Year: 2007

  • Feeling uncomfortable but doing it anyway

    I attended the AGSM New Students Day yesterday. I met graduates and faculty as well as some of my fellow students. There was an fun little moment were we had to congratulate ourselves and each other on getting in. How the students reacted was interesting. There were those (mainly marketing types) who got into it.…

  • Channel Ten finally on Foxtel’s EPG

    Channel Ten Australia has finally signed a deal to allow digital broadcast to Foxtel’s cable and satellite subscribers. Until now channels Ten and Seven has only been available on Foxtel cable as an analogue retransmission. This meant that Foxtel’s digital Electronic Program Guide did not list Ten’s or Seven’s schedule. In the new media world…

  • A&R Scandal: Tower Books’ Michael Rakusin Replies

    Michael Rakusin, Director of Tower Books replied to Charlie Rimmer‘s letter. I’ve emailed a request to reproduce Michael’s email here, but in the meantime you can read it at Susan Wyndham’s Undercover blog. That way the conversation can allow trackbacks around the blogosphere. I look forward to watching the fall-out in the industry over this.…

  • Angus & Robertson Scandal: Demands cash from 40% of suppliers

    Angus & Robertson sent a letter to 40% of their suppliers demanding cash payments and rebates as a condition of continued business. The scandal broke at Susan Wyndham‘s Undercover blog over at the Sydney Morning Herald, firstly in Bookshop chain puts bite on small publishers and then in more detail today A&R Dumps Books. A friend…

  • I got in to AGSM!

    Wow these guys work fast. I received an email Offer to Commence MBA (Executive) Program at AGSM. Now I have to pick subjects and apply for the Federal Government’s FEE-HELP interest free student loan. As an Australian citizen I’m eligible for a loan paid back through my tax return once I’m earning above the threshold.…

  • Would you like fries with that?

    On of my favourite quotes is  “would you like fries with that?” It is the best-known, English-language suggestion sell. And it works. Every business can up-sell something to a customer who has their wallet open.  It’s just a matter of getting creative enough on your product or service offering. I tend to favour the suggestion…

  • Executive MBA application

    I’ve applied to do an Executive MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM). Long-time readers will know my advice from October 2003 to hire MBA’s rather than become one. I fear most MBA’s are blatant credentialing, especially if the school accepts people who lack industry experience. However the AGSM is consistently ranked at…

  • Risks of serving on a board of directors

    Directoship Risk was a question asked and answered by a LinkedIn connection of mine – the erudite Dr. Earl R. Smith II Executive Director of Longview. Actually Dr Smith covered more than risk, he laid down some Board of Directors – Basic Principles and included great perspectives on Director compensation. He also invited comments on…

  • Acquiring a private company

    I’ve been negotiating the potential acquisition of a private industrial company. All the details are covered by a non-disclosure agreement, so I can’t provide a case study (yet). At this point in time the deal is not going through once we asked the target what their price expectation was. The target has retained the services…

  • Theory of Constraints spelling

    Yeah I misspelled Theory of Constraints in my rush to post earlier. I don’t normally spell it Thoery of Contraints. I thought I’d add another point that I learned from The Goal. In business accounting Inventory is an asset, which normally means it is a good thing. However inventory must be insured, counted, protected and…