Adventure Ausrama Blog

Whether we like it or not, many people do not carry cash. While the older generation draws money from ATMs and banks to go shopping, young people prefer to carry just a credit card. Most debit cards are held by the aged who do not like to go into credit card debt. In Australia 86 per cent of transactions are made with a card. This puts Australia 6th in the world in the cashless country list. Developing nations still use cash for about half of all payments. Using cards for payments is safer than cash. If felons know a person is carrying cash they could be theft targets. There is another side to a fully cashless society: the taxman will be able to trace all transactions, business and private, if suitable laws are passed to gain access to bank data. At present only the police can view data on a person's financial affairs if they are investigating a crime. This will probably be extended over coming decades to social security and the tax department to make sure people

There is a problem with the call for improvement in productivity. Those calling for it will not be the ones working harder. The experiment was tried in the 1970s when many UK factories moved in the time and motion guys and started timing machinists. Unions and workers saw them coming, however. Before they even got going unions tied management down with a new contract that guaranteed workers would not be put on a lower rate if the business ran out of orders. They would be paid at the previous month's average rate when walking around doing very little.  This was done to make sure employees would not lose income due to them working harder. Furthermore, when foremen, leading hands and motion "experts" started milling around a machine workers knew what was about to happen. An older naturally slower machinists was soon moved in and lathe speeds were reduced.  Considering the motion timers had never seen capstan lathes before this was an easy trick. It took severa

Coca-Cola announces that it will fight obesity. This is ironic considering chemicals are put into soft drink to make it possible for more sugar to remain in solution. Despite offering sugar free coke, consumers still favor coke with sugar. In the US this is high-fructose corn syrup. Basically, it is still concentrated sugar. Decades ago major sugar companies paid for research to determine benefits from consuming sugar that could be used in commercials. Unfortunately, findings showed there were no benefits whatsoever. Mankind is addicted to sugar. China, for example, has a sugar reserve to prevent social disorder if international trade is disrupted in any way. People can get there sugar requirements by consuming vegetables. Production of sugar is purely to satisfy an addictive demand. You cannot blame the community from being cynical about the announcement by Coca-Cola to push low-calorie additives, exercise and no advertising to children. The only real solution is to pass l

Gone are the days of local business monopolies where shops, for example, had a higher profit margin so they could keep employees in secure employment for decades. In the past shopping centers didn't exist and a firm had a local licence. Only one type of business could operate in a regional center. If a shop had the fish licence and decided to sell only fish, no fish and chips , you as a customers had to go without a quick hot meal. The proportion of casual workers is increasing every year. Just how these employees manage to build up capital for retirement is anyone's guess. Holiday pay is said to be built into casual rates, but this is a myth. Such workers hardly ever take a day off because they will not get any pay. People worry more over job security than anything else. Despite all the troubles in the world, Macquarie University found employees experience more anxiety over losing their jobs than any other issue. This affects men more than women. Seventy per cent of

If you are a business the Greenies can close you down. It's no good protesting about it. Just accept it, sack your staff, and close. That's the message that comes across in the case of a shark fishery in South Australia. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority has introduced draconian new rules in its protected zones. It is spelled out that when a "trigger point" is reached everything must stop. The authority took the advice of environmentalists and reduced the number of deaths of protected species from 15 down to one as the trigger point. Because a sea lion was killed the shark fishery must close and apply to reopen in May of 2013. An environmental spokesperson said, "We're pleased that there's now a process in place so that when there are animals killed that steps can be taken in the management of the fishery to make sure that the deaths are limited." This is shortsighted. Businesses cannot operate in this way. When May 2013 co

It is claimed by "specialists" that Australian business failed to plan for the high dollar. They carried on without cutting basic running costs. With over 60 per cent of businesses being involved in international trade this is deemed to be a "sin". The American Express FX International found less than 40 per cent did nothing. The research body said it was surprised at this. It is hardly surprising in the real world where costs are kept as low as possible on a constant basis. How can a business have a program to tackle this problem when it is a daily matter of trading? Common sense would inform you that not much can be done. The market sets the price. The high dollar means firms get less profit when they receive payment in foreign currency. Running costs inside the international barrier in Australia continue to rise. Most international trade is done in US dollars and this has become very weak. It isn't much good longing for days passed when the exchang

Talk about looking after your own - the better off looking after each other. The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia is setting up a register of pharmacists affected by the floods. Pharmacists in unaffected states are offering to give financial help. This is disgraceful! What about patients who cannot get necessary supplies, now? This is a case of a privileged group looking after themselves. It should be condemned. It is okay for them to give money to each other. The ordinary person gives a general donation and it is given to recipients based on need. At a time like this some people think only of money. Getting food, warm clothing and needed medications should be the main priority. The PSA should be giving millions of dollars to welfare organisations for this purpose, not thinking of setting up shop as soon as possible to make money. The truth is pharmacists don't compete with each other. It is like a "buddy" club. http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/ http://www.

Dangle, Dingle, Dongle. They are all out according to the Great God Google. It has taken a business "minnow" offering alcohol price comparisons to court and beaten it to death, well into submission, until it agreed not to use the name "Groggle". This means that Google owns by default all new business names that contain "gle". The result of this courtroom debacle is disgraceful. There should be some way where the little man has the resources to fight a giant like Google. The little business cowered in the corner and quietly murmured " Drinkle! That is what we will call our service ." Only then would Google put the big stick down. What is the world coming to when there is no protection from economic monsters like Google. Though this business wasn't even in the same industry as Google, financial muscle won the day. He had to make an out of court agreement of SILENCE! The owner of the business said he couldn't afford to go on with the court c