GWP M a g a z i n e s
S y d n e y
Peter Farrell ResMedMaster of Sweet Dreams
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B u s i n e ss
SYDNEY - Issue 40
M a g a z i n e
S i n c e
| January / february 2012
2 0 0 5
Management Liability Is Your Business Protected?
Page 22
Is Cash Flow Constraining your Growth? Page 20
Expenses that are not deductible
Page 28
Publisher’s Guest:
Whitney Rousham President, Western Sydney Business Connection
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
Editor and Publisher: Dmitry Greku Cover Story: Adrian Payne Editing: Leonie Seysan Contributing Writers: Charlie Lynn Darryn Fellowes Stephen Frost Russell Chegwyn Nat Martorano Ruchaya Rayya Nillakan
Angry Anderson Scott Tyler Robert Cliff Rick Eardley Rod Cullen Ben Dulhunty
Art Director: Svetlana Greku Director, National Sales: Peter Storey Executive Officer: Daniel Moisyeyev Design and Layout: Xabier Goñi, XDesigns Photography: Francesca Surace, Stilz Fotografika Printing: Pegasus Print Group Business Resource & Lifestyle Magazine® is published by GWP Media® and GWP Magazines® ABN: 82 096 352 064 www.gwpmagazine.com.au Norwest Office: Unit 8, 7 Inglewood Place Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 International Standard Serial Number ISSN 1837-199X Advertising Enquiries p | 02 8090 1730 e | info@gwpmagazine.com.au To Subscribe w | www.gwpmagazine.com.au
Copyright GWP Media® and GWP Magazines® 2011. The opinions expressed in this journal do not necessarily reflect and are not to be regarded as the official opinion of the editor, publisher or their agents. All information contained within this journal is provided for general information purposes only and on the understanding that none of the content herein constitutes professional advice. The editor, publisher or their agents accept no responsibility for any claim, loss or damages arising out of or in connection with any materials contained in this journal. Readers should not rely on the publications in the journal and seek appropriate professional advice in respect of their own circumstances.
CONTENTS
CONTENTS
10
36 26
48
Cover Story
Regulars
Regulars
10 P eter Farrell - Master of Sweet Dreams
Business Advice
Society & Life
28 E xpenses that Seem to be
46 T he Weak do Inherit
Adrian Payne
Deductible but They Really Aren’t Ruchaya Rayya Nillakan
Publisher’s Guest
16 W hitney Rousham, President, Western Sydney Business Connection
29 I s Your Business Really Healthy? Ben Dulhunty
NSW Government
18 R isk and Rewards of Melanesian Business Ventures Charlie Lynn
Business Advice
20 I s Cash Flow Constraining Your Growth? (Part 2) Darryn Fellowes
22 M anagement Liability - Is Your Business Protected? Russell Chegwyn
24 A ccessing Government Grants Rick Eardley
Features
26 E ducation Minister Opens New TAFE Premises in Parramatta
30 F inancial Remuneration isn’t Everything Stephen Frost
Regulars
Angry Anderson
34 W hat Motivates Staff? Effective Employee Retention Nat Martorano
38 T op 10 Website Mistakes Scott Tyler
Western Sydney Institute Named as National Sustainability Leader
32 T rade In Your Old Gold? Yes, and Now! Robert Cliff
36 C ar Ownership – Opportunities and Costs Rod Cullen
44 T he Web Development Process
48 P anthers Community Work
Local Government
50 C lassifieds
Daniel Moisyeyev
Penrith Panthers
40 E mpowering Home-based Businesses The Hills Shire Council
42 W aterfront Site Set to Make a Splash Parramatta City Council
43 F estival Set to Bring in the Dollars Parramatta City Council
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
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editor’s letter
Lying to Clients is a Crime Dmitry Greku - Editor and Publisher - GWP Magazines® mean it’s been read. In many cases management multiplies the circulation of their publication by three and claims this number as their readership. Circulation – the number of copies of a newspaper/magazine distributed.
All of us in business create and build our enterprises with a purpose to provide services and products to people or other businesses – this is so obvious that it should be a silly statement. Unfortunately, it’s not always so obvious.
Do you know that last year there were 150 magazines operating in Australia which did not even exist?1 Operating is probably not the correct word to describe their activities in the market – scamming is a better description. They were selling advertising space in publications which didn’t exist thus damaging the reputation of the whole industry. How many of them are around? How can a business owner make the right decision as to whether or not promoting their business in a particular magazine is likely to be beneficial? Here, I would like to introduce you some “common sense” points to help you in making the right decision when you are in a process of choosing a medium for your next marketing campaign. All these factors are taken from my own experience. Readership – the people who read or are thought to read a particular book, newspaper, magazine, etc. Ask your service provider where the readership numbers have been taken from. This should be independent audited data and nothing else. Between us, I still don’t trust this information anyway, unless it’s based on paying subscribers. Readership can be presented in a very misleading way. Use your common sense. Who can actually count every person reading a newspaper or a magazine? Just because a publication has been received by mail or stuffed into a mailbox doesn’t
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
This is a very important characteristic of a publication. This number shows the quantity of copies actually delivered. Please note, this number can be less than the quantity of newspapers/magazines produced. Ask your publisher for proof of the number of copies circulating or at least produced. This could be in the form of audited data and/or a tax invoice from their printing supplier. Distribution – the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business. Any sheet of paper is a medium when someone writes a message on it. The power of this medium depends on how many people are actually interested enough to read this message, and on the method by which the message was delivered to a potential reader. Assume for example, that a publication has the best look and has best articles ever, but the delivery component is not working. Would you advertise your business with this medium? The answer should be “no”. This great look and valuable content must be delivered to the readership – your potential clientele – in order for it to be useful. Ask for a confirmed (!) distribution model. You’re the best judge in some cases. Ask yourself some questions and try to find answers by yourself:
5. Does the publisher offer an add value scenario? Please use my advice for any published mediums in the market place and check your publisher carefully. The good ones will be happy to provide all necessary information supported by their suppliers, readers and clients/contributors/ advertisers. Make a wise decision – don’t support scammers. Lying to clients is a crime.2 You can contact me at any time if you need more help in choosing the right advertising medium for your business. Have a great day. Take care of yourselves and your clients. G Please write to me with your views. The best will be published in “Let’s Spin a Good Yarn” Section. e | editor@gwpmagazine.com.au
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Section 176, Crimes Act: Whosoever, being a director, or officer, of any body corporate, or public company, makes, circulates, or publishes, or concurs in making, circulating, or publishing, any written statement, or account, which he or she knows to be false in any material particular, with intent to deceive, or defraud, any member, shareholder, or creditor, of such body corporate, or company, or with intent to induce any person to become a shareholder, or partner therein, or to intrust, or advance, any property to such body corporate, or company, or to enter into any security for the benefit thereof, shall be liable to imprisonment for 10 years.
2
1. Do I know this publication? 2. Do I see it around as often as the publisher claims? 3. Do people I know and/or my clients know or read this newspaper/magazine? 4. Did I check their website? Does the publishing business look transparent on its website? Is the website up-to-date and does it provide all the necessary information about their publications?
NETT Magazine, August 2011, issue #41
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From Director’s Desk
Is Your Marketing Message Getting Through? Peter Storey - Director, National Sales communication is that we must manage our expectations of receiving that spontaneous phone call or email enquiry. Unfortunately the reality is that our target audience is not always in the market when we seek them out and more often than not, this occurs when we
Like many business owners, managers and staff, the recent festive season provided us with the opportunity to spend some well earned time with family and friends. On behalf of the GWP Media team, I would like to extend our best wishes for the coming year and wish you every success.
Much of that success will be defined by the effectiveness of your marketing campaign and how your service or product is presented and received by your target market. At GWP Media, we ensure our award winning Business Resource & Lifestyle Magazine remains the B2B Magazine of choice in which to showcase your company’s services or products. This publication of Business Resource & Lifestyle Magazine signals the move to eleven issues per year and this provides additional flexibility in keeping your company’s marketing campaign/ message “fresh & relevant” and that is essential in keeping your brand, products and services top of mind. With a monthly publication, GWP Media offers greater flexibility in moving between cyclical or seasonal marketing campaigns and this ensures that you can maximise the full potential of the distribution model which is a key feature of the Business Resource & Lifestyle Magazine. With many options available, engaging your clients via article contributions/advertisements is one way of making your marketing message relevant. We all endeavour to ensure that our campaign will stand out from the crowd and rise above the noise from our competitors, and in most situations it does. But the cautionary note in any marketing
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If “consistency and continuity” of the marketing message is the solution to the problem, we at GWP Media have developed packages across our magazine and directories that enable you to engage your target market as required. With the eleven issues available this year,
With a monthly publication, GWP Media offers greater flexibility in moving between cyclical or seasonal marketing campaigns and this ensures that you can maximise the full potential of the distribution model which is a key feature of the Business Resource & Lifestyle Magazine. are attempting to handle the pressures of falling revenue and a contraction in our customer base, rather than simply building an extension to what is already a successful organisation.
advertising rates will allow you to participate in each one and where appropriate use the Norwest Business Directory or Macquarie Business Directory to extend the range of the activity.
As this is an area of particular interest to me and I like to assist people looking for solutions to a real problem, I spoke to the Editor/Publisher and asked the question: “From past experience, what have other businesses done to make their messages more relevant and lasting?”
At GWP Media, we provide expert advice and support in the area of
The response: “For companies that have been with us over the past 5 years, the key to their ongoing success was the ‘consistency and continuity of the message or activity’.”
• Web Design & Development
The Publisher also notes that the business customers he had used to illustrate that proposition felt the double-page spread format played a significant part in their investment decision. In summary, they said that with one page providing the opportunity to use an article to “inform & educate” and the other “promote” their services or products they had a distinct advantage, and this was reflected in the company’s results.
• Company Branding • Graphic Design
To discuss your marketing strategy and plans and how we can support your company’s initiatives, please contact me or other members of GWP Media to arrange an appointment. G
Kind Regards, Peter Storey Director, National Sales e | peter.storey@gwpmagazine.com.au
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
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Mirage™ FX nasal mask
2004 – Official opening of ResMed’s Manufacturing Centre, Bella Vista.
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
great australian Business People
Peter Farrell Master of Sweet Dreams If you think that ‘a bex and a good lie down’ is the recipe for a good night’s sleep, it’s not so in the wider world for people who suffer from sleep-disordered breathing. In the late 1980’s, chemical and biomedical engineer Peter Farrell was setting up a business that was to become involved in the commercialisation of ideas that had promising signs for their application in modern medicine. In less than 20 years he would show the world that Australia has the talent and the design ability to lead the world. This is about him and his ‘baby’ - ResMed.
Peter Farrell was born in Sydney to parents of Celtic descent, Irish and Welsh. He believes that his grandparents came to Australia in the late 1800’s. Peter’s maternal family lived in Darling Point and his father grew up down the road in Paddington. During his childhood he lived in what he describes as a ‘happy-go-lucky’ family environment. He remembers that his father was a very bright person but hadn’t had the benefit of university education. His mother, on the other hand, was a very practical soul, again without any tertiary education, but with great wisdom; she understood the value of higher education and could see the need for qualifications in the developing post war world. Peter tells the story of his uncle Harold, his father’s brother who was studying to be a lawyer and whose books were destroyed in a fire. His parents,
Mirage™ FX nasal mask
being traditionally God-fearing folk, decided that God had sent a sign that He didn’t want Harold to be a lawyer, so they removed him from college. Harold and wife Yvonne were a little older than Peter’s parents and saw to it that their own sons all received a quality university education. John and Colin did aeronautical engineering and electrical engineering respectively at the University of Sydney. They had another son, Chris, a little younger than Peter, who took an Arts degree at Sydney University Peter’s maternal grandfather Roy had set up an electrical engineering and contracting business in Paddington. Peter remembers that his grandfather was something of an entrepreneur. Occasionally Roy would go with them to their Catholic church and put in ‘the plate’ what seemed to Peter at the time
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to be an ‘ungodly sum of money’. Roy was the sort of person who thought that to those to whom more is given, more is expected. Peter acknowledges that his grandfather’s entrepreneurial bent and the friendly, supportive relationships he had with his staff were observations that stayed with him when the time came to build a business of his own. The day came when Peter would have to decide on a university course that would lead to a career and a secure future. He was good at maths and chemistry at high school and thought that medicine might be
realised that the people who were really doing well were those with advanced degrees. So he decided to follow their lead. He applied to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology based in Cambridge across the Charles River from Boston, partly because many of the text books he had used at Sydney University had been written by professors at MIT, and partly because one of his fellow students at Sydney, Murray Freeman, was already enrolled at MIT. In addition, Murray’s father, Doug, was the managing director of Union Carbide in ANZ and probably knew what
However, this didn’t turn out to be what he ultimately wanted to do. Meanwhile MIT contacted him and said they had been going through their list of recent graduates and were looking for someone with Peter’s qualifications, someone who had both academic and real-world experience, to work in their Industrial Liaison Office. Rosemary’s hopes of going back to Australia looked even further pushed onto the backburner, as Peter went to MIT for an interview and secured the job. The work entailed meeting with high profile scientists and researchers, as well as high flyers in commerce and industry, particularly those in chemical industries like Texaco, Dupont and Campbell’s who were paying up to $50,000 per year to be part of MIT’s Industrial Liaison Program. It was at this time, circa 1969, that Peter decided he wanted to be an academic. He ended up accepting a particularly attractive scholarship from the University of Washington in Seattle. He completed his PhD within 18 months, after which he was offered an Assistant Professorship working in the field of biomedical engineering, with a focus on treatment with the artificial kidney, the subject of his PhD thesis. Notably, he was able to continue working with the hemo-dialysis pioneer, Dr Belding Scribner, the developer of the Scribner shunt, who was one of his doctoral supervisors. He might have been there for two years or more, when out of the blue came a call from the University of NSW with a job offer to work in the chemical engineering department with a mission to set up a biomedical engineering program. Peter accepted the position. Rosemary was thrilled, as now the family included one daughter and two sons; so finally, they headed back to Sydney in time for the children’s secondary schooling.
New York Stock Exchange – welcomes officials and guests of ResMed In. Dr Peter C Farrell, Executive Chairman and Kieran T Gallahue, President and CEO, rang the closing bell. 8 February, 2009. the way to go. So he enrolled at Sydney University in the early sixties and thought he might do medicine as, at the time, the first year was a general year, although certain subjects, such as zoology and chemistry, had to be taken for one to enter medicine. He breezed through the first year of the course and became aware that in the second year, the dissection of human bodies was part of the deal, so went to the appropriate area in the university to inspect the ‘facilities’. There he found dead bodies, which were covered, on trolleys and body parts for further inspection preserved in formaldehyde. He decided, perhaps with some ‘visceral persuasion’ that maybe medicine wasn’t for him! Besides, the course was going to take at least four more years before specialisation whereas engineering would only take three more. So at this fork in the road, he followed the engineering bent of his cousins, but with a chemical engineering degree as his goal. After graduating with honours, he took a job with Union Carbide at Rhodes in Sydney. The work was not particularly satisfying there and he became restless. Noticing that his North American counterparts were earning half as much again for similar work, he organised a transfer to Union Carbide in Montreal. While working in Canada he
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made the most sense for further education in chemical engineering. It also turned out that MIT’s engineering departments were nearly all ranked first in the United States which probably made them number one in the world. He had recently married his Australian fiancée, Rosemary, who had come to Canada to be with him. Their wedding he recalls was rather memorable. They were married in a local Montreal Catholic church; his best man was an atheist, the surrogate father a Protestant, Rosemary was Jewish, and it all came together in a Catholic ceremony! After a quick check with Rosemary, they went to Boston for their honeymoon where Peter interviewed with MIT. He was offered a teaching scholarship and did his time at MIT, completing a master’s degree in chemical engineering. He was subsequently offered a scholarship to undertake a doctorate but Rosemary was anxious to return to Sydney, keen for their new baby daughter to have an Australian upbringing. But this wasn’t to be so at that time. Nevertheless, they edged a little closer as they drove from Boston across America to California in their family Volkswagen because Peter had been offered a job with Standard Oil in San Francisco, working on polymers.
Peter began to build a career as a senior academic. After five years, in 1978, the university proposed setting up the now Graduate School for Biomedical Engineering and Peter was chosen to be Foundation Director. Soon he found himself embroiled in the heady world of raising funds, coping with petty jealousies and being involved in the rigours of university politics.
2007 – Dr Peter Farrell at the ResMed Manufacturing Centre, Sydney. With S8™ therapy device.
great australian Business People In 1981, he was awarded a Doctor of Science degree for the research he had done in the field of artificial kidneys and, by this time, he had raised substantial funding for the School of Biomedical Engineering. He had attracted many students and the graduate program was going well. In 1982 it was suggested by both the Dean of Medicine and the Dean of Engineering that, because there was no designated chair in biomedical engineering, that as an associate professor, he should apply for a personal Chair. However, far from being the ‘chip shot’ he thought it would be with the complete support of both Deans, he was thwarted by a pedantic senior official in the university’s administration who went looking for problems. When his application for a personal Chair failed, he immediately thought about moving on. Baxter Healthcare in Chicago had recently offered him a job as a Vice President of Research, so he ultimately went to work for Baxter in Tokyo and set up Baxter’s R&D unit in Japan. He enjoyed his time in Tokyo which lasted for almost two years. In his last 6 months there in 1985, Peter had an idea that he would put to the University of NSW 2007 – Dr Peter Farrell and Mr John Howard at the official opening ceremony of ResMed’s Innovation Centre, Bella Vista.
2007 – Official opening ceremony – ResMed’s Innovation Centre, Bella Vista.
for a ‘translational research centre’ to be built on campus. He spoke to the then President and Vice Chancellor, Michael Birt who, bringing an enthusiastic fist down hard on the table, thought this was a fantastic idea! However, Professor Birt put it to Peter that funds would be needed, and Peter then persuaded Baxter’s to put up ten million dollars and make a future commitment to making the relationship sustainable. A building was eventually erected on the university campus. Designed by a team recruited and led by Peter Farrell, a six story building was completed with the top two floors dedicated to the Graduate School for Biomedical Engineering and the lower four floors for the University’s use. The deal was to include Baxter research in the mix with university research. The benefit was that students
and researchers would get exposure to both the commercial world and the cloistered university environment. This of course caused what Peter deemed the “lice infested leftie” purists to claim that the arrangement would ‘taint’ the research with grubby commercial interests and would diminish the University’s ‘pure’ research value. This would have been anathema to MIT who embraced commercial associations, as long as there was transparency in the relationships.
flabbergasted that such a decision could be made at this stage when the building had been completely designed and the architects paid for by Baxter and building about to begin. ”You can imagine what Baxter thought!” he said. “It was like slapping a gift horse right in the mouth” - was one reaction from Baxter’s Chicago office. Peter says “We then decided to find space for BCMR off campus. Needless to say, we were far from happy, particularly as the VC has approved the idea so enthusiastically”.
With Baxter’s investment in mind, (by this time they had given Peter a five million dollar annual budget to work with), they were looking for what Peter calls ‘low hanging fruit’ - elements of research that could be relatively quickly developed to bring an early return on the initial investment by Baxter, who would develop and market the end products. So Peter set up the Baxter Centre for Medical Research (BCMR). Very early on, BCMR was working on acute myeloid leukaemia with the University of Adelaide, doing diabetes research with the Walter and Elisa Hall Institute at the University of Melbourne. Dialysis work was being undertaken with partners all around the world and, as Peter put it “BCMR later got into ‘the sleep business’ with Colin Sullivan at the University of Sydney ”.
In June of 1986, Peter Farrell went to see Colin Sullivan at Sydney University - the guy with the reverse-action vacuum cleaner used to treat ‘snoring sickness’. Colin put on a video of a Sumo type individual, snoring, and then stopping snoring, which Colin described as ‘asphyxiating’. When the snoring suddenly stopped, the heart rate and the blood pressure dropped dramatically. After 25, 30, 40 seconds the’ Sumo’ snorted loudly, concomitant with arousal and the blood pressure and heart rate shot back to supra-normal as he began breathing again. Colin Sullivan asked me a question at the time: “Do you think that’s good for him?” I suggested that we could move to the next question.
Colleague Chris Lynch said one day “There’s this guy at the University of Sydney who’s treating snoring sickness with a reverse vacuum cleaner.” “That sounds pretty nutty!”, was Peter’s first response! “No, no, the guy seems credible,” replied Lynch. Peter at least agreed to go and talk to Sullivan. In the meantime, internal politics at the university, driven by a pessimistic bean-counter at the top and the then Chancellor, Gordon Samuels, canned the Baxter partnered project altogether! Peter Farrell was
Next on the video, a mask in the shape of a ‘toilet seat’ was put on the sufferer’s face. The mask was connected to a hose which in turn connected to a pump that Peter says could’ve run a swimming pool! “It sounded like a freight train and was quite heavy. You could barely pick it up!” Colin explained that it was working with room temperature air and it had a bit of a coarse filter to keep out cockroaches. The difference between this unit and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines that had been used in hospitals for some time, was that this machine only applied positive air pressure to the nose. Everybody thought the air would blow out of the mouth, but it didn’t.
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In 1989 Baxter was refocusing its business and dropped their interest in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Peter Farrell could have remained in a well paid secure position with Baxter, but chose instead to offer Baxter a small consideration to take his OSA project with him and go. They agreed. With many a hurdle yet to jump, he formed a new company in Australia using his own and angel investor money, and called it ResCare, later to become ResMed.
ResMed Manufacturing Centre, Bella Vista
1994 – One of the first export containers being loaded
The first year 1990, they achieved just under $1m in sales and lost $250,000. In 1991 they had sales of $2m and lost $150,000. 1992 ended with sales of $4m and the new entity made a profit of $400,000. At this time they were breaking even. 1993 sales were $8m and they were making about $800,000 in profit. In 1994 sales leapt to $14m. In 1995 the company went public on NASDAQ, at which point the name was changed to ResMed. In 1999, ResMed switched to the New York Stock Exchange, as most of the company’s business was in America and they thought the NYSE would offer a better profile for ResMed. In 1995, they listed in the US because they had a better offer there than they could get in Australia by about 50%. ResMed
Sullivan Nasal CPAP System (1988)
1992 – Dr Peter Farrell and Mr Christopher Lynch (General Manager), Lyon Park Road
Peter talked to one of Colin Sullivan’s original patients – Eddie Merck. Peter enquired how he put up with the noise of the pump. Eddie had been inventive himself and moved his bed next to the internal garage wall; he knocked a hole in the wall and put the pump in the garage with the car, having only the air pipe and the mask in the bedroom. Peter remarked that having to endure the inconvenience of a primitive mask and the noise of the pump every night must be incredibly inconvenient! Eddie said: “Yes, but it saved my life, it saved my marriage and it saved my job. I put up with this seemingly monstrous inconvenience because I am back in the land of the living; I can now function during the day without falling asleep”. Eddie went on to say that he used to lie in bed ‘not sleeping’ for 10 hours at night. He’d get up in the morning and fall asleep at breakfast, wake up, get in his car, fall asleep again at the first set of traffic lights, he’d go into work but couldn’t sit down because he would go into Rapid Eye Movement sleep (REM sleep), so he would wander around, unproductive - just focused on staying awake. He would go home, but couldn’t go to the movies or out to dinner because he would fall asleep. Then when he went to bed he would start the round again ‘not sleeping’ for another 10 hours. Eddie said that the first time he used Sullivan’s prototype equipment, crude as it was, he had a good night’s sleep, had dreams and awoke feeling ‘reborn’. He said that he would put up with any inconvenience to get that result every night.
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Factory floor - today
S9™ Series CPAP device and H5i humidifier
Warehousing - today
Swift™ FX nasal pillows
Peter asked Colin Sullivan how many people he thought would have this disorder and was told, about 2% of the population. Baxter at this time was still financing projects. After a few sums, Peter could see the potential, even at 2%, so it was decided to fund the prototype. He believed that within six months they could completely redesign the original ‘Darth Vader’ unit so it would be a fifth the size, make a fifth the noise, be a fifth the weight, and they could even design and build a decent airtight mask. *Chris Lynch, then General Manager of the Baxter Centre for Medical Research, worked tirelessly with a team of solicitors to negotiate with Professor Sullivan, a deal on behalf of BCMR to acquire the rights to manufacture his CPAP technology. Eventually it was agreed to pay the University of Sydney royalties for five years.
Modular mask (1995)
Bubble mask (1991)
great australian Business People has since achieved 67 consecutive record quarters in top-line revenue growth since going public. ResMed now employs about 3,500 people in 80 countries. They manufacture in Paris, Munich, Los Angeles, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney. And they have direct offices in 18 Countries. After setting up the business with an expectation of 2% of the population having need of the machine, recent research now shows that approximately 80% of type 2 diabetics have sleep disordered breathing (SDB), and when it’s treated with nasal CPAP, the hypertension and the diabetes are also treated. In addition, approximately 80% of heart failure patients have SDB at some level. Nasal CPAP treats the actual heart failure. Nocturia sufferers can also expect to be spared many night-time trips to the bathroom. In short, it is now estimated that around 30% of all adults are affected by SBD at some level. The number of people who should be treated is now being determined by sleep researchers but it is very clear that, if one has a co-morbidity, such as hypertension, heart disease or diabetes, there is no choice. It’s the biggest single health problem on the planet asserts Peter Farrell. “And we haven’t even started”, he says. “It’s like a marathon and we’re just lacing our shoes”. Editor, Dmitry Greku, asked Peter Farrell what advice he might give members of the Sydney Business Community. He said that the number one issue, particularly if you are building a business is you have to have ethics - people have to trust you. “If you say you’re going to do something, you do it. If you can’t, you have to pick up the phone and explain your reasons for things being different from what you said. It’s a combination of consistency and working hard.” He suggests that with any prospective project “you need a template, you need some way of assessing if something makes sense”. Another thing is to look carefully at the project, and ask “are we the right people to do this”, and “do we have sufficient coverage in the area of intellectual property? If you can’t do it properly and with sufficiently robust IP, someone else will thank you, take your idea, manufacture and sell it, cutting you out of the deal completely.” The market for your product also has to be big and it has to be accessible. If you can’t figure out a way to get into the market he says “Let it go, it’s never going to happen”. Financially, you need a ‘sense’ of the ultimate value of the end product, because if the money isn’t in the bank for its development, you need to know whether it has the right kind of value for others to invest in it later down the track. He calls this ‘de-risking the project and exponentially increasing its value’. The old 80/20 rule, where 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers, is useful. “So long as you can find out who they are” - he says,
and accordingly “pick what you are going to do “And one other thing they never teach this in to serve these customers and help them become business school,” he says, “you have to have a more profitable by helping them serve better very high tolerance for bad news. The proverbial the market that they are in. People only make always ‘hits the fan’ and you have to get up in the money when they make a contribution which is valued and 2011 – Dr Peter Farrell at you need to figure out the robust the ResMed’s Presidents contribution which you and your Club event. President’s team can make.” Club is an annual retreat Once you have picked an appropriate business opportunity, you have to have the discipline to stick to it and make it happen. “You have to have a fetish for delivering the product into the market place.‘ And you will need a high tolerance for bad news”.
for ResMed America’s top sales employees and management.
The final test is to do a robust financial analysis. You might love the idea but it also has to pay the rent. If you never get to breakeven, that’s a bad sign or if a project doesn’t have a positive net present value, that’s a bad sign. In short, you have to figure out whether or not you have an actual business with the product or process in which you are thinking of investing. He says leadership is also vital to getting something worthwhile done. “There are many aspects to leadership, but the aspects which resonated with me came years ago from Paul Johnson, one of Maggie Thatcher’s advisers, who also attended Oxford with Thatcher. He felt that leadership comprised of five main features. “First, leadership is about moral courage. Sometimes you have to make a call that won’t please everybody and it’s important to explain to people the reasons why a particular path has been chosen”. He says: “You’re not there for people to love you”. Then second there’s judgment. “It’s about smelling what makes sense, taking advice from a wide range of people, then making your decision about what area of business you are going to focus on in a general sense. Then third you need an ability to pick the specifics of what you are going to focus on and where you are going to expend your scarce resources; the Pareto items, if you like. Then fourth, one needs the discipline to finish the job you’ve started.” And, finally, “having a sense of humour is an important ingredient”. “You have to laugh at life, because no one gets out of it alive! When the pressure is on, you need to step back and find something to laugh at!” He also puts great store in the wisdom of appropriate experts: world class researchers in the field of interest. In the case of ResMed, he has regularly flown in academic experts in various fields, such as cardiology, diabetology and anaesthesiology, wined and dined them and then presented his ideas and intentions for their evaluation and feedback. “It costs a few dollars but, in my experience, it’s been absolutely worth it.”
morning, be glad you’re in the business and handle the challenges with a smile on your face”. He believes that there should have been one more commandment etched in the tablets of stone that Moses brought down from the mountain - “Thou shalt be fiscally responsible. You shouldn’t do dumb things with other people’s money, unlike the bulk of politicians who grossly waste a country’s resources on mindless attempts to decide what’s best for the private sector and for the public. And most of them are completely unqualified for the job at hand”. Jack Welch, who completed a PhD in chemical engineering from Illinois, reminded Peter that if there were only three things you could measure in a business, they ought to be: employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction and cash flow. As Peter says: “They are all connected and interdependent, but the point is that if you don’t have satisfied employees, you’re unlikely to have satisfied customers and your cash flow is unlikely to be positive. These are good high-level yardsticks.” The future prospects for ResMed under Peter Farrell’s guiding hand look remarkable. The market is huge for the products which ResMed is developing, and the real challenge is the ‘ignorance of the medical profession in their various silos’ about the level of untreated SDB in their patients. In short, specialist physicians do not yet fully understand the signs and symptoms of untreated SDB and how it interacts with the diseases they are treating. “Having said that, says Peter, “we are working at lifting the veil of ignorance so that the value of ResMed products for the health and wellbeing of patients around the globe will eventually be realised.” *An excellent detailed history of this transitionary period is in the publication ‘ResMed Origins’, which can be found on the ResMed website. G
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
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PUBLISHER’S GUEST
Publisher’s Guest
Whitney Rousham Western Sydney Business Connection with Dmitry Greku, Publisher/Editor, GWP Magazines
DG: What is the Western Sydney Business Connection (WSBC) all about? WR: The Connection is a business to business networking and business development organisation. It was established in 1985 and since that time has continued to flourish. Importantly it is a not-for-profit organisation which has the express aim of connecting people, places and business. In fact “connecting people, places and business” is the motto of the Connection. The Connection is proudly focused on Western Sydney and the interests of Western Sydney based businesses. Essentially it first started in the growing Parramatta CBD but now serves business throughout the Western Sydney economic region. For the Connection this also includes the developing Liverpool, Campbelltown and Hawkesbury areas too. DG: Why just Western Sydney? Why don’t you expand your organisation to include businesses right across the whole Sydney area? WR: Dmitry, this would be just too big for us and we would not be able to adequately meet the needs of our member base. Also our roots are firmly based in Sydney’s west. The Connection has developed alongside the growth of the Western Sydney economy. From humble beginnings the Connection has grown to include many large and well known companies. It started with the aim of bringing together businesses based in Sydney’s west to network, to get to know each other, encourage investment and do business together. Back in 1985 this was essentially focused in Parramatta. However the region is now much larger than just Parramatta. The demographic centre of Sydney is now west of Blacktown. As the region grew the numbers and range of business have grown so the Connection has grown along with them. Now the Western Sydney economy is the third largest regional economy
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
PUBLISHER’S GUEST in Australia. Our regional economy is larger than Brisbane’s. The Western Sydney Region comprises 14 LGAs and is one of the fastest growing economies in Australia. 70% of Sydney’s population growth is expected to occur in Western Sydney raising the number of people who live here from 2 million in 2011, to 3 million in 2036. The manufacturing industry represents 16% of the Gross Regional Product of Western Sydney, and the GRP of Western Sydney is one third of the GRP of the whole of Sydney. Employment in manufacturing was 105,000 in 2007, about 17% of the total employment in the Western Sydney region. 36% of Sydney’s workforce is employed in Western Sydney based industries. The NSW Premier, Barry O’Farrell believes the region is so important that he is also Minister for Western Sydney. DG: So how is the Connection managed? WR: Western Sydney Business Connection is governed by a very active Board of senior, highly experienced business people. I am honoured to be the current President but I am simply one of a long line of excellent leaders. We also have a very fine General Manager, Peter Dunphy plus a small staff based in north Parramatta. Throughout the year Peter and his team do a remarkable job of arranging and managing a very diverse series of events and functions, both small and very large. They also manage membership recruitment and benefit delivery, our website, databases, information flyers and brochures as well as attend a host of functions and stakeholder meetings. DG: And how is it structured? WR: The Connection itself has four arms. The main arm of course is the Western Sydney Business Connection itself which provides networking and business development opportunities for our members. Our other arms are Connection X, Manufacturers Connection and Asia Business Connection (which technically is a separate organisation but is very closely aligned to WSBC). Connection X is an association for future business leaders. Connection X is about succession planning and helping young professionals to understand wider business issues, to meet, network and have professional development opportunities. Individuals can join Connection X but at this time only organisations can join the WSBC. The Chair of Connection X is a dynamic young woman who is looking to refresh and rebrand the Connection X image and their activities. This will be a really interesting area to watch. The Manufacturers Connection (MC) was only formed in 2010 and is a dedicated cluster of manufacturers who meet regularly to share ideas, learn from each other and discuss innovative ways to improve their operations. The MC organises a planned and structured
series of roundtable discussions, company visits, seminars and guest speakers specifically for the manufacturing sector. We have also worked to secure a government grant to help research and support manufacturing in the region. The Asia Business Connection (ABC) comprises both whole company and individual members. The aim is to foster and grow business links to Asia. ABC organises and participates in trade missions, holds network events with key members of Asian governments and the Asian Business community in Australia and overseas. DG: So the WSBC is really more than just a business networking organisation. You also provide business and individual development opportunities for your members. Are these the benefits? WR: Yes, that’s correct. There are many business networking organisations, including Chambers of Commerce. They do a very fine job and we regularly interact with them. Parramatta Chamber, the Sydney Hills Business Chamber and the Penrith Valley Chamber especially are very active. However WSBC mostly represents large business enterprises whereas small business frequently forms the member base of their local Chambers of Commerce. WSBC has a schedule of high profile business events planned to provide topical information and resources to Directors and senior business leaders to help them make sound strategic decisions affecting the development of their companies. DG: What sorts of activities are run by the Connection? WR: Well the big one of course is the annual State of the Region Address by the NSW Premier. We are delighted that the current Premier has already given an undertaking that he will present at the 2012 event. This function, an intimate luncheon for more than 500 business leaders is always a sellout. In 2011 we had Harold Mitchell, Executive Chairman of Mitchell Communication Group talk to us about the future of media and advertising in business, Mark Collard present on team-building and staff morale, Craig James, Chief Economist from CommSec gave a Federal Budget briefing for 250 people, demographer Bernard Salt talked about the future of the Western Sydney workforce. On that matter the Connection conducted an Employment Forum for the Greater Western Sydney region attended by many major businesses which looked at issues of skills and staff retention and changes in the employment market. We have had several events looking at issues of sustainability, energy efficiency and carbon pricing. We welcomed the new Sydney Thunder 20/20 at a breakfast launch, had Charlie Lynn AO tell us about the art of survival and Simon McKeon the current Australian of the Year talked about social enterprises and corporate responsibility. We conducted a number of business and manufacturer round tables to do with lean business principles, innovation in production, workplace health and safety reform
and optimising employee engagement. Add to this a whole lot of networking morning teas, after 5s as well as the annual Corporate Golf Classic. Dmitry you can see it’s a pretty active timetable. Shortly for our Platinum members we hope to commence a program of CEO Boardroom discussions involving key business, community and government leaders. DG: Whitney, it is a very active and engaging program – but is it just a closed boys club? Who are some of your current members and what are the benefits? How do other organisations become members? WR: No, it’s not a boys club. We are actively seeking to expand our membership. In all associations members come and go but you only get out what you put in. If, as a member, you sit back and only attend some of the functions you might wonder why you paid your membership fee. On the other hand, if you are active, get your key leadership team involved, take good note of the business date resources on the website and information presented by the speakers and contribute at roundtables and seminars you will reap dividends. Remember, the Connection is not-for-profit. Board members drive the Connection in addition to their normal working duties. They do this because they see the benefits of networking and knowing other businesses in our region - to sell to, to source materials and services from, to collaborate with in tenders, to get ideas and to learn from the mistakes and successes of others. This is why the Connection puts people, places and business together. This is why we are successful and the number one business-to-business networking organisation in Western Sydney and beyond. Who are our members? Well, our current Platinum members include DEXUS Property Group, Moore Stephens Sydney West, Matthews Folbigg Lawyers, St George Bank, TAFE NSW Western Sydney Institute, NewsLocal, Parramatta City Council, Blacktown City Council and The Hills Shire Council, Sydney Water, Defence Reserves Support, PARKROYAL Parramatta, Telstra Business Centre Hills/Northern District. Our manufacturing members include Alcoa Australia Rolled Products, BlueScope Steel, FIP Brakes International, O-I Glass, Pegasus Print Group, Preformed Line Products, Rondo Building Services and Resmed. With more than 500 enterprises and 4000 individual contacts on our database our membership draws from high profile companies across many industry categories. We also support fundraising for our special charity enterprises CareFlight, The Northcott Society, Westmead Medical Research Foundation, Parramatta Mission and MS Australia. DG: Alright Whitney, how do people find out more or become new members? WR: Dmitry, we want to grow our membership base. To find out more please look at our website www.wsbc.org.au. Also you should email us connection@wsbc.org.au or call us on 9687 2788. G
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
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NSW Government
Risk and Rewards of Melanesian Business Ventures The Hon. Charlie Lynn - Member of the Legislative Council
According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute our most important foreign policy challenges are the influence of China and America in the Pacific and our relationships with Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
The maternal death rate is amongst the highest in the world at 753 per 100,000 births. In Australia it is 8. Added to this is a major Aids epidemic sweeping through the country together with severe outbreaks of cholera, typhoid and malaria. Despite receiving more than $15 billion in Australian aid since independence in 1975
Unfortunately we know little about our Melanesian neighbours. The subject doesn’t rate in our education systems. We no longer have the same level of influence in the region as we did immediately after independence. There is now considerable investment and influence from China, America, Japan and Malaysia who are attracted to their rich reserves of gold, oil
the country has some of the worst health and education outcomes in the Asia-Pacific region.
and gas. These nations are not restrained by the same value systems we have in Australia.
Today corruption seems part of the DNA of the majority of politicians and government officials at all levels. Recent Wikileaks reports advise that both Australian and Unites States consular officials regard the PNG public service as a totally dysfunctional blob. There has not been an audit of a single government department for the past five years. When investigations are conducted they reveal that tens of billions of dollars are unaccounted for.
Despite the challenges there are abundant opportunities for Australian business entrepreneurs and adventure seekers who take the time to analyse the opportunities, risks and rewards of the booming economy in the land of a thousand cultures. G
Our trading wealth will depend on how well we manage these challenges. Our population of 20 million is dwarfed by the 250 million people living in the island archipelago to our north. It is further complicated by rapid growth rates that have expanded by more than 40 per cent over the first decade of the 21st century. Whilst most of the Melanesian region is a foreign policy blind spot there are considerable economic opportunities for business entrepreneurs who take the time to have more than a glance at the area. Papua New Guinea, for example, has been described as an island of gold in a sea of oil surrounded by an ocean of gas. Is has also been described as ‘the Land of the Unexpected’ and ‘a Parliament of a Thousand Tribes’. It is certainly a land of adventure and opportunity. The population is nudging seven million and is expected to double by 2020. Around 50 per cent of the people are under 19 years. Their latest LNG gas discovery in Tari is expected to yield $16 billion and double the GDP of their national economy. It is estimated that it will take 10,000 people 10 years to build. As a result the capital of Port Moresby is experiencing a boom in economic activity as businesses from Australia, China, America, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Korea flood into the country in search of opportunity. Despite the great national wealth of Papua New Guinea the country has almost insurmountable social problems. More than one million Papua New Guineans live in extreme poverty on less that $50 a year with little or no access to a cash income or any form of the services we take for granted. More than 40 per cent of the adult population is illiterate and only one in two primary school aged children attend school.
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There is no integrity in the system of policing. The country is run on a traditional ‘big-man’ culture with an informal economy operating below the formal structures of government. As a result it has chronic law and order problems and a frightening level of gender based violence.
For more topics and to contact Charlie Lynn, please visit www.charlielynn.com.au/blog/
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
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Business Advice
Is Cash Flow Constraining Your Growth? (Part 2) Darryn Fellowes, Wealth Adviser - Skeggs Goldstien
In our last article, we discussed the need for a clear understanding of what cash flow means to your business, and why. Hopefully since reading the article you are convinced of the importance of watching your cash flow, but how do you keep it healthy? Here are some useful tips for watching and monitoring your cash over time.
There are a number of tools that you can use to keep track of your cash flow – from simple spreadsheets up to quite complex forecasting software. Regardless, they look at the same thing how much money will be coming into the business as well as how much money will be going out. Some of the points to keep in mind are: • Don’t assume that all debtors pay within 30 days – look at your history and be realistic. • Take a serious look at the capital costs of growth – expansion is costly and will likely cost more than you estimate. If you are, for example, considering upgrades of plant and equipment keep in mind that there are installation costs to be funded as well as purchase costs.
• Manage your invoices constantly as people don’t always pay on time. For those big orders, you may want to consider progressive invoicing while you manufacture the goods or deliver the service. • If your cash flow is dependant on a specific invoice being paid on time, make sure to communicate with the company at least four weeks before it’s due to ensure it will be paid on time. • Chase invoices the minute they are late. It may sound harsh, but the minute that an invoice is late, call the company and request immediate payment. • Consider the option of providing discounts for those who pay early. You may be surprised at the positive effect on your cash flow.
• Update your cash flow regularly. As time goes on, you’ll realise that some of your predictions about income and expenses were wrong. When this happens, update those figures to make your cash flow realistic.
• Consider scenarios such as ‘What if that big order suddenly comes in?’, ‘What if that big order is cancelled?’ or ‘What if that important client goes under owing me money?’
• Watch your taxation liabilities – it is tempting to push these back when cash is tight, because the ATO doesn’t call you the moment the tax is due. However, the ATO is currently taking a tougher approach to collecting outstanding debts.
Once you have your projections and plans in place, the work doesn’t stop there! These ideas may sound easy, but they are important when taking care of your cash flow: • Prepare a budget and know your expenses. Be brutally realistic. Always overestimate your expenses and underestimate your income. Your cash flow should always be a ‘worst-case scenario’.
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
turnover to determine which items are selling well and those that are soaking up your working capital. Try to keep inventory levels as lean as possible, so that your working capital isn’t tiedup unproductively and unprofitably. • Work out your debt structure and consider getting your credit facilities in order whilst you don’t need them. Secure financing for every stage of your expansion before you begin, including contingency financing. Whilst you may never need to draw on these facilities, it is often the case that when you do need it your business is not going so well and the bank will not provide you with credit – plan for the worse case. Your plan should also include the ability to pay back outstanding debt within a reasonable time. The key to managing your cash flow in the growth stage is monitoring. Know in advance where your cash is coming from and going to, and you will be in a better position to enjoy the fruits of your growth and success! G
• Offer different ways of paying accounts – online or credit card facilities may cost some money in fees, but if they entice your customers to pay early those fees may be well invested.
• Understand how your cash flow works in relation to your working capital cycle – consider how long your stock sits on the shelf, how long your debtors take to pay you and how long it takes you to pay your creditors.
• Understand the relationship between growth and your variable and fixed costs.
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• Manage your payments carefully – don’t pay your creditors before they are due, unless any discounts are offered.
Skeggs Goldstien Associates located in Norwest Business Park and Chatswood is a Financial Services Business specialising in Growth, Succession and Transition Planning for Small to Medium sized business. If you require assistance in understanding your cash flow and the impact it has on your growth, contact Skeggs Goldstien for an appointment. Skeggs Goldstien Associates
• Set up an account specifically for your taxation requirements. Work out how much of your revenue is actually paid to the ATO (incorporating PAYG withholding as well as tax on profits) and keep this aside on a weekly or fortnightly basis. Businesses that do this are generally on top of their tax commitments and do not fall into the trap of never ending payment plans with the ATO. • Monitor your Inventory. Analyse inventory
p | 1300 753 447 e | admin@sgapl.com.au w | www.sgapl.com.au
skeggs golds ien
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Wealth • Advisory • Strategy Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
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Business Advice
Management Liability - Is Your Business Protected? Russell Chegwyn, Managing Director - Chegwyn Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd
Over the past couple of years, insurers have become increasingly competitive with each other in the area of Management Liability. Previously, Directors & Officers, Employment Practices Liability, Trustee Liability and the like were taken as separate covers and the result was that these were often expensive and the perception was that only the larger private companies held this type of cover. These days, insurers package their products under the banner of Management Liability. The benefits of this are that many of your exposures in regards to the management of your business can be covered under the one policy.
Typically, a Management Liability policy will offer the following covers • Directors and Officers Liability and Company Reimbursement: cover for claims against the directors, officers or employees (insured persons) of the company (insured organisation) for any actual or alleged act, error, omission, breach of duty, breach of trust, breach of authority, misstatement or misleading statement by them. • Employment Liability: cover for claims against the company by any person who was, now is or becomes during the policy period an employee, for an actual or alleged employmentrelated breach. •S uperannuation Trustee Liability: cover for claims against a trustee of a superannuation fund for any actual or alleged act, error, omission, breach of duty, breach of trust, breach of authority, misstatement or misleading statement by the trustee in that capacity. •E mployee Crime: cover for direct financial loss to the company resulting from a single act, or series of related, continuous or repeated acts, of fraud, dishonesty or theft committed by an employee, acting alone or in collusion with others.
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In addition to the above covers, the policy can also be tailored to include additional coverage for Statutory Liability, Tax Investigation Costs, Occupational Health & Safety breaches & more. Previously, the traditional Directors & Officers policy was viewed as expensive and many businesses opted not to take the cover. In the current market, Management Liability premiums can be taken out for a little as $240 + statutory charges. Premium is dictated by the size of your business, sections of coverage taken, Sum Insured and Excess levels selected. Sums insured can typically be taken from as little as $500,000 up to $20,000,000. The most effective way to see how a Management Liability policy can protect your business is to look at the following claims examples: (Chegwyn Insurance Brokers would like to acknowledge and thank DUAL Australia Pty Ltd for the provision of the Claims Scenarios) Directors & Officers/Entity Claim: Shareholder Dispute Insured: a Pty Ltd transport company with 40 employees and annual revenue of $4 million. Scenario: The directors of the Transport Company A as well as the Company were both minority shareholders in a rival Transport Company B and were seeking to purchase the assets and business. Upon completion of the sale, the director of the Transport Company A and the Company sought damages alleging that the rival Transport Company B and its directors and officers had made misrepresentations in connection with the purchase and sale of the Company. Outcome: The director of Transport Company A, and Company A, sought $320,000 in damages and subsequently agreed to a settlement of $280,000. Company B incurred $170,000 in defence costs. Employment Practices Claim: Employment Practices Wrongful Termination
Liability
–
Insured: a Pty Ltd company with 80 employees and annual revenue of $8.5 million. Scenario: A senior manager was terminated
for allegedly stealing a laptop computer. The terminated employee maintained that he was provided with permission to take the laptop home to work on a report. Passing derogatory comments were made by the owner of the company that the senior manager was too old and should be ‘put to pasture’. As the comments were made to the terminated manager and in front of two other employees, the terminated employee sued his employer for wrongful termination based on age discrimination. The employee further alleged he could only be terminated for good cause and maintained a history of superseding his sale targets. The terminated employee sought damages of $800,000. Outcome: The employer settled with the dismissed employee at a Court ordered conciliation for the amount of $550,000. The employer also paid $150,000 in defence costs. If your business does not hold a current Management Liability policy and you have always been of the opinion that everything will be okay, perhaps the above examples may give you cause to reconsider. Contact your broker today and you will be surprised at how affordable ‘piece of mind’ can be. G
Chegwyn Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd Suite 105, 447 Victoria Street, Wetherill Park NSW 2164 p | 02 9604 6166 f | 02 9604 6188 w | www.chegwyninsurance.com.au
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
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Business Advice
Accessing Government Grants Rick Eardley, Director - Grants Spectrum Australia
Traditionally government assistance was targeted at specific activities in isolation. With Commercialisation Australia the government recognised that a varied range of assistance – in the form of cash, business advice and networking opportunities – is necessary to accelerate business growth opportunities.
Commercialisation Australia In the 2009-10 Federal Budget, the Australian Government announced their ten year vision, entitled Powering Ideas: an innovation agenda for the 21st century. As part of this agenda, the Commercialisation Australia grant was announced. Recent changes made in the first week of December 2011 have enhanced the scheme. Commercialisation Australia is designed to assist researchers, individuals and innovative companies who require assistance in developing their ideas and technologies into commercial ventures, helping them to take their technology to market. Commercialisation Australia is now the primary source of Australian Government assistance for commercialisation projects.
consists of funding worth up to $350,000 over two years, with a maximum grant of $175,000 per year. This assistance is provided on a 50:50 basis. Proof of Concept This provides assistance to businesses in testing the commercial viability of their technology and its associated business model and idea. Grants consisting of between $50,000 and $250,000 are available and are provided on a 50:50 basis. These activities are also expected to be complete within 12 months.
For each of the other components of the scheme, your annual turnover for the three years prior to the year of application must be lower than $10 million. You must also have ownership or access to, or the beneficial use of any intellectual property required for commercialisation of the technology and your business must comply with its obligations under the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999. Despite the more complicated eligibility criteria and application process, the Commercialisation Australia scheme can provide a great deal of
Commercialisation Australia is designed to assist researchers, individuals and innovative companies who require assistance in developing their ideas and technologies into commercial ventures, helping them to take their technology to market. Commercialisation Australia is now the primary source of Australian Government assistance for commercialisation projects.
The program is made up of several levels of assistance. Some of these include: Skills and Knowledge grant This grant consists of financial assistance of up to $50,000 to help businesses purchase specialist advice and services. This assistance is most valuable to people who know their IP has value but do not know what they should do next. This assistance is provided on an 80:20 basis with the government paying the larger amount. There is also an advice and mentoring component associated with these grants. The activities funded by this grant are expected to be complete within 12 months. Experienced Executives This enables businesses and companies to engage a Chief Executive Officer or other types of executive with an experienced background who can help the business move forward with its commercialisation venture. This grant now
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Early Stage Commercialisation As from December 2011 this grant is no longer required to be repaid. The grants range from $250,000 to $2 million and are intended to fund activities which focus on developing a new product, process or service to the stage where it can be taken to market. This assistance is provided on a 50:50 basis and the activities must be completed within a two year timeframe.
assistance to companies and organisations that wish to commercialise new products, services or technologies and prepare them for market. It is, as you can imagine, an extremely competitive grant and requires a considerable amount of time, financial expense and expertise in order to prepare an application which is likely to be accepted. G
Eligibility Eligibility for the Commercialisation Australia scheme is more complicated than some other government grants. Your combined annual turnover as an applicant includes that of any related corporate body, and, if you are applying for the Early Stage Commercialisation component, must be less than $50 million per year for the three years prior to the year of application.
Grants Spectrum Australia e | info@grantsspectrum.com.au w | www.grantsspectrum.com.au
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
25
Feature
Education Minister Opens New TAFE Premises in Parramatta New TAFE NSW premises were officially opened on 8 November in Parramatta by NSW Minister for Education, the Hon Adrian Piccoli MP.
The TAFE NSW Parramatta Office brings together the expertise of TAFE NSW - South Western Sydney Institute and TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute to provide better access to training and consultancy services to local enterprises, communities and individuals. According to Western Sydney Institute Director, Susan Hartigan, this new venture is a great opportunity for industry and the greater community. “Parramatta is the gateway to Greater Western Sydney and we are looking forward to contributing to the development of economic and social infrastructure in the Parramatta region,” Ms Hartigan said. “Our new Parramatta office will provide businesses and community in the Greater Western Sydney area with easy access to the highly adaptable, flexible training and support services that TAFE NSW has to offer.”
Geoff Lee - MP - Member for Parramatta; Peter Roberts - Institute Director, SWSI; Adrian Piccoli - Minister for Education; Susan Hartigan - Institute Director, WSI; Andrew Wilson - Deputy Lord Mayor, Parramatta City Council
Institute Director for South Western Sydney Institute, Peter Roberts said that TAFE NSW is well known for its industry expertise, flexible delivery and nationally recognised qualifications. “Western Sydney and South Western Sydney Institutes have joined forces to ensure that the best possible combination of training and services is available. We will provide customised training programs to industry, tailored to each company’s needs,” said Mr Roberts. TAFE NSW is providing the following services from its Parramatta Office: • consultancy services and training for small groups; • advising on workforce development and funding sources available for training;
• assessing and recognising skills; • providing information about traineeships and apprenticeships and continuing professional development (CPD) programs; • providing information about TAFE NSW programs including graduate management programs, distance and online programs, and international programs; • conducting industry and community engagement meetings and presentations. G The training and consultancy facility is located in the heart of the Parramatta business district at Shop 1B, 69 Phillip Street. For more information visit gws.tafensw.edu.au or call Joanne Nolan, Customer Relationship Manager, TAFE NSW – Parramatta Office on 9208 9507 or email joanne.nolan@tafensw.edu.au
Western Sydney Institute Named as National Sustainability Leader TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute was named Australia’s leading educational institute for sustainability at the Australian Training Awards presentation on November 25. The Skills for Sustainability - Educational Institution Award recognised the exemplary efforts of Western Sydney Institute in not only demonstrating sound sustainability practices but also in its leadership in embedding these principles into its training and in the everyday business of teaching and learning. Institute Director, Susan Hartigan said that in 2011 nearly 9,000 Western Sydney Institute students were enrolled in the Institute’s 857 Environmental Sustainability Units. “Western Sydney Institute has a strong commitment to incorporating environmental, economic and social sustainability principles into
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
every aspect of our business,” Ms Hartigan said. “We are working with industry, government and community partners to bring sustainability to life in Western Sydney and beyond through a wide range of innovative initiatives. Our three-pronged approach to sustainability includes nurturing a culture of sustainability, providing sustainable teaching and learning spaces, and embedding skills for sustainability into our training. “We are very proud to receive this award and will continue to provide environmental sustainability leadership.” Western Sydney Institute’s purpose-built sustainable teaching and learning spaces include the GreenSkills Hub at Nirimba College - a living laboratory designed to meet the current and growing demand for green skills training including in electrical engineering, plumbing, refrigeration and information technology as well as the EcoSkills Centre at Richmond College - a facility designed to integrate green skills training in agriculture, horticulture, farming, food production
and land conservation using sustainable energy production systems. The Institute also practices what it preaches as it has made significant investments into clean technologies and has made impressive progress in reducing water and power usage since 2005. The Skills for Sustainability - Educational Institution Award is an Australian Government initiative aiming to encourage tertiary education providers to train workers and businesses to prosper in a sustainable, low-carbon economy. G For more information visit our website or call Joanne on: p | 9208 9507 e | joanne.nolan@tafensw.edu.au w | www.gws.tafensw.edu.au
NEW Parramatta Office
Supporting Greater Western Sydney
Contact us or visit our new Parramatta office for all your training needs Shop 1B, 69 Phillip St. Parramatta
(02) 9208 9507
www.gws.tafensw.edu.au
A partnership between Western Sydney and South Western Sydney Institutes Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
27
Business Advice
Expenses that Seem to be Deductible but Really Aren’t Ruchaya Rayya Nillakan, Tax Accountants & SMSF Auditors
At tax time, there is a lot of advice out there about how to maximise your tax deductions. With so much publicity, it is easy to think that almost everything you spend money on during the year can be a potential tax deduction. That kind of thinking can get you in a little hot water with the ATO.
For a business expense to be tax deductible it must be related to the earning of income. Unfortunately just because a cost is paid by a business does not mean that it will be tax deductible. Below is a list of expenses that may seem as if they should be deductible on your tax return - but in reality are not. 1. C hild Support. Although in US the court ordered spousal support or alimony is deductible as a deduction above the line, child support paid in Australia by an Australian, is not deductible as an expense on your tax return. All is not lost, however. Regular child related deductions such as child care expenses, may still apply. 2. Legal Fees. The delivery of a cheque to an attorney for legal expenses feels like it should be deductible. If you are disbursing funds to defend a claim or to recover the losses suffered in a car accident, it seems fair that you should be allowed to deduct the cost of expenses on your tax return - only it is not. Legal fees that are of a personal nature are not deductible. The exceptions, however, are available to individual taxpayers for the cost of legal services related to getting tax advice. 3. Overseas Tickets. If you are instead wondering how you claim the cost of the air fares as a tax deduction for your business, the answer will depend on the purpose of the trip. If your travel relates to sourcing new products to sell, or securing new agencies, the cost of travel would not be deductible. This is because these costs are regarded as capital costs and are therefore not tax deductible. However, where the travel overseas relates to servicing existing customers or product lines the cost will be tax deductible.
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
4. The losses exceeding hobby revenues. You might be very excited the first year you make money out of a hobby - until you realise that you spent a lot more than you actually gained. If hobbies develop into a full blown business, it may be an enterprise that could claim excessive losses on the tax return, but options are limited if it is still really a hobby. Income from a hobby, be it planting trees or income from homemade crafts, is reportable on your income tax return. The income-related expenses are deductible for a hobby - but only to the extent that you have income. Excess costs of a hobby, no matter how big, are not deductible. 5. Weight loss programs and gym memberships. Preventive care can be smart but is not deductible. If you sign up to a fitness class to shed some kilos, or make the trip to the gym every day to get your health and shape in control, it may not be deductible - even if your doctor says it is a good idea. The only way to obtain a deduction for a weight loss program or gym membership is as a treatment for a specific disease diagnosed by a doctor. Merely having a disease such as hypertension is not enough - you have to prove that you have been diagnosed by a physician and that the program or gym membership has been ordered by your doctor. 6. Home Repairs. If you have to do a major repair to your home, usually you cannot deduct the cost of repair, even if it is necessary for you to continue living at home. This is true even if the repair is important (such as a leaky roof). It is very difficult to obtain a tax deduction for repairs. However, if the repairs are for an investment home, then yes, it is deductible. 7. Travel costs. You can deduct expenses related to the car incurred during the course of work or business. This includes travel from one workplace to another in the course of work or business, visiting customers, suppliers or customers, and going to a business meeting outside the workplace. You cannot however, deduct the cost of commuting to and from work even if your trip is long. 8. Cost of services to charity. The value of your time is never deductible as a charitable expense even if the value of your time is determined (for example, if you normally bill
by the hour, like lawyers and accountants). If you donate your time to charity, you get a good feeling. That’s it. You can, however, get deductions on out of-pocket expenses such as mileage. 9. Expenses related to career change. The expenses to help you either maintain or improve job performance, or attend training required by your employer or by law to keep your salary, status, or position are deductible. However, expenses that are part of a program to qualify you for a new job do not count - this includes the cost of job search for new graduates or the cost of education for a new job. Deductible expenses that are specific to your job might not be obvious to your accountant so get advice then apply it to your situation. Have a think about what you spend as a work-related expense and keep a record. For example, flight attendants can claim items such as re-hydrating moisturisers, hair conditioners, shoes and hosiery worn as part of a uniform. G For answers to any questions you have, you can email me at info@supersmartplans.com or visit me and the team at the offices. And lastly, if you like my articles, please give us your support by clicking Like Us on Facebook.com/ supersmartplans and you will be able to have access to our tax regulation updates. Super Smart Plans Financial & Accounting Level 4, Suite 888 311 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW 2000 p | 02 8093 1683/85 (Head Office) Norwest Business Park Centre A15/24-32 Lexington Drive Bella Vista, NSW, 2153 p | 02 9672 6279 e | info@supersmartplans.com w | www.supersmartplans.com.au
Business Advice
Is Your Business Really Healthy? Ben Dulhunty, Managing Director – Fitness Revelation Corporate Solutions
Many companies determine their business’s health by the percentage of profit they make per year, or whether their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are being met. Don’t get me wrong, this is correct, but these factors rely directly on the overall performance and attitude of those integral components of the company - the staff! Remember - the health of your greatest assets determines their productivity - and their productivity determines the progression of your company. A key driver for investing in a program that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of employees is that better performance yields results for a company’s bottom line. Central to the theme is the topic of absenteeism and the notion that healthy, productive employees are less likely to be absent from work. Healthy employees display lower levels of stress, boast faster decision making abilities and are generally more productive as a result. It was recently
discovered that employee absenteeism was costing Australian companies $7 billion a year. Even more concerning is that this is less than the cost of employee ‘presenteeism’. The term ‘presenteeism’ has been coined to reflect a lack of productivity in the workplace of employees who are present at work however produce far less output than their healthy counterparts. In fact a Medibank private study in 2010 put the annual cost of presenteeism to Australia at $25.7 billion. Present, sick employees can be fatigued, make poor decisions, are slower at performing tasks and can also have poorer accuracy and reaction time. So how do we keep our employees present and productive? A recent study by Melbourne’s Body Brain Performance Institute and Swinburne University found employees who clock 10,000 steps a day can earn their employer $2,500 more in productivity each year than office workers who walk on average 2,000-3,000 steps a day. Add 3 gym sessions a week onto this and you will extend your life span by 5 years! The average spend of Australian companies on their employees’ health needs is $300 per
employee annually. Looking at the numbers, this is a great return on investment for any company. G So, get your staff off to the best start possible in 2012 by introducing one of our Office Overhaul Programs. We consider all aspects of your individual workplace and tailor the program to suit your needs. This issue, we are giving you a $250 gift certificate to be used on our services during January and February. Just mention this article when calling, and we will organise the rest. Contact us on 1800 383 242 to lock in your program today – only 10 spots available for January and February. Fitness Revelation Corporate Solutions p | 1800 383 242 e | corporate@fitnessrevelation.com w | www.fitnessrevelation.com
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
29
Business Advice
Financial Remuneration isn’t Everything Stephen Frost, Managing Director - BREED Local Community Partnership
Many studies have shown that pay is not at the top of the list when it comes to what makes employees happy. Being recognised and valued for a job well done, is one of the most important things in being happy, and not just at work but in our everyday life as well!
So how can we ensure our staff and clients feel they are being recognised and valued? Here is a check list to help us in the workplace, working with volunteers and in our own personal lives. 1. W henever you can, catch people making a difference or just going that extra mile, make sure they and others know about it. Don’t just say “good job” - verbalise what they did well and the positive impact this had on you and your business or organisation. 2. S hare success; give credit to your staff. It is your job to provide the tools and training for your staff. However, it is how they utilise these that determine the success of the organisation and it is important that the “glow” of success is shared. 3. Recognise important occasions such as, employment anniversaries and birthdays. It is their day, let them know you remembered and you value them as in individual. 4. Allow time off with pay to do voluntary work for a charity of their choice. This demonstrates that you value causes that are important to individuals. 5. P rovide opportunities for personal development. People like the opportunity to do training and to be involved in special committees where their talents are valued. 6. S upport individuals and your team, even when things go wrong. It is important that they know they have your support. If things don’t go as planned use it as a learning opportunity for the future. 7. T ry to make it a “fun” environment to work in. Look for opportunities for “team” involvement not necessarily related to a work activity. For example: team fund raising lunches, BBQ,
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pizza lunch, pancake Tuesday, with everyone donating say $5.00 to that month’s charity. Team members can take turns in organising the events.
Partnership Brokers are able to assist in developing relationships between schools, business and the community. Working with youth can be rewarding for your business and your
Rewards can always be by way of a cash bonus; however, personally selected rewards targeted at individual passions are generally more appreciated
8. Celebrate milestones - small achievements count. Rewards can always be by way of a cash bonus; however, personally selected rewards targeted at individual passions are generally more appreciated. It could be as simple as a card with a hand written message, a voucher to a favourite restaurant, tickets to the theatre, or a voucher for a massage. Knowing your team members and rewarding them with something that is personal to them demonstrates that you have gone to that extra effort to individualise the reward. Always back this up with a certificate that can be displayed and kept as a memento after the gift has been used. It is also important to recognise contributions from those outside your paid team. If you get a lead send a thank you card. A hand written thank you card is much more valued than a merged form letter or email. Personalise the thank you with specifics. Award recognition programs also work well, both for your team and those external to your business who contribute to the success of your business. They need to be real, not tokenistic or perceived favouritism. Publicly acknowledge the recipients where possible.
staff. In addition to assisting your local youth, it is a way of building community recognition of your organisation as well as expanding the skill base of your team. G
For more information on Partnership Brokers, please contact your local office listed below.
Members
Blacktown admin@breedcp.com.au p | 9853 3247
Parramatta info@parrasip.com.au p | 9633 7100
Penrith info@schoolsindustry.com.au p | 4725 0310
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
31
Feature
TRADE IN YOUR OLD GOLD?
YES, AND NOW! By Robert E Cliff F.G.A.A., JP
Since 2009 gold prices have almost doubled, however, what most do not realise, is that it is yet to reach the heights of 1980.
As global investors seek a safe haven in gold amid the slowing & diving currency values and equity market drops, investment gold surpassed jewellery as the leading driver of global gold demand for the first time in 30 years.
Gold has been a valuable and highly wanted precious metal for a great many things - jewellery, coins, medicine, dentistry, industry, symbolisms, ideologies and many other forms since before recorded history, with gold prices being the most common basis for money policies throughout human history. Generally measured by grams, when other metals are included (alloyed) the word carat is used to indicate the purity of the gold that is present - 24 carat being pure gold. The price of gold is determined by the trading in the gold and its derivatives markets. The Gold Fixing, a procedure known as such, started in London in 1919 and provided a daily benchmark price to the gold industry. Believe it or not, an Afternoon Fixing was introduced in 1968 when the United States of America opened its market. Gold was historically used as currency, and when paper money was introduced, it was a receipt that could be redeemed for gold coin or billion. By l961, it was becoming hard to maintain a
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fixed price and a group of US and European banks agreed to manipulate the market to control currency devaluation against the increased demand for gold. In 1968 the economic
Feature
Award winning Designers & Manufacturers Since 1984
as a hedge against inflation, cashed in when the Gold prices are high. Most believe they are not in a position to take advantage of this amazing opportunity, however, you may be very mistaken! Scrap gold has become valuable due to this steady rising in the price of gold and we can all take advantage of it. There is a treasure trove of gold lying around most jewellery boxes in the home.
circumstances of the time caused the collapse of this group and a new scheme was begun. A two tiered pricing scheme was established – international accounts were settled at an agreed price, but on the private market gold was allowed to find its own level. To this day, central banks hold gold reserves as a store of value, however, this level has been dropping – the largest of these deposits in the world is that of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank in New York - it holds approximately 3% of the gold mined (so too the U.S.Bullion Depository at Fort Knox). In March, 2011, gold hit a new high for all time, of $1,432.57, based on investor concerns regarding the continual unrest in North Africa and the Middle East. In August of this year, Gold hit yet another high of $1,913.50. Private holders of gold store it generally in bullion form or bars
The true value of this may be realised by either cashing it in or trading it in against the purchase or creation of something you would like or perhaps would not have generally afforded. You can realise the true value of your old scrap unwanted gold and jewellery at today’s prices. This can be the same for white gold and platinum – rings, earrings, pendants, chains, anything that is made from any kind of gold or platinum. Most genuine manufacturing jewellers will willingly take on this old scrap gold as they can take advantage of a better price for part of their production costs and at the same time offering their clients to take home something they will have forever and wear with pride at an excellent price. To Trade in your old gold, and to take advantage of the amazing high price of gold, may I suggest the following as a good start: • The daily gold price may be checked via various internet sites, however, may I recommend http://www.perthmint.com.au • Then, gather all your items that you believe to be gold or platinum, any, don’t be afraid, you will be quite surprised. • Choose a Jeweller you trust! May I recommend those that are registered valuers only?
• Or better still - put this towards having a new piece commissioned especially for you. Gold fever is here, and it will not pass in a hurry – my advice, take advantage of it. G
Robert Cliff Master Jewellers Shop 380A Castle Towers Castle Hill, NSW 2154 p | 02 8850 5400 e | shop@robertcliffmasterjewellers.com.au w | www.robertcliffmasterjewellers.com.au
• Have them weigh and test your items. • Have them put a scrap metal price on your items, remembering that this will be a second hand price, not new gold price. • Consider trading your items against a new piece.
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
33
Business Advice
What Motivates Staff? Effective Employee Retention Getting the basics right Nat Martorano, Senior Consultant - The HR Department
Unfortunately, this question usually comes up when things are not going well – when there are problems with employees, or when there is a struggle to retain people or attract new talent.
Understanding what satisfies and motivates employees is the key to effective retention strategies and techniques. Of course, money isn’t everything! And being proactive, addressing it while you’re not dealing with immediate problems should set you up to avoid challenges in the future. Establishing the basic factors up front is important. Ensure that: • Consistent and required policies are available and followed
your staff. This can be achieved as early as your advertising and recruitment process. The job description should clearly outline the position objectives, tasks and responsibilities, as well as the qualities, experience and educational requirements of the person. This should be reflected in the advertisement to attract the right candidates. The interview process allows you to choose the people who will be the right fit for your organisation based on the content of the job description. Once a recruit is chosen, making an offer competitive to the market will secure your new employee. The offer should take into consideration the salary/ pay rate and any other benefits, as well as provide further information about the company that the candidate may wish to consider.
that will help motivate and engage them. Watch this space for - What Motivates Staff? Part 2Establishing Great Working Conditions. G
Next month’s issue
RAP with your employees
• Supervision is adequate and supportive • Reporting relationships are clear and objective • Working conditions are as pleasant as possible • Salary is commensurate with the job role • You have a zero tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviour. Whilst addressing these issues will not necessarily motivate your employees to work harder, if they aren’t addressed, employees will become unhappy and leave, thereby increasing your turnover rates and your future recruitment and training expenses. Once the basic factors are established successfully and your employees are satisfied, you can move on to the elements that really motivate and engage them to be more efficient and improve the performance of your business, for example: • Opportunities for achievement
Understanding what satisfies and motivates employees is the key to effective retention strategies and techniques. Ensuring the working conditions are acceptable for the relevant occupation will ensure employees have the tools required to do their job, and a pleasant environment in which to work. A thorough induction not only outlines the expectations, but orients the new employee to your workplace, the staff and the organisational culture – and makes them feel welcome! Open communication including regular reviews of their progress will demonstrate your interest in your new employee being able to settle in and develop as expected.
• Recognition of good performance • Providing sufficient job challenges • Giving more responsibility for those who seek it • Enabling advancement and growth for your star performers. It all starts with setting clear expectations of
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
Dealing with any problems through open feedback while they are small is a great way to avoid timeconsuming performance management processes. Once your candidate has demonstrated the values and commitment you desire, then further training, development or advancement can be considered. Getting the core basics in place will go a long way to ensuring your employees are satisfied. Only then can you work on implementing strategies
If you would like to discuss how you can motivate your employees through a tailored staff retention program, or simply arrange an evaluation of your current culture and employee engagement, call The HR Department 02 8850 7124. The HR Department Suite 515, 2-8 Brookhollow Ave Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 e | elly@thehrdepartment.com.au w | www.theHRdepartment.com.au
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
35
Feature
Car Ownership – Opportunities and Costs by Rod Cullen, Dealer Principal - Lander Toyota Blacktown
The purchase of a motor vehicle, whether privately or for business, presents many opportunities and plenty of challenges to the Australian public. When someone first sets out with the task of buying a new vehicle there are a myriad of options which pop up and just as rapidly the challenges of making the right decision can seem like an insurmountable hurdle.
If your purchase intention is for a personal vehicle then the decisions to be made might centre on the core use. Is it a family car? Is it a practical car? Is it a fun car purely for your personal enjoyment? Once you have established the basis of your need then the choice is further examined in the more personal elements, for example the emotional decisions centred around “what does this car say about me?� Everyone wants their personal vehicle to be a representation of who they are. This has never been more evident than with the success of the stick figure families adorning the rear window of every second car you see running around Sydney. On the other hand if your purchase is for business there may be a completely different set of criteria used to establish your purchase decision. For the company or business vehicle the initial decisions may centre more around who the car is for. Is it for me the business leader? Is it for practical use by working team members? Is it purely transport for a great employee in the office? As with the personal use scenario, once the base criteria are established there are many more important decisions to make. In the business sense the overall cost of ownership is probably one of the most important considerations - after all, whatever the vehicle, it is a depreciating asset in your business so you want to get the best possible return on your investment. Not only is the vehicle an investment for your business, it may also be a representation of who you are to the community. In any case whether the purchase is for personal or business reasons what are the key considerations at the heart of any decision? Firstly, the vehicle must meet the set of requirements you have established for it; then
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
you will always want to ensure you are getting the best quality and reliability for your dollar. All this can come down to a very simple concept of value. What is value? To the billionaire it might be represented by a million dollar Rolls-Royce
which makes a statement about their status in the world, whereas to most of us value is based around cost of ownership. These costs include the base cost of the vehicle, the cost of finance, servicing costs and ultimately re-sale value. The combination of all the elements adds up to your total cost of ownership.
Feature Toyota Australia has developed a program designed to reduce the cost of ownership by addressing the consumer costs at all points of the ownership cycle. The Lifetime of Toyota Advantages program covers everything from offering a great deal at the time of initial purchase, to delivering vehicles with enduring quality, dependability and reliability. Toyota Finance, a fully owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Company, is able to provide low rate, flexible finance options. Low cost, capped price service is delivered through the Toyota Service Advantage program. Having nationwide dealer
easy to see the model and colour of your choice. On the lower level of the 8000m2 site we have our service reception area introducing a new 32 bay service department built to accommodate all the customers generated from our high volume of sales. The team in Service are all fully trained and committed to keeping your Toyota in the finest mechanical order.
coverage to give you peace of mind wherever you may travel in our wide brown land and delivering vehicles designed with lower emissions, greater safety standards and better fuel consumption to provide lower running costs, and the renowned re-sale value of Toyota vehicles are some of the advantages. Below is a graphical representation of Toyota’s Lifetime of Advantages Program. Lander Toyota is now in a wonderful position to implement Toyota’s Lifetime of Advantages Program for our customers. Our newly built dealership at 112 Sunnyholt Road, Blacktown is now a landmark site for the Toyota experience
displaying marvellous facilities for Toyota owners and prospective customers. The centrepiece of the dealership is our ten car showroom which also houses a comfortable, Qantas Club, style lounge with coffee machine, Foxtel and wireless internet available. This central space also accommodates our administration area on the top floor and individual, private offices to discuss your personal queries about our flexible finance options with one of our accredited business managers.
As part of AHG, Australia’s largest motoring group, over $11 Million has been invested in the new dealership to ensure that all customers experience the finest levels of customer service. Lander Toyota invites you to visit us to experience a new dimension in automotive retailing proudly established in the heart of Sydney’s west. G
Lander Toyota 112 Sunnyholt Road, Blacktown p | 02 8884 4888 e | sales@landertoyota.com.au w | www.landertoyota.com.au
Around the dealership there is display area for over 300 new and used vehicles so it is always
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
37
Business Advice
Top 10 Website Mistakes Scott Tyler, Managing Director - Brightblue Marketing
It takes more than just having a website to make the Internet work for your business. The web environment is now more competitive than ever. Time and time again I see the same fundamental website mistakes being made. It really pays to seek out a digital marketing specialist to ensure your website is actually working for your business. Below are the Top 10 Website Mistakes that your competitors already know about.
1. Having no clear website strategy Your website should be focused on either generating genuine enquiries or selling online. Brochure type websites simply don’t cut it anymore. If your website is not focused on driving an action from site visitors then why bother? 2. Weak branding A website is the corner stone of your marketing and therefore must clearly communicate your brand attributes, benefits and values. It should also clearly communicate your uniqueness – what makes you stand out from your competitors. 3. Focus on products and services Too many websites specifically focus on products and services, instead of how the business addresses the concerns and needs of the buyer. It should be clear from the outset what specific niche
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
markets your products/services are specifically designed for. Identify the different reasons your target market engages your services or purchases your products. We call these different reasons “Buyer Personas”. Generate specific content on your website for each buyer persona. 4. Poor design and functionality Your website design must not only be presentable, but also focus on helping visitors quickly meet their goals when visiting your site. Steer away from the overuse of flash. People want information quickly, and don’t want to be bothered every time they visit your site with a flash intro that takes forever to load. 5. Website copy written for your peers Frame your language and images to that of your target market and not that of your peers. Your message has a greater chance of resonating with your target market. Keep industry jargon to a minimum. 6. No call to action I am always surprised at how many websites have very little or no strong calls to action. It is important that site visitors take some type of action when they visit your site - whether it is to sign up for an e-book or an e-newsletter or to make a sales enquiry or a purchase. 7. Not collecting email addresses Every visitor who leaves your site without sharing
their contact information is an opportunity lost. Provide visitors an incentive to sign up by offering a free e-newsletter, special report or free gift. 8. Not optimising your website for search engines There is no point having a website if it can’t be found on the Internet. In order for your website to be found on Google and other search engines you need to invest in search engine optimisation (SEO). 9. Not regularly updating your website Google rewards websites that regularly update their content. Keep your content fresh to sustain the interest of site visitors. Keep them coming back. 10. Not tracking web site performance There are free tools such as Google Analytics and Google Website Optimiser that help you to track and improve the performance of your website. Through the use of these tools you can test variations of your web pages to determine what techniques increase conversion. G Do you need help updating your website? Pay-As-You-Go plans are available. Please contact Web Marketing Central on 1300 309 171 or email ninja@webmarketingcentral.com.au. www.webmarketingcentral.com.au
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
39
LOCAL Government
Empowering Home-based Businesses There are more than 20,000 homebased businesses in the Sydney Hills District, providing a wide variety of goods and services to the community and beyond.
The Hills Shire Council understands the importance of home-based businesses to the local economy, and how good information can lead to more informed decision making for the business owner. This is why many home-based business owners come to Council for a confidential business visit. What’s in it for me? Many home-based business owners are keen to find out more about marketing opportunities. They particularly want to know about other businesses in the area, and how they can find out about new businesses establishing locally. Some home-based business owners want to find out how they can raise their profile within the local business community. Others need information about permits required for home businesses and how best to work with the various departments within Council to establish their business. What can Council offer? A visit with Council can equip home-based business owners with a range of contacts, data, education and information that can help with ongoing decision making. Council has a good understanding about new business activity and can share that information with home-based business owners, helping them to be better informed about upcoming business opportunities, and identifying new leads. Council, through its access to ABN data in the area, has been able to geographically code over 30,000 businesses in the Shire. This means small business owners can look at a map and visualise, for example, where all the accountants, nurseries, child-care centres etc are located across the Shire. Often, this type of information can be useful for a small business owner looking to locate their business in terms of matching their capability to where their competitors are located and where their customers are likely to be, both now and in the future.
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Small business graduates from the Women in Business Mentoring program How we have helped? Susie wanted to start a home-based occupational therapy business specialising in treating children in Castle Hill. A business visit with Council was able to help her with research on the demographics of her potential client base, both now and projecting 20 years on a suburb-by-suburb basis. This enabled Susie to have a much better understanding of where her future clients might be based, and the information meant she was considerably more informed about potential locations that would attract the greatest amount of clients. Barry was running a home-based business in software development. During his discussions with Council, it was revealed that Barry had some difficulties having sales meetings with his clients in a professional environment. Council was able to direct him to a number of serviced office solutions that enabled him to continue working from home, but meet with clients in a professional setting. Barry was also able to enter into an arrangement where the serviced office was able to provide him with receptionist support, so he could devote more time to expanding the business. Contacts, contacts! Networking is very important for people running a home-based business. It can connect business owners with like-minded people to share resources, access various complementary skill
sets, and network with others who are experiencing similar issues. Council can also connect small business owners with Government Departments like the NSW Government Trade and Investment, as well as organisations like Sydney Hills Business Chamber, Success Women’s Network, She Business Australia and the Independent Business Network, and more. A wide variety of business workshops are also available through Council aimed at empowering small business owners through skills expansion and knowledge building, with topics including social media, business continuity plans, website advice, sales and marketing and mentoring programs - like the recent Women in Business in Mentoring Program. G Let’s get together We are waiting to hear from small business owners. For a free, confidential business visit contact Council’s Economic Development team today on 9762 1108 or make an appointment online at www.businesssydneyhills.com.au
Own a Home-Based Business? Looking for new ideas? DiD yOu knOw that there are over 20,000 home-based businesses in the Sydney Hills?
Council has a range of FREE business information that can answer these questions and more...
Council understands how important homebased businesses are to the local economy, and how good information can lead to more informed decision making.
Contact us today for FREE confidential business discussion on 9762 1108.
The two most frequently asked questions by home-based business owners are: where can I get a list of businesses in the area, and how can I find out about new local business activity? And many more people ask: do I need a permit to run my business from home?
An initiAtive of
business
the hills shiRe council
www.businesssydneyhills.com.au
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
41
LOCAL Government
Waterfront Site Set To Make A Splash Expressions of interest have been called for one of Parramatta’s prime pieces of real estate, with the site expected to attract plenty of attention from developers keen to get a foothold in one of the fastest growing markets in the country.
The Lennox Bridge Carpark, Parramatta (12-14 Phillip Street/333 Church Street), is a 0.5ha site positioned right on the City’s edge, is bounded by Parramatta’s ‘Eat Street’ precinct and overlooks the river foreshore.
As part of the development, applicants are required to include plans for multi-function spaces, such as a ‘discovery centre’ which would be used to engage locals and visitors to Parramatta, along with public domain and retail. The majority of the site will be used to house high-rise residential apartments and is expected to be complete by the end of 2014. “This site captures our City’s relationship with the River and opens up the area to business, culture and social life,” Lord Mayor of Parramatta, Cr Lorraine Wearne said. “The development, with its residential, commercial
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and social mix will add to our after-hours economy, stimulate further development and provide a significant public domain benefit,” she said.
figures showing that the gateway to Western Sydney is expected to continue to attract strong tenant demand.
“It’s also connected to transport, retail and Parramatta’s thriving dining precinct, ‘Eat Street’.”
According to a recent CBRE report, about 75,000 square metres of office stock could be built in Parramatta over the next five years, including the 25,000 square metre Eclipse project at 60 Station Street.
Earlier this year the site attracted international attention following Council’s design competition, Ideas On Edge, which offered a prize pool of $70,000 for the boldest, most innovative and creative ideas for its development. Council received more than 150 entries, from architects, designers, artists and students from
more than 15 countries, and whose visions certainly weren’t limited by their imaginations. The proposed development is just one part of Council’s foreshore activation program, which also includes a plan to install portals in the abutments of Lennox Bridge. The project would not only provide continued pedestrian and cycle access from the Parramatta Wharf, through to Parramatta Park, but is also expected to include a walkway gallery celebrating the bridge’s history and evolution. It’s not just on the residential front that things are taking off in Parramatta, with recent office space
Eclipse is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2012 and has current pre-commitments of about 85%. A further 20,000 sqm could be built at 105 Phillip Street. Rental growth in the Parramatta office market
has been fuelled by tenant demand and a lack of new supply over the past 12 months. Vacancy rates are expected to continue to remain low over the next few years, despite the increase in A-grade office stock. Expressions of interest for the Lennox Bridge development site close on 2 March 2012. Electronic copies of tender documents can be downloaded at www.tenderlink.com/parracity at a cost of $214.20. Alternatively, a hard copy can be purchased by contacting Noel Clarke on 9806 5379, at a cost of $286.85. G
LOCAL Government
Festival Set To Bring In The Dollars Western Sydney businesses are set to share in a $50m windfall as part of the annual Sydney Festival which will hit Parramatta in the New Year (Jan 13-22).
For the first time, Parramatta will have its own dedicated program of events, including an exceptional line-up of local and international theatre, music and film in Riverside Theatres, roving performances along Church Street, and at the Old Kings School grounds, while the Festival’s newest venue, The Idolize Spiegeltent in Prince Alfred Park, will feature a wondrous mix of music, cabaret and maybe more than a little mayhem. Sydney Festival has been coming to Parramatta regularly since 2003, and created hugely popular and ground-breaking Festival moments in recent times, including the AR Rahman concert in Parramatta Park in 2010. The Idolize Spiegeltent will be located in Prince Alfred Park The festival not only provides an opportunity for local artists and residents to enjoy world-class performances but has numerous spin-off effects for local enterprise. “This is a fantastic opportunity for Western Sydney families to attend and enjoy Festival events in their region. To be able to enjoy a concert or stage performance without having to travel into the city will be great for families and seniors,” NSW Premier, Barry O’Farrell said. “It is estimated the Sydney Festival contributes more than $50 million to the NSW economy each year. The Festival in Western Sydney will also be a boost for the Western Sydney economy as visitors eat, drink and maybe do a spot of shopping.” Lord Mayor of Parramatta, Cr Lorraine Wearne said she was pleased that this year, for the first time, Parramatta had its own dedicated program of events and that with a growing population of two million people, the State Government had recognised the need for cultural festivities in Western Sydney. “The Parramatta program will run for 10 days during the Festival and is expected to draw thousands of visitors to the area, not only local, but Sydney-wide audiences who will be able to
enjoy this event via a short train trip or relaxing RiverCat ferry ride,” Cr Wearne said.
literally tips skyward leading to a breathtaking mix of aerial performance and music.
“Over the past two years, Parramatta has shown it is capable of attracting and hosting major events that have brought many communities together and showcased the diversity of our region.”
Idolise Spiegeltent One of the Festival highlights will be the Idolize Spiegeltent at Prince Alfred Park featuring a wondrous mix of music, cabaret and more than a little mayhem.
For 2012, the Festival received $500,000 in funding from Parramatta City Council. The State Government matched this increase, enabling the Festival to significantly expand its program in Parramatta as the focus of its activities in Western Sydney. Parra Opening Party (POP) The Festival will kick off with our free Parra Opening Party on 14 January from 4pm - 11pm, featuring dance performances in crowded shopping areas, art installations literally growing out of empty shop spaces, free films plus the chance to get involved in workshops and artmaking with local artists including Parramatta Artist Studios.
Spiegeltents are hand-hewn pavilions used as travelling dance halls, bars and entertainment salons. There are only a handful of these unique and legendary ‘tents of mirrors’ left in the world today. Parramatta’s very own Spiegeltent will be home to a wonderful world of colour, activity and laughter set in the beautiful Festival Garden. Closing Night Celebrate the last night in style with a free concert under the stars at the Old King’s School site on 21 January with Dan Sultan, Busby Marou and Kasey Chambers. G
Notting Hill Carnival DJ, Norman Jay, will park his iconic double-decker bus in Eat Street for a marathon seven hour set of feel-good summer tunes. Un-missable will be As The World Tipped, as a massive stage takes over Church Street and
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
43
BUSINESS ADVICE
The Web Development Process By Daniel Moisyeyev, Bachelor of IT – GWP Media
The steps that must be taken during the web development process that are needed to satisfy all requirements of a business are very complex. There are a lot of factors at play which ultimately produce a functional website that satisfies specific business goals; these goals can range from attracting a certain type of niche clientele to handling complex transactions over a secured connection.
I have written this article specifically to highlight the deeper processes behind custom web development, explain the many components of web hosting and to outline some of the most common traps that business owners fall into when trying to bring their website project to completion. Web Development Process A website is a working, functional and interactive piece of software that is designed to produce a return on investment (ROI) for a business. What this also means is that steps taken during web development should effectively follow the software development process. These are the basic stages behind building your website: • Planning – A full requirements analysis should be completed. That means that a discussion with your web developer is in order in regards to what your business is trying to achieve. While a 5-page basic business website may warrant just one hour of discussion, a customised live transaction system will require you to sit with your web developer for many appointments to identify what is really needed and what steps are needed to satisfy your goal. • Implementation – Your web developer will produce a working model of your system and host it on a staging server. At this stage you are likely be able to test various modules of the system as they are completed. For live transaction processing, special sandbox systems may be used to simulate transactions. • Testing – Once the system is fully complete, the website is tested and bugs are identified.
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• Deployment – The system is deployed to a live transaction server. • Maintenance – The web developer should fix errors that are identified after deployment. Some errors may be true programming faults that show up under exotic conditions, or for example, there may be some complaints from customers that a certain aspect of the website is not user-friendly enough. Even if you have a basic business website, these steps are necessary, even though they may not be as extensive. There is much more to a successful website than graphic design so you’ll want to ensure that your site developer’s skills extend well beyond that. For example, is your web developer giving you advice in regards to selecting a keyword rich domain name during the planning stage? Is your web developer selecting a quality web hosting provider for you or are they leaving you at the mercy of thousands of different web hosting providers? What is actually involved in Web Hosting Web hosting is a prerequisite to having your website available to your customers. When your business needs to organise web hosting, there are at least 4 different components that you need to consider. Carefully analysing and planning this in advance can save you a lot of time down the track. Making the wrong choices is very easy and there are almost always binding contracts that are only partly refundable if you discover you’ve made the wrong choice. • Domain name registration • Domain name hosting • Web and Database Hosting • Email Hosting In an ideal environment these 4 components should be handled by one company. It is a common situation for domain name to be registered with one provider and the rest handled by another. It is much harder to keep track of multiple service providers and situations such as company domain names inadvertently being allowed to expire can occur. Always make sure access details to your accounts are held only by your web developer and trusted colleagues in your company.
Domain name registration Domain name registration gets your business the control of a particular domain name. It is a good idea to register both .com.au and .net.au variants as this may prevent other parties from using your company name, trading name or trademark. It is a difficult legal proceeding to get rights to an already registered domain name, so keeping one step ahead in this area is important. Register your names before your competitors do. Domain names are registered for 2 years. Once you control a domain name, you can point name server settings to your Domain Name Systems (DNS) Server. This server is operated by your domain name hosting provider. Not paying your domain name renewal fees will make your domain name available for registration by competitors or other parties. Domain name hosting Your provider’s DNS Server stores the specific domain name records that point to your web and email servers. Domain name hosting and domain name registration are commonly mixed up as the same service, however they in fact serve completely different purposes. Domain name registration and domain name hosting can also be handled by different service providers. Domain name parking, web hosting and email hosting packages all require domain name hosting as a prerequisite. This service can be purchased separately if needed, but it is always included in a hosting package. Web and Database Hosting Web and Database hosting is the platform where your website will reside. This platform is composed of software that works together to serve your website content to your clients. Some of the key applications that make this possible: • Operating System – Commonly a Linux distribution or Microsoft® Windows Server. Other operating systems are rarer but are possible such as UNIX-type systems and BSD variants. • Web Server – This software handles the requests for your website by your customers and serves the required pages and images. Common software behind this functionality
BUSINESS ADVICE
is Apache or Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS). • Additional scripting languages and extensions Various extensions and plug-ins are available for web developers to produce highly interactive websites. These include scripting languages such as PHP and ASP.NET, URL rewriting tools to produce SEO-friendly addresses and components to perform tasks such as automatically sending emails from your website. •D atabase Server – Dedicated software that allows storage of data in tables and execution of queries. Some of the most popular include mySQL, Oracle and Microsoft® SQL Server. Always seek instructions and professional advice from your web developer before purchasing web hosting. Please also look further down the article for a discussion in relation to the prices you can expect to pay and some of the more common traps with this service. Email Hosting Email hosting allows your company to receive email to your domain. Furthermore, your email hosting provider is not responsible for providing the capacity to send emails – this is the responsibility of your Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the case of basic internet connections or it can become your own responsibility to configure an email server in the case of dedicated internet connections. The email hosting capabilities may be included with your web hosting package, or usually they can be purchased separately from any provider. Ideally your provider should offer at least a webmail option and a Post Office Protocol (POP3) server for dedicated email clients such as Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird. Common traps in the web development industry Social Media Fad Social media is a relatively new development that has enabled people to communicate in a much superior fashion than was ever available before. With every new development comes the inevitable rise of the ‘expert’ – and social media is no exception. There are now hundreds of ‘social media experts’ roaming around. It is now common to hear questions such as “How is your business utilising social media?” The real question that should be asked is along the lines of “Should your business pay any attention to social media at all?” The harsh reality is that social media is simply a modern communication tool – it was never intended as a dedicated marketing tool. There are some businesses that truly benefit from social media on a large scale – most of those are companies
behind well-known brands that have been built up over decades and are able to take advantage of social media networks to propagate their message. If you are running a small business, it is unlikely that your page on a popular social media network will bring you any sort of clientele. Think of social media as a great tool to communicate with your existing customers – but don’t jump on the fad bandwagon like many others have and invest your time if getting results seems unlikely. Proprietary lock-in situations A proprietary lock-in is an unfamiliar term to many. It is also sometimes called “vendor lock-in”. What this term means is making a customer dependent on the vendor. Situations involving proprietary lock-ins became increasingly common with the rise of custom and complex Content Management Systems (CMS). Before the advent of CMS most complex websites were developed using scripting languages such as PHP/ASP and basic static websites were simply HTML pages linked together. The complexity of the code was limited to the functionality that the customer desired.
or 20 or many more websites allocated per server. The reason this is done is to save cost. What then becomes important is the amount of resources allocated to your website – this will depend on what kinds of websites are hosted alongside your project. If the load on the server exceeds its capacity in CPU or bandwidth your website’s function could be affected. Another major issue is support. If something doesn’t work as required, it helps to be able to pick up the phone and get an answer immediately. If there is no functioning support over the phone, as is often the case with cheap services, expect to be limited to lodging a ticket through the website control panel and pray for the response to come back within a week. Here are some points to consider when evaluating your web hosting provider: • Is the company Australian based? • Are the servers located in Australia or somewhere offshore like USA? There are some companies that disguise themselves as Australian-based, but serve websites from servers located offshore.
CMS have allowed extensive functionality to be integrated into websites at a low cost, minimal skill requirements and minimal expenses for developers. However, custom and non-standard • How quickly are problems resolved? features have become more complex to integrate into such websites and as a result web developers • Is there a 24/7 over-the-phone support service? Idolize Spiegeltent be located in Prince Alfred Park areThe often hesitant to work will on such projects. As a result of this change, switching web developers in some cases cost you a brand new website. Investigating your old existing system will likely cost your web developer more time than building something new and fresh. Cheap web hosting Cheap web hosting is the easiest trap to fall into. Would you rather pay $30 per month for web hosting or $5, when essentially you get the same service? The reality is – you don’t. There are a lot of factors at play that justify the large price differences. First, there are two common types of web hosting services offered – shared web hosting and dedicated web hosting. Dedicated web hosting is very expensive and involves a whole physical server dedicated to the needs of your company. It is very rare for a small business to use dedicated web hosting unless they are hosting their websites at their own premises, and if you use this service you likely have a very clear idea of what your business needs. Shared web hosting is what most of the businesses around you use. The reason for the word “shared” in the name is that web hosting companies allocate each physical server to an indefinite number of websites. There could be 2
• Is there high quality control panel software installed, like Parallels Plesk Panel or cPanel? This will ease the load on your web developer. • Is the web hosting platform that was chosen actually what your web developer has requested? Finally, the web developer will be the one dealing with your web hosting account during site establishment. If there is any trouble, expect expensive hourly charges to exceed whatever little money you have saved by choosing a cheap provider. Web Developers vs Graphic/Web Designers Because of the ease of use of out-of-the-box CMS and other software packages designed to produce websites, it is very common for graphic designers to offer basic web development services. Earlier in the article I have compared the web development process to steps taken during software development. Ask yourself this – do you really trust your graphic designer to produce a working piece of software? If your ultimate goal is to have a website with extensive and complex custom functionality, please make sure you are speaking to people who are qualified for the job. G Please do not hesitate to contact GWP Media for any inquiries in regard to custom web development. Tel: 02 8090 1730
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
45
Society & Life
The Weak do Inherit By Angry Anderson
Will the ‘weak’ inherit our wealth? The Bible tells us that “The meek shall inherit the earth”, and understood in its full context that may well be the case; but if we are not careful the weak will inherit our wealth. We are living in an emerging world where we seem to be encouraging weakness as opposed to nurturing and encouraging strength. You already know my views, in part, on our inadequate school system where the “best” is no longer encouraged. Instead our children are being taught that mediocrity is the benchmark near enough is good enough and as long as you scrape through “you’ll be right”. All around us I see where our weaknesses are being supported or catered to, and the striving for betterment, or dare I say excellence, is being devalued; so what kind of a society can we expect to hand down to our young? What sort of a life will they inherit? The unemployment figures have long been on the nose. The amount of unemployable is far in excess of the unemployed and that is due to the rewording or redefining of who is unemployed - far more people are now deemed to be unemployable than ever before. The number of people that receive health benefits is larger than ever before and grows by the day. I do not want or have the time or space to get into the “politics” of it but the whole system of people living off the public purse is open for rort and plunder and most of us know that. Most of us know of someone who feeds at the trough of public purse one way or another. Our taxes are going not to support those genuinely needy folk, but also to support those too lazy or too weak to stand on their own two feet. Having raised four kids through teenage years to young adulthood I know just how difficult it is to instil in them the belief that the world does not owe them a living! In fact, the world owes them nothing; in fact I have spent much time an energy trying to make my kids aware of their obligation, their responsibility to life. I have taught them that the Divine has given us the greatest gift of all Life - and it is our job, for the rest of our lives, to repay that “debt” by discovering our talents, our skills, our strengths and putting them to the best possible use that we can. We manifest that
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use by our service to ourselves, in being the best possible human beings that we can; and in our service to our fellow man - not in looking for the easy way out of all and any tasks that present us with challenge or adversity. Example: you can’t lift people out the pit of their weaknesses by plain packaging of cigarettes any more than you can dissuade them from gambling by imposing limits. You lift them up by educating them, by introducing them to their strengths. Aspirin does no more than remove the symptoms of a headache; it does not necessarily remove the cause.
There is, undoubtedly, a connection between any government and its welfare recipients and that needs to be transparent. It’s all too easy to foster “loyalty” amongst those receiving, undeservedly, some sort of government handout or another by being “kinder” than your opposition. Some say and I agree, that these very professional moochers (or as they used to be called dole bludgers) will always vote Labor for this very reason. It seems to whiff of current days when we all now feel this push towards the new “Socialism”. Those of us who question this will off course be labelled by the apologists as noncaring or non-humanitarian, but there is much
more to humanitarianism that these issues, my brothers and sisters, much more. I will leave you with some pearls of wisdom. “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy, its virtue is the equal sharing of misery” - Winston Churchill. ”You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The Government cannot give to anybody anything that the Government does not first take from
somebody else. What happens when half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for? That, my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it” - the late Dr. Adrian Rogers, former Pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis TN. G
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
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feature
Panthers Community Work The Penrith Panthers have not only been training hard during the preseason, but working hard out in the community. Our players take pride in their ability to use their public profiles to reach out to others, and help those who might not otherwise have their voices heard.
One of our most humbling days came on November 30, when a dozen of the boys and our mascot, Claws, headed to Nepean Hospital, to visit one of our bravest and most inspiring fans. 11 year old Jacob King suffers an immune deficiency disorder, and was in having his 100th blood transfusion when his favourite player Michael Gordon and some of his team mates dropped in to hold his hand through the ordeal. That day, Jacob not only met his Panthers heroes, but became one of ours.
The entire team and coaching staff were also proud to stand united at the White Ribbon Day BBQ at Penrith on November 24, taking the oath to bring an end to violence against women. Phil Gould was also a special guest speaker at the official White Ribbon Day breakfast at Parliament House. The Panthers players have also recently jumped behind the counter of local McDonalds stores to help raise money on McHappy Day; met with the kids at the Uniting Care Burnside Christmas Party at Mt Druitt; been on hand to thank donors at the Red Cross Give Blood Give Life drive at Rosehill; and presented
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Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
certificates to local primary school students in the classroom at Panthers on the Prowl. We’re also very busy in the lead up to Christmas, with a BBQ at Nepean Hospital for National Disability Day; presenting sports awards to students at Hawkesbury High School, and chatting to the kids at Bringelly Public School; heading to the Every Australian Counts fundraiser for the National Disabilities Insurance Scheme; heading to the Christmas BBQ for the children and families at Ronald McDonald House; handing out toys for Operation Christmas at Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick; and taking part in a skills and games clinic for young
players at the Mt Druitt PCYC Junior League Club. The Penrith Panthers are happy and humbled to be given the opportunity to help in our local community and beyond, hopefully bringing our Panthers Pride to the lives of others. G
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
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You deserve the best, how about exceptional.
Sit back and relax in our stunning new showroom while you’re waiting to test drive your new Toyota. The feeling’s great. Choose from our exceptional range of new Toyotas or view and test drive our quality used cars, including commercials and AWDS. We also offer flexible finance options that you can discuss with one of our finance experts in complete privacy, and when it comes to servicing your car, it’s reassuring to know you’re being looked after by our professionals using the latest in Toyota technology. There’s a lot more on offer so why not call in. The coffee’s always hot, just like our deals.
land a better deal at lander toYota MD20304 ST
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YHOLT
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www.landertoyota.com.au
112 sunnYholt road blacktown
Business Resource & Lifestyle | Issue 40 | January / February 2012
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