Theo Muller, Managing Director, MMResearch™

We live in interesting times. Oil prices rising through the roof, finance companies falling over by the dozens, house prices adjusting downward and hundreds of real estate agents out of work. Where is this going? I'll tell you where! It means opportunities galore.

People are resilient. It may take a little while, but most affected people will rise above it and change direction; they will re-train, find another job or set up a new business. They may have dreamed about it for years, but the courage was not there to step up or the opportunities were simply over-looked. Now they realize that they have choices!

I am very confident that New Zealanders will re-group and come out better than before. History provides all the proof we need to know that better times always follow periods of economic stress.

Let's keep our sense of humour and above all, don't take the economists and doom sayers too seriously.

mailto:info@mm-research.com

Wendy joined MMResearch™ in April this year in the position of Researcher. She is a marketing and business psychology graduate from Massey University. Wendy's theoretical background is reinforced by practical research experience, particularly quantitative research. Wendy has a strong interest in human behaviour and a desire to apply her research skills developed over five years at university. At MMResearch™, Wendy will join the "quant" team and work closely with Audrey and Greg.

Wendy will also resume responsibility for the quarterly oMMnibus™. oMMnibus™ is a powerful research tool that uses proven methodologies to provide quick and relatively inexpensive responses to questions about markets, products and national opinion.

Global Domestic Electrical Appliances are experiencing a boost in growth as a result of consumer preferences and changing household profiles. Evolving tastes combined with changing household profiles is driving this demand. When homeowners change their personal style they must then change their surroundings to reflect their new tastes. Shifting household profiles are creating opportunities for marketers and manufactures of domestic electrical appliances.

http://www.marketresearchworld.net/

Using Facebook to Market Your Offering, Enhance Your Brand, and Develop Community

Facebook isn't just a playground for college students — it’s a great place to be to enhance your brand and sell your stuff, and smart marketers should understand how to take advantage of it.

http://www.marketingprofs.com/

The English spelling system is "absolutely, unspeakably awful". That is the conclusion of new research that has found children face 800 words by the age of 11 that hinder their reading because of the spelling.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/

A Massey University study says using a cellphone at the wheel is as bad as drink driving. Between 2002 and 2007 there were 411 injury crashes and 26 fatal crashes involving cellphones.

In an observational study it was found that 4 per cent of Auckland motorists used a cellphone behind the wheel and while 4 per cent might not sound very high, if you imagine one in every 25 cars coming towards you is being driven by a clinically drunk driver it certainly makes you stop and think.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/

Wonder if you could be one of “those” parents who rant and rage at their kid’s soccer game? Well, you don’t have to look much farther than your car’s rearview mirror for clues. According to a new study if you have a tendency to become upset while driving, you’re more likely to be the kind of parent who explodes in anger at your kids’ sporting matches.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/

The winners of the CANNEX star ratings awards are out and Kiwibank has taken out the supreme award for Best Value Bank for the third year in a row. The awards gauge value for money across all the main product categories of personal banking with the supreme award going to the bank that consistently provided the best rates and lowest fees.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/

More people trust Trade Me than the Police, eight out of ten people enjoy their work and a third of us are extremely concerned about the economy.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/

Educational leaders are increasingly looking at lessons learned in other industries to inform their leadership strategies. The Learning Innovations Laboratory (LILA) is a research initiative at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Despite the lack of consensus about what constitutes leadership, organizations generally agree on one point – there isn't enough of it. The ongoing obsession with the leadership theme reflects the widespread belief that developing leaders and leadership is a sure means of transforming organizations for the better.

So, leadership development matters – but how do we engage in it successfully? LILA's members and researchers explore this question via in-depth discussions of their own organizational experiences. These discussions have yielded rich insights and practical suggestions that can be distilled into the four principal injunctions discussed in this link.

http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/

Did You Know That:

• 70% of all Land Rovers ever made are estimated to still be on the road?

• A piece of paper cannot be folded in half more than seven times?

• The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue?

• Cockroaches won’t eat cucumbers?

• It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open?

• 111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

• Pearls melt in vinegar?

• The upper class Romans used powdered mouse brains as toothpaste?

Blood pressure is not hard to measure, but the necessary equipment for clinically accurate measurements – a cuff, a pump, a stethoscope or electronics – is bulky and heavy. However, researchers have recently found that a person’s “pulse wave velocity” is closely linked to blood pressure. This is the rate at which the pulse pressure wave passes through the blood circulatory system.

Sensors sown into the waistband of a person’s underpants can measure the rate of this wave.

http://technology.newscientist.com/

Never lose your balls again!

Golfers may never have to search for the lost ball again thanks to tracking technology that can be stored on a tiny chip inside the ball. The chip can use satellite technology to track where a golfer tees off and how high and fast the ball travels.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

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