Leaders gather in Uluru to discuss constitutional recognition

Indigenous communities around Australia are suffering from poverty and neglect. Despite the fact that this for long has been a known issue and the government keeps coming up with various strategies and plans, the problem continues. Hundreds of members from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have come together for the National Indigenous Constitutional Convention in Uluru this week, to discuss constitutional changes. The aim is to establish what recognition means to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia. The information will then inform a final referendum...

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The security challenges facing Industrial IoT

A lot of the excitement and press surrounding the Internet of Things centres on home automation, wearable electronics, and other consumer applications. But industrial applications of the IoT, such as predictive maintenance and integration of the supply chain are likely to be the more compelling use cases, at least in terms of ROI.  However, for Industrial IoT to realize its potential, it must overcome some substantial security challenges. Virtually everyone agrees that security is a critical issue for Internet-connected industrial systems. Dell Inc., a member of the Industrial...

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How a digital NHS saves resources and improves care

“The National Health Service (NHS) is evolving. As technology improves, across the system organisations are increasingly embracing the opportunities for improved patient care, and quality data is at the heart of that.” -          Dermot O’Riordan, NHS Chief Clinical Information Officer NHS has a world-class reputation for being at the forefront of exceptional quality of care. The organisation is seeking to further improve its care delivery and reduce resource expenditure by moving to digital healthcare.  NHS England is allocating...

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Warming up to aged care

It's a fact, we will all get old one day – and what we do then or where we are, are questions we all will have to ask. Moving into an aged care facility can be a rather unpleasant thought. Not only for ourselves, but the idea of having to move loved ones into a facility can also be unsettling. I think I’m not alone in wanting to give back to my parents and ensure they have the absolute best life and care as they continue to age. There are some horror stories about how elder customers are being maltreated while in residential care. So it’s perhaps not difficult to understand the...

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Hello, is anyone there? Reducing staff turnover in contact centres

Call centres have a reputation for having one of the highest rates of turnover of any industry, with a turnover rate of between 30 and 45 percent. With angry voices in their ears and cords binding them to their desks, it’s little wonder contact centres struggle to retain a high level workforce. Call centre agents are also often entry-level positions with lower salaries which offer little temptation to keep them in the role. Call centre turnover impacts directly on finances (in the cost to find, hire and train new employees), customer satisfaction (as workers are new and inexperienced)...

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The future of not-for-profit financing

2017 promises increasing challenges and opportunities for the not-for-profit sector. Australia’s continued population growth is giving rise to greater demand for community services in the context of the government’s relatively static capacity to invest in services, forcing not-for-profits to rethink their funding and financing. Here’s what we believe lies ahead for the sector in 2017. Investors in a cause or not-for-profit organisation, whether they be the government, private partners, or individual donors, will be seeking better value for money. This creates an imperative for...

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Take a walk in her heels- being a woman in a corporate world

Recently I was helping out a male colleague at work, sending invitations to leading international speakers to take part in one of our upcoming events. Coming from my LinkedIn account, it was my photo and name branded on the invitation. After the first two “regretful declines” I caught myself with an unpleasant thought- what if it’s because I’m a woman? I can hear your snort of derision. As if gender would make any difference to business negotiations, I hear you say. Yet only recently a man experienced exactly what it’s like to sign with a woman’s name. Working for a small...

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