And Games with names now 6 ~ Friday, June 30, 1989 - North Shore News INSIGHTS the name of the game! NAMES AND THEIR REPUTATIONS were once preciously guarded business assets. No longer. Multina- tionals have seen to it that a name no longer tells you who owns what — nor who makes its products. Iranians have bought Park Royal Towers. Half of Van- couver’s top hotels belong to Tokyo or Hong Kong. Ditto our late premier W.A.C. Bennett’s pride and joy, the Bank of British Columbia. New Yorkers have seen their beloved Bloomingdale’s depart- ment store grabbed by a Canadian. In England, stately Harrod’s of London answers to Egyptian masters. Every week the business NORTH SHORE BOOSTERS...tourist info centre staffers (left to right) Yvette Smith (North Van), Gini Grey (West Van) and Peter Low (Lonsdale Quay) make their presentation at Tourism Vancouver's recent ‘Info Ex- perts’’ training day in Burnaby. the B.C. Nurses’ Union. Unhealthy rejection EJECTION by nurses of the tentative three- year agreement recommended by its negotiators would have extremely negative repercussions for pages reveal dozens of similar cor- porate identity games. Worldwide, it’s getting harder day by day to find companies and owners with the same name. It’s getting equally hard to find out where they really live, par- ticularly in the confusing world of electronic equipment — meaning everything from microwaves and personal computers to cellular phones and FAX machines. | had a crash course last week on brand . gone on far too long. Beyond prolonging a strike whose initial need was questionable, it would erode the most important factor in any labor dispute: public support. After a 13-day strike, in which Lions Gate and other B.C. hospitals were reduced to providing essential and emergency services only, the union’s aegotiators reached 2 tentative agreement with the Health Labour Relations Association that, beyond making wage in- creases equal for all BCNU members, was not radically different from the original HLRA wage offer. True, the nurses were able to focus public attention on serious problems of overwork and underpay during the strike. And the new deal i: substantially better for Starting nurses, but surely a reallocation of wages of- fered to BCNU members could have been achieved without a strike. . BCNU members have thus far shouted a resounding ‘No’ to the agreement even though union negotiators obviously think it is the best available now and have recommended its acceptance. Nurses, 75 per cent of whom are designated essential ' and therefore still at work, can afford to strike longer than their HEU and HSA union counterparts, whose members are only designated 25 per cent essential. : BCNU rejection of the tentative agreement would push the province’s health care system to the breaking point and prolong indefinitely a strike that has already names and geography while shopping for a VCR at a North Van discount store. The knowledgable young man- ager showed me, without much en- thusiasm, the store’s advertised loss leader -— a $299 model made in Korea by a firm I’d never heard of. Okay if all I wanted was some- thing basic and didn’t mind prob- lems after its warranty expired. ‘*I’d prefer a Japanese make,”’ I told k.y.m., “‘even if I pay a few dotlars more. What about this Toshiba, for example? That’s a good name.”’ “‘Indeed it is,’’ he said. ‘‘Mind you, that’s made in Korea, too.”’ I pondered for a moment, then moved on to a sleek-looking in- strument with another famous Japanese name. A very nice model, agreed k.y.m. “That one’s made in Taiwan,”’ he added proudly. So the story continued with sev- eral other tempting-looking Japa- nese models that had never seen Japan. Heck, I thought finally, if they no longer make the things themselves, why don’t I keep my money on THIS continent. The Americans are no slouches, either, when it comes to electronics. K.y.m, must have been a mind reader. ‘‘Just let me figure out a deal for you on this General Elec- tric model,’’ he announced. The deal, when he returned, WAS a few dollars more than the Korean loss leader — and quite a few dollars more than on top of that. But then you’re always sure where you are with a GE product. Aren’t you? “} know you'll be happy with it,” beamed k.y.m. as he handed me the carton with its familiar, homey GE logo. ‘This one IS made in Japan.”’ TURKEY TIME: Always rcad your staff's correspondence before signing their form-letter acknowl- edgements — that kindly sugges- tion comes from Ms. D. Deshar- nals of North Van. Incensed over the recent closure of West Van’s recycling depot, she wrote to the GVRD Recycling Awards office nominating the municipality for the ‘Turkey of the Year Award.”’ Back came a polite letter thanking her for her nomination and saying how heartening it was to know how many community groups are being recognized for their recycling DUBIN ENQUIRY TOLD THAT OLYMPICS Ar MAND DERWENT SANCTIONED FRANKENSTEIN Publisher ........... Peter Speck ee a ay 980-0511 Managing Editor... . Barrett Fisher Classilied Advertising 986-6222 ‘Associate Editor ..... Noe! Wright Distribution See aay Advertising Director .Linda Stewart Hux ee oe Subscriptions . SUNDAY + WEDNESDAY + FRIDAY p 986-1 337 North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent Fax 985-3227 ome but we unsolicited material Including manuscripts end pictures e envelope. 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 59,170 (average, Wednesday Friday & Sunday) SDA DIVISION Entire contents © 1989 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. Display Advertising North Shore ewned and managed MAYOR Don Lanskail ...thanks for the nomination. contributions, etc., etc. Signed by the GVRD recycling awards chairman — who just hap- pens to be West Van Mayor Don Lanskail! eee HAPPY BOOK: Warra birthday wishes today, June 30, to West Van’s Mary Speck, the com- modore to whom Skipper Peter reports... Also on this date, many happy returns of the day to 90- year-young Viole! Robinson, longtime North Van resident now living in West Van... Anniversary greetings tomorrow, July 1, to North Van's Paul and Birgit Larsen... And the same again on Canada Day to West Van's Wilf and Ruth Bennett who celebrate their 52nd. enn WRIGHT OR WRONG: Praises are wages. MEMBER sm &