The America's Intelligence Wire articles from December 2002

The America's Intelligence Wire archives from December 2002

Making hay while the sun shines, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) MEDIA HOUSE Star Publications (M) Bhd's share price has eased steadily to below RM6.00 since hitting a year's high of RM7.45 in mid-April. While part of the reason could be the overall market decline, analysts...

Payback time, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) WHEN Mohamed Nazir Abdul Razak joined Commerce International Merchant Bankers (CIMB) as an executive in its corporate advisory division 13 years ago, he put in 18 hours a day for a long period of time. ...

Old is gold, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) THE most difficult part of doing a story on the oldest companies in Malaysia is deciding who makes the list. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of companies whose history dates back more than a hundred...

Wanted: Angels to finance seed-stage companies, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) HAVE we been focusing too much attention on venture capitalists (VCs) that we have forgotten about the business angels? Are VCs the only party responsible for the funding malaise affecting technopreneurs? Are...

Kedah marches forward, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) THE Kedah State Government recently appointed Affin Merchant Bank Bhd to look into a proposed restructuring of three agencies and their subsidiaries to promote operational efficiency and increase state...

Luck or diligence?, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) REAL-ESTATE investment is a crucial part of our personal and corporate lives. However, its importance is never emphasized, and the approach to corporate real-estate investment is, at the most, done on an...

Heartwarming hues, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) WHETHER you are moving into a new house or renovating your old, painting your walls will no doubt be a must-do on your to-do list. For most Malaysians, though, the task is restricted to painting the entire...

The annual property review race, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) BY now, most major property consultancies should be at the printers with their Annual Property Reviews. Just as accountants turn somersaults to get their annual Budget commentaries out before the Finance...

Setting the trends, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) WHAT can one expect from the premier developer of high-end condominiums except bigger and better homes, and this is the challenge Sunrise Bhd has taken up. At a time when property developers, still jittery...

Bumiputra Discount & Easy Payment Scheme, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) BAYU MELATI Sdn Bhd, developer of Bayu Damansara, Seksyen 11, Kota Damansara, is offering Bumiputras a five per cent discount and an easy payment installment scheme for the first 10 per cent down payment....

Time for sharing, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) TIMESHARING is not a new concept to Malaysians. It reached our shores around the 1980s when the country was struggling with a recession. Many were attracted to its family-oriented holiday accommodation...

Poor grade?, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) THE big question in banking circles is if Standard & Poor's (S&P) downgrade of the Malaysian banking sector from positive to stable is justified? Was it designed to place the Malaysian banking sector on...

The fed rate cut: Late for them, great for us?, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) THE plunge in the US consumer confidence index over five consecutive months sending it to a nine-year low, contracting industrial output, faltering manufacturing activity and the risk of deflation have...

Alternative Remedy, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) WHETHER one is aware or not, traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) has been in practice in Malaysia for centuries, even before the application of modern science to health. The only hiccup is that one...

Survivors, but ..., MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) THESE companies (see list) would have made it to the MB list of oldest companies in Malaysia but for the fact that they failed to meet certain criteria. This is because they may have either gone through...

Keeping stress at bay, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) WITH reference to the article entitled Keeping those Flakes Under Control (MB, Nov 1st-15th, 2002), I certainly agree with the methods suggested to overcome dandruff. But besides dandruff, the number one...

The great survivors, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) THEY are Malaysia's oldest companies, sometimes dubbed `the great survivors'. Malaysia's 35 oldest surviving companies trace their business dealings back decades, some a century over. Many were incorporated in...

Through fair and foul, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) GUTHRIE CORPORATION LTD - established in 1821 (now known as Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd) MALAYSIA'S oldest surviving companies, Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd has a history that stretches beyond the establishment of British...

Making haste in waste, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) IT HAS been said that cleanliness begins at home. Waste management concessionaire Syarikat Alam Flora Sdn Bhd (Alam Flora), under the stewardship of Mohammed Siraj Abdul Razack, is sticking closely to this...

Reward for Country Heights Homebuyers, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) ON Oct 31, 2002, land and property developer Country Heights Holdings Bhd signed a RM1 billion agreement with AmAssurance Bhd and Malaysian Assurance Alliance Bhd. This agreement provides an assurance sum of...

Banking on a rebound, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) THE country's largest lender, Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank), has been seeing its share price drop as continuing weak economic sentiments shake investors' confidence. Analysts, however, think that the...

It's all in the mind, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) I REFER to A Kadir Jasin's column `On a Personal Note' (article entitled BN Consensus-Building Poser) in the Nov 16th-30th issue of Malaysian Business. There are just a few words to describe the whole...

Viva La Cucina Italiana, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) ITALIANS are famed for their ars vivendi (art of living), be it in their sense of style, arts or architecture. The same principle applies to their food. Italian cuisine or La Cucina Italiana is world-renowned....

Survival game, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) THOSE who are into jungle adventure in Southeast Asia's tourist playground would in all probability have heard of the `Headhunters Trail' deep in the northern Sarawakian tropical rainforests of Malaysia....

The face of Asian diplomacy, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) TAN Sri Ajit Singh will perhaps always be best remembered as the man who, to a large extent, managed to change the mindset of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (Asian) member countries. Yet, for a...

Tropical PAR-TEE, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) ALTHOUGH carved out of relatively flat ground, the Awana Kijal course offers different playing conditions during different times of the year. Those who decide to take the gamble of coming here during the...

Private education travails, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) OF late, some private colleges have been making the news for all the wrong reasons. If left unchecked, this could not only smear the image of private colleges in the country but could also affect Malaysia's...

Bald options, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) IT'S NOT surprising that Pakistan's political fortunes can turn so murky so quickly. The country's politics is like quicksand. Consequently, Pakistan's economy is likely to suffer long-term damage. The...

Singapore's obsession, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) YEARS AGO, in the 1970s, when China first adopted an open-door economic policy, Singaporeans were among the first to flock to their motherland, with money in their pockets and hopes - at the back of their...

Inhibited, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) US FEDERAL Reserve (US Fed) policy makers lowered their benchmark interest speed rate by a larger-than-expected half percentage point, signaling that additional rate cuts are unlikely soon. The reduction in...

Mont'Kiara Aman, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) ELEGANT setting, fine finishing and luxurious and spacious living, both indoors and out... the ingredients of Mont'Kiara Damai's runaway success will be imported into another Sunrise's masterpiece -...

When opportunity knocks, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) THE Malaysian warrant market, as reflected by the TA All-Warrant Index, had retreated from its Nov 7, 2002 high of 133 points to 124 points by Nov 19. The earlier positive sentiment, where gainers took a...

Putting on the Ritz, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) THE Ritz-Carlton has won the `Hotel of the Year' award from the International Community Journal, an esteemed publication in Germany. Among the criteria judged on were location, architecture, food and service....

Alcatel puts another model in the market, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) ALCATEL Network Systems (M) Sdn Bhd has launched its latest handphone model, One Touch 715, in a bid to maintain its grip on the local handphone market. According to John Quaeyhaegens, Alcatel's country...

`This' is the key to Kompakar's strong growth, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) SISTEM Kompakar Sdn Bhd, a company controlled by Tunku Shahabuddin Tunku Besar Burhanuddin, is in serious talks with various government hospitals to market its PutraCare Total Hospital Information System...

Corporate portal trend is growing, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) BUSINESS organizations are placing increasing importance on the creation of corporate portals. This mainly stems from a better understanding of their customers and a goal to serve them better. Apparently,...

Getting your money's worth, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) I SEE a new role for the business community of Malaysia, ie, tackling consumer problems. Consumers should come straight to the business chambers to settle their woes. They should not rely on the Government...

A real steal, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) KHIND Holdings Bhd, provider of electrical home appliances, held its fifth warehouse sale at its factory in Sekinchan, Selangor recently. The sale, officiated by Executive Chairman Cheng King Fa, saw an...

And the judges are ..., MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) A FOUR-member independent panel of judges has been appointed to select the listed company with the best corporate governance practice. Called the `Malaysian Business Corporate Governance Award', it is in...

Understanding Asia, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) Big In Asia: 25 Strategies For Business Success', By Michael Backman and Charlotte Butler, Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, Price RM99.90, Pages: 339 DOING business in Asia is no easy task. The region's diverse...

Shopping haven at KLIA, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) THIS festive year-end season, shopping is made easy and convenient for air travellers, especially at the KL International Airport (KLIA). When you arrive or before you depart and need a last-minute gift for...

A gem of a place, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) YOU don't have to dress up to visit this jewelry shop. Come in your baggy shorts and T-shirt and you would still be promptly attended to; you are as precious as the gems on display. This warm reception is...

The benefits and risks of biotechnology, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) GENETICALLY modified organisms (GMOs) are a creation of modern biotechnology over which there have been many intense debates in terms of benefits and risks. How real are these risks and how much can they...

Keys to Mont'Kiara Bayu homes, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) SUNRISE BHD'S 42-storey Mont'Kiara Bayu condominium was completed four months early, and 250 guests gathered at the condominium on Nov 2, 2002, for the official key-handover ceremony. The event, officiated...

The township builders, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) SIME UEP Properties Bhd, often dubbed the developer of `Malaysia's favorite homes', has been riding high on its recent property launches. One of the few developers that sell properties via the balloting...

In the palm of palm's hand, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) `Piloting The Palm', By Andrea Butter and David Pogue, Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc, Price: RM111.80 I HAVE always been interested in the story of the Palm Pilot, and Piloting The Palm by Andrea Butter and...

K-Economy poser, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) I REFER to the article entitled Addressing Productivity Divide in the `Editor's Note' of mb-e in the Oct 16 issue of Malaysian Business. Total Factor Productivity (TFP), like ICT, will play a crucial role...

The coming water war, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) WHILE some of us, in our idle moments, take great pleasure in poking fun at our southern neighbor - the latest regarding their recycled `newater' - we should pause to ponder whether the joke could very well be...

Kelantan-born Wei makes it big, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) SINCE young, Wei Chuan Beng has striven for excellence, be it in studies, sports or business. In the SPM examination, he emerged among the top 10 in his home state of Kelantan. But what was more telling was...

More than just taking calls!, MALAYSIAN BUSINESS.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) CALL centers are synonymous with complaint centers. Customers call and lodge their complaints, which are noted down by the personnel at the center. For a while the system worked. Unfortunately, the call centers...

Weapon Of Mass Destruction Or Of Mass Losses?, BUSINESS TODAY.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) Rumors that Kima was (abortively) ordered closed because it can make chemical weapons overshadow the long neglect that drove the company into the red Kima, the Egyptian Chemical Industries Company, continues...

Mailbag, BUSINESS TODAY.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) Confronting frustration I just wanted to drop you a note to say that I loved the interview with Nestle's Paul Albisser (Speak Out: "Consumer King ," November, page 40). It was very honest and reflects an...

Graven In Stone?, BUSINESS TODAY.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) The CBE finally admits it could take years to get off a global money- laundering watch list after again failing to break free in October With monotonous regularity, the Ebeid government has promised Egypt...

Building Better Banks, BUSINESS TODAY.
December 1, 2002... (From Worldsources (English)) As banks face down massive portfolios of non-performing loans, the CBE is responding with new credit-risk management programs The performance of Egyptian banks during the 1990s led to a major transformation...

Back where we started: Thirty months after they boomed, stock exchanges around the world have returned to 1997 levels.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Post) STOCK EXCHANGES What's the best way to measure the value of a stock exchange? Indexes give only a rough estimate because they monitor a small group of representative securities. Market capitalization, in contrast,...

Light Knight.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Post) For a quest imbued with such mythic overtones -- bringing light to the Third World -- Dave Irvine-Halliday has enlisted an unlikely weapon: light-emitting diodes (LEDs), such as the tiny indicator lights that blink...

How does the Bank of Canada affect the rise and fall of mortgage rates?
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Post) You may have negotiated your mortgage at your local bank, but the interest rate you pay is a direct result of monetary policy decisions made by the Bank of Canada -- a ripple in the wake of the Canadian macroeconomic...

Many of the oilpatch's biggest names are calling the federal Kyoto plan another National Energy Policy. And then there's Rick George.: The CEO of Suncor, one of the largest players in the oil sands, has been more circumspect and nuanced in his criticisms.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Post) October 29, 2002: Suncor Energy Inc. head office, Calgary KELLER: You're seen as a kind of green oil CEO, yet you're still critical of Kyoto. Why? GEORGE: We've been working on our climate change file for...

The donors: Enbridge Inc. of Calgary and its employees.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Post) THE DONORS: Enbridge Inc. of Calgary and its employees THE CAUSE: The Families in Transition program THE PARTNERS: Aspen Family & Community Network Society, United Way of Calgary, other social agencies ...

The Best...
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Post) KEEPING IN TOUCH Most cellphones keep you connected when you're running around town, but leave you hanging if your ramblings are more global. The Nokia 6310i gives you coverage on five continents (sorry, no Asian...

Essentials.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Post) 1. CAR Here's what one 2002 Viper owner had to say about his toy: "[There's] something delightfully evil about its brute force and lack of refinement." Alas, the new 2003 Dodge Viper SRT-10 features a more sculpted,...

Subject: Indigo Books & Music Inc.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Post) COMPANY: Canada's largest book retailer PROBLEM: Big losses, too many stores, Amazon at the door QUESTION: What can Heather Reisman do to get Indigo into the black? It takes chutzpah -- to say nothing of a...

Mister dress-up: Here's the perception: Ralph Klein is Canada's leading neo-conservative revolutionary, whose small-government and free-market policies have brought unparalleled prosperity to Alberta. Now here's the reality.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Post) Last year I turned on my television set, along with lots of other Albertans, to watch the provincial election results. Everyone knew Ralph Klein would handily win a third term because Albertans are like buffalo; they...

Entrepreneur of the Year: Good Vibrations: By sending sound waves deep into the earth, Dave Robson's seismic surveys tell oil and gas companies if it's worth digging. He has proven just as adept at spotting failing companies worth salvaging.
December 1, 2002... (From Financial Post) Dave Robson is a cowboy. For more than 20 years he has been breeding horses and training them to wrangle cattle. His eye for bloodlines and potential has helped his Airdrie, Alta., ranch make its mark in competitive...

Will bulls keep pulling the sleigh?
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Stories)) A tech-led rally has lifted the benchmark indexes from their Oct. 9 lows even though the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 have a long way to go before they get back at the...

Carnival Corp. stands tall during travel industry slump.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Stories)) Byline: Keith Benman A combination of aggressive pricing and marketing, the aging of baby boomers and the introduction of a bold generation of new ships has tugged the cruise industry out of a post-9/11...

Post-Thanksgiving weekend sales up 10.9% from last year.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Pulses)) U.S. retail sales for the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving jumped 10.9 percent from last year's levels, ShopperTrak RCT's National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE) reported. After a 12.3 percent...

GE unit gets FDA OK for 3D X-ray/MR fusion software.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Pulses)) Byline: Charlene Prost GE Medical Systems, a unit of General Electric , announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to market software that fuses 3D X-ray and...

Senator John Kerry takes step towards '04 presidency.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Stories)) Byline: Charlene Prost WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Sen. John Kerry announced Sunday that he's taking the first step in a possible run for presidency in 2004 by forming an exploratory committee. Kerry,...

UPDATE 7-Early holiday sales show promising signs.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Stories)) Byline: Brooke Adams SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - The holiday shopping season appears very promising so far, with spending up over 10 percent for the weekend after Thanksgiving, according to nationwide...

Harry Potter edges Bond in weekend box office sales.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Stories)) HOLLYWOOD (CBS.MW) -- Boy wizard Harry Potter beat out super-spy James Bond for the number-one spot at the box office this past weekend. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" took in $32 million...

UPDATE 4-Stocks to watch Monday.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Stories)) Byline: Beth Hundsdorfer-Gansmann It's a light week ahead for earnings news, but a factory indicator will be released on Monday and auto sales figures emerge Tuesday. Friday's November jobless report...

Stocks to watch Monday.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Stories)) Byline: Matthew Brelis The latest on stocks that could move Monday. See full story. Weekend Edition: Carnival Corp. stands tall during travel industry slump A combination of aggressive pricing...

Nikkei slips from 2-month high; yen weakens.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Stories)) TOKYO (CBS.MW) -- Japanese stocks slipped Monday as investors cashed in on blue-chip gains that had propelled the Nikkei Average to a two-month high before the weekend. The Nikkei fell 74.22 points, 0.8...

UPDATE 1-Nikkei slips from 2-month high; yen weakens.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Stories)) TOKYO (CBS.MW) -- Japanese stocks slipped Monday as investors cashed in on blue-chip gains that had propelled the Nikkei Average to a two-month high before the weekend. The Nikkei fell 74.22 points, 0.8...

UPDATE 1-Health care reform high on radar screen.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Stories)) WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Health care wasn't a big issue in the midterm election, but it'll probably be near the top of the congressional agenda next year, lobbyists and advocates say. Nine percent of...

UPDATE 2-Nikkei slips from 2-month high; yen weakens.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Stories)) TOKYO (CBS.MW) -- Japanese stocks slipped Monday as investors cashed in on blue-chip gains that had propelled the Nikkei Average to a two-month high before the weekend. The Nikkei fell 74.22 points, 0.8...

Office Depot sells Australian ops to Coles Myer.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Pulses)) Byline: Anthony Flint Office Depot announced that it has agreed to sell its Australian operations to Officeworks, a subsidiary of Coles Myer. The acquisition of the company's Viking Office Products Pty...

Office Depot sells Australian ops to Coles Myer.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS Marketwatch (Pulses)) Byline: Anthony Flint Office Depot announced that it has agreed to sell its Australian operations to Officeworks, a subsidiary of Coles Myer. The acquisition of the company's Viking Office Products Pty...

Face the Nation.
December 1, 2002... (From CBS News Channel) Byline: Bob Schieffer, Gloria Borger BOB SCHIEFFER, HOST: Today on Face the Nation, President Bush halfway through his term. Our annual look at the presidency by four historians. 9/11, the war in...

Southern Illinois U.: Brooks blazes the way for Salukis.
December 1, 2002... (From University Wire) Byline: Ethan Erickson Kent Williams is trying to become the all-time leading scorer in the history of SIU men's basketball this season, but he isn't the only weapon in the Saluki arsenal. Despite an...

U. Nebraska: Nebraska sends seniors off with bang.
December 1, 2002... (From University Wire) Byline: Jeff Sheldon You could practically hear the champagne corks popping in volleyball offices across the Big 12 Conference. The most dominating class in league history played its final conference match...

U. Michigan: Michigan volleyball to face Kansas State in first round.
December 1, 2002... (From University Wire) Byline: Albert Kim The Michigan volleyball team got an early Christmas present Sunday night as the Wolverines were selected to participate in the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Michigan will face Kansas State in the...

Florida State U.: Financial security at a cost.
December 1, 2002... (From University Wire) Byline: Travis Miller With all the stress that comes hand in hand with being a college student, some Florida State University students wish they could have the freedom to not worry about money. In these college...