Business Engineers Australia (BE Australia) help you engineer your business in the areas of finance, accounts and business solutions … This article is sport on in describing what we do!

Source: Wise Geek | http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-business-engineering.htm

Business engineering is a technique in which traditional engineering principles are applied to the business world. This technique relies heavily on science and math, which is in direct contrast to traditional business models, many of which are largely theoretical. The goal of business engineering is to produce measurable results or quantifiable data rather than just an arbitrary improvement or change. Unlike many other business models, business engineering focuses on a holistic approach to problem solving. Rather than simply address different aspects of the business individually, business engineering professionals concentrate on the interaction between different factors within the company and how they impact one another.

The field of business engineering developed primarily to fill the gap between the management and technical or administrative teams within a company. Many of the qualities that make individuals successful in technical fields also leave them ill-equipped to handle leadership positions, and vice versa. Management may have difficulty translating their plans to technical teams, who may in turn find it challenging to develop products and solutions to carry out these plans in the real world. Business engineering acts as a bridge between these two areas, and is designed to help a company not only develop effective goals, but also techniques for carrying out these goals as efficiently as possible. This may require changes in every area of the company, from marketing to administration, to computer systems.

Another unique aspect of the business engineering field is that it can be applied to a company at any stage of development. Individuals who wish to form a new business can use these principles to select the best product or market, or to refine an existing idea. It can also be used to improve an existing business. This may mean increasing profit or cutting cost, but it can also refer to improving employee satisfaction or retention rates. This process may involve making small changing or incorporating new technologies, or may require a complete redesign of the company and all its processes.

Many see business engineering as a means of generating continuous improvement. For example, a company looking to increase productivity may initiate incentives and bonus plans, then quantify exactly how these methods helped the business reach its goals. As new data becomes available, the company can continuously adjust incentive plans or add resources based on results. The same principles can be used to increase market share, improve morale, or simply maximize profit.

Due to the relatively complex nature of this field, some colleges and universities have created special programs to prepare candidates for a business engineering career. These programs combine traditional business courses with scientific and technical coursework to give students a strong understanding of both fields. Graduate level degrees are also available for candidates with experience in either of these areas who wish to expand their skills and job prospects.

Link to Article: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-business-engineering.htm

WHILE renting may seem the cheaper alternative to buying a home, new figures have revealed it can end up costing pretty much the same over the long term — and you’ve got nothing to sell at the end.

The figures collated by finder.com.au reveal that renting a house over 30 years will cost you almost $1 million, while buying a house at today’s current median house price will end up costing about $1.2 million.

Michelle Hutchison from Finder.com.au said the figures showed it was worth considering buying a home instead of wasting dead money renting.

“If you are renting that money has paid for someone else’s investment,’’ she said.

She said the total cost for a house based on the national median house price with a 30-year loan term was more than $1.2 million.

“Compared to renting, the national median weekly rent for a house is currently $424, which equates to about $998,830 over 30 years (adding current inflation of 2.7 per cent p.a.),’’ she said.

Ms Hutchison said it can be a tough decision to choose between renting and buying a home.

“The question to stay renting or to enter the property market is a constant struggle for many Australians because of property prices, saving for a deposit and uncertainty of interest rates,’’ she said.

“But if you compare the likely cost of rent for the next 30 years, it’s worth considering buying a home.’’

With the current low interest rate environment Ms Hutchison said it was more affordable to maintain a mortgage now than it was three years ago.

She said while buyers were concerned about affordability, it was still a good time to enter the market because interest rates were low.

According to figures from RP Data Darwin has the highest median asking rent in Australia for houses at $650 a week.

Using median rents in each state of Australia, it would cost the most over 30 years to rent in Darwin where rental costs plus inflation would be more than $1.6 million compared with $1.26 million to buy.

It was also more expensive to rent in Hobart with thirty year’s worth of rent costing $840,855 compared with $767,000 for thirty years of buying.

Where the renters are

Darwin — 43.2%

Canberra — 31.0%

Sydney — 32.4%

Perth — 28.2%

Brisbane — 33.7%

Melbourne — 28.0%

Adelaide — 28.8%

Greater Hobart — 28.2%

Source: RP Data

Rental costs over 30 years with inflation

Sydney – $1,352,398

Melbourne – $912,488

Brisbane – $1,011,299

Adelaide – $808,893

Perth – $1,028,058

Hobart – $840,855

Darwin – $1,607,556

Canberra – $1,146,833

National – $998,830

Source: finder.com.au

Home ownership is a dream but a mortgage doesn’t have to be a nightmare 

IS IT better to rent or to buy? Typically, the rent-or-buy debate is limited to financial questions. Will my mortgage payments exceed my current rent? Should I wait for interest rates to drop a little further?

Source – CHRIS BAREZ-BROWN | AskMen | February 08, 2014 6:48PM

Recent years have demonstrated that there are no longer dependable answers to these money questions – and that maybe they weren’t the right ones to begin with. So we’ve shunted them aside to examine what we consider to be the more significant points of the debate: Does every man still need his kingdom, even if that kingdom’s value plummets from month to month? And how will a 25-year debate limit future opportunities?

In the rent-or-buy debate, as with most big life decisions, a single, concrete answer is elusive. The most important thing you can do is make sure you’ve asked yourself the right questions.

My parents’ generation had a collective fantasy about being mortgage-free. I guess it’s understandable in some ways. So much of people’s incomes go to mortgages, so to have that burden lift could mean a considerable lifestyle change. For many, a mortgage payment eats up 30 per cent of the monthly cash – sometimes more.

FEBRUARY 04, 2014 12:10PM – Source news.com.au

THE RBA has opted to leave the official cash rate on hold at 2.5 per cent, in a move widely expected by markets.

RP Data National Research Director Tim Lawless said positive housing data in recent weeks means the decision is no surprise.

“From a housing market perspective, the release of the RP Data – Rismark Home Value Indices yesterday showed home values were still rising across Australia, up a strong 1.2 per cent over the month of January,” he said.
“Dwelling approvals are up close to 22 per cent over the 2013 calendar year and there have been consistent rises in the number of new home sales. We expect housing market conditions to remain buoyant while mortgage rates remain so low, however further rate cuts are looking like an outside bet at best,”

JP Morgan chief economist Stephen Walters said earlier in the day high inflation in the December quarter has taken the chance of a rate cut off the table for some time.

“It’s very difficult for an inflation-targeting central bank, even if they wanted to cut rates in the medium term, to think about doing it after a high inflation result,” he said.

But Mr Walters said high unemployment would compel the RBA to cut rates later in 2014. JP Morgan expects unemployment to rise to 6.5 per cent by mid-year.

News Article here: http://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/rba-keeps-rates-on-hold-at-25-per-cent/story-e6frfmn0-1226817491334

Thanks for the shout out! Another happy customer…

A HUMBLE Mermaid Waters renovator has sold for $144,000 above reserve in a move that could herald the end of the Gold Coast’s “buyer’s market”.

The four-bedroom waterfront home at 13 Vatakoula Pde was dubbed the auction of the year after it sold to a buyer from the same street for $734,000 on Saturday, attracting a crowd of more than 120 and a whopping 18 registered bidders.

Selling agent Christine Tucker, of Harcourts Coastal, said it was simply the best sale of her career resulting in “over the moon” vendors while sounding a warning to all prospective buyers to jump in now.

“I guess the market is on the move and the stock is short,” Mrs Tuckers said.

“Eight months ago we were getting three to four groups (through an open inspection) … now we are getting 15-20.”

But while agents across the Coast reported a rise in buyers and sales over the past two months Mrs Tucker felt the auction marked an even more significant shift.

“There was a recent sale on that street (two months ago) that went for $550,000 … this tells me there’s been a big shift in the past few weeks,” she said.

“There’s certainly a lot of buyers out there … I get calls daily with people wanting to go on our database.”
The Mermaid Waters home was described as an original waterfront beauty with lots of potential and was offered to the market for the first time since it was constructed in 1980.

“The vendors were absolutely ecstatic … I haven’t seen such as strong positive emotional result for a long time.”
Melbourne-based Lyn Duclos and her sister sold the property on behalf of their retired parents and described the auction as nothing short of thrilling.

“We had heard that property prices were down on the Gold Coast … but we were also reluctant to give it away,” she said.

“I now feel so proud for my parents … I felt it (the result) was acknowledgment for all the years they put into the house.”

The auction wraps up a stellar month at Harcourts Coastal where principal Dane Atherton said the agency had clocked up 46 sales so far with the best result being $1.3 million.

“That’s $24 million worth of property (we have sold since the start of the month),” he said.

“There is a sense of `get in before the growth’.”

The top sales news has continued across the Coast with Century 21 On the Coast agent Richard Snowden gaining a top result for 93 Burleigh St, Burleigh Waters.

The two-storey home sold yesterday for $26,000 above reserve, according realestate.com.au, with 102 buyers inspecting the property.

A sprawling Sovereign Islands property also sold yesterday for $1.4 million, after being marketed at offers over $1.4 million through Alex Far at Sovereign Realty, according to RP Data. The four bedroom home at 8 Parkland Terrace features a prime waterfront location, a saltwater pool, enclosed outdoor areas and room for the boat.

SOURCE: SARAH WEBB – THE GOLD COAST BULLETIN
Read more: http://goo.gl/3y1Jtv

THE Gold Coast’s turbulent real estate market is out of the white wash and into the shallows with more homes selling, prices slowly improving and less stock on the market.

An analysis of market figures from RP Data comparing June this year to June 2012 reveal a rise in recent sales, a stronger median sale price and buyers competing for less homes, creating a magical trifecta of improved conditions.

A snapshot of the week up to June 19 revealed 9006 properties were for sale in the Gold Coast region, compared with 11055 that time last year, and of those 1306 properties in the popular $300,000-$499,000 are currently on the market, compared to a whopping 3930 last year.

According to Herrod Todd White’s Residential Month In Review report for August, the Gold Coast’s market bottomed out in the first six months of 2013, evidenced by a significant increase of buyers in the marketplace compared to the past 12 months.

“Agents are reporting significantly higher traffic through open houses at all ends of the market and there are now fewer mortgagee in possession and receiver sales occurring than in 2012,” the report claimed.

“Agents are also reporting low stock levels, especially in the under $700,000 price bracket.

The report said more investors had moved back into the market and the $1-$2 million price range and prestige unit market had bottomed out and levelled.

Harcourts Coastal managing director Dane Atherton echoed the findings, reporting strong transaction levels in the lower to middle housing sector and movement in higher end waterfront homes.

“In that (lower) sector it’s as good as sold,” he said.

“That log of stock from six months ago has been cleared … listings are more competitive.

“And I think price growth is going to come.

LJ Hooker Nerang, Coomera and Pacific Pines principal, Shane Colquhoun, said the rise in buyers and drop in stock summed up their view perfectly, with the market considerably better than a year ago.

“You are getting about four to five times more registered bidders at auctions now,” he said.

“We have definitely seen prices improving on bottom of market stock too.”

Mr Colquhoun felt it could take six months to see a price rise, but once the election and another rates drop were out of the way it would come,

For buyer Andrew Coates, it took a matter of weeks to recently sell his unique Coomera Waters abode despite being warned it could take a year.

“One agent did say it was taking an average of 12 months to sell homes like this … we only had it on the market for eight weeks,” he said.

I was surprised it sold that quickly given the price bracket ($700,000-$800,000).

“And we didn’t have to discount it to sell.”

Mr Coates put the success of the sale down to a top real estate agent, the fact that his property was unique and the changing market.

“That was our third home we have bought and sold … and it seemed to me that this one was the easiest to sell,” he said.

“I was very pleasantly surprised by the whole experience … it really showed to me that things have picked up and houses are selling … I think it’s actually a good time to sell, it’s not a hurdle anymore.

SOURCE: SARAH WEBB – THE GOLD COAST BULLETIN
Read more: http://goo.gl/haOgX0

WINTER has emerged as the perfect time for Sydneysiders to sell their home and get the highest possible price, real estate industry leaders say.

This weekend, the Sydney housing market recorded the strongest winter auction results in years, while Melbourne’s market remains solid, according to analysts.

Almost 77 per cent of homes cleared at auction in Sydney on the weekend, with a total sale value of $258 million.

Melbourne’s market this week experienced a surge in the number of listed properties to 810 – and had a clearance rate of almost 70 per cent.

It’s the second highest number of auctions recorded for the post-holiday weekend of all time, only falling behind the same weekend in 2010 when 1050 auctions were held.

The colder months traditionally see a flat period before the spring selling season, but buyer demand is so high — thanks largely to low interest rates and limited stock — that agents are urging sellers to list now and make the most of the conditions.

“Agents are screaming for listings across the board,” said Angus Raine, CEO of Raine and Horne.

“The smart move is to put it on the market between now and September, as there’ll be as many buyers and not as much selling competition.”

National listings are up, but Sydney is bucking the trend, with 6684 new listings on the market in June, compared to 9166 in June 2010, RP Data figures show.

John McGrath, CEO of McGrath Estate Agents, said the selling climate was “as good now as it was in autumn or will be in spring”.

“A lot of people overthink the seasonal aspect,” he said.

Chris Mourd, LJ Hooker head of network said Australia’s temperate climate should not affect property markets.

“The Australian psyche is sun-worshipping and people like to sell when their garden is blooming and looks beautiful,” Mr Mourd said.

“It’s habit more than anything. In the UK and US, it’s physically harder to sell in winter, because snow drifts make it hard to walk through a front door. nauru In Australia, you’re often still in short sleeves at an open house.”

Mr Mc Grath said Sydney’s density also meant that lawns and gardens were becoming less important. “A lot of people live in apartments these days, which can be appealing in winter,” he said.

The high interest was on display at an auction at 220 Clyde St, Granville, on Saturday, which attracted a crowd of more than 100 people.

Twelve people registered to bid for the four-bedroom home, which sold well above expectations for $778,000 to Phillip Ma and his family.

“It ended up being a battle between two families,” said Ray Fayad of Laing + Simmons Granville, who had expected the property to fetch $700,000 to $730,000.

“It’s all about supply and demand. If there were three houses for sale in this street, we wouldn’t have got such a good price. The market is so hot now it feels like summer.”

SOURCE: TIM MCINTYRE – THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
Read more: http://goo.gl/iZvzQ

Australian small business owners spend on average one third of their time dealing with administrative tasks, rather than focusing on the core of their business, according to research published this week.

The recent study commissioned by small business accounting services firm Intuit Australia found tasks such as recording transactions, completing the BAS and tax reporting and paying bills and wages were the main tasks which consumed the most time.  More than 750 small business owners completed the survey and 57% of the business owners ranked keeping a record of transactions as the task which required the most time.
Small businesses with multiple employees, or those which bought into an existing business or franchise were also found to spend the most time on these tasks.

Intuit Australia director of accountant strategy Rich Walker told SmartCompany administrative tasks often detract from other more important jobs.

“Given most small business owners (55%) branch out to capitalise on a skill or field of expertise they have, administrative tasks take time away from their core business or expertise.

“There are mobile payments apps and technologies that small business owners can access from a smartphone or mobile device to help streamline payments for goods and services, this helps save time as they can complete the transaction immediately rather than invoicing at a later date, which could result in extra time chasing payments,” he says.

The survey found 21% of small business owners ranked chasing up payments as a time consuming task. Out of the respondents, 77% said they would find it useful to be able to access work files remotely, with most saying this would be most useful from home, when on the move, on holidays or with clients.

“The high penetration of mobile technologies here in Australia is already creating a trend of more people and businesses moving to the cloud.

“Whether it’s for accepting payments online, doing their books and finances, communicating with customers by email or selling goods and services through a website, small businesses are hungry for the flexibility,” Walker says.

As well as detailing which administrative tasks consume the most time for small business owners, the survey also provided a snap shot of Australian small businesses.
The majority of small business owners said they created their business to capitalise on their own expertise and skill set, with 24% said they wanted to be self-employed and have the opportunity to do something which they love and 7% bought into an existing business and had to learn the skills to run it.

One in three small business owners quit their job to start a business, 30% created their company on the side to their main employment and 12% became self-employed after being made redundant from another role.

When it came to embracing technology, 87% of small business owners used some form of mobile technology in their business, with laptops and smartphones the preferred devices, with Gen Y business owners more likely to use smartphones and tablets.

SOURCE: YOLANDA REDRUP – SMARTCOMPANY.COM.AU

Read more: http://goo.gl/TJ1wuim