PR and marketing

Almost 73 per cent of Australian workers in the mining, industrial and construction sectors have expressed their concern about the widening gap between the two-speed economy.

These are the findings of a recent survey of 1,030 Australians, working in the mining, industrial and manufacturing sectors, conducted by Ferret.com.au – an online business directory servicing the Australian mining, industrial and manufacturing sectors.

The survey revealed growing concerns of economic pressures caused by the weaknesses in the manufacturing, construction and retail industries in opposition to the mining boom.

Dom Weatherhead, Account manager for Ferret.com.au said, “This was one of the most significant responses when it came to addressing concerns and issues regarding the mining, industrial and manufacturing sectors. It shows that confidence really isn’t all that high at the moment.”

In addition to growing concerns about the Australian two-speed economy, was the belief that the mining boom is causing a skills shortage in Australian businesses that are outside of the mining sector. However, those surveyed also expressed concern about a skills shortage in the mining sector, with just over 50 per cent believing the shortage does exist.

“Just over 51 per cent of those surveyed expressed concern for skills shortages occurring in sectors like manufacturing and retail due to the mining boom, but almost the same amount of those surveyed expressed concerns about a shortage of skills in the mining sector as well,” said Mr Weatherhead.

In response to the skills shortage, 54 percent of the Australian workers in the mining sector indicated they believe automation is needed and only 10 per cent indicated they don’t.

“Automation is slowly increasing in the mining sector, with many companies implementing automated machinery in remote areas and places they find difficult to employ workers for,” said Mr Weatherhead.

“Although there are some negative aspects to automation, these results indicate that these workers are worried about the skills shortage and believe automation may be the answer.”

Business owners, managers and employees of the mining, industrial and manufacturing sectors were surveyed about the major issues of their sector including economic, environmental issues, and cost and effectiveness of resources.

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For further information or interviews please contact:
Lauren Milne
CP Communications
Phone: 02 9460 9200

About the survey
The survey of 1,030 business owners, managers and employees of the mining, industrial and manufacturing sectors over the age of 18 years was carried out over the months of March and April 2012 covering all states and territories of Australia and representing all demographics.

About Ferret.com.au
Ferret.com.au is an online business directory servicing the Australian Manufacturing, Industrial and Mining industries. Owned and operated by Catch, an online division of Reed Business Information Australia, Ferret.com.au provides a comprehensive central online source containing the latest product, company and industry news updates. www.ferret.com.au

Next Digital has relaunched their brand to reflect their growth as one of the Asia Pacific’s largest full service digital agencies.

As a once traditional digital solution based agency, the rebrand represents Next Digital’s focus on customer and social media engagement through ideas based digital campaigns.

Along with their original target market they will also be focusing on those clients that wish to use digital as a key channel in their overall strategies.

Creative Director, Hayden Peters said, “This rebranding of Next Digital encompasses our expansion into Asia and aligns itself with our focus on becoming a creative leader in Australia and the wider region.”

In accompaniment of the social led nature of their recent expansion into South East Asia, Next Digital has relaunched its brand to provide a direct view of the key services provided: creative, marketing, strategy and technology.

“Our traditional brand was not reflecting where Next Digital is, and what we provide, as a company. We needed to externally showcase what we can offer as a strategic and marketing led agency,” Mr Peters said.

“When we deconstructed the original brand, we had a look at what digital was in regards to what we offer and then looked at other agencies and how they reflect and engage. We found many agencies to be quite insular in how they communicate and we wanted to be different,” said Mr Peters.

Next Digital has created a global voice including a platform for their employees to discuss, in all honesty, their opinions about their brand.

“Next Digital’s voice is the voice of a global collection of people speaking through the brand. We even have a mascot – MicroChip – a little robot that represents the fun persona of the brand,” said Mr Peters.

The success of the relaunch will be measured through online analytics including the amount of engagement Next Digital receives from their Facebook campaign ‘Love digital like us’.

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For further information or interviews please contact:
Lauren Milne
CP Communications
Phone: 02 9460 9200 


About Next Digital
Next Digital is a leader in creating successful digital strategies for clients throughout the Asia Pacific region. They combine exceptional marketing thinking, regional understanding and technical firepower to develop and deliver broad digital programs.

Their love for all things digital has been going strong for more than 16 years. That journey has helped them hone their delivery and engagement approach, and has shaped how they innovate and keep in front of a fast changing digital space.

Next Digital is a true full service digital agency with over 170 talented digital specialists working throughout offices in Brisbane, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. www.nextdigital.com

Shashen Jewels has launched their new Motherlove collection, containing elegant birthstones for mothers and their children, just in time for Mother’s Day.

The collection contains a pendant with one large and one small birthstone from the range of twelve birthstones available.

Owner and founder of Shashen, Eilish Bouchier said “There is no greater love than a mother's love. This collection celebrates the beautiful connection that exists between a mother and her child in an elegant and simple way.”

“The gemstones are hand selected, hand cut and handset in sterling silver. Each part of the process reflects the gentle care that every mother takes with her child,” said Ms Bouchier.

The Motherlove collection is designed for mothers to wear a pendant containing two of their child’s birthstones. The small stone (8mm) represents the child while the large stone (12mm) represents the mother’s love and nurturing.

Mothers can then pass on one of the stones to their children when they get older. This stone will carry the mother’s energy and remind the child of their love, wisdom and care. The mother can keep the other stone as a symbol of their enduring connection.

There is an option for mothers with more than one child to buy a set of stones for each of their children or chose their own configuration of stones.

Mothers can also purchase their own birthstone and their husband’s birthstone to add to the collection.

The Motherlove collection is $180 for a two stone pendant comprising one large birthstone and one small birthstone set in sterling silver and placed on an 18” sterling silver curb chain.

The collection contains twelve birthstones each representing a different meaning. For example the birthstone for January is garnet whose qualities are protection and passion.

You can purchase the Motherlove collection at the Shashen website or at participating stockists.

You can purchase a pendant to be worn on a chain as a bracelet or necklace.

Shashen Jewels creates unique and organic jewellery with gemstones that are chosen for their beauty and their vibrational energies.

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For further information, interviews, samples of the collection or images please contact:

Rebecca Parry
CP Communications
P: 02 9460 9200
E: rebecca@cpcommunications.com.au

Eilish Bouchier
Shashen Jewels
P: 0409 99 6488
E: eilish@shashenjewels.com

For more information visit the Shashen website: http://www.shashenjewels.com/women-jewellery/necklaces.html?p=2

About Shãshen
Shãshen is the perfect blend of making something happen in the masculine action oriented business world whilst retaining all those softer feminine values of love, nurturing, beauty, seduction and sharing. The name comes from the male (shen) and female (shã) tantric energies to form the perfect balance of giving and receiving. An important aspect of the business is the concept of circular giving. While you give/receive a beautiful piece of jewelry, you also benefit from the vibrational energies of the stones and 20% of Shashen’s profits are donated to the education of children in India.

About Eilish Bouchier
Eilish's personal journey began as a child in Ireland before travelling and gathering experiences living among the cities of Europe, USA and Australia. She considers herself as a curious visitor rather than a tourist and seeks to discover each country and its people. This curiosity has led her to meditate in central Brazil, barbeque in the jungle in South India and bicycle in a snowy Amsterdam. She has worked as a designer and brand consultant in New York, London, and Sydney for clients such as Apple, Vodafone, HarperCollins and Network Associates.

In a competitive market for website development, Next Digital has identified that there are customers looking to partner with experienced agencies who can help them take their existing Sitecore website to the next level. In response to this, Next Digital have launched the ’Next Digital Sitecore Service Package’.

Next Digital Solution Architect and Sitecore MVP, Alistair Deneys, said, “Through our experience with Sitecore, we began to see a niche that was yet to be filled. We found, through developing this package, we could help add value to Sitecore clients who either had no further support by their website developer or no ongoing support program from their current provider.”

The Next Digital Sitecore Service Package consists of two parts. The first is an audit to assess the code base and configuration of an existing Sitecore website, the second is an ongoing ‘Maintenance Package’, which provides access to a dedicated team of certified Sitecore developers.

The audit is designed to assess the health, stability and performance of an existing Sitecore website. With over eight years experience and more than 100 Sitecore websites under their belt, Next Digital believes they are in a unique position to provide this service to the market. As part of the audit, Next Digital provides a report which details the audit findings and recommendations to achieve optimum performance.

“This package allows our Sitecore technical team to sit with the client and discuss issues and ideas around building on their current system. This will be of great value to clients who have an issue and don’t know how to fix it or just aren’t getting enough support from their current provider,” said Mr Deneys.

The ongoing ‘Maintenance Package’ provides the client with access to a dedicated team of certified Sitecore developers, capable of providing assistance and support for the long term.

“We aren’t just targeting clients who want to redevelop their website, we are also providing assistance and support to those Sitecore users who are looking to grow their business through this system and build a long term relationship with a trusted partner.” said Mr Deneys.

Next Digital has been a Sitecore partner since 2004 and within that time has helped build over 100 Sitecore websites for more than 30 clients. Next Digital’s Solution Architect, Alistair Deneys, is the only Sitecore MVP that has been awarded twice in Australia and is one of only 57 worldwide.

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For further information or interviews please contact:
Lauren Milne
CP Communications
Phone: 02 9460 9200
Email: lauren@cpcommunications.com.au

About Next Digital
Next Digital is a leader in creating successful digital strategies for clients throughout the Asia Pacific region. They combine exceptional marketing thinking, regional understanding and technical firepower to develop and deliver broad digital programs.

Their love for all things digital has been going strong for more than 16 years. That journey has helped them hone their delivery and engagement approach, and has shaped how they innovate and keep in front of a fast changing digital space.

Next Digital is a true full service digital agency with over 170 talented digital specialists working throughout offices in Brisbane, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney.
www.nextdigital.com  

Our Director Catriona Pollard was featured in a radio interview for mybusinesshelp.com.au discussing PR tips for small business. Learn about how small business owners can get themselves into the media. Listen here.

Public relations & social media agency, CP Communications, has won three new accounts: digital marketing agency Next Digital; marketing and advertising agency Pulse Marketing and leadership assessment company The Leadership Circle.

CP Communications will be responsible for managing strategic and creative public relations for Next Digital, Pulse Marketing and The Leadership Circle.

Director of CP Communications, Catriona Pollard said “We are excited to expand our client base and to work with these innovative and dynamic companies.”
“Our new account wins provide us with the opportunity to grow our business and to continue achieving outstanding results for all of our clients,” said Ms Pollard.

CP Communications will tailor PR strategies and tactics to achieve each client’s strategic objectives.

These three new companies will join CP Communications’ diverse range of clients, which include Hilton Worldwide and Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics.

About CP Communications
Established in 2001, CP Communications provides strategic and creative PR and social media solutions across B2B and B2C sectors. CP Communications specialises in developing PR and social media programs that link to business objectives and outcomes. As the pioneers in social media, CP Communications’ Director, Catriona Pollard has been listed as one of the top 100 PR people worldwide worth following on Twitter and as one of the 22 Inspirational Australian Female Entrepreneurs. www.cpcommunications.com.au/

Next Digital
Next Digital is a leader in creating successful digital strategies for clients throughout the Asia Pacific region. They combine exceptional marketing thinking, regional understanding and technical firepower to develop and deliver broad digital programs. www.nextdigital.com/

Pulse Marketing
Pulse Marketing is a full service marketing and advertising agency motivated by their passion for making brands famous and businesses grow. www.pulsemarketing.com.au/

The Leadership Circle
The Leadership Circle is a cutting-edge leadership assessment company that believes that business leadership will set the agenda for the planet’s future. Their leadership and development system is the first to offer assessment and development tools, workshops, training, research and support technologies that provide a pathway to evolved leadership. www.theleadershipcircle.com

Hilton Worldwide today announced that, in support of Earth Hour 2012, all hotels in its portfolio in the Australasian region pledge to go beyond the hour initiative and offset the carbon emissions of every occupied room once a month for the rest of the year. This will be in addition to their pledge to offset carbon emissions from their guest rooms during Earth Hour on Saturday March 31, 2012.

To help out corporate travellers, many of whom are battling to decipher the impact of the upcoming Carbon Tax, all participating Hilton properties in the Australasian region will offset the carbon emissions on the second Monday of every month.

Ashley Spencer, Vice President – Operations, Australasia, said, “Earth Hour has encouraged corporations and individuals to make a commitment to go beyond the hour and to challenge others to do the same. We believe offsetting carbon once a month with help us to reach our sustainability goals and help set the bench marks for other corporations.”

“All customers who choose to stay at a Hilton in Australasia during the elected days will be notified, through information provided in their rooms, of our commitment to Earth Hour and exactly what their occupancy is doing to help the environment. The positives that will come from the amount of carbon we will be offsetting through this initiative far outweigh any financial impact that may occur,” said Mr Spencer.

As the sponsor for Earth Hour this year, Hilton Sydney recently hosted the official launch of Earth Hour 2012 at Marble Bar. To show their full support for Earth Hour, Hilton Worldwide Australasia has taken on a second key initiative in the Earth Hour campaign.

Hilton Worldwide Australasia will be taking part in Earth Hour Unplugged - a series of community based events that will not be using electricity or emitting any carbon during and even beyond the hour.

“Each individual Hilton property will be hosting their own Unplugged event during Earth Hour. Some properties will be hosting candle-lit dinners while others will be featuring local talent giving ‘unplugged’ or acoustic performances,” said Mr Spencer. 

Hilton Sydney plans to mark Earth Hour 2012 from 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, March 31, 2012 as people and organisations around the world turn off their lights in support of action on global climate change

The hotel's signature 'Earth Hour Unplugged' event will be a free, acoustic gig at iconic live music-hub, Marble Bar with Melbourne's coolest rock and roll sextet, The Hello Morning. Heading to Sydney especially to play the one-night only acoustic set during Earth Hour, 8.30pm - 9.30pm, the candlelit gig is set to be unmissable and a spotlight Sydney event for Earth Hour 2012.

Each property will have their Unplugged event listed on the WWF-Earth Hour website.

For more information on the Carbon Offset project, visit www.hilton.com/Australasia.carbonoffset.

For more information on Hilton Worldwide’s sustainability initiatives, visit www.hiltonworldwide.com/sustainability.

For more information on Earth Hour 2012 visit http://www.wwf.org.au/earthhour/


About Hilton Worldwide
Hilton Worldwide is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 93 years, Hilton Worldwide has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 3,800 hotels and timeshare properties, with 630,000 rooms in 88 countries and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.


About Earth Hour
Held each year at 8:30pm on the last Saturday in March, Earth Hour is a WWF initiative which symbolises the collective power of individuals, businesses and governments to reduce our environmental impact on this one and only planet we call home.

From its beginnings in one city in one country - Sydney - Earth Hour has grown to millions of people in over 5000 cities across 135 countries, a truly global community committed to creating a more sustainable planet.

Macquarie University’s Women, Management & Work Conference on 12-13 July 2012 will empower women to take control of their career by building on, and embracing, their full potential to become influential leaders in their field.

Newly appointed conference director Jenny Morawska, President and CEO of The Morawska Group said, “This year we are aiming to inspire and encourage women looking to make their mark in corporate leadership to act on their strengths and be empowered to start making changes.”

“It’s not enough to just discuss why women should be involved in more leadership positions. We need to inspire and empower women to start doing,” she said.

Women and men who are leaders in business and government will identify strategies to achieve higher levels of women in leadership roles throughout Australia. The conference will share inspirational stories, practical tips and tools to help the audience build on their strengths, unlock their potential and become empowered.

“Positive steps are being taken for women in leadership positions, but it isn’t enough. We need to start working together with men to ensure that the corporate landscape takes this on as an issue and begins helping us to make a change,” Ms Morawska said.

The Women, Management & Work: Inspiration and Empowerment – Creating your future conference is specifically designed to provide practical and relevant advice on empowerment, negotiation, social networking, presentation skills, workplace diversity, networking, mentoring, and career development.

Topics to be discussed over the two days include; the emerging future of corporate leadership, leveraging personal networks and how to be seen and heard in the workplace, as well as tips on how to empower your strengths to become an influential and successful leader.

The conference is hosted by the Centre for Workforce Futures, in the Department of Marketing and Management, Faculty of Business and Economics.  Professor Ray Markey the new director of the Centre for Workforce Futures said, “This conference gives voice to the many issues surrounding diversity and the changing dynamic in today’s workplace. Our research and academic input will give delegates an insight into the future of work and their place in it”.

Date: 12 - 13 July 2012, 9am – 5pm
Where: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 61-101 Phillip St, Sydney
For more information, program details & registration: www.mm.mq.edu.au/wmwc 
Fee: Early Bird $1,725 until 1 June 2012, $2,300