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  • Posts tagged "Finland" (Page 3)

Social trip planner launches in New Zealand

Posted on 13/12/2013 by faccadmin in News

CreateTrips wants to revolutionise the way trips are planned and made.

CreateTrips wants to revolutionise the way trips are planned and made.

Finnish startup CreateTrips has launched its social travel application in New Zealand this month. The combined travel guide, social trip planner and offline map is due to go global before the end of the year.

Via social media, CreateTrips is looking to revolutionize the way trips are planned and made. Users can select a destination and start planning the trip while being able to ask others to join in.

Through the app, the user is able to access info ranging from photos to recommendations via services such as Foursquare and Instagram.

Juha-Petteri Kukkonen, the Finnish founder of CreateTrips, says that the new application is very much about bringing people together.

Once in the travel destination, CreateTrips works also offline so users do not get stung by excessive data roaming charges.

During the trip, the application makes it easy to find the favourite restaurant or nightclub or check out the must-see sights.

CreateTrip is available free-of-charge from App Store though with in-app purchases available.

www.createtrips.com

VL

Article courtesy of Good News! from Finland / Finnfacts

App Store, Australia, Createtrips, Finland, New Zealand, Startups Read More

Finland’s nation brand amongst the 20 strongest in the world

Posted on 12/12/2013 by faccadmin in News

BRAND FINANCE Finland's nation brand is the 14th strongest in the world.

BRAND FINANCE
Finland’s nation brand is the 14th strongest in the world.

Finland’s nation brand is amongst the top 20 strongest nation brands in the world, measured by the Brand Strength Index (BSI).

The Brand Finance Nation Brands 2013 report ranks Finland as 14th strongest nation brands with an AA rating. The strongest rating is AAA and the lowest (failing) is DDD.

Brand Finance, which is an independent global business specialising in brand values, measures strength and value of the nation brand based on the GDP and segments such as investment, tourism, products and services, people and skills. Finland was ranked especially high in the segment of people and skills.

Finland’s brand value also increased four percent from 2012 to 287 billion US dollars, yet the country’s value based ranking dropped to 31st from the 27th previous year.

Switzerland has the strongest nation brand followed by Singapore, the USA, Germany, the UK and Sweden. The USA is the valuable nation brand in dollar terms valued at 17,990 billion US dollars. China is in the second place and Germany in the third place.

The brand value of the USA increased in 2013 23 percent on previous year, and brand value of China grew 26 percent in the same period.

www.brandfinance.com

MM

Article courtesy of Good News! from Finland / Finnfacts

Australia, Brand Strength Index, Finland Read More

Blues take home FACC Ice Hockey Trophy

Posted on 13/11/2013 by faccadmin in News

Many thanks to those who participated in the recent ‘Hockey Night’ event at the Ice House in Melbourne on 1 November 2013.

Blues win with sudden death goal from Anthony Bletcher of Switch Marketing.

Blues win with sudden death goal from Anthony Bletcher of Switch Marketing.

The afternoon began with a friendly (but action packed) ice hockey game of ‘Blues vs Whites’. With fantastic performances on both sides, the game went on to overtime. A sudden death goal from Anthony Bletcher of Switch Marketing sealed victory for the Blue team. Best of all, the game ended in a friendly fashion with no recorded penalties or injuries!

After the game, Team Finland Ambassador Lydia Lassila briefed the gathering on her preparations and plans to win back-to-back Olympic Gold in Aerial Skiing in Sochi, Russia. Lydia has now travelled to Ruka, Finland where she will base herself in preparation for the World Cup season and for the February 2014 Olympic Winter Games. You can follow Lydia’s journey and preparation through Twitter and Facebook.

The next event for Melbourne members and friends will be the 2nd Annual FACC Victorian Chapter Golf Day on Saturday, 14 December 2013 at RACV Cape Schanck Golf Course.

Australia, Finland, Ice Hockey, Melbourne Read More

A rich history, a brilliant future – Finnair celebrates its 90th anniversary

Posted on 01/11/2013 by faccadmin in News

Finnair celebrates its 90th anniversary on Friday, 1 November 2013. The world’s fifth-oldest airline still in operation, Finnair was established in 1923. Today, Finnair specialises in flights between Europe and Asia, offering direct connections from Helsinki to over 60 European destinations and 13 Asian destinations. Over eight million passengers per year fly on Finnair’s modern Airbus fleet.

“We build on a legacy of building better connections between Europe and Asia and our vision of doubling our Asian revenue by 2020″, says CEO Pekka Vauramo.

Finnair will celebrate its 90 years of flying in various ways. As one of the special events to mark its jubilee year, Finnair will distribute a special Finnair-themed edition of the Donald Duck comic book to all passengers on long-haul flights on Friday, 1 November. Finnair has also commissioned a special batch of posters by Finnish graphic designer Erik Bruun to celebrate its 90th anniversary.

As part of the jubilee year, Finnair has renewed its service concept and now uses tableware and textiles designed by Marimekko for Finnair on all flights in both Business and Economy Class. In addition, Finnair launched cooperation with two renowned Finnish chefs, Pekka Terävä and Tomi Björck, in September. The entertainment systems of Finnair’s aircraft have also been upgraded, nearly doubling the selection of entertainment on long-haul flights with 72 films and over 150 television programmes available in both Business and Economy class.

Finnair is harmonising its fleet and became the first airline to take delivery of the new Airbus 321 Sharklet aircraft in September. Finnair is also installing new, fully reclining seats in most of its long-haul fleet from January 2014 onwards.

In spring 2014, Finnair will open a new Premium Lounge at Helsinki Airport. The Premium Lounge will be located next to the existing Finnair Lounge between gates 36 and 37 in the non-Schengen area and will complement its services. As part of the renewal, a sauna and private showers will be opened between the lounges, and a new tax free shop will be opened in front of the existing Finnair Lounge.

Finnair has received international recognition in its anniversary year: Finnair became the first airline to be selected in the Leadership Index of the global Carbon Disclosure Project on carbon dioxide emissions. Finnair is also the only Nordic airline to be awarded four stars by Skytrax, and it has been named Northern Europe’s Best Airline at the World Airline Awards for the last four years. In addition, it was recently named Best European Airline at the annual TTG Travel Awards. Finnair is a member of oneworld alliance, which is formed by the world’s leading airlines.

Follow Finnair’s historic journey by watching special videos celebrating the airline’s 90th anniversary at www.youtube.com/finnair

90th Anniversary, A321, A350, Airbus, Asia, Australia, Best European Airline, Finland, Finnair, Marimekko, Sharklets, Skytrax Read More

19th Biennale of Sydney Reveals Details and Participating Artists

Posted on 30/10/2013 by faccadmin in News

Biennale of Sydney imageJuliana Engberg, Artistic Director of the 19th Biennale of Sydney, today revealed details for the Asia Pacific’s largest contemporary visual arts event, to be presented free to the public from 21 March until 9 June 2014 at five venues across Sydney.

Announcing a vibrant list of more than 90 artists from 31 countries, Engberg commented at an event held at the Sydney Opera House: ‘At its heart, the 19th Biennale of Sydney celebrates the power of artistic imagination. You Imagine What You Desire is an optimistic biennale that presents an exploration of the world and contemporary aesthetic experience through the inventions and desires of well-known artists, as well as many exhibiting in Sydney for the first time.

‘For me artists are active philosophers who seek to engage the audience and viewer in an exploration of our world through metaphor, narrative and poetry. They do this so that we might find inspiration in the sensations and intensities produced by art, and so that we might, temporarily, step aside from our commonplace experiences and feel something uncanny and unusual.’

Marah Braye, Chief Executive Officer, Biennale of Sydney added: ‘Juliana Engberg is curating a much-anticipated exhibition that will be remembered by audiences for many years to come. We are thrilled to be working with a group of exceptional artists, many of whom are developing new projects especially for Sydney.

‘As we celebrate our 40th anniversary in November – making the Biennale of Sydney one of the oldest exhibitions of its kind – we are proud to present one of the world’s truly great biennale experiences.’

Finnish artists participating in the 19th Biennale include Henna-Riikka Halonen and Anna Tuori.

www.biennaleofsydney.com.au

Anna Tuori, Art, Australia, Biennale of Sydney, Finland, Henna-Riikka Halonen, Juliana Engberg, Sydney Read More

Alexander Stubb to visit Sydney, Canberra and Perth

Posted on 25/10/2013 by faccadmin in News

Finland’s Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade, Mr. Alexander Stubb, will visit Sydney, Canberra and Perth, for meetings with Federal and State government representatives and with senior executives of the Australian business community, from 1 – 3 December.

Alexander Stubb photo

Alexander Stubb

While the primary objective of the visit will be to seek new opportunities in trade and investment, between Finland and Australia, the Minister will also speak at a high-level European Australian Business Council luncheon in Sydney on 2 December and at a business event in Perth on Tuesday 3 December. He will also attend a Finnish Australian Chamber of Commerce business networking event in Sydney to celebrate the Chamber’s 10 year anniversary.

The Minister will discuss, with his Australian counterparts, Finland’s growing trade relationship with Australia and also the role Finland, as a dynamic Nordic country, can play in assisting Australian organizations enter the European and Russian markets. He will also talk about Finland’s innovation policies, which has seen it ranked in the top 3 of the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report (2012-13), and how the country has become a global leader in education – continuously ranked on top of the OECD’s PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) survey.

Further, as Minister Stubb is considered to be Finland’s leading ‘Brussels-insider’ he will share his personal insights on the EU and the future of the Euro with his Australian audience.

The Minister will be accompanied by a business delegation which will be lead by Mr Pekka Lundmark, global CEO of Konecranes, a world-leading high technology company supplying equipment to ports, which already has a strong presence in Australia. The delegation will comprise companies from sectors such as mining equipment & technology, healthcare and ICT.

Background on Minister Stubb:

Dr. Alexander Stubb M.P., 45, has been a Cabinet minister in the Finnish Government since 2008. He served as Minister for Foreign Affairs for three years and has been the Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade since 2011. He was a Member of the European Parliament in Strasbourg and Brussels from 2004 to 2008. He earned his Ph.D. at the London School of Economics and has been a Lecturer/Visiting Professor at the European College in Bruges.

Minister’s Details: http://www.alexstubb.com/en/
Minister’s Publications: http://www.alexstubb.com/en/publications/

Alexander Stubb, Australia, Canberra, Europe, Finland, Perth, Stubb, Sydney, trade Read More

‘Lost wallet test’ finds Helsinki residents are most-honest, Lisbon least honest

Posted on 26/09/2013 by faccadmin in News

Wallet image

What would you do if you found a wallet stuffed with $50 cash?
Picture: Thinkstock

A TEST of “lost” wallets stuffed with $50 in cash and dropped in cities around the world has found that Helsinki is the best place in the world to lose your wallet – and Lisbon is the worst.

Readers Digest tested the honesty of hundreds of people in 16 countries by dropping wallets and recording how many were returned – and discovered that people in Helsinki are the most likely to return a found wallet, and Lisbon residents are the most likely to pocket the cash.
Around 200 wallets with a cell phone number, family photography, coupons, business cards and local currency worth around $50 were dropped in parks, shopping malls and on the pavement in 16 cities: New York, Amsterdam, Berlin, Bucharest, Budapest, Helsinki, Lisbon, Ljubljana, London, Madrid, Moscow, Mumbai, Prague, Rio De Janeiro, Warsaw and Zurich.

Ninety of the wallets – almost 50 per cent were returned, the test found. Age, sex or wealth seemed to be no predictor of honesty, the experiment found.
“It is truly inspiring to see that there are so many honest people in the world,” said Readers Digest editor in chief Raimo Moysa. “And most of all, that honesty is valued among young and old, men and women, poor and rich in very different cultures.

In Helsinki, 11 of the 12 wallets dropped around the city were returned, the best result.

“Finns are naturally honest, it’s typical of us,” said business student Lasse Luomakoski, 27, who found a wallet on a Helsinki pedestrian street. “We are a small, quiet, closely-knit community. We have little corruption and we don’t even run red lights.”

Mumbai residents were the second-most-honest people, returning nine of the 12 ‘lost’ wallets. New York City and Budapest came next in the honesty stakes, with eight of the 12 wallets returned.

“I teach my children to be honest, just like my parents taught me,” said Mumbai mother-of-two Vaishali Mhaskar. Three young adults who found wallets in Mumbai called immediately, Readers Digest said.

Less honest were residents in Amsterdam and Moscow, who handed in seven of 12 lost wallets. Berlin and Ljubljana residents handed in six wallets and in London and Warsaw just five wallets were handed in.

So who is most likely to pocket your cash if you loose a wallet? Residents in Lisbon were the least honest, with only one person handing in the wallet. Also less-than-impressive were Bucharest, Rio and Zurich (four wallets handed back), Prague (three wallets) and Madrid (two wallets).

Read more

News courtesy of news.com.au

Finland, Helsinki, wallet test Read More

Oras to acquire Hansa from IK Investment Partners

Posted on 17/09/2013 by faccadmin in News

IK Investment Partners’ (“IK”) IK2007 Fund has agreed to sell Hansa Metallwerke AG (“Hansa”), one of Germany’s leading suppliers of sanitary fittings to Oras Group, the industry leader in Northern Europe. The transaction is expected to close by the end of September 2013.

Hansa is a market leader for bathrooms and kitchen sanitary fittings in Germany and Austria and a reputable manufacturer of high quality, environment friendly and innovative products. During almost three years of IK ownership, management and IK have expanded Hansa internationally and improved its competitive position through focus on its core competencies, restructuring its product portfolio as well as optimising manufacturing and material costs.

Oras, the Nordic market leader, develops, manufactures and markets user-friendly, water and energy saving sanitary fittings. As early as the 1990s, it introduced the first touchless electronic faucets on the European heating, ventilation and air conditioning market, and today the company leads market development with its smart faucets.

Combining Oras and Hansa creates a new Oras Group (combined turnover of €260 million), a European leader with potential for further expansion internationally. Both Oras and Hansa brands will be developed after the transaction.

Pekka Kuusniemi, President and CEO of Oras Group, describes the acquisition as a quantum leap into the German and Continental European markets: “The Nordic Countries are our strong home markets and we have been looking for an effective way to expand into Continental Europe. The German market alone is ten times bigger than Finland and it accounts for almost 20% of the entire European market. Together, as a new company twice the current size of Oras and with a considerably strengthened market position, we are well equipped for sales growth. Hansa has a strong market position, highly renowned product quality and a recognised brand all over Continental Europe. Geographically, Oras and Hansa are an excellent fit. Joining forces with Hansa considerably enhances our future prospects. Yet, we are humbly aware of the demanding task ahead as we integrate two companies of same size into one value creating entity.”

Christopher Marshall, CEO of Hansa Group also welcomes this transaction and notes: “IK’s commitment to Hansa’s long term success is apparent and will be well served in Oras’ family driven culture. We bring two complementary companies together that are both in good shape and willing to grow. Both companies manufacture high-quality products, have respected brands, employ competent people and have strong positions in our respective markets. We can learn a lot from each other and find synergies in sales, operations and product portfolios. Combining our strengths will enable us to achieve market positions that neither company could on their own.”

Detlef Dinsel, Managing Partner at IK: “The sale of Hansa marks the full exit of Hansa Group by IK to two strong strategic partners – Oras (HANSA) and Franke (KWC). We are pleased to have successfully restructured Hansa and improved its competitive position and profitability. Together Hansa and Oras will be a strong pan- European market leader which is ready to expand further in international markets and reach the next level. We would like to thank the Hansa management team and employees for their efforts and professionalism and wish them all the best for the future.”

Oras and Hansa are available in Australia through Enware in Sydney (ORAS) and Hansa in Brisbane (HANSA).

Australia, Finland, Hansa, Oras, tapware Read More

Latvala sees a lot of Finland in Australia

Posted on 09/09/2013 by faccadmin in News

It might sound like an unlikely comparison, but Jari-Matti Latvala insists that he sees a lot of his home in Finland in the unlikely surroundings of Rally Australia – and that it could prove to be to his advantage.

Latvala Photo

Jari-Matti Latvala
Volkswagen Polo WRC #7, Volkswagen Motorsport

Jari-Matti Latvala could hardly be getting any further away from home this week as he travels to Australia, and yet despite what appears to be completely different environments been the land down under and his native Finland, Latvala insists that Rally Australia responds to a Nordic approach to driving.

“The good thing is that, as a rule, I tend to do well on these quicker rallies, as they suit my driving style,” he explained. “The special stages require a very quick, flowing style of driving and you have to find a good rhythm.”

The last three times Australia has featured on the WRC calendar – in 2011, 2009 and 2006 – all three victories went to Mikko Hirvonen, who this year will be competing in the event with Citroen. Latvala – with his Finnish compatriot Miikka Anttila – also have a strong track record in the event, coming sixth in 2006, fourth in 2009 and second in 2011.

That proves that the Finnish style of driving seems perfectly suited to the conditions the drivers will encounter at the Rally Australia: quick, flowing gravel sections.

With all the stages located within a radius of just 55 kilometres from the rally base at the port of Coffs Harbour located in New South Wales midway between Sydney and Brisbane, the seventh gravel event of the season will take the drivers onto closed-off public roads with a fast, flowing character. Other stages feature narrow, winding sections through thick forest, making this very much a ‘game of two halves’ in terms of the driving style required.

The “Coffs” special stage will held in the dark, right on the town’s harbour in the middle of the service park and just a stone’s throw from the Pacific Ocean, and the beautiful “Shipmans” special stage then takes place in the undulating landscape inland of Coffs Coast.

The final Power Stage – which awards bonus points to the top three drivers that could possibly play a part in seeing Latvala’s Volkswagen team mate Sebstien Ogier clinch the 2013 WRC title this weekend – features a spectacular water crossing through Tallawudjah Creek, about 4.5 kilometres into the stage just beyond a quick left-hander, meaning most drivers hit the water in a power slide.

No wonder the drivers love coming halfway around the world to compete here.

“I enjoy travelling to Australia, as there is a very good atmosphere there and the people are extremely friendly,” said Latvala.

But for the 28-year-old Finn, Australia also means an chance to set right a lost opportunity at the last WRC event in August.

“After missing out on so many points in the Manufacturers’ Championship in Germany recently, we must now concentrate on getting some good results and keeping Citroen at bay in the World Championship,” he said. “That will be my first task.

“Everyone in the team knows that our car is good, and everyone is doing their utmost to achieve the number one goal: to win the title,” he added.

News courtesy of www.crash.net

Australia, Finland, Latvala, Volkswagen Motorsport, Volkswagen Polo, WRC Read More

Finland again third most competitive country in the world

Posted on 05/09/2013 by faccadmin in News

Competitiveness Map Europe

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
The Global Competitiveness Report ranks Finland as number 3, Germany number 4, New Zealand number 18 and Australia number 21 by their competitiveness.

Finland has kept its place as a third most competitive country in the world, according to The Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014 published by World Economic Forum. The report’s Global Competitive index (GCI) placed Switzerland as the most competitive country in 5th year running, and Singapore maintained its second position. This year’s report includes record number of 148 countries.

The Index measures competitiveness in terms of transparency of institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomics, health and education, labour market efficiency, innovation and technological readiness amongst other things. The GCI-Index ranks Finland as a top country in transparency of public institutions, health and primary and the higher education.

The report states that the “country boasts well-functioning and highly transparent public institutions and also seem to be among the best run and most ethical in the world.”

It also praises Finland’s workforce by observing that “Finland has a workforce with the kills needed to adapt rapidly to a changing environment and has laid the groundwork for high levels of innovation, allowing Finland to become a highly innovative economy.”

World’s most competitive countries:

1. Switzerland
2. Singapore
3. Finland
4. Germany
5. United States
6. Sweden
7. Hong Kong
8. Netherlands
9. Japan
10. United Kingdom
18. New Zealand
21. Australia

www.weforum.org

MM

News courtesy of Good News! from Finland / Finnfacts.

2013, 2014, Australia, Competitiveness, economy, Finland, GCI, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, World, World Economic Forum Read More
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