Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Oktoberfest-ographics

As we say auf wiedersehen to Oktoberfest for another year, Kerri visits some Australian regions with Germanic roots. Urban Excursions October 2012 brought to you the Oktoberfestonomics, the price of a pint of beer in Australia relative to other countries as we saluted our love of German beer, German sausage and all things Oktoberfest. This year, we explore our Germanic demographic roots, Oktoberfestographics if you like. Well you cannot have a surname like Meulman without laying some claim to Germanic origins and all things Oktoberfest. Whilst my ancestors claim to be Dutch, there is some very small question mark over whether or not there is actually some German descent in my blood, and like many towns across Australia that changed their names at the time of World War I, did my ancestors deny their German heritage? It will remain a mystery, but in any event I am happy to claim some German heritage and this October 2013 edition of Urban Excursions explores Australia’s Germanic roots and ancestry.

Whilst a number of towns with German names or of German origin did indeed change their names around the time of the Great War, others survived or did not change. Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills is perhaps the first that comes to mind when we think about German settlements and concentrations in Australia. The town of Hahndorf lays claim to being Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement and now has a significant tourist and day tripper function, but it too did not survive the anti-German sentiment at the time of the Great War and was renamed Ambleside, not reverting to its original name until the State’s Centenary celebrations in 1935. The original German Lutheran settlers in the Hahndorf area came to Australia fleeing religious persecution from the King of Prussia at the time. Sound familiar?

Establishing crops, the area became an important fruit and vegetable supplier for Adelaide and South Australia. The town and surrounding Adelaide Hills area retain strong linkages with their German heritage, with 11.5% of the residents of Hahndorf identifying as having German ancestry (compared with only 3.2% for Australia as a whole) and a significant 14.2% identified with the Lutheran religion, compared with only 1.2% Australia wide. Similarly, the Barossa Valley, famed for its wineries and vineyards, was originally settled by German Lutherans, with almost one quarter of residents of the Barossa-Tanunda SA2 identifying German ancestry and a significant 40% of residents were Lutheran at the time of the 2011 Census. Many of the now famous Australian wineries were established in the Barossa during this period; Seppelt, Penfolds, Tolleys, Jacob’s to name a few.

Another of Australia’s prominent fruit and vegetable growing regions, the Lockyer Valley, also claims strong German heritage. Almost 12% of residents of Gatton and 10% of the Lockyer Valley Regional Council area overall, identifying with German ancestry. The wave of German immigrants to Queensland was again effectively forced migration fleeing famine and poor agricultural conditions, in search of employment – again familiar? German migrants were recruited to the Darling Downs to work as shepherds to assist large pastoralists care for their flocks. The Eastern Darling Downs (excluding Toowoomba) including areas such as Oakey and Dalby also represents higher incidences of those of German ancestry (9.5%) Other towns such as Kalbar (formerly Englesburg but changed its name in the lead up to the Great War) and Marburg also represent significant concentrations of those with German ancestry compared with the national average (12.1% and 9.2% compared with 3.2%).

Both Queensland and South Australia have more prominent incidences of those of German ancestry than the other states and the Australian average, established by waves of effectively forced migration and laying claim to much of the development of the renowned food bowl areas of the Adelaide Hills and Barossa, the Lockyer Valley and Darling Downs. It may have been the original British settlers who brought beer to Australia, but as we come to the end of another Oktoberfest, we raise a glass to our German ancestors and shout “Prost!” or Cheers guys, until next month. Now……Ein Bier, bitte!!

Monday, November 11, 2013

Big Data.....Big Deal or Big Opportunity?





·       So what is Big Data?
·       How is it used?
·       What can SME’s do?
·       How can Urban Economics help?



I run a jaded eye over the latest email from Coles Flybuys, and there presented for me are a series of fantastic looking specials at my local Coles Toowong.  Curiously, these items seem somewhat familiar.  I look a little closer, and yes every item on that list of specials was something that I had bought at my last shop in store.  Cottee’s Cordial - son’s favourite drink – Check! Mars Bars and chocolate buttons to make my specialty Mars Bar Slice – Check! All magically on special and emailed directly to me.  Big Data at work.  

A study in the US estimated that retailers applying the information sourced through Big Data analytics would improve operating margins (McKinsey) by some 60% whilst PWC estimated that in Australia, there would be some $1.3billion in savings for business investment when derived through data driven promotion decisions. With headlines like “every company needs a big data strategy to avoid falling behind” and “Big data ‘vital’ to UK economy” reflecting the push for more informed decision making, it is not surprising that the demand for big data analysts is projected to grow exponentially – another 69,000 in the UK by 2017 alone, and that there are a myriad of specialist programs aimed at assisting businesses mine and interpret their data.  

So what is Big Data and is it really a Big Deal?

Big Data is essentially the term applied to the use of technology in extracting insights and information from the wealth of data that businesses have at their disposal in informing business decisions.  This can include internal sources such as client invoices and customer accounts, employee records, website analytics, business traffic counts eg. at a shopping centre etc, as well as external data sources that can be overlaid to sift through critical pieces and insights such as ABS data, social media information, financial markets etc.  

Probably some of the easiest observed outcomes of Big Data at work at this point in time are those inspired emails that are really targeted at individual needs and aspirations, and more importantly their shopping habits and patterns.  And we as consumers are generally ok with companies having this level of access to our purchase patterns, where I shop, what I buy, how often, as long as we feel that we are somehow being rewarded for this or getting some sort of return.  Loyalty programs are central to this access to customer patterns and preferences for retailers, service businesses alike. 


Analysis of internal and external information is vital for all businesses big and small!
 


Big Data analytics might be all well and good for large organisations and government departments with the resources, the extensive customer databases, the deep pockets to invest in the technologies, and such opportunities may seem beyond the possibilities of small to medium businesses.  The reality is that we all, to varying degrees, utilise data to inform decision processes, including both internal and external data sources, and it is the advent of technology with the capacity to drill further into the wealth and breadth of consumer and business data that is changing the face of business decision processes and communication strategies.  Data application itself is not new in influencing competitive strategies and decision processes, rather it is the detailed analysis and application of numerous extensive data sets that is rapidly changing and for which businesses really need to be engaging to maintain competitiveness.  

For small to medium businesses exploring their competitive advantages, I think the key really needs to get back to a focus on information and gathering insights from both your internal and external sources.  Understanding what you already know is critical.  Start a conversation with yourself and explore your own customer data, what trends are evident, who are they, where are they, how have they changed? What do you already know and build on that. Consider a short form survey of your existing client base to fill in some of the gaps, add a splash of ABS data and watch out world!  



Knowledge as they say is power, and with that in mind, I do have a dinner party to prepare for, Mars Bar slice on the menu, I better go shopping and I know just where to go to get a great deal!  

I’d be happy to discuss how to inform and add value to your business decisions through research, insights and analysis.  Let us take the Big Data out of the equation and put information, insights and recommendations back in. 

Kerri Bonwick-Meulman
(07) 3839 1400