Commentary

A sharp decline in business confidence in many rapidly-growing economies is raising a warning flag that global business may face continued uncertainty for some time to come.

Since the first blogs appeared a little over a decade ago, they have inspired as much controversy as they have content. In many ways also, blogging has spurred more fundamental changes in journalism than any other aspect of the internet revolution.

Hiring talent in Hong Kong these days is not easy. Increased competition from employers in Mainland China, new candidate expectations and low unemployment are but a few of the factors contributing to this tough recruitment market.

Tung Wah Group of Hospitals launched a TVC recently, which is the first ever similar campaign in its 142 years history of serving the Hong Kong community in an effort to give its brand a facelift to attract younger supporters and divert from the perception of being an old and clumsy organization.

The recent leadership changes in China are a good reminder for companies and boards of the need for carefully managed leadership succession planning and communication.

As Hong Kong approaches December 25, thoughts are starting to turn to Christmas and New Year, and there are several researches indicated that mobile plays an extremely important role in this coming festive season as there is a growing trend for shoppers to use their mobile device to help them make decisions while shopping. Mobile, we can’t live without “YOU”!

As the US continues to suffer economic difficulties stemming from their federal government’s neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending.The citizens of the US suffer from blatant abuses of their rights such as the NDAA, the TSA, etc. it is practically feasible for the “states” to withdraw from the union, and to do so would protect its citizens’ standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of the founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government.”The call for states to secede from the union, one now backed by over a million Americans, is part of a wider disenfranchisement with how the country has been infested and hijacked by a crony political elite and the principles of the founders decimated.As over a million Americans so far have expressed their disenfranchisement with the federal government by supporting a secessionist movement that has spread like wildfire, it is time to call for a new declaration of independence and a new commitment to restore the Republic in the face of an enemy that has subverted America from within.Meanwhile, Obama supporters and other statists have called on the government to punish those putting their signatures to the secession petitions by having them stripped of their citizenship, deported and exiled.If the “states” became their own nation they could abandon the failing U.S. currency and create its own honest money system. The abandonment of the U.S. currency also means the “states” could walk away from the U.S. federal debt. This frees the “states” from an almost insufferable financial burden, allowing it to start over with a clean slate and an honest currency. Across the “states” all federal wage taxes would be eliminated, meaning that employee take-home pay would rise and the cost of hiring employees would sharply drop. This would cause a surge of business investment across the “states” as investors/employers flock to the “states” to lower their costs of conducting business in North America.The lack of any further burden to fund the U.S. Empire’s military presence in over 130 nations around the world would equal a financial windfall for the “states”, which could use the new surge in business taxes and sales taxes to fund real infrastructure: Expanded universities, railroads, airports and more. There would no longer be any need to file a federal income tax return on April 15th. This alone would vastly improve the "happiness quotient" for “We the People”. The “states” would shut down all federal offices, expelling feds as people with no authority. This would immediately end the scourge of the DEA, ATF, FDA and USDA, among other "gang-style" agencies that routinely betray the American people. Instead, the “States” would form its own local agencies to handle any necessary tasks, all with the benefit of local input and local planning. We are watching history in the making and witnessing either the fall of the modern Rome or the resurrection of the original one. If the secession should take place after a lengthy struggle on both sides, the dollar will totally collapse. And if it should fail the greenback will still collapse…on schedule according to the global elites plot.Will Hong Kong be affected? Should Hong Kong sit back and do nothing till the last minute? Who are these Hong Kong officials stubbornly against the un-peg from the greenback and why? I wonder if they are under the influence… hmmm.

A flexible and agile workforce that can be grown or shrunk rapidly according to business demand is fundamental to business sustainability, growth and success.

A friendly headhunter stated clearly in his blunt language: “We don’t recruit guys like you for executive positions at international companies; you are too old. If you want to do something different, start your own business”.

New ideas are the source of sustainable growth. With the exception of China, Asia’s economies are either too small or too vertically concentrated to flourish without innovation in the long run.

There is a lot of commentary on the HKD10 million investment-for-residence Hong Kong Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (“HKCIES”) but surprisingly little is heard about gaining a visa for ‘business investment’ under Hong Kong’s General Employment Policy.

Hong Kong’s employment market may be very mature, but in reality its infrastructure is far from it. Why is staff turnover (14.5% in 2011) so high? Why do people change jobs for relatively low increases in salary?

The torrent of technological changes in the past couple of decades may have profound influence to your lifestyle. Internet is well recognized as the most profound technological advancement in the last two decade.

Many of us are very proud that several international organizations have rated Hong Kong as one of the best cities for living, shopping and travelling. The strong support from China and the very high level of freedom Hong Kong enjoys have sustained our economic growth over past years.

Across the world, workers are getting more and more stressed. Instead of regaining their pre-downturn peace of mind and tranquillity, workers globally report that, two years on, their stress levels are up and rising.

A good friend had the ambition to become a millionaire before his 40th birthday, a common ambition in Hong Kong, and he was well underway until recession struck. Fortunately, he is an educated businessman and understanding mega trends made him change his strategy dramatically; he switched from selling power tools to young men to selling electric powered bicycles to elderly women.