Daily Post

Two Languages Make for Unlimited Potential ; Trio of Bilingual Businesses Vying for Prized Welsh Award

MORE and more companies are taking note of the fact that making full use of Welsh in their day-to-day business dealings can strengthen customer loyalty and contribute strongly to the bottom line, if entries for the Daily Post's Achievement Wales 2004 Business Awards are anything to go by. From a strong field of entrants, a short list of three -- Blas ar Fwyd, Cadwaladers (Ice Cream) Ltd and BT -- has been drawn up for the Bilingual Business Award sponsored by the Welsh Language Board.

Welsh Summit for the Uk's Big Events

MAJOR outdoor events from throughout the UK will share their experiences when the National Outdoor Events' Association holds its first ever North Wales Regional Conference next week. Premier events ranging from the National Eisteddfod of Wales to the Ryder Cup and Liverpool's European City of Culture Celebrations will be represented in the conference to be held in Portmeirion, the Italianate village near Penrhyndeudraeth.

Caterers Serve Tasty Dish Fit to Woo a President

OWNERS of a catering company were keeping a professional eye on the US presidential election as the race for the White House neared its climax as we went to press last night. Coastal Catering of Colwyn Bay have fond memories of their encounter with the Bush family, as well as prominent British politicians.

As I See It

LAST night I dreamed I was in Moldavia again. It was still under the communist jackboot. The scene was grim. The president had ordered all ancient buildings to be replaced by featureless concrete blocks. Ugliness was everywhere. All the centuries-old reminders of the days of a cultured aristocracy were being systematically removed.

Airbus Reaches Two Global Milestones

EUROPEAN aircraft manufacturer Airbus has notched up its 1, 000th delivery to the United States. Senior Airbus and Northwest Airlines officers gathered in Toulouse to celebrate the delivery of the aircraft, an A330-200.

Focus On Venture Capital 'Myths'

OWNER managers shouldn't be held back by myths about interfering venture capital investors, according to 3i executive director Chris Rowlands. Speaking at a major business finance conference organised by Finance Wales, he highlighted the issue of "control" as one of the myths surrounding venture capital -- and particularly the feeling that investors seek to interfere in the running of the businesses they invest in.

Backing Over Data Protection

THE majority of Britain's small businesses agree that the principles behind data protection are "a good thing when doing business" reveals a report by the Information Commissioner's Office reveals. Research, carried out by the University of Lincoln, sampled small businesses' attitudes to data protection in the UK. The overall findings revealed that there is a high level of awareness and also a broad acceptance of the principles governing data protection. Eighty percent of businesses thought t...

Business Profile: Soccer Nearly Man Now in Telecom Premiership ; Having Come so Close to His Football Dream, Paul Maddocks Now Gets His Kicks From a Successful Telecom Business. He Talks to David Jones

LIFE doesn't get much better for Paul Maddocks than the day he pulled on a pair of football boots and scored at Anfield in front of home supporters. He had turned out for an Old Liverpool side against Old Everton in a warm-up match before a testimonial for Liverpool stalwart Steve Nicol.

A World in the Fast Lane ; the Internet Is Evolving Rapidly, Meaning That Increased Efficiency, Productivity and Communication Is Tied Into That Rarest of Developments -- A Reduction in Costs. Glyn Mon Hughes Investigates

IT'S hard to think back to a time when information was not available instantly. There was a time when shopping meant taking a trip to the high street, when booking a train or airline ticket meant visiting the station or a travel agent, when getting in touch with friends and family meant ringing them up or -- remember this? -- writing them a letter.

Businesses Back Creation of More Bank Holidays

Gem of a Film Scheme

A SCHEME has been launched to encourage the production of more animated films in Wales. Animated Gems, which is supported by Sgrin Cymru Wales, S4C and the Arts Council of Wales, will offer Welsh animators the opportunity to produce exciting, three-minute films.

Premiums Still Rising

Help with Disability Act

Getting Competitive

Centre of Excellence

CHEMICALS Northwest, in conjunction with Bionow, has launched a new Centre of Excellence for Biocatalysis, Biotransformations and Biocatalytic Manufacture (Co EBIO3). The new centre will be based at Manchester University's Bio Science Incubator building, which is currently under construction.

Supplier of Bottled Gas Is On the Move

A BUSINESS in Conwy which supplies bottled gas to commercial and domestic customers has invested in a new showroom. Calor, the UK's leading supplier of bottled gas, is to invest more than pounds 250, 000 in moving its site in Mochdre to Royal Welch Avenue, Bodelwyddan.

Experience at Shotton Brings Lee Top Award

WORK experience at Shotton Steelworks has helped a young student win a prestigious national award. Lee Comerford, 21, who is being sponsored by metals company Corus on a four-year mechanical engineering course, has received an Engineering Leadership Award worth up to pounds 7, 500 from the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Coast Builder Wins Apartment Contract

LLANDUDNO builder Peter T Griffiths has won the contract to build the landmark Dorchester Apartment development on the site of the former Bedford Hotel on the town's seafront. The developer is Northern Irelandbased West Bay Capital.

Benson's Law

Q I am one of a number of workers who have recently been employed as assistants in a large department store on a six-month contract in order to cover the run up to Christmas and the new year sales. I have discovered the permanent store assistants get paid more than us and are entitled to sick pay on full pay. This does not seem fair as we do the same job. Is my employer allowed to do this? ABy paying you less and not paying you the same sick pay, you and the other fixed term workers are being...

Bullying Is Only One Aspect of the 'Dog Eat Dog' Mentality in an Increasingly Competitive World

IT was with interest that I read a report, published last week, on bullying in the workplace. Published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), this survey of 1, 000 employers showed that many organisations do little to tackle this growing problem. Workplace bullying is generally defined as vindictive, cruel, malicious or humiliating behaviour towards an individual or even a group of employees.