BusinessWorld (Philippines) articles from December 2009, page 13

BusinessWorld (Philippines) archives from December 2009

SPECIAL FEATURE: EntrepreNews.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Bernice Marie V. Berida In a country where coffee is king, a new type of cafe that serves hot and cold chocolate drinks has had customers lining up at the counter for a second cup. Cafe Xocolat is managed and owned by four women...

SPECIAL FEATURE: EntrepreNews.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Cecile Jusi-Baltasar Mojo slippers and sandals came to be because its founder, Joey Cuerdo, a member of the UP Mountaineers club at the University of the Philippines, needed a sturdy, inexpensive pair of sandals for outdoor climbing....

SPECIAL FEATURE: EntrepreNews.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Hannah M. Muralla Scores of entrepreneurs regaling tales of success in magazines these days make it more enticing for restless people, young and old, to fantasize about building their own business. In the end, however, only a...

SPECIAL FEATURE: EntrepreNews.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Jovy J. Jader Traditionally, supply chain management was regarded as a concept reserved for large transnational corporations with multiple products and global markets. This view, however, has been challenged in recent times, after a...

ASEAN + 3 call for permanent regional rice reserve.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales AGRICULTURE MINISTERS from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Japan and South Korea have recommended forming a permanent regional rice reserve that will ensure stable supply and pricing...

Firms' actions covered by Mindanao peace agenda.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Joel B. Escovilla DAVAO CITY - The Mindanao Business Council, government officials and civil society groups signed here last week a pact to promote harmony in the business sector as part of an overall peace agenda for the island. ...

Construction of P20-million fish port pushed in W. Leyte.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Sarwell Q. Meniano TACLOBAN CITY - Western Leyte officials are pushing for the construction of a P20-million fish port that will serve Ormoc City and Albuera town. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is evaluating...

Outsourcing sector sees more mergers happening in 2010.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Emilia Narni J. David MORE MERGERS are expected among business process outsourcing (BPO) firms next year as strategy to increase their client and skill base. "It's one of the trends that BPA/P talks about. The consolidation of...

Government's tax effort erodes even more in the third quarter.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Alexis Douglas B. Romero THE GOVERNMENT's tax effort - the ratio of tax revenues to gross domestic product (GDP) - fell further in the third quarter, as collection agencies again missed their respective revenue targets, Finance...

Crackdown on erring traders eases.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Alexis Douglas B. Romero THE NUMBER of establishments closed down under the "Oplan Kandado" program of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) hit 387 as of end-October, even as the initiative was temporarily suspended in some areas due...

LET'S TALK TAX.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Marietta B. Saludaga An aggressive step is being taken by the government to fight tax evasion through the proposed approval into law of a bill on Exchange of Information on Tax Matters. The bill grants international tax authorities...

FRAMEWORK.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Elfren Sicangco Cruz Last month, the UN food summit in Rome stated that 1 billion people will go to bed hungry and the Philippines, the world's largest importer, contracted to buy 1.5 million tons of rice equivalent to 5% of the total...

TO TAKE A STAND.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Francis M. Varela Two weeks ago, the Philippine edition of the 2009 Economic Freedom of the World Report was launched. The report, published by the Fraser Institute in cooperation with the Economic Freedom Network, ranks 141 countries...

FENCE SITTER.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Antonio R. Samson What is enough? One of the rules of keeping fit dictates that one stops eating once he has had enough. A more scientific approach is really to count the calories and fat content of one's intake to determine how much...

MAP INSIGHTS.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Augusto L. De Leon This is the title of a recently released book authored by Lee Iacocca, former president of Ford. He asks, where are the people who are fed up with what is happening to the country? Where is the outrage? People...

COMMENTARY.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Rafael M. Alunan III After the rituals of paying lip service and "going through the motions" are over, let's call a spade a spade. Like the leopard's spots that will never change, the culture of revenge (rido) will keep on with...

BEYOND BRUSHSTROKES.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Marivic Rufino Conclusion "To their credit, Teodoro [Kalaw] and his wife Pura were not typical parents. In 1932 they allowed Purita to go to the United States to study design at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. That was a...

PNCC eyes sale of stake in SLEx operator.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Kristine Jane R. Liu State-controlled Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) plans to sell its entire stake in the joint venture for the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) that connects Metro Manila to provinces in Southern Luzon....

Sy-led SM Prime to stick to building big shopping malls.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Kristine Jane R. Liu The country's largest mall operator will continue to develop big shopping centers even if others have already ventured into developing "pocket-sized" retail outlets. "We want to focus on building shopping...

Bounty Fresh sees sales boost next year due to poll spending.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales Poultry producer Bounty Fresh Food, Inc. and sister company Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. are banking on election spending next year to boost sales to almost P8 billion. Sales are expected to rise next year,...

Key Microsoft exec sees growth from small and medium firms.
December 1, 2009... Software giant Microsoft expects small and medium enterprises or SMEs to provide new business for the company as they begin to harness information technology, a key executive said. In an interview, Alain Crozier, vice-president and chief...

NCR Cebu expands R&D scope to entertainment, travel sectors.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Marites S. Villamor CEBU CITY - NCR Cebu Development Center, Inc. is expanding the scope of its research to include the development of self-service solutions for the entertainment and travel sectors. NCR's research and development...

UK firm offers cargo handling equipment to gov't, companies.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Neil Jerome C. Morales British cargo handling firm Nectar Group, Ltd. is aiming to lease cargo bagging equipment with the government and private firms, company officials said. Nectar's equipment, used for bulk cargo and destination...

BRIEFS.
December 1, 2009... Samsung expands consumer, enterprise printers Samsung Electronics recently showcased 13 new printers and printing solutions designed to refine the printing experience with step improvements that enhance productivity. Having grown steadily to...

Poll fever heats up as three presidential candidates file bids.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Adriel M. Paglinawan and Bernard U. Allauigan A FESTIVE mood prevailed at the premises of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) head office in Manila yesterday morning as three presidential contenders, cheered by thousands of...

We are prepared for disqualification case - Estrada.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Adriel M. Paglinawan OF ALL presidential candidates, deposed leader Joseph E. Estrada is the only one likely to be questioned due to the Constitutional limit of one term per president. Ousted in a popular revolt in 2001 that cut...

Escudero wants probe of pension benefits.
December 1, 2009... The Senate has been asked to probe the alleged delay in the release of pension benefits by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). Senator Francis Joseph "Chiz" G. Escudero filed Resolution 1471 directing the committee on government...

Bill seeking school nutrition program.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Jhoanna Frances S. Valdez and Sarwell Q. Meniano THE HOUSE committees on basic education, and health and millennium development goals are pushing for the approval of a bill creating an institutionalized school nutrition program,...

Palace to determine potable supply.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Sarwell Q. Meniano PALO, Leyte - Malacanang has ordered an investigation into municipalities in the region where more than half of the population has no access to potable water, and to resolve the issue before the Arroyo...

Cooking gas prices seen to rise by P40 per 11-kg cylinder tank.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Jose Bimbo F. Santos A BULK seller of cooking gas will raise prices of the commodity today to track high world contract rates. In a phone interview, Arnel U. Ty, president of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers Association...

Protest targets Arroyo over massacre.
December 1, 2009... Byline: AFP and Romer S. Sarmiento MORE THAN 500 people including journalists and activists marched on the Philippine presidential palace yesterday to denounce the government over the massacre of at least 57 people in Maguindanao last week....

RP-Thailand rice deal in the works.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Jessica Anne D. Hermosa Talks between the Philippines and Thailand regarding rice tariffs will be completed soon and are no longer likely to derail a regional trade pact, a senior government official said late last week. A draft...

Retirement rejected by Arroyo.
December 1, 2009... Byline: Gerard S. dela Pena President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday confirmed plans to run for congresswoman in her hometown province of Pampanga, eliciting criticism regarding the propriety of seeking another elective post while using...

A challenge of conscience.
December 1, 2009... The brutal, indiscriminate mass murder on Monday in Ampatuan town, in Maguindanao province, raises the ultimate challenge of conscience. It carries the culture of impunity at work in this country to such levels of horror that, if it remains...