BUSINESS

In a bizarre patent defense, Samsung points to filmmaker Stanley Kubrick as the original designer of the iPad and not Apple.

Leighton Holdings announced Wednesday the sudden resignation of board chairman David Mortimer, effective immediately.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry is recommending a reduction in business taxes to boost manufacturing.

Australia's bluefin tuna industry chiefs are eager to see a higher catch quota permitted for southern blue fin tuna for the 2012 and 2013 fishing seasons.

Origin Energy said its 2011 profit dropped 70% after one-off items, but grew 15% on an underlying basis.

New research has revealed your phone can actually make you sexier. A survey by social dating community Zoosk.com shows 46 per cent of males and 63 per cent of females rate the Apple iPhone the sexiest model.

Shareholders in travel group Flight Centre have shared in the boom in Australian's flying overseas in increasing numbers to take advantage of the higher Australian dollar.

The company's full-year results, released today, show a 7.4% increase in net profits to $15.9m. Likewise, the group has grown its loan book to $42.4bn, up from $40bn in 2010.

In new research released today, it was revealed that 44% of new recruits are falling short of employer expectations.

Suncorp has seen its profits hit hard by the impact of natural disasters, but has claimed bad debts as a result of the disasters have not caused significant losses.

Banks could have further to move on fixed rates before the current wave of cuts is over, it has been claimed.

Despite its falling stock price, national carrier Qantas Airways posted Wednesday a full-year net income of $250 million, and executives said it is a natural target for acquisition.

By Greg PeelThe Dow rose 322 points or 3.0% while the S&P gained 3.4% to 1162 and the Nasdaq jumped 4.

- Slowest rate of retail turnover growth will not remain in place forever, argues BIS Shrapnel- New report suggests solid returns should be achieved despite touch conditions- Improvement in consumer spending to help boost returnsBy Chris ShawThe current economic environment has resulted in the slowe...

U.S. stocks surged Tuesday as another dose of bleak economic data raised hopes that the Federal Reserve will take additional measures to stimulate the economy.

TheHomepage.com.au is reporting a jump in customer engagement since launching a new feature in July that positions video as the ‘hero’ in all listings — replacing still photography as the first thing a visitor sees.

Coffee slurpers and office hoarders beware, the etiquette police are after you!

Even before E.T. and his friends return, some entities already here on earth are set for world domination. After Hewlett-Packard announced that it will be giving up the tablet business (notwithstanding that it has yet to recover anything from the $1.2 billion it paid to buy Palm Inc's WebOS last year), HP TouchPad's prices were slashed from $399 to $99 per unit. Immediately, demand for the tablet skyrocketed.

With the HP TouchPad selling for only $100 this weekend enterprising modders are looking to import Google's Android OS to replace the TouchPad's less than stellar WebOS. HacknMod is holding a contest that offers $1500 for any techie who can get Android on the HP Tablet.

BHP Billiton Illawarra Coal intends to hire workers laid off due to BlueScope Steel’s restructure of its Australian operations.

Virgin Australia’s long-haul pilots and long haul cabin crew have voted yes to their respective enterprise bargaining agreements (EBAs).

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has agreed to a cross-border referral deal with ‘big four’ Chinese bank Agricultural Bank of China in hopes of drawing more customers.

A recent landmark legal case in which a Telstra employee successfully claimed compensation for injuries suffered while working from home has raised some serious concerns for employers who offer similar flexible working arrangements.

Economic volatility has delayed CUA's re-entry to the broker market, the mutual has indicated.

The Australian Bankers' Association has claimed there are already high levels of switching between financial institutions, but has committed the banking industry to working with the government to ease switching following the release of proposed legislative reforms.

Australian First Mortgage has made its second round of fixed rate cuts in a week.

It may be the title of the latest Hollywood-blockbuster comedy, but having a horrible boss is the norm for many people in reality - and a real threat to employee retention, according to a recent survey.

BlueScope Steel's decision to grant executive bonuses of up to $3.05 million while at the same time axing 1,400 jobs from steelworks around the country has outraged the Australian Workers' Union and independent senator Nick Xenophon.

By Rudi Filapek-VandyckChina's manufacturers continue operating under tough circumstances, but minor improvements seem to be on the cards.