Business Research & Analysis Institute North-East in East Albury | Market Research Consultant

Business Research & Analysis Institute North-East

Locality: East Albury

Phone: +61 492 946 336

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25.01.2022 I am currently trialing a watermark programme for inserting watermarks into all my uploaded photographs. Here is shot of my grandson raising some dust on his 4-wheeler just outside Alice Springs back March of this year. JD Lifeography is the business name I trademarked with my son , Jed, when he was keen to start a photographic business together. I find it interesting the photo-editing software I own, CorelDraw PhotoPaint and a programme that came packaged with my Nikon camera, neither have a watermark facility built into them.

25.01.2022 I recently posted an article from Jeff Bullas about how cognitive biases plays a big role in developing marketing strategies, and how this is due to the increasing use of behavioural science in the business world. To take this point a bit further here is a great piece of research from Behavioural Scientist (https://behavioralscientist.org) that looks at who and how behavioural science techniques are being used around the world.

23.01.2022 There is a growing amount of research that focuses on cognitive biases, particularly within the behavioural science sector, and the way they can influence and/or trigger specific emotions in peoples' purchasing decision. A very interesting read, and with some links that are worth investigating further if you develop your own marketing strategies. Jeff Bullas (jeffbullas.com) certainly has a strong reputation with high-profile endorsements; so if hunting for ideas or inspiration then his website is worth the visit.

22.01.2022 Speaking of innovation, if you want some light reading from my PhD thesis you are most welcome to visit the James Cook University Eddie Mabo Library link: https://tinyurl.com/y6codhck

22.01.2022 Add a little extra 'Braine Power' to your business...

22.01.2022 The latest data is in for the August 2020 Roy Morgan Business Confidence rating; which was down still 1.2pts (-1.4%) to 83.1 the second lowest monthly reading ever just above the April 2020 low of 76.9. What is interesting about this latest Business Confidence rating is that it is significantly below the latest ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rating of 91.1 for September 5/6, 2020; thereby, indicating that consumers have greater confidence for the future economic outlook... than the business sector. Nevertheless, the business confidence rating is still was a whopping 31.2pts lower than it was a year ago at 114.3 in August 2019, and 30.6pts below the long-term average, of 113.7. With all the uncertainty the prevails concerning the opening up of state borders, and the easing of Stage 4 restrictions in Victoria, it is not hard to see why the business confidence of many operators is still quite pessimistic about what the future holds. There has never been a better time, nor reason, to shop locally and support you local business community. See more

22.01.2022 Currently working hard on getting the website developed ... making steady progress and the first evaluation version should be ready for hosting and publishing late next week. Three pages completed so far, with at least two more to add that will include a gallery page for portfolio of photographs. Feels a bit strange going back into commercial photography after such a long break (15+ years); but decided to include the corporate events and trade-day services to broaden the scop...e of promotional services being offered. After all, my first job after school was as a cadet press photographer in the print media; where I ended up being the youngest senior press photographer in Australia. A long story short, I was basically head-hunted by another newspaper only 18 months into my 3-year cadetship, and I agreed to take the new job on condition I was made senior photographer after completing a three-month trial. At the time I sometimes used to think my self-confidence over-shadowed my ability, but then I slowly realised that backing your own ability was part of selling your self-confidence.

22.01.2022 My next contract with Roy Morgan Research, starting next month, is for the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. Another federal government-funded longitudinal study now in its 20th year, this will be my second year with HILDA after participating in the 19th wave last year. Due to the length of time the study has been going, the richness of the data provided of being able to show emerging trends and changing social habits has been groundbreaking. ...So much so, the study is recognised as one the leading sociological studies of its type in the world, and is now being copied by a number of other countries world-wide. The reason it is so highly valued is because of the sample structure. The study's sample is what makes it such an important statistical tool: the original respondents have remained with the study for its entirety. These original respondents were randomly selected in the first instance, but have remained committed to the study throughout. The total sample size varies slightly each year as new entries occur through marriage and births etc, while others exit via divorce or death etc. Because of this structure, the study has been able to show how attitudes to certain social issues and living arrangements have changed over time. Interestingly, each respondent's view represent the views of approximately 1,000 other people within that local statistical area. Another interesting point is it's the first research project I've worked on where the respondents are paid for their time: this is perhaps a necessity as they are quite lengthy. The information obtained has a multitude of uses; for example, identifying emerging attitudinal trends and social mores, through to forecasting population growth trends to identify future infrastructure needs. I am proud to be part of such an important study. https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au//hilda-statistic

21.01.2022 After having spent 21 years living in the tropical climes of North Queensland, as a born-and-bred Mallee Boy I still love to embrace the fresh nip of a frosty morning before the sun peaks up over the horizon. Love living in the North-East, and truly grateful for experiencing the full breadth of the four seasons: Brrrring it on!

20.01.2022 Whoops, I thought I could add some extra screenshots of new website to previous post: but the computer says No! Anyway, attached are some more screenshots of the new website under construction. On another note, I have to say that as a newby to Facebook it is not a very user-friendly site; and very limited as a useful business communication tool for dissemination of information other than through posts. I'm interested to hear other peoples opinions, so feel free to drop me a line with your thoughts and/or opinions.

19.01.2022 For those of you who know me well, you know I love a good laugh; and I totally embrace the notion that laughter is a great medicine. So with all this doom and gloom associated with the hard-border lockdown, I was delighted to see this in the email inbox from several weeks ago. Who said scientists, particularly behavioural scientists, lack a sense of humour? For example, check out this little taster: One dog says to another, Does the name Pavlov ring a bell? No, the other ...replies, but it makes my mouth water. So if you found this a tad amusing, then delve into the link below for bit more humour with a scientific bent. What is interesting about the physical act of laughing is that your brain releases certain chemical neurotransmitters that make you feel good. In actual fact, this is why the old saying of "laughter being the best medicine" really has some element of truth to it. With all the restrictions in force due to Covid-19, taking a light-hearted approach to all the disruption is one way of relieving the stress of it all. You know what they say: Laugh, and the world laughs with you. https://behavioralscientist.org/behavioral-science-jokes/

18.01.2022 While gathering ideas for website designs I took a sneek peek at the work of a young emerging video producer and photographer, Thomas Orchard from Orchard Media. Boy, what a talented young man this guy is ... and all self-taught from what I've heard. Check out his work and marvel at his creative spirit.

17.01.2022 This is one of the government-funded research projects I worked on last year through Roy Morgan Research; it was the National Drug Household Strategy survey sponsored by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Conducted every 2-3 years since 1985, I have worked on 4 of them over the years starting in the mid-2000s. The format is called a drop-and-collect survey similar to the Census, where the questionnaire is left with randomly selected respondents and collected sev...eral days later. While only 18 surveys are collected in each statistical area, they are representative of the general per-capita population and cover every federal electorate in Australia. Some very interesting findings from the 2019 round that is starting to show generational change occurring in attitudes towards drug consumption. https://www.abc.net.au//cocaine-vaping-up-smoking/12457114 See more

17.01.2022 One of the things the following article highlights to me is how wrong the opinion polls are getting; first there was 2016, and now this where the polls predicted a Biden landslide. After 25 years with Roy Morgan Research asking people face-to-face about their voting preference for the Morgan Gallup poll, I draw from this that people have become so cynical of pollsters they are now giving wrong and/or misleading answers. In fact, with so many "influencers" on social media plat...forms trying to change vulnerable people's minds, why should people give their "true opinion" when asked? For example; I was always dumbfounded when we asked respondents why they would vote a particular way if an election were being held on that day, and they would answer: "Because that's the way mum and dad voted". Indeed, we are seeing an increase of informal and donkey votes every election, reaching a point of almost 1-in-4 (24%) recently; so forcing people to vote is also having a negative impact. Furthermore, what I did notice during the last decade is the disenchantment, and outright contempt, average voters have for politicians of the major parties. My prediction is that electoral pollsters are becoming like the dinosaurs. Where the voting-intention polls once reigned supreme as opinion polls based on fact, they have now succumbed to the wary (or unscrupulous) voter who obfuscates their true opinions in the same way politicians do ... a sort of "take this you bastards" mind-set. Many voters, particularly on Twitter, demonstrate they are both disengaged and disillusioned with the major political parties. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to believe many such voters may want to have a "joke" with pollsters (particularly if they are phone polls) that could explain how their predictions have been so wrong lately. Not sure what the answer is, but it seems quite clear that the current system is broken ... or at least not worthy of trusting (ironically, just like politicians).

16.01.2022 Having just posted the latest Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Index, and also speculating about what the forthcoming Business Confidence Index (BCI) will be, I thought might be useful to have some comparison. The latest BCI for July shows a drop 10.7 points to 84.3 from the previous month, but still a long way off the long-term average of 114 points. Notably, the state of Victoria had the lowest confidence level at jus 73.9 points ... which does not bode well for the coming mo...nth of August with the stage 4 lockdown restrictions coming into force yesterday. The tragedy of this pandemic from a business perspective is that a large percentage of businesses will go under through no fault of their own. Not only is the Covid-19 virus wreaking havoc health wise, it is causing untold, and irreparable, damage to our business communities. Indeed, many small regional businesses struggle at the best of times due to a small customer base, high transport and utility costs, and excessive compliance costs; and now to be forced to close without any real compensation will be the straw that breaks the camel's back. No matter how good a business model you have, if you are deprived of customers then your business will be treading a precariously thin financial line to survival. So in essence I can only say one thing: Please support your local businesses and shop locally.

16.01.2022 A great interview with author, Annie Duke, discussing her new book "How to Decide". According to Duke, making good decisions doesn’t have to be a series of endless guesswork; rather, it’s a teachable skill that anyone can learn to apply. What makes this an even more interesting read is that Duke is a former professional poker player, holds a PhD in cognitive science, and has written a previous bestseller called "Thinking in Bets". The excerpt I read for this latest publicatio...n says Duke lays out a series of tools anyone can use to make better decisions. Several of the areas covered in the book include: To identify and dismantle hidden biases. To extract the highest quality feedback from those whose advice you seek. To more accurately identify the influence of luck in the outcome of your decisions. When to decide fast, when to decide slow, and when to decide in advance. To make decisions that more effectively help you to realize your goals and live your values. Indeed, one of the key management actions I recall from my business degree days was the mantra of "deciding to decide"; and this is still a very relevant issue today, both from a personal and business level. In "Deciding to Decide" there are simple explanations distilled from research findings that help the layman better understand the decision-making process. For example, Duke talks about how first-hand experience is a valuable way to learn, but also how a single negative experience can easily bias our ability to make future decisions. Another interesting point she makes concerns opinion polls. Duke explains how people may tell the interviewer what they think the interviewer wants to hear instead of giving their own opinions: this point also plays into my previous posts concerning the inaccuracies of opinion polls over the last decade. Sounds like a really good book, so I have placed an order for my copy: expect to hear more about decision-making tools once I've completed reading it.

15.01.2022 I was very interested in these findings from the Pew Research Centre in America, which is one of the top social research institutions in the world. They found that Americans who get most of their political news from social media platforms are less engaged, and less knowledgeable, about politics generally than those people who obtain their political news from other sources. The demographics of this group are usually young people, but their levels of political knowledge and eng...agement is similar to older people whose main political news source is from local TV. During my years in the field with Roy Morgan doing Establishment Surveys, which also asked about voting preferences, I noticed a similar trend with those whose main political news source was local TV or newspapers. One thing that I found infuriating was how many people, when asked why they would vote a particular way if an election was held that day, would reply "because that's the way mum and dad voted". This to me was rock solid evidence of why compulsory voting was not in the best interest of promoting real democracy. Nonetheless, the most interesting aspect of this Pew research is how easily people's opinions can be shaped by what news sources they frequent. For example, the research found: "Even as Americans who primarily turn to social media for political news are less aware and knowledgeable about a wide range of events and issues in the news, they are more likely than other Americans to have heard about a number of false or unproven claims." Fertile ground for the followers of groups like 'sovereign citizens' and QAnon; but the million dollar question is: can such groups make America great again? https://www.journalism.org//americans-who-mainly-get-the/

15.01.2022 Just added several new service offerings including the commercial photographic services, podcast production and SWOT Analysis to name a few. Looking forward to setting an official launch date.

14.01.2022 With the changes the government is making to the cost of university degrees, steering would-be students away from humanities and into more STEM courses, I found the experiences of Rosemary Barnes in the article below extremely interesting. In fact, I totally agree with her experience, as this has also been my experience; and this is the reason why I always questioned the graduate survey outcomes. For example, while many of the fundamental business concepts I learnt 20 years a...go still apply in some fashion today, there are many other significant changes that have occurred over the two decades that need keeping up with. But the most valuable skills I acquired did not come from my bachelor degree, they came from the post-graduate studies. These critical thinking, data collection and analysis skills complimented and consolidated my 25 years of industry experience. However, the skills I acquired from my basic degree did not make me job ready. I am interested in hearing your story: did your university degree make you job ready? Did you have a similar experience to Rosemary Barnes? Job ready university degrees may not be the tertiary education solution we are hoping for http://www.abc.net.au//job-ready-relevant-univers/12652984

13.01.2022 The latest ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence index has increased for a tenth straight week, up 3.2pts to 103.1pts the first time above 100 since early March; but still 8pts lower than this time last year, which is totally understandable given the current Covid-19 environment. What is really heartening about this 10th straight increase is that part of the increase is based on a continuing optimistic outlook by consumers who are saying "now is a good time to buy". This must give retailers a small degree of joy for what has been a catastrophic trading year for many, particularly as we edge nearer to the traditional Christmas trading period: At last, some green shoots of optimism are emerging.

13.01.2022 Have just completed the initial pre-training for the upcoming Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey (also known as Living in Australia study), with another couple of live webinars at the end of the week. Roy Morgan, who administers the survey, has just been awarded another 4 year contract to continue the data collection process. Sponsored by the federal government, and managed by the University of Melbourne in conjunction with the Melbourne Institu...te ,this is the 20th wave of this important longitudinal study that first started in 2001. As with most things since Covid-19 hit, the way the data is collected has now changed, with all the first wave interviews being phone based. The contract period is short-term, but it happens every year, so it is a good on-going project to add to the yearly planning calendar. One of the exciting aspects about the data being collected this years relates directly Covid-19 and its impact before, during, and after the first rounds of lockdowns. Such rich data will be hugely beneficial for future policy development related to pandemic management and preparedness in Australia. The HILDA survey is one of the longest-running studies of its type, and has gained such world-wide respect because of the depth of the data being collected, that it is now being replicated by several other countries. Take a peek yourself by visiting the link below. https://livinginaustralia.org/

13.01.2022 Here is the latest consumer confidence index from Roy Morgan, which was in decline again even before the new stage 4 lockdown rules came into force in Victoria on Sunday. I can't even begin to imagine what the business confidence index will look like now that many businesses are being forced to shut down for six weeks. What is so alarming about the current shutdown is that many small businesses (<20 employees) were only just surviving the first lockdown; now they have anoth...er six weeks of near zero revenue, while fixed costs still continue to mount. With 97% of Australian businesses classed as small - and with 67% of those being micro or home-based-businesses (HBB) with <4 employees - this sector is the life-blood of our national economy in terms of employment prospects and provision of regional and rural services. If ever there was a compelling reason to support local businesses, now is the time to do it. So how can we help support local businesses? Well, first up we should all shop locally ... even when buying online. For example, before adding items to the cart of an overseas online retailer, do another search and see if the items can be sourced locally (from an Australian business). Just remember, even if their products still come from overseas suppliers, your purchase still helps that local business pay its employees and operating costs; thereby helping to support our domestic economy.

12.01.2022 I have a beautiful partner, Jodi O'C, who often catches my sub-conscious biases out when she challenges me on some of the silly assumptions I make, particularly where woman are concerned. In my defense I admit my bias, and then claim my overt admiration for all woman, not just her; in addition to saying how I totally support woman in all their ambitions and aspirations. By the same token, this article by the team at Behavioral Scientist poses an interesting question: would I ...stand up for my partner, or any woman, if she is being subjected to male chauvinism? I am proud to say that I would, and I have, stood up for the rights of a woman in a male dominated setting. But I still see many instances of where woman are treated as "second-class" citizens, even in this day and age. Indeed, our parliamentary question time is one such example of where male patriarchal arrogance and misogyny still reign free; usually with the perpetrators being old white guys from privileged or christian backgrounds. I muse with my partner about how us men should be truly thankful for woman; for without them, we would not be here, right? What those old white males should keep in mind is what will happen when human cloning becomes a viable option: for example, will woman still want men around when there is no need for our male seed? While this may sound like a far-fetched scenario, once woman have achieved total equality with men, why would they still need us around if all we ever do is put them down and treat them as inferior? I still think one of the best speeches I have ever seen was that of former prime minister, Julia Gillard, when she tore strips off her misogynistic opposition leader, Tony Abbott; and I hope many other males cheered her on as well. More importantly though, we, as men, need to call out the actions of those men who want to suppress and denigrate the rights of woman: are you tough enough to be a woman's ally?

12.01.2022 There's nothing like a bit of BS to help your business along ... Behavioural Science that is; although at times it can sometimes sound a little like Bull Sh&%. Seriously though, the advancements made in understanding the brain, with its recently discovered Neuroplasticity, and how our behaviours can be unconsciously biased, have given us greater insights into what motivates customers to follow certain buying habits. This type of information, in turn, helps businesses to better understand these customer behaviours; thus providing new opportunities for business to better service their customer needs. More and more, the use of BS insights to improve customer engagements will mean the difference between a good business and great business. https://behavioralscientist.org/finding-opportunities-to-a/

12.01.2022 The rules and quirks for using FB are taking me a while to get used to. For example, I didn't realise it records every minor change you make to your page ... I simply tried to re-centre the main photo the other day, and it now says the photo has been update. On this point, does anyone have suggestions about the best way to upload videos onto a FB page? The reason I ask is because when I added the video of Rose the ostrich taking a dust bath, I also had a short story attached with the video. Not sure why, but the text disappeared once the video was uploaded.

12.01.2022 The origins of Behavioural Science (BS) provides such great insights into why we "do what we do", that it has now become a valuable business tool as well. The following conversation discusses the evolutionary side of behavioural development with an interesting view about happiness ... well worth the read. How we conceive of behaviors like self-control, overconfidence, and happiness today bears little resemblance to their evolutionary origins, argues psychologist William von Hippel. https://behavioralscientist.org/making-the-social-leap-a-c/

11.01.2022 As a former press-photographer I always felt I had pretty good memory for faces, sometimes bordering on what might be termed a "photographic memory" so I thought; but was it really? However, while I was reasonable good at remembering peoples' faces, I could never remember their names. As it turns out, after taking this on-line test for facial recognition, I am pleased to report I am one percentage point off being in the top 10% of the population when it comes to recognising familiar faces; I scored 68%, with 69% and above being the top 10%. The research was conducted here in Australia by the University of New South Wales UNSW Science, and you too can take the test, and be included in the sample group, by clicking on the link in the article.

10.01.2022 Signed up with VentraIP Australia yesterday for the website hosting service and domain name registration: braine.net.au. Had the previous business, the Business Research Institute North Queensland, website hosted by same company. Looking forward to another happy union during BRAINE's life, in particular using some of the new features they now have in the analytics section.

08.01.2022 One aspect of my new business services I have given thought to while doing the HILDA study work is innovation - this is what my academic research focussed on. The following is an excerpt introducing my innovation knowledge base taken from the BRAINE webpage currently under construction. The image that should appear at the top of this text now appears at the bottom. The father of modern innovation research is Austrian economist, Joseph Schumpeter, who first coined the often mi...sused term "creative destruction" to describe just how innovation works ... an evolution process. What I found remarkable from my PhD research was that almost 1-in-5 (18%) of business operators interviewed could not define what innovation was - even though further questions revealed they were already regularly innovating! Using my PhD research findings I developed an innovation model specifically tailored for small businesses; in addition to an innovation management framework that is both adaptable and customisable to suit most regional businesses. These two tools are designed to assist small business operators both effectively and efficiently manage and improve their internal innovation capabilities. Importantly, the management of innovation is not rocket science: it is simply an attitude focussed on continuous improvement. Constructive feedback appreciated.

08.01.2022 Originally thought about using this photo for the homepage. It is the view of the snow-capped mountains from the bedroom window of the first house I lived in after relocating to Albury.

08.01.2022 The views of Catholics around the world are changing when it comes to same-sex marriage according to recent findings from the Pew Research Centre ... and not before time if you ask me. It has been the staunch views of the clergy, particularly the Catholic clergy, that have stonewalled the way forward for same-sex marriage in many Christian countries. These recent findings show that attitudes are finally mellowing; for example, six-in-ten Americans believe same-sex union should be legalised. Indeed, many countries including Australia have already moved to recognise the rights of same-sex couples to marry: but not in the Catholic church though. https://www.pewresearch.org//how-catholics-around-the-wo/

08.01.2022 Meet June the Ostrich! I first met June and captured her on camera, whilst staying at the Great Aussie Holiday Park (Bowna, NSW). I thought at the time ‘what a perfect mascot for BRAINE!’ Think about the contrasting symbolism of what the Ostrich is best known for: 1) being inquisitive, and then 2) sticking its head in the sand to avoid potential threats. This is symbolic of BRAINE's underlying philosophy - to be inquisitive so as to identify the opportunities that evolve out... of potential threats. By maintaining an innovative and inquisitive approach, and consistently looking at how things work and constantly asking "why, we can identify any obstacles which may be impeding the growth of your business. For example, Master strategist, Niccolo Machiavelli wrote in his book, The Prince: Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. Put simply, every threat is a potential opportunity that needs to be faced up front, with facts in hand and head held high not stuck in the sand.

07.01.2022 Following on from the post I made yesterday about the perceived accuracy of voter opinion polls, an article in today's Australian Financial Review discusses the issue in broader terms. In fact it is very timely for the the Association of Market & Social Research Organisations (AMSR) to release their report into ... the outcome of the 2019 election won by the LNP. Needless to say, apart from making 10 recommendations on how to improve opinion poll accuracy, they have also reco...mmended a code-of-conduct be developed and implemented - well Hello! Not before time, particularly given the scrutiny imposed by academic institutions when putting forward a research proposal; but it's not just code-of-conduct that must be adhered to, the underlying ethics are scrutinised as well. Indeed, it can take over three months to gain ethics approval for some commercial-orientate academic research projects from my personal experience. Obviously, when a universities research reputation is at stake you can understand why they have such strict research protocols to follow; however, it beggars belief that the research industry does not have some form of code-of-conduct. That said, maybe self-regulation for such an industry is anathema to them when the old idiom of: "Lies, lies and damn statistics" is still so commonly leveled at research findings. Interestingly, the market research sector has not strongly disassociated itself with marketers; therefore, many people seem to think that market researchers and marketers are one and the same! What makes matters even worse is that marketers manipulate statistics to support their own narrative/sales pitch; and by doing so have undermined the intrinsic value of well-discipline market research findings. Honesty and integrity are just some of the values upheld by professional market researchers - characteristics that are not readily evident in the marketing/advertising sector. Indeed, good research provides strong, factual evidence-based support for planning and decision-making processes across all industry sectors including; education, medical research and practice, and government at all levels. In summary, there is a need for a code-of-conduct for the research industry; it is long overdue based on my personal interaction with the sector over 25 years. However, as required with academic research projects, some attention to a code-of-ethics would also be a good addition when they are doing the first draft. Nevertheless, if they think this may provide answers to why opinion polls have lost their accuracy over the last decade they are barking up the wrong tree. My observations are that people generally feel overwhelmed by polls, both market and opinion, and they are no longer giving "truthful" answers. How to go about fixing this; well, the answer is simple, but it's execution is difficult - let people offer their opinions when they are ready.

07.01.2022 Have you ever felt taken advantage-of by a product return or complaint process that make it so hard and/or difficult that you just end up not going through with it? Yes, I have too - many times, and the reason we feel ripped-off is because we have just been "sludged"! The process is described by behavioral scientists as "when users face high levels of friction obstructing their efforts to achieve something that is in their best interest, or are misled or encouraged to take ac...tion that is not in their best interest". What's interesting about the "sludge" process is that it can be both intentional and unintentional. The latest research article from Behavioral Scientist shows how good intentions can easily go astray from poorly thought-out and implemented process. More sinister though is when the process is quite deliberate in its strategy and execution, leading to the feeling of being ripped-off. Other times it can even appear as blatant price-gouging, as was the case with my purchase of on-line tickets for a music festival. For example, to receive the tickets I had three options: 1) Registered post @ $25, 2) Normal post @ $6.95, or 3) Download and print ticket yourself ... but still charged $6.95 for an administration and handling fee: what a ripoff!. Not only did I feel sludged, but I felt totally slugged as well. This is one of the reasons why product return and complaint procedures should be fully tested with end-users before being implemented. But more importantly, businesses that engage in disingenuous processes that aim to thwart and/or discourage consumers from obtaining total satisfaction are doing there own image and reputation considerable harm - particularly if a disgruntled customer has a large social media following. Indeed, a post that goes viral on social media platforms could be devastating for a small rural business. The solution: be honest and open with all your customers. In summary: Honesty is the Best Policy. https://behavioralscientist.org/intentional-and-unintentio/

06.01.2022 What a difficult situation and invidious position Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is currently in, but his decision to hold the line in the face of strong criticism demonstrates his exceptional leadership qualities. Indeed, with 97% of the private sector made up of small businesses (<20 employees), with 2/3 of these being home-based-businesses and sole operators, Andrews decision to close all non-essential businesses is going to have a severe impact on many of them, possibly... resulting in massive numbers ceasing to trade. Nevertheless, the decision he faced is akin to the "trolley problem" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem; whereby Andrews is faced with the dilemma of making wealth-based sacrifices to save the entire community from a major health pandemic. However, people like Jim Penman (Jim's Mowing founder) continue to challenge such decisions for what can only be observed as selfish and materialistic reasons. As a business analyst, I aim to see both sides of the story whilst remaining objective with the evidence, and I can definitely understand where Jim is coming from; but Jim is confusing the short-term economic reality with emotional hyperbole. The bottom line is Jim's franchisees will still be moving about the community with the potential of being a vector for transmission: why would you want to risk infecting yourself, let alone other people. For example, I suggest that a very high percentage of Jim's Mowing services are elderly retirees in the high-risk category; and who look forward more to the social interaction than actually having their lawns mowed. I truly sympathise with all sole traders and small business operators - these are unprecedented times for everyone. But going against what is in the best interests of the entire community is not what a good leader does; good leaders put the people before profits. Indeed, the vitriolic attacks by some media hacks and social media groups on Dan Andrews is demonstrative that Penman is not alone in his views; whereas, trending hashtags such as #IStandWithDan show Andrews has strong community support. Moreover, Andrews is the first to admit, and take full responsibility for, the mistakes that have occurred under his watch. His outright honesty, the sense of humility he portrays, and his desire to address all journalists' questions, puts him at opposite ends of the leadership continuum when compared with the prime minister. In summary, there are clear distinctions between the leadership styles of Dan Andrews and Jim Penman: I know which one leader I'd prefer to follow.

03.01.2022 Research from the Pew Research Centre in the US shows a growing suspicion towards large tech companies and how they use the data they harvest using the "freemium" model. By offering their platform for free to users in return for the rights to harvest user's personal data, the big tech companies are mining a river of gold. But as this research shows, there is a growing mistrust of the large tech companies particularly in terms of their potential influence on US voters in the u...pcoming elections ... but will they have a similar influence here in Australia? For example, "In the more recent survey, 73% of adults say they are not too confident or not at all confident in technology companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google to prevent the misuse of their platforms to influence the 2020 presidential election. About a quarter (27%) say they are at least somewhat confident." https://www.pewresearch.org//few-americans-are-confident/