The manager to a large degree sets the tone for the workplace, they could lack the technical, communication and social skills required to create an effective workplace but we the employee have to deal with these fools on a daily basis.

When a business unit fails to meet targets, production schedules, budgets or quality you can bet this will be because of the failings of the manager. Excessive sick leave, low moral, poor productivity and a high turn-over of staff indicate poor management skills and a lack of leadership exercised by the incumbent management. Why then are senior managers reluctant to move poorly performing managers on?

Yes, redundancy and termination packages are expensive but not nearly as expensive as the damage an inept manager inflicts on the business. I tend to think the decision to hire these individuals reflects poorly on senior management and they don’t like their decision-making undermined. Instead, they remain rooted in indecisiveness about how to act, the workplace suffers and usually the workforce is blamed for the failings of one individual and the people who appointed them.

I’m loving it, relative unknown Jeff Horn defeated WBO champion Manny Pacquiao in a unanimous decision at Brisbane\’s Suncorp Stadium. The former school teacher was given an opportunity after Pacquiao’s fight against Amir Khan in the UAE fell through after initially agreeing to fight Horn and then reneging on the deal.

Now, I used the term a unanimous decision, not a majority or a split decision to describe the bout outcome because Horn was ahead on all the judge’s scorecards. Pacquiao himself is no stranger to controversial decisions after narrowly defeating Juan Márquez twice on split decisions to win the WBA belt; most believed he lost both fights but the decision stood and Pacquiao refused to fight Márquez a third time.

So you can imagine the hypocrisy of the Pacquiao camp demanding the fight to be rescored. Is this the actions of a sore loser? What was hugely amusing was that the WBO rescored the bout after the Philippine government and Pacquaio camp pressured the WBO into a re-evaluation. The five independent judges all awarded the fight to Horn and the result stood.

Here is the irony, the now fabulously rich Pacquiao flew around business class promoting the fight whilst Horn sat in economy. Horn was paid $500,000 whilst Pacquiao pocketed $10 million for the bout, there was no winner/loser split so Manny made $10 mill for a win, lose or draw. Horn had one shot, one chance to make his mark, he took his opportunity and prevailed – he was ultra motivated.

Now Jeff Horn, the former high school teacher is $500k richer (less costs) but he is the current holder of the WBO welterweight title. I hope if he engages in a rematch with Pacquiao he is paid handsomely with the split being in his favour this time now that he has the ability to dictate the terms. If Pacquiao wants a rematch, maybe the $500k is his fight fee as contender and Horn is the champion pocketing the $10 million. No big payday or no rematch – this might be his only big payday and he needs to make it count.

Amazingly, 2017 marks the anniversary of the Omega Speedmaster. This iconic timepiece designed exclusively for motor racing earned its reputation as an aviator’s timepiece through the NASA testing process.

Released back in 1957, the almost identical Speedmaster is still available with heslite crystal and the hand-wound Calibre 1861 movement. Now promoted by Hollywood superstar George Clooney, the Speedmaster in its many forms is the epitome of style and is cool again. Omega is becoming increasingly difficult to purchase, in order to maintain their exclusiveness, they strongly control their retail chain with Omega outlets in selected markets and branded retailers in thinner markets.

What I have found is retailers offering Omega watches are tightly controlled with distributorships lost when price discounting occurs. As an MBA student, I find this market manipulation interesting, whilst price fixing is unlawful in the majority of worldwide markets, it occurs almost unabated. Yet, whist standing in an Omega boutique plenty of people walked through the door asking about the moonwatch, the Speedmaster Professional is still in big demand 60 years on.

The legendary Café du Dôme in Montparnasse, Paris; the intellectual capital of Paris, known as the Anglo-American café. I’m a big fan of the American literary brigade based in Paris in the aftermath of the first world war. Guys like Henry Miller, Ernest Hemingway and Elliot Paul were regulars, I am told F. Scott Fitzgerald was not a Dômier despite residing in Paris during the jazz age although he collaborated with Hemingway at the time.

My favourite author of the period was William Somerset Maugham, an English playwright, short story author and novelist – a regular at the Café du Dôme. Maugham met up with Hemingway after he served in the Red cross ambulance corps during the first world war in Italy.

Amazingly, the café is still trading, while plenty of changes have been made; surprisingly, it doesn’t look all that different from the photographs of old. Sure Café du Dôme is probably still trading a little on past glories, a trip to Paris surprised me at how popular the café still is. The establishment was full and there was not a chance of getting a table for even a quick coffee – great stuff.

I had sometimes taken some short courses at the University of Western Australia that were not for credit, these were just for personal interest and run through their summer school part time. So you could imagine my intrigue when the University Club of Western Australia contacted me to join their reunion. I was pretty surprised, this was not what I expected.

After a rather embarrassing conversation, the caller found out I was not the Jeff O’Halloran who studied law at the University of Western Australia who was a successful practicing solicitor. I was merely a summer school attendee who had taken a few lectures and workshops, as an invitation had been sent out I was informed I was still entitled to attend, I respectfully declined.

This generated some more intrigue on my behalf and I decided to research my namesake who was living in Perth in what some might argue in a parallel universe to my life. My research indicated that a Jeff O’Halloran was employed by the State Solicitor’s office as a legal officer. Notwithstanding, I was also embroiled in a workplace dispute where I was correct in my analysis and had taken the issue above the heads of our recalcitrant management to the office of the Director General.

Much to everybody’s amusement, the office of the Director General agreed with my analysis, that wasn’t a difficult decision as I was correct but our management refused to act upon the direction of the department and I also refused to back down. This is the management style they have adapted, despite all evidence offering a clear direction, this does not suit their narrative and they will just bulldoze individuals anyway.

Yet, this should have been the point where the aforementioned recalcitrant management admits defeat and submits to my request. So you can imagine my surprise after exhausting all viable options, I was forced to take my employer to the Western Australian Industrial Relations Court and I then received a letter from the State Solicitor at my home address.

I was hoping the court listing would read Jeff OHalloran v Jeff O’Halloran so we could square off in court, a real solicitor versus a legal pretender. But it would have really been Jeff OHalloran v my [un-named] employer; I can’t publish their name even though it was listed in The West Australian newspaper – they are a little touchy about this.

I was disappointed our match up didn’t eventuate but here is the real laugh, the State Solicitor was able to argue my default ruling [my employer didn’t file a response] should not be awarded and then tried to get the case thrown out of court. The magistrate ruled otherwise and we set another hearing – one all was the decision.

This has become my fight now, uncovering and exposing corruption in the public sector in an attempt to eradicate corrupt behaviour and misuse of public funds. Despite being the role of every state government worker, they are not supported in speaking up against corruption.

The abuse of public money, bribery, the intentional release of confidential information, perverting the course of justice, blackmail, the falsification of records, extortion or fraud all falls within the sphere of corrupt behaviour. What also falls within the sphere of corrupt behaviour is an individual or group of people taking advantage of their position to the benefit or detriment of any person.

I am a taxpayer and I am in a position to scrutinise the spending of public money; this isn’t a private company where the directors and managers are spending their own funds. This is money generated from tax revenues by taxpayers such as myself, families struggling to make ends meet and self-funded retirees who have spent a lifetime paying taxes. We have an obligation to spend public funds wisely and in an efficient manner that benefits not only the taxpayer but society in general.

What really raises my ire is a bunch of people who have spent a lifetime being paid by the public purse and have never had to succeed in private enterprise carrying like they are in business. This lifetime public servant mentality tends to manifest as empire building, backside covering and a failure to undertake any personal risk.

These people are not in business, they think they are business leaders but never take any personal financial risk as a business owner and entrepreneur does. This attitude of entitlement has to be stopped, if public servants want to swan around like they are in business then they can build themselves a business with all the entitlements that business ownership brings.

You know you are involved in a sharemarket boom when everyone is getting involved; the market isn’t just the domain of mutual funds, superannuation funds and wealth management arms of major banks. Whilst this isn’t a new photograph, this Chinese banana vendor in Shanghai trading shares on the side of the road represents the small time trader taking on the corporate traders.

Good luck to him, if he is able generate an income stream from trading and let’s face it, if this guy generates an income as a professional trader then he has my respect. Already he generates his living from retailing commodities to the public so it isn’t such a step up to actually trading commodities business to business. Albeit, he trades on a smaller scale than most traders of coffee futures, frozen orange juice concentrate, cotton, cocoa, soybean, wheat, sugar or corn but I admire his courage to risk everything to follow his dream.

I always laugh when people complain that Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation control the media and hence make and break governments and Prime Ministers. Yes, News Corporation has vast media resources; that also means that Murdoch does not have the time to dictate to editors and journalists daily editorial content.

In terms of media ownership in Australia, News Corporation publishes 23% of newspaper titles in Australia – somewhat below the 70% as claimed by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. However, as newspapers are highly localised, News Corp accounts for 59% of daily published newsprint and is thus pretty influential.

Phillip Adams, socialist, writer and Labor Party member is employed to write in Murdoch’s flagship newspaper The Australian, the only national newspaper in the country. So now, these people are saying that Rupert has direct input to what Adams writes, he is also employed by the government owned ABC, that is the left leaning Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The editor-at-large Paul Kelly was formerly married to Roz Kelly, the Keating Labor government minister; hardly a right-wing conspiracy here.

I read so many articles on why divers should never skip buddy checks, I dive with experienced divers whom I have mostly just met on dive charters and I just about always see nobody doing buddy checks with no adverse effects. I am responsible for my own dive, I set up my own equipment and don’t like people messing with my gear.

I begin with a negative entry so I don’t need people playing with my inflator putting air in my buoyancy jacket, I have seen ribs broken by people over-inflating other people’s buoyancy jackets. I have integrated weights, by messing around with what you don’t know about, my weights just became less secure.

Likewise, I don’t want people playing with the releases or settings on my gear. I have seen people turn off an air supply that was already on – my gas/my problem, every diver has to know how to oral inflate as per training requirements. Then there is the technical divers, getting stage cylinders turned on that were intentionally switched off, messing around with rebreathers – just leave it alone.

The current Omega Seamaster Diver 300 wristwatch does not resemble the old style vintage Seamaster dive watches first released way back in 1948 – it is similar in name only. One of my friends owns an old style classic Seamaster that is more similar to the Aqua Terra range watch than the Diver 300. As Omega is culling its retailers to maintain pricing structures, I really need to make a decision reasonably soon. I am interested in the 212.30.41.20.03.001 reference with stainless steel bracelet, blue lacquered face and bezel.

The calibre 2500 co-axial escapement movement features a self-winding chronometer with a rhodium plated finish that has a power reserve of 48 hours. The Diver 300 movement begins with a base ETA 2824-2 movement and is fitted with George Daniel’s co-axial escapement to reduce friction and increase service times through a 25,200 Hz.

The 41mm case is water resistant to 300 metres and features a screw-in crown, a uni-directional ceramic bezel, a helium escape valve located at the 10 o’clock position and a scratch resistant sapphire crystal. Unlike current tastes, the Diver 300 does not incorporate a display case back and retains the Hippocampus symbol.

This is everything you would expect from a Seamaster professional series, although the helium escape value is not required for non-commercial diving operations. The screw type helium release valve isn’t too large that it distracts from this timepiece. Technical specifications aside, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300 is a serious watch and I would certainly like one one on my wrist if I am able to secure the necessary discounts from retailers. This takes a fair degree of negotiation but they have a little latitude to move on price and they want to make the sale.