Observations

Studies, Committees, Senate Reports and PhD’s all have one thing in common…99 percent of them are completely irrelevant and produce nothing we did not already know. Politicians and business ‘leaders’ speak in clichés, and when a real answer is demanded escape to ‘as I understand it’ or defer the question entirely to ‘after a Committee has reported on the issue’. One of the reasons Common Sense is so Uncommon is the need to appease every minor voice, dissenting or otherwise. Unless of course it is the vast majority of PhD’s whose sole purpose are to meet quotas and lift University rankings.  Everyone knows Nokia failed because they stopped watching the mobile phone market (now the smartphone market, but they missed the name change) and yet their top executives believe they did nothing wrong, and cry themselves into stupidity at press conferences. Everyone knows that government departments, on the whole, are top heavy and waste millions of dollars on salaries not req...

When news of Brexit hit the media almost exactly one week prior to our election last Saturday, my first thought was that this will guarantee a Coalition victory on July 2 nd . But it didn’t. Why not? Why should it have? The first reaction from the world to the Brexit news was to sell shares and buy gold, a very conservative reaction to uncertainty that occurs like clockwork whenever people feel out of control. There was also widespread reporting of wailing and gnashing of teeth amongst the populace in the UK at the unheralded uncertainty of it all, increasing the price of gold even further. When uncertainty strikes, people flee to what they know and the status quo wins wherever it exists. So why didn’t the Coalition win last Saturday, as people stuck with ‘certainty’, as I predicted they would by 52 percent to 48 percent? Political apathy and disillusionment. We are now hearing of ‘recriminations’ among the Federal Liberal Party, which is another way of saying ...

Office of Business Within Government The common statement “the business of governing” is detrimental, as the focus should be upon providing government with the best efficiencies private business experience, and expertise, has to offer. The statement  should  read “implementing business within government”. This involves implementing within government the best efficiencies of business by identifying process improvements, removing duplication of effort, improving inter-departmental coordination, reviewing and assessing key personnel (always with the goal of ‘best fit’) with positions allocated by merit, and producing budget savings through operational efficiencies, all with a focus on customer (public) outcomes and improved service. Quantifiable achievements would include; Designate and decide on areas of Departmental and Ministerial responsibility where no such responsibility is clear or accepted. To then allocate these responsibilities to ensure the desired and ...

Business Implications Officer How many times does the government make a decision that unduly affects small business? Most people in government have no business experience, and it shows. This is not a criticism, just a fact. Before implementing any new policy, procedure or amendment that affects small business they should run it past a Business Implications Officer, who can look at it from a business persons point of view and identify all implications for paperwork, compliance and training. The officer would then produce an estimation of the additional time input required to comply, and notify the relevant government department. Changes or allowances can then be made before imposing any extra burden onto businesses. The process should take no more that a week or two, depending upon the changes proposed. If the public service attempt to do this themselves then the process will take 2-3 months. It is therefore essential an external business person is engaged when requir...

Business Finishing School The overwhelming experience from consultation with businesses both in Adelaide and elsewhere is that a vast majority are dissatisfied with the performance of graduate students.  The comments heard most often are ‘they lack real-world experience’ and ‘they have no business commonsense’. The theory learned from their University courses does form a sound foundation, however graduates do lack relevant business experience and realistic and up-to-date knowledge – a fact confirmed by students themselves. These responses lead to the concept of a business finishing school whose course would be approved by a select group of business leaders, thereby providing credibility and real value to the course content. The course will be provided on a part-time basis, utilising a series of interactive seminars lead by experienced business people.  Current business issues, problems and the formation of plans, strategies and solutions will be covered through...

How often have you heard that phrase? Well, who do you know? More importantly, who do you know who can assist you in graduating, finding work, entering your career path or introducing you to others who can? If no one comes to mind then you need to get networking! Set Your Objectives Before you begin you need to decide what sort of people you want, and need, to meet. Business leaders yes, but in what industry and at what level? For example, if you are studying accountancy then ask the local CPA office when they hold networking events. If you are studying Marketing or Management then contact either the Institute of Marketing or the Australian Institute of Management. Most of these organisations list their events online so your task is an easy one. There are also general networking events held by organisations such as in-business and Business SA where people from any industry can, and do, attend. These events are excellent for broadening your contacts, as you never know where ...

When you enter a retail shop, you expect to be served within a reasonable time frame and with common courtesy. When we are not served, and have to stand around waiting, we become angry. This anger is the result of us being made to feel irrelevant, because we are obviously not important enough to be asked if we need help. This perceived ‘snub’ may lead us to walk out, whether we wanted to purchase something or not. As they say, you only get one chance at making a good first impression. Our first impression of this particular shop is not brilliant, and we are therefore unlikely to return. If we became angry after only waiting for one minute, then our expectations were extremely unrealistic to begin with (the ‘blue rinse set’ come to mind). However, if we had waited for five minutes without acknowledgement that we even existed, then our firmly declared vow to never return is perhaps justifiable. Whether we are the salesperson in the retail shop, or the prospective customer, we should ...