Archives May 2007

Executive Search Leader to Speak at XMei’s China-U.S. HR Conference

XMei International, a U.S.-China business consulting and development organization, announces that executive search expert Kyung H. Yoon will deliver a key speech at their upcoming conference and expo, “Making China Your ‘Gold Mountain.’”

Yoon, the vice chairman of Heidrich & Struggles International, Inc., will speak on “What it Takes to Lead in China,” addressing the leadership needs of Chinese organizations. The talk is based on a 12-month study of the top talent situation in China, conducted by Heidrich & Struggles in partnership with Stanford University’s Project on Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Yoon will share her own insights from a long career in global executive search as well.

The research study is based on in-depth interviews with over 100 top executives of China technology enterprises like Lenovo, Neusoft, and AsiaInfo.
It provides a blueprint for how to pick the entrepreneurs and executives who are most likely to prevail in a highly competitive and fast-changing market.

“Making China Your Gold Mountain” will be held in South San Francisco from May 23-25 and is the first event in the U.S. with influential Chinese HR executives and business leaders from multinational companies, private Chinese companies, Chinese consulting firms and the government. XMei’s goal is to create an environment for learning and networking among those interested in business ventures between China and the U.S.

“Finding quality leadership is one of the key challenges of doing business in China,” said Xiaoli Mei, president and founder of XMei International. “Ms. Yoon’s experience and insight will prove invaluable to attendees.”

An executive summary of the study, titled “Getting Results in China,” may be downloaded at http://www.xmei-int.com/whitePapers.html.

About Kyung Yoon
Kyung Yoon is vice chairman of Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. and a member of the Office of the Chairmen, which directs the firm’s board of directors, CEO and other marquee search assignments on a worldwide basis. Since joining the firm in 1994 in Menlo Park, California, Kyung has been one of the key drivers in Heidrick & Struggles’ Asia Pacific expansion. She served as Area Managing Partner, North Asia, with management responsibility for the Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai and Seoul offices and spent five years in Singapore and Hong Kong.

About XMei International

XMei International is dedicated to promoting business development between the U.S. and China. It organizes events, both in the U.S. and China, which enable companies to develop new business opportunities, increase knowledge of the other country’s business practices, and make valuable international business connections. XMei International also offers other services, including business matches and consulting and market research for both U.S. and Chinese clients.

Contact:
Liz Menkes
XMei International
lmenkes(at)xmei-int.com
925-708-6304

German Company Supports Chinese Energy-Efficient Construction

Germany’s Wacker Chemie AG is participating in an initiative launched by the German Deutsche Energie Agentur GmbH and the Chinese Ministry of Construction to support and promote the construction and renovation of climate-adapted and energy-efficient buildings in China.

A roadshow through six major Chinese cities has started in Beijing and includes a series of seminars on energy-efficient construction for Chinese construction industry professionals. The aim is to support the development and use of energy-efficient products and promote internationally recognized quality standards in China.

Rising fuel costs, global warming and local climatic conditions mean that efficient exterior insulation is becoming increasingly important in China. After all, the better a building’s insulation is, the less energy is needed for heating and air conditioning. Wacker research says it has shown that effective exterior insulation can reduce a building’s energy consumption by up to 60%. According to Deutsche Energie Agentur, buildings in China require four times as much energy for heating and cooling per square meter of living area than those in industrialized European countries.

As the federal German competence centre for energy efficiency and renewable energies, Deutsche Energie Agentur coordinates and implements projects and campaigns at a national and international level. Now, Deutsche Energie Agentur has joined up with Wacker and other European industrial partners to carry out a strategic and high-profile transfer of German construction-sector energy-efficiency expertise to China.

Six regional seminars are scheduled, involving close collaboration with the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Town Planning, the Chinese Ministry of Construction and the subsidiary Center for Energy Efficiency in Buildings. Support is also being provided by the German Embassy in Beijing. In these technical seminars, experts will explain energy-efficient construction practices to Chinese participants and emphasize the necessity of quality regarding planning, the choice of materials and during construction itself.

Besides Beijing, seminars will be held over the coming months in Shenyang, Shanghai, Qingdao, Chengdu and Shenzhen. To accompany and complement the presentations, the organizers are publishing a manual featuring the most important energy-efficiency activities in both new construction projects and the renovation of existing buildings.

China recruiting U.S. IT grads

China’s rapid economic expansion has allowed Beijing to fund a recruitment drive targeting some of the best and brightest IT graduates from U.S. universities, according to Chinese sources.

In turn, this brain trust is being used by China both as a control on its own Internet revolution and as a potential resource for North Korea’ cyberwar program.

South Korea defense ministry said North Korean hackers are targeting the most tightly-guarded systems of that country’s main foes to extract intelligence information and to spread viruses capable of wiping out material or, at least, slowing down computers.

North Korean students learn how to use computers at an elite school in Pyongyang. AFP

Defense officials said privately that North Korea, with no great pool of computer whizzes from which to select, is relying on Chinese aid and advice to train some 600 qualified hackers in five years.
One Hong Kong-based specialist said China has a budget for hiring the best IT graduates from U.S. universities to monitor and control Internet news reporting, and useage within its own borders as well as for a national security resource. “They’ve got the money, and they are spending it,” he said.

In North Korea, the campaign ranks as a priority for Kim Jong-Il, who whetted his appetite for computer skullduggery during visits to China and Russia several years ago. Kim made a point of visiting computer labs in both countries and decided that all North Koreans should somehow become adept at operating computers even though Internet access is forbidden except for the highly privileged elites.

Those having access include Kim Jong-Il’s closest relatives, friends and allies, notably from the armed forces, as well as extremely well-trained technicians who had to pass strenuous tests of loyalty before being accepted into the elite computer course.

Students are studying in China and also at an academy that South Korean officials say has been educating a cadre of elite technicians for more than 20 years in a remote mountainous region.

EHS Supervisor / Manager

Responsible For: EHS Officer and Nurses

Establish and Implement EHS Policies, Procedures and Programs to Ensure Compliance with both customer and the Chinese EHS Requirements. Provide EHS Counsel, Direction and Support to Site Management. Lead EHS Issue Resolution Efforts and Achieve timely Results.
1.Develop and implement EHS policies and management system in the company;
2.Assess EHS risks related to the site operation and provide recommendation to manage the risks;
3.Provide technical support to activities related to EHS,
4.Advise the management on EHS performance and improvement areas;
5.Participate and provide data to EHS audit as defined by the audit process.
6.Responsible for the company emergency response plan and update;
7.Prepare monthly EHS report;
8.Manage all aspects of EHS incidents from reporting, investigation, root cause analysis, recommendation of change and implementation of change;
9.Coordinate site Industrial Hygiene monitoring and health surveillance program.
10.Manages and trains all employees to improve overall EHS sense.
11.Develop a safety culture / attitude amongst all employees in line with Group EHS standards and policy.
12.Participate in selection of the contractors, supervise them in compliance with local EHS regulations and company requirements, and audit and evaluate the contractor’s EHS performance and implement relevant EHS
13.Establish strategic working relationship with local authorities so as to get their support in obtaining related approvals and permits for health, safety, fire fighting and environmental protection matters.

Requirement:
Degree in Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Engineering or related field and EHS certification from recognized organization or institution
1.Minimum 5 years working experience in manufacturing industry, with minimum three years experience in EHS implementation and management
2.Demonstrated Ability to Align EHS Issues with Key Business Drives.
3.Familiar with Quality and EHS management system;
4.Good knowledge of and experience with EHS laws and regulations.
5.Interface effectively with all Levels within Company.
6.Strong Interpersonal skills / Observation ability / Analytic capability;
7.Good English skill both in written and spoken is a must.
8.Good computer skills, MS Office proficiency required;

* Please send us your complete resume (both in Chinese and in English) to:
‘topjob_eo100sh#dacare.com'(Please replace “#” with “@”)

U.S. staffing companies in China see chance for profits

By Nick Zieminski

China may have plenty of man power, but it could also use some help from Manpower.

U.S. staffing company, Manpower Inc. , is one of a number of business recruiters putting emphasis on the world’s most populous country, where a rapidly developing economy is driving the demand for engineers, finance professionals and technology specialists.

China’s growth rates of about 10 percent per year, which already makes it the world’s No. 4 economy, pushes companies to develop leaders at a faster pace than most other countries.

A McKinsey & Co. study estimates that, within five years, China will need 75,000 executives who have either Western technical skills or language ability — ideally, both. Only about 5,000 are in the work force now.

“The challenge is not in finding 500 or 1,000 people to man the factory. The challenge is in finding leadership skills and functional management skills,” said Iain Herbertson, president of Asia-Pacific for Manpower, which has 350 consultants in 11 Chinese cities. About half its contracts are for information technology workers.

For now, the numbers are relatively modest. Of Manpower’s $4.4 billion in second-quarter revenue, the “other” segment — which includes China, Japan and Australia, as well as Mexico — reported sales of $577 million. Its operating profit of $15 million was about 9 percent of Manpower’s quarterly total.

But the segment is among the company’s fastest growing. Within three to five years, Manpower will have a staff of 1,000 to 1,600 in mainland China.

New rules this month allowed foreign companies to own a controlling stake in their local joint ventures if they set up shop in Pudong, the fast-growing financial center in Shanghai.

The move is part of a broader relaxation of rules, which should help draw more companies to China, and will enable Manpower to expand its range of services, Herbertson said.

“Our business is more than doubling every year,” Herbertson said in a telephone interview from Shanghai.

Monster Worldwide , which this year raised its stake in ChinaHR.com to 45 percent, may take majority control of the venture by 2008, though the unit is currently losing about $2 million per quarter.

“We don’t expect it to be (profitable) because we are at the beginning of the beginning,” said Marcel Legrand, Monster’s senior vice president of strategy and corporate development. “Profit is not of great interest to us in that particular market — it’s about an investment.”

ChinaHR has about 600 staff and 4 million resumes on file, but those numbers will grow as more Chinese go online, Legrand said.

Monster, parent of the world’s largest recruitment Web site, followed customers like Procter & Gamble , L’Oreal , and Hewlett-Packard to China, which fits with a goal for international operations to account for more than half of its revenue by next year.

That global expertise, including serving multinationals in other markets, is what differentiates companies like Manpower and Monster from their smaller competitors.

“We can bring to China the best of what happens in Brazil, or what happens in Korea, and they can help us export their best practices,” Legrand said.

This week, Monster hired a former Nike Inc. executive, Tony Balfour, to head its Asia-Pacific operations.

He will have competition.

Rival job site Careerbuilder.com on Wednesday said it was entering the Chinese market in an exclusive deal with human resources company 51job Inc. , to link to each others’ sites and sell job postings and access to their resume databases.

At executive recruiter Heidrick & Struggles International Inc. , Asia-Pacific operations had faster revenue growth and highest profit margins than either the United States or Europe. The region accounts for 10 percent of total company sales, and China about a fifth of that.

Since rules are different depending on the services offered, Heidrick owns 90 percent of its Chinese joint venture, said Kevin Kelly, who heads Heidrick’s European and Asian operations, adding that consumer goods, technology and industrial companies are its main clients.

Financial companies, including investment banks, will need experienced staff starting in 2008, when new rules take effect under China’s commitment to the World Trade Organization.

Heidrick’s China operations are expected to double within three years, and the company is recruiting Chinese-speakers in the United States and Europe for positions there, Kelly said.

“European and U.S. markets are more mature, so everyone sees China’s huge potential for developing or expanding their businesses,” Kelly said.

Legal Recruiting in Mainland China

(by Asian Legal online & DaCare Legal)

Over the last year or so the number of clients, both private practice and in-house, seeking to recruit lawyers for their operations in Beijing and Shanghai has seen a steady increase and this is expected to continue throughout 2004. Mainland China is a vast and complex market for most businesses and the position is no different for law firms operating there.

Recruiting the right people for offices on the ground is very difficult and for law firms it is often the case of making the upfront investment in people with the returns on the investment lagging far behind. Not only do language skills play a big part but also experience in the local markets is increasingly important. Beijing and Shanghai are different legal markets and if a client is recruiting for example in Shanghai their clear preference is to have someone already in the local market. The trend in the past has been to relocate people with the necessary skills from Hong Kong and, while this will continue, there will be a developing market in both Beijing and Shanghai for people already on the ground moving firms.

The development of local law firms is also worth noting. The writer on a recent trip to Shanghai met with a number of successful local firms who also face complex recruitment issues. While not an immediate trend, it is envisaged that major local players will eventually seek to recruit lawyers from Hong Kong for their offices in Shanghai or Beijing. The practising rules and CEPA already envisage this kind of movement with the only obstacle being the discrepancy in salary levels.

The Mainland in-house market will also continue to develop at a pace. Of all the legal recruitment markets over the last year, the in-house market has held up well. There is an ever-increasing need to recruit good quality local lawyers for in-house positions with multinationals. There already exists a well-organised in-house lawyers group whose members are being presented with an ever-increasing range of in-house opportunities.

There is no doubt that the legal market in Mainland China will continue to grow – the challenge for everyone involved will be how to attract the right people and how to make a return on the investment involved – there will be no easy fixes in this regard.

Search Firm: DaCare Legal Search
Website: www.dacare-legal.com

Office: shanghai, beijing, china
Keywords: legal recruiting, law jobs, attorney jobs in China

Unions focus on overseas firms

THE government wants the percentage of foreign-invested city enterprises with trade unions to exceed 80 percent by the end of this year, the Shanghai Trade Union said yesterday.

By the end of March this year, 9,063 of the more than 11,600 foreign-invested firms in the city had established trade unions, a threefold increase compared to 2003.

Chen Hao, chairman of the Shanghai Trade Union, said establishment of a trade union could help protect workers’ legal rights.

Chen cited Shanghai Uchino, an enterprise with 100 percent Japanese investment, as a good example of a company operating with a union.

The Japanese company was set up in Shanghai in 1995. The trade union was established at the same time. Of its 1,900 employees, more than 1,800 have joined the union.

“Every time we make a rule or plan, we discuss with our employees together,” said Ji Weizhong, chairman of the company’s trade union. “We have held two staff conferences last year and set every contract term with our workers.”

Organized by the trade union, the company also signed a special contract with female employees to guarantee their rights and interests. One of the contract terms stipulates that the company will hold health checks for women every year, and pregnant employees can have extra breaks.

“What we do for them added, but what they do for the company multiplied,” said Chen Longbao, the company’s manager. “We can benefit more, because when employees are favored by their contracts, they will work harder than before.”

Compensation and Benefits Data and Trends in the Shanghai R&D Sector – Invitation

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Type: Science and Technology Committee Meeting
Venue: Regus Shui On Plaza Centre
12/F Shui On Plaza, 333 Huai Hai Zhong Road
雷格斯环业会议中心
淮海中路333号，瑞安广场12楼
Time: 16:30 to 18:30
Price: Members (RMB): 0

The AmCham Shanghai Science and Technology Committee is pleased to host its third roundtable discussion of the year on May 23, 2007.

Eric Fiedler, Regional Director of Hewitt Associates and current AmCham Chairman, will discuss compensation and benefits data and trends in the Shanghai R&D sector. Fiedler’s presentation will cover how your company can attract and retain talent in this increasingly competitive market, especially regarding leadership and managerial positions.

The S&T Committee meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month. The forum will include an invited guest speaker to address a key topic of interest followed by an in-depth roundtable discussion.

Please email your RSVP to Christine Li at Christine.li@amcham-shanghai.org no later than Monday, May 21, 2007.

Best regards,

Science & Technology Committee

AmCham Shanghai

Purchase Manager

Company introduction: Our client is a leading, global application-oriented metal and materials Group, with a unique position as probably the most innovative company in its business. They aim to be at the core of new developments, and therefore a driving force in this exciting sector.

Job Description:
Report To:GM
Location:Kunming
1.Develop and improve policies for purchasing and planning
2.Responsible for recruitment, development and training of departmental staff
3.Direct and manage purchasing project
4.Manage purchasing information and systems, and purchasing services from IT
5.Managing purchasing staff managing suppliers, relationships, SLA’s (service level agreements)
6.Built a proactive liaison with other departments as necessary to forecast
7.Responsible to meet, and to supply demand to relevant quality
8.Establish proactive liaison with other departments to re source services as necessary.
9.Negotiate and administrate purchasing contracts
10.Analyse and recommend whether to make or buy
11.Evaluate and recommend whether to rent or buy
12.Responsible for cost saving budgeting and targets
13.Set and plan how to achieve supplier accreditation and service level management
14.Responsible for accounting evaluation and financial justification of capital revenue
15.Develop and manage outsourcing strategy
16.Responsible and negotiate payment terms and optimisation
17.Responsible for stock and materials management
18.Responsible for the warehouses, distribution and shipping management
19.Packaging and transport regulatory awareness, compliance and information communication
20.Other duties as assigned by General Manger.
21.International trading issues/imports/legal, awareness and management

Job Requirements:
1.Experience in strategic planning and execution. Knowledge of contracting, negotiating, and change management. Knowledge of structuring purchasing quota goals and revenue expectations. Experience in planning purchasing strategies
2.Work requires professional written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to motivate teams to produce quality materials within tight timeframes and simultaneously manage several projects. Ability to participate in and facilitate group meetings.
3.This is normally acquired through a combination of the completion of a bachelors Degree in Sales/Marketing and seven years of experience in a senior-level purchasing or sales position.
4.Work requires willingness to work a flexible schedule. Demonstrated proficiency in the use of the English language in reading, writing, and speaking
5.Demonstrated ability in the use of computers and business related software

* Please send us your complete resume (both in Chinese and in English) to:
‘topjob_mn155km#dacare.com'(Please replace “#” with “@”)

Finance Manager

Company introduction: Our client is a leading, global application-oriented metal and materials Group, with a unique position as probably the most innovative company in its business. They aim to be at the core of new developments, and therefore a driving force in this exciting sector.

Job Description:
Report To: GM
Location:Kunming
1.Is responsible for finance and accounting, reporting and control, human resources and legal administration, supervise information systems of the company.
2.Produce timely accurate financial information to the mgt: monthly, yearly closings, reporting & consolidation, budget & forecast and the financial statements
3.Provide required data analysis and comments
4.Follow HQ Financial & Accounting Policies
5.Implement group financial systems, work-flows, analytic accounting & controlling, monitor the biz flows, performances & risks
6.Manage cash & liquidities, bank loans & currencies;
7.Supervise periodic tax filing accurately and on time;
8.Complete and report the local tax situation ( Income & VAT, Intrastat,..)
9.Supervise legal matters for the company and serves as legal contact to corporate
10.Launch HQ credit policy
11.Control credit risks & credit insurance issues & settlement of receivables
12.Provide assistance to internal & external audits
13.Supervise Payroll & related HR Admin
14.Organize office and car leasing
15.Set up & maintains a insurances
16.Responsible for general Adm. Issues
17.Provide support in the design and implementation of an adequate IS system and supervise IS
18.Supervise General accounting, AR, and AP bookings
19.Schedule closing time line and stick with BU policy
20.Organize Materials management and make sure cost of materials to be record accurately
21.Make sure accounting booking and follow both HQ accounting policies and local GAAP.

Job Requirements:
1.Above 30 years old with a bachelor degree in finance or other related major.
2. Work requires professional written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to motivate teams to provide overall good quality service within tight time frames and simultaneously manage several projects.
3. Work requires willingness to work a flexible schedule. Demonstrated proficiency in the use of the English language in reading, writing, and speaking
4.Demonstrated ability in the use of computers and business related software
5.The potential candidate will develop to be the GM of the new plant

* Please send us your complete resume (both in Chinese and in English) to:
‘topjob_fi148km#dacare.com'(Please replace “#” with “@”)