From the Interceptor to Pricilla, Australian culture is all about the wide open roads, and the machines that drive them. So it’s no surprise that the Federal Government is focusing its attentions on the nation’s failing automotive industry – it’s a matter of national pride! (Even though there is no guarantee that the money will stay on Australian soil).

Industry Minister, Kim Carr (vrooooom) along with KevinPM have dedicated $13 million to Ford, and are investing a further $21 million to find research and design of a more fuel efficient motor.

The result is that Ford will not be shutting the doors of its Geelong motor manufacturing plant in 2010 as planned.

This follows the announcement of a $6.2 billion assistance package over 13 years, and $1.3 billion to be placed in a ‘green car’ fund. There are differing reports over whether the new Ford funding is sourced from the original $6.2 billion plan – but it is most likely a ‘parallel’ plan.

The ongoing operation of Ford’s Geelong plant is a sign of the “significant commitment” Rudd and Carr expected from the automotive industry when they announced the original plan. The move will save 1300 jobs; 400 at Ford and up to 900 at its component suppliers.

There are issues, however, with the new plan slightly contradicting the reasons listed by Ford to shut the plant in the first place. And there is still no commitment from the car company to keep it local and continue producing the Falcon in Australia.

According to Carr, this heralds a new era of collaboration between the unions, government and industry – following the current trend for modern industry and business to operate under a spirit of ‘fraternity’, rather than disjunction or competition - creating a strong and positive community.

The million Dollar View

Last night we were guests of Australian Business Talent, the new recruitment arm of NSW’s Business Chamber. The event took place at Milson’s Point and indulging in great food and wine, all networkers enjoyed the million dollar view onto the harbour and Sydney’s icon, the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The team around Aaron, Nathalie and Ben did a fantastic job in looking after their 50 guests. Many interesting discussions were held with the general consensus, that the current credit crisis hurts several businesses in Australia but that still the Australian marketplace is far better off than most of the economies in Europe or the US.

Aaron and colleagues

With ongoing economic pressure Christmas celebrations are proving to be a struggle for some organisations, as they try to maintain the balance between boosting employee morale with an excellent party, and employee confidence, by doing the ‘right thing’ in terms of budget and avoiding extravagance.

Yet there is a shining star atop this thorny tree.

As business people world-over realise the advantages of collaboration, humility and a strong network in today’s business climate, networking events are becoming more popular than ever, meaning an increase in participation, and therefore in your likelihood of finding a solution to your business problem.

The holiday period can be slow for business, with many organisations closing their doors late December to early February. But our ability to network shouldn’t shut down as well. The festive environment of a Christmas party is a great place to build contacts and share a bit of cheer, before we are all too befuddled by festivities.

Infusion’s Christmas cocktail party and networking event for Sydney-siders is coming up on Wednesday 3rd of December. I encourage you all to come along to have a bit of fun and meet some new people.

Signing off,

Louise.

At what price comes success?

The federal government has announced to cut tariffs on imported vehicles and spend more than 6bn Australian Dollars to help support the local automotive industry. The government aims to encourage investments that will lead to employment of 60,000 people working in the automotive industry, mainly for the two big manufacturers GM and Ford. This comes at a time, when GM announces that it will run out of money at the beginning of 2009, unless demand improves.

Imagine what you could do with 6bn Aussie Dollars invested in start-ups that focus on new innovative projects! You could really help Australia become a world leader in sustainable projects or technology subjects. Do we need to support these ‘old’ industries not knowing whether the money is ‘exported’ to its holding companies in the US? How can we change our thinking in Obama’s sense of changing the world with new, smart and innovative approaches? Is is better to throw money at the big boys or should we use this change to invest in aspiration, entrepreneurial spirit and the values of the small and medium sized business?

Tough questions and a long way to go for all of us.

As the company cuts back 50, 000 jobs worldwide in an effort to reduce employees by 14%, there will also be a reduction to the 2, 500 strong Australian Citigroup workforce, with some job cuts already taking effect.

This is just the latest addition in a string of stories resulting from the global financial crisis, and these pieces of bad news aren’t likely to slow down any time soon. Not only does the Citigroup example show the volatility of today’s business environments, it also reminds us all of our place in the global business sector.

Whether we like it or not, Australian businesses are inexorably linked to the global stage. Rather than keep this factor in a blind spot, organisations, no matter how large or small, should remain both aware of, and active in, the global sector.

The best starting point for this world-wide engagement is through the world-wide-web. As our lives become more and more effected by the world beyond our doorsteps we can’t just sit back and carry-on with traditional ‘business-as-usual’; the many ways in which we engage with that world outside also have to change.

As a community saavy to the trends in the global marketplace, ZaaBiz member and finance professional Duncan Arkinson has founded the Global Crisis Group on ZaaBiz. We hope that, in time, this group will help to increase practical communication about the crisis amongst ZaaBiz members, and act as a place to raise ideas, concerns and questions in this time of economic hardship.

Signing off,

Louise.

Smart businesses, however, are taking the economic downturn as an opportunity to review their current situation, looking for ways to build their resilience to global shocks and therefore ensure their organisation’s sustainability.

Much of the commentary coming through the Management and HR media is pointing toward values-based leadership and strong organisational culture as two factors that set the resilient organisation apart from the static or failing.

One value that sets the leaders of these companies apart is an ability to look outside their own organisation and toward building mutually beneficial relationships. As such, the current crisis represents an opportunity to reach out in our globally connected world and collaborate with others to provide a sustainable future for all parties.

The ZaaBiz team firmly believe in the importance of having a strong, positive business network that gears all members toward success.

I was once told that successful people are not greedy – they want everyone else to be successful too. ZaaBiz groups, such as Women in Business, are founded on this idea, and are great places to share ideas, generate contacts, and learn from your peers.

As consumers and investors tighten their wallets, what would you prefer to be driven by: collaboration and a long-term outlook, or fear and short-term focus?

I know which I would choose.

Signing off,

Louise.

In one week Baz Luhrmann’s long awaited epic Australia will hit film screens world-wide. Initial reviews are reminding all potential viewers one thing: Australia’s primary audience is certainly not Australians.

While, for most viewers, this will mean nothing more than the occasional cringe at one or more cultural clichés, for those of us who are marketing savvy this film represents the biggest advertisement of our sunburnt land since Paul Hogan put another shrimp on the barbie.

But Baz doesn’t have to be the only one reminding the world of where Australia is on a map. As a nation we have a wide range of industries to be proud of, from the agricultural (including winemaking and wool production) to fashion, education, and of course, tourism and hospitality.

As the Australian ZaaBiz community, we shouldn’t be subject to the Australia cultural cringe like everyone else. We will watch and smile and all be thinking of one thing: the opportunity to network on the global stage.

Signing off,

Louise.

With this final match in Nagpur from today the 6th of November the Aussies have to win in order to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Follow the latest discussions in our ZaaBiz group “Crazy about Cricket“. This is the last game in this series, our ZaaBiz team of Indian and Australian nationals will watch with joy.

What has become clear in these past weeks is that the internet has played a significant role in how the candidates approached the masses; both candidates using blogs, social networks and other digital media to get their messages across to Americans voting for them. And therefore this election is also a proof of the importance of sites such as ZaaBiz as a tool to communicate and network on a global scale.

Every year, this horse race stops what Australians do, whether in Australia or abroad. The whole country is unapproachable for three minutes, only the mums that pick up their kids from public schools at 3pm are the ones, that have no chance to watch, although some schools now offer TVs in staff rooms as a remedy.

On such an important day, we know: networking stops too, just for these three minutes and guess what: there is plenty of networking going on after that, so let us enjoy our horse race and let us network before and after the Melbourne Cup.

Anabel