The Biz: Saunders back on Labour's side

The answer my friend, is that Barrie Saunders is blowin' in the wind.

The seasoned, multi-purpose PR man could be seen as either the best or the worst of his type, depending on your view of the profession. He was Bill Rowling's press secretary in the 1970s before a 180-degree twist to spend several years championing the cause of the Business Roundtable. After a one-week stint helping the IRD improve its "communication issues" in early February this year, he's now cemented his position as a Labour Party favourite by appearing on behalf of Saunders Unsworth at last week's heavy petting session between Government and business.

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It's anybody's guess what shareholders might have felt on learning recently that Brierley Investments has been recognised for corporate disclosure excellence in Singapore.

In the same way, say, a prize could be awarded Bob Jones for his humility, so Brierley deserves one of the highest scores on the Corporate Transparency Index for its uniquely informative half- and full-year reports, says Singapore's Business Times newspaper. Well, the Biz thinks the Singaporeans may have a point. After all, the only thing Brierley has not disclosed to Kiwi shareholders is where the bulk of their investments have gone.

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An apology to shareholders from Advantage Group chairman Evan Christian in the company's 2000 annual report related to the little fracas the company had with the Stock Exchange over the release of annual results in August.

"We got it wrong ... We made a mistake ... We apologise to our shareholders ... " said Mr Christian. After Advantage made $2.9 million last year (down from $3.4 million the year before) Mr Christian is promising growth in profits rather than size this year.

Remorse and promises apart, one suspects most of Advantage's 3800 shareholders will happily settle for a better share price. The stock is languishing at around 180c, having slumped from the dizzying heights of 565c attained in April.

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It took a record time of three months - from conceptualisation, analysis and research to final name selection - to come up with Andersen Consulting's new name, Accenture, says the company.

The name was chosen from 2677 names submitted by employees around the globe.

What does it mean?

"It's a coined word that connotes putting an accent or emphasis on the future, just as the firm focuses on helping clients create their future" a press release proudly proclaims. Suggestions in a similar vein the Biz felt duty-bound to suggest: Consulture, Managemention, Emphasiture, Balonyisation, Madeupwordism.

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IT recruitment company Robert Walters offered a great weekend to its 3000 global employees: wining, dining and the chance for a close encounter with simply the best private dancer around, Tina Turner, at South Africa's Sun City.

Unfortunately, the company's only Kiwi staffer is afraid of flying. Her compensation? Manning the worldwide phones on Saturday night while her 2999 colleagues boogied the night away on company gas.

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AMI city staff have been temporarily relocated 50m from their regular office on the corner of Albert and Wyndham streets while refurbishments take place.

The temporary digs have a peculiar smell, one Biz colleague noted on visiting the premises.

What is it? he inquired.

Deer velvet, which used to be stored here, he was told. One wonders what effect, if any, the lingering smell of a supposedly potent aphrodisiac has on busy insurance workers. One pregnancy has already been reported ...