Tin: P ortland O hsi rvlr • O ctober 23, 1996
(Tlie
|3ortlani>
(lf)bserUcr
P agi A3
J
i
BUSINESS
BRIEFS
Do You Know How to
Write A Resume?
A workshop entitled Resumes
Made Easy willbe presented by
Boly/Welch Career Management
Services. To take place on Tues­
days October 29, November 19,
and 26,1996. The workshops start
at 6:00 p.m. and go till 7:30 p.m.
Call 452-9999 for information and
reservations.
Imagine Loving Your
Work!
A workshop entitled Imagine
Loving Your Work' will be pre­
sented by Boly/Welch Career Man­
agement Services. To take place
on Saturdays starting October 26,
1996. The workshops start at 9:00
p.m. - 1:00 p.m. C all452-9999 for
information and reservations.
Boost your business
with a diverse
workforce
The W ednesday, October 30,
in sta llm e n t o f the B u sin e ss
Roundtable o f the Beaverton Area
Chamber o f Commerce will fea­
ture M r.Catarino Soto o f Interface
Network Inc. with a presentation
e n title d “ B o o stin g B u sin e ss
T hroug h D iv e rsity .” H eld at
M cM enamin's Pub& Restaurant,
2927 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. In
Beaverton and starts at 7:00 a m.
There is a $2 charge for coffee and
a muffin. Call the chamber at 644-
0123 for more information.
Stay sharp with
weekly sales forum
On Thursday, October 31, Bea­
verton area businesses are invited
to attend a free sales forum, de­
signed to help salespeople stay
focused and motivated. Hosted by
Bob Ward o f Bob Ward Auto Sales
and Leasing and sponsored by the
Beaverton A reaC ham berofC om -
merce. The Bob Ward Sales forum
is held every Thursday from 7:30
to 8:30 a.m. at the BG Westgate
Plaza, 3800 Cedar Hills Blvd.,
room 155 in Beaverton. Admis­
sion is free with donations accept­
ed for coffee.
McCormick’s to host
area businesses
O n F rid a y , N o v e m b e r I,
M corm ick's Fish House and Bar
and the Beaverton Area Chamber
ofC om m erce will host a network­
ing event for Beaverton area busi­
nesses. Networking begins at 8am
at M cCormick’s, 9945 SW Bea­
verton-Hillsdale Hwy, in Beaver­
ton. Admission is free and all area
businesses are invited to attend.
mance
U.S. says child labor declining in Central America
Ethical standards that have been
widely adopted by U S. garment im­
porters may be helping to reduce
child labour in some Central Ameri­
can countries, a Labour Department
report concluded on Monday.
The department said 36 o f the 45
large U.S. apparel importers it sur­
veyed have adopted codes of con­
duct within the last five years that
included bans on the employment o f
children younger than 15.
At the same time the report found
that over the past two years fewer
children in the Dominican Republic,
El Salvador, Guatemala and Hondu­
ras were working in shops that make
garments destined for the United
States.
“ Private industry now recognises
that it can take steps to make sure
boys and girls are not robbed of their
childhood,” Labour Secretary Rob­
ert Reich said in a statement.
But, he added, “No code is worth
the paper it’s printed on without strict
enforcement o f its requirements.”
The report, the third in a series on
international child labour, said many
companies have no way o f checking
to see if their codes were being fol­
lowed in garment-producing coun­
tries. It also noted that it had to rely
on anecdotal information since there
were no reliable statistics on child
labour.
Besides the adoption o f codes o f
conduct, the report credited the down-
ward trend in child labour on greater
public awarenss o f the problem, less
reliance on subcontractors in the gar­
ment industries o f exporting coun­
tries and concern by exporters that
importers may ban all child-made
products.
“ Most likely all o f these factors
have worked in a mutually reinforc­
ing way to reduce the use o f child
labour in the export sector,” the re­
port said.
The report was based on the sur­
veys o f garment importers and visits
by department officials to 70 apparel
plants in the Dominican Republic, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, In­
dia and the Philippines that make
clothing for American companies.
I hose six countries account for 15
to 20 percent of the nearly $35 billion
in garments that the United States
imports from 160 countries, accord­
ing to Andrew Samet, who heads the
department's Bureau o f Internation­
al l.abour Affairs.
Although the report found that
child labour was down significantly
in the Central American countries, it
found that children in the Philippines
and India continued to work for sub­
contractors at home, w here work was
difficult to detect.
“Codes o f conduct are not a pan­
acea,” said the report. “Child labour
remains a serious problem, with hun­
dreds o f millions o f working chil­
dren around the world.”
A previous report found a sharp
drop in child labour in Bangladesh
But it also said thousands of those
children were dismissed from their
jobs with no immediate safety net.
"Thus it is possible that in the
absence o f government programmes
to assist the children, the precipitous
dismissal o f child workers can en-
usiness
Have you been dream ing o f
running your own business? The
thought o f doing something you
really enjoy, setting your own hours
and being your own boss can be
pretty attractive. But getting started
is a big step, requiring a lot o f work
and financial preparation.
Two publications from Metl.ife
and the U .S. Sm all B usiness
Administration can help get you
ready to take that step. Starting a
Business will equip you with the
basics o f entrepreneurship. And
Running a Business helps you make
decisions that can strengthen your
business, and make it grow, l or a
free copy o f both publications, send
your name and address to Business
Basics, Pueblo, Colorado 81009.
Take the quiz in Starting a
Business to see if you have the
skills and personality traits you’ll
need to be a business success. You'll
also learn how to choose the type of
China disagrees with U.S. figures
C hinese o fficials on M onday
voiced disagreement with Sino-U.S.
trade figures announced by Wash­
ington last week, saying goods in
entrepot and processing trades should
not be counted as Chinese exports.
"W e have always disagreed with
United States’ statistical data,” an
official with the Ministry o f Foreign
Trade and Economic Cooperation
said by telephone.
The U.S. Commerce Department
said last Friday the U.S. trade deficit
with China had swelled to $24.25
billion in the first eight m onthsofthis
year from $21.8 billion in the same
period last year.
ImportsofChinese-made items like
toys and Christmas decorations had
jumped $301.8 million in August while
clothing imports were up $86.9 mil­
lion from July, U.S. figures showed.
danger, rather than protect them,” it
said.
The report considered the term
child labour to mean work that pre-
vented school attendance, rather than
light work performed by teens after
school or apprenticeships
Many Chinese goods had been
exported to the U.S. through a third
nation or territory, the official said,
adding that Washington was wrong
to count every item with a made-in-
China label as being a direct export
from China, the official said.
“China’s entrepot and processing
trade are reasonable, and cannot be
included in C hina’s exports to the
United States,” he said.
business you want to run, select a
lo c a tio n and e v a lu a te y o u r
competition. Find out how to get
the money you'll need to start your
business, and what you must con­
sider legal ly before setting up shop.
O nce y o u ’ve gotten started.
Running a B usiness helps you
decide how to market your product
or service, find solid business advi­
sors, and hire and manage loyal
employees. Y ou'll also learn basic
inform ation about p atents and
tradem arks, and find out what
special things you'll need to con­
sider if you work from your home,
or if your business will be owned
and run by family members.
When you write for the Business
Basics publications, y o u 'll also
receive a free copy ofthe Consumer
Information Catalog, listing more
than 200 free and low-cost federal
p u b lic a tio n s on a v a rie ty o f
consumer topics.
Current Employment In Oregon
The Oregon unemployment rate is
5.0%-down 0 .4 from August, com­
pared to the national unemploy­
ment rate of 5.2%-up 0 .1 from
August (seasonally adjusted).
Oregon’s seasonally adjusted un­
employment ratedeclined four-tenths
o f a percentage point to 5.0 percent
in September, according to figures
released today by the Oregon Em­
ployment Department. Septem ber
had the lowest unemployment rate in
six months.
With the exception o f August
1996, O regon’s seasonally adjusted
unemployment rate has been below
the national rate for the past three
years. Septem ber's unemployment
decrease marks a return to O regon's
recent historical patern.
“The decrease in the unemploy­
ment rate should not come as a sur­
prise. O regon’s seasonally adjusted
employment has increased steadily
over the last three months,” said Jef­
frey Dreiling, a Research Analyst
with the Employment Department
Oregon has added 21,200 jobs since
June, compared with 25,100 added
during the first six months o f 1996.
file monthly survey o f business­
es, conducted by the Employment
' Department, showed 7,200 season­
ally adjusted jobs were added in Sep­
tember. Most industries experienced
employment gains
North-Northeast Business Association’s Awards Banquet
The N orth-N ortheast Business
Association will hold its Tenth An­
nual “ E x cellence In B u sin e ss”
Awards Banquet on November 6,
1996 at the Red Lion-Lloyd Center
Hotel at 1000 NE Multnomah, be­
ginning at 6:00 p.m. six awards will
be presented to outstanding business
and persons active in the North-
Northeast area.
The keynote speaker wi 11 be Barut i
Artharee, Director o f the Oregon
Housing and Community Services
Department. Mr. Artharee will ad­
dress the banquet theme, “Teaming
Up for Results." Mr. Artharee will
highlight the many developments and
projects taking place in N-NE Port­
land. I le will specifically address the
efforts and accomplishments o f the
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Main Street project in progress.
Mr. Ken Boddie, KOIN-TV 6
weekend anchor and business report­
er. will serve as Master O f Ceremo­
nies.
This event high lights business and
community success stories o f North-
N ortheast Portland during 1996.
Three awards are given in the areas
o f Business and Economic Develop­
ment to a small, medium and large
business which exempli ties the asso­
ciation’s goals o f creating opportu­
nities and enhancing the quality o f
life in the area. A community service
award and an effective government
award are presented to individuals or
groups which have made significant
contributions to the community over
the past year.
Advance registration is encour­
aged. A limited number o f tickets
will be available at the door. For
information call 284-3093.
Were more than a power company. We're pour neighbors, too. that's why its important for us to actively support education,
the arts, community and business development and other events that enhance quality of life and enrich the entire community
Wall Street
in selling mode
W eakness in bonds and high
tech stocks is dragging down the
Dow Jones industrial average. In
early-afternoon trading, the Dow
was off 33.17 points at 6,057.70,
and the Nasdaq composite index
was down 18 .15 at 1,2 18.26. Ana­
lysts say technology stocks have
had strong moves recently and were
overextended.
GENERAL BUSINESS MANAGER
s
L / o m e of the most
important energy provided by Pacific Power
doesn't travel along utility poles,
Arrest in Japan
The man at the center o f Japan’s
largest financial scandal was ar­
rested today. Yasuo Hamanaka was
taken into custody on the same day
prosecutors raided his home in sub­
urban Tokyo. Hamanaka alleged­
ly falsified documents while work­
ing as a powerful copper trader at
Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. His deals
allegedly cost the company $2.6
billion in losses.
Health Insurance
Still Problem
According to a study, insurance
coverage and access to affordable
care remains a pressing problem
for millions o f Americans. One o f
three people surveyed reported go­
ing uninsured for at least part o f
1995
flow through power lines or pass through
any meter. It's our power to make
a difference— something we do year-round
by actively supporting programs and
special events unique to our community.
True, this kind of energy can't illuminate a
single light bulb. But over time,
it could help our entire community shine.
Sheila Holden or
Carl Talton, (503) 282-4319
#
PACIFIC POW ER
A Division of PacifiCorp
I
I
«