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Technology has already transformed how many of us work and shop - and left unwary businesses behind. Flickr/Baddog

Megatrends: the world is virtually here

Welcome to The Conversation’s series on megatrends. What are the compelling economic, social, environmental, political and technological changes Australia must grapple with over the coming decades? In…
Australian iron ore producers have had a torrid time in recent months - but how they quickly they can respond to such fluctuations will be critical to their continued success. AAP

The floating fortunes of our iron ore barons

Despite the recent fluctuations of the iron ore price, producers such as mining billionaires Andrew Forrest and Gina Rinehart entered the iron ore market with eyes wide open and understand the long-term…
Queensland Treasurer Tim Nicholls has delivered a budget that commits to austerity, with a return to surplus within three years.

Queensland budget commits to austerity

The 2012-13 Queensland budget was the most anticipated policy announcement in several decades. The cut-backs in public sector employment previously forecast and cost saving measures announced in the early…
Emirates and Qantas’ joint venture prompts some interesting issues around how Qantas can improve its worker productivity. AAP

What Qantas needs now is a charm offensive

The recent announcement by Qantas of its proposed joint venture alliance with Emirates highlights not only the highly competitive environment facing aviation, but some interesting questions around workplace…
Malaysia’s biofuel policies — which will be delivered by large multinational corporations — are contributing to a global food crisis. Rainforest Action Network/Flikr

Malaysia’s sustainability agenda reignites debate over food versus fuel

According to their 2005 Energy Policy Act, the US was supposed to have reached a 7.5% target for renewable fuel by 2012. While this may be good for the environment, there is growing concern that national…
By 2030, China is projected to be at the centre of the world’s economic activity. Just how Australia positions itself will be crucial. Syzmon Kochanski/Flikr

Megatrends: the Silk Highway and the ‘Switzerland’ of Asia

Welcome to The Conversation’s series on megatrends. What are the compelling economic, social, environmental, political and technological changes Australia must grapple with over the coming decades? In…
Optus has exhausted its legal avenues to appeal against a decision finding it breached copyright on its TV Now service. But should the issue of technology neutrality be reviewed? Flickr/IntelFreePress

Optus and TV Now: will copyright law catch up to the cloud?

A legal decision which forced Optus to shut down its time shifting service TV Now may eventually lead to reform of existing copyright law to cater for cloud technology. On Friday, the High Court denied…
Are penalty rates becoming old fashioned? Retail image sourced from www.shutterstock.com

Penalty rates in awards: do we really need them?

There have been renewed calls from employers - mainly in the retail sector - for reductions in the wage premiums (or penalty rates) that industries are required to pay staff for work undertaken at non-standard…
“Not a gay science, I should say…no, a dreary, desolate and indeed quite abject and distressing one.” Images sourced from shutterstock.com

No longer a dismal science… time for economists to come out of the closet

My publisher once told me adamantly: “Economics doesn’t sell.” I was gobsmacked. “The subject that tells us all about supply and demand and how to run a business or a household doesn’t make a quid? How…
Iron ore miner Fortescue Metals announced this week it was delaying $1.6 billion in investments as iron ore spot prices continued to fall: but is it really time to panic about China’s manufacturing sector? AAP

Iron ore prices continue to fall, but is it really time to panic about China?

This week we learnt that Australia’s GDP growth fell significantly in the second quarter compared with the first. The fact that GDP growth is a lagging indicator raises serious questions about the current…
Will the Qantas-Emirates alliance restore the beleaguered Australian airline back to profitability? AAP

The Qantas-Emirates alliance: a flight path to future growth?

Today, Alan Joyce has announced that Qantas and Emirates have struck a joint venture alliance for the next 10 years. As a result, Qantas will be taking its passengers to Europe through Dubai, instead of…
Taking care of business: given the glacial pace of financial reforms since the GFC, it is not unreasonable to expect another crisis of the same magnitude. _Davo_

Crisis? What crisis? Five years on, we’ve surrendered to the global financial sector

It has been five years since the sub-prime mortgage crisis emerged in the US. This was followed by financial institutions suffering liquidity shortfalls in both US and Europe, and their eventual collapse…
Deposit insurance has been mooted for Australian banks - but should we accept as given current banking structures which create too-big-to-fail banks? AAP

Should there be a bank deposit guarantee fee?

There is a growing chorus of support for introduction of a fee for the protection provided to bank deposits (up to the $250,000 cap) by the Financial Claims Scheme (or deposit insurance as it would be…
What are the compelling economic, social, environmental, political and technological changes Australia must grapple with over the coming decades? Flickr/Tim Donnelly

What are the future megatrends all Australians need to know about?

If hindsight is such a wonderful thing, surely foresight would be better. What if we could see what was coming at us and could position ourselves, our organisations and society to make the most of it…
We’re with the brand: how do we judge authenticity online with so many fakers hiding behind the screen? Image sourced from www.shutterstock.com

Please RT: protecting your brand is no mean tweet amid a flurry of fake accounts

I am the FakeMarkRolfe telling you that all FakeMarkRolfes on Twitter are liars. And so is the real Mark Rolfe @Marcjohnr. I’ve started with a variation of the old liar’s paradox, not to explore logic…
The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to keep the cash rates unchanged tomorrow: but prominent economists say the case for a cut may be firming. AAP

Hold ‘em: but case for interest rate cut strengthens

CAMA’s Shadow Board, which gives its views ahead of the decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia, continues to support the current setting of the cash rate at 3.5%. But economists are seeing a greater…
Social impact bonds - like other outcome-based contracts between governments and social services - can only work if the incentives are well defined. Image from www.shutterstock.com

Without the right incentives, social benefit bonds can leave us in a bind

The NSW Treasury’s current trial of social benefit bonds is attracting a lot of attention, including a session devoted to bonds and other social enterprise innovations at the Economic Society of Australia’s…
The Coalition has ruled out increasing GST, despite calls from former Prime Minister John Howard for GST to apply to food. But could a policy change be in the wings? AAP

Coalition must come clean on plans for GST

There is almost unanimous agreement among mainstream economists, tax experts, Treasury, business and even politicians (albeit very quietly) that the Goods and Services Tax will have to be increased and…
Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten has agreed to examine Newstart rates after ruling out a raise to the dole earlier this week. AAP

Down and out, and on the dole: why the Newstart Allowance needs a raise

Why do we have welfare policies that create unnecessary poverty? Despite a multitude of reports, submissions, public pleas and other advocacy on the problems of Newstart (NSA) recipients, the government…
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has become involved in the fight against the use of “conflict minerals” from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Exploitation of its vast resources has been at the centre of the country’s decades-long conflict. AAP

SEC takes on humanitarian role over Congo’s ‘conflict’ minerals

The US capital markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission, has voted in favour of what has widely become known as the “conflict minerals” ruling. Aimed at reducing the illegal trade in resources…
Other countries - either in the European Union or elsewhere - could be the main beneficiaries of the Australian Government’s move to link carbon pricing with Europe. AAP

Do we really want to hand control of our carbon price to Europe?

Linking Australia to the European Union carbon emissions trading scheme by 2015 will undoubtedly affect the revenue gained from carbon trading. The question is, how much? One should expect up to 50% less…
A new 16 minute anti-cartel film produced by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission aims to breaks through widely-held business views around collusion.

Will the ACCC’s foray into film make its mark on cartel behaviour?

Close scrutiny and tough sanctioning of cartel conduct (involving price fixing, market sharing, output reduction and bid rigging by competing businesses) has been a focus of competition law and enforcement…
RBA Governor Glenn Stevens denies any cover-up over allegations surrounding two RBA subsidiaries. But how well are public institutions dealing with issues of transparency, corruption and whistleblowing?

Is the Federal Government dropping the ball on whistleblower protection?

The latest scandal engulfing Note Printing Australia and Securency highlights how well - or otherwise - the public sector deals with critical issues of transparency, corruption and whistleblowing. The…
There may be no causal correlation between a board’s gender diversity and firm performance, but greater female participation does have its benefits. Image from www.shutterstock.com

Sorry, but there’s no business case for gender quotas

There’s support across the globe for increased female participation at leadership levels. In Norway, it’s a legislative requirement that at least 40% of the board members of listed companies are women…