Bangkok Post
Price watchdogs mustered in Thailand
Thailand's Commerce Ministry will recruit up to 15,000 volunteers across the country to monitor goods prices in their areas and help alert the government agencies to solve problems in time.
The ministry already says it has received more than 300 applicants for its Took Jai shop programme, and expects to have as many as 10,000 shops offering consumer goods at prices 10-20 percent below market levels.
Thailand's consumer confidence up in Feb
Thailand's consumer confidence index on the overall economic outlook for February stood at 65.5, up from 64.0 reported in January, the Economic and Business Forecasting Centre at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said on Friday.
The consumer confidence index on job opportunity in the months rose to 66.7 and to 94.3 for the confidence index on future income. All consumer confidence indices were up for three straight months, according to the centre.
HomePro launches new outlet in Thailand's Trang, to add 8 new branches this year
Home Product Centre Plc, operator of the HomePro chain, opens a new branch in Thailand's Trang province on Friday to cash in on the rising property business in the South.
The branch on 18 rai has 8,200 square metres of sales area, of which 7,500 square metres space is for HomePro.
The outlet is part of the company's expansion this year, as it plans to spend THB4.5 billion to add eight new branches including the one in Trang.
Thailand's consumer confidence up for second month
Thailand's consumer confidence rose in January for the second consecutive month post-flood crisis, but experts still urge the government to inject money to stimulate the economy.
A total of 2,233 respondents surveyed by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce showed the confidence index at 74.2 points last month, up from 73.1 in December.
Confidence in the overall economy stood at 64 points, job opportunities 65.4 and future income 93.1.
Thailand's consumer confidence, inflation both rising
Thailand's consumer confidence index for December went up for the first time in four months, since the great flood began in July, to 21.4 points, while the average inflation rate for 2011 went up to 3.81 percent year on year, permanent secretary for commerce Yanyong Puangrach said on Thursday.
Consumer confidence on future income rose to 43.2 and to 10.1 for job opportunities, Yanyong said.
Laying off employees: Considerations for Thai manufacturers
As Thailand's companies start to rebuild and recover from the recent devastating floods, many managers are taking a hard look at the bottom line, searching for ways to survive and minimise loss.
This assessment is happening in accounting departments nationwide but is particularly prevalent in Thailand's once-flooded industrial parks, where managers must contend with damaged machinery and a workforce on standby.
Manufacturers may be tempted to implement layoffs as an easy cost-saving measure. But any layoffs should be considered carefully and executed correctly.
Profit-based bonus no joy for employers
Life is never easy for employees. After hard work and limited personal life throughout the year, now is the bonus time.
The situation is even more complicated for employers. They start out by recruiting the right persons, train them properly and, most importantly, give them reasonable pay. Missing any of these and the process is back to square one, resulting in a high turnover rate and inconsistent quality.
Thailand's consumer confidence sags for fourth straight month
Thailand's consumer confidence index in November dropped for the fourth month in a row due to the floods, says the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.
The index stood at 71 points, down from 72.4 points in October.
Confidence in the overall economy dropped to a 10-year low of 61 points, while confidence in job opportunities was down to 62.5 points, the lowest in 119 months. Confidence in future situations was down to 77.8 points, while the confidence in future income dropped to 89.5 points. The survey is conducted among 2,258 respondents.
Thailand's MPC cuts policy rate by 0.25pc
The Bank of Thailand's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on Wednesday cut the one-day repurchase rate by 0.25 percentage points to 3.25 percent, from 3.50 percent, to boost the economy. The new rate took effect immediately.
The MPC members voted five to two in support of the decision to cut the key policy rate on the grounds that the country is being affected by global economic slowdown and the widespread floods, reports said.
The committee admitted that pressure from inflation still exists, the reports said.
Bangkok's Lat Phrao navigable, Central to reopen
Central Pattana Plc (CPN) announced that Central Plaza Lat Phrao will reopen today, 18 November.
The company said the shopping mall will open from 10am to 9pm between 18 and 24 November.
