ALTERNATIVES TO OFFSITE TRAINING; BAD NEWS ON THE TOURIST FRONT; COUNTING THE COST OF COVID

ALTERNATIVES TO OFFSITE TRAINING; BAD NEWS ON THE TOURIST FRONT; COUNTING THE COST OF COVID

Welcome to today’s business and media intelligence, with insights collected over the past 24-hours as NSW announces a relaxation of social distancing restrictions effective from Friday.

International news

  • BLACKROCK: NOT JUST ABOUT MONEY
    • BlackRock has booked over $35bn of inflows over the three months to the end of March 2020. However, the Financial Times says the group’s sway extends far beyond its function as an asset manager. Read about BlackRock’s role as a lobbyist and its central role in the financial system in the Financial Times. (Subscriber access)
  • MISS THOSE OFFSITE TRAINING DAYS? HERE ARE SOME ALTERNATIVES
    • Offsite training days may well be a thing of the past, according to The Economist, and not everyone will miss them either. But there are some great and inventive training programs online. You can read more here(Subscriber access)
  • REMOTE SCHOOLING ONE OF THE MOST TRYING ASPECTS OF COVID
    • The challenge of juggling home schooling with working is being felt by parents around the world, according to the New York Times, and there is growing fears about the impact of months away from the classroom (for children and parents!). Read the article here(Subscriber access)

Australian company news 

  • WE ARE TOO COMPLEX, SAYS NAB CEO
    • NAB CEO Ross McEwan has vowed to simplify the bank by focusing on four key areas: “Safety through the crisis, simplicity and being digitally enabled, customer relationships, and long-term decisions and outcomes. There are not a lot of things on the page here and that’s the point,”. Read The Australian article here(Subscriber access)
    • Analysts have questioned whether NAB’s COVID-19 modelling is too optimistic, as the bank revealed a range of scenarios yesterday in its interim results. McEwan reinforced the current uncertainty in the market: “Will the scenarios be right? Guaranteed no.” he said. Read the AFR article here(Subscriber access)
  • BAD NEWS ON THE TOURIST FRONT: INDUSTRY COULD SHRINK BY 30 PER CENT
    • Having cut staff numbers from 22,000 to 5,000, Flight Centre’s CEO is urging a relaxation of travel restrictions and says no amount of government assistance will help the industry if interstate travel is enforced throughout the winter. Read The Australian article here. (Subscriber access)
  • GOOGLE MD: WE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT CANBERRA WAS UP TO
    • Google Australia’s MD says she was “shocked” at claims the tech giant was dragging its feet in negotiations with the Federal Government for a voluntary media code. For its part, the Government and media owners want Google and others to pay for news. Read the AFR article here(Subscriber access)

Australian markets 

  • COUNTING THE COST OF COVID-19
    • While the Federal Government has ruled out the need for an update before the October budget, it will release a new set of economic forecasts in June that estimate the future economic impact of coronavirus. Read the AFR article here(Subscriber access)

Our daily briefing is not meant to be a summary of media coverage but rather, insights that may be helpful in understanding how organisations are communicating with stakeholders in a time of crisis – and what comes next. Sign up via email