Management Blog

WorkChoices damages morale: managers

New research shows 80 per cent of Australian managers are worried about the impact of the Federal Government's WorkChoices legislation on staff morale, the ABC reports.

The company behind the study, UMR Research, says 80 per cent of the managers who took part in the survey said they want "four weeks of holidays guaranteed and unfair dismissal laws protected".

Managers also voiced their concerns about the number of jobs, including service and highly skilled positions, going offshore; they are also unhappy about the increasing amount of time they are forced to spend at work.

Online ad revenue reaches new heights

Online advertising in Australia is coming of age… fast. Recently released figures show over $1 billion worth of online advertising was purchased last year, a new industry milestone.

The figures, which were released by the Audit Bureau of Verification Services, were higher than anticipated by experts; they represent a 61.5 per cent growth rate in online advertising.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, online advertising will continue to soar in 2007: "The stellar growth rate suggests it will not be long before advertising spending online exceeds that of all other mediums."

Boom times for office space

High demand and limited supply are pushing up the price of office space across Australia according to research undertaken by commercial and retail property group Savills.

The study indicates it is now cheaper to lease office space in the Sydney than it is in Perth or Brisbane.

Brisbane is currently the second most expensive place to lease in Australia (after Perth) with tenants on average paying $398 sq m for 'Grade A' accommodation, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The figures show 'Grade A' effective rents grew by 24 per cent in Brisbane and by 56 per cent in Perth in 2006.

'Tweens' too young for phone marketing: study

Parents need to keep a watchful eye on the way mobile phones are marketed to young children, researchers at the Australian Institute warn.

The organisation says mobile phone manufacturers are actively targeting children from the age of six to 14 (the so-called 'tween' market) in a bid to foster a lifetime of brand loyalty.

And it appears to be working. More than 50 per cent of the children surveyed by the Australia Institute think the brand of their phone is important.

The research indicates that heavy pressure is being placed on young children to be cool by consuming in general, a situation that could lead to psychological and financial problems.

The Australian Institute says it is not against children having mobile phones; however, they do warn that by marketing phones directly to children manufactures are at risk of commercialising childhood.

Australian bosses don't get blogging

Australian CEOs are ignoring the potential of blogging and, as a result, are failing to capitalise on a valuable PR tool, according to the head of Sun Microsystems, Jonathan Schwartz.

While many major international companies, such as General Motors, Boeing, Ducati and Marriott Hotels, are currently publishing CEO blogs, "you'll look high and low for a web log penned by an Australian captain of industry", according to The Australian.

Schwartz's own corporate blog, which has a following of about 4,000 readers a day, has gained a following due to its succinct examination of the computing industry.

The Australian article suggests that when written (or ghost written) well, a CEO blog can be a highly effective 'soft' marketing tool that presents a company as a 'caring, sharing' corporate citizen.

According to Schwartz, CEO blogs can help a company set new agendas, provide greater search engine visibility and are cheaper than traditional PR and marketing.

Approachability matters for managers

Far too many managers unknowingly foster a 'do not disturb' workplace culture when being open and approachable is the key to maintaining a productive relationship with employees, according to recent allbusiness.com article.

A series of tips on how to be a more approachable manager and improve workplace productivity in the process are offered to tackle the problem. In summary, these are:

• Be open all hours – don't treat the old 'open door policy' as a tired cliché; symbolically and literally, a closed door alienates staff
• Chat with staff – take an interest in your staff that goes beyond work matters; it will make them feel valued
• Help your team succeed  – give staff sufficient lead-time on projects; carefully explain your expectations and encourage them to ask follow up questions
• Be open to bad news – Tell your staff that they can always come to you with possible problems or ideas on how to improve processes

Free for all WiFi planned for LA

The City of Los Angeles is planning to give its residents free or highly affordable wireless Internet access within two years in a bid to enhance the city's innovation credentials.

The US$60 million plan, known as the LA WiFi Initiative, will provide high-speed Internet access to the city's four million residents. Advertisers and telecommunications companies will fund the service.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says his bold plan will have a dramatic impact on every neighbourhood and economic sector in the city. The project will be open to tender later this year, The Australian reports.

One in five obsessed with mobiles

A recent survey on telecommunications use has found many Australians don't just love their mobile phones… they freely admit to being addicted to them.

The QUT research found 20 per cent of survey participants identified as being high or heavy mobile phone users with monthly bills often reaching in excess of $500 per month.

Apparently the average Australian spends over an hour on their mobile phone each day; this time consists of 35 minutes of texting and 25 minutes of talking.

Researchers say signs of mobile phone addition include: "big bills, using a phone while driving or working and having irrational reactions to being without a mobile."

'Talking' billboards come to life

Mini owners are being greeted by giant electronic billboards in the US as part of a pilot marketing programme that could be a Blade Runner style glimpse into the future of outdoor advertising.

Beyond simple greetings, the billboards also convey personalised information. For example, if the driver is a lawyer the sign could read something along the lines of "Moving at the Speed of Justice", msnbc.com reports.

The 'Motorby' programme relies on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, a hot topic with privacy advocates due to concerns about access to personal information.

While RFID could potentially be used to track a person's location or access personal data, Mini says its technology uses cryptographic protocols that safeguard each driver's details.

MySpace for professionals unveiled

A new social networking service developed by IBM promises to provide a MySpace style experience for office workers to enhance business collaboration, The Australian reports.

IBM's Lotus Connections software enables users to meet, share bookmarks and search blogs using the one package, a development that could threaten Microsoft's dominance of the email and collaboration tools market.

According to The Australian: "Connections combines five components: member profiles, activities, blogs, communities and "dogear" - IBM's word for the way users identify and share web bookmarks with colleagues."

Industry analysts say the addition of collaboration software could increase Lotus Notes users from 125 million to 150 million users. Microsoft currently has an estimated 200 million Outlook users and 80 million licensed users of its SharePoint collaboration software.