Products & Services

Queen aims to win some hearts

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 32 : 30 May 2008
Original article by Barrie Dunstan

LexisNexis Summary: Products & Services

Queen Street Partners is a new investment vehicle in Australia, an offshoot of Macquarie Group. However, the investment bank's Macquarie Investment Management division will not have direct influence on the strategies of Queen Street Partners head Steven Vaughan, who aims to offer institutional investors access to new or emerging equity fund managers in the boutique segment. It may also become involved directly in those new firms by taking on a private equity role. Other examples of the Queen Street Partners approach are US-based CalPERS and Australian-listed Treasury Group. Vaughan can look back on a successful career in fund management that spans two and a half decades

E-Business

Wiki helps problem solving

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 65 : 30 May 2008
Original article by Christopher Jay

LexisNexis Summary: E-Business

Public servants in Australia are starting to see how "Web 2.0" technology can help them. In the form of blogs, wikis and chat rooms, it can assist civil servants in a number of ways. These fast communication tools can give information to citizens very quickly, the instant they need help. These forums also allow for outside experts to give advice on what has worked for them. Thus, these blogs and wikis can take the pressure off public servants to provide instant services to all people, at all times, in person. Greg Pellegrino, of Deloitte, is an expert on how blogs and wikis can help people get the information they need on the spot. He said that Web 2.0 provides new ways of meeting people's needs

Civic Video opens online channel

Inside Retailing
Page: 2-3 : 26 May 2008
Original article by Bruce Atkinson

LexisNexis Summary: E-Business

Civic Video has testing a new design for its more than 240 stores around Australia at its outlet at Bondi Beach. The company's general manager, Rod Laycock, says the design is aimed at making "Civic stand out from the crowd". Laycock also reports that Civic Video has launched an online store accessible via its web site. He said that C Store is aimed at consumers who prefer to use the internet, contains over 13,000 DVD titles, CDs and games for purchase

Marketing Strategy

Luck of the Irish with storage retailer

Inside Retailing
Page: 1/2 : 26 May 2008
Original article by Lyn White

LexisNexis Summary: Marketing Strategy

Howards Storage World continues to expand, both in Australia and overseas. Its 10 stores in Western Australia are "flourishing", according to director Dirk Spence, while it has just opened a store at Rockhampton in Queensland. Meanwhile, the first Howards Storage World store in Ireland opened in Dublin in late May 2008. Spence says that the master franchisee for Howards Storage World in Ireland is Olive Donovan, whose interest in the company results from a visit to her sister in Perth

Myer takes personalised approach to advertising

Inside Retailing
Page: 3-4 : 26 May 2008
Original article by Bruce Atkinson

LexisNexis Summary: Marketing Strategy

Department store chain Myer has undertaken a revamp of its Myer One customer loyalty program. CEO Bernie Brookes says that the program now comprises gold, silver and standard membership, with a "gold" customer being one who spends at least $A7,500 a year in its stores. Brookes says that Myer devotes around half of its marketing expenditure to loyalty activities, while 58 per cent of current sales come from Myer One members. Myer, which spends about $A50 million a year on marketing, has doubled the amount it spends on internet advertising and direct marketing since 2006

Consumer Behaviour

Inflation war's enemy within

The Australian Financial Review
Page: 11 : 30 May 2008
Original article by Adrian Rollins

LexisNexis Summary: Consumer Behaviour

The rising inflation in Australia is becoming a deep problem. New economic data, in May 2008, shows that Australia's inflation is stemming from strong domestic demand, not from global pressures. Contributing to inflation in Australia has been the tight market as demand for labour, homes and infrastructure has outstripped supply. Australia has previously been cushioned from inflation by the flow of cheap goods from East Asia. This effect is diminishing, leading to rising prices and rising inflation. Some experts argue that the Reserve Bank of Australia will have to raise interest rates yet again, to stem inflation. Tony Meer, an economist with Deutsche Bank, argues that consumer spending in Australia will dwindle further as higher interest rates and living costs take their toll. It will feel like a recession to many householders, he noted