April 2015 Issue 103

Women are less likely than their male co-workers to believe that pay equality and equal opportunities exist for both genders in the workplace, according to the new Hays global survey on gender diversity. At Hays, we are known for supporting the advancement of women in the workplace. However, our survey found that although progress is being made, gender diversity remains...

After a trade mark application is filed it is examined by a Trade Mark Examiner, all trade mark applicants hope to get a "clear" Examination Report. This enables the application to be advertised as accepted. However, many applicants receive an Examiner's "adverse report", leaving some to think the application is "dead in the water" (not automatically true) and others wondering...

Gone are the days when you could simply rely on advertisement campaigns alone to generate sales. The sales process has become much more complex now and your website plays a critical role in it. In the old times, you would come up with a package deal, run a TV, radio or print ad and generate traffic to the website and...

Having a positive credit rating could be essential to securing finance now, or for borrowing money for big ticket items, such as property or a car, in the future. As more people begin to use credit as a means of finance, it's important to understand what a credit rating is and what a good or bad credit rating could mean1....

One of the best ways of attracting and retaining high-quality staff is to provide them with an ownership share of the business they're helping to develop. It creates an obvious incentive for them to throw their faculties behind a common cause in the hope of sharing its future success and reward. For technology start-ups with limited resources in particular, it...

"What's the address of the Company's registered office?", I asked a company director. His response, perhaps predictably, was to recite the trading address of his company's business. A repeat enquiry yielded no change. I asked if he knew the difference between the two: it was clear he did not. A company's registered office is more than just an anachronism of...

Self Managed Superannuation Fund (SMSF). The title infers work and with leisure time so hard to come by these days it's not uncommon to be wary of anything "self managed". When considering the responsibilities that are required to be an SMSF trustee, many people worry about the reporting obligations,financial statements, tax return and the audit involved. These are important but...

What are the key factors for choosing an auditor for your business? Reliable information is the basic prerequisite for confidence in the value of an organisation; for investors, the public and the organisation itself. A conscientious independent audit of an organisation's financial report provides the basis for this confidence. HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT AUDIT PARTNER Choose the right team...

Access Canberra, a new one stop shop streamlining access to permits, licenses and approvals, will play a pivotal role in accelerating economic growth in the Territory and encouraging business innovation. An online discussion initiated by Chris Bourke, Member for Ginninderra, found that while business owners are generally in favour of the proposal, there are concerns that front line staff will...

Kumar Advani, the visionary tailor behind Advani Custom Tailors, says off-the-rack suits might look good on mannequins, but when it comes to feeling professional and powerful in the business arena nothing beats a hand-measured, custom-made suit. Based in Canberra since 1983, Kumar has been making impeccably crafted suits and shirts for the Canberra community for over 30 years. Learning from...

I recently visited the New Zealand city of Wellington which was labelled by popular travel publication Lonely Planet as the 'coolest little capital in the world'. I don't think my hosts were surprised to hear this title is something I'd like to take from them for our cool capital. There are many similarities between the two cities. Wellington has a...

Craig Painter, senior associate at Snedden Hall & Gallop, is not your average lawyer. He followed an unusually long path to becoming a lawyer, which saw him in two previous careers, gaining real-world experience. Born and raised in Bowral, Craig left school in year 10 and completed an apprenticeship as a fitter and machinist. "My father said 'you'd better get...

Through the slow demise of newspaper job advertising, job boards such as SEEK have been the main tool for connecting employers and jobseekers. Despite a rapidly evolving market and a host of new technology and tools, many employers continue to stick to the 'wanted poster' approach to attracting talent. They write a job spec, hoist up an internet advertisement and...