2009 October: Business

2009 October: Business

Anchor: Base Index
Other months: September November
Other areas: Climate computing education health international Internet science social technology Others

Topics: Advertising agriculture banking carbon cartels climate coal competition conservation consultancy consumerism copyright corruption credit cards economics environment fraud free trade freight globalism management manufacturing marketing media mining money newspapers outsourcing pay policy politics privatism property publishing recycling social television trademarks wealth

Carbon and Coal

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Royce Millar and Adam Morton, Reversing brown coal myopia, The Age, 2009 Oct. 23 (burning Latrobe Valley brown coal emits about 30 per cent more carbon dioxide than black coal and, thus draws a 30 per cent higher carbon cost; private ownership was also a key factor behind Victoria continuing to press for a better deal when other states started to drop off)
Mathew Murphy and Paul Austin, Brown coal owners may quit with right offer, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (Victorian brown coal power station owners say they would consider walking away from the emissions-intensive assets if the Federal Government offered to bail them out; however, such a suggestion would be “fairyland stuff”, say industry insiders who point out that such a proposal would threaten power supply and send the federal budget billions of dollars into the red)
Royce Millar and Adam Morton, Brumby's dirty secret: brown coal for export, The Age, 2009 Oct. 14 (Victoria's brown coal reserves look set to be opened up to export on a mass scale—prompting claims the state is putting commercial opportunity ahead of its responsibility to curb greenhouse gas emissions)
Simon Hancock, Iceland looks to serve the world, BBC, 2009 Oct. 9 (if a large internet media company operating thousands and thousands of servers relocated its servers to Iceland, that company would save greater than half a million metric tons of carbon annually)
Stephanie Peatling, Toe green line or we will walk, Rudd told, The Age, 2009 Oct. 4 (the Climate Institute, the Australian Conservation Foundation and WWF Australia have written to both sides of politics this weekend, saying they would campaign against the emissions trading scheme if further compensation was given to polluting industries)

Competition and Cartels

(see also Marketing)

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Barry FitzGerald, BHP, Rio cave in to China, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (plans by BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto to create a jointly owned $US116 billion iron ore colossus in Western Australia's Pilbara are being recast to deal with competition concerns in Europe and fears in China—the world's biggest iron ore consumer—that the combination would have too much pricing power)
Malcolm Maiden, Telstra trying to postpone the inevitable, The Age, 2009 Oct. 10 (stripped down to its undies, compensation is what the submission Telstra filed with the Senate standing committee yesterday is about)
Google hits back at book critics, BBC, 2009 Oct. 9 (Google co-founder Sergey Brin has hit out at critics of the company's plans to create what could be the world's largest virtual library)
IBM 'in anti-competition probe', BBC, 2009 Oct. 8 (IBM is being investigated by the US Department of Justice over allegations of anti-competitive behaviour, a trade body says)
Music merger 'anti-competitive', BBC, 2009 Oct. 8 (the UK's Competition Commission rules against the merger of Ticketmaster and concert promoter Live Nation)
EU approves new Microsoft pledges, BBC, 2009 Oct. 7 (the European Union voices its approval for Microsoft's latest pledges to curb its anti-competitive practices)
Kate Benson, Squeeze on hospital retailers, The Age, 2009 Oct. 4 (the NSW State Government plans to quadruple revenue gained from retail leases in hospitals are driving out small businesses in vulnerable communities and forcing operators to sack long-serving staff)

Consumerism and Credit Cards

(see also Social and in Social)

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Julian Lee, Amex campaign aims beyond old men in suits, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (the campaign seeks to communicate that American Express was “more than just a card” and stressed that spending on everyday items could deliver benefits such as using points for car hire or travel)
David Rood, Dodgy traders caught in act, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (according to the Consumer Affairs Victoria 2007-08 annual report, almost one in three fresh food traders inspected by the body at the Queen Victoria Market had substandard scales that were not certified, in poor condition, not level, or not in clear view of customers; the report detailed the impact of the economic crisis on consumers, with a doubling of calls about debt collection)
Mark Russell, Exposed: Grog online too easy for under-age teen, The Age, 2009 Oct. 11 (the 17-year-old girl could not believe how easy it was; couriers from Coles and Woolworths arrived at her Melbourne home last Thursday afternoon and each handed over a carton of 24 imported beers, no questions asked)
Obama defends new consumer agency, BBC, 2009 Oct. 9 (President Barack Obama launches a staunch defence of his proposed new agency to protect the American consumer)
Stephen Cauchi, Watchdog swamped by phone complaints, The Age, 2009 Oct. 4 (consumers are making up to 350 complaints a day to authorities about the high cost of owning new generation smartphones in a phenomenon known as “bill shock”; the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, Deirdre O'Donnell, said customers, confused by caps on downloading emails and data, were being hit with exorbitant charges)

Copyright and Trademarks

(see also in Internet and Technology)

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Julian Lee, Gillette calls in lawyers over 'unofficial' Duracell energy drink, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (lawyers acting for Gillette, a division of Proctor & Gamble, are desperately trying to stop a Czech company from importing the + Duracell drink, which borrows the shape and distinctive copper and black branding from the well-known battery)
Miriam Steffens, iiNet says piracy claim exaggerated, The Age, 2009 Oct. 8 (in the movie industry's landmark case over illegal film downloads, internet service provider iiNet has launched its counter-attack calling the movie studios' claims of tens of thousands of copyright infringements over its network “highly exaggerated” and “out of kilter”)
——, First shots fired in the internet movie download wars, The Age, 2009 Oct. 7 (the opening salvo of the landmark case by Australian and US film studios against internet service provider iiNet over illegal movie downloads featured gunshots in the Federal Court yesterday as lawyers showed a bank robbery from Batman's Dark Knight to illustrate the copyright piracy the company is alleged to allow its customers)
Apple challenges Woolworths logo, BBC, 2009 Oct. 6 (technology giant Apple launches a legal challenge against Australian supermarket chain Woolworths over the company's logo)

Economics and Policy

(see also Money)

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Ross Gittins, When politicians talk economics, they think votes, The Age, 2009 Oct. 10 (the goal of politicians is to retain or attain office by attracting sufficient votes; everything they say about economics is directed towards that end; and if to obtain your vote they need to use false or misleading economic arguments, they usually will)
Michelle Fleury, World financial crisis 'not over', BBC, 2009 Oct. 8 (the US economist widely credited with predicting the financial crisis warns we are already "planting the seeds of the next crisis")

Environment and Conservation

(see also in Health and Science)

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Peter Ker, Doubts on 'all-clear' in oil-spill zone, The Age, 2009 Oct. 23 (doubts have emerged over the reliability of tests showing no contamination of marine life from a huge oil spill off north-western Australia; scientists who conducted tests on fish caught in the spill area have warned that the tests may not be a comprehensive indicator of the environmental impact)
Fourth try to stem oil leak, The Age, 2009 Oct. 19 (the operator of the well that has leaked tens of millions of litres of oil into the Timor Sea will try again to stop the spill this week)
'Toxic waste' report gag lifted, BBC, 2009 Oct. 17 (lawyers for oil trading firm Trafigura end attempts to keep secret a report about toxic waste dumping in the Ivory Coast)
Liz Minchin, Border security's ugly, smelly and slimy front line, The Age, 2009 Oct. 10 (the annual Great Cane Toad Muster is now in its fourth year, and despite the searing heat and sometimes slimy, smelly work, the current month-long muster has attracted a record 140 volunteers)
Paola Totaro, Flannery takes conservation plea to Europe, The Age, 2009 Oct. 9 (former Australian of the Year Professor Tim Flannery has flown to Europe to harness philanthropic support for a chain of privately owned conservation parks, saying he is appalled that the Federal Government has backed away from saving single endangered species)
Peter Ker, Rivers 'at risk' in licence renewal, The Age, 2009 Oct. 6 (fears for human and environmental health have failed to deter the Brumby Government from reissuing 9200 licences for cattle to roam freely through Victorian rivers)
Clay Lucas, Developers' lobby 'shifted' freeway route, The Age, 2009 Oct. 5 (a new ring road planned around outer Melbourne was shifted almost two kilometres west after lobbying by property developers; as a result, grasslands that environment groups say are critical to the survival of key species—and that would have been partially saved under the Brumby Government's original plan—are set to be lost to make way for housing; the Government has rejected suggestions it acted in the interests of property developers, but would not make public the grasslands research upon which its decision was based)

Fraud and Corruption

(see also in Internet and Social)

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Ben Schneiders, Secret tape links 'bribe' to developer, The Age, 2009 Oct. 24 (a prominent property developer was behind a $57,000 “bribe” to a workplace safety representative just days after work on the Mercy Hospital site was stopped after workers were exposed to asbestos)
Nick McKenzie, Police files leak still a mystery, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (Victorian corruption investigators are yet to uncover who leaked top-secret Victoria Police surveillance files to underworld figures and a gangland hitman more than a year ago)
Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker, RBA gets 'please explain', The Age, 2009 Oct. 14 (the head of Nigeria's central bank has called on the Reserve Bank of Australia to explain why its bank-note firm's dealings in Africa involved multimillion-dollar payments to offshore tax havens)
Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker, RBA bosses approved tactics in Nigeria deal, The Age, 2009 Oct. 12 (senior Reserve Bank of Australia officials approved the high-risk business practices that have put its bank-note firm at the centre of an international police probe)
Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie, Australia rebuked on graft cases, The Age, 2009 Oct. 6 (the world's leading authority on corruption has criticised Australia's record on pursuing foreign bribery cases as Nigeria moves to investigate kickback allegations against a Reserve Bank of Australia company)
David Leigh and Rob Evans, Court threat to defence group, The Age, 2009 Oct. 3 (the head of Britain's Serious Fraud Office has signalled his intention to prosecute the arms company BAE on corruption charges, an unprecedented move immediately supported by former attorney-general Lord Goldsmith)
Jason Dowling, Table games are pokies in suburbs, The Age, 2009 Oct. 1 (gambling machines the State Government has approved for Crown Casino as “table games” are already operating in suburban pubs and clubs as pokies)

Globalism and Free Trade

(see also in International)

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Philip Hopkins, Indian investors back oil venture, The Age, 2009 Oct. 19 (Indian investors, with US backing, have embarked on a multimillion agribusiness venture in NSW that aims to become a big oilseed processor and exporter, and eventually produce biofuel)
Barry FitzGerald, BHP, Rio cave in to China, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (plans by BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto to create a jointly owned $US116 billion iron ore colossus in Western Australia's Pilbara are being recast to deal with competition concerns in Europe and fears in China—the world's biggest iron ore consumer—that the combination would have too much pricing power)
Marika Dobbin, On the takeaway menu soon: high-rise flats, The Age, 2009 Oct. 6 (Melbourne developer Jack Haber is poised to ship almost 100 ready-made apartments—complete with kitchen appliances, built-in wardrobes, carpets and fresh paint—from a factory in China to be stacked together for a revolutionary Northcote project)

Management

(see also in Computing)

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Angelique Chrisafis, Mass suicides rock France Telecom, The Age, 2009 Oct. 7 (the deputy chief executive of France Telecom has resigned in the wake of a spate of staff suicides that unions have blamed on a bullying management style and brutal approach to restructuring)

Manufacturing and Mining

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Barry FitzGerald, More magic for Merlin, The Age, 2009 Oct. 22 (Ivanhoe Australia has added a super high-grade pod of molybdenum mineralisation, dubbed the Little Wizard zone, to its Merlin project in north Queensland; although tiny at this stage in the tonnage stakes at 15,000 tonnes of multi-metal mineralisation, the metals at Little Wizard have a $100 million-plus in-the-ground value)
Barry FitzGerald, BHP, Rio cave in to China, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (plans by BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto to create a jointly owned $US116 billion iron ore colossus in Western Australia's Pilbara are being recast to deal with competition concerns in Europe and fears in China—the world's biggest iron ore consumer—that the combination would have too much pricing power)
Clay Lucas and Ben Schneiders, Built to last, The Age, 2009 Oct. 15 (a Government contract to build 50 trams, worth hundreds of millions, may revitalise part of Victoria's manufacturing industry)
Leonie Wood, Surprise talks revealed in BHP railway tribunal, The Age, 2009 Oct. 12 (Fortescue, considered by its much bigger rivals BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto as little more than an upstart iron ore producer with big dreams, is trying to gain access to four rail lines in the Pilbara)
Barry FitzGerald, West in search for tungsten supplies, The Age, 2009 Oct. 10 (tungsten consumers in the West are increasingly concerned at China's grip on the global tungsten market, prompting them to seek direct ownership of non-Chinese mines producing the steel-hardening metal)
——, BHP keeps eye on the Congo, The Age, 2009 Oct. 10 (BHP to consider building an 800,000 tonnes-a-year aluminium smelter in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the Congo River is said to be the world's largest underutilised source of hydro power)
Ben Schneiders, 300 more jobs for state as Specsavers expands, The Age, 2009 Oct. 9 (it marks quite a shift from just six months ago; then, major employers were laying off hundreds of staff nearly every day, particularly in Victoria's manufacturing sector; now some employers, such as Specsavers, are saying they intend to hire workers)
Barry FitzGerald, Rio, Ivanhoe seal Mongolian deal, The Age, 2009 Oct. 7 (the Mongolian Government finally signed off on an investment agreement with Rio and Canada's Ivanhoe covering their $5 billion Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine development)
Mathew Murphy, Miner looks to turn a corner with name change, The Age, 2009 Oct. 7 (shareholders in Beaconsfield Gold, the company that operates the mine, will be asked next month to support the renaming of the company to BCD Resources; the company, in turn, plans to change the name of the infamous site, to be thereafter known by its historical name—Tasmania Mine)
Paddy Manning, Ceramic Fuel Cells opens German factory, The Age, 2009 Oct. 5 (ASX-listed alternative energy company Ceramic Fuel Cells opened its factory in Germany on Friday, and will begin making its Bluegen solid oxide fuel cell units there; if it gets final safety approvals in February, the company hopes to sell the units for Australian homes from early next year)

Marketing and Advertising

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Farrah Tomazin, Backing for McDonald's role in schools, The Age, 2009 Oct. 21 (leading educators have endorsed fast-food giants such as McDonald's being more involved in schools—even if it means exposing students to brand advertising—because governments can no longer be solely relied on to boost the education system)
Miriam Steffens, Murdoch stresses alternatives to advertising income, The Age, 2009 Oct. 19 (stung by the recession, which forced him to report a $US3.4 billion loss for News Corp last year, Rupert Murdoch is determined to reduce his media empire's dependence on advertising dollars)
Harold Mitchell, Stuck at the bottom of the acronym scrum, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (the advertising and marketing industry has developed a plethora of advocate bodies. We have the AFA, AWARD and the APG. Together they represent the interests of a $10 billion industry that covers the world of creative, direct marketing and digital design, as well as creative production companies and strategic consultancies; missing at the moment is the Media Federation of Australia (MFA), representing the media agencies)
Paul McIntyre, Fairfaxes back generation next's ticket venture, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (Marinya Media has emerged as a key investor with Jack Singleton and the former ninemsn chief executive Tony Faure in an online venture aimed at shifting an estimated $1.7 billion in unsold entertainment and sporting tickets each year in Australia)
——, TV rates to rise as market picks up, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (in further signs that the $12 billion advertising market is heating up, advertisers have been bluntly warned to expect "serious media inflation" in 2010 from free-to-air TV networks as they seek to recoup the heavily discounted air time deals they struck in panic earlier this year)
Melissa Fyfe, Water crisis as bad as a war: ALP, The Age, 2009 Oct. 11 (because of the highly sensitive nature of its water plan, which included the Wonthaggi desalination plan and the north-south pipeline, the Government did not tell the six bidding advertisers its solutions to fix Melbourne's water problems)
David Rood, State ad spending increases by 12%, The Age, 2009 Oct. 9 (the latest advertising figures also show more was spent on spruiking the Government's controversial plans to reduce congestion in inner-city Melbourne than was spent on campaigns to reduce alcohol-fuelled violence)
GM agrees Chinese sale of Hummer, BBC, 2009 Oct. 9 (General Motors agrees to sell its iconic Hummer brand to Chinese firm Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery for an undisclosed fee)

Media and Television

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Kidman pays out on Hollywood, The Age, 2009 Oct. 23 (Nicole Kidman concedes that Hollywood probably has contributed to violence against women by portraying them as weak sex objects)
Paul McIntyre, TV rates to rise as market picks up, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (in further signs that the $12 billion advertising market is heating up, advertisers have been bluntly warned to expect "serious media inflation" in 2010 from free-to-air TV networks as they seek to recoup the heavily discounted air time deals they struck in panic earlier this year)
Ex-TV crime show host gives himself up, The Age, 2009 Oct. 11 (a former TV crime show host and state legislator accused of commissioning killings to boost ratings has turned himself in and been jailed on homicide and drug-trafficking charges)
Miriam Steffens, iiNet says piracy claim exaggerated, The Age, 2009 Oct. 8 (in the movie industry's landmark case over illegal film downloads, internet service provider iiNet has launched its counter-attack calling the movie studios' claims of tens of thousands of copyright infringements over its network “highly exaggerated” and “out of kilter”)
Miriam Steffens, First shots fired in the internet movie download wars, The Age, 2009 Oct. 7 (the opening salvo of the landmark case by Australian and US film studios against internet service provider iiNet over illegal movie downloads featured gunshots in the Federal Court yesterday as lawyers showed a bank robbery from Batman's Dark Knight to illustrate the copyright piracy the company is alleged to allow its customers)
Ari Sharp, Stunt inquiry tangled up in definition of 'live radio', The Age, 2009 Oct. 7 (the commercial radio industry has tried to stymie the regulator's investigation into live radio stunts, arguing a seven-second delay meant a show was no longer “live”)

Money and Banking

(see also Economics and Wealth)

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Christine Christian, A decision that is to everyone's credit, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (over the past 12 months the world has learnt two important lessons about credit. First, that having it is better than not having it; and, second, that lenders and borrowers alike have a responsibility to ensure they seek and provide credit in ways that are responsible; the Government's decision yesterday to accept Australian Law Reform Commission recommendations to implement a comprehensive credit reporting system will play a critical role in ensuring Australia responds to these two lessons)
Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker, RBA gets 'please explain', The Age, 2009 Oct. 14 (the head of Nigeria's central bank has called on the Reserve Bank of Australia to explain why its bank-note firm's dealings in Africa involved multimillion-dollar payments to offshore tax havens)
Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker, RBA bosses approved tactics in Nigeria deal, The Age, 2009 Oct. 12 (senior Reserve Bank of Australia officials approved the high-risk business practices that have put its bank-note firm at the centre of an international police probe)
Banks step in as dollar tumbles, BBC, 2009 Oct. 8 (Asian central banks intervene in the currency markets in an attempt to slow the slide of the US dollar)
Tim Colebatch, Economists urge banking shake-up, The Age, 2009 Oct. 1 (three prominent economists have urged a shake-up of Australia's banking regulation system in the wake of the global financial crisis, even though Australia appears to have escaped so far without major damage)

Outsourcing and Consulting

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Clay Lucas, Transport consultants scoop $47m, The Age, 2009 Oct. 12 (as Melbourne's public transport network creaks towards another punishing summer, evidence has emerged of where money that could be spent renewing the train and tram fleet is going: on consultants)
Lower Infosys profits hit shares, BBC, 2009 Oct. 9 (Indian outsourcing giant Infosys reports a fall in quarterly profits, sending its shares down 1.5%, despite it saying trade was now improving)

Pay and Wealth

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Guardian, Golden days are here again with bonus bonanza, The Age, 2009 Oct. 17 (Goldman Sachs is gearing up to pay its biggest-ever bonuses to its 31,700 employees after raking in profits at a rate of $US35 million a day; it's the clearest signal yet that London and Wall Street are returning to their old ways of money-making prosperity)
David Rood, Million-dollar public servant presided over lost billions, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (last financial year, Justin Pascoe achieved something spectacular; as acting head of the authority that manages Victoria's public sector superannuation, he presided over the loss of more than $5 billion of state employees' savings; instead of being punished for this, he was rewarded—handsomely; bonuses paid to Mr Pascoe on top of his regular salary catapulted him to a new status: Victoria's first million-dollar public servant)
Miriam Steffens, Australia Post down but bosses cash in, The Age, 2009 Oct. 16 (Australia Post has suffered a 40 per cent profit slide over the past year but its outgoing managing director, Graeme John, remains the biggest public-sector earner, taking home a $2.58 million pay packet for his final year at the helm)
Elisabeth Sexton, Packer in dumps as family money mountain slipped, The Age, 2009 Oct. 9 (James Packer's retreat from public life this year is a sign of the emotional impact of losing part of the wealth he inherited from his late father, Kerry)
Misha Schubert and Ben Schneiders, Pay report soft on fat cats, say critics, The Age, 2009 Oct. 1 (a report proposing new controls over executive salaries has been blasted by unions and other critics as ineffectual, and a licence for continued greed)
Michelle Grattan, Sensible approach to greed, The Age, 2009 Oct. 1 (the free marketeers at the Productivity Commission were never likely to propose tight controls on executive remuneration; their recommendations would prod companies into responsible behaviour, rather than dictate limits)

Privatisation and Private Equity

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Publishing and Newspapers

(see also Media and in Others)

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Miriam Steffens, Murdoch stresses alternatives to advertising income, The Age, 2009 Oct. 19 (stung by the recession, which forced him to report a $US3.4 billion loss for News Corp last year, Rupert Murdoch is determined to reduce his media empire's dependence on advertising dollars)
Natalie Puchalski, Many voices, many stories, and a shared mission, The Age, 2009 Oct. 10 (a unique Melbourne project called Yarra Reporter is a journalism training program run by Infoxchange Australia that equips public housing residents with the basic skills needed to report on the issues affecting them)
Websites 'need to pay for news', BBC, 2009 Oct. 9 (Rupert Murdoch says it is time for internet search engines to start to pay for any news reports they currently take for free)
Andrew Murfett, iPod for books Kindles excitement, The Age, 2009 Oct. 9 (the Australian publishing industry was abuzz yesterday over the announcement that Amazon.com's foray into the world of electronic readers, the Kindle, is coming to Australia)
Jane Sullivan, Now screening: a digital book for you, The Age, 2009 Oct. 3 (millions read books on a variety of "twitchy little screens": laptops, e-books, iPods or iPhones; and from October 12, Age readers will be able to read a serialised story on their mobile phones)
David Hirst, Hard nut at war on Sundays, The Age, 2009 Oct. 1 (three weeks ago, an assembly of journalists gathered at a Melbourne restaurant to pay witness to our collective failure; it was the 20th anniversary of the founding of The Sunday Herald, a newspaper that lived high, shone for a moment, but died; we were remembering, dare I say, a candle in the wind)

Recycling

(see also in Climate and Health)

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Adam Morton, State's rubbish heap becoming a mountain, The Age, 2009 Oct. 7 (recycling has gone backwards in Victoria for the first time this century, with an increase in organic waste being dumped into landfill, and mountains of glass sitting unprocessed at recycling plants)

Social and Property

(see also Consumerism)

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