Negotiating the recruitment minefield

The job market is the toughest it has been for a long time. Patricia Moore consults the experts to pass on some valuable tips for employers.

The Tough Get Going: Digital Island

When the worsening economic times hit New Zealand in the third quarter of 2008, Blair Stewart was in a unique position to gauge its impact. As managing director of low-cost telecoms services company DigitalIsland, Stewart could see the calling records of his customer companies.

The Tough Get Going: Custom Residential: treat your people well

Some people laughed when real estate agent John Wills opened the doors to his new Auckland agency. Wills himself admits December last year was ‘pretty much the worst time’ to launch a new real estate company.

How to succeed in sales

Succeeding in sales in these ‘R-times’ requires bags of ‘Adversity Quotient’ and swotting up on the basics. Kevin Kevany talks to four of New Zealand’s top sales trainers.

Franchising 101

How has the franchise business model coped with the economic meltdown?
Patricia Moore gets the lowdown from leading franchise consultants and showcases four innovative new franchise businesses

Unfied Communications: Understanding the business value

Almost every large organisation in the country is implementing ‘unified communications’ systems and rumour has it the cost savings are significant. But what exactly is UC?  Does its true business impact live up to the hype?