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WHEN the economy takes a turn for the worse, smaller firms can be the first to suffer.

CHANGING market conditions have fuelled a trend towards strata property in the commercial sector, as owners respond by offering floors for sale as strata-titled stock to entice a growing number of financially constrained potential buyers.

THE global financial crisis hit hard and fast.

THERE must have been high-fives all through the halls of power in Beijing last week as government Mandarins celebrated victory over Western mining interests.

PATRIA Jafferies launched her first business during the recession of the early 1990s.

MACMAHON Holdings director John Massey has seized on the company's declining share price to bolster his interest in the stock, a day after the release of a subdued interim report.

BURSWOOD Entertainment Complex has become the first major Western Australian employer to sign up to the Australian Employment Covenant, a scheme designed to provide 50,000 jobs for indigenous Australians.

FOR the past decade, the Clontarf Foundation has forged partnerships with business leaders and heads of government to help develop its program to assist Aboriginal youth.

THE Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA has named the Small Business Development Corporation, LandCorp and the state's eight port authorities as prime candidates for privatisation or review.

Fresh produce and a mix of traditional and modern cuisine are on the menu at Yú.

FEDERAL schemes designed to increase the uptake of solar panels have created plenty of business for companies like Solar Unlimited, but the rapid expansion is providing a major management challenge for the Western Australian firm.

Rather than being career driven, Margaret Seares says serendipity has played a big part in her success to date.

TWO peak mining industry bodies have applauded the state government's announcement of an $80 million minerals exploration incentive, to be delivered over four years.

Local suppliers need to be given a fair chance to compete.

Sometimes it's the little things that make the difference.

The economic downturn presents great opportunities for innovation.

Perth's hotels are getting together to shore up their market position.

Big companies' behaviour in tough times is often predictable, but it's just the market at work.

INDUSTRY groups have welcomed increased federal government support for training, as one of Australia's largest training providers was forced for the first time ever to stand down probationary apprentices.

AIRLINES and hotels are engaging in unprecedented discounting to keep people travelling during the economic slowdown.

Rolled by her colleagues, what now for Julie Bishop's political career?

THE state government's plans for a gas processing hub on the Kimberley coast have received a boost from the region's traditional owners, which have said they are ready to negotiate a deal for a large-scale liquefied natural gas development on Aboriginal l

New airline to offer cheaper, faster services to Cocos and Christmas islands.

WHILE Western Australia's geothermal energy industry progresses at a snail's pace, former Perth-based BHP Billiton executive Bret Mattes is enjoying rapid progress in Indonesia.

A NEW campaign has been launched to encourage Western Australians to holiday at home.

A number of reform challenges lie ahead for WA's electricity sector.

TRAVEL TALK with What is your favourite holiday destination?

PREMIER Colin Barnett is a long-time critic of the former Labor government's energy reforms, arguing they are structurally flawed.

JAPAN has been hit hard by the economic crisis, with an annualised 12.

While business fundamentals remain the same, there has been a shift in focus due to the downturn. Adam Orlando reports.

RESEARCH has shown that Australian businesses involved in importing and exporting in the current economic climate are becoming dissatisfied with the trade loans provided by their financiers.

WHILE the short-term macroeconomic outlook is grim, small business groups are advising their members to get back to basics to adapt to the downturn.