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SILICON SILIC CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher/Editor Nicholas Vinen Technical Editor John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Technical Staff Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc Bao Smith, B.Sc Tim Blythman, B.E., B.Sc Technical Contributor Duraid Madina, B.Sc, M.Sc, PhD Art Director & Production Manager Ross Tester Reader Services Ann Morris Advertising Enquiries Glyn Smith Phone (02) 9939 3295 Mobile 0431 792 293 glyn<at>siliconchip.com.au Regular Contributors Dave Thompson David Maddison B.App.Sc. (Hons 1), PhD, Grad.Dip.Entr.Innov. Geoff Graham Associate Professor Graham Parslow Ian Batty Cartoonist Brendan Akhurst Founding Editor (retired) Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Silicon Chip is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 626 922 870. ABN 20 880 526 923. All material is copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Subscription rates (12 issues): $105.00 per year, post paid, in Australia. For overseas rates, see our website or email silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au Editorial office: Unit 1 (up ramp), 234 Harbord Rd, Brookvale, NSW 2100. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9939 3295. E-mail: silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au ISSN 1030-2662 * Recommended & maximum price only. Printing and Distribution: Editorial Viewpoint Businesses need to handle ‘black swan’ events better Some businesses have clearly handled the COVID-19 crisis better than others. In some cases, they continue to operate as usual; you would never know that their workforce has been relocated and their internal operations disrupted. Others have significantly reduced their quality of service since early this year, and are obviously struggling to adjust to the current situation. I think that those who have reacted by cancelling (or ignoring) contracts, and have cut back on their activities, are making a long-term mistake. There is that saying that “every dark cloud has a silver lining”, and perhaps the silver lining of the current situation is the fact that it’s forcing us to re-evaluate what is really important and perhaps focus a bit more on our long-term goals. Sure, times are tough, but life has to go on, and businesses need to continue to operate. Clearly, many ‘bricks and mortar’ retail operations have suffered badly (with some exceptions, like supermarkets). But for the most part, at least in Australia, mail-order businesses are doing very well, and many service-based companies have remained open. I do feel very sorry for those businesses which were forced to close by government edict and many will probably never re-open; eg, restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs etc. I think the situation could have been handled in such a way to avoid much of that pain and suffering (but that’s a discussion for another day). Nobody knows how long this situation will last; it could be years. Life can’t just stop in the meantime. We have to adapt and find ways to keep the economy running, and continue to supply the goods and services that people want and need. We certainly haven’t let COVID-19 interfere with SILICON CHIP (apart from some mailing disruptions, which are unfortunately out of our control). Over the last few months, I have dealt with several organisations that have seemingly seen increased demand for their products and services. While it’s understandable that they are busy, the lack of communication and resulting poor service are not justified. Lots of people are out of work, so if your business is booming and you can’t cope with the demand, why not hire some extra people? With all that extra money coming in, plus government stimulus support, surely they can afford to hire new employees. And I would imagine there are plenty of people looking for work at the moment. (On a related topic, we are hiring; see the ad on page 37). Many companies are now refusing even to answer the phone and take weeks to answer e-mails (if they ever do). That is not the way to conduct business. We are still answering the phone and replying to e-mails as best we can, although our office occasionally closes a bit earlier than usual due to reduced staff presence. But at least you can get a hold of us. Even if you have many employees working from home, it is not hard to forward e-mails and redirect phone calls. So I think that those companies which have closed their phone lines are really just using the crisis as an excuse to avoid dealing with customers (except for new sales, of course). In fact, I get the impression that many businesses and individuals are exploiting the crisis by crying poor and trying to shirk their responsibility when really, they are not doing that badly. Some are also taking advantage of the situation to reduce after-sales support and prioritise on making sales, which is not likely to lead to happy customers. So let’s keep the economy going and find ways to work around the voluntary or enforced isolation we are currently experiencing. It may go on for a while yet. We can keep the country and the economy going, despite the unfortunate situation. Nicholas Vinen 24-26 Lilian Fowler Pl, Marrickville 2204 2  Silicon Chip Australia’s electronics magazine siliconchip.com.au