Former Novartis CEO to speak at venture capital summit

Doug Watson, former president and chief executive officer of pharmaceutical giant Novartis America, will be the keynote speaker on Thursday at the Hawaii Venture Capital Summit at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The event, which begins at 7:30 a.m., will feature more than 15 venture capitalists in interactive panel discussions, presentations by Hawaii companies, a university innovation tech showcase and a pau hana afternoon networking session.

Some of the panel topics include the top five items that determine value, how to position a company to raise equity from new investors, and the top 10 mistakes made by a company seeking funding.

The registration fee is $129; visit vcsummit.eventbrite.com to register.

Hawaii technology expo features 100 manufacturers

A two-day technology expo at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall will showcase the latest in display, communication and education technology, with exhibits and presentations.

The event, presented by The Audio Visual Co., will feature more than 100 manufacturers, free classes and several guest speakers.

The expo runs March 31 and April 1. For more information, visit http://www.theavco.com.

Mobi PCS activates fourth new cell site of 2010

Mobi PCS has enhanced its 3G CDMA network with the activation of a new cell site on the Big Island in Ocean View.

The site addition provides enhanced in-building and street coverage throughout the Hawaiian Ocean View Estates residential area.

Mobi PCS has activated four new cell sites on Oahu and the Big Island so far this year.

More people say that cheating on taxes is OK

The IRS Oversight Board, which guides the Internal Revenue Service, reported that 13 percent of those polled last year said it was acceptable to cheat, up from 9 percent in 2008.

At the same time, 39 percent of respondents said their fear of an audit by the IRS had a “;great deal”; of influence on how honest they were in paying taxes. That's up from 36 percent in 2008 and the highest level since the survey began in 2002, when 29 percent said the prospect of an audit kept them honest.

The survey randomly polled 1,000 U.S. adults in August. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Coming Up

» Today: H&R Block Inc. releases financial results.

» Tomorrow: The Labor Department releases job openings and labor turnover survey for January.

» Wednesday: The Commerce Department releases wholesale trade inventories for January.

» Thursday: The main industry group for the world's airlines gives its forecast of the coming months.

» Friday: The Commerce Department releases retail sales for February.