From The Australian, Entrepreneur: Detailed research and some great timing has paid off for this niche market player, writes Ed Charles THE secret of a successful product is that it must be something that people want. And it must be something that a lot of people want most days in their lives. For businesswoman Ivone Ruiz it [...]

There are ways to improve revenue performance, if only CFOs had time to look for them. CFO. 01 May 2006 For the first time since 1987, companies are starting to see annual productivity gains slow. Dr Frank Gelber, chief economist at BIS Shrapnel, said last year that Australian companies have cut back the fat to the point [...]

From the February edition of In The Black. More from Dave Allen, Lifehacker and 43 Folders. The finest organisation systems available to mankind may not involve technology at all.

When workers own shares in their companies they are motivated and loyal. So why are Australian companies failing to catch on? From In The Black November 2005 Power to the people. Get them to buy shares. Even better, give them shares in the company for which they work. The staff are no longer revolting. They’re [...]

Original unsubbed copy for The Australian. October 2005. In business timing is everything. During the dot.com boom it seemed like the best idea ever to launch agency specialising in buying advertising space online. Emitch, a spin-off from real world media buyer Mitchell & Partners, listed on the ASX in March 2000, and soon after the market crashed. [...]

Life for the corporate elite is not as lonely as it used to be. Now CEOs have an abundance of mentoring options open to them. From In the Black September 2005.

Seeing the hardboiled Matt Moran being confronted with a restaurant critic in Heat in the Kicthen on SBS reminded me of  when I interviewed him for In The Black in 2004. Yes chef! Nowhere is teamwork and leadership more tested than in the fiery atmosphere of a top kitchen. In the first of a regular articles [...]

When it comes to embracing the concept of the triple bottom line, Australian companies have a long way to go. From In The Black.

Commercial and regulatory pressures are forcing CFOs to take a closer interest in marketing. CFO June 2004.

So accountants are boring, huh? Creatives and advertising types are so much more interesting and stories about boring accountants are a cliché. Arguably the most creative person in advertising is an accountant. As I said in In The Black a couple of months ago.