Archive for July, 2007
30 Jul, 2007
Laos At the Crossroads — In More Ways Than One
VIENTIANE — Located right at the crossroads of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), the rapidly growing tourism industry of landlocked Laos is at the same critical crossroads at which the Thai tourism industry found itself in the 1980s — the face-off between balancing “quantity” vs “quality” of visitor arrivals and boosting its ability to manage […]
more…30 Jul, 2007
Private Equity Firms Face Image Problems, Transparency Pressure
Seeking to counter a growing image problem and reputation as predatory buyout “asset-strippers”, private equity companies are trying to work out voluntary guidelines to provide more “disclosure and transparency” about themselves and their mega-billion dollar deals.
more…25 Jul, 2007
Next Big Thing: The “Happiness Business”
Bangkok – Is the phrase “travel & tourism industry” now outdated? If a rebranding is long overdue, how about the “happiness business”? Becoming arguably the first travel trade editor to cover a conference on promoting happiness organised at the UN regional headquarters in Bangkok last week, I was struck by the extent to which the […]
more…23 Jul, 2007
Private Equity Funds Guidelines Claim to Promote “Transparency”
Seeking to counter a growing image problem and reputation as predatory buyout “asset-strippers”, private equity companies are trying to work out voluntary guidelines to provide more “disclosure and transparency” about themselves and their mega-billion dollar deals. Declaring that “private equity needs to become more open,” a preliminary review of public disclosure requirements has been conducted […]
more…22 Jul, 2007
Study of “Happiness” is Becoming both a Science and a Business
Originally Published: 22 July 2007 The very simple exercise of pursuing public happiness as a national development objective is moving rapidly from the leftist lunatic fringe into the sphere of mainstream thinking. Although there is general agreement that the concept is valid and well worth being elevated to the level of public policy, it is […]
more…19 Jul, 2007
When will Asia muster the courage to start pushing back?
Originally Published: 19 July 2007 Tarrin Nimmanhaeminda is a man who chooses his words with care. Thailand’s finance minister during the critical Asian economic crisis, which just commemorated its 10th anniversary amidst much soul-searching, is well versed in both the intricacies of global finance as well as the English language. When he recounted the crisis […]
more…16 Jul, 2007
Asia-Pacific Airlines Group Blasts European “Blacklist” of Indonesian Carriers
The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has made clear to European authorities it’s displeasure with the way the blanket blacklisting of 51 Indonesian airlines was assessed and announced, and sought more transparency in the process. In an interview last week, AAPA Secretary General Andrew Herdman said he had “forcefully” pointed out to the European […]
more…10 Jul, 2007
Global Businesses Face “Trust Gap,” Need To Reset Their “Moral Compass”
Global business leaders have been warned by a McKinsey Company survey that they are facing a “major trust gap” in how their companies are viewed by employees, consumers and the public.
more…9 Jul, 2007
China Gives More Flight-Path Approvals to Facilitate Polar Route
CHINA has agreed to a number of significant improvements in the flight paths over its air-space in order to facilitate the growing traffic over the polar routes between Asia and North America. The upgrades were conveyed to the aviation community at the fifth Special Air Traffic Systems Co-ordination Meeting between China, Mongolia, Russia and the […]
more…8 Jul, 2007
Now Asia’s Turn to Demand Accountability & Transparency From the West
Originally Published: 08 July 2007 Two watershed events were marked virtually back-to-back over the last fortnight. The 10th anniversary of the 1997 Asian economic crisis and the half-way mark of the 15-year Millennium Development Goals campaign both provided an opportunity to take stock of the past and take a fresh look at the future. Looking […]
more…2 Jul, 2007
Indonesians Blast European Ban on Garuda
Indonesian aviation and tourism authorities have been put on the defensive by last week’s European Union ban on Indonesian airlines, but are also beginning to question the timing, methodology and motivation of the move. Although the initial reaction has been again to plead their case before the EU Transport Commission and cite all the various […]
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