By Jessica B. Natad (The Freeman) Updated July 24, 2010

CEBU, Philippines – Companies in the food and beverage sector of New Zealand are here in Cebu to strengthen and create new business ties with its counterpart in the industry as well as showcase to the Cebuanos more of the food and beverages the country is producing.

The New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) is one of the exhibitors of the three-day 11th Cebu Food Expo, which kicked-off last Thursday, at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

NZTE is the New Zealand government’s national economic development agency. It works to stimulate economic growth by helping boost export earnings, strengthen regional economies and deliver economic development assistance to industries and individual businesses. Through its global network of offices NZTE works with international businesses and investors, connecting them to New Zealand business opportunities.

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By Jessica B. Natad (The Freeman) Updated July 28, 2010

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu’s growing tourism industry has prompted the government of New Zealand to strengthen and expand its presence in the province after seeing Cebu as a viable commercial market for the country’s food and beverage products.

In an interview, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) regional director for South and Southeast Asia Alan Koziarski said the mushrooming of hotels, resorts and restaurants in Cebu due to the increasing number of foreign tourists in the province makes it ready for the entry of relatively expensive New Zealand-produced food and beverage.

“Cebu is ready for New Zealand products. We feel that Cebu is an untapped market for us. Although these are (relatively expensive) of cost, our products are of premium quality. These are products of research and development,” he told The Freeman on the sidelines of the 11th Cebu Food Expo held last week at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

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By Katlene O. Cacho

NEW Zealand hopes to increase the presence of its food and beverage products in Cebu, citing opportunities in the growing tourism sector.

“The idea of joining the expo is to have a better feel of the Cebu market,” said New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) commissioner to Manila Ramoncito Bernales on the sidelines of the 11th Cebu Food Expo at Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino last Friday.

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LAST month, the Geneva-based international organisation Horasis hosted the Global India Business Meeting in Madrid with over 400 business and government leaders engaging in a dialogue on the theme ‘Overcoming the crisis – opportunities for India’.

The forum primarily sought to reflect on the need for Indian firms to build global and sustainable brands towards fulfilling the country’s potential as an emerging global economic power.

While investments by the Indian government on the ‘Incredible India’ campaign have helped internationalise the national brand, its impact has been largely confined to tourism.
 
 
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CROSS cultural awareness is a must for companies seeking to close business deals or market their products and services overseas. In fact, it has become so crucial that there should be an effort to imbibe this understanding and respect for cultural differences across an organisation, and for each member of the team to be able to respond constructively to cultural nuances.

I would highly recommend nurturing cultural diversity in the workplace. Having a multicultural work environment gives us a huge advantage when we bid for projects that extend outside Singapore. Our consultants have lived or worked for many years in countries such as Australia, Hong Kong/China, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines. They contribute their in-market knowledge, experience, local language skills, as well as key business or influencer contacts whenever needed, and this significantly bolsters our credentials and business pitch.

 
 
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