tailieunhanh - PRICE OUTLOOK DROPS TO LOWEST POINT IN 24 YEARS

As you consider your future and the possibility of operating a personal or family business, learn what it takes to successfully launch a small business venture. Recognize entrepreneurial opportunities, challenges and rewards, and immerse yourself in skills and terminology pertinent to the business sector. In addition to studying the f inancial options for a new endeavor—as well as the economic decision-making process for small to midsize businesses—you learn marketing strategies for launching new products and services, explore human resource management and business ethics, and understand the requirements to establish a business | MEDIA RELEASE ER BgM Decide with Confidence Tuesday 8 January 2013 PRICE OUTLOOK DROPS TO LOWEST POINT IN 24 YEARS Australian businesses are looking to negotiate a post-Christmas spending slump through continued discounting with the outlook for selling prices during the first quarter of this year falling to a historic low. The latest data from Dun Bradstreet s National Business Expectations Survey shows the selling price expectation index dropping to three points - its lowest level since the data was first analysed by D B in 1988 and 26 points below the 10-year average index. Actual selling prices have now tracked below the expectations of business executives for 10 consecutive quarters suggesting their businesses are facing an ongoing demand for discounts by their customers. Sep-09 Dec-09 Mar-10 Jun-10 Sep-10 Dec-10 Mar-11 Jun-11 Sep-11 Dec-11 Mar-12 Jun-12 Sep-12 Dec-12 Mar-13 Quarter In tandem with lower selling prices businesses are anticipating reduced activity with expectations for both their sales and inventory levels pulling back sharply from the previous quarter s expectations. The D B sales expectations index has dropped 14 points from a relative high in the previous quarter to 19. These lower expectations are matched by survey findings that more than 57 per cent of businesses have identified demand for their products as the main barrier to growing their business in the year ahead. MEDIA RELEASE Decide with Confidence Inventories expectations are following this trend with the index retreating from 24 to 16 an indication that businesses are looking to hold less stock in anticipation of sluggish spending activity. The selling prices sales and inventories data reflect a continued sense that consumers and businesses will remain cautious about how they spend their money in 2013. According to Dun Bradstreet s CEO Gareth Jones businesses are continuing to focus on discounting to encourage spending. We know that there is traditionally a drop off in spending .