Back to Current News

We have concluded our Member-get-Member Contest on November 15. The Lottery was taken place at the 9th Annual Hong Kong Business Summit on November 27. Sixteen lucky winners were drawn and their names will be listed in the upcoming issue of the Bulletin. Congratulations to Mr Danny Ho of IMC Holdings Limited, who has won the first prize of two business class roundtrip air tickets from Hong Kong to London by Cathay Pacific, and the other fifteen lucky winners. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the 29 members who participated in the Contest, and all together they have recruited 38 new corporate members to the Chamber. We hope everyone can keep up with the spirit of helping the Chamber to grow by referring more new members to us.

The Product Standards Information Bureau (PSIB) provides a range of standard-related services, including the technical enquiry service, the product standards library and the standards sales service. PSIB aims to promote awareness of and compliance with the standard and regulatory requirements for Hong Kong's major markets amongst manufacturers and exporters. If interested in PSIB’s services, please call Miss Gloria Leung at 2829-4823 or Miss Amanda Kwong at 2829-4809.

The Information Technology Services Department is organising a "Networking Hour" on Thursday, 19 December 2002, from 5:00-7:00 pm at the Exhibition Hall, 4/F HKPC Building, 78 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong.

The aim of the event is to facilitate the development of the IT industry locally and to provide a networking opportunity with the local IT industry players so as to exchange views and to have a better understanding of the needs and concerns of the industry. The Hon Mr Henry Tang, Secretary for Commerce, Industry & Technology will be the guest of honour of the event.

The event is free of charge and reservation will be made on a first-come-first served basis. Enrolment can be made via www.digital21.gov.hk/networkinghour.   Should you have any queries, please contact Mr Francis Wai at tel: 2189-2506 or email: is@digital21.gov.hk.

The Information Technology and Broadcasting Branch and the Consulate-General of Canada in Hong Kong will co-organise a forum, with trade-matching sessions, on the information and communications technology (ICT) development of Hong Kong and Canada on 30 November 2002 at the HKCEC. The Canadian business delegation, led by Minister Allan Rock of Industry Canada, will also attend the ITU TELECOM ASIA 2002. If you are interested to take part in the forum and the trade-matching sessions, please write to rtang@ctib.gov.hk for more information. Application deadline is 15 November 2002.

The Cattle Depot is organising a 3-day festival with a series of programme, including a forum on "Cultural Platform in between Urban Spaces", cinema paradiso, rave concert, Cantonese opera, as well as mime and puppet performance. Besides, of the 19 artist entities in the artist village, each will have its own exhibitions. All studios will be open to the public during the festival, which will be full of enlightenment and artistic entertainment. Interested members please contact Ms Candy Ng (tel: 2529-0087) or email: cattledepot@sinaman.com.

The Business Coalition on the Environment, through the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, is organising a luncheon on "Sustainable Transport for Hong Kong" on 20 November at Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong with Mr Bill Barron and Ms Christine Loh as speakers.

Transport services should be fast, convenient and reasonably priced to fulfill the basic need of mobility. But there are constraints for sustainable transport due to the different expectations from the rising population, financial costs, and the complexity of integrating all the factors into consideration. There is considerable potential for efficiency improvement, and even greater potential exists in reducing wasteful competition between bus and rail.

The speakers will be presenting their research and sharing their thoughts on sustainable transport at the luncheon. Interested members please register at 2823-1228 with Ms Looby Ho (HKGCC members are given discount rate at $390 per person).

For those corporate members whose membership expires at the end of this year, you will be receiving a renewal notice in the mail shortly. We would highly appreciate it that you will send in your renewal early, to continue enjoying all the benefits and services that the Chamber provides to you.

This year, as we recognize that smaller companies have contributed significantly to the economy and are experiencing great difficulty in their business, we are offering to these companies an extra incentive in the form of a "Small Company Bonus". Effective immediately, existing and new corporate members employing 10 or fewer staff will be issued special program coupons worth $400, redeemable for Chamber roundtable or subscription luncheons. Coupons can be used in conjunction with cash for higher entrance fee events. Coupons will be issued to members whose membership expires at the end of this year after they have renewed their membership. Other members will automatically receive the coupons in the mail. However, if you are entitled for this bonus but have not declared your company size to us yet, please do so by filling in the information on the specified corner of the renewal notice, or contact our Membership Department at 2823-1248 / 2823-1203.

Just to remind you to fill in and fax back the Chamber survey this week, if you have not yet done so, before the deadline on Friday, 1 November 2002. We have received over 330 responses so far, very encouraging. We want your views count and your participating in the survey will shape our report on Hong Kong's economy outlook at this year's Hong Kong Business Summit (27 November). If you do not have the survey on hand, you may go to the Chamber Web site front page to either download the survey and fax back or reply directly on-line. If you have further queries, please ask our Wendy Kwok at 2823-1253.

The Trade and Industry Department has recently launched new on-line services in the web site of the SME funding schemes at www.smefund.tid.gov.hk.

The new services enable SMEs to submit applications for the SME Business Installations and Equipment Loan Guarantee Scheme (BIG), SME Export Marketing Fund (EMF), SME Training Fund (STF) and SME Development Fund (SDF). Participating lending institutions of the BIG can also make use of the service. Applicants can also make use of the new services to check the status, amend or withdraw previously submitted applications under the EMF and STF.

We are faxing out the Chamber's Pay Review 2003 to all members today. The circular offers Chamber's views on the annual pay review process for the coming calendar year 2003. They are for our members' reference only, and members should assess the circumstances of their individual business or industry sector in determining pay policies for the year ahead. If you have not yet received this circular by Saturday, 19 October, you should notify us, by return email, informing us your membership number or company name and fax or email address, so that we can forward you the circular.

Beijing hosting the 2008 Olympic Games is expected to give rise to vast opportunities for enterprises to tap. We are organising a Distinguished Speakers Event for the Mayor of Beijing, Mr Liu Qi, who is also the President of the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games, to deliver a dinner talk on the opportunities that the 2008 Olympic Games would bring for the business community in Hong Kong. The dinner will be held on Tuesday, 29 October, 6:45 pm - 9:30 pm, at Grand Hyatt. Key members of the Beijing Organising Committee will attend this dinner to mingle with guests. His speech will be conducted in Mandarin with simultaneous interpretation in English. Book on-line now (under Chamber Event)! Please call our Joe Cheng at 2823-1255 for further enquiries.

The Consulate General of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Hong Kong announced on 10 October 2002 that with immediate effect, visa exemption period granted to the holders of the HKSAR passport for visiting Egypt is extended from 14 days to 90 days for tourism, business and transit purposes. On the basis of reciprocity, holders of Egyptian passport will also be able to enter HKSAR without a visa for a stay of up to 90 days with immediate effect.

The free seminar, to be held on 13 November 2002 afternoon at HKCEC, is jointly organised by the Information Technology Services Department and the Internet Professionals Association. It will introduce the underlying design concepts and techniques to make web sites accessible to people with disabilities. Interested parties may obtain program information from www.info.gov.hk/digital21 . Enrolment deadline is 6 November. Seminar language will be in Cantonese with English terminology.

The Telecommunications Research Project of the University of Hong Kong is organising a one-day Conference on “Next Generation Wireless Services Development in Hong Kong” on Wednesday, 20 November 2002, at the Sheraton Hotel. $400 per person (lunch included). For details and registration, please visit www.trp.hku.hk   or contact Ms Jenny Wan of the Telecommunications Research Project at Tel: 2859-1919 or Fax: 2857-9434.

Please mark your diary now for the following big Chamber events:

China Business Conference 2002 on Tuesday, 5 November 2002, whole day at HKCEC.

Hong Kong Business Summit 2002 “Keeping Hong Kong Competitive - 2003 and Beyond” on Wednesday, 27 November 2002, morning at HKCEC (New Wing).

We faxed to you recently a 7-page Business Prospects Survey for Hong Kong. Appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to respond and fax back to us before 1 November. Results of the survey will be announced and analysed by our Chief Economist, Ian Perkin, at the Summit. This will be his last public speaking to Chamber members before his leaving the Chamber on 30 November.

If you have not received the survey, you may download it or fill-it-online from our Web site, or contact our Wendy Kwok at 2823-1253 for a copy.

The Government announced on 16 August 2002 the liberalisation of the rice trade as from 1 January 2003. A briefing session on the issue will be organised by the Trade and Industry Department at 10:00 am on 15 October 2002 at the HKPC Building. Any parties interested in applying for registration as a rice stockholder for the year 2003 are invited to attend the briefing session. If interested in attending the session, please contact Ms Elsa Hung or Ms K Y Yip at 2398-5453 and 2398-5569 respectively on or before 9 October 2002 for obtaining the reply form of the briefing session.

The Hong Kong Housing Authority has recently established a new set of administration rules for its List of ARCS Contractors with a view to widening the List and attracting potential manufacturers to develop ARCS for use in its projects. The Authority has completed seven ARCS since 1995 and there are eight other ARCS currently under design or construction. Contract amounts range from HK$20 to 50 million each. If you require further information on the new rules and ARCS projects, please contact Mr T K Ng at 2761-6105 or Mr C M Chanat 2761-6455.

The Family Planning Association of Hong Kong will hold the captioned conference, in Cantonese, on 8 November 2002, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm at Room 401 of the HKCEC. The topics will cover men in the workplace, men's role in the family, sex issue and its therapy, etc. Admission fee is HK$100. Registration deadline is 1 November. If interested, please visit www.famplan.org.hk  or call Ms Mak at 2919-7743. This is the first conference in HK to discuss men’s health issues. It may help the Association to formulate its services to men in future based on the comments and opinions received from the conference.

We would like to remind those 1,408 members who have successfully entered into our COMIUS system through the password given by the Chamber to use the on-line facility continuously to update their company records. The facility will help ensure the most accurate information about their companies presented to the viewers of the Chamber Web site. If you have changes in your key personnel, company correspondence, or business interests, please use our COMIUS system to do the updating instantly and minimize key-in errors.

We would like to remind you that this is the last service of the Chamber Brief News to non-members. From 1 October, we will email the News to members’ representatives only. Non-members are encouraged to join the Chamber to enjoy the full range of membership services.

Hong Kong demonstrates its commitment to safeguarding the global maritime trade system against terrorism by supporting the US Container Security Initiative (CSI). The two Customs signed the Declaration of Principles (DOP) on 23 September in Hong Kong. Under the DOP, the HK and US Customs will exchanged information and work together closely to facilitate the identification and screening of high-risk containers. A small team of US Customs personnel will be placed in HK, where they will work jointly with HK authorities. The HK Government will ensure the overall port efficiency would not be compromised as a result of supporting the CSI. Click on to our "Corporate News" to read the US Customs' press release.

World Standard Day is organised by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). They have been active in developing international standards and working towards compatibility of systems worldwide. The theme for World Standard Day 2002 is "One standard, one test - accepted everywhere", promoting the adoption of common standards and testing method all over the world to eliminate duplicative testing of goods and services. More details are available at www.iso.org. Please contact Miss Gloria Leung of the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR Government at 2829-4823 if you require further information.

Office of the Telecommunications Authority is organising two events on the theme of "Enrich your living. Gain access to new telecom services." Admission Free.

The World of Intelligent Living - Your Mini-Carnival - 28-29 September

From 10:00 am - 9:00 pm at 1/F Fantasy Island of Maritime Square, Tsing Yi
Format: Demonstration of intelligent systems, exhibition and games

Towards Intelligent Living: Gaining Access to New Telecom Services - 6 October

Talk Show: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm; Exhibition and Games: 11:00 am - 7:00 pm
Format: Talk show and sharing with professionals, demonstration of intelligent systems, exhibition and games

To register, please click onto www.ofta.gov.hk.

South China Morning Post and Sing Tao are respectively offering exclusive discounts and free job posting advertisements to participating companies of the "One Company One Job" campaign through HKGCC. These special offers can only apply to registered vacancies under the campaign through HKGCC (either the One Company One Job Logo or the phrase has to appear on the ad) and are valid until 31 December 2002: South China Morning Post - 20% discount on Classified Post (for graduate posts only) and free on Jiu Jik (print and online); Sing Tao - 10% discount on net rate for JobMarket and free for JobMarket online. For inquiries about the offer and the "One Company One Job" campaign, please contact our Karen Fung at 2823-1240.

This is the largest and most popular outdoor exhibition in town organised by the Chinese Manufacturers Association. It features Hong Kong brands and products and has become a vey welcome family activity during year-end. This year will also be the last year that the Expo held at Tamar Site. If you are interested in renting a booth, please visit www.hkpe.com.hk  for details or call Miss Nancy Wong of Neway International Trade Fairs Ltd at 2561-5566 or email to nancyw@newayfairs.com .

The Chamber has been providing four weekly email alerts to members and non-members for some time. They are (1) Business Opportunities Alert, which is on trade inquiries and tender news; (2) Chamber Alert, which is on important business news and government announcements; (3) Chamber Brief News, a snap shot of interesting events and news in HK; (4) What's On at the Chamber, which provides a list of upcoming Chamber events and training courses. In order to enhance our membership benefits, we have restricted the Business Opportunities Alert email service to company representatives of our members only since August. We will do the same for Chamber Alert and Chamber Brief News on 1 October. Thereafter, only company representatives of our members will be entitled to receive these two alerts. For non-members, if they wish to be served, we would encourage them to join the Chamber, either as a Member or an Individual Associates. Please view our web site for membership information. Another way is to do online sign up from our front page for the alerts, or simply enter your email address in the box on the left and click the "Go" button. Call our Sharon Chung at 2823-1203 if you have further questions on our membership services.

We would like to report to you on the progress of the OCOJ campaign. As of 28 August, 236 companies have responded and offered 797 vacancies through the Chamber to the OCOJ campaign. This is a very good start and shows positively the support from Chamber members to help fresh graduates to gain work experience and training. Please be reminded that the OCOJ campaign will continue until year-end. If you may offer vacancies in the next few months under OCOJ, please contact our Karen Fung at 2823-1240. We have also posted some of the vacancies in the Chamber web site. The page attracts about 1,000 views a day and helps to facilitate job matching between our members and graduates. One more job matched is one more graduate being hired, and that could create an encouraging atmosphere for the economy as a whole. Let us do our best to help these young people. Thank you for your support.

The General Committee of the Chamber recently approved that the title of Chamber Director, Dr Eden Woon, be changed to CEO, effective 1 September 2002. Seven division heads have also had title changes. The complete list of title changes can be found on the Chamber web site.

The Chamber IT team designed the COMIUS system to facilitate members updating their company records in the Chamber Directory by using the Internet. It was first launched in 18 May. We are extremely pleased that so far 1,388 members have responded by activating the passwords we gave them and accessed to their company records. Out of which, 969 members actually amended their records. In order to protect the accuracy and security of the company records, those members who have not yet activated their passwords will not be able to use the given passwords for access after 6 September 2002. On the other hand, the 1,388 members who have activated their passwords are allowed to use their passwords hereafter to online update their company records as and when they need to do so. Please be reminded that updated information may help your company to attract and match with the right business opportunities.

Getting bored of the mundane work clothes you have been wearing for ages and looking for new excitements on a regular workday? By donating HK$50 or more, you can join the Dress Casual Day organised by The Community Chest on Monday, 30 September, the day before National Day. All donations raised through Dress Casual Day this year will be allocated to support "Family and Child Welfare Services" under the Chest umbrella. As a token of appreciation, an acknowledgement listing the names of participating organisations will appear in major newspapers on the event day.

Mark your calendar now and don't miss out the opportunity to be part of this fun and meaningful event. For enquiries, please call Miss Anita Chan (Tel: 2599-6107) or Miss Tiffany Chan (Tel: 2599-6101) of the Chest office.

Since we formally noticed members about the "One Company One Job" campaign with vacancy form on 2 August, over 150 member companies have answered our call as of 15 August offering more than 520 jobs. Thank you for the tremendous support. Apart from forwarding these vacancies to the Labour Department for job matching purposes, we have decided to post these offers on the Chamber web site to help new graduates and our members for own matching. You may now click to these vacancies either from the front page or under "Opportunities" of our web site. As the campaign will last until the end of the year, you may forward us the vacancy forms as and when the jobs become available for the new graduates and we will update the information in our OCOJ page accordingly.

Moreover, we are thinking of expanding this web listing service, free of charge, exclusively to our members through the Chamber web site. Would you let us know whether you will use or not to use this service, if make available, by a return email stating your choice, please?

The Business Opportunities Email Alert is sent every Monday on trade inquiries received by the Chamber during the week. In order to enhance membership benefits, from now on this alert service will only be sent to the primary and additional company representatives of our member companies or Individual Associates who have provided us their email addresses. In other words, non-members can only check on these opportunities by viewing our web site directly without the benefit of being alerted to them. One more reason to encourage your friends to join the Chamber! If you have queries on trade opportunities or wish to join the Chamber as member or Individual Associates, please call our maggie fung at 2823-1248 or email to mfung@chamber.org.hk.

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) is organising in conjunction with the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and other trade organisations a 2-day workshop, 10-11 September, at Room 401, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, on "Bridging the Gap - Development of Mobile Multi-media, Value-added and Content Applications in the New Era". The workshop aims to establish a stimulating environment for the development of value-added and content applications, to encourage demand and innovation in the sector, as well as to provide technical guidance and toolkits to application developers.

Registration at HK$300 per person, on a first-come-first-served basis. Details available from the OFTA website at: http://www.ofta.gov.hk/frameset/home_index_eng.html.

For enquiries, please contact:
Ms Anna Lai  (Tel: 2961-6796  email: annalai@asia2002.gov.hk)
Ms Annissa Cheng  (Tel: 2961-6233  email: annissacheng@asia2002.gov.hk)

The Chamber's Member-get-Member Contest launched on 17 June has been very well received by members, and now, entering the contest could not be easier. All you have to do is to just send an email to MGM@chamber.org.hk, and you will then receive an instant email reply containing Chamber membership application details. Then just forward the email to a potential new member. What could be easier? You can also sign up a new member online at www.chamber.org.hk/member_get_member <http://www.chamber.org.hk/member_get_member>; or complete the referral form and return it to us by fax or mail; or just give us a call at 2823-1209. Remember, for each successful company you recruit, you will immediately be awarded a $200 PARKnSHOP coupon, and your name will be entered into the Year End Lottery. There are 16 attractive prizes to be won: including 2 Business round-trip tickets to London, sponsored by Cathay Pacific Airways. The more new members you recruit, the better chance you have of winning! Deadline: 15 November 2002.

The above free seminar is jointly organised by the Support and Consultation Centre for SMEs of the Trade and Industry Department and the Hong Kong Productivity Council on 8 August 2002, 2:30-5:00 pm, at HKPC Building. The seminar's purpose is provide relevant information to SMEs which are interested in starting their own restaurant or enhancing the quality and services of their existing restaurants. Discussions will cover the criteria to be met as quality restaurant, the concept of "green restaurant" and how IT can enhance the overall productivity. For details and registration: http://www.sme.gcn.gov.hk/

The Chamber has been managing race boxes at Happy Valley and Shatin for some years. Due to low usage rate of Happy Valley in last year, we have decided to give up the box there. However, we will continue to operate the Shatin race box at Grand Stand II, 6/F, Box 622. The first race will commence on Sunday, 1 September 2002 at Shatin. We start to accept bookings now. As in past years, we offer 7 seasonal tables and 10 seasonal seats for frequent users at 40% and 50% discounts respectively. If you are interested, please contact our Fandy Lai at 2823-1246.

The Chamber and five other major local business chambers initiated the "One Company One Job" campaign, appealing for Hong Kong companies' support by having each company voluntarily provide at least one 12-month trainee position to a new college graduate or higher diploma recipient. The appeal letter from the Chamber to all its members was faxed out on 29 July. Subsequently, the final version of the vacancy order form together with Chairman's covering letter were sent on 2 August to all members. We hope our members will support the campaign by responding to the appeal. If you have queries on the campaign, please call our Karen Fung at 2823-1240. Interested companies may also download the form from http://www.chamber.org.hk/memberarea/chamber_circular/one_co_one_job.pdf

In complying with security requirements, from 17 July 2002, passengers having baggage to check-in on Cathay to destinations in the USA will not be able to use the in-town check-in services at the Hong Kong and Kowloon Airport Express stations. However, passengers who do not have check-in baggage can still use the in-town check-in services when they travel to the USA.

Held for nine consecutive years, the Community Chest's Dress Causal Day this year will be held on Monday, 30 September. Last year, over 450,000 participants from more than 1,300 organisations, schools and government departments joined effort to raise more than HK$17.6 million under this initiative. If your company is interested in participating and make a donation, please call Miss Winnie Fung (tel: 2599-6127) or Miss Idy Lai (tel: 2599-6136) of the Chest office.

Since 1989, this annual event has been organised by the Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department. The Award for this year is now open for nomination until 31 August. The Presentation Ceremony will take place in November. The Award is to give recognition and appreciation to disabled employees who have demonstrated outstanding performance in employment. The nomination is open to all employers who have engaged disabled employees, including those with visual or hearing impairment, physical or mental handicap, chronic illness as well as the ex-mentally ill. Please call 2852-4803 to obtain nomination forms or download from www.info.gov.hk/labour.  

The Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) will organise a "Putonghua Month" Purchase Discount Programme from September 15 to October 13, 2002. Members are invited to offer 10% or more discount to Putonghua speaking customers and to display the Purchase Discount Programme sticker during the promotion period. The campaign will be promoted extensively through various channels such as lightboxes at MTR and KCR stations. Names of all the participating members will be listed at RTHK websites for customers’ information. Also, members could also download a series of “One Minute Putonghua” courses from the RTHK website to learn the basic Putonghua conversation skills for service industry. Interested members please download the reply form from www.rthk.org.hk/download/forms.html and return to RTHK on or before August 7, 2002. For further information, please contact Ms Sandra Wong or Ms Lina Liu of RTHK at 2339-6545.

The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce is constantly striving to give maximum value to its members. Recently, we have revamped our Member Benefits Programme by signing up more than 60 partner merchants to offer special discounts exclusively to HKGCC members. Details of these discounts, which cover a wide range of products and services relevant to your corporate and personal needs, can be found in a separate brochure that we have mailed to members. Or you can visit our Web site: www.chamber.org.hk/member_benefits

For identification purposes, members need to present their membership card or quote their membership number upon the time of purchase or booking. If you need to apply for additional cards for your staff, please contact the Membership Department at 2823 1203 / 2823 1236, or apply on line at the web link above.

The ICAC and the Shanghai Municipal People's Procuratorate have just released a new guidebook, "Ethics in Practice -- A Guide for Businessmen in Shanghai and Hong Kong." The guide highlights major provisions of the anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws of the Mainland and Hong Kong. It also contains practical references for cross-boundary businessmen on how to safeguard their rights and interests under the anti-corruption laws. The guide can be viewed on the Hong Kong Ethics Development Centre Web site (www.icac.org.hk/hkedc) , or call 2587 9812 for more information.

The Young Industrialist Awards of Hong Kong (YIAH) 2002 are now open for nomination. This year will be the 15th year of the awards, a new title “Industrialist of the Year” will be introduced to celebrate the event. The YIAH provides an opportunity to identify and give recognition to young industrialists who excel in their fields. The deadline for nomination is 8 August 2002. Please call Ms Connie Lei of FHKI at 2732 3107 or view www.yiah.org to know more about the awards.

As the Chamber Web Site is getting more and more popular amongst international businessmen, we would like to give you some tips on how to benefit from it. For traders, we strongly recommend our "e-catalog" service which allows you to post up to 50 product photos attached to your company web page with the Chamber at a fee of $1,800 per annum. Our e-catalog is the second highest hit page of our site. For service company, our "Corporate News" sector could be most appropriate for you to publicize your corporate newsletter or press releases. The charge is only $100 per issue and you can have a shelf live of six months. If you have product discounts to offer, we can promote it through either our "Member Benefits" page and/or our "Web-Mart". You are encouraged to browse our "Trade Inquiries" daily and to post your own to attract buyers/sellers. If you have a business problem that you want help, try our "Help Wanted" to see if any colleague has a solution. These are just a few examples. If you want to know more of how the Chamber Web site can help you do business, please call our Queenie Poon at 2823 1279.

You may recall the Chamber launched the system back in 18 May. COMIUS allows every member using the password given to access online his/her company record with the Chamber and update the information therein as and when they need to do so. In order to protect your company record, if you had not activated your password on or before 18 June, it would expire. As of 18 June, 596 members activated their passwords making 463 update submissions. For these 596 members, they can continue to use their passwords. For the remaining members, we will send you the information printouts by mail in batches over the next few weeks or so and hope that you will cooperate by updating your company record with us. If you want to save our paper and mailing costs, please call our Sharon Chung at 2823-1203. She will tell you how to obtain a new password to access your company record online.

The Steering Committee on Volunteer Movement of the Social Welfare Department is organizing the above seminar and workshops on 21 June 2002 from 2:15 to 5:30 pm at ETech Forum, 4th Floor, 402-406 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong. This seminar and workshops provide a propitious opportunity for the participants to broaden their perspectives and knowledge in corporate volunteering. It offers a solution showcase of how volunteering can help to increase staff’s productivity and devotion during difficult economic situations. Interested parties may register for free by visiting http://www.volunteering-hk.org/popup_07.html   or contact Ms Clara Lam at 2836- 6930 for further details.

Due to overwhelming response, the Trade and Industry Department, Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong Productivity Council and BOSSible will jointly organize a Cantonese speaking seminar on "Developing Business through Franchising" on Tuesday, 25 June 2002 from 2:30-5:30 pm at the HKPC Building in Kowloon Tong. For details, please call 2398-5736.

The Equal Opportunity Commission will provide a series of workshops from September to November to help employers explore how effective implementation of equal employment opportunity will improve productivity, meet their legal obligations, and reduce the risk of liability. Particular emphasis will be on the related ordinances. Information about the workshops can be obtained by visiting
^{http://www.eoc.org.hk/CE/temp/workshop/index.htm.}

111 pieces of ISO/IEC JTC1 standards in CD-ROM format can now be ordered at Government’s Products Standards Information Bureau at a special fixed price of HK$210 each. The offer is good until 31 December 2002. The 111 standards cover a variety of subjects in the field of IT, including digital data management, storage and transfer, coding of multimedia information, IT security, programming languages, etc. A full list of the standards can be found at www.info.gov.hk/itc/psis . Please call 2829-4820 or email psib@itc.gov.hk for ordering.

Organised by the Sustainable Development Unit of the HKSAR, the Symposium will bring together renowned experts on sustainable development, government officials, Legislative Councilors, and representatives from the business sector and academics to identify priority issues and actions for achieving a sustainable Hong Kong. For details please visit http://www.sdsymposium.org.

The Labour Department has provided us a few hundred copies on the following publications for members to pick up at the Chamber Head Office on a first-come-first-served basis.

(1) Guide to Good People Management Practices (bilingual).
(2) A Practical Guide to Employers' Duties under Labour Legislation (bilingual).
(3) Case Studies on Good People Management (in Chinese only).

If you have queries on good people management, you may call LD's Workplace Consultation Promotion Unit at 2121-8690.

The Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme (YWETS) provides work experience and job-related training of 6-12 months' duration for young people between the ages of 15 and 24 with education attainment below degree level. Throughout the period of employment and training, case managers will provide career counseling and support services to assist the young people under the YWETS. Employers participating in the scheme will have to appoint a mentor to guide the trainees throughout the period of training. The scheme will endorse a monthly training subsidy of HK$2,000 for each trainee engaged during the period of employment and training. Further information and application forms can be obtained by calling us at 2823-1240.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) is now conducting a market testing exercise to obtain information on the market capability and to seek interest in government’s intention to outsource the management, operation and maintenance of the Hong Kong Wetland Park. A briefing session will be held at 3:00 pm on 29 May to help potential bidders understand details of the requirements. For details please contact Mr Edmond Lam of AFCD at tel 2150-6960, fax: 2314-2802 or email: yf_lam@afcd.gov.hk.

Jointly organised by the Trade and Industry Department and 25 trade and industrial organisations, the Mentorship Programme for SMEs aims to provide an opportunity for SME entrepreneurs who are at their early stage of business to learn from and be guided by accomplished entrepreneurs, senior executives, and professionals through one-to-one free counseling during a 9-month period.

Deadline: 3 June 2002. Application forms could be available from the Chamber, the Trade and Industry Department or the Internet at www.sme.gcn.gov.hk. Enquiries: 2398-5133 or email: smeenq@mail.gcn.gov.hk

In 2001, the Labour Department organised the third Good People Management Award to promote, encourage and commend employers in achieving good people management. With 201 participating companies, 19 enterprises, including 8 with employment size 501 and above, 6 with employment size 101 to 500 and 5 with employment size 100 or below, have been granted the award for their commendable performance in human resources management. To commemorate the event, the Labour Department has produced a souvenir publication, in Chinese, to document the successful experience of the 19 winners. This publication is a digest on actual cases which have proven success on sound human resources practices for the reference of employers.

For a free copy, please contact Miss Chu of the Workplace Consultation Promotion Unit of the Labour Department by fax at 2121-8695 or by telephone at 2121-0874.