Opinion

Following the money is always the best way to see what interests a rich man because it tells you two things – what he likes as an investment for future growth, and what he sees as having reached the limits of growth.

After last week’s 9% increase in reported activity, sales have retreated 7% this week back to a similar level reported a fortnight ago.

The government lost the argument on council amalgamations because it was unable to prosecute the case for their alleged benefits.

What should managers do if they do not trust one of their team?

Don’t waste time, don’t procrastinate, focus on your sales mission – all simple rules to ensure you achieve your goals … but so often overlooked.

Not everything new is momentous, and not all that is old should be forgotten.

Yield hunters are ignoring warning signs from the ‘real’ economy, pushing share prices for some major stocks higher.

When the Reserve Bank of Australia repeatedly throughout 2014 flagged a "period of stability" for interest rates, you could have been forgiven for thinking it was signalling a period of stability for interest rates.

This week, I started posting articles on how BNiQ, our searchable database, can help you delve into Western Australian companies and people in a previously unavailable way.

Colin Barnett’s decision to run up the white flag after his six-year campaign to rationalise the number of metropolitan local councils is effectively an admission that his strategy was flawed. It is also a triumph for self-interest.

Rio Tinto’s strong profit reported earlier today will please investors in one of state’s biggest employers, though the big miner’s fresh round of job shedding is a warning shot across the bows of the Western Australian economy, with more warning shots likely to be fired over the next 12 days.

A 12% increase in house sales reported last week lifted overall activity to its highest level since early July 2014 which is a welcome sign given the market has been on a general downward trend since that time.

A remarkable similarity is evident in the leadership styles of Australia’s past three prime ministers.

Preparing for the projected growth in nature-based tourism requires strategic planning and consultation.

Evaluating your strengths and weaknesses is the first step in setting your sales direction for the year ahead.

Few people are better placed to understand the changes taking place in health insurance than HBF managing director Rob Bransby.

One of the joys of being a business reporter in this state for the better part of 25 years is that the background to a story is often more obvious to me than others with less time in the field.

The problems for BHP Billiton’s management team didn't start with the South32 proposal, but that plan has brought things to a head.

Walk down many major city streets these days and there seems to be a renewed sense of vibrancy and excitement. This is particularly true of Perth, where once shady, unloved laneways are being brought back to life with fashionable new bars, restaurants and shops springing to life on an almost-weekly basis.

Western Australian gold producers are enjoying a bright start to 2015 as the domestic price of the precious metal surges higher.

The Barnett government is in a catch-22 position ahead of the 2017 state election, needing to get the books in order without alienating voters.

Australia’s latest political crisis, the potential dumping next week of the prime minister, Tony Abbott, is masking a far greater threat to the country – a fresh outbreak of the GFC caused by the dramatic build-up of private and public debt.

There was a welcome rebound this week with reported activity up 25 per cent which takes sales back to their highest level for two months and similar to the beginning of December 2014.

With US and Australian investigators’ enthusiastic assistance, China is tracking down corrupt officials’ ill-gotten gains; but the playbook calls for a familiar ending.

Gold prices have fallen, as hopes for an imminent resolution between the new Greek government and its creditors temper demand for the haven metal.

Oil prices have surged higher for a third straight day, hitting late-2014 peaks on hopes of rebounding global energy demand and production cuts that could curb the supply glut.

To be successful in sales, you need to cover all the bases when it comes to building networks.

Mutual health funds including Western Australia’s market leader, HBF, have launched their combined push to take on the private players, which now dominate the sector following the listing of Medibank Private, as well as the growing threat from online aggregators.

WA’s tourism treasures often seem to be doing it tough, so why can’t the locals be more involved in deciding their region’s future?

Cost wins out above all other considerations in the search for efficiency, which is why a strengthening US dollar could pose challenges for Caterpillar.

Western Australia’s isolation has always made the state’s business sector innovative.

According to recent figures, bankruptcies across Australia fell almost 13.7 per cent in the three months to December 2014, to 4,179 from 4,844 for the corresponding period a year earlier.