Few corporate executives have any interest in taking the helm at a state-run enterprise, a survey showed yesterday, as most cite a concern over the level of political interference the positions entail.
Opposition KMT lawmaker Apollo Chen (
The Cabinet announced in late June that it would implement plans to recruit corporate executives from the private sector to serve as chairmen, presidents, directors and supervisors of state-owned enterprises.
The plan aims to develop more professional management of and a distinct demarcation of powers of responsibility at state-run firms, according to Lee Yi-yang (
While the government has said it will give executives ample autonomy to run the businesses and choose their own teams, the survey showed that none of the respondents said they would be willing to take part in the screening process for filling such positions.
About 45.2 percent of corporate managers surveyed have no intention of voluntarily seeking the positions, 26.9 percent said they have little interest and only 15.4 percent expressed a willingness to take part -- if and only if others recommend them, the poll said.
A whopping 84.6 percent of respondents cited political interference for their disinterest, 42.3 percent said that such a move would not fit in with their career plans, 38.5 percent said that they felt they would be unable to do their best in the jobs, and 15.4 percent cited the low salary.
Indeed, according to the Cabinet plan, potential candidates for the top spots at state-run enterprises may well have to answer to the Legislative Yuan -- something many of the current politically-appointed chairmen have tried hard to avoid.
The survey was conducted between June 25 and July 5 among corporate managers at 911 companies with reported annual revenues of over NT$2 billion (US$59.7 million). Of those 911 companies, 115 handed in valid responses .
Shares of contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) came under pressure yesterday after a report that Apple Inc is looking to shift some orders from the Taiwanese company to Intel Corp. TSMC shares fell NT$55, or 2.4 percent, to close at NT$2,235 on the local main board, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed. Despite the losses, TSMC is expected to continue to benefit from sound fundamentals, as it maintains a lead over its peers in high-end process development, analysts said. “The selling was a knee-jerk reaction to an Intel-Apple report over the weekend,” Mega International Investment Services Corp (兆豐國際投顧) analyst Alex Huang
TRANSITION: With the closure, the company would reorganize its Taiwanese unit to a sales and service-focused model, Bridgestone said Bridgestone Corp yesterday announced it would cease manufacturing operations at its tire plant in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), affecting more than 500 workers. Bridgestone Taiwan Co (台灣普利司通) said in a statement that the decision was based on the Tokyo-based tire maker’s adjustments to its global operational strategy and long-term market development considerations. The Taiwanese unit would be reorganized as part of the closure, effective yesterday, and all related production activities would be concluded, the statement said. Under the plan, Bridgestone would continue to deepen its presence in the Taiwanese market, while transitioning to a sales and service-focused business model, it added. The Hsinchu
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has approved a capital budget of US$31.28 billion for production expansion to meet long-term development needs during the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. The company’s board meeting yesterday approved the capital appropriation plan for purposes such as the installation of advanced technology capacity and fab construction, the world’s largest contract chipmaker said in a statement. At an earnings conference last month, TSMC forecast that its capital expenditure for this year would be at the higher end of the US$52 billion to US$56 billion range it forecast in January in response to robust demand for 5G, AI and
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) investment project in Arizona has progressed better than expected, but it still faces challenges such as water and labor shortages, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Yeh Chun-hsien (葉俊顯) said yesterday. Speaking with reporters after visiting TSMC’s Arizona hub and attending the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Maryland last week, Yeh said TSMC’s Arizona site turned a profit of NT$16.14 billion (US$514 million) last year in its first full year of mass production. “TSMC told me it was surprised by the smooth trial run of the first fab, which has left the company optimistic about the project’s outlook,”
RSS