Julia Gillard is all set to become the first female Prime Minister of Australia after Kevin Studd stepped as the ruling Labour Party’s leader at the ballot meeting and was seen in all tears.

Quentin Bryce, the Governor-General, will swear Julia as the Prime Minister at 12.30pm (AEST).

From in.news.yahoo.com:

Kevin Rudd became emotional as he listed his achievements in office during a press conference.

“I did my best to give Australia a fair go,” News.com.au quoted Rudd, as saying.

His voice wavered during his speech at the conference saying he was proud to have contributed in abolishing Work Choices and his record on health, education and at shielding Australia from the worst of the global financial crisis.

Senior factional leaders claimed Ms Gillard had had a victory with at least 70 votes from a Caucus of 112.

Many leaders across the globe congratulated Gillard on her victory.

“I know her well, she’s a person of extraordinary ability, of great intellect, of great compassion, she’s got a wonderful way with people.” News.com.au quoted Victorian Premier John Brumby, as saying.

Rudd’s defeat happens to be one of the most stunning political turnarounds, especially for a leader who just a few months ago was rivaling Bob Hawke in the popularity stakes.

The historic vote of confidence for Ms Gillard has made her 27th Prime Minister of Australia.

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Looking for inspiration? If yes, these motivational quotations for smart marketers like you will help you in endless ways. Read on to stay inspired and successful!

Curiosity is only vanity.  Most frequently we wish not to know, but to talk.  We would not take a sea voyage for the sole pleasure of seeing without hope of ever telling.  – Blaise Pascal, Pensées

The one real object of education is to have a man in the condition of continually asking questions.  - Bishop Mandell Creighton

There are no foolish questions, and no man becomes a fool until he has stopped asking questions.  – Charles Proteus Steinmetz

If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders.  – Abigail Van Buren

Yes, risk taking is inherently failure-prone.  Otherwise, it would be called sure-thing-taking.  - Tim McMahon

The torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be avoided.  It is sometimes better to abandon one’s self to destiny.  – Napoleon Bonaparte

This nation was built by men who took risks – pioneers who were not afraid of the wilderness, business men who were not afraid of failure, scientists who were not afraid of the truth, thinkers who were not afraid of progress, dreamers who were not afraid of action.  – Brooks Atkinson

Of all the people I have ever known, those who have pursued their dreams and failed have lived a much more fulfilling life than those who have put their dreams on a shelf for fear of failure.  – Author Unknown

The healthy being craves an occasional wildness, a jolt from normality, a sharpening of the edge of appetite, his own little festival of the Saturnalia, a brief excursion from his way of life.  – Robert MacIver

There is no business in today’s cutthroat competitive world that can be lenient with its marketing strategies. This is the reason why even already successful names such as Adobe and Microsoft try to constantly update their online presence.

The marketing methods may be different but there is no denying the fact that regular planning and review of marketing strategies is as important as making every effort to survive in the business world.

From Blogandopinion.com:

The website of your business is the first impression and point of contact for customers, existing and potential. This means that it represents an important component of your marketing and branding strategies and what customers should be expecting from you. It is for this reason that we mentioned the words “professionally designed website” since your business site will help customers make informed decisions and do business with you. It will also help in marketing your products and services and creating equilibrium between demand and supply.

Before you start branding your website, it is important for you to first carefully evaluate the potential markets and customers. For this, you will need access to preferences of customers that will help you grow the business in the best possible manner. After detailed audience profiling, it is time for you to find insights on strengths and weaknesses of your competitors as your marketing strategy will be focused on their weak points and your strong points.

Then, it is time for you to brand your website by emphasizing upon branding tools such as articles, blogs, newsletters, press releases, newsletters, and email marketing.

All in all, email marketing can be the thin line of difference between success and failure for businesses striving for

The National Australia Bank (NAB) business confidence index stood at 5 in May, down from 13 in the previous month, suggesting a steep downfall in confidence level of businesses operating in Australia.

The fall was blamed on uncertainty in financial markets across the world. NAB said that confidence of businesses fell sharply in the segments of wholesale, manufacturing, and mining.

From Rttnews.com:

Despite the sharp pull back in confidence, firms said they intend to increase capital spending in the future, with the corresponding index rising by 9 points. Stocks, forward orders and capacity utilization all edged lower during May.

The NAB revised down its growth forecasts for the Australian economy. The country’s gross domestic product is now tipped to grow 2.75% this year, down from 3.50%. The economy is seen growing 3.50% in 2011, also down from the earlier forecast for 4.25% growth.

The Australian economy grew 0.5% between January and March compared with the December quarter, slowing from the 1.1% growth in the prior quarter. On a year-over-year basis, the Australian economy grew 2.7%.

The bank expects the Reserve Bank of Australia to hold off further interest rate rises until the final quarter of the year. The RBA is then expected to deliver two quarter percentage point hikes, bringing the overnight cash rate to 5.00% by year-end.

NAB also said that conditions deteriorated in the segments of finance, business and property services, wholesale sectors, and recreation & personal services.

Tesco, the supermarket giant, recently said that sales growth in the United Kingdom almost ground to a halt over the last 3 months as the grocer struggled with plunging food inflation.

It was revealed by the company that like-for-like sales excluding petrol climbed to 1.1 percent in the three months to May 30, which was a mere 0.1 increase after adjusting for the higher VAT rate.

From Guardian.co.uk:

“Although customers in the UK continue to face some uncertainties about their personal finances, we continue to see evidence of a steady consumer recovery,” the firm said.

Chancellor George Osborne is said to be weighing up a potential hike in VAT next week to help tackle the deficit, but McIlwee said the coalition urged caution in managing a fragile UK recovery.

He warned: “If there is an increase in VAT on products it should be in the future rather than now.”

In the UK, Tesco benefited from its World Cup marketing campaign, with sales of some televisions more than doubling as customers upgraded for the tournament.

The firm’s international business has also been helped by the World Cup appearances of four of Tesco’s overseas markets – South Korea, Slovakia, Japan and the USA.

The UK’s number one supermarket is still expecting like-for-like sales growth in the UK of around 3 percent for the full year.