Expert Advice

Despite the fact that people care more about the result of the final Saturday in September than the goings-on in Parliament, the AFL does not wield governmental power (though the AFL might wish otherwise). How then did James Hird allege that he was denied procedural fairness when the question of whether he breached the rules was determined? While those proceedings...

Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business. It is all about timing - the books and outlook can be good, but many small to medium businesses experience cash gaps between delivery and payment. Slower debtor payments or extended payment terms inhibit a business's ability to invest, exploit larger opportunities or simply manage day-to-day costs. Increasingly, new and growing businesses...

Insider threats, or threats from your own users, are the number one concern for Australian organisations according to the 2015 Australian Centre for Cyber Security (ACSC) survey results. Organisations are increasingly losing control of high-value information. Extenuating factors include bring-your-own-device (BYOD) usage, the sending of sensitive information to external people, and the use of cloud applications and collaboration tools. These...

Most business owners would likely understand that failing to pay amounts due to the ATO can be the start of a rocky road to ruin. However there appear to be some, along with their advisors, who routinely underestimate the level of risk associated with ignoring the revenue Czars - and now the focus has shifted to superannuation guarantee entitlements. A...

In a landmark ruling from the Beijing High People's Court, Treasury Wine Estates ("TWE"), the owner of the 'Penfolds' wine brand, has successfully challenged the registration of the lucrative 'Ben Fu' trade mark which had been registered by well-known 'trade mark squatter', Li Daozhi, in China. TWE had failed to register the trade mark, a Chinese transliteration of the Penfolds...

Allhomes have just released to agents their latest Allhomes Property Market Index. I found the following items of particular interest. Looking at the sales market, median house prices have continued to rise across both Canberra and Greater Queanbeyan. The median house price in the ACT is now $638,000, Townhouses $435,000 and Units & Apartments $381,000. There were a total on...

What will be the key features of Canberra's recruitment market in 2017? Firstly, with 2016's Territory and Federal elections behind us and no major distractions ahead, competition for top talent will heighten. Add to this a number of high profile infrastructure projects and unemployment below three and a half percent and you have all the ingredients for a very competitive...

Author Amit Kalantri once mused, "An assembly is extra slow in taking actions". As a career strata manager myself, I have to confess that I don't entirely disagree. Of course, meetings are necessary for the successful management of an Owners Corporation. There just isn't any way of getting around it. However, it is important to ensure that the juice is...

'Tell me about your childhood?' It may seem an unusual question for me to ask when I first meet with an executive. It is, however, where all learned behaviours and beliefs start. Now, it is not my intention, at this point, for you to pull out the tissues and confess your inner most thoughts to your colleagues in the hallway...

Around 16 years ago, I gave an interview for an Assistant Marketing Manager's job. The interviewer's first question was, 'Tell me, what is marketing?'. I said, 'Well, I think everything is marketing.' I saw a puzzled face, so I added; '...I believe, everything a business does, that involves the customer is actually marketing. It's not just about branding and advertising.'...

It's a typical scenario for many business owners. An employee puts in an application for annual leave for a tropical break to Hawaii. You smile as you put yourself in their shoes imagining yourself lying on the beach with a cocktail and then reality hits and you start to think how it will impact you and your business. Your immediate...

Single Touch Payroll (STP) is now becoming compulsory for businesses, which have minimum 20 employees. You will be required to report on the new system from 1st July 2018. What needs to be prepared to get ready for the new system? Would there be any impact on your business transaction or cash flow? Here are few check points to ensure...

The increasing use of social media has had a profound effect on the way that people do business. The ability to reach a large market for low cost and engage with customers and potential customers in real time can have a major positive impact on your business. However, with the benefits also comes the risk from both improper use and...

When you're running your own business and you're in the thick of keeping everything running smoothly; taking a holiday might be the last thing on your mind. Or maybe it's something you've considered and you concluded that it would be more stressful than just keeping your nose to the grindstone. But it's generally acknowledged that there are a lot of...

Phishing is the action of exploiting human nature in order to acquire information for the purpose of identity theft, financial fraud or obtaining unauthorised access to sensitive information. A phishing attack is typically delivered in the form of an unsolicited email designed to lure a user into visiting a web site or to open an attached document. Typically, the link...

Australian trade mark law provides mechanisms where a registered trade mark can be expunged (removed) from the trade mark register if the mark in question has not been used in the preceding three year period . This ground exists under section 92 of theTrade Marks Act 1995 Cth) (the Act). What constitutes use? The volume of use required to defeat...