Human Resources is Just Doing Their Job


Management fads are fun, and one that keeps resurfacing is hating on HR — aka Human Resources.

We can all think of times when HR has caused us a special kind of pain and suffering — payroll screw-ups, pointless performance reviews, unintelligible procedures, anyone? It makes sense that you cannot spell “hurt” without “H” and “R,” and when we see the anti-HR mobs baying for blood, it’s easy to pick up a placard and/or blunt object and join in the fun.

Can Corporate Social Responsibility be Saved?


The Volkswagen emissions scandal may have fatally undermined the credibility of claims that corporations care about being benign and useful participants in society. When a company can top the list of car firms in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index one week and then be caught using sophisticated software to avoid compliance with environmental regulation the next, we have to question if the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has any meaning at all.

Brand Ambassador Selection is Risky Business


Adam Goodes cuts a striking figure on and off the field. Only weeks out from his AFL retirement, Goodes has sparked controversy as he commences his new role as a David Jones brand ambassador. The key role of a brand ambassador or celebrity endorser is to symbolically embody the core identity of the brand – to literally be the “face” of what the brand stands for.

Sham Contracting to Avoid Employment Obligations


When cleaners for Myer last week called the retail giant out for underpaying them, it was not the first time.

Myer supplier Spotless hired the cleaners as independent contractors, and subsequently assigned them to work for Myer. The department store released a statement pointing this out and arguing it was Spotless that was their formal employer.

Avoiding the Emotional Override in Business Decisions


We love the brand and we are willing to invest our life savings in it. After all, this is a well-known franchise with hundreds of stores so it must be good. The franchisor says it is offering a proven business. It has given us a disclosure document containing many pages of information and we have tried to read the franchise agreement. There is also a lease. To be honest, we can’t really understand all the legal jargon. We just want to get started on running the business. Besides, won’t the Franchising Code of Conduct protect us?

Entrepreneurs Hiding in Plain Sight


In the last 12 months, Maria Sorkhi started a photography business, Sima Mahboobifard began selling leather bags, and the Dendo brothers – Rony, Luay, and Duraed – began their photography and videography business, while Bassam Jabar set up a business to sell his artwork.

At first glance, these are just everyday stories of entrepreneurs in Australia. What sets them apart is that they have only been in Australia since 2013. They arrived not as wealthy business migrants, but as penniless refugees from Iran and Iraq.

Franchise Labor Abuse Taints Brand Integrity


Franchising is a pervasive business model in contemporary Australia. Many of the best-known brands, including those in fast food, retailing, coffee, car maintenance, and other services are or have become part of franchise operations. According to the Franchising Australia there are almost 1200 franchising formats (brands) operating and an estimated 70000 units operate as franchisees while 9000 units are franchisor owned and operated.

The industry represents around 4% of Australian businesses and directly employs around 460,000 people, according to Franchising Australia 2014.

Developing the Sharing Economy


The Labor Party’s guidelines on the “sharing economy,” released last week, are a positive development for those concerned with the unfettered growth of businesses like Uber, Airbnb and others in the so-called “collaborative economy.”

Concern had centred on the propensity of these platform-based businesses to operate with scant regard for existing legal frameworks and industry norms –- as typified by Uber’s global assault on any regulatory barrier it perceives as inhibiting its freedom to operate or expand.

Technology Incubators Lack a Key Indgredient


Airbnb, Dropbox and Reddit are all companies that emerged out of tech accelerators. These incubators of talent have been a crucial component in turning tech start-ups into businesses that can stand on their own two feet. As well as giving needy new companies financial support and office space, they play an important role in helping them develop through mentoring.

Consumer, I am Your Impulse Purchase


It is now not uncommon for 11-year-olds to be diabetic. I see one reason for it every time I check out at my local Safeway in Washington. The candy is right there at the cash register, waiting to be eaten.