2000 IT forum on the way
A HIGH-profile gathering of IT users and industry leaders will be held in Shanghai in the middle of the year.
Somerset confident in housing market
SINGAPOREAN property developers are still showing strong interest in the local market though the city has many empty houses.
Rumous quashed, IDD access to stay
SHANGHAI's chief telecommunications operators have denied rumours they are set to ban all IDD business for new mobile phone users in the local market.
Emery offers you quick delivery
LOOKING for somebody for a jumbo delivery to the US? Contact Emery Worldwide, which recently expanded its guaranteed "Gold Priority Express" service for shipments from Shanghai to 48 states in the United States, plus Puerto Rico, Canada, and major points in Mexico.
Government to survey commercial framework
HOW many commercial enterprises are there in Shanghai? What is the city's commercial structure?
Robin Smith: from movie child to top business woman
ROBIN Smith grew up as a Hollywood movie child.
Seek future card users
IN the 21st century, cash payment will be replaced by bank card payment, a senior Visa Inter-national executive said last week.
Website bids to be good medical guide
JUST one click, you might be interviewing with a psychologist in Shanghai, or a traditional Chinese doctor in Guangzhou.
Higher prices, larger capacity for cargo
SERVICES bound for the United States are expected to have more cargo this year thanks to the economic recovery in Asia.
GDP target 9%
THE city government is striving for a 9 per cent increase in GDP growth in 2000. The city achieved a 10.2 per cent increase in GDP growth in 1999, halting the decline in the GDP growth rate for the first year since 1992, said Li Liangyuan, director of Shanghai Planning Committee. The services industry achieved an over 20 billion yuan ($2.4 billion) increase over 1998. At the end of 1999, exports to Asia, the former major export destination for Shanghai, recovered, with those to Japan increasing by 16.8 per cent and those to ASEAN countries increasing by 36.5 per cent. Contracted foreign investment in Shanghai as a whole decreased by 29.8 per cent to $4.1 billion, while investment in fixed assets began to recover in 1999.
‘Waixiao' houses cheaper
THE price gap between properties available for sale to local people and those accessible to foreigners is closing fast.
New Apple products on market
APPLE Computer International Co, one of the earliest and largest computer manufacturers in the world, announced the launch of two of its new series of PC products.
Before you settle down to business here...
By Susan Heffernan
ARRIVING in Shanghai can be a little disorienting, even for a tourist. For foreign entrepreneurs who have just arrived and need to set up a business it can be especially bewildering. They need to make major business decisions - recruiting the essential contingent of staff, deciding on trustable property agents and choosing between various properties - in a completely alien environment. This city is one of those places you need to get to know before you can get on the right track for business. This is where a business centre - a local office which caters to the needs of incoming entrepreneurs - comes in, helping you get things set up and giving you time to become better acquainted with the city. Working with a business centre can benefit the long-term growth of your new business for the following reasons. - You need time to get to know the lie of the land in Shanghai. - Landlords are notorious for advising new tenants that decoration of their new offices will only take a few months when in fact it ends up taking a much longer time. - Obtaining the necessary business licence and registration certificates can take time and sometimes delay operations of a new business. Business centres are mostly localized and have more experience dealing with local officials; through them, the waiting period might be greatly reduced. - Finding good staff is very important for a new business; local "personnel markets" can help but many businesses prefer to lease space in the business centre which can provide multi-lingual staff who can help newcomers to translate business information, make phone calls and take care of all the details. - The centres can usually equip the newly-opened business with furniture and all the necessary advanced communication equipment, as well as recommend real estate agents. Susan Heffernan is an expatriate working as the general manager of Regus, an international offices' dealer, and can be reached at sushan@public8.sta.net.cn
Copyright 2000 by Shanghai Star. All rights reserved.