THE WORLD ACCORDING TO CFOs; NEW WAYS TO GO PUBLIC

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO CFOs; NEW WAYS TO GO PUBLIC

Welcome to this week’s business and media intelligence, with insights collected over the past seven days.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO CFOs

  • Three-quarters of Australia’s CFOs expect the pandemic to hit revenue in the second half of 2020, while more than half are bracing for further declines in 2021. These are just some of the findings from Deloitte’s biannual CFO Sentiment Survey. You can read all about it in The Australian.

UNEMPLOYED AUSSIES TOLD TO GO BUSH

  • Fletcher International Exports is looking to hire about 150 people over the next couple of months. The problem? There are no international workers left who will put their hands up for the job. So, Roger Fletcher is urging city folk who have lost their job to go bush and help out Australia’s farmers. Not only is there plenty of work, the air is clean, and the people are friendly. Read more in The AFR.

NEW WAYS TO GO PUBLIC

  • As IPOs continue to decline, a new wave of tech firms are taking advantage of frothy stock markets to experiment with new ways of listing, including direct listings and blank-cheque companies. The good news is these experiments put pressure on banks and regulators to improve the IPO process. Read more in The Economist.

RETAILING: SOME GOOD NEWS. FINALLY.

  • The shift in consumer spending towards smaller retailers and neighborhood stores that helped wholesaler Metcash achieve record sales growth in May and June has accelerated. First-quarter sales rose by more than 10 per cent in all three pillars – food, liquor and hardware distribution – as consumers shopped at independent retailers.

WITHOUT COMPASSION, RESILIENT LEADERS WILL FALL SHORT

  • By now, leaders know they need to be strong and resilient to make it through times of crisis, but what they also need to recognise is how their contempt can affect the people around them. Fortunately, Harvard Business Review says it’s possible to train yourself to be alert to signs of an impending “contempt attack” – and in so doing, help hit the reset button. Read the steps here.

Feel free to share these updates with colleagues or friends. They can sign up here to receive our daily newsletter.