Conducting business in Australia: Prospects and strategies for international managers
Australia, with a competitive, modern economy, an educated workforce, modern communications, and its positioning on the doorstep of Asia, has attracted many international businesses that have enjoyed success there. Some companies that immediately come to mind are Nokia and Optus (Singtel) in the case of telecommunications, IKEA in home design, the global accounting firms, and well-known brands such as Google, Yahoo, and FedEx. Australia has attracted to its shores well-known food franchises, such as McDonald's, KFC, Starbucks, and Baskin-Robbins. It has airlines, including Virgin Blue; the big agriculture and mining equipment companies such as Rio Tinto; Rivers and other big clothing companies; computing companies such as Hewlett-Packard; and manufacturers such as Toyota. Looking to the future, Australia offers significant investment and business opportunities for international managers seeking a presence there for their firms. This article provides an overview of the Australian business, government, and legal scene and offers some practical guidance for managers who decide to venture there. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Toyota Moto Corporation Australia: a case study
This article presents a case study which describes the quality improvement initiatives undertaken by the Toyota Motor Corporation Australia which resulted in it's winning the 1991 Australian Quality Award. Based on extensive interviews with managers and employees, the case study discusses the formation of the Quality Administration Division and it's role in Toyota's quality improvement programme. Also discussed are Toyota's quality policy, customer orientation, supplier quality assessment system, standardization and quality control, training, employee involvement and quality performance. The substantial improvements made by Toyota Australia in product quality and productivity have resulted in additional investment in a greenfield manufacturing plant in Melbourne.
Pyrite multiple-sulfur isotope evidence for rapid expansion and contraction of the early Paleoproterozoic seawater sulfate reservoir
Abstract Earthʼs oxygenation is often described in terms of two unidirectional steps at the beginning and end of the Proterozoic Eon, separated by a long-lived intermediate redox state. Recent work defines a more complicated path to oxygenation, exemplified by an apparent drop in oxidation state following the early Paleoproterozoic Lomagundi carbon isotope excursion. The timing of this proposed drop in oxidation state is not well constrained, and it is not clear how it relates to redox conditions during the remainder of the Proterozoic. Here we present a study of pyrite multiple-sulfur isotopes, supported by Fe speciation and organic carbon isotopes, from early Paleoproterozoic black shales. We find evidence for the rapid expansion of the seawater sulfate reservoir during the Great Oxidation Event at ca. 2.3 Ga followed by a subsequent contraction in the size of the seawater sulfate reservoir at ca. 2.05 Ga. This scenario is consistent with the emerging view of a rise and fall in surface oxidation state during the early Paleoproterozoic. Comparison of our new data to other records of the seawater sulfate reservoir suggests that the elevated sulfate concentrations that characterize the early Paleoproterozoic did not return until the late Neoproterozoic.