Chinese Medicine Manufacturers Punished For Disobeying GMP
March 8th, 2007Guangdong Bioyee Pharmaceutical Company and Hainan Kangliyuan Pharm Company have been punished for violating related provisions in China's Good Manufacture Practices and their GMP licenses have been revoked.
China's State Food and Drug Administration says the two companies have been punished after a GMP audit in December 2006 revealed problems. SFDA has asked these two companies to recall related medicines and for the Guangdong Provincial Food and Drug Administration to further investigate the issue.
Bioyee is a pharmaceutical company which produces blood products, and Kangliyuan is a manufacturer of freeze dried powder for injections, capsules, pills and other raw materials for manufacturing medicine.
During 2006, SFDA conducted audits on 24 pharmaceutical manufacturers, and the GMP certificates of 13 of those companies were revoked, nine companies were asked to make changes, and two others were put under investigation.
In 1998, China's State Drug Administration first decided that all pharmaceutical manufacturers must meet GMP standards and obtain GMP certification before June 30, 2004. They then reissued the GMP regulations in 1999. In April 2003, SDA was renamed the State Food and Drug Administration. Although SFDA authorized provincial drug administrations to accelerate GMP examination in 2002, only about 3800 of the previous 6400 pharmaceutical manufacturers met GMP regulations as of July 1, 2005.
Tax rise hits European service industries
March 6th, 2007EXPANSION in European service industries slowed last month after a tax increase in Germany damped consumer spending in Europe's largest economy, Bloomberg News reported yesterday.
Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc's services index, which gauges growth in industries from telecommunications to banking, fell to 57.5 from 57.9 in January. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. Economists expected the index, based on a survey of purchasing managers by NTC Economics Ltd, to fall to 57.6, the median of 33 estimates in a Bloomberg survey showed.
Europe's economic growth may moderate this year from the fastest expansion in six years in 2006 as higher value-added sales taxes crimp household spending in Germany and global demand for European exports wanes. The European Central Bank has still signaled it will raise interest rates this week to keep prices in check as unions demand more pay for workers.
"You'd expect Germany to be weaker on the VAT increase," said Ed Teather, an economist at UBS AG in London. The index "is still at a reasonable level, suggesting reasonable rates of growth."
Business expectations in service industries improved in February, with the sub-index rising to 68 from 67.8, the highest in 13 months. Manufacturing growth in the euro region also picked up in February, a survey showed last week. Royal Bank of Scotland's index of manufacturing sentiment rose to 55.6 after a reading of 55.5 in December.
"Growth momentum has remained firm in the first part of this year," said Silvia Pepino, an economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co in London. "Hiring continues at a solid pace."
Unemployment in the euro region fell to 7.4 percent in January, the lowest since the data was first collected in 1993.
Economic boom a bonanza for graduates
March 6th, 2007SHANGHAI'S booming economy is having a flow-on effect throughout society - and university graduates are no exception.
Monthly salaries for holders of new diplomas entering the workforce increased by nearly seven percent to 2,317 yuan (US$290) on average last year, according to the city's latest graduate wages report.
The report, released by the Shanghai Labor and Social Security Bureau yesterday, provided payment standards for 200 positions in 2,200 local companies to guide students seeking jobs in the new semester.
The overall mean figure for graduates, including polytechnic students, college and uni graduates and postgraduates, was 2,107 yuan last year, up five percent on the 2005 figure.
Master's degree holders achieved the highest income of 4,020 yuan per month. Their wage growth of 6.7 percent is second only to that of undergraduates.
Fang Zhijie, an official with the bureau's salary division, said graduates' salaries were lifted by both the economy and the huge demand in the manufacturing and services sectors.
"The city's ongoing industry restructuring has brought about demand for innovative talents with both theoretical knowledge and practical ability," Fang said.
For instance, salaries for young electronics engineers jumped 15 percent to 2,800 yuan a month.
In contrast, graduates majoring in general administration or management are facing a salary downturn.
The report said graduates working in file-management positions were paid 1,763 yuan last year, a two percent drop on the previous year.
Human Resources Conference Offers Insider Insights Into Doing Business in China
March 5th, 2007China is the world's
fastest-growing economy, offering significant opportunities for U.S.
businesses, but also a unique set of HR challenges. Quick employee
turnover, widely varying employment laws between provinces, recruiting the
right talent, benefits desired by Chinese workers -- are all issues for
companies entering China and organizations already there.
"Making China Your 'Gold Mountain,'" a new conference and exposition in
South San Francisco on May 23-25, explores the unique human resource
difficulties that can significantly affect business success in China. The
conference is hosted by XMei International, a business consulting and
development organization with expertise in Chinese business practices and
their cultural impact.
The conference 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.
Among the abundance of practical advice, attendees will learn:
* Compensation and benefits trends, including how much to pay employees,
how to pay them, required benefits, typical benefits package, and what
benefits are most valued by Chinese workers
* How to find top talent in China, including how to advertise jobs, and
keys to retaining employees in a culture where the average length of
employment is two years.
* How Chinese culture impacts doing business in China, including how to
work effectively across cultures
* How to outsource HR services in China, including what HR products and
services are available in the Chinese marketplace
* How to comply with Chinese employment law -- and the critical
differences amongst provinces.
* Which Chinese provinces are the most labor friendly and how to set up
business in China.
Delivering keynote speeches will be Dr. George Koo and Dr. Irv Beiman.
Dr. Koo, the Director of Chinese Services Group for Deloitte and Touche,
will speak on the conference theme, "Making China Your 'Gold Mountain.'"
Dr. Beiman, Chairman of eGate Consulting, Shanghai, will address the links
between challenges and solutions of doing business in China to HR
requirements there. He'll discuss five root causes of the HR problems that
hinder successful execution of business in China.
"This conference and expo represent a great opportunity to develop a
Chinese business network," said Xiaoli Mei, president and founder of XMei
International. "Our keynoters and session speakers are completely
accessible. Those doing business in China, and those considering it, will
benefit from the educational and social components of the event."
To learn more about the conference, or to register to attend or
exhibit, visit http://www.xmei-int.com/US-China-HR-conference.html
About XMei International
XMei International is dedicated to promoting business development
between the U.S. and China. It organizes events in the U.S. and China that
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, consulting and market research for U.S. and
Chinese clients.
Job centers keep busy
March 2nd, 2007A RECORD 1.05 million people applied for jobs at public job placement centers across the city last year, according to an annual labor market report.
Although most of the jobs attracted dozens of applicants, some occupations suffer from a shortage due to a lack of qualified professionals.
The report, released by the Shanghai Labor and Social Security Bureau yesterday, said 73,000 people registered for jobs with the Shanghai Job Placement Center's Website (job.12333.gov.cn) last year. Another 32,000 applicants turned to the center's 19 branches throughout the city to find work.
The total number of applicants rose by nearly nine percent from 2005, with most job seekers being 16 to 24 years old and not holding a college degree. The number of jobs listed at the center hit 1.02 million last year, an eight percent increase from 2005.
Among all the positions, administrative jobs such as secretaries, human resource assistants and finance workers attracted the most applicants.
The center said 82,000 people applied for 34,000 secretary positions last year.
Wang Jiawen, a career information analyst at the center, said the strong competition should be attributed to these jobs' low entry requirements, which allowed job seekers with moderate communication skills to apply.
In contrast, many employers were having trouble filing technical jobs.
Only 17,000 applications were received for more than 29,000 technician positions posted last year, jobs that included digital machine operators, software programmers and computer maintenance workers.
Last year's bullish stock market also generated a huge demand for security investment analysts and consultants. Only about 62 percent of the 16,000 openings were filled, however, according to the report.
A Systematic Process for Hiring Top Talent
March 2nd, 2007Hiring top talent has always been the goal, but these lofty results are rarely met. The primary reason is the lack of a simple and scalable hiring process that line managers will willingly use. Performance-based Hiring is a proven field-tested process that changes the rules. Using it, leading-edge companies have an opportunity to make hiring top people a systematic business process.
It starts by implementing a talent centric hiring strategy based on how top people looks for new opportunities and how these great people make career decisions. Unfortunately too many companies have implemented poorly integrated processes and systems band-aid style in the hope that something will work. Shifting worldwide demand for top talent requires a complete rebuilding of the hiring process.
Companies as diverse as the YMCA, AIG, Broadcom, Cognos, Wells Fargo, the National Health Service of Scotland, HealthEast Care Systems and Red Bull are now experiencing the benefits of Performance-based Hiring. Isn¡¯t it time to evaluate the impact Performance-based Hiring can make on your company?
Are You Wasting $25 million or More on Bad Hiring Decisions
$25 million represents the annual salary and benefits of 300 new people. Twelve simple factors indicate whether your company is spending this money wisely. One is whether members of the hiring team use an up/down voting system when deciding to extend an offer, rather than some type of balanced evidence-sharing process. Voting is not how other important business decisions are made. Email info@adlerconcepts.com to find out where your company stands on the other 11 factors.