Crikey » Business

Lachlan Murdoch appointed new Ten chairman

Glenn Dyer — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:22:34 +0000

In a surprise move, the Ten Network announced that Lachlan Murdoch has been elected chairman, with Brian Long, Ten's existing chairman, becoming deputy chairman and lead independent director.

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Nostalgianomics and the ongoing rewriting of economic history

Bernard Keane — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:50:47 +0000

The Coalition's rewriting of economic history continues apace as part of its obsession with the Howard years.

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Rio Tinto, BHP results cloud mining tax bottom line

Crikey — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:50:45 +0000

Just how much money will the government’s revised mining tax end up raising from the big players, ask Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane?

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Maley: prepare for a US house price washout

Karen Maley — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:50:43 +0000

US investors heaved a sigh of relief overnight, as the Obama administration unveiled a $25 billion settlement with five major home lenders over foreclosure abuses.

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Latest circulation figures: read all about it … or not

Glenn Dyer — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:50:41 +0000

The latest 2011 circulation figures indicate that it was a mixed-to-good December quarter for some titles, an average half-year for others and another miserable 12 months for the majority of newspapers and magazines.

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Drugs, sex and deception from Mr Apple

Crikey — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:49:21 +0000

Old FBI documents about Steve Jobs, recently posted online, dredge up juicy details of the Apple co-founder's life -- including pointed observations of his personality and ethics and his use of psychedelic drugs, writes Dan Lyons.

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NotW: the latest from the Levenson Inquiry

Amber Jamieson — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:54:43 +0000

Heather Mills, the editor of the Daily Mail and a PR veteran all fronted up to the Levenson Inquiry on its 40th day of investigating phone hacking at the now-defunct News of the World tabloid.

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Weak prices, outlook pressure Alcoa — not the dollar

Crikey — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:03:24 +0000

Blaming the value of the Australian dollar for all the problems and ills in manufacturing has become the easy option, write Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane.

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Tweeting Rupert skips earnings grilling from analysts, hacks

Stephen Mayne — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:03:21 +0000

For the second straight quarter, News Corp’s executive chairman and controlling shareholder Rupert skipped the quarterly earnings call with analysts and journalists this morning.

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Our banks are too big to fail, too few to be competitive

Crikey — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:03:20 +0000

Mark Bouris and Christopher Joye of Property Observer say policymaking around Australia's banking system has been predicated on a flawed and risky paradigm.

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The issue of interns

Crikey — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:19:09 +0000

Many workplaces have interns, helpful young students who volunteer in return for some practical experience (the Crikey intern gets our coffee!). But what are the legal issues of an intern in the office? Anthony O'Donnell explains.

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What’s in a name? Lots of money…

Crikey — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:02:39 +0000

A snappy and memorable product name is critical to commercial success. It's not just the brand name, the recent Coca-Cola "share-a-Coke" campaign created a Pavlovian response in people, writes Moensie Rossier.

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The spin doctor who’ll go where others refuse

Crikey — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:54:38 +0000

Toby Ralph has no office, no job title and no qualms about spinning for the forces of darkness. "I'll work for anyone who pays me," Liberal campaign veteran Ralph tells Matthew Knott.

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How a rate hike could save the banks

Crikey — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:04:20 +0000

Australia's banking systems have a weakness – our so-called ‘funding gap’ – and it's time to bring that weakness into the open, given that ANZ is this week deciding whether to lift mortgage interest rates, writes Robert Gottliebsen.

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A simple copyright amendment? Sports chiefs don’t understand

Crikey — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:08:04 +0000

Our copyright law is a wondrous complex beast, and even apparently simple tweaks carry the potential for significant unintended consequences, writes Kimberlee Weatherall, an associate professor in Sydney University's Faculty of Law.

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Bolt, Day reveal why ACMA should move on Lachlan Murdoch

Stephen Mayne — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:08:03 +0000

Perhaps the most striking recent example of Australia’s supine cross-media ownership laws was the decision by ACMA to allow Lachlan Murdoch to remain as a director of News Corp while clearly influencing Network Ten.

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L-3: the $15b defence contractor that will be scanning us

Bernard Keane — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:07:57 +0000

The company that will get $28 million for providing airport body scanners is a huge US defence contractor with a scandalous history.

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Kohler: trouble in a carry trade paradise

Alan Kohler — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:07:56 +0000

Keynesian purists are all clutching their foreheads, but actually it’s pretty fabulous that Australia’s politicians are competing with each other to promise budget surpluses.

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Come in Spinner: why we make dumb choices

Noel Turnbull — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:07:54 +0000

Why do political pundits, company directors, stockbroking analysts, investors, policy people, governments and just about every one you can think of make dumb choices?

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The Reserve Bank’s inclination to punish

Crikey — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:57:06 +0000

The Reserve Bank of Australia are a callous lot, says Richard Farmer. Let’s not worry about those 5.2% of people without a job, or all those working less hours than they would like to.

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Gottliebsen: productivity problems? Call IT

Crikey — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:49:33 +0000

Australian businesses and US businesses are adopting totally different strategies for the year ahead. Our chief executives are going down a dangerous path, says Robert Gottliebsen of Business Spectator.

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Frustration not fear keep farmers mum on retail wars

Amber Jamieson — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:49:32 +0000

The ACCC has offered protection to whistleblower farmers and grocery supplies if they report price gouging by supermarkets. But for those on the land it's still easier said than done.

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When is a property expert not a property expert?

Adam Schwab — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:49:31 +0000

Move over Henry Kaye. Step aside Bruce Yardney. There’s a new property expert back in town.

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Wayne Swan causing a credit squeeze? Get real

Crikey — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:49:26 +0000

Claims that Wayne Swan could hurt the banks by pressuring them to pass on rate cuts are rubbish.

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Australian housing: an unsustainable Ponzi scheme

Crikey — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:12:41 +0000

Deakin University's Philip Soos pulls no punches in his assessment of the Australian real estate industry, describing it as a Ponzi scheme and a bubble waiting to burst, writes Larry Schlesinger.

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