Business Asia articles from February 2002

Business Asia archives from February 2002

Korea's unique problem in Asia -- inflation. (Frontline).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... THE DREADED D-word word is very much in circulation throughout Asia these days. Deflation has been chipping away at Japan and Hong Kong for over two years now. China is two months into its own falling-price trend. Others in recession-plagued...

Indonesia, Korea, Thailand top value shares. (Update: the latest trends and controversies).(multiple news briefs from Asian countries)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... RECOGNITION OF Thailand's great value share prices has put the country on a pedestal in terms of Asian funds. Despite holding its own in the region last year, the Thai market has far from stood out for foreign investors since the crisis of...

Asia fact file. (Update: the latest trends and controversies).(Internet usage in Asian countries)(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Here are the latest CyberAtlas statistics on on-line populations. Worldwide internet population: 445.9 million NATION POPULATION INTERNET (mil) USERS (mil)...

Word of mouth. (Update: the latest trends and controversies).
February 1, 2002... "Hong Kong's economy is still a system of cartels where the Government puts vested interests ahead of economic competitiveness." DAVID WEBB, WEBB-SITE.COM PUBLISHER, ADVOCATE OF MINORITY SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS. "It takes so little these...

Go figure: following are some significant numbers or statistics relating to Asia-Pacific nations.(random statistical information)(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... 600 The number of US troops expected to be installed in the Philippines to assist with anti-terrorism. 8.5 The weight (in grams) of the Thai 10 baht coin, which is the same as the two euro coin, but worth three times less. The...

Winners. (Stop Press).(Yoriko Kawaguchi named Japan's Foreign Minister)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Japanese Environment Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi has gained the title of Foreign Minister at the expense of sacked Makiko Tanaka. Kawaguchi, a former managing director of Japan's fourth largest brewery Suntory Ltd, was second choice for the role....

Losers. (Stop Press).(Philippines Airlines reports losses)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Philippines Airlines is in trouble (again). The company lost US$3.5 million ($6.9 million) in the first six months of the fiscal year due to a drop in custom after the 11 September terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and...

Keep an eye on. (Stop Press).(Bank of China answers charges of corruption with plans for greater transparency)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The exposure of dodgy dealings in the Bank of China have resulted in a vow from its president, Liu Mingkang, to make the nation's largest foreign exchange bank more transparent to investors. A history of political interference has caught up...

Movers and shakers: technology manufacturers and other companies with global exposure will be the first to bounce back in 2002. (Cover Story).(Asian economy expected to recover as US recession ends)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... INVESTORS SUCH as Husan Pai are betting that Asian stocks with global exposure will gain the most in 2002, as they ride on the coattails of an expected US recovery that may come as early as the second half. Japan's Toyota Motor Corp,...

Asia - The Northern Territory's lost frontier? New Chief Minister Clare Martin promises to refocus on Asia. Business Asia investigates whether the Government's platitudes and promises will be translated into results. (Northern Territory).
February 1, 2002... FOR THE Northern Territory in recent years, it's been all quiet on the Asian front. Once a central hub for Australian relations with Asia, the Northern Territory has displayed wavering enthusiasm towards fostering trade relations with its...

Hong Kong focuses on tourism. (Business Travel).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... DEVELOPING NEW tourism products in response to new opportunities and challenges will be the focus for Hong Kong in 2002, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Tourism Commissioner Rebecca Lai says. Lai, speaking in Sydney late...

Tourism bounces back in December. (Business Travel).(Hong Kong)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... DESPITE THE effects of 11 September, visitor arrivals to Hong Kong grew by 5.1 per cent in 2001 from the previous year, reaching a record 13,725,332 visitors, the Hong Kong Tourism Board's (HKTB) latest figures show. While some of Hong...

Hotel "Oscars" back in 2002. (Best Business Hotels In Asia Awards).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... THE ACHIEVEMENTS of Asia's leading business hotels will once again be in the spotlight this year, with the Best Business Hotels in Asia Awards (BBHIA) kicking off for 2002. The Awards, now in their fifth year, have become widely recognised...

Industry leaders predict upturn. (Best Business Hotels In Asia Awards).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... 2002 IS shaping up to be a better year than 2001, a survey of previous winners of the Best Business Hotels in Asia Awards has found. The past year had not been all plain sailing for the hotel industry in Asia, with a global economic...

Mumbai - Indian Hotels Co.(Indian Hotels Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... MUMBAI - Indian Hotels Co, the country's biggest chain of luxury hotels, plans to sell bonds or borrow money to modernise and expand its hotels and fund acquisitions, the company said in a statement to the Mumbai Stock Exchange. The company...

Shanghai - The Ramada hotel.(Ramada Plaza Pudong)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... SHANGHAI - The Ramada hotel group has opened a new luxury four-star property in China -- the 222-room Ramada Plaza Pudong -- Shanghai. Located in the centre of the Jinqiao Export Processing Zone in Pudong, the hotel is 23km from Hongqiao...

Hong Kong - Accor and Century International Hotels.(Accor S.A.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... HONG KONG - Accor and Century International Hotels have launched five co-branded hotels in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Shenzhen, China. The hotels include the 516-room Novotel Century Hong Kong (formerly the Century Hong Kong Hotel), the...

Austrade under fire: Austrade came under heavy criticism last year after the release of an unflattering Productivity Commission report, sparking off conjecture that a major restructure was on the way. (Overseas Trading).(Australia)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... NOVEMBER 2001 was a sorry month for Austrade. The Federal Government's peak export facilitation body was hit by a barrage of criticism following the release of a Productivity Commissio (PC) n research paper critical of its effectiveness. The...

A question of depth: the trend towards super sized ships has forced many ports to address channel depth issues. (Ports & Shipping).(Australia)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... GLOBAL ECONOMIC pressures have resulted in an escalating need to transport goods around the world quickly and efficiently with increasingly larger container ships. On land, some Australian ports have expanded their holding capacity, but...

Better 2002 for Sydney Port. (Ports & Shipping).(Sydney Ports Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... SYDNEY PORTS is expecting better times ahead in 2002, after facing a difficult trading year in 2001. Sydney Ports Corporation chairman David Field said the port was on track for achieving future port development projects and transport...

New agreement for Patrick's. (Ports & Shipping).(Patrick, Australian stevedoring company)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... PATRICK THE Australian Stevedore's Hamilton facilities at the Port of Brisbane will be relocated to Fisherman Island. In a variation of a Heads of Agreement signed between Patrick's and the Port of Brisbane Corporation in October last...

Top changes at Columbus. (Ports & Shipping).(Columbus Line hires Frank Smet as Australasian commercial regional director)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... COLUMBUS LINE has a new Australasian commercial regional director, with Frank Smet stepping into the role effective from last month. Smet, will be based in Columbus Line's Sydney offices, working directly with Rowil Ponta, who carries...

The Biz's new business twist. (The Biz).(business television show produced by Charlton Group)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... DID YOU know that 95 per cent of hospitals in China include traditional medicine departments? Or that by 2010 the world will eat 100 billion packets of instant noodles a year? These answers and more are revealed in The Biz, a lively new...

ANZDL's new on-line offering. (The Biz).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... ANZDL (AUSTRALIA-New Zealand Direct Line) has launched a new on-line service, giving shippers the opportunity to supply their various trading partners with access to key shipping documentation and information. The service, known as...

39th year for Export Awards. (Australian Export Awards).
February 1, 2002... NOW IN ITS 39th year, the Australian Export Awards (AEA) have earned the reputation throughout the Australian business community as the single most important and prestigious industry awards rewarding and showcasing the best exporters in...

SAARC and APEC do count. (Taurus).(South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation; Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation Group)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... IT HAS TAKEN nearly 15 years for the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation, or SAARC, to arrive on the centre stage of world focus. It happened in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and it happened in the first week of January 2002....

Making your company appealing. (Recruitment).(upon entering foreign markets)
February 1, 2002... YOU HAVE decided to open a regional office or move your business offshore. New markets may be flourishing or there may be a significant cost benefit for you to relocate your business. All the necessary research has been conducted and you are...