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Taiwan’s business leaders have never been more pessimistic about the nation’s economic prospects in 14 years. In the wake of the pandemic, the world economy is not recovering as expected, while geopolitical considerations have emerged as an important security factor. Still, companies are offering higher salaries to attract talent and brave the imminent economic winter.
A cluster of Taiwanese semiconductor companies covering a wide range of sectors from IC design to conventional manufacturing are enjoying a meteoric rise. Led by TSMC, this dream team of semiconductor leaders will reshape the game as they outperform their American and Japanese peers.
Six years ago, Chang Kuo-hua, the first-born son of Taiwanese shipping tycoon Chang Yung-fa, launched a supersize container vessel program. Amid the global coronavirus pandemic, this move secured higher profits for Evergreen Marine Corp. than any time during the company founder’s lifetime.
CommonWealth Magazine’s latest annual survey of Taiwan’s top executives found optimism over the global economy in 2022 and expectations of revenue growth, but also concerns that rising costs and prices will be a major challenge.
The annual approval ratings survey conducted by CommonWealth Magazine is the largest of its kind in Taiwan, with close to 15,000 citizens interviewed to gauge the popularity of local mayors and magistrates. In the COVID-19 era, Pan Men-an, Magistrate of Pingtung County, came in at number one for the third consecutive year. New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih and Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan, rising stars of the KMT and DPP camps respectively, both lost ground. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, who positions himself as an independent, came in dead last once again. What are the lessons from this year’s survey?
Two hundred companies were particularly resilient in the year of COVID-19; 100 grew throughout the year, while 100 others made V-shaped comebacks. How did they overcome adversity and how key is resilience now that the virus is surging in Taiwan?
CommonWealth Magazine’s 2021 State of the Nation Survey has found Taiwanese citizens more optimistic about the future of the country than at any time in the nearly two decades the survey has been conducted.
Taipei City and Lienchiang County were again the big winners in this year’s CommonWealth City Happiness Survey, ranking first among the six major municipalities and counties and cities not among the six largest municipalities, respectively. Tainan and Pingtung staged the largest gains. Among cities with fewer resources, popular trust helped get them through difficult circumstances; meanwhile, an exodus of the capital city’s residents is underway, why?
The most eye-catching category in this year’s Top 50 Performers survey is none other than “IC Design”. Beset on both sides by the trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic, how was this bunch of IC Design companies able to beat the odds and continue to shine throughout the year?
CommonWealth Magazine has released its first survey of Taiwan’s biggest business groups since 2000. The changing face of the Top 50 rankings over the past two decades mirrors Taiwan’s rapidly evolving economic landscape, with some man-made disasters thrown in.
Nearly three of four CEOs of Taiwan’s 2000 biggest companies are pessimistic about the global economy in 2020 after a year of uncertainty, even with the apparent easing of the U.S.-China trade war. So why did nearly 60 percent of them, or a nine-year high, feel bullish about Taiwan’s investment environment in the coming year?
Taipei put up a stunning performance in this year’s City Happiness Survey by CommonWealth Magazine, winning top scores for all objective indicators. However, when it comes to the more subjective opinion poll score, the capital city did not fare so well. The survey results show that, on top of providing residents with a decent livelihood, cities also need to fulfill more spiritual aspects of human life to make their residents happy and proud.
The results of the inaugural CommonWealth University Citizen (USR) Rankings are out, with National Cheng Kung University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and Feng Chia University taking the top spots in the three categories of public, technical and private universities.
The 2019 CommonWealth Greater China Top 1000 Survey is out, indicating that Chinese enterprises have said goodbye to the “wild growth” era. Does this mean opportunities for Taiwanese enterprises to embrace China’s new era of openness?
Selling everything from smartphones to health supplements, Senao International has overhauled its business to keep up with a rapidly changing digital world. CommonWealth looks at the strategy that has this Taiwanese electronics retailer branching out into new products and channels to build customer loyalty.
Worldwide mobile handset shipments have declined for the fifth straight quarter. And the net after-tax profits of Hon Hai Precision Co., the leading “Apple concept stock,” have declined two years in a row. With the arrival of the post-mobile phone era looming, who will be able to seize the next wave of growth and a new direction for profitability?
The top executives of Taiwan’s 2,000 largest enterprises believe economic prospects for 2019 are glum. Due to the potential fallout from a looming trade war between China and the United States, few dare to be optimistic about the global economy and economic development at home. The prelude to the big relocation of Taiwan’s supply chain is already over, and, while massive challenges are ahead, we can prepare for the battle by taking Chinese strategist Sunzi’s advice: Know yourself and your enemy, and you will not be defeated.
The paradigm shift is likely to disturb and shake up our conventional thinking, but authorities should stop dithering and start educating businesses and consumers on the value of using raw materials in the smartest possible way.
“What’s cool about Taiwan is that it’s got both the mountains and the sea. A city like Taipei has the beautiful forests of Yangmingshan, and just half an hour down the mountain is the gorgeous coast. It’s stunning,” exclaims German national Eckart Mayer, the top executive at a leading automobile importer to Taiwan.
Compared with previous years, Taiwanese enterprises made greater progress on the CSR front this time. In 2017 alone, companies poured NT$8.2 billion into charitable donations. The companies that made it into the top 100 corporate citizens employ a total of 460,000 people, accounting for only four percent of Taiwan’s employed workforce. However, these companies generate annual revenue in excess of NT$14 trillion, or 80 percent of the island’s GDP.
From the world’s tallest building to the world’s tallest green building, Taipei 101 wants to be the world’s most welcoming skyscraper. How will it fulfill this ambition?
For the third year in a row, Delta Electronics has defended its top spot in the CommonWealth Magazine Corporate Citizen Awards rankings of large enterprises. The electronics company’s outstanding performance shows that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not a question of good timing; the time is always right to do the right thing, i.e. moving forward with the CSR agenda.
According to a new Oxfam report, 82% of the wealth generated last year went to the richest 1% of the global population, while the 3.7 billion people who make up the poorest 50% of the world saw no increase in their wealth. What happened?
President Tsai Ing-wen is currently less popular than her premier, a rare phenomenon in Taiwanese politics. Areas in which the public is least happy with the Tsai administration range from government performance and the economy to air pollution and high housing prices.
CommonWealth Magazine’s latest State of the Nation Survey has revealed a slide in the younger generation’s identification with Taiwan. While it may be just a temporary blip, it also suggests that the biggest rival to the DPP’s power in Taiwan is Beijing.
Incoming Premier William Lai is wasting no time, cracking the whip to jumpstart Taiwan’s ambitious new infrastructure program, focusing on green energy, offshore wind farms, digital infrastructure upgrading, and easing employment regulations. Will the government’s strategy of using small investment to stimulate large growth pay off?
Seventy percent of Taiwanese CEOs are upbeat about the 2018 global economic outlook. Almost 80 percent of CEOs are planning to grant pay raises, and their intention to invest at home and abroad is also getting stronger.
Since taking office five years ago, he has helped transform Taitung County from a remote southern coastal city with 40 percent low-income families and a serious population drain into a major tourism hotspot. How has County Magistrate Justin Huang presided over such a turnaround?
Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan was a surprise winner of his city’s mayoral election in 2014, and he has continued to surprise in office, showing diligence and savvy in building a positive image among city residents and delivering results.
Taiwan’s youngest city mayor heads up a city that will mark its tricentennial next year. On the strength of a series of popular initiatives, Hsinchu City Mayor Lin Chih-chien is helping reshape Taiwan’s own “Windy City” to face the challenges of the new century.
CommonWealth Magazine's latest local leader approval survey results are out. As the bipartisan divide between the blue and green political camps wanes, many veteran mayors and magistrates are seeing their stars fall, while rookies are rising to new highs.
Mercedes-Benz Taiwan, the country’s leading seller of luxury automobiles, continues to rack up sales records year after year. Despite being a foreign corporation, MBT has given back to society through two locally attuned programs.
The textile industry is notorious for using vast amounts of water throughout its milling processes, putting an enormous strain on the planet’s dwindling water resources. But Far Eastern New Century Corp. has had the foresight to invest in a novel “water-free dyeing” technique, saving resources and cutting costs.
From a minor volleyball tournament to one of the biggest sporting events in Taiwan, the Yung Shin Cup is a prime example of private corporate sports sponsorship. Boosting the local economy and community development, the tournament is a platform of exchange for the sports and health communities.