The benefits of global expansion

This Case Study focuses on globalisation and investigates how WorleyParsons has managed its growth as a dynamic, internationally competitive global organisation. It examines how WorleyParsons has grown through a series of acquisitions and how it uses joint ventures and strategic alliances to provide services to the hydrocarbons, energy, resource and complex process industries.

By reading this Case Study students should be able to:

• Outline the concept of globalisation and discuss key pressures and opportunities arising from the global economy
• Describe the steps used by WorleyParsons to grow from a small firm of professionals into a global leader in engineering and related professional services.
• Analyse the role of WorleyParsons in meeting corporate responsibility and social objectives including their commitment to a culture of excellence.

Introduction

Globalisation is one of the greatest challenges facing modern corporations.

A global economy

Although the commercial world has always extended across international boundaries, patterns of world trade started to alter significantly during the 1970s.

Creating a global business

An organisation has to effectively expand and manage its global capabilities in order to capitalise on opportunities presented by the global commercial environment.

Expansion through success

WorleyParsons has now extended its business offering by providing services in three broad specialist areas.

Managing global operations

One of the keys to WorleyParsons' global success is their global Workshare program.

Ethical global management

Given the nature of the industry sectors that WorleyParsons services, it needs to have clear guidelines in relation to social responsibility.

Conclusion

WorleyParsons has taken on the challenge of international competitiveness and has emerged as one of the world's leading consulting engineering firms

Introduction

A global economy

Creating a global business

Expansion through success

Managing global operations

Ethical global management

Conclusion

Creating a sustainable business

This Case Study focuses on the importance of creating a sustainable business. It outlines Westpac's commitment to sustainability concerning its stakeholders, that is, its employees, customers, the environment and the community.

As a result of reading this Case Study, students should be able to:

• Understand what is meant by sustainability 
• Explain the concept of corporate social responsibility and how this is important to business success
• Discuss the concept of stakeholders and a business' responsibility to each stakeholder group.

Introduction

The catchphrase of the 1980s was 'Greed is good'. Times have changed, however, and today's catchphrase is 'Green is good'.

The need for socially responsible business

Sustainability is more than just a philosophy, it is good business practice.

Sustainability and employees

A company only performs as well as the people it comprises.To create long-term shareholder value, a company must attract and retain the finest talent.

Sustainability and customers

Satisfied customers are crucial to business success. But what satisfies a customer?

Sustainability and the environment

Environmental concerns are one of the most pressing issues for business today.

Sustainability and the community

Being socially responsible means making a positive contribution to the community.

Conclusion

Sustainability and corporate social responsibility are more than just buzz words.

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Introduction

The catchphrase of the 1980s was 'Greed is good'. Times have changed, however, and today's catchphrase is 'Green is good'. Driven by problems such as greenhouse gas emissions and the depleting ozone layer, a new environmental awareness has arisen, urging a shift away from the old notion of profit at any cost and replacing it with concern for the future and corporate social responsibility.

It is no longer good enough to chase short-term profits. Business success requires consideration of a company's place in the wider world. To achieve long-term sustainability, a business must respect the needs of its employees, customers, shareholders, and its local community. This can all be summed up with Westpac's motto: 'Every generation should live better than the last.'

Founded in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales, Westpac is Australia's oldest bank. It helped establish, and was also the first Australian bank to adopt, the Equator Principles, a framework for managing social and environmental risk of large projects. You may have seen Westpac's television advertisement, the image of the oil-covered, shivering penguin; the acknowledgement that some of the biggest problems in the world today have been funded by banks.

By adopting the Equator Principles, Westpac commits to providing loans only to socially responsible projects that do not harm the environment.

There is another advertisement with which you may be familiar. For the fifth year running, Westpac has been identified as the most sustainable bank in the world. This is according to the worldwide Dow Jones Sustainability Index. This index ranks sustainability leaders. Westpac also has headed Australia's Corporate Sustainability Index for each of the four years of its existence. Like its international counterpart, the index assesses the systems that companies use to address social and environmental matters.

The need for socially responsible business

Sustainability is more than just a philosophy, it is good business practice. Being a responsible bank has become Westpac's key brand attribute. It underpins Westpac's core business strategy and is the central driver of long-term shareholder value.

CEO David Morgan stresses the point: "Fundamentally the health of Westpac's business, today and tomorrow, is linked to the strength of the economy," he says. "We have to take responsibility for the way we do business. From the carbon we use that's pumped into the atmosphere, to the types of loans and credit we approve. Ultimately, we're here to do business and deliver returns for our shareholders. But if we can do so responsibly, with thought for the legacy and resources we're leaving behind, then Westpac can continue to say we're Australia's first bank and company in another 190 years time."

Social responsibility is not mere rhetoric aimed at increasing market share. It requires a genuine attempt to meet society's expectations. It is demonstrated by daily practice, not vague ideas. It involves a fit between a company's line of business, the way it operates, and the external environment. Westpac's stakeholders - its employees, customers, shareholders and the local community - rightly have come to expect it.

Sustainability and employees

A company only performs as well as the people it comprises.To create long-term shareholder value, a company must attract and retain the finest talent. It must nurture people to bring out the best in them.

Sustainability is an essential part of talent management. In today's competitive labour market, the most sought-after employees often express a desire to work for a socially responsible company. The old concept of 'jobs for life' no longer exists. Job-hopping is common, as employers are well aware. Employee retention has become a key challenge. Westpac has responded by creating a place where people want to work.

Treating employees well sets up a chain reaction. Satisfied employees stay with the company. They treat their customers well. Satisfied customers stay loyal to the business. Loyal customers increase profitability.

This emphasises how important it is to provide employees with a great work environment and flexible work options. Westpac offers opportunities that reflect individual circumstances, helping to boost morale. For instance, parents of young children might be interested in:

• Part-time work
• Job sharing, where two or more people share one job
• Telecommuting, allowing some work to be performed from home where suitable
• Career breaks and time out, to allow for other goals or personal emergencies
• Parental benefits, which include 12 weeks paid parental leave, breastfeeding in the workplace, and workplace-affordable childcare
• Carer's leave, where sick leave can be used to care for a sick family member, or member of their household.

Such strategies require a supportive company culture that values excellent communication and trust. Without it, the system cannot function.

Many companies are also recognising the importance of retaining older workers. Westpac's age balance strategy recognises the role of mature-aged workers, which is critical, given Australia's ageing population. The baby boomers' generation (people born between 1946 and 1961) is larger than those that follow. As they enter retirement, the workforce will diminish sharply.

Sustainability and customers

Satisfied customers are crucial to business success. But what satisfies a customer? In the not-too-distant past, all that people wanted from their bank was a safe place to keep their money. They tended to choose a bank and stick with it for life.

Those days have gone. Customers have more choices today than ever before in the way of financial services - both banks and other businesses such as credit unions and co-operatives. They also have far more information. Modern customers are financially savvy and very aware of their options. If a financial institution does not deliver what they want, they simply go elsewhere. Customers today expect excellent service as well as a good return on their investment. They want flexible products that meet their lifestyle expectations and they expect businesses to act in an environmentally-friendly and ethical manner.

Trust has become a crucial issue. Customers want a bank that they can trust to do the right thing for the community and the environment and the right thing by the people it serves. David Morgan says this means that banks must take a hard look at all of their practices, including their lending policy. They must ensure they do not lend money to people who cannot afford to meet the repayments. "Pinning our business on responsibility means we have a major role to play in helping customers understand their limits," he says. "It’s not about managing risk. It's about the quality of advice offered, being clear about the risks of over committing and not lending for the sake of making targets."

Sustainability and the environment

Environmental concerns are one of the most pressing issues for business today. Environmental behaviour makes a big difference to the way stakeholders perceive a business. Any lack of responsibility can carry negative repercussions and ultimately lead to a loss of business. Managing their 'environmental footprint' (impact on the environment), in Westpac's view, is crucial for the long-term profitability of all companies.

Sustainability is not a new phenomenon. Several leading banks around the world, including Westpac, recognised the need to consider the environment back in the early 1990s. In 1992, Westpac joined four other banks in initiating the United Nations Environmental Programme for Financial Initiatives (UNEPFI). UNEPFI is the voice for the environment in the United Nations system. Its stated mission is to 'provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.' UNEPFI represents the environmental initiatives of banks.

So how does Westpac fulfil its obligations? First, by reducing its own waste. Recycling bins have been provided in branches, enabling customers to recycle their bank statements. In addition, online eStatements, or paperless statements, have been available since June 200So far, 280,000 customers have switched to paperless statements. Westpac estimates this has helped save 140 tonnes of greenhouse gases, nearly 60 tonnes of paper, or around 740 trees, and more than 1.8 million litres of water.

Westpac has also taken the message to a broader audience, most particularly its stakeholders. Adopting the Equator Principles helps make this happen, together with the development of environmentally-responsible products, such as green home loans and credit cards.

Sustainability and the community

Being socially responsible means making a positive contribution to the community. Westpac has made community involvement part of its organisational culture. As with environmentalism, a good community reputation ultimately leads to better business performance.

Westpac's community involvement is made up of different elements. Employee participation, through its volunteering program, is vital to the program. The causes and events that are supported are widespread. For instance, volunteers in New South Wales helped raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, by selling pins at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the Ashes series. Queensland employees supported local lifesavers raising funds for surf clubs.

Entering into partnerships with community members is another key part of Westpac's involvement. Working with indigenous communities in Cape York is one such example. Having already put in the equivalent of more than 40 years of effort on the ground, the Cape York program contains two initiatives designed to help build financial independence for the community:

• Family income management, helping individuals and families develop household budgets
• Business hubs, developing business plans and training for budding entrepreneurs.

Employee participation helps the community by targeting effort where it is most needed. It helps the employees themselves in gaining expertise and valuable skills that will improve their work performance. It also reinforces the corporate culture of environmental sustainability and social responsibility.

Conclusion

Sustainability and corporate social responsibility are more than just buzz words. They describe an increasingly important movement that connects businesses with society. A company is judged by its actions. Respect for the environment and the broader community is a step that all companies must take in playing their part in caring for the common good. Businesses that fail to heed this message will, in turn, lose the respect of their stakeholders. Ultimately, their profits will suffer.

The bottom line is this: caring for stakeholders and the environment is good, not just for society and the natural world - but also good for business. Westpac's sustainability philosophy and its initiatives have enhanced its prosperity and that of the broader community. Everybody wins.

Smart money management - the Visa Debit and Prepaid cards

This Case Study introduces to students to Visa Inc., the world's largest retail electronic payments network. It outlines the features of Visa Debit and Prepaid cards, and their usefulness in assisting an individual’s financial management. Visa's recent technological innovations to improve card security are also examined.

As a result of reading this Case Study the student should be able to:

• Appreciate the role Visa plays in global electronic payments and data transmission
• Understand the critical elements of Visa Debit and Prepaid cards 
• Outline the importance of financial literacy knowledge and skills
• Explain recent technological innovations in card security.

Introduction

Visa Inc. is the world's largest retail electronic payments network. Visa provides transaction-based services to financial institutions and merchant customers.

Visa Inc's business structure

In March 2008 Visa was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Visa's initial public offering raised $US19.1 billion - the largest domestic IPO in United States history, and the second largest worldwide.

The product concepts

A Visa Debit card is a globally-accepted product that allows a consumer to make an electronic payment for goods and services using funds from their bank account, rather than a line of credit, at the time of purchase.

Improving financial knowledge

The financial world is becoming increasingly complex. Lack of financial literacy can make it difficult for young people to achieve financial independence.

Changing financial needs

Payment methods have evolved to accommodate changes in the global economy. More and more businesses offer online options and specialised online suppliers have become more common.

Conclusion

The transformation from paper to electronic payments has stimulated economic growth, spurred business innovation, and increased efficiency.

Introduction

Visa Inc's business structure

The product concepts

Improving financial knowledge

Changing financial needs

Conclusion

Turning an idea into successful reality

This Case Study profiles the growth of the highly successful Vetservice Group, discussing the role of the entrepreneur and the business's entry into, and growth within, the marketplace.

As a result of reading this Case Study, the student should be able to:

• Explain the significant role of the entrepreneur to the economy and the importance of developing innovative business practices 
• Understand that it makes good business sense to develop a unique selling point that differentiates one business from another
• Outline the strategies a business may use to build the business and the importance of a business plan.

Introduction

Have you ever had an idea for a product or service?

The role of the entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship is about coming up with innovative business ideas and finding the resources and market opportunities to put them into action.

Entering the market

Entrepreneurs may be risk-takers but they are also careful planners who research every part of their prospective business and work hard to find the right way to enter the market.

Growing the business

Entrepreneurship is not just about doing something first - it can also be about doing something better.

Creating value for the customer

James Coddington considers value for customers to be The Vetservice Group's core business value.

Using technology

Entrepreneurship is about continually thinking how to do business better.

Leading without title

Much of The Vetservice Group's success is due to its committed staff.

The way forward

The Vetservice Group has recently acquired six strategically-placed veterinary practices around New Zealand, purchased from previous Vetservice members who had decided to sell their business.

Conclusion

The Vetservice Group is an entrepreneurial business that has seen great success in the competitive pet healthcare and rural industries.

Introduction

The role of the entrepreneur

Entering the market

Growing the business

Creating value for the customer

Using technology

Leading without title

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The way forward

Conclusion

Influencing Australian business

This Case Study looks at the ways in which Chartered Accountants, supported by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, support business and the Australian economy as well as global business. It also looks at the role of leadership and quality maintenance within the profession.

As a result of reading this Case Study, students should be able to:

• Explain the role Chartered Accountants play in supporting business and the economy 
• Discuss how the Institute and Chartered Accountants act as leaders and maintain business quality
• Outline how Chartered Accountants are supporting global business

Introduction

The role of a Chartered Accountant is to bring a rigorous understanding of what lies at the core of any business. The numbers.

Leadership within the profession

The role of leadership within business is indisputable.

Setting professional standards for the industry

When we look at the global financial downturn we can see that the role of regulation is essential.

Corporate Social Responsibility

The Institute encourages its member organisations to engage in corporate social responsibility, and leads by example.

Maintaining rigorous quality

Chartered Accountants have a great responsibility in setting high standards in business.

Developing effective communication

Targeted, ongoing and timely communication to stakeholders is key to any business.

Supporting global business

Industrialisation, globalisation and outsourcing have all impacted the way the world does business.

Conclusion

Chartered Accountants are able to effectively influence government regulation while keeping the industry performing at its peak.

Introduction

Leadership within the profession

Setting professional standards for the industry

Corporate Social Responsibility

Maintaining rigorous quality

Developing effective communication

Supporting global business

Conclusion

Bringing experience to future leaders: The Student Challenge

This Case Study discusses the development, launch and promotion of the Institute's annual Student Challenge, explaining how and why the Challenge was developed, the benefits this brings to both the Institute and participants, and how the Challenge works.
 

As a result of reading this Case Study, students should be able to:

• Discuss how the Institute engages and motivates students 
• Describe the importance of corporate social responsibility to stakeholders
• Understand different promotional strategies and their application

Introduction

Scattered throughout Australia right now are more than 100,000 of our future business leaders.

Why was the Student Challenge developed?

The Institute saw a need for an important target audience with undergraduate, accounting, business and finance students, to help them learn from, and connect to the accounting profession.

Why a not-for-profit?

In this day and age, running a business is not just about the bottom line.

The development and launch process

The Institute commissioned market research which showed that we had the opportunity to help students develop their practical skills.

Conclusion

The Student Challenge enables young, aspiring Australians to gain real-life experience of the dynamic work undertaken by Chartered Accountants around the globe on a daily basis.

Introduction

Why was the Student Challenge developed?

Why a not-for-profit?

The development and launch process

Conclusion

Implementing market-based management

Australians connect with each other through various forms of telecommunications. Whether it be the internet, telephone, mobile telephone or SMS messaging, the majority of Australians have embraced a wide variety of technology to enable them to keep in touch with their families, loved ones and conduct business from many places in the world.

Australian telecommunications provider Telstra has undertaken a significant change in its marketing practices over recent years to better meet the needs of today's customers.

By reading this Case Study, students should be able to:

• Understand the concept of Market Based Management
• Outline the key steps in preparing a marketing plan 
• Explain the importance of responding to consumer needs.

Introduction

Telstra is one of only a few telecommunications companies in Australia that has the ability to provide customers with an integrated telecommunications experience using its own assets and content services such as Sensis® and BigPond®.

The expanding marketplace

Since its inception at the turn of last century, Telstra (or PMG as it was known then) has shifted its concentration from being a technology and product focused organisation to becoming a customer focused company practising Market Based Management (MBM).

Market and competition

Markets are often affected by external factors. This is certainly the case with the telecommunications industry which has undergone a rapid transformation over previous decades – and will continue to do so in the future.

Understanding customers and the marketing mix

In order to differentiate itself from its many competitors, Telstra repositioned its marketing plan to put into practice a Market Based Management (MBM) approach.

Meeting customer needs

Telstra introduced their Next G™ mobile broadband network in October 2006, responding to customer needs identified as part of the MBM approach.

Conclusion

Telstra has adopted a Market Based Management approach to provide better services to customer segments and to give it the competitive edge over other telecommunications companies in the marketplace.

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Introduction

Telstra is one of only a few telecommunications companies in Australia that has the ability to provide customers with an integrated telecommunications experience using its own assets and content services such as Sensis® and BigPond®.

Telstra's strategy is to create an easy to use, simple and intuitive solution that provides a real advantage and cost benefit to individuals, businesses, enterprises and government. It aims to do this by integrating the assets that Telstra owns and sharing content across home phones, mobiles, Internet and cable TV.

This is achieved by offering five core products:

• Home phone
• Mobile phone (pre-paid and post-paid)
• Fixed Broadband
• Wireless Broadband and
• Pay TV (FOXTEL from Telstra).

Organisational History

Back in 1901, the Australian Government established the Postmaster General’s Department (PMG) to manage the country's telephone, telegraph and postal services. PMG is now known as Telstra and has gone through a number of transformations since its origins:

• In 1975 PMG became known as Telecom
• In 1991 the organisation was incorporated as an Australian public limited company
• In 1993 the organisation changed its name to Telstra
• Telstra was then partially privatised in 1997
• The government sold off additional shares in 1999 and its remaining stake in 2006.

The expanding marketplace

Since its inception at the turn of last century, Telstra (or PMG as it was known then) has shifted its concentration from being a technology and product focused organisation to becoming a customer focused company practising Market Based Management (MBM). Telstra has adopted a market based management approach to give it a competitive advantage in an ever changing telecommunications market: a market that is constantly changing as a result of technology, competition and growing telecommunications product penetration.

Market and competition

Markets are often affected by external factors. This is certainly the case with the telecommunications industry which has undergone a rapid transformation over previous decades – and will continue to do so in the future. There are three key factors which have contributed to change in the telecommunications marketplace:

Technology

In an information society such as Australia, access to information is live, online and mobile. Technology has radically changed the way people can consume information.

Communities are no longer formed around geographical location but rather around common interests such as sports, music and entertainment. You only have to visit social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo to see the enormous choice of online communities.

As a result of this change, people now seek choice, convenience, control and mobility of the information they consume.

Competition

An increase in competition has meant that there are now in excess of five hundred competitors in the Australian market all vying for the technology dollar. This means that the volume of products and services available to consumers is also on the rise.

Product penetration

Many Australians are now connected to Internet, mobile and home phone services. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in January 2008 91.4 percent of Australian households have a home phone service connected while 48.5 percent of Australian households have a broadband service connected. There are a total of 17,040,103 mobile services in Australia.

With so much competition out there, it is essential for Telstra to have a solid understanding of its customers' needs and to be able to service their requirements.

Telstra therefore aims to differentiate themselves from their competitors by knowing their customers and understanding their needs better than ever before and better than any of its competitors.

Once they understand their customer's needs, it is essential that Telstra communicates the features and benefits of their products and services to existing and potential customers. This is done through a comprehensive marketing plan.

Understanding customers and the marketing mix

In order to differentiate itself from its many competitors, Telstra repositioned its marketing plan to put into practice a Market Based Management (MBM) approach.

Market Based Management is a business strategy that puts the needs and wants of an organisation's customers at the centre of all business activity.

Five key concepts that underpin the MBM philosophy are:

• Customer focus and profitability - focusing on customers and their needs rather than products and technology
• Create customer value - creating superior value over the competitors' product and providing exceptional value to the customer; this value may be tangible such as providing a physical product or intangible such as service and account management
• Customer retention and advocacy - creating customer loyalty and encouraging customers to promote your brand
• Competitor analysis - understanding the competitor's differentiation, market share strategy and customer segmentation and
• Cross functional teamwork - a collaborative approach to working together, sharing information and building creativity and problem solving capacity in order to bring a greater and more positive customer experience.

MBM uses strong market research to underpin the basis of all marketing activity. Market research is usually conducted using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

Qualitative research is based on anecdotal feedback from clients and provides information on how and why people make the purchasing decisions they do. This can usually be collected through surveys, interviews and focus groups. In Telstra's case, they conducted interviews with more than 400,000 Australians to understand:

• Why their customers want to connect with one another
• What kind of telecommunications services they need
• What people want from a telecommunications provider
• What their needs and wants are
• What Australian people think about.

Quantitative research provides market researchers with more measurable results based on statistical analysis of data. Statistics, tables and graphs can be used to represent results from quantitative research.

Data will often relate to market size, market share, penetration and market growth rates. It is also used to measure customer satisfaction, attitudes, awareness and behaviour.

Based on market research results, marketers would then need to determine the most appropriatemarketing mix.

The marketing mix refers to the 'Four P's' of marketing: product, price, placement and promotion.

Product

The first of the ‘Four P’s’ refers to the product being promoted. It can be an actual product, a service or information.

Price

Price point can be very important for some products. Pricing can have an effect on the way the product is promoted – will it be a high priced item to target a luxury market or a lower priced product to offer value for money to customers?

Placement

Placement refers to where, and how, to place a product to make it visible to the marketplace. For example, will it be via the Internet or in a retail outlet?

Promotion

The final P of the 'Four P's' refers to promotion of the product. There are various methods of promoting a product depending on budget and relevance. Typical methods include advertising,public relations, word of mouth, direct marketing and point of sale.

By offering a company's product with the right combination of the 'Four P's' marketers can improve their results and marketing success.

To understand its customers, Telstra divided its business and consumer customers into unique segments to better comprehend their needs.

Segment needs differed according to:

• Customer demographics including age, income, ethnicity and family status
• Preferred marketing style
• Understanding, acceptance and use of technology
• Buying decisions and motivations.

Meeting customer needs

Telstra introduced their Next G™ mobile broadband network in October 2006, responding to customer needs identified as part of the MBM approach. The Next G™ network offers three core value propositions to address a range of customer needs: coverage, speed and simplicity.

Coverage

In a vast country like Australia, coverage was important for many of Telstra's customers. The Telstra Next G™ network is 100 times larger than any other 3G network in Australia reaching 99 percent of Australians. More customers can be connected in more ways and in more places than ever before. The value of improved coverage to a customer depends on the customer. It might be connecting to a friend or family member in a remote area or managing to conduct business and reach a customer while on the road.

It is important to note that as with any mobile network, coverage on the Next G™ network depends on where a person is, what particular handset that person is using and whether that handset has an external antenna attached.

Speed

In terms of speed, the Telstra Next G™ network has a theoretical maximum speed of more than fifty times faster than standard dial-up which means many Australians can access and download a large array of content via a Next G™ mobile phone or Next G™ BigPond® wireless cardThis is important in an information society and for many home-based businesses andtelecommuters. The value of speed could be downloading faster in a business environment therefore increasing productivity and reducing costs.

Simplicity

The Next G™ network provides customers with a simple, streamlined service for their telecommunication requirements providing easy access to entertainment such as Mobile FOXTEL from Telstra, BigPond® music, BigPond® photos and information (including BigPond® Mobile Services, CitySearch® Mobile e-mail and Sensis® search). This is all done through a customer's mobile phone with one click on their 'My Place'™ menu tab. Simplicity is an important value which enables customers to enjoy streamlined customer experience whatever product or service is used.

Telstra's Unique Selling Point (USP) for its Next G™ network is that it offers Australia's largest and fastest national 3G mobile network- unparalleled by any of its competitors. In such a competitive environment, differentiation from rival companies is essential.

Through this innovative service, Telstra has gone from 0 to 44 percent of Australia's 3G market in two years, succeeding against various global operators in a highly competitive market.

Telstra now has the second highest percentage of customers on 3G in the world. By fiscal 2010, Telstra expects that between 50 and 70 percent of its customers will be using 3G services.

Conclusion

Telstra has adopted a Market Based Management approach to provide better services to customer segments and to give it the competitive edge over other telecommunications companies in the marketplace.

It has responded to the changing needs of the Australian community and transformed from a technology focused organisation to a customer focused organisation.

Through extensive research and focus on its customer needs, Telstra devised the Next G™ network, Australia's fastest and most extensive national mobile network, bringing more Australians together through telecommunications.

Saving for the future

This Case Study profiles Suncorp, one of Australia's leading financial companies. Suncorp provides financial solutions for individuals and small medium-sized enterprises in the areas of banking, insurance, investment, superannuation and financial planning. As a result of reading the Case Study, the student should be able to:

• Understand the importance of savings
• Identify how savings can be held in a range of bank accounts 
• Recognise the role of savings in providing funds for investment and wealth generation within Australia
• Understand the importance of financial literacy to the individual and to small and medium-sized businesses

Introduction

Got to have that ipod... or those designer jeans? What about that mobile phone?

Why is saving important?

Savings allow a person or business to buy more expensive items that cannot be afforded in the short-term, for example, an individual could use savings to pay for annual car insurance, a holiday or a wedding.

How do you save?

What is the best savings account for me?

Savings for short-term or emergency goals, e.g. rent or car repairs need to be accessible, and are therefore usually kept in an account available at a branch of the bank with at-call access by ATM or EFTPOS.

Why do we need to be financially aware?

Acquiring and using money wisely is not something we automatically know how to do.

How to become financially aware

With any financial agreement there is a contract between two or more parties which is legally enforceable.

Conclusion

Suncorp's Banking Division covers both consumer and business banking, predominately for small to medium-sized businesses.

Introduction

Why is saving important?

How do you save?

What is the best savings account for me?

Why do we need to be financially aware?

How to become financially aware

Conclusion

Investing for the future

This Case Study examines one of Australia's largest financial services groups and explores how it provides investment services and products that assist many Australians with their wealth management.

As a result of reading this Case Study, students should be able to:

• Understand the characteristics of a financial services group related to investment
• Identify the main asset classes for individual and small business financial management
•  Analyse the significance of investment to the financial well-being of individuals and the economy.

1. Introduction
Sometimes it's difficult to think too far into the future. But have you considered these questions?

2. The basics: the what and why of investments
What are the essential aspects of investments?

3. Investment considerations
Investment is a challenging process. It is not simply a matter of randomly choosing an asset class or investment.

4. How does Suncorp manage customers' investments?
With an understanding of some of the fundamentals of investment, the question remains - 'How does Suncorp actually manage the investments of its customers?'

5. Suncorp investments and the economy
The Suncorp Group is long established and has evolved from a series of mergers, acquisitions and amalgamations

6. Conclusion
The Suncorp Group is an important player in the financial services sector, offering financial solutions to thousands of Australians and helping them to meet their financial goals.

1. Introduction

2. The basics: the what and why of investments

3. Investment considerations

4. How does Suncorp manage customers' investments?

5. Suncorp investments and the economy{re

6. Conclusion

Enhancing Yellow's advertising model

This Case Study examines the growth and development of Yellow, given developments in information and communications technology. It focuses on the new advertising based, business model that has emerged, highlighting its benefit to the company, its business customers and consumers in general.

As a result of carefully reading this Case Study, students should be able to:

• Describe the concept of advertising and its context at Yellow 
• Identify factors that led to the development of the current business model
• Outline key features of that business model
• Judge the success of Yellow given recent changes and developments.

Introduction

While you might not immediately recognise the Sensis business name, it is likely its iconic brands such as Yellow™, White Pages®, Trading Post® and Whereis® are well known to you.

Creating successful advertising

Advertising is arguably the most significant element of one of marketing's 4 Ps - promotion.

A model business

Yellow™ has an interesting but relatively complex business model.

Creating a multi-channel format

As was noted in the introduction, Yellow™ is now a multi-channel business.

Providing an effective return-on-investment

Of course Yellow™ can have the most sophisticated and comprehensive information search facilities but the bottom line for businesses advertising with them is the Return-On-Investment (ROI).

Conclusion

Times certainly have changed, and nowhere is that more evident than at Yellow™

Introduction

Creating successful advertising

Creating a multi-channel format

Providing an effective return-on-investment

Conclusion