THE state's information technology and communications export businesses are getting a foothold in international markets, according to the WA Business News Book of Lists.
IT took less than 18 months for the state government's shared equity scheme - a lifeline for the first homebuyer market - to exhaust its three-year, $300 million budget.
THE downturn in Western Australia's housing market has had a huge impact on the state's real estate industry, with businesses consolidating their operations and a number of sales consultants leaving the sector.
TOWN planner Brian Hunt spent a lot of his professional life working to develop the Swan Valley region, so perhaps it was no surprise that he would eventually turn his knowledge of the area, and his passion for wine, into a business.
PUNISHING work schedules and unrealistic timeframes are pressuring oil and gas companies to hire inexperienced workers, the oil and gas forum has heard.
SKYWEST says its investments in an expanded jet fleet and overcoming congestion issues at Perth airport will substantially improve its struggling on-time performance.
PHIL Sexton, the co-founder of Matilda Bay Brewing Co, Dome Coffees, and Little Creatures, believes there are three key elements to staff training in hospitality.
TEN years ago, Kewdale company Binder Group was staring into the abyss, but one crucial export contract laid the groundwork for its current success in the international energy industry.
INTERNATIONAL visitors to Western Australia are still spending more and staying longer than visitors to any other state, according to the latest international visitor survey by Tourism Research Australia.
Western Australia might be home to the nation's richest man and awash with riches amassed from property and mining booms, but that doesn't necessarily translate into funding for online businesses.
At the height of the tech boom almost a decade ago it would have been laughable to suggest that one of Western Australia's most successful internet entrepreneurs would offer local weather information to fishermen.
Government involvement in the promotion of online business development should go beyond funding and reach more deeply into society, panellists at the WA Business News Online Business forum found.
At just two and half years out of school, it would be easy to think Paul Slee, as part of an increasingly wired generation, is the right age to be running an online business.
The appointment of Australian Football League legend Graham Moss to head the state's peak tourism industry lobby may seem a curious choice to some, but for those who have worked with the no-nonsense operator, it's far less of a surprise.
In a further demonstration of the industry's confidence in the Perth market, several international and domestic carriers are scheduled to increase capacity on their Perth services.
Emirates has confirmed its A380 aircraft will service Western Australia on a daily basis following the launch of its aggressive expansion program this month, when the first of Emirates' eventual fleet of 58 A380s flew from Dubai to New York.
The vision of creating one of the Asia-Pacific region's best airports - with 45 aerobridges and costing just $1 billion - has become a major challenge for Perth Airport.
Former academic Tim Atterton believes Australia's tax system sets up small business for failure in times like these by discouraging the retention of profits, distracting management and undermining strong balance sheets.
While the short-term macro-economic picture looks increasingly bleak, many still believe in the Western Australian story, driven by an insatiable demand for raw materials from China and other developing nations.
Mining engineers, scientists and technology entrepreneurs should collaborate with innovators in the arts sector to produce outcomes that benefit all sectors, the WA Business News boardroom forum was told.
Ensuring the ongoing strength of the arts sector in Western Australia beyond the boom will only be achieved by building relevance of the arts in the community, according to participants at the WA Business News forum.
