China Staff articles from July 2004

China Staff archives from July 2004

Ensuring the "right" ROI in HR initiatives: in the measurement-focused world, HR initiatives face close scrutiny like any business proposal. Paul Van Katwyk of Personnel Decisions International shares some tips on how HR professionals can take up the gauntlet and win the day.(Human Capital Investment)
July 1, 2004... As Eddie Chen returned to his office from a meeting with the General Manager, he could not help feeling frustrated and powerless. Eddie had just presented his ideas on an initiative to develop managers at this quickly growing producer of...

Executive compensation in Hong Kong-listed Chinese companies: most top Chinese companies, apart from those in the financial service industry, auto industry and some from the power industry, are listed in Hong Kong. Nick Chen of Towers Perrin unveils the practices of executive compensation in the higher echelons of China's corporate world, namely H-share and red-chip companies.(Executive Compensation)
July 1, 2004... For a long time, * executive compensation has been foreign to the Chinese public until year 2000 when it caught greater public attention. In large state owned enterprises (SOEs), the government "the ultimate controlling shareholder" formulates...

What makes employees tick? In a market characterised by high demand and low supply of talent, the answer to this question may be the single most sought-after by employers in China. Watson Wyatt's recent WorkChina 2003/2004 survey sheds light on employee satisfactions levels and how to foster employee commitment.(Employee Commitment)
July 1, 2004... Watson Wyatt's first edition of its WorkChina employee opinion survey is founded on two notions: first, that companies' long-term success depends on their ability to secure employee commitment and secondly, that securing employee commitment...

Retaining the "at risk" groups: no employer wants to be a training ground for a highly competitive marketplace. Focus on key groups, says Marlene Ye of Boehringer Ingelheim, as she talks about some techniques in identifying and keeping the employees that matter most.(Retention)
July 1, 2004... HR professionals share a common headache: how to keep "at risk" employees from leaving the organisation. This is especially true in China where the war for talent is more severe than anywhere else in the world. According to Hewitt's 2003 Best...

Going global? Let HR pave the way: as Chinese companies heed the siren call of globalisation, they would do well to involve the HR function from the beginning. Christian Doeringer of Hewitt Associates explains how HR can charter growth in unknown territory and help companies reap the rewards of profitable overseas growth.(Going Multinational)
July 1, 2004... Going global has turned out to be an almost textbook case study for Chinese companies. First, they brought companies from across the globe, both big and small, involved across a variety of product categories, to China for manufacturing....

What are your current challenges in HR management?(Data Page)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 1, 2004... Standardisation in HR programmes and policies 24% Efficiency improvement 22% Requirements from management to be a business partner 22% Headcount control and resource shortage 18% ...

Will employers' body recommend end to pay freeze?(Hong Kong News)(Employers' Federation of Hong Kong)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The Employers' Federation of Hong Kong, an influential body, is due to release in September its recommendations on next year's pay levels. The South China Morning Post quoted group chairman Victor Apps as saying its suggestions this year would...

Training budgets up two-fold.(Hong Kong News)(Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The results of an annual survey by the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management indicates that employers have bigger budgets for training programmes this year, reported South China Morning Post. An average of 2.8% of the annual base...

MPF returns slide from unstable regional markets.(Hong Kong News)(Mandatory Provident Fund)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Mandatory Provident Fund returns recorded a poor showing of 0.04% for the first half of 2004. This was largely attributed this to volatile regional equity markets in the second quarter, reported The Standard. The results are in stark contrast...

Scheme helps laid-off workers start own business.(China News)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The government has launched a three-year programme to help jobless individuals to become owners of small businesses. Laid-off workers, women, college graduates and urban migrants are expected to become the primary beneficiaries of the national...

China's employment gains not always positive.(China News)(Conference Board)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... US-based manufacturers and trade unions often finger China for taken away their jobs, but there is more than meets the eye. China has lost 15 million jobs in manufacturing between 1995 and 2002, when the USA lost two million jobs in the same...

Graduate salaries dip again.(China News)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... University graduates are in for even tougher circumstances according to a report by ChinaBiz. Their starting salary dropped a quarter to nearly one third compared to last year. In 2003, the average monthly salary for Chinese university...