TheBuzz
TheBuzz
Winning is everything,
after allThe $5,000 is cool but the chance to advance is probably cooler for Chongco Sotipalalit, Nathasorn Boontanorm, Arisa Kamchokichai, Siremorn Supachanya and advisor Adith Cheosaku.
They were the winners of Asia Moot Corp. 2003 last week, the business plan competition hosted by the University of Hawaii College of Business Administration and its Pacific Asian Management Institute.
The team from Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University in Thailand won the award for its business plan for an herbal treatment for periodontal disease. The team's company, BioPharma Co. Ltd., manufactures and markets PerioCure, invented by a Thai research team at Mahidol University.
Fudan University of China won the $3,000 second-prize. Its SilBliss Co. plan would produce, market and sell extra-fine silk powder, silk peptide and silk essence to the global raw materials market.
Finalist teams from National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan and Sungkyunkwan University in Korea took away $1,000 each for technology-related plans.
The Asia Moot Corp. Web page has more detail at www.paciber .org/mootcorp/.
The Thai team advances to Austin Moot Corp. next month, the Superbowl of business plan competitions, according to Shirley Daniel, director of the Pacific Asian Management Institute.
The team will compete at the University of Texas at Austin for $100,000 in start-up funding.
Well, duh
Online travel titan Expedia.com has commissioned a study to undergird a new promotional campaign from which Hawaii may benefit.The study found that "Sunny vacations turn winter blues inside out," so the company launched "Sun on Sale" getaways to Florida, Mexico, Hawaii and the Caribbean.
Of the 481 men and 519 women respondents, 50 percent feel less productive and energetic during the winter, while 53 percent feel mentally rejuvenated and 54 percent have a more positive outlook after returning from vacation, according to Expedia Project Manager Teri Franklin.
The survey was conducted this month by Illinois-based TeleNation.
The promotion caused smiles at the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau.
"This research is no surprise to anyone here," said David Preece, vice president for North American marketing. "Our great weather is a major reason our people and our visitors are so happy. We know there are lots of sunny places, but Hawaii is the only one with aloha."
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com