Conducting Business Hong Kong

Vertical City (2009) – Hong Kong’s Two International Finance Centre (Part 1 of 2)

The International Finance Centre (abbr. IFC, branded as “ifc”) is an integrated commercial development on the waterfront of Hong Kong’s Central District.

A prominent landmark on Hong Kong Island, IFC consists of two skyscrapers, the IFC Mall, and the 55-story Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Tower 2 is the second tallest building in Hong Kong, behind the International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon. It is the fourth-tallest building in the Greater China region and the eighth-tallest office building in the world, based on structural heights; by roof height, only the Taipei 101, Shanghai World Financial Center, Willis Tower, International Commerce Centre and Burj Khalifa exceed it. It is of similar height to the former World Trade Center.

IFC was constructed and is owned by IFC Development, a consortium of Sun Hung Kai Properties, Henderson Land and Towngas

Duration : 0:13:32

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Carnegie Mellon University’s Silicon Valley campus hosted a distinguished panel of university presidents from Asia, Europe and the United States during a summit on mobility and communication and their impact on global universities. The summit was sponsored by the International Center for Advanced Communication Technologies (InterACT), a network of leading global research universities and institutes.

The presidential panel included Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon and presidents from the University of Southern California, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Waseda University, the Italian Institute of Technology, and the National Institute of Information and Communication Technology. The topic of discussion was “The Globalized University: Mobility, Communication and their Impact for Education.” The panel was moderated by Edward Frank, a Carnegie Mellon life trustee and vice president of Apple Inc.

The summit and panel were organized by Alex Waibel, InterACT director and a professor in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon.

Duration : 0:56:10

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Technorati Tags: Advanced, Carnegie, Center, communication, InterACT, International, Mellon, Techbologies

Australian shares fell for an eighth day with an over 1 per cent drop in early trade on Thursday as Wall Street continued its losing streak overnight. Yesterday the slump in the last session of financial year 2010 in Australia market brought the June quarter losses to about A$175 billion. For the financial year, S&P/ASX200 index gained 8.8 per cent while the All Ordinaries was up 9.5 per cent.

On Thursday, economic data to be released include Australian Industry Group performance of manufacturing index for June and the Reserve Bank of Australia’s index of commodity prices. Australian Bureau of Statistics is due to release data of building approval and retail sales, both for May.

Company News

WA-based West African gold explorer Gryphon Minerals Limited (ASX:GRY) has made a friendly takeover bid for Shield Mining Limited (ASX:SHX) offering one Gryphon share for every three Shield shares. The share offer valued a Shield share at A$0.272 on the closing price for Gryphon share on 28 June 2010 before both parties’ trading halt. Gryphon has also offered one Gryphon share for every 11 Shield options. Shield said the board of the company unanimously recommends the Gryphon offer in the absence of a superior proposal.

Australia’s largest energy retailer AGL Energy Ltd (ASX:AGK) has launched a A$123 million cash bid for all shares in Mosaic Oil NL (ASX:MOS). AGL’s proposal is incomplete and non-binding. Mosaic said its board has not yet considered the proposal and advises its shareholders take no action pending further announcement.

Online travel service Webjet Limited (ASX:WEB) said the company has entered into a 50 per cent joint venture with Westminster Travel (SIN:5OF), a Hong Kong based travel agency, in a move to expand its operations into Asia. Webjet said it has successfully commenced business in North America in April and it sees Asia a significant international growth region. Webjet said that initial operations will focus on leisure and SME business in flights, and hotels through Stay n Pay.

Billabong International Limited (ASX:BBG) has entered into an agreement to acquire the Toronto listed West 49 Inc (TSE:WXX) for C$1.30 per share, for an enterprise value of approximately C$99 million. The acquisition of West 49, one of Billabong’s existing retail partners in Canada, is expected to be EPS accretive in FY 2011 and will supplement Billabong’s existing North American retail footprint.

Duration : 0:2:44

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This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish

Chicken feathers are useful, and not just to a chicken. Some go into pillows, coats and other products. But countless chicken feathers go to waste. In the United States, billions of chickens are produced yearly. Most of their feathers are thrown away. But instead of being buried in landfills, some feathers could find a future in plastics. Scientists in the Washington area have been working with keratin, the main substance in poultry feathers. One of the products they have developed is a flowerpot. It may look like other flowerpots. But the container breaks down in the earth within one to five years. And as it breaks down, it naturally releases nitrogen into the soil. The flowerpots are made by reducing chicken feathers to a powder. Then the powder is formed into pellets and shaped into pots. The environmentally friendly flowerpot is the work of two researchers. Walter Schmidt is with the Agricultural Research Service, part of the United States Agriculture Department. Masud Huda is with the Horticultural Research Institute, a private organization.The institute’s research director, Mark Teffeau, says the flowerpot works well for vegetables and small flowering plants like geraniums and impatiens. Walter Schmidt has been working to find uses for chicken feathers since the nineteen nineties. Progress in two thousand two showed that plastic made from feathers could be formed like other plastics. He says feathers are much stronger and last longer than another plant material, cellulose. He says feathers are about eight times as strong as cellulose.He points out that traditional flowerpots made from petroleum-based plastics can last much longer. But he wonders if there is really a need. He says most flowerpots are never re-used.He says: “Why would you want a plastic that you use for a year to last for two hundred years? It makes no sense. You want to match the product with the use.”Walter Schmidt and Masud Huda are now adding another chicken product to their flowerpots — chicken waste. The waste will add more nutrients to the soil as the pot breaks down. The scientists say they hope their flowerpot will be on the market in a year or two. And that’s the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. You can find transcripts, MP3s, podcasts and archives of our reports at voaspecialenglish.com.

(Adapted from a radio program broadcast 01June2010)

Duration : 0:4:1

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The Hong Kong International Home Textiles Fair is a premier trade event for the home textiles industry, providing vast international business opportunties. Its 2010 inaugural edition attracted 243 exhibitors from 12 countries and regions. View the video and welcome to join us at the upcoming 2011 event.

Related Link:

Duration : 0:5:17

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Technorati Tags: Council, Development, fair, HKTDC, home, Hong, International, Kong, Textiles, trade

Donald Tong, the Hong Kong Commissioner of Trade & Economic Affairs, speaks to the Robins School of Business at an event hosted by the International Business Student Association.

Duration : 0:54:14

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Andrew Aglionby, Partner and Head of International Arbitration in the Asia-Pacific Region, at Baker & McKenzie, gives his views on the use of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Hong Kong, and what that means for the region. For more information, please go to http://cjrblog.sweetandmaxwell.com.hk.

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Duration : 0:2:45

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Hong Kong Association of Southern California International Business Mixer 2010 http://www.HKASC.org in association with Asian Business Association, California Society of CPAs, HKTDC – Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Columbia Business School Alumni Club of San Diego, Danish-American Chamber of Commerce, Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce, French American Chamber of Commerce, German American Chamber of Commerce California, Mabuhay Alliance, SingMa Club of San Diego, Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, U.S.-China Entrepreneurs Association, Vietnamese Federation of San Diego, World Trade Center San Diego. Featuring Dennis Lee – HKASC, William Hung – HKTDC, Bin Li – Ansir, Eric Eng – HKASC.

Video by Jean-Pierre Prieur and Bridget Brigitte McDonald at Bionic Sisters Productions http://www.bionicsisters.com.

Video for promotional purposes only, no endorsement or criticism, express or implied, of businesses mentioned.

Duration : 0:9:54

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Technorati Tags: Association, business, HKASC, hong kong, International, Mixer 2010, of, Southern California

According to Wall Street Journal, UBS Might Have Helped Some U.S. Account Holders Evade Taxes by Using Hong Kong Enterprises (Bloomberg News)

Duration : 0:2:26

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Technorati Tags: banking, business, economy, Editors, Finance, Government, International, Issues, Law, Legal, NYSE:UBS, Personal, Pick, Politics, VTX:UBSN

According to Merrill Lynch, Asia Ex-Japan is Cheap, Cheapest in Decades Even; Hang Seng Index Cheaper Than It Was During Tiananmen Square Crackdown in 1989; Asia Ex-Japan Could Soar 50% in 12 Months; Merrill Further Recommends to Buy Hong Kong, China, and

Duration : 0:1:55

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