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The flavors of Taiwan, encompassing mini puffs, bubble milk tea, and dry noodles, are gaining popularity in the United States. However, with foods from other Asian countries already well established there, Taiwanese food manufacturers have some catching up to do.
Bubble tea has once again taken off in the US post-pandemic. In 2022, exports of raw materials for bubble tea from Taiwan to the US were triple that of four years ago. Bubble tea is everywhere in New York City, and the ambitions of the Taiwanese food and beverage industry are becoming clearer.
Rather than downsizing during the pandemic, Taiwan's Chatime went global. La Kaffa International’s success story began with a franchisee in Australia that blossomed into a foothold in the U.S. market.
Starlux Airlines ended its days as a regional carrier when it made its maiden flight to Los Angeles in late April. As it goes international, can the airline compete in a crowded market? What are its potential opportunities and pitfalls?
What do the Michelin-certified Fuzhou pepper bun and TSMC have in common? In this article by Chang-Tai Hsieh, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago analyzed, it is clear that the inability to scale is the main reason for Taiwan's low wages. What should be done to change the status quo?
With the acquisition of the Taiwan business of French supermarket chain Carrefour, President Chain Store Corp. will be catching up to grocery retail bellwether PX-Mart. How will the formation of two channel giants affect the industry, and what lies in store for consumers?
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.
Baked sweet potatoes, a traditional street food in Taiwan that is also sold at 3,700 convenience stores across the island, have now made it into one of Japan’s oldest supermarket chains. How did Jacky Chiu, general manager of Taiwan’s leading sweet potato processing company K.K. Orchard, manage to convince notoriously picky Japanese customers?
Taiwan’s highway Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system won three world-firsts. Thailand is currently recruiting the help of Taiwan smart mobility national team to build a free-flow ETC system for their new M6/M81 highway. The project is estimated to complete earliest in 2025. What is the secrete to the success of Taiwan’s first overseas ETC turnkey project?
The Italian-Swiss international shipping line Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) operates across 155 countries worldwide with over 100,000 employees. In 2022, MSC is expected to overtake its Danish competitor Maersk and become the world's largest shipping company. In this exclusive interview with Commonwealth Magazine, MSC Greater China Managing Director Jonathan Zhu talked about MSC’s strategies and why Greater China is by far the most important region for growth.
Ocean freight rates have skyrocketed amid shortages of container and bulk cargo space. What key role is Taiwan playing in this industry, and how have its big players set themselves up for success, now and in the future?
Shopping website momo beats rival PChome 13 times over in terms of market value. The third-generation boss of a southern Taiwan restaurant, launched live broadcasts during the pandemic, propping up revenue despite temporary closures. The Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital on Taiwan’s eastern coast is using 5G-technology for virtual consultations. How did they work business miracles in the pandemic?
Haribo Gummy bears, Twinings Tea, Valda throat lozenges...you name it, Taiwan Hsin Lin (THL), a 47-year-old distributor, has got them all and then some.
Since its founding in 2014, Ally Logistic Property has become synonymous with high-tech, upscale warehousing services. One might think a warehouse is nothing more than a shed made from sheet metal. This one uses Amazon robots for the heavy lifting. How did ALP turn warehouse work into a famous brand?
The biggest wave of Taiwanese drama exports is quietly re-writing the rules of the game. As the “Netflix way” spurs a revolution in production strategy across the global entertainment realm, how can Taiwanese dramas leverage the trend to compete in the international arena?
As the virus rages on, small- and medium-sized hotels are hoping to sell their businesses to survive. Wu Bing-ting, founder of the Chase Walker Hostel, Taiwan’s first “self-service hotel”, has gone on a buying spree looking for bargains. What makes him see this as the opportunity of the century?
As international tourism flights remain mostly suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sightseeing flights have become very popular. Can such charter “flights to nowhere” actually save the airlines? How can Taiwan’s newest carrier, Starlux Airlines survive this crisis? Starlux Airlines Chairman Chang Kuo-wei is not ready to throw in the towel just yet.
Taiwan’s “God of Management” Wang Yung-ching failed at building a car business, but his failure laid the groundwork for the country’s successful Tesla supply chain. What are Taiwan’s advantages in the electric vehicle age and how far can it go?
The global COVID-19 pandemic has forced Taiwanese to travel more at home. Can Taiwan harness this opportunity to go higher end and create experiences that will have consumers coming back for more rather than heading abroad?
With the unexpected pandemic, the global retailing industry faces sudden and drastic changes. During this tough time where the surging sales has come to a screeching halt, how does Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (ELC) support its employees around the world, and uphold the core corporate value of “family” to protect consumers and employees in the face of adversities?
As the pandemic spreads, La Kaffa International, which made Taiwanese bubble tea famous worldwide with the Chatime brand, has had the wherewithal to keep expanding franchises and take care of their suppliers. How did they pull it off?
Hospitality industry veterans think Ma must have gone crazy. There is nothing hoteliers fear more than having their facilities associated with an infectious disease like COVID-19. Having invested heavily in the creation of Hanns House, why did Ma decide to respond to the government’s appeal to provide quarantine accomodations for people who cannot quarantine at home, despite knowing that this could poison future business prospects?
If you were James Hsieh, CEO of Chuan Lian Enterprise Co. Ltd, the company that owns the PX Mart supermarket chain, how would you go about digital transformation? Would you go into e-commerce first or give priority to introducing mobile payments?
In the past, young people looking to moonlight or take a part-time job alongside their studies used to work in restaurants and fast food chains near their schools. But food delivery services have begun to offer an attractive alternative due to low entry thresholds and comparably good pay.
“Chien-Chien” is a Taiwanese YouTube celebrity known for eating massive amounts of food. Desperate to go into business to cash in her fame, she moved into the fiercely competitive dry noodles market with the help of her new agents. How has it worked out?
The much anticipated StarLux Airlines commences operations this week, despite a number of airlines going bankrupt in 2019. Chairman Chang Kuo-wei wants to stage a comeback. Will he soar or will he sink?
With 83 years of history, the Hsinchu Zoo, Taiwan’s oldest zoo to continuously operate at the same location, reopened on December 28. No longer bordered by concrete walls and cordoned off by metal railings, the reborn Hsinchu Zoo uses moats, shrubbery, and green fences to divide space. Could it change the way you think about zoos?
What is the mysterious “future meat” that big names like Bill Gates and Leonardo DiCaprio are investing in? Why is it so popular that it’s often sold out in Taiwan? Who exactly is eating this high-tech “vegan meat”, and what does it portend for the future of our stomachs?
Last year, Chatime became only the third food brand to move into the Louvre in Paris, after Starbucks and McDonald’s. Though it was a late entrant into the tea beverage market, it now has the broadest network of any Taiwanese beverage brand, with presences in 41 countries on six continents. What has been its secret to success?
Forever 21 has declared bankruptcy, and the Japanese brand apparel empire Onward Group has announced that it will close 20 percent of its outlets around the globe. Meanwhile, The Workman brand has become hugely popular, posting new revenue records for eight years in a row.
In the past, on the strength of names like Mitsukoshi, Takashimaya, and Sogo, Japan has long been the homeland for Taiwan’s retail service industry. And now Eslite - Taiwan’s first locally born and raised retail brand - is making its entry into Japan via the starting point of Japan’s national highway in Tokyo: Nihonbashi. Eslite Spectrum Nihonbashi is the final Eslite outlet personally planned by company founder Robert Wu before his death in 2017. It also happens to be the least typical Eslite store. Can it succeed in the Japanese market, the most competitive in the world?
A craze for Taiwanese bubble milk tea is currently sweeping Japan, tickling palates in the wake of earlier food fads such as steamed soup dumplings (xiao longbao) and Taiwanese tea. But the Japanese don’t just fall for snack food from Taiwan. Taiwanese creative designs and electronic gadgets have also found a loyal following.
Free-spirited, open-minded, effusive and blessed with a human touch—these words come to mind when you talk about Taiwan’s cultural export. The most famous example is Taiwan’s Eslite Bookstore making waves in Nihonbashi in central Tokyo, but smaller Taiwanese affairs are also exploring the Japanese market. Let’s look at how Taiwanese ice cream, design, and even villas converted from old houses are charming the socks off the Japanese.
Thanks to a strategy that orients New Taipei City toward the ocean via its three major inland waterways, the Dahan River, Xindian River and Tamsui (Danshui) River, the municipal government has successfully attracted corporate investment. The New Taipei City Government is not only focusing its marketing of the metropolitan area on the needs of local investors, but has also aggressively lobbied the central government to relax laws and regulations on factory expansions to break the land supply bottleneck that has constrained the development of Danhai New Town.
The coastline of New Taipei City is 145 kilometers long. Stretching from Bali and Tamsui all the way to Gongliao, the ocean and mountain scenery along the way is breathtaking. Harbors and scenic spots are like pearls on a string that connect with one another to form Route 2 Taiwan (青春山海線). White sails and pleasure yachts dot the region between rivers and ocean to weave an unforgettable tapestry of beauty.
A tin shack factory in an ordinary industrial district recently secured orders to print business cards for Japanese businessmen and publications for a big Japanese advertising firm. The linchpin behind this multinational supply chain is a 32-year-old design guru from Taiwan.
The last year has seen an explosion of food delivery platforms in Taiwan. Uber Eats and FoodPanda’s business is expected to triple, and “ghost kitchens” and “virtual restaurants” with no seating and no signage are riding high exclusively through delivery services. How will this hot new business model sweeping across Europe and America change the face of Taiwan’s food and beverage market?
TKK Fried Chicken was Taiwan’s first local fried chicken brand but fell off the radar for many years as foreign fast food brands took over the market. Now, it is seeing a resurgence, seemingly growing younger and even making a name for itself in New York.
Keelung Port, whose history dates back to the 17th century, has always played a crucial role as Keelung City’s lifeline. While in the past the port thrived on handling and transferring cargo, it has now traded that business for the tourist trade. Today, elegant cruise ships towering over the pier like office high-rises count among Keelung’s most striking sights.
Although Taiwan has a thriving night market culture, vegetarian choices are somewhat scarce. But now there is a new, traveling night market consisting of over a dozen food trucks exclusively serving up vegetarian fare, attracting throngs of people wherever it goes. What makes this dedicated vegetarian night market so wildly popular?
For the first time in its 58-year history in Taiwan, Morinaga Milk Caramel has teamed up with other brands, creating a summer sensation. The company’s Japanese general manager, interviewed for the first time in Taiwan, was amazed yet sober in his response, noting the spectacular sales while cautioning against waiting for sales to dip before thinking about changing. He partnered with McDonald’s and PX Mart to introduce distinctive products tailored to different conditions, making consumers fall in love with them all over again.
Over the past three decades or more, wave upon wave of corporations, organizations, and individuals have taken on a global market full of lofty aspirations and great ambitions. From contract manufacturing to original brands, from umbrellas to Taiwanese TV dramas, they embody the maritime spirit, enthusiastically embracing the world intent on forging a Taiwanese industry corps on which the sun never sets. And this bumpy road to the rest of the world keeps going on.
Fubon Life is carrying out its long-term engagement in Taiwan’s society by joining hands with the younger generation to brighten senior citizens’ lives. The life insurance company hopes to use its corporate resources to bring a smile to the face of every Taiwanese person.
A strike by EVA Air flight attendants is the longest in Taiwan’s aviation history. But why, unlike a strike of China Airlines flight attendants led by the same union three years ago in which the airline met all of their demands, is this labor gambit likely to come up short?
Many tourists come to Taiwan while “just passing by” on their way to or from other countries, or as a last resort. How can Taiwan highlight its unique color and depth to better attract international tourists?
CatchPlay has become the largest pay OTT in Indonesia, with more than half of its offerings being exclusive content. Are movie platforms now following in the tracks of the New Southbound Policy?
Last year, convenience store chains in Taiwan were entirely focused on unmanned stores. But this March, 7-Eleven surprisingly shelved plans for an expanding network of unmanned stores as the industry opens another battle front earlier than expected: smart vending machines. Do such machines constitute a successful solution, or are they only a temporary substitute until truly fully automated, unmanned shops become reality?
Last year, popular snacks dressed up as beverages became a hit at local convenience stores – a development initiated by Taiwan’s two major convenience store chains 7-Eleven and FamilyMart. How did they come up with the idea for these novel beverages? And why are consumers buying into this new marketing strategy?
While other retail channel sales were slipping, the supermarket segment stood strong thanks to PX Mart. The resolute decision to introduce fresh produce 10 years ago helped pave the way for the supermarket chain’s one-thousandth store and NT$100 billion annual sales. Over the years, they discovered that their biggest competitor does not come from their own industry, but from the busy daily lives all of us lead in today’s society.
Starting this week, airlines will ask passengers to pay up to NT$ 1,500 to select their seats before boarding. In effect, travelling by air just got pricier. The truth is, plenty of major airlines around the world ask passengers to pay more for specific seats, in an effort to turn passengers’ preferences into a source of revenue. Whether this is a reasonable way to benefit from the supply and demand of the free market is still up for debate.
How is “Yongan Market” pronounced? Foreigners not conversant in Chinese could easily mistake the phonetic spelling for a phrase in Mandarin that could cause significant embarrassment, and still end up missing their station as well. For people who are lost in the Taipei Metro system, proper spelling is more important than assigning a code to each station.
Last year, IKEA Taiwan’s revenue boasted the highest food share of all stores around the world. What makes IKEA’s Scandinavian fare so attractive that Taiwanese consumers can hardly resist?
Do you know which airline was the most punctual in 2018? And which airport had the best On-Time Performance? New statistics show Tokyo International Airport, also known as Haneda Airport, had the best On-Time Performance, and Copa Airlines SA was the most punctual.
The new Eslite Spectrum Nanxi Store right next to Zhongshan MRT station was the talk of the town even before its formal launch. The area’s rise as a tourism and shopping magnet, however, owes to the vision of an alliance between a community-building NGO, a neighborhood chief, and local artists.
Red meat production is a major contributor to global warming because of the methane emitted by cattle and sheep. Which countries eat the most meat? This chart tells you the top meat-loving countries in the world.
In the startup scene, advice is typically given to avoid creating a platform because conditions are harsh and survival prospects slim. But John Sie, a former Hon Hai/Foxconn Technology Group employee, along with a fellow student founded software-as-a-service platform Accupass. Their startup not only managed to survive lethal competition in China where Internet startups go bust in droves, but Acupass even evolved into the biggest cross-strait event-hosting platform. How did Sie achieve this formidable feat?
Launched as a small coffee-to-go store, Louisa Coffee has since evolved into one of the nation’s major coffee chains, looking to take on market leaders Starbucks and 85C. How did founder and General Manager Chris Huang turn his passion for coffee into a successful business?
The Taiwanese live streaming platform "17 Media,” co-founded by Taiwanese rapper Jeffrey Huang of the hip-hop group Machi, successfully entered Japan last year and is now looking to South Korea and the United States. What is the secret to standing out in the hotly contested live streaming market?
China’s e-commerce and mobile economy are booming, yet it is certainly not easy to enter or compete in the market. Here are the five key current trends to understand and learn from China’s e-commerce explosion.
E-commerce vendors expanding into Southeast Asia need a unique sales model for each country. Increasingly, Southeast Asians living in Taiwan and Southeast Asian online celebrities are emerging as the key to social media-based e-commerce.
Hsu Yi-chih, a thirtysomething who oversees a small accessories empire with annual sales exceeding NT$100 million in Taiwan, has applied the resilient spirit of a former street vendor to leverage the advantages of Taiwanese quality to break into new markets.
Taiwan’s homegrown hand-shaken tea beverages are continuing their conquest of overseas markets. Kaffa International Co. Ltd., whose global franchise teahouse chain Chatime already has a strong presence in Southeast Asia, is expanding its reach to tropical holiday destinations.
Is quality food always expensive? The Carrefour supermarket chain is proving otherwise with affordable produce sourced from certified farms. All foods, from pineapples to ready-to-eat roast chickens, come with an ID card that allows consumers to trace their origin.
At a time when China is gaining dominance in Chinese-language pop culture, KKBox has chosen a new approach, launching cultural and entertainment platform “KKFarm” to give fledgling Taiwanese cultural and creative firms the chance to flourish.
EVA Airways has set a new record for revenue by concentrating on North American routes, not only weathering the economic climate but proceeding according to its own flight plan.
Cultural creative, environment-related industries are finding growth while retail and hospitality sectors are expanding markets. The service industry is developing profitable streams even as profits have declined overall.
The Fubon Group has bucked convention in growing its business, whether moving into southern Taiwan or expanding into non-financial fields. In this interview with Richard Tsai, the Fubon Financial Holdings chairman explains how the company has evolved into a national brand.
Combining real-world and virtual services, Nike brings consumers into the “circle of runners,” providing expert training and encouragement, and delivering service with passion to take the loneliness out of running.
Taiwan’s response to an amusement park tragedy that left hundreds of revelers severely burned prompted over 300 medical professionals to travel to Taipei to learn about the experience at a global conference. The last survivor to be discharged as well as her attending physician shared with CommonWealth what they went through nearly two years ago.
Most elderly people want to continue living in a familiar environment. How can we utilize modern technology to create long-term care programs the elderly can trust and enjoy?
Cloistered in their hospitals, many Taiwanese physicians have not realized that patients’ homes can turn into prisons harmful to their health. That is now changing as a home care revolution takes shape, but plenty of obstacles remain.
Hi-Lai Harbour, a buffet restaurant chain founded in Kaohsiung, has established outlets in department stores in all of Taiwan's five major cities. The group's revenue growth tops the list of hospitality businesses in our 2016 Top 2000 Survey.
Poya is the dominant player in the cosmetics/drugstore sector in central and southern Taiwan and is now turning its attention to Taipei, wondering if the same formula that turned it into a NT$10 billion business can conquer new challenges.
A generally sluggish economy saw service industry revenues decline last year, with a slight uptick in profitability for some as e-commerce continued to surge and retail engaging in cross-industry cooperation to forge new opportunities. On line or on the high street, customers always respond to a good "consumer experience.
The best service does not mean selling customers the most expensive goods but those they need most. Japanese lifestyle brand Muji took the crown of the 2016 Golden Service Awards with its "just right" approach.
"Change" and "digital experience" are the new mantras in this digital age, concepts embraced by the many innovative upstarts that emerged as leaders in their fields in the 2016 Golden Service Awards.
Starbucks, winner of the Coffeehouse Chains category for six years in a row and number one in online service satisfaction, has become more of a 'tech company that sells coffee,' with digital coffee houses that enable new Starbucks experiences.
Of the 27 service industries covered by the Top 2000 Survey, the telecom industry is the only sector that suffered shrinking revenue in 2014. The ability to precisely predict demand is crucial if companies want to win consumer support in the Internet era.
Looking back at 2014, other than a host of shiny new products, retro designs made a big comeback. Will this year's popular commodities blow over, or remain big sellers in the coming year?
In 2013, the keys to growth in Taiwan's service industry were innovation and refinement. Most notable was a select group of stars in the food services industry.
Women care about their looks – that's what makes skin care recession-proof. The Dr. Wu brand has been growing in popularity since it launched more than a decade ago. Now, foreign investors have been knocking on its doors.
Taiwanese consumers are increasingly particular about high quality, and demand it across the board. Those service enterprises that deliver it are winning the race.
The Meishi Village Credit Union has turned NT$100 deposits into loans that have helped more than 800 tribe members lift themselves out of poverty, cultivating doctors and school administrators along the way.
The orange and white CoCo Fresh Drinks sign has gone up in a thousand locations worldwide. The strength of its brand and personnel management is even enticing entrepreneurs in Singapore, South Korea and Russia.
Taiwanese self-made entrepreneur Kao Wen-wan has successfully turned shaved ice with sweet toppings, a traditional Asian dessert, into an international brand.
Born in Taiwan as a low-cost alternative, Dante Coffee has become a lavish indulgence in Indonesia and is taking on high-tech style in Kuwait. Dante is stepping out into the world.
Acquiring Giuliano Fujiwara for NT$500 million, a Taiwanese department store group is giving this premium Italian brand a makeover, and a new position on the world fashion map.
Harry Wang has led a team of Taiwanese designers, Chinese artisans, and French stylists to build Shiatzy Chen's brand image in China and the world. It has been anything but easy.
Rising fuel costs and declining freight prices have battered global shipping companies, but Taiwan's Wan Hai Lines and its chairman Chen Po-ting seem to be taking the rough sailing in stride.
After a seven-year hiatus, Taiwan Mobile has reclaimed the title of benchmark enterprise in the telecom services sector. Amid a sour economy and an industry paradigm shift, which strengths helped it topple Chunghwa Telecom?
Decades ago, Keelung was the world's seventh biggest container port. Today, it aspires to become a tourism center, but the challenges are daunting. Can it succeed?
In the 1990s, the Regent and Grand Hyatt dominated Taipei’s luxury hotel market, but times are finally changing as new five-star hotels pour into the city. The question is, why?
Taking home top honors in this year's CommonWealth Magazine Golden Service Awards, the Hotel Royal Chiao Hsi continually challenges itself to create a unique sensory experience for visitors.
No longer content to measure success in terms of cargo shipments, Kaohsiung is expanding green spaces and opening arts districts, to remake itself as a "great city to live in."
Unveiling a ticket verification system that has wowed counterparts in Europe and Japan, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. is starting to shape a new culture of sophisticated travel in Taiwan.
Flat-lying beds, Bvlgari overnight kits, premium steak, lobster feasts… EVA Air targets the top of the pyramid, leapfrogging Singapore Airlines to become the king of airway service.
A reshuffle has taken place in many segments of Taiwan's service industry. Which tricks of the trade did the winners of this year's Golden Service Awards use to grab consumers'attention,and money?
Taiwan's high speed rail line and a highway service area earned high marks in the second CommonWealth Magazine Golden Service Awards. What's driving the trend?
Taiwan-based RT-Mart had sales of 61.6 billion renminbi in China last year, far outpacing Carrefour and Walmart. How has the company carved out its imposing retail empire there?
With operating revenue last year of NT$25.8 billion, Grand Ocean, a relative unknown in Taiwan, has taken the lead from big players like Far Eastern and Sogo in setting up a department store empire in China.
Taiwan's domestic demand-driven industries are flourishing, but people's complaints about rising prices are growing louder too. How can the service industry respond to these trends and continue to attract customers?
With the once gleaming high-tech sector losing its luster, the thriving hospitality industry is luring both jobseekers and investors, as more chain restaurants go public to tap the capital market.
An innovative financial service that finances "green" equipment with projected savings in energy costs is gaining traction in Taiwan. But its continued growth still faces serious challenges.
In CommonWealth Magazine's recent service industry survey, Swedish home furniture giant Ikea reigned supreme in the "atmosphere" category, enticing the island's consumers with its warm, friendly, real-life ambience.
In the world of online retailing, only one question is paramount: "How to deliver the goods to the consumer as quickly as possible." At PC Home, the secret weapon is not working faster, but a 24/7, three-shifts-a-day operational culture.
E.Sun Bank was rated tops for service among financial institutions in CommonWealth Magazine's first ever Golden Service Awards. What does E.Sun know that others don't?
Taiwanese consumers were given the chance by CommonWealth Magazine to evaluate their favorite service brands for the first time. The winners were companies giving customers a deeper level of service.
The service industry is now prime turf in Taiwan's business world, and everyone with a nose for profit is grappling for a stake. Being eager to serve, and knowing how to do it, are the qualities Taiwanese consumers demand most.
In an industry where personal warmth is key, restaurant group Wowprime focuses on keeping employees content, and dishing out value that rivals find hard to match.
Grasping, and even creating, the latest lifestyle trends is what keeps President Chain Stores one step ahead of their customers, making themselves indispensable through constant improvement.
Buoyed by the strong NT dollar in recent months, Taiwanese are making more and more overseas purchases. Proxy shopping has become a viable platform for great savings and new opportunities.
After a dismal performance in 2009, Taiwan's service industry delivered a robust rebound in 2010, with bright performances in shipping, tourism and retail sales. Can it sustain the momentum?
The sales and profits of Taiwan's top 1,000 companies hit three-year highs in 2010. The secret to their success? Winning customers' hearts in an age when consumers are pricklier than ever.
With rising health-consciousness, vegetarian restaurants are enjoying a boom. And predominantly Buddhist Taiwan is riding the crest of the veggie wave, with innovative gourmet restaurants that even carnivores adore.
In Taiwan, eating hot pot has become a national pastime fit for any season, and the dish's many varieties and flavors are enticing ethnic Chinese from around the world.
In the wake of the financial meltdown, Europe and America are still in the doldrums, but Taiwan's private-sector investment surged 32 percent in 2010, marking a 45-year high, the second highest in history in terms of absolute value. Will 2011 be just as good?
Japan-based Bookoff has developed a new model for selling used books that is changing the face of Japan's publishing sector and reading environment. What are the secrets of its success?
Things are looking up for Songshan Airport. With a new direct link to Tokyo, it's taking an ever-bigger bite of the commercial market pie, and Taiwan's importance in the Asian airline industry continues to rise.
With its sleek, modern interior, Vietnam's popular restaurant chain Pho24 is taking the traditional bowl of noodles to new heights. How did founder Ly Qui Trung win out against the multinational fast food competition?
Huayi Brothers Media Corporation, China's largest film and TV producer, topped 200 million renminbi in revenue in the first half of this year, but aspires to venture beyond entertainment, into the wider world of cultural industry.
Despite a late start, Taiwan's leading retailer is already a respectable challenger in Shanghai. Now it plans to enter the fray in China's first- and second-tier markets, offering consumers the alternative experience of Taiwanese-style service.
The global financial crisis claimed plenty of casualties in Taiwan, but its top enterprises brandished one critical asset that helped many of them thrive: flexibility.
At long last, Taiwan's FIHC has acquired the Regent brand. Chairman Steven Pan reveals the strategy he used to close the US$56 million deal, and his company's global ambitions.
Feeling the pinch of a straitened economy, Taiwan's service industry suffered a decline in overall revenue in 2009. Yet not all sectors were equally impacted. Flexibility is the key as companies fight for survival under trying conditions.
The Internet has dramatically changed marketing in the travel industry, and Lion Travel Co. is taking advantage of Web-based social networks to build and expand its customer base.
A newly emerging class of "green" experts is using specialized knowledge of electronics, physics and refrigeration to help companies save energy and money.
Amazon's successful e-book reader Kindle has sparked a worldwide craze. Now major Taiwanese companies are hoping to get in on the action. Will any succeed in this fierce contest to create a Kindle for the Chinese-speaking world?
An engineer with a public image of a troubleshooting hero, Ou Chin-der is stepping in as the new chairman of Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation, in the hope of digging the company out of its financial hole. But how?
The Plurking craze has swept over to Taiwan's business sector. And BenQ's affable avatar Ah-Ji the Lion has done particularly well cozying up with Netizens. What is BenQ's secret formula for social media success?
How did a twentysomething salesman with few personal connections make use of the Internet to establish a customer base stretching from Taipei to Jiayi, and rise to the top ten in a sales force of more than 500?
A growing cadre of "fussy customers" – shrewd, tech-savvy and hard to please – is making Taiwanese companies pay heavily for mistakes, but some cagey enterprises understand that cracking these tough nuts may be the best path to success.
The first Taiwanese financial institution to have set up shop in China, Cathay Life also ranks third among foreign insurers in terms of number of sales offices there. What will be its next step?
With rising unemployment grabbing the headlines, an important trend in Taiwan's labor market is flying under the radar: The country's top talent is gravitating toward the service sector at the expense of high tech.
Managing cohesive electronic logistics intelligence for 15 major chains and two thirds of all manufacturers in Taiwan, Trade-Van also provides marketing information analysis that makes businesses smart about sales.
Just as his flagship Apple Daily has begun to lose money, Hong Kong media baron Jimmy Lai has boldly entered Taiwan's highly competitive cable-TV business, hiring PR veteran King Pu-tsung. What does Lai have up his sleeve?
Taiwan has a temporary workforce 150,000-strong, bouncing between short-term positions. How can temps protect their rights? And how can they avoid sliding into a lifetime of odd-jobbing?
The recession has most companies scaling back their advertising budgets, but Nike is investing big in a different marketing approach: cultivating loyalty at the grassroots level.
In the quick-paced world of fast food, customer needs and individual preferences are often neglected. How does fast food giant McDonald's train its staff to hone their five senses to grasp what customers want?
Taiwan's top 1000 enterprises are experiencing expanding revenues, but contracting profits. Yet many companies are beginning to turn heads by mining high added-value "service riches."
In 2007, Taiwan's service sector finally exceeded NT$6 trillion in revenues. But all was not well, as profitability declined. How did Acer buck the trend and vault pass Taiwan Power Company at the top?
Boasting 350 million subscribers and 230,000 base stations covering 97 percent of the Middle Kingdom, China Mobile has become the world "telecom giant" within a brief decade.
In 2006, Taiwan’s service sector suffered negative revenue growth for the first time in five years. Yet a market shift has begun to favor those enterprises with global reach.
Able to fill an array of orders with efficiency, precision and a low overhead, Taiwan’s "express enterprises" are the new darlings of the stock market and, increasingly, the secret inside the world’s latest lightweight gadgets.
Haier is China’s most respected brand, and its CEO is the country’s most respected business leader. With a determined dedication to quality, China’s premier home appliance brand has now cast its eyes on the world…
With a 30 percent market share of the Taiwanese coffeehouse/bakery industry, three-year-old 85C is putting the squeeze on Starbucks. What winning elements hide behind its shiny corner-windows?
Taiwan’s homegrown coffee-and-pastry shops are throwing down the gauntlet at the multinational chains, and even beginning to export themselves. Can Taiwan make it on the world munchy map?
From a humble cake shop in a small coastal town, Yannick has blossomed into a patisserie chain with millions in annual sales. What challenges did it face on the way?