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Editorial: Preparing to Deal With the Next Food Crisis |
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The recent episode of contamination of the food supply by the industrial chemical melamine through imports from China was a highly unsettling experience. Thankfully the impact in Taiwan was not as severe as on the mainland, where at least four infants died and many others were hospitalized as a result of being fed with tainted milk powder.
But the incident still took a severe toll both psychologically and financially. Gnawing uncertainty about whether their favorite foods were indeed safe for them and their families to eat left many members of the public in a state of great anxiety. Many consumers stopped purchasing dairy products or anything that might use milk powder as an ingredient, including milk tea, bread, cookies, and cake. The impact on business was enormous. Manufacturers, importers, and retailers lost tens of millions of U.S. dollars in revenue as their sales plummeted – sometimes due to misleading media news reports about unproven problems with certain products in other markets. In what was already a weak sales environment due to the general downturn in the economy, the effect of the crisis was magnified.
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Industry Focus: New Trends, New Requirements |
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A Report on the HR Sector
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New Rules for Foreign Professionals
The government is preparing to relax various regulations governing the ability of expatriate white-collar workers to live and work here.
BY DON SHAPIRO
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Use of Temps Becoming More Popular
The business has been growing rapidly in recent years as both employers and employees change their attitudes about “contingent staffing.”
BY TIMOTHY FERRY
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Will Search Activity Slow Down?
A recession may mean less hiring. So far companies in the financial services sector seem to be the most affected.
BY J. FRANK KOCIAN
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Educating Future HR Executives
Several Taiwanese universities have established graduate institutes dedicated to training specialists in Human Resource Management.
BY PHILIP LIU
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The Best Investment Partner |
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Five U.S.-Invested Companies Recognized for Achievements
At the Taiwan Business Alliance conference sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in October, a total of nine companies – five American and four Japanese – were honored by the Taiwan government with “Best Investment Partner” awards for 2008. Profiles of the U.S.-invested companies – American International Group (AIG), Citibank, Corning Display Technologies, Kingston Technology, and Texas Instruments – are found on the following pages. AmCham Taipei congratulates the winners.
According to MOEA, the criteria for choosing the award-winners included company scale and investment amount, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, good record on tax and labor issues, overall contribution to the Taiwan economy, and the companies’ public image. Nominations were based on recommendations from the relevant government agencies.
In the case of the financial-services companies, the recent chaos in global money markets has caused problems for their parent companies, but that in no way detracts from the outstanding performance of their Taiwan operations.
In remarks delivered at the awards ceremony on behalf of the recipients, Alan Eusden, president of Corning Display Technologies Taiwan, praised the “highly skilled and highly motivated” Taiwanese workforce, as well as the Taiwan government’s “efforts to develop a friendly investment environment.” He said “we are highly supportive of President Ma’s actions to strengthen business growth opportunities by tackling those policies and processes that create barriers to economic growth.”
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American International Group – A Pioneer in Taiwan’s Insurance Sector
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Citibank - Training Ground for Financial Talent
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Corning Display Technologies – Supporting the LCD Panel Sector
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Kingston Technology – Leader in Memory Products
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Texas Instruments – Boosting the Semiconductor Industry
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- CROSS-STRAIT
- DOMESTIC
- INTERNATIONAL
- BUSINESS
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Issues: Gauging Progress on the White Paper |
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The AmCham Taipei advocacy year runs from May to May, revolving around the publication of the annual Taiwan White Paper. This November issue of Taiwan Business TOPICS, coming at the mid-point in the cycle, is therefore an appropriate time to examine the progress thus far on the issues raised in the 2008 White Paper.
— By Don Shapiro
With additional reporting by Anita Chen and Zöe Hou.
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