Business News Online

Get the most comprehensive business information available!

Subscribe to Business News Online

Archive for the ‘Business News’ Category

For about six hours Thursday, motorists near Orlando International Airport could finally see the prices charged at the most expensive gas station in the country.

The owners of Sun Gas didn’t give up their long-running fight with City Hall and post their $5.79-a-gallon price — an Orlando artist did it for them.

Performance artist Brian Feldman, known for off-the-wall art, spent nearly six muggy hours in front of the station. Around his neck hung a gas station-style sign with Sun Gas’ current prices for a gallon of regular, mid-grade and premium.

“This is an art installation, and I am playing the role of the sign. Hopefully, they’ll do the right thing and post their prices. But if they don’t, I’ll do my best to make sure they get the attention they deserve,” said Feldman, who was alternately cursed and praised by passing motorists trying to puzzle out his connection to the station.

Some gave a thumbs-up, and one woman called him a good Samaritan. B Read more…

Rica’s revenge: unregistered cellphone customers cut off

Posted by Tamara Littlejohn On June - 29 - 2011

Just under a million Vodacom customers were disconnected on Friday after failing to meet the Rica deadline, the service provider said.

“Some of those people would have come in this morning [Friday] to register,” said spokesperson Richard Boorman.

He said there were no penalties for late registration and therefore no need to panic. South Africans were given until midnight on Thursday to Rica their sim and data cards to avoid being disconnected.

“If you take your relevant documentation to a Rica station or Vodacom-approved outlet, you can get back on the network.”

The provider said it had over 170 000 Rica agents across the country available to assist cut-off customers.

However, reactivation may take up to 24-hours.

Contract customers who had not registered and had their sims locked would still be liable for their contractual payments.

8ta had registered all of its customers by Wednesday, while MTN and Cell C were still busy collating figures.

MTN spokesperson Bridget Bhengu said they were pleased with the progress so far.

“By Friday morning, MTN was still collating and reconciling the number of customers who have been cut off, but initial indications are that the numbers are not significant.”

She said customers who registered after the deadline might have to wait a short while before they are reconnected. Read more…

Nice catch

Posted by Tamara Littlejohn On June - 29 - 2011

From left, Phillies fans Mary Cappelletti, Loretta Gauger, and Lisa Cappelletti anxiously await their chance to chat with former Phillies catcher Darren Daulton and have him sign their baseballs.

Photos by Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury Pourhouse employee Matt Cappelletti gets a box of baseballs autographed for his grandchildren by former Phillies catcher Darren Daulton, also pictured at bottom left, Thursday.

daulton1.jpg Former Phila. Phillies catcher Darren Daulton was all smiles as he greeted his fans at the Pourhouse in Pottstown. hoffman photo.

Former Philadelphia Phillies catcher Darren Daulton greeted fans and signed baseballs at The Pourhouse in Pottstown on Thursday.

Tags: Catch

The FuEL Awards “celebrate the successes of young Canadian entrepreneurs, identify role models for progressive business management and inspire youth to make entrepreneurship their No. 1 career choice”.

Applicants need to be under 30 and be the owner and chief executive (or the equivalent) of a Canadian small business. You can apply yourself or nominate someone.

Public voting will play a part in choosing the winners but they will mainly be selected by a panel of judges.

Twenty applicants will be deemed Canada’s Future Entrepreneurial Leaders and receive:

Founded by Profit Magazine and Impact Entrepreneurship Group, sponsors for the FuEL Awards include Rogers, TD and KMPG.

Awards Timeline

Apply for or nominate someone for the FuEL Awards

What to do if an airline changes your flight plan

Posted by Tamara Littlejohn On June - 28 - 2011

Passengers move quickly past an American Airlines ticket counter at O’Hare International Airport, in Chicago. AP Photo

NEW YORK — It’s the ultimate travel bait and switch.

You book a ticket on a non-stop flight but the airline cancels it a few weeks later, leaving a computer to automatically rebook you. Your new itinerary includes a layover, turning a five-hour trip into an eight-hour journey.

“You are at the mercy of the airline,” says Anna Stinson, 40, of Minneapolis

In May, Stinson bought tickets for a trip to North Carolina in the middle of August. She is traveling with her four-year-old son and picked Delta because it offered a nonstop flight.

Then as part of system-wide cuts, the flight was eliminated. She was rebooked with a connection in Atlanta.

“I’m frustrated,” Stinson says. “I don’t have the product that I gave them my money for.”

With airlines cutting schedules due to high fuel costs, travelers who booked flights in advance now might find their plans upended. A

Read more…

Sell, sell, sell: Everything must go in great fire sale

Posted by Tamara Littlejohn On June - 28 - 2011

Sell, sell, sell: everything must go in great fire sale
Europe’s most indebted countries — and Britain — have put prized assets up for grabs to bolster their creditworthiness. So what exactly is on offer?

Greece
Europe’s most ambitious sell-off is taking place in its most indebted nation: Athens plans to sell €50bn of state assets by 2015.

Looking at the sales list, it seems that very little has been left off the table. The government’s stakes in the ports of Piraeus and Thessaloniki, 39 airports, a state lottery, a horse-racing concession, a casino, a national post office, two water companies, a nickel miner and smelter, hundreds of kilometres of roads, a telecoms operator, shares in two banks, electricity and gas monopolies and thousands of hectares of land, including coastal stretches, are among the host of assets on offer.

While a 50% stake in Athens international airport is probably the best-known asset on the block, when it comes to sheer beauty the Anavyssos saltworks could prove difficult to beat. T Read more…