February 26th, 2010
A discussion paper looking at options criminalising of cartels has published for comment. Hard-core cartels are formed when rival firms agree to not compete with each other, and limit or remove competition that would provide products at competitive prices. Criminal penalties for cartels have recently been introduced in Australia, but here, while hard-core cartels are [...]
February 26th, 2010
The IMF is turning economic orthodoxy on its head in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis, and is calling for the overthrow of inflation targeting as the central goal of economic management. It says inflation should be allowed to rise to 4% to give Govts more chance of managing downturns. It says [...]
February 19th, 2010
ASB Bank’s economics team is warning businesses despite NZ coming out of recession, there are still several things to be aware of as the upturn gathers pace.
The first key change is the global availability of credit will not be as easy as it was - but with greater competition for the funds available. NZ [...]
February 19th, 2010
While John Key and Alan Bollard lock horns over whether NZ can or can’t catch up with Aust by 2025, business performance specialist John Haylock says the gap won’t be narrowed by tinkering with the tax system, changing macroeconomic policy or setting new educational standards. He says the real opportunity lies with improving the performance [...]
February 17th, 2010
Analysts have been lining up to take John Key’s “Step Change” plan for the economy apart. The speech was probably one off the most crucial delivered in this country - Reactions are mixed.
John Armstrong, “Those expecting something special in the Govt’s new economic plan which will prompt the “Step Change” in the pace of [...]
February 12th, 2010
Business analysts McKinsey say globalisation is under fire and declining due to decreased support for global trade liberalisation in the face of economic challenges. McKinsey sees increased protectionist activities, like the Buy-American clause in President Obama’s stimulus package, reducing the flow of people, jobs, goods and services. Their advice is to stress test [...]
February 12th, 2010
NZ has signed the Copenhagen accord, reaffirming its basic global climate change pledge of a conditional emissions reduction target in the range of 10%-20% below 1990 levels by 2020. John Key described the formal move, required by Feb 1 if NZ is to retain good faith with the UN-led climate change negotiation process, as “a [...]
February 10th, 2010
The Technology Investment Network’s 2009 report says technology was NZ’s third-biggest export industry last year, outpacing wine and meat exports. Tech exports last year were up 4% to $5.1bn. Technology firms came through the slow down better than most, with 37% reporting a profit Only 27% of other industries stayed in the black.
Accountants Ernst [...]
February 5th, 2010
The Environment Ministry is warning it can only promise “best endeavours” in giving trade-exposed industrial emitters of greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol certainty about their allocations by the deadline of June 30. MfE says “this will be a complex, resource intensive process.” The timetable for completion critically requires cooperation and early preparation of [...]
February 5th, 2010
Trust shapes every relationship. It is the foundation of commerce. Eroding trust levels raises the cost of doing business. Management consultants McKinsey points out low trust increases transaction costs, lowers brand values, and creates greater difficulty attracting customers and retaining talent. Internally, the effects of a low trust environment are corrosive for governance and compliance [...]
February 3rd, 2010
A new survey of public and private sector CEOs by PricewaterhouseCoopers has found the nation’s business leaders are gaining confidence about the year ahead but believe it is “crunch time” for Govt policy. The CEOs expect the Govt to roll out significant announcements in key policy areas including regulation, infrastructure, business innovation, education and tax.
While [...]
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