Ninety per cent of smart phone owners use their phones to look up local information. Sixty per cent then act on it to visit, buy from or interact deeper.

From showrooming to virgin consumers we’re tripping over new business buzzwords at every turn. Are they simply jargon or do they tell us something about today’s rapidly changing business landscape that we should be listening to?

The Australian Government’s first Cyber Crime and Security Report was launched this month, with statistics showing that cyber crime has become ever more targeted and much more efficient. UQ Business School’s Dr Peter Clutterbuck suggests there is still plenty that businesses can do to protect their data integrity.

Ask a management consultant a question and what are you likely to get? A bill. Is the management consultancy industry listening to its own (often expensive) advice and becoming agile, innovative and customer focussed in the face of uncertainty and rapid change?

Consider the emerging business trends and think forward. What new skills in information management, healthcare and innovation will take the businesses of 2020 and beyond towards a prosperous future?

Credit rating agencies wield considerable power in the global financial system. With one of the big three agencies, Standard & Poor’s, being sued for $5 billion by the US department of justice, we look at what credit ratings do and why they are all over the news.

Robots are moving off the assembly line, into other areas of work. Businesses will need to adapt to take advantage of the benefits that robots can offer, while managing the impact on their human workforce. The mantras of organisational change management, leadership and culture will take on new and very real meaning.

Between us we’ve downloaded 11 apps for every man, woman and child on earth - and not everyone has a smart phone. Yet. We take a look at a few apps that are emerging for business use. It’s just a sample. Do you have more to add?

In an age where syndicated content is increasing and journalists at major news outlets are being asked to produce more with declining resources, the alternative voice and subject matter offered by independent publishers is needed more than ever.