business Archive

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  Wake up call for NZ exporters

  
  
  
  If Kiwi businesses are to stay in the international retail game they need to get serious about adopting environmental and sustainable business practices. This is the message coming loud and clear from research revealed by major British retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S). M&S says environmental and social issues remain important to UK consumers. A survey commissioned [...] read more
  March 4, 2010 1:28 pm - 2 Comments
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  More Circular Uncertainty from National

  
  
  
  Following the circular uncertainty created by John Key and his National government regarding the Emissions Trading Scheme, we now have another round of circular uncertainty, this time created by officialdom, no doubt because there is no clear leadership from the top. To start with, we have the utterly confused and ambiguous signals to business regarding the [...] read more
  December 21, 2008 12:19 pm - 82 Comments
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  John Key’s Uncertainty Principle

  
  
  
  Does John Key understand the uncertainty his wild statements have created for business? Is there any thinking or policy intent behind the statement that the ETS will be “put on hold” or was it just post-election rhetoric? The key thing is that the businesses most affected don’t know. About a week after the election, reassured by [...] read more
  December 15, 2008 11:34 am - 23 Comments
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  Violence against children is good business

  
  
  
  Given their normal stance I had always been kind of surprised that Act was so opposed to protecting children from violence through their opposition to the amendment to section 59 of the Crimes Act.  But now I find out why thanks to Roger Douglas’s blog: The cost of doing business in New Zealand is in many ways, [...] read more
  October 23, 2008 12:11 pm - 72 Comments
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  Fonterra’s baby milk tragedy

  
  
  
  I wonder how we would feel if a Chinese company operating in New Zealand were found to be responsible for the death one baby and made another 432 sick with kidney damage? Then the Chinese Premier steps in to defend the company, whose subsidiary had known about this for 6 months, and hopes that its [...] read more
  September 15, 2008 11:15 am - 6 Comments
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  Easy business

  
  
  
  08 Wire, Dancer at the Standard and Grant Robertson each saw the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business survey released yesterday and responded reflexively, either congratulating the Labour Party or putting the boot into the National Party.  While that’s a fair, if somewhat typically tribal, response to New Zealand being ranked the second easiest country [...] read more
  September 11, 2008 10:33 am - 6 Comments
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  Yet another job for feminism to solve

  
  
  
  Treehugger notes that women managers make greener business decisions: Put that in the context of New Zealand and Human Rights Commission’s 2008 Census of Women’s Participation [pdf], which shows that 8.65% of directors in New Zealand’s top hundred listed companies are women. This comprises 54 female directorships held by 45 women out of the total of 624 directorships.  [...] read more
  July 19, 2008 8:09 am - 27 Comments