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Economy news and insights for Australia’s small and medium business owners and entrepreneurs. Read the latest economy news, trends and features and entrepreneur interviews about the economy industry. Or search for economy on SmartCompany. |
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Trends
Microsoft, Adobe rank among most ethical tech companies Patrick Stafford Software giants Microsoft and Adobe have been listed as some of the world’s most ethical companies, according to a new survey conducted by Ethisphere. | Sunday, 20 March 2011 |
Melbourne: second most liveable city in Economist survey Patrick Stafford Melbourne has been voted as the world’s second most liveable city, according to a new report released by the Economist Intelligence Unit. | Monday, 21 February 2011 |
Businesses fend for themselves in cyber attack Patrick Stafford A government official has said the corporate sector will need to defend itself from cyber attacks with no assistance unless the strike poses a threat to national security. | Sunday, 3 October 2010 |
Baby Boomers don’t have enough savings Patrick Stafford A new study reveals women in the “Baby Boomer” generation have just two years’ worth of savings for their retirement. | Wednesday, 16 June 2010 |
Oysters could reduce carbon emissions Jessica Goodear Oysters could soon be the answer for companies wanting to offset their carbon emissions, a study has found. | Wednesday, 9 June 2010 |
Australian software piracy on the decline Patrick Stafford New figures from research firm IDC reveal software piracy actually declined during 2009 as vendors began to cut prices and more laptops were sold. | Wednesday, 12 May 2010 |
Intel posts record first-quarter profit Patrick Stafford Computer chip manufacturer Intel has recorded its best first quarter results ever due to a rise in computer sales, with profits after tax rising 288% to $US2.4 billion. | Wednesday, 14 April 2010 |
Australia loses top spot in iPod index Patrick Stafford Australia is no longer the cheapest place in the world to buy an Apple iPod, according to the latest results of a survey from CommSec. | Monday, 22 March 2010 |
Computer programmers arrested for Madoff scandal Patrick Stafford A pair of computer programmers has been arrested in the US by the FBI for allegedly falsifying bank accounts for conman Bernard Madoff. | Monday, 16 November 2009 |
Microsoft cuts hundreds from payroll Patrick Stafford Microsoft announces another 800 job cuts in order to save costs, on top of the 5,000 cuts announced earlier this year in January as a result of the GFC. | Sunday, 8 November 2009 |
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News
Google launches restaurant review guide Zagat in Australia Cara Waters Google launched the restaurant review guide Zagat in Australia yesterday and promised it would provide reliable and structured information. | Wednesday, 23 May 2012 |
Dollar falls below US98 cents as euro hopes fade: Midday roundup Cara Waters and Patrick Stafford The Australian dollar has continued to fall, dropping below US98 cents as hopes of any progression in the European debt crisis have begun to dissipate. | Wednesday, 23 May 2012 |
Microsoft launches new social network – but it's not competing with Facebook Patrick Stafford Microsoft joins the social network club – in an understated sort of way. | Wednesday, 23 May 2012 |
Myer downgrades profit as sales fall and warns of carbon tax impact Cara Waters Myer's third-quarter sales fell 2.1%, prompting the department store chain to cut its forecast for full-year net profit. | Wednesday, 23 May 2012 |
OECD puts Australia on top of the world, but residential property still a weakness Patrick Stafford Australia is still in a strong financial position, but the residential property market is one of its few weaknesses, according to the latest report from the OECD. | Wednesday, 23 May 2012 |
Conroy pushes for tax on tech giants Patrick Stafford The Federal Government says tech giants have had an easy tax ride for too long. | Wednesday, 23 May 2012 |
ASIC to crack down on liquidators as insolvencies rise Patrick Stafford ASIC says it will keep an eye on liquidators in the wake of increased company collapses. | Wednesday, 23 May 2012 |
Politician tells women to ignore sexual discrimination at work: Three ways to make sure your business doesn’t Cara Waters A senior female politician has told women facing sexual discrimination in the workplace to ignore it and it will “just disappear”. | Wednesday, 23 May 2012 |
Why the death of the backyard is taking a physical and mental toll: Cashmore Catherine Cashmore The great Aussie backyard isn't quite what it used to be – and that might not be such a good thing. | Tuesday, 22 May 2012 |
How to make constructive conflict work for you: Walters Kath Walters Staff do it, execs do it, and managers spend nearly half their time doing it – so if you do do it, it’s worth doing well. | Tuesday, 22 May 2012 |
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Features
All aboard the European rollercoaster ride Shane Oliver It’s not all bad news for the global economy, but Europe continues to provide some sizeable headaches for economists and investors alike. | Monday, 21 May 2012 |
FEDERAL BUDGET 2012: Your sector-by-sector guide James Thomson Here’s the sector-by-sector breakdown on how your industry fared in the federal budget. | Wednesday, 9 May 2012 |
FEDERAL BUDGET 2012: Wayne Swan's surplus by a thousand cuts James Thomson Wayne Swan has delivered his promised budget surplus, but the tiny number will be overshadowed by savage spending cuts, including the dumping of promised company tax cuts. | Tuesday, 8 May 2012 |
Federal Budget 2012: 13 things to expect Cara Waters It’s the baker’s dozen of things Wayne Swan is likely, and not so likely, to spring upon Australia’s business owners in tonight’s Federal Budget. | Monday, 7 May 2012 |
Why we could be in for another global economic growth scare Shane Oliver The economy has bolted from the blocks with promising signs for the past two years only to run out of puff mid-year — will this year prove different? | Wednesday, 21 March 2012 |
Why Australia must become a knowledge society Louis Coutts To secure our future, we must become a knowledge economy. But first, we must reshape the national agenda. | Tuesday, 20 March 2012 |
A $1 billion loss? All in a day's work for the super rich James Thomson It’s now possible to follow the daily financial triumphs and woes of the world’s billionaire set courtesy of Bloomberg’s new index. | Sunday, 11 March 2012 |
Australia's top 30 female entrepreneurs 2012 Madeleine Heffernan and Lexi Cottee Gina Rinehart has leapt to the top of the list of Australia's top 30 female entrepreneurs. It's an ecclectic and inspiring group. | Wednesday, 7 March 2012 |
The five trends that shaped SmartCompany’s first five years James Thomson In the five years since SmartCompany launched in 2007 we've seen PLENTY of change. | Monday, 20 February 2012 |
Five key trends for the next five years Madeleine Heffernan What are the themes entrepreneurs need to be aware of in the next five years? And how should SMEs prepare? | Monday, 20 February 2012 |
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Entrepreneur Zone
Phil Ruthven Madeleine Heffernan Want to know the great growth sectors of the next five years? Or what’s the outlook for the Australian dollar and when that mining boom will finally fall over? Phil Ruthven is your man. | Wednesday, 22 February 2012
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Tammy May Madeleine Heffernan MyBudget director and founder Tammy May explains why her business is recession-proof. | Tuesday, 31 January 2012
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Gerard Minack James Thomson Gerard Minack, chief economist at Morgan Stanley, explains why the gap between the last downturn and the next one will be shorter than expected. | Tuesday, 10 August 2010
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Phil Ruthven James Thomson IBISWorld founder Phil Ruthven, talks about why 2010 is going to be a great year for entrepreneurs. | Tuesday, 19 January 2010
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The face of change Amanda Gome Entrepreneur coach Cameron Herold says the US is in serious trouble, but smart entrepreneurs are making more revenue than ever. | Tuesday, 14 July 2009
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The optimising optimist Amanda Gome IBISWorld’s Phil Ruthven believes Australia will soon enter a golden age. He talks about succesion, customer loyalty and starting new businesses. | Tuesday, 16 June 2009
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Trend master Amanda Gome What will the world be like in 30 years? And what opportunities will this world provide entrepreneurs? Europe's foremost futurist, Ray Hammond, tells AMANDA GOME. | Friday, 2 November 2007 |
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