Thursday, 31 January, 2008 | 16:27 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The business world forum in the Second-Round Conference on the United Nations Convention of Anti-Corruption (UNCAC) yesterday (30/1) said it considered that the efforts to tackle corruption in the business sector were still not yet adequate.

Thursday, 31 January, 2008 | 17:54 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: PT First Media, an Internet network and cable television provider, is expanding its business by developing a TV content provider production station. The company from the Lippo business group will also produce programs for the First Media channel which will be sold to other television stations.

Smiling and talking casually despite the strong aroma of cow urine coming from the bucket in front of him, Ketut Wiantara looked very happy as though he was rich with treasures. The urine was his real treasure though, for later it would be mixed with water to create organic fertilizer and pesticides.

The front yard of Pizza Bagus in Pengosekan, Ubud, was bustling with activity one recent morning. Vendors had transformed the cramped yard into Ubud's first organic market. Buyers carefully scoured piles of various organic food products, from fruits and vegetables to bread, honey, and ice cream. Dutch national Edith van Walsum, a mother of two children, said shopping the organic market was quite exciting.

While globally consumers are influenced by promotions and pricing discounts in selecting grocery stores, Indonesians are most likely to base their decision on a store's reputation for being cheaper, a survey shows. The survey on customer preferences, released Wednesday by The Nielsen Company, states that 84 percent of respondents said they considered a store's reputation for being cheaper the most important factor in finding a place to buy goods.

Martin Jenkins, Analyst In order to forecast economic activity in the near future, economists have a number of tools available at their disposal. One of the most useful of them is the Business Sentiment Index (BSI). To construct the index, Danareksa Research Institute (DRI) surveys more than 700 chief executives or directors from the nation's leading companies across the full spectrum of industrial sectors. DRI's most recent survey covers the two months of October-November 2007.

Amid high prices in some of the country's key commodities such as soybeans and rice, Industry Minister Fahmi Idris said Wednesday it was time for Indonesians to consume alternative commodities such as corn, cassava and other types of beans on a daily basis. Fahmi said he had asked the food industry to produce more foods from such alternative commodities. "It is time to reintroduce these alternative foods nationwide.

NUSA DUA, Bali (JP): The House of Representatives came under fire for failing to have a delegation present at an important session of the international anti-corruption conference especially for lawmakers on Wednesday. Two legislators, Markus Silano and Sidharto Danubroto, are representing the House at the five-day conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), which opened Monday at the Bali International ConventionCenter in Nusa Dua.

NUSA DUA, Bali (JP): Business delegates reaffirmed their commitment to the global campaign against corruption during an international conference here Wednesday. During the five-day conference, set to end Friday, they said they would establish principles aligned to the fundamental values enshrined in the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).