea where Ryan was doing volunteer medical work and Cousins was filming the visit for the No Roads to Health organisation. While there they realised some surgery was better being done in Melbourne and helped arrange free treatment for four children with deformed feet or legs. The four, aged six to 15, will be coming to
Melbourne over the next year for life-changing surgery that is not available to them their own country. “Surgeons prefer to operate here where they can oversee their rehabilitation and avoid post-operative infections,” Cousins says. He and his wife have already set about raising money needed to meet accommodation costs of carers coming with the children. Helping the children adds to a busy year ahead for Cousins. This month (February) involves a 10-day trip to India to continue filming a documentary about marriage for SBS TV. He and the crew are six months into the 14-month shoot. Then he will go to Cambodia to catch up with a three-person tour group of aspiring filmmakers being led by Warne. “They have had some experience and are looking to upskill,” Cousins says. “The recce [reconnaissance] had already
been done and we’ve supplied a synopsis of the story involving characters that Steve [Warne] has researched and lined up.” Cousins says experiential travellers “abhor being shuffled on and off boats and buses to see the same sights, and eat in the same restaurants, as the ostensibly identical group who moved through the same quaint little village just yesterday”. “No doubt there’s a degree of snobbery that accompanies the term experiential, as it’s used by high-end travel agents to lure clients with the promise of something different, although I have to say I do admire travellers who can afford a trip on the QE2, but who choose instead a two-day trek to a hill tribe, or a week in a log cabin tracking bears.” These types of travellers, he hopes, will also want to go abroad with a film crew. Even swap roles. And, enjoy the experiences that only a film fixer can achieve.
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February 2015 | Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 21
MANAGING
Leading change in business Death, taxes and change are the only certainties in our ever-changing world, but few business leaders prepare themselves and their teams to use change constructively to accelerate their rate of process improvement with consequent benefit to business results. Too many leaders see change as something that they only do episodically, particularly when some form of crisis that gives them justification to make “tough decisions”. These episodes of major change tend to train their people to think of change as negative and focused only on cost and head count reduction. This can build a prevalent cynical view of change that effectively stops individual contribution to improvements, every day. Businesses have often used banner programs to focus their whole organisation on a specific dimension for change. For example, total quality management, six sigma and re-engineering. have each had their own set of tools, processes and language that shapes how they utilise change to improve processes and results. The implementation of new IT programs has often been the driving force for organisational change. New IT programs often force work to be done differently to fit in with the program’s design and hence “change management” is usually an important adjunct to new IT platforms. While change programs often start out well, they frequently fail because leaders become distracted with other issues or they get reassigned and the new leader does not want to just support a program initiated by their predecessor. Ideally, change should be something that is seen as a positive force that contributes to continuous improvement of processes and results. The creation of an organisation that can do this requires very different leadership and processes. You can find a parallel example in our continuing quest to manage our weight. There are an endless number of diets available, all of which promise weight loss, but all of which have demonstrated over a number of years that they are unlikely to bring about permanent results. Two years after starting a diet, the vast majority of dieters are back at, or above, their starting weight. To produce a permanent result requires a different approach that focuses on creating a sustainable eating
Hamish Petrie*
Business consultant
Ideally, change should be something that is seen as a positive force that contributes to continuous improvement of processes and results. and exercise plan. This can be done, but it requires a commitment to permanency that is lacking in most diets. Like most business aspects, the creation of a business that implements change every day requires leadership from the top. The concepts and principles that support change need to be embodied at the top in both words and behaviour. Words that support continuous change should be included in organisational statements like the vision, values and mission statements, so that it is obvious to employees, customers and other stakeholders that adaptation to change is core to the business. This gives a license to everyone to be positive about change and to feel that it is an expected part of everyday life. Actual leadership behaviour is critical to facilitate change. Demonstrating that you are prepared to change your personal style according to each situation is a good starting point. Organisations watch their leader’s behaviour constantly, looking for meaning in the little things that they do, so doing little things differently can have a big impact on how the organisation responds. For example, many leaders are hesitant to admit that they don’t know something. One of my favourite quotes from a math professor was that “ ignorance is simply not knowing something and it can be cured by learning, it’s stupid that is forever”. A leader that admits their ignorance openly will help their team and themselves learn something new. A critical test for any leader is how they
22 | BusinessTimes Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong | February 2015
treat failure. Too often, leaders respond to failure by seeking to attribute blame to their people. When a change that started with good intentions fails to bring about the expected result, it is important to look for the positives that can be learnt. It is also important for leaders to make it safe for people to highlight impending or actual failures. By doing so, failures will be treated as learning opportunities rather than witch-hunts. Often, you can learn more from failures than you can from successes, particularly when successes occur because businesses usually don’t investigate successes to the same depth as they do with failures. A focus on learning will underpin continuous improvement but this requires continuous stimulation with new ideas for processes and products. Effective leaders seek innovation from everywhere: internally, from peers, competitors and from relevant external businesses. The world is literally filled with good ideas so the challenge is to recognise the best ones to help change your business now. It can be very effective to keep a “good ideas” lists where improvement ideas can be stored until the time is right to test them in your business. Overall, leading change should be a fun part of your daily business life where you help your business adapt, transform and improve as the world around you changes continuously. Action Planning Questions: 1. Do you see change helping your business best when done in episodes or done continuously? 2. Have you embodied change into the architecture of your business? 3. Have you recently used your ignorance of an issue wisely to help your people learn? 4. Reflect on your handling of a recent failure. Did you make it safe for your people or did you just attribute blame? 5. Do you keep an active “Good ideas list” to retain ideas until the time is right to try them? *Hamish Petrie had a 37-year corporate career including 25 with Alcoa Inc. His latest position was VP People and Communications for the Global Alcoa Corporation based in New York. He can be contacted at hamish@nitroworld.net or on 0404345103. © Hamish Petrie 2014
BUILDING FAIRER WORKPLACES
19 gas prices are very low in the US is that there is too much supply (it is produced with shale oil) but another is the rise and rise of wind and solar. The US already has as much wind power capacity as Australia has total capacity. Wind seems minor at about 6% of total US capacity, but it is growing rapidly as wind towers double in size and efficiency. In Germany, renewables can supply 25-30% of German power on a regular basis. In summer on a bright, windy day renewables reach 70%, if briefly. Much of Europe is heading this way. True, gas and coal are essential when wind falls and the sun sets, but the volume required is less. As a result Russian gas sales to Europe are falling. And yes, you guessed it, Russia is looking to Asia to sell or dump gas to make up for the drastic fall in its oil exports.
Businesses should be preparing to effectively handle workplace complaints, accusations, alleged employee misconduct, or rumours of something amiss. Occasionally a complaint may arrive through an outside agency like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Fair Work Commission or a union. These situations usually require investigations before making an employment decision, responding to an agency, or preparing a defence. Well handled workplace investigations show staff that their employer is committed to objective and fair treatment, says Phillip Murphy, of Fair Go Workplace Relations. “Employees with access to workplace relations’ training and development programs tend to build a more supportive environment. An investment in training shows employees they are valued,” Murphy said. Fair Go Workplace Relations also offers training in: • Customer relations • Time management • Effective meeting management • Emotional intelligence – understanding emotional reactions • Interpersonal skills • Skill requisites for executive and personal sssistants • Performance management (including under performance) Courses include user manuals and participants receive completion certificates. “We work with clients to to build a deeper understanding of what is happening in the workplace,” Murphy said. Details: www.fairgoworkplacerelations.com
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WOODSIDE AND THE ENERGY WARS
Assume nothing and step very carefully. This trade war may prove longer and nastier than expected. Meanwhile China and Japan are pushing ahead with wind and solar while Japan is preparing to turn on a third of its nuclear plants over the next two years. So, bottom line? That’s easy: assume nothing and step very carefully. This trade war may be prove longer and nastier than expected. * Richard Campbell is Executive Director of Peninsula Capital Management, Tel. 9642 0545. rcampbell@peninsulacapital.com.au
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