This month, KFC Australia opened the kitchens of 160 stores to the public for its inaugural ‘Open Kitchen Day’.  The concept is a new trend in the fast food sector which encourages transparency and allows customers to see how food is prepared.  Participants were able to book a tour which gave them behind the scenes access to KFC kitchens.  90% of tours sold out within the first week of the ‘Open Kitchen Day’ site going live.

Read our KFC/Yum! Restaurants case studies at http://www.afrbiz.com.au/companies/kfc/yum-

'From the Ground Up’ an exhibition held in Sydney to raise awareness and funds for the youth and homeless of Sydney’s streets combined an eye opening and raw photographic series of life on the streets, with a collaborative art exhibition featuring 30 Australian artists.

All proceeds raised from the exhibition go to Youth Off the Streets.

To read our Youth Off the Streets case study ‘Reach for a brighter future’, visit 

http://www.afrbiz.com.au/Case-Studies/Youth-Off-The-Streets-Reach-for-a-brighter-future.html

Eyes around the world have been focused on the tension in Iraq of late with tens of thousands of refugees trapped on Mount Singar in the country’s north. Prime Minister Tony Abbott has suggested that Australian combat forces could return to Iraq under plans being discussed with Australian Allies. The mission, he said, would be a humanitarian one to protect ‘innocent men, women and children’. 

Visit our website to read about the Australian Defence Force case study, Defending Australia and its national interests. 

The end of the financial year is not only tax time but also a great time for everyone to take stock of their financial matters.  While reviewing the previous year’s income, many see it as an opportune time to give themselves a financial health check.

One area that sometimes comes under review is superannuation.  Check out our Australian Taxation Office case study 'Superannuation - why it's important for every young Australian' for a great overview on superannuation issues, how it all works and the relevancy for young people.

At the recent FIFA World Cup, a Belgian soccer fan found herself with a brief modelling contract with makeup giant L'Oreal after a photo of her cheering at the tournament in Brazil went viral. The contract was short-lived, however, due to a controversial hunting photo that was found on her Facebook page.

Read world cosmetic leader L'Oreal's case study 'Marketing a product through the new media' on the Australian Business Case Studies website. Don't forget to use our FREE teacher hints and resources.

Renowned for their innovation, Nike’s latest ad ‘The Last Game’ highlights the importance of taking risks to get ahead. Launched to coincide with The World Cup and with over 43 million views on YouTube, The Last Game is a story about risky football versus safe football. The scientists and the clones want to prove that riskless football is more effective. Ronaldo Fenomeno and the original players disagree and are willing to risk all to prove their point. They create the ‘last game’ to see who is right.

To read more about Nike innovation, read the Nike ‘Product development from concept to customer - Anticipating the needs of the consumer’ case study at http://www.afrbiz.com.au/case-studies/nike-developing-nike-free/Page-1.html. 

The miserable moment of discovering a wallet is lost is recreated in a new ad for Westpac’s Emergency Cash service. The ad campaign, ‘Lost wallet? Don’t lose it…’ highlights people’s reactions to losing their wallets in a variety of situations.

The ad aims to position Westpac as a bank that cares.  To read more about Westpac’s customer commitment and approach to customer satisfaction, read the Westpac ‘Creating a sustainable business - Sustainability and customers’ case study at http://www.afrbiz.com.au/case-studies/westpac-creating-a-sustainable-business/Page-1.html.

To view the new ad campaign, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SfrN_CxPoI. 

The end of the financial year is fast approaching. This is an extremely busy time for accounting practices. There is no shortage of articles in the news about maximising tax breaks and helpful tips leading in to the new financial year. For businesses and individuals, it is an important time to take stock of finances and make any last financial decisions before the financial year finishes on June 30^th. Visit our case study ‘The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia: The role of professional accounting in business’ to learn more about the industry and its important role in business.

The PINwise Industry Security Initiative has announced that PIN will become the main form of card payment authorisation in Australia from 1 August 2014.  The industry-wide move to expand PIN at the point of sale (POS) and phase-out the signature as a form of verification on Australian chip credit and debit cards.

According to the PINwise Industry Security Initiative, using your PIN for credit and debit card purchases at point of sale is safer and faster than signing. There is only a one in ten thousand chance of someone guessing your PIN.  Some overseas retailers only accept PIN authorisation – some overseas retailers only accept PIN to authorise credit and debit card transactions. So Australia is also moving towards replacing signature with PIN for all purchases.

Read Visa Inc.’s ‘Smart money management - the Visa Debit and Prepaid cards’ case study here. http://www.afrbiz.com.au/case-studies/visa-inc.-smart-money-management-the-visa-debit-and-prepaid-cards.html

In the news recently, Network Ten announced program cuts including its new morning news show ‘Wake Up’ featuring Natarsha Belling and James Mathison.  Along with Wake Up, Network Ten's early (6am), morning (11am) and late (10.30pm) news bulletins were also axed.  According to the email announcement to Network Ten staff by TEN CEO Hamish McLennan, “Despite the commitment and enthusiasm of its staff, Wake Up has not resonated with enough viewers to make it a viable program.”

Wake Up has been struggling since its launch last year. After the first two weeks, co-host Natasha Exelby was cut from the program and the following has not been strong enough for the network to continue.

Audience share is particularly important for TV stations and eyes are upon Network Ten to see where they will go to from here in terms of programming. To read more about product development in the media industry, read the Network Ten  ‘Developing World Class Drama’ case study at http://www.afrbiz.com.au/case-studies/network-ten-developing-world-class-drama.html.