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Articles on BHP Billiton

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Marius Kloppers will retire as BHP Billiton’s CEO in May. AAP Image/Paul Miller

Kloppers retires as BHP chief, leaving corporate and political legacy

Marius Kloppers, who today announced his intention to resign as CEO of mining firm BHP Billiton, leaves behind a formidable legacy in both mining and politics as head of a firm that campaigned for a scaled-down…
The replacement of Tom Albanese by Sam Walsh as Rio Tinto chief following write-downs on Riversdale Mining in Mozambique indicates some of the continuing difficulties of working in developing countries. AAP

Despite tough lessons for Australian miners, transparency should still be a goal

Two recent events have highlighted the potential pitfalls of miners doing business in developing states. The first was the departure of Tom Albanese as Rio Tinto’s Chief Executive following a $13.3 billion…
Iron ore prices have rebounded: but forecasting prices is a tricky business. AAP

A rebound in iron ore prices? Who knows?

Forecasting commodity prices is like buying a second hand car. Only the car’s previous owner and perhaps the dealer really know what the car is actually like. In contrast you, the buyer, are an outsider…
Chinese investment in smaller iron-ore suppliers in Western Australia not only presents challenges for the market power of the Big 3 mining companies, but also for the viability of iron ore projects in Australia. AAP

How China drives the Australian iron ore boom (and bust)

With several major mining projects being put on ice this week, talk has quickly turned to whether the Australian mining boom is about to go bust. Jumping on comments by the Resources Minister that “the…
BHP has blamed capital costs and market conditions for its decision to delay expansion of the Olympic Dam project. AAP Image/BHP

Olympic Dam delay is not the end of the world for South Australia

The prospect of a four kilometre long and one kilometre deep open pit mine captures the imagination. Think about a chasm as deep as Mount Everest is high. It was going to take years to remove the overburden…
James Price Point’s monsoon vine thickets are culturally and ecologically important, and undervalued in assessments of environmental impact. Artist and botanist Jeanne Brown

James Price Point: environmental significance ignored in failed impact assessment

The proposed Browse Liquefied Natural Gas Hub at James Price Point (known locally as Walmadany), 50km north of Broome, has created one of the most fiercely fought environmental and indigenous battles currently…
BHP Billiton CEO Marius Kloppers is expected to announce the company’s first profit fall in three years. AAP

Investments are nearing their peak, but the mining boom isn’t over yet

It has been an anxious day for Australian investors. Shares have dipped as the market awaits BHP Billiton’s full-year profit report. It is expected that the market heavyweight will post its first profit…
Stuck in Botany Bay: Greenpeace activists celebrate the Danish government’s decision to halt Orica’s plans to ship toxic waste to Denmark. AAP

Beyond the bottom line: how to reward executives for sustainable practice

Are sustainability-dependent executive bonuses the answer to saving the planet? Research recently conducted by the Centre for Corporate Governance at the University of Technology, Sydney, examined whether…
China will dominate global steel production, but Australia can have a future in high value steel making - if we don’t lose our nerve. AAP

Why Australia must forge a future in China’s Age of Steel

Recently, I met a friend at a conference in Japan. My friend is a specialist in steelmaking technology and, after a long successful career in Japan, had taken up a position in a Chinese Steel company called…
Paul Cleary’s book, Too Much Luck, highlights the many negative consequences of the mining boom. AAP

We are letting our resources luck turn to dust

Paul Cleary’s book Too Much Luck: The Mining Boom and Australia’s Future, is a timely appraisal of the dramatic economic and social impacts, as well as the political ramifications of the current resource…
There is more behind the Qantas lockout than short-term industrial disputes. AAP

Qantas is waving the Australian flag … goodbye

As the initial shock of the Qantas lockout of its workforce abates, it is time to consider the wider implications of this action. One lesson is the folly of national identification of companies that are…
New research suggests a bit of clutter actually helps us be more productive. Flickr/Maggiejumps

Mess or nest: do clean desk policies really help us work better?

BHP copped a fair amount of flak for a leaked memo which outlined its daunting list of rules about employee behaviours. BHP’s “office environment standard” reportedly includes making staff remove post-it…

BHP hits the sweet spot with another record profit, but can it learn to share?

Some facts about BHP Billiton. Its full year annual profit of $US23.6 billion ($A22.46 billion) is the largest ever for an Australian corporation and is double that of last year’s. It employs close to…

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