Construction Climate – Australia and NZ

27 February, 2007 by Leave a Comment

In its Construction Cost Commentary for January 2007, the Rider Hunt offices report tendering activity continues to surge in most Australian cities, Sydney being the only location bucking the trend. In New Zealand, sustained levels of Building Consents and the coming on-line of some major projects indicate continued high levels of activity in 2007.

What I’ve done is to bring you some extracts from that report, And you’ll notice that Brisbane, Perth and Darwin are currently the strongest markets.
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Filed Under: Economic Issues, Global Scene, Property Cycles

Mind Bender #3 : Answers

19 February, 2007 by Leave a Comment

A while ago, several people suggested I needed to “raise the bar” a little. And, judging from responses to date … it seems this Mind Bender may have slowed few of them down.

Here are the Answers …
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Filed Under: Mind Bender Solutions, Mind Benders

Mind Bender # 3 : The Versatile No. 7

8 February, 2007 by

A few people suggested the last Mind Bender might have been too easy. So, here’s something to mull on over the weekend.

A large part of your success will come from your ability to combine the familiar aspects of what you deal with, in a completely new and more profitable way.
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Filed Under: Mind Benders

Australia’s Skills Shortage — Relief in Sight

6 February, 2007 by Leave a Comment

You would have seen a fair amount of publicity about there being a looming skills shortage. And with the Construction industry, it still remains a dominant concern.

However, a recent survey conducted by Davis Langdon suggests there is a “glimmer of hope, with varying degrees of easing recorded across all trades.”
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Filed Under: Industrial Sector, Property Cycles

Mind Bender #2 : Solution

15 January, 2007 by

Thanks for submitting your solutions for the last Mind Bender.

It’s interesting that most people tend to focus upon what is there – rather than what is NOT there – in seeking out a solution. So, it’s good to see that a number of you don’t place such limits on your own thinking.

Some feedback suggested that the words “a” and “the” were missing. And yet, it’s not very difficult to construct a paragraph without them.

However, what is unusual is to have an entire paragraph without ever using the letter “E” – which is the most popular letter in the alphabet.

Anyway, congratulations to those of you who picked it up quickly. And maybe I will have to ‘raise the bar’ going forward.

 

 

Filed Under: Mind Bender Solutions, Mind Benders

Mind Bender # 2 : About December

8 January, 2007 by

I promised to help stretch your thinking and encourage you to adopt a different approach to things. So, here’s your next challenge.
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Filed Under: Mind Benders