STRATEGIC PLANNING – AUSTRALIA

Guthrie’s ground rules: an ABC of inclusiveness

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 28-Jul-16

ABC MD Michelle Guthrie will be one of the speakers at the Creative Country conference in Melbourne on 28 July 2016. Guthrie will outline the need for the public broadcaster to extend its multi-platform audience reach beyond its current level of about 71 per cent. She will also outline plans to increase the ABC’s diversity in terms of both staff and content, and significantly increase the proportion of its annual budget that is allocated to content production.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, STAR TV, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

New Woolies CEO shuts store doors on growth strategy

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 16 : 26-Jul-16

Shares in Woolworths closed 8.2 per cent higher at $A24.30 on 25 July 2016, after the retail giant unveiled a restructuring program. Woolworths’ financial results for fiscal 2016 will be hit by restructuring costs in excess of $A4bn, while its EBIT will fall sharply. The turnaround strategy includes the closure of underperforming stores, the retrenchment of 500 employees at its head office and the sale of EziBuy. CEO Brad Banducci says Woolworths could also consider further asset sales in the future in order to retain its investment grade credit rating.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, EZIBUY, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, AUSTRALIAN LEISURE AND HOSPITALITY GROUP LIMITED, THE QUANTIUM GROUP PTY LTD, MASTERS HOME IMPROVEMENT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, HOME TIMBER AND HARDWARE, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, PERPETUAL INVESTMENTS

WPP eyes TV as YouTube falls short

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 23 : 25-Jul-16

GroupM is expected to allocate more of its advertising spending commitment to Australia’s free-to-air TV networks, after favouring YouTube in 2015. The Nine Network’s share of the media buying group’s TV budget has been reduced, while the Ten Network has secured a guaranteed share of 25 per cent, compared with between 23 and 25 per cent in 2015. Industry executives note that that digital platforms such as YouTube are under scrutiny over issues such as viewability and audience measurement.

CORPORATES
GROUPM COMMUNICATIONS PTY LTD, WPP GROUP PLC, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, THINK TV, IPG MEDIABRANDS

Growth returns to BHP but not in petroleum

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 21-Jul-16

BHP Billiton plans to lift iron ore, copper, coking coal and nickel production in 2016-17, after the coking coal division was the only one that increased production in 2015-16. However, the petroleum division is expected to reduce production by 13-17 per cent, after output was cut by six per cent in 2015-16. Meanwhile, iron ore shipments from BHP’s mines in Western Australia totalled 257 million tonnes in 2015-16, compared with the group’s target of 260 million tonnes. Output is slated to be within the range of 265 million to 275 million tonnes in 2016-17.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, BT INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED – ASX BTT, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, SHAW AND PARTNERS LIMITED

Fortescue unplugs lithium from battery of resources

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Original article by Barry FitzGerald
The Australian – Page: 22 : 21-Jul-16

Australian-listed Fortescue Metals Group has revealed plans to sell the lithium exploration rights at its iron ore leases in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. CEO Nev Power says iron ore remains the company’s priority. Lithium miners such as Pilbara Minerals and Orocobre have benefited from growing global demand for lithium-ion batteries, with strong gains in their share prices and market capitalisation.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, PILBARA MINERALS LIMITED – ASX PLS, OROCOBRE LIMITED – ASX ORE

Telstra thrives on new look tag

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Original article by Darren Davidson
The Australian – Page: 25 : 18-Jul-16

Telstra will use its alliance with Olympic Games broadcaster Seven Network to launch a major overhaul of its brand. The telco has developed its rebranding in partnership with creative agency The Monkeys, and will replace its long-running "It’s how we connect" tagline with "Thrive On". Joe Pollard, Telstra’s group managing director of media and marketing, says the new branding is based on the theme that the telco "empowers people to thrive".

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, THE MONKEYS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Super-size me: NAB banks on giant new fund

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Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 23 : 14-Jul-16

National Australia Bank’s MLC Super Fund has become the nation’s second-largest superannuation fund and the biggest retail fund after five separate funds were amalgamated. The enlarged MLC Super boasts some $A70bn worth of funds under management, and NAB has indicated that rationalising its super funds is likely to result in lower fees for members. The consolidation of its super funds will also enable NAB to separate its super and investment businesses from its life insurance arm, in which a controlling stake has been sold to Nippon Life.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, MLC LIMITED, NIPPON LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD

Retirees urged to tap into home equity

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Original article by Sally Rose
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 13-Jul-16

AustralianSuper CEO Ian Silk says the superannuation fund may seek to offer a broader range of retirement income products in coming years. This could include home equity release products, which allow homeowners to capitalise on the value of their home without the risks associated with reverse mortgages. Silk concedes that there are significant problems with some retirement income products that are currently available, and says the industry must work hard to address the issue.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Chances for asset bargains rare: BHP CFO

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Original article by James Thomson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 11-Jul-16

BHP Billiton’s CFO Peter Beaven says the resources giant is still on the lookout for mergers and acquisitions opportunities, but he stresses that such deals are not a priority. BHP is particularly interested in copper and petroleum assets, but Beaven acknowledges that there are limited opportunities to acquire quality assets at an appropriate price at present. Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sebastian Jacques also recently indicated that the company will not pursue acquisitions that do not create value.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, FREEPORT-McMORAN COPPER AND GOLD INCORPORATED, CHINA MOLYBDENUM COMPANY LIMITED, BARRICK GOLD CORPORATION, ANTOFAGASTA PLC, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32

Troubled Guvera’s London IPO plan

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Original article by Misa Han
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 7-Jul-16

Documents filed in court show that Australian streaming music provider Guvera originally intended to list on the London Stock Exchange rather than the local bourse. Guvera abandoned plans for a London listing following the collapse of its UK subsidiary Blinkbox, which boasted about 2.5 million subscribers when it was bought in early 2015. Guvera had acquired Blinkbox in order to facilitate its British IPO. Guvera’s Australian IPO was subsequently rejected, prompting two subsidiaries to be placed in administration.

CORPORATES
GUVERA LIMITED, BLINKBOX, LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, TESCO PLC, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED