Danish-Thai Trade News March 2011

MAR 2011

Human Resources

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DANISH-THAI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 34 C.P. Tower 3, 9th Floor Tower, Phayathai Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok10400 Tel.: +66 2 354 5220 Fax: +66 2354 5221 E-mail: contact@dancham.or.th Executive Director: Katrine Præst PRESIDENT Mr. Peter Emil Romhild Sr. Executive Vice President Berli Jucker Public Co., Ltd. Tel : +66 2 367 1111 Fax : +66 2 367 1000 E-mail : president@dancham.or.th VICE PRESIDENT / TREASURER / ALUMNI / HR Mr. Søren Presmann Managing Director Presmann (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Tel : +66 2 962 1151 Mob : +66 89 668 7840 Fax : +66 2 962 1152 E-mail : treasurer@dancham.or.th VICE PRESIDENT / MEMBERSHIP / CSR / HR Mr. Charnchai Charuvastr Chairman Aviva Décor Limited Tel: +66 2 685 3661-3 Email: member@dancham.or.th CHAIRWOMAN EVENTS Mrs. Mai Ellegaard General Manager Euro-Center (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Tel : +66 2 696 3626-27 E-mail : chairevent@dancham.or.th EVENTS Mr. Thomas Nyborg Managing Director Pandora Production Co., Ltd. Tel : +66 2 728 7200 E-mail : event@dancham.or.th EVENTS / LEGAL ADVISOR Mr. Santhapat Periera Partner Tilleke & Gibbins International Ldt. Tel : +66 2 263 7700 Fax : +66 2 263 7710 E-mail : egal@dancham.or.th CHAIRMAN MEMBERSHIP Mr. Jacob Bojsen Managing Director Visit Beyond Co. Ltd. Tel : +66 2 630 6994-8 E-mail : chairmember@dancham.or.th FOREIGN AFFAIRS / MEMBERSHIP Mr. Stig Vagt-Andersen General Manager Ben Adisti Co. Ldt. Tel : +66 2 168 7206 E-mail : foreign@dancham.or.th CHAIRMAN MEDIA Mr. Jakob Ingemann Chief Financial Officer ECCO (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Tel : +66 35 716 601 E-mail : chairmedia@dancham.or.th MEDIA Mr. Robert Kronberg Managing Director PIRO Consulting Group Tel : +66 81 406 2854 Fax : +66 2 254 5766 E-mail : web@dancham.co.th

Peter E. Romhild President Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce

Dear Readers As we embarked on the year 2011 our usual concern was centered on the Thai political and economic situation. However, domestic developments were overshadowed by the escalating unrest in the Middle East and the devastating earth quake and tsunami in Japan. Our heart felt sympathy goes to our fellow chamber of commerce from Japan, and all the Japanese people. It is also a stark reminder of how global disasters, geopolitical and economic changes can affect us all.

We continue to issue our Trade News with special themes, this time covering Human Resources.

We have interviews with our member companies, who explain about their views on the Thai labour situation, and the challenges they face in an ever increasing competitive environment. How do the head hunters manage to find the right skills, with less people available in the market? And read about the Pandora and ECCO way on managing their human resources. We must not forget our children, and again this year we have a special section on international schools in Thailand and Boarding Schools in Denmark.

The Annual General Meeting was held on 5th March at the Royal Danish Embassy, followed by a delicious dinner. We had a very good turnout both for the AGM and dinner, and the spirit was high, despite the unusual heavy rain, prompting us to move the dinner inside. The recently arrived Danish Ambassador Mikael Hemniti Winther and his wife Khun Ratanawadee had kindly opened the Embassy and their home for this special event. Before the official part of the AGM, we paid a special tribute to two prominent persons, who recently passed away, the former Danish Ambassador to Thailand, Niels Kaas Dyrlund and our fellow Board Member Khun Charnchai Charuvastr. You can read more about this event inside the Trade News, and also refer to our website on details.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing Board Member, Robert Kronborg for his long time service on the Board of Danish-Thai Chamber and his support in Media Committee. At the same time I would like to welcome our new Board Members, Kenn Thaysen and Klaus Stoeve.

We look forward to working together in 2011, and to continue to further improve the support to our members and associates.

Good hunting with the Trade News.

MEDIA Mr. Thomas Lindy Sorensen Managing Director Maersk Line (Thailand) Ltd. Tel : +66 2752 9090 Fax : +66 2 750 9614 Email : media@scanmach.co.th EMBASSY REPRESENTATIVE Mr. Bo Bjerregaard Rasmussen Commercial Counsellor Royal Danish Embassy Tel : +66 89 204 9098 E-mail: borasm@um.dk EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Ms. Katrine Præst Executive Director Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce Tel : +66 2 354 5220 Fax : +66 2 354 5221 Email : director@dancham.or.th EDITING, MARKETING & PRODUCTION Scand-Media Corp. Ltd. 4/41 - 2 Moo, Ramintra Soi 14, Bangkok 10230 Tel.: (66) 02943 7166-8 Fax: (66) 02943 7169 Editor: Mr. Gregers Moller - gregers@scandmedia.com Marketing: Mr. Finn Balslev - finn@scandmedia.com Design: Supphathada Numamnuay supphathada@scandmedia.com

Peter E. Romhild President

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Thailand’s Labour Skills It is not too late to improve Thailand’s labour skills development efforts, writes Assistant Professor John Walsh and Sittichai Anantarangsi, Shinawatra University, in a report based on interviews with a number of Thai companies.

By Gregers Moller

A

survey on Thai workers skills development based on interviews with the management of a wide range of manufacturing companies found - among other things - that most companies believe labour skills development is the responsibility of the government and if private companies spend resources on it, then they should be given for instance tax reductions as a compensation. However, when asked if they actually use the labour training services offered by the government, the companies said they preferred in-house training.

The findings of the interviews were published in an article by Assistant Professor John Walsh and Ph.D. candidate Sittichai Anantarangsi published by NIDA in 2008.

The reason why the manufacturers preferred internal training to external training was because of the savings in time and money, they explained.

Internal training also enabled them to keep knowledge and expertise within the company, rather than having to pay for it repeatedly to one of the three providers of training for Thai workers: Department of Skills Development under the Ministry

of Labour, the Vocational Education Council under the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Interior.

Another reason was that they hardly knew what training the public institutions had on offer.

Twenty out of thirty company managers said training courses conducted by the Department of Skill Development were not publicized - they would have to visit the DSD to obtain information on current and future activities.

Finally, the curriculum did not fit their needs, they said.

“All manufacturers in the sample felt that DSD courses were too basic in character and too narrow in scope,” the authors write.

“The Department of Industry Works has classified 107 types of manufacturing activity but the DSD provides training courses to only 29 of those types of activity.”

Budget discrepancy

John Walsh and Sittichai Anantarangsi also found a significant discrepancy between the two main government institutions involved in labour training, the Department of Skill Development and the Vocational Education Council.

While the Department of Skill Development (DSD) under the relatively new Ministry of Labour has been charged with the principal responsibility for developing the labour skills of the country, they are only allocated one tenth of the budget of the Vocational Education Council (VOC) under the age old Ministry of Education.

The DSD is responsible for some 350,000 students annually and runs 76 training centres on a budget of 1,500 million baht. The VEC deals with twice as many students and trainees at 404 institutions and colleges but receives a budget of 15.000 million baht.

Suggestions

John Walsh and Sittichai Anantarangsi suggest a number of improvements.

“It is unfortunate that some or all of the functions of the DSD are replicated elsewhere, in particular the VEC. Although it would spark some turf wars among the civil service, it would be better if both the DSD and the VEC (and also the similar activities undertaken by the MOI) could operate under a single roof,” they suggest.

“However, to achieve such

Department of Skills Development

C

ountries throughout the developed world are aware of the need to improve the quality of government services both for the sake of efficiency and also for the overall level of competitiveness of their economies. Processes of globalization mean that countries and firms within those countries compete directly with other countries around the world at every level of the supply chain. One of the critical inputs in a developed or at least developing country is the presence of skilled and motivated labour.

In Thailand, the 2002 Skill Development Promotion Act mandated the Department

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of Skills Development under the Ministry of Labour to become directly responsible for promoting skill standards development by establishing the National Skills Standard Testing program with the aim of extending employment opportunities for job-seekers, promoting career paths for workers throughout the country and enhancing the skills of the Thai labour force to achieve international standards. Three skill levels have been established - basic, intermediate and advanced - and testing involves both theoretical and practical aspects.

Training courses are divided into three categories: pre-employment training;

upgrading training and retraining. Preemployment training aims to develop foundation knowledge, skills and good attitude as required by the labour market.

Training programs involves skills such as construction, painting, mechanics, welding, automobile maintenance, electronics, computer use and industrial services. These programs last between one and four months with 20% of the test based on theory and the remaining 80% on practice. Successful trainees are designated as ‘basic skilled labour’.

Upgrading training aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of existing workers

s Need Improvements a restructuring would require a very firm level of government control which does not appear very likely to occur in the foreseeable future.”

The authors give two reasons why this ,ove should take place: First, having both agencies in the same Ministry would enable better co-ordination of resources and of planning.

Second, providing traditional school education of children, which is the responsibilities of the Ministry of Education, is also very different from providing industry driven skills training targeting adult workers.

Next, DSD should transfer to the VEC the execution of all training activities where the VEC is better equipped and resourced. Instead, DSD should focus its activities on three core areas: Determine the level of demand for various types of skills and competencies in a close cooperation with the private sector to reduce the prevalence of outmoded labour skills and reduce unemployment and under-employment.

Guide and advice VEC on designing training courses of high demand and subsequently assist in actively communicating the offered to the private sector.

And finally, freed of its burden of carrying out training courses with its limited budget and resources, the DSD could then focus on developing a National Skill Standard Test and offer evaluation of VEC and private sector training courses.

Hope for the future

“It is easy to criticize successive Thai administrations by pointing out how they have repeatedly failed to identify and carry out a long-term, coherent policy for labour market planning and for intervention in that market when required,” the authors write.

However, it is not too late for Thailand to take serious remedial action taken now to bear fruit within the next two decades, they add. Not so much because Thailand is only slightly behind its competitors, but mostly because these competitors - in particular China and Vietnam - have in the past also not been focused on providing a competitive labour market education.

As Thai manufacturing industry becomes less competitive through increasing labour costs without concomitant improvements in the quality of that labour, the need for government agencies to help redress the problem becomes ever more acute.

Quote from “The Perceptions of Thai Manufacturers toward Training Courses Provided by the Department of Skill Development”, NIDA Development Journal Vol.48 No.2/2008

Source: http://journal.nida.ac.th/journal/ attachments/p000064_en.pdf

to meet the rapid change in demand for the labour market and for further career development. Training courses last a minimum of 12 hours and cover similar areas to basic skills training.

Retraining, on the other hand, aims to enable workers to learn new skills and work practices to switch to new professions and career paths. Programs are similar to upgrading training but more extensive in length.

As a country dealing with the impact of globalisation, as represented by changing competitiveness and the signing of new Free Trade Agreements, Thailand has a particular

need to redirect workers from industries which are no longer viable, which is one of the more important needs of a labour market policy.

The Skill Development Promotion Act of 2002 further stipulated that all manufacturing firms who employ more than 100 workers must provide training to at least 50% of the workforce or else pay a subsidy to the Skill Development Promotion Fund. Training courses that are provided are eligible for tax deduction purposes, while manufacturers have the right to import foreign trainers and experts, including from their parent company in cases where

the necessary expertise is hard to find in Thailand, while other incentives include tax allowances for water, electricity and training equipment, as well as exemption from certain other legal requirements.

Other responsibilities of the DSD include the development of training personnel, national and provincial skill development coordination, public and private sector coordination, skill development promotion for entrepreneurs and the international cooperation schemes.

From “The Perceptions of Thai Manufacturers toward Training Courses Provided by the Department of Skill Development”, NIDA Development Journal Vol.48 No.2/2008

March 2011

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DTCC Members on Human Resources TradeNews has asked selected members of the Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce about their views on “recruiting and retaining qualified workforce in Thailand”

By Steen Poulin Nielsen

Soren Nielsen, Managing Director Royal Copenhagen Ltd..

Thailand

Bjørn Hansen, Factory Director Ib Andresen Industry Thailand Co., Ltd.

"We have no problems finding and retaining qualified workers. We spend quite a lot of resources training our workforce.

We send our managers to Denmark to teach them the Royal Copenhagen's corporate culture.

When we are recruiting, we focus on matching the expectations. It doesn’t help anyone if it is just us who are happy with the employment. We often use a good headhunter when we recruit staff at higher levels.

Our investment in each of our employees means that keeping them with us is important.

One challenge can be that it seems to be a part of the Thai work culture to move to a new job sideways on the career ladder. Such a hop often means a salary increase of 10-15%.

The corporate culture at Royal Copenhagen is very strong, but we have to adjust it to Thai culture in order to succeed.”

“We need highly skilled employees and it is a challenge for us to obtain that. We make use of recruitment agencies and various networks. When we find an employee who, to a certain extent, is qualified, we train him internally for our requirements.

On the white collar level, we have no difficulty in retaining our workforce, but on the labour side, we experience that almost half of our employments are ending within the first 5 months."

Jørgen Schou, Production Manager Holmes Machinery Co., Ltd. Asia "Our location in Udonthani makes it challenging to attract skilled workers. We spend a lot of time and money to train our staff.

Compared to a Danish work place, we must be careful how we talk to the staff. While in Denmark joking when employees make mistakes is common and accepted you have got to be more careful here in Thailand where the feeling of pride is more prevalent.”

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Henrik Friis, Managing Director Dantherm Filtration Co., Ltd. “We are a medium sized company, it makes it slightly harder for us because we compete with large companies on the same labor. Once we have found the right person, then it is not difficult to maintain employment.

At levels as accounting and engineering I think that the professional level is often too low, but it is very high in terms of motivation and loyalty.

We use a quite a lot of resources to educate our workforce” Lars Rensch Nielsen, General Manager Georg Jensen Ltd. Thailand “We have no problems attracting and retaining workers. We have a very low turn-over on our workforce, virtually everyone who was here from the beginning is still here. We work hard on being an attractive workplace. We offer health insurance, not only for the employees but the entire household. We have a 40 hour week and paid lunch breaks.

We are an active participant in the community. We have a

Georg Jensen Day for Children where about 200 to 300 employees spend a day in a village. We select a village where one of our employees have grown up, and bring ice cream and gifts for the kids and usually a solar cell device to the local school. We have a “Plant for the Planet” day where we instead of working plant trees.

Last time we planted 13.000 trees which makes Georg Jensen CO2 neutral.

We also have an annual sports day at Georg Jensen.

"We invest a lot in our employees. A new employer starts with a 3 month training period before they are engaged in the production, so they are typically not productive in the first 6 months of the contract.

We are extremely pleased with the quality of our workforce. We have some fantastic people.“ Lars Have, Product Director Global Ramboll Telecom South East Asia Ltd. “I have been working in Thailand since 1999 and I am very pleased with the qualifications of the Thai workforce though I have to say that, in general, the skills in the English language could be better.

What I learned from my years here is, that you should be very careful not to press Thais into the Danish way of business.

You have to respect their culture and some things are done differently.

We work in several countries and it seems to be hard for a Thai to go to a foreign country and manage local workforce.

The Thais are a little reluctant to take leadership when different cultures are working together.

But I am very pleased working with Thai workforce, they are highly qualified and very loyal employees.”

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Why Work for You? With less and less people available to employ - what is your Employee Value Proposition?

Thailand

By Tom Sorensen

W

orldwide, within the next 10 to 20 years there will be more people leaving the labour market than joining. Thailand will face this dilemma in 2025, only 15 years from now. In fact, though Thailand still enjoys a positive net growth (more people entering than leaving the job market), the decline has already started years ago.

I’m afraid it’s going only one way: down and down.

According to a forecast by United Nations, South Korea is due for a contraction in 2015 and Indonesia by 2035.

China first

But first on the line is China.

Already in 6 years, 2016, China will experience a negative net growth in working age population (15-64) entering the job market. Singapore is right behind and the contraction in working age population begins 2017, a decline that started in Singapore only last year.

Who will pay for the old?

With the prospect of fewer young Thai people in the labour market it means an increasing aging population. That in turn means a shortage of workers who can support a growing number of retirees.

We all know how that will affect economic productivity and also strain the social security and pension systems.

Forecasters predict that in Japan the labor force will decrease from 68 million down to 46 million, Italy’s from 23 to 14 million and in Germany the labor market goes from 41 million to 28 million by 2050.

Interestingly when looking at figures for Japan, their contraction has been real for the last 16 years. You can only speculate how much this demographic is linked to the economic troubles seen in Japan for many years.

So, what to do?

Stop here for a moment - but don’t shoot the messenger now.

If you think the war for talent is already in your face everyday,

Tom Sorensen is a Headhunter and Partner at Grant Thornton in Thailand.

Contact tom@gt-thai.com; learn more on www.grantthornton.co.th.

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you ain’t seen nothing yet. It’s time ladies and gentlemen to act smarter than the other company on the other side of the street.

Introducing the Employee Value Proposition!

Apple, Google, Starbucks and another 50 global brands might not find it very difficult to attract and convince candidates to join their organizations.

They have such strong name recognition that it’s more seller’s market than buyer’s market.

But the rest of us do not have that luxury of such high public visibility.

Define your EVP

Your marketing efforts should no longer be focused on your customers and clients, but more

so on your potential employees.

You must define your Employee Value Proposition (EVP). It must clearly describe real needs and clarify job expectations.

Here are some questions that will help you on the way. They must be answered before you start any sourcing of new staff.

Warning, no easy job

And let me warn you, it will take you the same amount of time, energy, and analysis that you put into your annual business plan and budget. There is no way you can develop the EVP between coffee breaks.

• Why would someone who is good at this type of work want this particular job?

• Why should anyone come

and work for you?

• What does this job offer that is unique or makes it most attractive to a potential candidate?

• Why is doing this job at your company better than doing the same job at a competitor?

• Why do people come to work at your company and why do they stay? Is it leading edge technology?

Fast growth? Industry reputation? Work/ life balance? How does it differentiate you from your primary competitors?

• What is your competitive compensation and benefits plan? 12 or 13 months guaranteed pay, sign-on bonus, performance incentive, company car, medical cover, provident fund, for employee or for family too? Flex time, free parking at the office building?

Generartion Y

You must take into consideration what we call Generations at Work. Are you typically employing new staff below 30 years of age? That’s Generation Y and these youngsters have a mind of their own. They may come to work in Steve Madden platform shoes or flip flops, listen to the iPod while working, they want instant gratification and become MD and millionaire before the age of 31.

The Employee Value Proposition must reflect the core group you target as your next

employees. Babyboomers and even Gen X are different than the Y’s. Waiting in the corridor we even have Gen I (for Internet). You can never rest.

What will bring success

Once you have the EVP in place you can move to describing the 2 – 3 major work challenges to be faced by the candidate in the position? You must define 6 – 8 deliverables i.e. steps required for on-the-job success.

In other words, what must the person in this job need to do to be considered extremely successful in this job?

Done properly you will have a list of six to eight things the person needs to do over the course of a year that defines great on-the-job performance.

Your answer should not describe personal attributes like skills, experience, education or traits.

Strange commodity

Remember that applicants or candidates are a perishable commodity. It is the only “product” I know that can speak.

They can say no to being “sold” to your organization.

The better ones are quickly turned off by unresponsiveness which is interpreted as a lack of initiative or seriousness.

Resumes may look like a pile of paperwork on your desk but they really are not. If you don’t act with a sense of urgency and are prepared with an intelligent EVP when meeting future employees the contraction in the labour force will hit you hard and before your competitor.

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The Pandora Way

Pandora Production Co. Ltd. is all about the manufacture of high quality, hand crafted, affordable luxury jewellery. From in-house design and manufacturing to global marketing and direct distribution Pandora operates and manages a vertically integrated business model in most markets.

By Steen Poulin Nielsen

“We are trying to preserve the original Pandora spirit even though we are no longer small,” says John A. Murphy, HR Director at Pandora.

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lobally Pandora has grown rapidly over the past few years and, today with almost 4,000 colleagues working in Thailand a testament to the success of Pandora’s products throughout the world, Pandora Production Co. Ltd, expects to continue to hire new colleagues in significant numbers in the coming year.

Pandora was founded in 1982 by the Danish goldsmith Per Enevoldsen and his wife Winnie. In the late eighties they decided to commence manufacturing of jewellery in Thailand. ”It started as a family operation. Per started with about 10 people, many of whom still work here,” explains John A. Murphy, the Organizational Development& Human Resources Director.

“For a while the staff lived with Per at the same location.

The company was very family oriented, each individual brought their own unique skills

and, working as a team with a ”can-do” attitude, they laid the foundation for the success that was to follow, and today we continue to build on these foundation values. People felt a sense of ownership, they felt proud of the products they were making. The culture of Pandora is very marked by the early days of the company,” John adds.

“Pandora in Thailand is more or less based on a Danish organisation model concept characterized by a high degree of trust, a clear results focus, a lack of hierarchical formality, a flat organizational structure and a wish for every employee to speak out and take ownership of the values of the company.

These elements permeate all levels within our organization.” ”From the earliest days Per transposed this very well and modelled the behaviours he wished to encourage. With the growth of the business, and the increasing number of people contributing to its success, it was

Training of the Pandora supervisors. important for us to ensure that new colleagues learnt about our business and values in a systematic and engaging way. The Pandora Orientation Programme or “POP” is one important initiative that supports the achievement of that goal.” Murphy says.

POP

POP was developed in conjunction with consultants from Specifique and input from the production team. It was recognized that any change process, or integration of knowledge demands a motivated individual.

In all aspects of the orientation training process and the tools used, involvement, engagement, reflection, discussion, and exchange of knowledge and experiences between colleagues is encouraged and facilitated and in an environment that makes learning fun.

POP introduces new colleagues to the company in an innovative and engaging way and provides the founda-

tion for their development and contributions in the future. The programme covers discussion and exploration of Pandora´s key values, history, products and respective roles and it emphasizes the importance of speaking out and being pro-active.

The learning process is about transforming information and experience into knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes “and there is no law, to the best of my knowledge, that states the process cannot be fun” says Murphy, adding, “POP involves both intellect and emotions and from the outset engages new colleagues of Pandora in the behaviours that support our values; the values that have made us successful.”

Motivating Thai workforce

Pandora does not run any so called ‘motivation’ programs.

“We shy away from ‘motivational’ training for its own sake. We have an extremely

motivated team and it is not by accident or chance. To give just one example, recently we implemented a Quality Control Circle or QCC initiative. Our colleagues from Production and support organizations were given problem solving training, provided with opportunities to identify problems in their own work areas, test solutions, measure and report on their results.

When the final presentations were being made by the teams to their colleagues, it was quite clear that the experience had been extremely motivational.

But it was not designed as a motivational programme. When people are given the tools to contribute, are asked for their ideas and opinions on how to improve things, and given the opportunity and freedom to use their initiative, motivation follows. I, along with the rest of the management team, left those presentations feeling very proud and very inspired.” ”Just like any one else, our

people like and want to be recognized and rewarded when they do a good job or go the extra step but they don’t want to be singled out when they feel that they are a part of a team. Everyone inside the team knows who contributed most, of course,” John A. Murphy says.

“The total reward of working as part of the Pandora team goes beyond receiving competitive compensation and benefits.

Our colleagues are proud to be part of a successful organization, value the opportunities to grow and develop and appreciate being heard, being respected as individuals and to have a voice. For that I have to give a lot of credit to the early team at Pandora that set us on our way”. ”The result is that today and everyday when our colleagues come to work, they don’t just bring their hands, they brings their hearts and their brains. And that is the beauty of Pandora,” Murphy says.

March 2011

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Employment Issues Important for Investors Cooperation with the Royal Thai Government is usually handled by the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce and it’s various sub-committees. Simon Matthews is the Chairmanf of the Employment and Immigration Committee of the JFCCT.

By Kristene Silva Marie

S

imon Matthews is the Chairman of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce (JFCCT) Employment and Immigration Committee. Together with the other committees in JFCCT, he works to build agreement amongst its members and work with others in the economy on proposing solutions through problem solving.

He also works with the Royal Thai government and various government agencies such as the Board of Trade, Board of Investment and the Federation of Thai Industries for the benefit of the Thai economy.

Attracting investors

“All our attempts of solving issues at the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce (JFCCT) are ultimately aimed at increasing Thailand’s business income and to attract more investment in the country,” says Simon Matthews, who has been working in Thailand for the past 18 years as Country Manager of Manpower Inc. Simon Matthews is a Board Member of the British Chamber of Commerce (BCCT) and Chairman of the BCCT Human 14

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Resources Committee. Based on this, he has also been appointed Chairman of the Employment and Immigration Committee of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce (JFCCT) - the umbrella organisation for all the foreign business associations in Thailand.

As part of his job at JFCCT, Simon works with government ministries and the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) on employment, work permit and visa issues. Along with other board members he has among others succeeded in implementing certain changes in the labour law in May 2008.

Speaking to Thai danish Trade News, Simon Matthews explained what he does as Chairman of the Employment and Immigration Committee of theJFCCT and how they work to resolve certain issues pertaining to labour and setting up businesses in Thailand.

Procedure

Members faced with matters involving customs, employment, property or tax would first have to go to their chamber about it.

The chamber will consider the

problems and decide whether or not to bring it up to JFCCT at the Presidents’ lunch.

Simon explained that the Presidents’ lunch is a meeting for all presidents of the chambers in the JFCCT which is usually held once a month where the concerns of the members are discussed and considered.

When asked about resolving issues pertaining to employers and employees, he said that JFCCT does not handle such direct issues which involve individuals. It is more focused on companies as a whole and how resolving the issue affects investment.

Issues

“Mostly, we help the members set up businesses in Thailand,” he said. “When they have questions about how to do business in Thailand or how to get in touch with the embassy, we come into the picture and help them out,” he continued.

Matters like corporation tax, education and people development affect local companies’ just as much as foreign companies.

These are also discussed and resolved by the JFCCT.

He stressed that since the members of JFCCT are the 30 chambers and not the companies registered under these chambers, the issue would first have to be handled by the respective chamber.

Simon explained that the JFCCT does not get involved in any issue that involves employee termination, work permit or any issue along these lines because “the chambers are not legal firms.”

Future plans

As for the future plans of JFCCT, Simon said the newly elected JFFCT Chairman, Nandor von der Luehe, is always working with the government to improve company economy.

He also mentioned the recent speech of Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, H.E. Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, concerning the much needed emphasis on the education system, development of skills and qualifications, which he believes is the key to increasing the competitiveness of Thai economy.

The Key to Doing Business in Thailand Danish author and psychologist Kenno Simonsen has written a new book, “Nøglen til Thailand”. The book gives insight in the challenges working with Thai workforce many western professionals will experience.

By Steen Poulin Nielsen

T

he Danish Author and psychologist Kenno Simonsen has recently launched his latest “Nøglen til Thailand” (“The key to Thailand”). The book caters to individuals and companies working with Thai staff. Written in Danish, the book gives a detailed account of cultural, communicative and management aspects, which differ significantly from a Scandinavian mindset and corporate culture.

“If a manager in Thailand loses his patience and gets upset, he will be in trouble as he is breaking a Thai basic rule. A Thai will think, ‘If he is unable to control his temper, how could he manage a company’? “ says the Danish author and psychologist Kenno Simonsen.

A different approach

The book is based on personal experiences and scientific work done in Thailand, to which the author has strong ties over the past more than twenty years.

Kenno Simonsen did his master`s thesis in Thailand, he had a Thai girlfriend for six years and in the late nineties he had a consultant business in the country, where Ericsson was among the customers. Simonsen has cross-cultural psychology as his specialty.

“My book is different from other books on the market.

Where other books have a sociological basis, I have a psychological approach. I try to explain the cause of the phenomena.

When you have a knowledge about the cause of a behavior, you are able to avoid getting into trouble”, says Kenno Simonsen.

When the author as a young psychology student first visited Thailand, he was quite surprised to see that much of the psychology taught in the West was partly useless in Thailand. Thailand´s culture is a collectivist culture, unlike the individual-based in the West.

“The social structures of the Thai´s environment is of utmost importance. A Thai can not always make the same decisions independently as we can in Scandinavia. Often he has to consult his close social network before he is able to commit himself,” Simonsen explains.

Graeng-djai

One of the finest Thai virtues is conflict avoidance, to refrain from creating inconvenience or discomfort for other people.

Graeng-djai is such an essential part of the Thai culture and it is a challenge for a leader with a Scandinavian background, since he can not expect to get

feedback and advice from staff.

Graeng-jai has countless faces.

You may get a positive reply to a question simply because a rejection may cause an unpleasant situation. Especially if a yes attempted pushed through, then here will be a serious risk that the agreed never gets implemented.

A Thai will also be inclined to omit complex issues to supervisor due to the risk a risk that the supervisor can not answer the question and thereby lose face. For a Thai it will be impolite to cause this situation.

Good advices

The book not just analyzes and explains the Thai situation. The reader will be enligthened by a mixture of theory and examples, and, after reading find himself with a number of tools for immediately use.

Kenno Simonsen now offers his knowledge and experience to companies in Thailand as a consultant.

“I can analyze problems and challenges for companies working in Thailand and provide a range of solutions. But I am not a manager and the choice between my proposed solution will strictly be a matter for the costumer”, Kenno Simonsen says.

March 2011

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Creative Human Resou

Labor shortage forced ECCO to build its latest factory in Thailand in Phichit.

The factory is now leading in finding creative ways to engage the workers and create loyalty to their factory.

By Gregers Moller

A

few years ago, ECCO realized it had to find a new location for a factory in Thailand. It was not possible to expand the existing factory in Autthaya, because the big brand names within the electronics industry soaked up all the skilled workers in the area.

The choice fell on Phichit after detailed studies had shown that it would be possible to recruit workers for the factory from a huge area comprising of part of Phitchit,Pitsanuloke and Kamphaengpetch.

New local approach

In the beginning, ECCO in Phitchit continued using the same way of recruiting people as back in Ayutthaya. They picked among the workers who walked in and asked if there was a job available.

But soon it turned out that this gave a too high turnover of workers. The first year almost four out of five workers left within the same year. This improved slightly the second year but was still not good enough.

Then suddenly the third year almost all the workers stayed with ECCO beyond their first year with the company.

What happened?

According to Khun hayaphon Kaewthai, the Factory Director of ECCO Phichit, it is because they changed the ap16

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proach. Instead of looking at a radius of 60 km from the factory as its natural recruitment area he decided to narrow it down to within a 20 km perimeter of the factory and instead initiate a close, two way cooperation with the 47 villages within this area.

The idea was that the villages could help recruit new workers who might be more loyal because of the proximity.

Working with the headman of each village also meant that the headman could advise against employing a specific person if they had good reason to.

But there turned out to be many more benefits to close cooperation than that. The villages produce for instance vegetables and eggs and fruit which ECCO’s canteen can now buy directly.

Another example is when ECCO conducted a drug test on all its workers. Every worker was one by one asked if they took any illegal drugs. If they said yes, they would be handed over to a public facility treating people with drug abuse. If they said no and the test found proof of the opposite, they were handed over to the police who were present at the screening.

Following this incident, the headmen contacted ECCO and asked if next year instead of calling in the police, they would be given the opportunity to take care of their own village members.

The factory layout

The ECCO factory in Phitchit is build much like a ship. On the bridge in one end of the factory, the Factory Manager has his office overlooking all the lines stretching from below the bridge and to the far end of the production hall.

At two places down each line there are signs above the line. They light up green if the production is on time or ahead of schedule. They light up red when the production is behind schedule. From the “captain’s” office it is immediately visible from the bridge if something is wrong on the factory floor.

The forty people that make up one production line are divided into four groups of ten.

Each of these ten groups have a leader who must be able to step in and replace another member of the group anytime it is needed. If they show the right qualities, these leaders are the ones that may be promoted to be supervisors.

To advance within ECCO any worker may sign up for or be selected by the supervisor of the production line for additional training. Soft skills count as well, such as team building skills.

The supervisors can also advise against a person if they have reason why this worker should not be promoted.

Workers at the factory work on two shifts. The day shift is from 7 - 17.15 with lunch break

urce Initiatives

11 - 11.40. The night shift works 18.00 to 04.50 with a similar break. This January, the basic wages for daily employees at the factory was increased from 157 Baht to 169 Baht for 1st shift workers and from 162 Baht to 174 Baht for 2nd shift workers.

Recruitment and training

People who apply for work at ECCO are thoroughly briefed on all conditions and options.

If they are still interested and ECCO find their qualifications useful, they can start the training.

Stitching is not easy. To become a stitcher, first the new trainee must practice sewing following a straight line on a piece of paper. Then they are given the challenge to follow a curved line. When they can stitch smoothly following an S-shaped line they are almost there. The training supervisor will now allow them to stitch real leather.

During the training, trainers are constantly circulating around watching who needs a bit of advice. The workers need an average of 4 to 6 weeks of training before they are allowed to enter the production.

Other staff are trained to diecut the leather into small pieces which is much like learning howto make your own jigsaw puzzle. The game is to get as many pieces out of the hide with as little waste as possible and

with the right direction of the leather. The machines must be operated by both hands so it is not possible to cut or stamp your own finger in the process.

Leather is not equally good all over the hide. The best leather is on the back of the cow. In the training room, a colour chart of a hide shows the variations in quality of the leather as well as the direction in which the pieces should be cut when placing the die-cut on the leather in order to stamp out a piece.

The training facilities of ECCO train not only workers of the ECCO factory itself. In cooperation with the provincial vocational skills educating authorities, some people are also trained that after their training will be provided a certificate and then they can apply to work elsewhere.

themselves in the Mini-Mart cooperative or the Factory Outlet cooperative or the Savings and Loan Bank cooperative.

“We do all these activities to make the workers regard this as their own home,” Khun Chayaphon explains.

Staff at the training facilities ECCO wear vests in different colours and with the letters C1 to C4 on the back, indicating their class. C1 workers have no experience before they start the training. C2 workers have experience from working at another factory. C3 are workers being trained in cooperation with the skills development department of the local educational authorities.

The ECCO Waste Bank

ECCO’s “Waste Bank” is a prime example of one of many projects first set up or encouraged by the management and then later taken over and today run by the staff. Specific kinds of waste are collected, sorted, and kept in big metal cages.

One cage contains collected milk and juice cartons Another cage is full of glass bottles, another collects plastic bottles, there are cages also for metal

Special interest activities

What truly sets the ECCO factory apart from most Thai factories is the extensive range of special interest activities that are set up to benefit both the factory and the workers at the same time.

According to Khun Chayaphon this is one of the reasons why the workers at ECCO have no need to establish a union.

The many special interest groups that the workers can engage in are waste recycling, the green plants group, health, work out, music, and meditation.

Apart from that they can engage March 2011

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A green house in the far end of the factory compound is where the important cultures of EM - Effective Micro-Organisms - are grown.

After work, the staff may use work out equipment for keeping strong and healthy as well as having fun with a game of ping pong or a bout of boxing.

The waste bank is an elaborate system of collection, sorting and selling of waste like glass, cardboard boxes, metal, etc. The income is distributed per department according to involvement in the collection of recyclable waste.

Hides in all colours and shapes are being delivered to the factory. They are stacked in one end of the main factory hall to ensure that the temperature and humidity is the same as when the cutting will take place

waste and other recyclable waste.

The garbage is collected department for department in order to be able to share the income from selling the recyclable waste fairly.

One way or the other, the collection and recycling of the waste helps reduce the release of CO2 in the atmosphere while at the same time provides income, when sold.

Effective Micro-Organisms

A green house in the far end of the factory compound is the heart of the environmental activity that explains why the factory has such lush, green surroundings. This is where the important EM cultures are maintained.

EM is short for Effective Micro-Organisms and an EM culture may consist of many different kinds of effective, diseasesuppressing micro-organisms that each has a specific task.

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ECCO’s EM culture is used in treating the waste water from the toilets and the kitchen making the water highly nutrient to use when watering the green areas around the factory. The difference between the lush green area watered with the treated water and the other dusty and yellowish green areas around the factory is stunning and speaks in itself of the benefit of the EM treatment.

In the green house you also find some of the vegetables for the kitchen is grown along with decorative plants from other areas within the factory that are moved here temporarily for “Rest & Recuperation”.

Another corner in the green house contains a worm farm, where the staff breed ordinary earth worms for releasing on the land where they help green the area.

A by-product from the treatment of the waste water from and cooking and dish washing

in the kitchen is the collection of vegetable oil. They oil waste is shaped into dry bricks the size of a beer can and donated to temples for use as fuel when poor people need a funeral but don’t have money to pay for the cremation.

Savings and Loans Bank

A separate cooperative is set up to manage the need for savings and loans among the workers.

If a worker applies to be a member, they must commit themselves to a fixed deposit per month. The amount is up to them. When they deposit money, they get a higher interest than if they had opened a saving account in a traditional.

When they have saved up e.g.

10.000 baht and need to borrow, then they can borrow up to this amount - not by withdrawing the saving - at a lower interest than at the bank and a much lower interest than the black market loan shark take.

If they need to borrow more than their savings it is still possible but then they need two persons to co-sign the loan.

It is then up to the cooperative to make the savings work.

Currently, some of the money deposited by the staff are deposited with the local police savings cooperative to earn a higher interest than banks offer.

So many initiatives

When the ECCO factory was built it was equipped with big flood lights mounted high on the wall and lightening up the road from the parking lot to the factory. A group among the staff looked into this and found that if they changed the lights to be closer to the ground and the source of electricity to be solar panels, the investment would be paid back over a few years.

The walkway used not only by the staff but also by the workers. They can choose to go by the workers minibus pickup

Factory Director Chayaphon Kaewthai

F

At lunch time, the workers walk disciplined in a single row following the marks on the ground into the canteen, each carrying their half liter water canister which they keep at their work station.

Over the central walk way leading through the hall, there are three slogans posted in green light boxes. “Do not accept bad parts” “Do not make bad parts” and in the far end near the inspection area “Do not pass if bad”.

Stitching is a difficult skill that takes considerable concentration. Most operators also wears a protective mask against dust.

service but is they want to drive by themselves, the factory will pay them 60 Baht per day - a win-win situation.

The cooperative outlet is where it is possible for the staff and visitors to buy the shoes produced in the factory earning a profit for the members.

A Mini Mart which sells ordinary consumer goods is another one of the cooperative projects on the factory.

Other workers have more spiritual interests. For them, there is a big Buddhist praying and meditation room on the bridge.

The room is big enough for thirty people to sit and meditate or to conduct walking meditation.

By the end of the room is a traditional arrangement of small tables on top of each other with a Buddha statue on the top.

Above is a painting of the enlightened Buddha and to the left on the wall is a picture of King Bhumibol Adulyadej when he was a monk.

The music group comprise of some staff members who have set up a band. Sometimes they play at lunch breaks.

Lunch break discipline

All these soft activities seem not to have been established at the expense of a strict discipline at the factory. This is clearly visible when lunch time is announced with a gentle melody.

The workers then walk disciplined in a single row following the marks on the ground into the canteen, each carrying their half liter water canister which they keep at their work station. This they will refill after lunch.

The workers only cross the road where it is marked with black and white stripes. When entering the canteen, each worker is handed a lunch ticket enabling the factory to keep track of how many portions the kitchen served that day which should correspond to the consumption of raw materials.

After lunch, each worker carry their own plate out to be dish washed behind the kitchen.

Under each table is a table cloth. Last person leaving the table wipes it clean and puts it back in place for next meal.

A few workers are seen sneaking off to visit a little bus stop shelter that has been built near the main gate of the factory. The windows are tainted black, it is hot like a baking oven and it is not a bus stop.

This is the only area within the factory compound where smokers among the workers are allowed to smoke.

On the glass a printed sheet of paper has been put up with tape. It lists the first name, last name and the function in the factory of each of the currently 36 smokers among the 1500 workers, that are users of the smoking room. No wonder the number continues to go down.

actory Director Chayaphon Kaewthai has been working with ECCO for the past 15 years. Initially educated within electronics and mechanics he volunteered to work at a Kibbutz in Israel for one year. When he returned to Thailand, he started working with ECCO. At that time, the factory in Ayutthaya was not yet ready, so Chayaphon was sent to Indonesia for one month of training. After his return, he was soon promoted to be supervisor and later as a division manager he assisted the factory manager in Ayutthaya with a range of tasks including optimizing layout of the factory.

His success as a division manager led to his promotion to assistant factory manager when the Pichit facility was just opened and shortly after he was promoted to be Factory Director of the plant.

Khun Chayaphon has a prominent scar that runs along his left jaw. It goes back to his childhood when he had climbed up on a cage and jump down, ripping open his chin on the edge of the cage.

As he lived in a country side village, his mother patched it up as best she could and left the chin to heal itself.

It did, but as Chayaphon grew older, cysts inside the scar started growing and eventually, he had to go through a major operation, cutting the whole original wound up again, cleaning out the old scar tissue and stitch it up again.

“It actually left a bigger scar than I had before, but the complication with the cyst is gone,” he smiles.

March 2011

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Thai Managers 45% Female Thailand tops the list of countries with the highest percent of women in senior management positions with 45 percent. At the other end you find Denmark with only 12 pct.

By Kristene Silva Marie

T

hailand has the highest percentage of women in senior management (45%) worldwide, followed by Georgia (40%), Russia (36%), Hong Kong and the Philippines (both 35%). The countries with the lowest percentages are India, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and Denmark, where only 12% of senior management positions are held by women.

The survey, which is conducted annually by Grant Thornton, found that the global average of women in senior management positions has slipped from 24% in 2009 to now only 20%.

Chambers’ average lower

Thailand’s impressive 45% is not shared by the Nordic companies in Thailand. Despite all the Nordic countries promoting equal opportunity for women in business, companies that are members of the four Nordic chambers of commerce in Thailand all drag Thailand’s average down.

Members of the Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce have only 19% women in management. Still, this is better than the percentage back home in Denmark where only 12% of top jobs are handled by women.

Members of the ThaiSwedish Chamber of Commerce have 16% of women in senior 20

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positions. In Sweden the average is 27%.

Members of the Thai-Finnish Chamber of Commerce have 20 pct. women in senior positions. Back in Finland the average is 25%.

Members of the ThaiNorwegian Chamber of Commerce, that had women in 18% of senior management positions, cannot be compared to back in Norway because that country was not part of the survey.

Roles for women

Women in senior managerial positions are most frequently Chief Financial Officer or Finance Director (22%), followed

by Human Resource Director (20%), Chief Marketing Officer and Sales Director (both 9%).

Globally just 8% of companies with women in senior managerial positions have a female Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

However the story is different in Asian economies, Thailand leads the way with 30% of companies employing female CEOs, followed by mainland China (19%), Taiwan (18%) and Vietnam (16%).

Thai business culture

Ms. Achara Boonyahansa, Business Development Director of Grant Thornton Thailand, explains the high Thai score as culturally based:

“Thailand’s working culture provides equal opportunity to both men and women to reach senior management levels,” she says.

“Companies committed to diversifying their leadership mostly ensure that women have equal shots at ‘stretch’ assignments such as serving on companywide task forces, being part of a start-up or turnaround operations, and gaining international experience.”

“Top women emphasize their love of their jobs, and the hard work it took to get there.

They ask for the challenging assignment. They are totally committed.”

“Being single or getting married late could be causes for Thai women being able to climb up corporate ladders. They are more likely to put in extra hours at work,” she added.

“Moreover, for married ones, they own the ability to balance work with their personal lives, with support from extended family to take care of their children. Their employers also play supporting roles by offering maternity and childbirth leave, flexible work schedules, job-sharing, part-time work, etc, all of which offer women the flexibility to manage home-work conflicts as best suits them, while maintaining productivity levels.”

Two New Dancham Bo

The members of the new Dancham board present at the AGM were from left Thomas Nyborg, Soren Presmann, Kenn Thaysen, Thomas Lindy Sorensen, Peter E. Romhild, Stig Vagt-Andersen, Santhapat Periera and Jacob Bojsen with Executive Director Katrine Praest at the piano. Jacob Ingemann, the re-elected Mai Ellegaard and new board member Klaus Stoeve were unable to attend the AGM.

T

wo new members of the Dancham board was Thursday evening 3 March 2011 elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce held at the Royal Danish Embassy. The new board members are Kenn Thaysen, who recently opened a furniture design studio on Silom together with Julie Ploger and Klaus Stoeve, an old hand who started his career in Thailand at Danfoss but today works as Managing Director at dz card (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. Mai Ellegaard, EuroCenter, whose term had come to an end, was re-elected to the board, while Robert Kronberg, Piro Consulting, who has served on the bord for many years, was not re-elected.

The meeting was well attended with close to 60 members participating in the meeting.

Over half of then stayed on and participated in the dinner after the event.

President Peter E. Romhild started the meeting with commemorating the loss of Vice President of the Board, Charnchai Charuvastr, who passed away recently, and 22

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former Danish Ambassador to Thailand, Niels Dyrlund. He then gave the word to Ambassador Mikael H. Winther, who warmly welcomed the members at the Embassy. He was happy to offer the premises to events like this and would look favorably at requests from members of the business community to make arrangements like product launches or similar activities.

“It will cost you something, of course, but you are welcome,” Mikael Winther said.

The Ambassador also mentioned the recent Oscar award given to the Danish film “In a Better World” for the 2011 Best Foreign Language Film and asked if the members were interested in setting up an event where the movie would be screened.

Eventually, the actual AGM could start with the election again this year - of founding former President Poul Weber as Chairman of the meeting.

Unlike previous years, President Romhild did not present his yearly report of activities himself this year, but gave the word to the various committees.

The work of the events committe was presented by Thomas

Nyborg of Pandora, followed

by Robert Kronberg, Piro Consaulting, who presented the result of the media commitee, mentioning not least the “invisible” benefits of the new website. Next, Stig Vagt-Andersen presented the activities of the Foreign Affairs Committee, which consisted of.. himself.

He highlighted in particular the benefits of the committees under the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce which any member could contact with specific questions related to their business.

Finally Jacob Bojsen presented the activities of the membership committee and listed the various benefits of being a dancham member.

The meeeting the proceeded to the financial report presented by treasurer and Vice President Soren Presmann. He also presented the proposed budget for 2011 which presumed the acceptance of an increase in membership fee from 12.500 Baht to 15.000 Baht for a corporate membership and from 4.000 to 5.000 Baht for an individual membership. Gregers Moller opposed the increase but did not request a vote on the issue as he expected the result

to be an endorsement of the increase.

Next item was the election which turned out to have one more member proposed than there were seats on the board and a voting in writing was therefore needed. After a short presentation of the four candidates, of whom only Robert Kronberg and Kenn Thaysen were present, the winners were announced to be Mai Ellegaard, Kenn Thaysen and Klaus Stoeve.

At this time, the initally clear sky had broken into a heavy rain and the ambassador had led an evacuation of the dinner table arrangement from the inundated lawn to the edge of the terrace.

While the newly elected board withdrew to decide among themselves who to appoint as their President, the Ambassador further arranged the transformation of the meeting area to a dining area.

Eventually after a splendid dinner from Dusit Thani with wine donated by ScandMedia and beer sponsored by Carlsberg, the evening ajourned around 11 o’clock.

oard Members Elected 1

2

3

4

5

1. The AGM was well attended. Poul Weber - far left - was elected Chairman of the meeting.

2. Ambassador Mikael H. Winther welcomed the participants to his and Khun Ratanawadee’s residence at the Embassy.

3. President Peter E. Romhild asked for one minutes silence in memory of two lost prominent figures of the Danish community, Khun Charnchai Charuvastr and former Ambassador Niels K. Dyrlund.

7

6

4. The dinner after the AGM was as ussual a very pleasant part of the evening where issues not brought up formally could be discussed around the table.

5. Enjoying a chat before the announcement of the result of the election, from left Hans Ulrich Hansen, Henrik Friis and Soeren Wettendorff.

6. Khun Ratanawadee received flowers from DTCC Executive Director Katrine Praest for hosting the meeting in her home.

7. Past and present Commercial Counsellors at the Royal Danish Embassy, Poul Skov Petersen, today Fire Express, and Bo Bjerregaard Rasmussen, currently in office.

March 2011

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As a leading IB World School, NIST’s mission is to inspire and empower each student to pursue individual excellence and to enrich the world.

NIST T

he New International School of Thailand, NIST, is the only fully accredited IB World School in the heart of Bangkok that offers all three International Baccalaureate programmes. Located in Bangkok’s foremost business, diplomatic, residential and shopping areas, the school sits on a well-appointed campus with state-of-the-art technology providing an international education to a diverse group of students from over 50 nationalities ranging from 3 to 18 years of age.

Since its inception 19 years ago with guidance and support from the United Nations, NIST has gained a reputation as one of the leading IB schools in the world. Its students consistently earn high scores in the IB Diploma and move on to higher education in North America, 24

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A Truly International School in the Heart of Bangkok

Europe, and Australasia.

Accredited by both the CIS and NEASC, NIST was the first school in Thailand to achieve dual accreditation. NIST was also accredited by ONESQA (Sor Mor Sor)

Laying the Foundation

From the Early Years Programme (ages 3 - 4) to the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (ages 5 - 10), NIST lays the foundation upon which all learning is built. At the core of its Elementary curriculum, the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) develops inquiry-based learning in language, mathematics, and physical skills.

The IB PYP ensures that both academic and social aspects of learning are fully integrated, accommodating each child’s particular needs. Study centers

on “units of inquiry” which are selected to specifically match the interests and abilities of the children. Each “unit” addresses the core subjects of learning but also offers a wide range of other leaning opportunities. Cooperation, creativity, individual initiative and responsibility are encouraged. Individual and group research activities are a notable feature of the PYP classroom, and help students from an early age become independent and confident thinkers and learners.

At NIST, the IB PYP incorporates a very extensive World Language programme - both for mother tongue and learned languages. Over six languages are taught as a mother tongue and four as a learned tongue, while “English as a Second Language” is mainstreamed in the class.

Building on the Foundation Following on from the Primary Years programme, NIST students enter the International Baccalaureate Middle Years programme (IB MYP) and then the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme (IB DP).

The combination of academic rigour and flexibility, which is the hallmark of the MYP and IB DP, lays a substantial foundation for lifelong learning.

These programmes complete the intellectual, emotional, physical and social development of our students as well-rounded, active global citizens.

Looking to the Future

“NIST nurtures in our students an understanding of themselves and others in a world of cultural diversity, leading to a sense of tolerance, interdependence, and open-mindedness.”

KIS International School

KIS International School 999/124 Kesinee Ville, Pracha-Uthit Road Huay Kwang, Bangkok 10320 Phone: (66) 02-274-3444 Fax: (66) 02-274-3452 Website: www.kis.ac.th Email: info@kis.ac.th

KIS International School, founded in 1998, is a fullyauthorised IB world school that offers an international curriculum of high academic standards, promoting international mindedness and an awareness of the world.

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K

IS offers the International Baccalaureate programmes exclusively, starting with the Primary Years Programme for ages 3-11, the Middle Years Programme for ages 11-16 and the pre-university IB Diploma Programme for ages 16-18. The 16 rai campus is situated in the gated and guarded Kesinee Ville housing estate, near AsokeRatchadapisek and is easily accessible from many parts of Bangkok.

KIS is accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS) and is partnered with Washington International School (WIS), an IB World School in Washington, D.C. KIS International School is an energetic spirited community of over 500 students and their families who, along with the KIS staff, are committed to the IB Learner Profile, a set of values shared by the entire community alike, with the objective of developing internationally-minded, responsible and effective global citizens. At KIS, students are encouraged to be inquirers, communicators, risk-takers, thinkers, knowledgeable, caring, openminded, reflective, principled and balanced individuals.

Students benefit greatly from the strong IB curriculum which includes specialty courses in

the arts, computer studies and additional languages. A rich co-curricular and extracurricular programme provides students with the opportunity to broaden their creative and sporting talents.

KIS believes that global citizenship requires engagement with diverse cultural perspectives. School-wide action in the form of community service and support is promoted and celebrated.

International school scholarships within your reach

think, therefore IB

KIS International School, a full IB school, is offering scholarships in these 3 categories: One Million Baht IB Diploma Scholarship No tuition fees for grade 11 and 12. All nationalities. Ready to enter grade 11 in August 2011.

Well-rounded student, outstanding academic ability.

Secondary School Academic Scholarships 30% to 50% off tuition fees. All nationalities. Ready to enter grades 6-10 in August 2011.

Well-rounded student, excellent academic ability.

Financial Scholarships 30% to 90% off tuition fees. For international-profile students of any age.

Based on financial need.

Lard Prao

Pracha-Uthit

Rama 9 Petchburi

Ekamai (Sukhumvit 63)

Asoke-Ratchadapisek (Suk.21)

For full conditions and more information about the scholarships please visit www.kis.ac.th or contact linda@kis.ac.th or sakonwan@kis.ac.th.

Sukhumvit

Area map only. For directions see www.kis.ac.th/location.html

www.kis.ac.th

info@kis.ac.th Tel +66 (0) 2274 3444

Yilmaz Polat

St. Andrews International Schools

S

t. Andrews International Schools offer an education that extends beyond the English National Curriculum. The St. Andrews philosophy encompasses the whole child and each of its three campuses is small and exclusive.

St. Andrews International School, Green Valley, is a unique school located in the Eastern Seaboard of Thailand. St. Andrews International School, Sathorn is set in beautiful surroundings in a heritage building and is focused on Primary education only.

While St. Andrews International School, Sukhumvit, near the Bearing BTS stop, has a close-knit school community, is friendly, welcoming and vibrant.

We promise: Independent, confident lifelong learners. At St. Andrews International Schools, children are encouraged to become enthusiastic, lifelong learners. This is the commitment we make and we ensure it is lived through the daily experiences in school.

St. Andrews International Schools www.standrews-schools.com Sathorn: tel +66 (0) 2632 1995; email: sathorn@standrews-schools.com Sukhumvit: tel +66 (0) 2393 3883; email: sukhumvit@standrews-schools.com Green Valley: tel +66 (0) 3803 0701; email: greenvalley@standrews-schools.com

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Chairman of Nyborg Gymnasium, Kurt Klaudi Klausen, and Managing Director of Hansson & Knudsen, Povl Christensen, sign the construction contract while Head Master Hanne Josephsen is looking on.

Nyborg Gymnasium Invest in the Future

N

yborg Gymnasium signed in January 2011 a contract to construct a new wing of the school which will have the must modern facilities in Denmark for science students in physics, chemistry and biology. The building will costs 40 mill. DKK - including an observatory on the roof - and be ready to open next year.

Nyborg Gymnasium is located in the middle of Denmark on the east coast of the island of Funen.

The school offers education leading up to a Danish A-level or the special “HF� examination.

Nyborg Gymnasium Skolebakken 13 DK-5800 Nyborg Tel: +45 65 31 02 17 / Fax: +45 65 31 25 30 Email: post@nyborg-gym.dk Website: www.nyborg-gym.dk

Bagsvaerd Boarding School & Gymnasium

BioTek - Danmarks første

femårige gymnasieforløb 8.kl.-3.g

Bagsværd Kostskole & Gymnasium løfter den faglige overligger. I samarbejde med Novozymes, DTU og KU tilbyder vi nu en femårig gymnasial BioTek-uddannelse for elever, der har talent inden for naturvidenskab og bioteknologi. Uddannelsen indebærer bl.a, at BioTek-elever i 9. klasse vil blive undervist på det, der i dag svarer til 1.g niveau.

B

agsvaerd Boarding and High School aims at allowing each student to develop fully in accordance with their talents acedemically as well as socially.

Students selecting our BioTechnology are taught at the highest level in a number of science subjects including mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry and English.

Instruction takes place in close cooperation between our school, companies and universities in and around Copenhagen.

We want to equip our students for tomorrow’s global job market while providing our boarders a consistent and secure home with space for both studies, homework and friends.

For further information contact: Headmaster Soren Børgesen Mobile: +45 20 26 09 14 E-mail: sb@bagkost.dk

Læs mere om BioTek på www.bagkost.dk

Bagsværd Kostskole & ium Gymnas

Vi glæ der os til Vi glæat se der odig... s til at se dig...

Tag en bid af kundskaben på den fede måde!

Aldershvilevej 138, 2880 Bagsværd, Telefon + 45 44 98 00 65, www.bagkost.dk

Kasper Blomgren

Jonathan Hvid and Kira Bach Pedersen point to the location of the Tianjin Experimental High School in China upon their return from the school.

Stenhus Kostskole Looking East

S

tenhus Kostskole last year entered a cooperation with Tianjin Experimental High School in China to aimed at exchanging students. The first two students to study in China were Jonathan Hvid and Kira Bach Pedersen. They will be followed by more Stenhus studenst in the years to come.

Stenhus Kostskole is a boarding school located next to the Stenhus Gymnasium with a total of 850 students. Located some 60 km west of Copenhagen, the school has room for 50 students who are under the care of seven boarding school inspectors, two of whom live on the premises.

Stenhus Kostskole DK-4300 Holbæk Phone. +45 59 43 02 69 E-mail: admin@stenhus.dk Website: www.stenhus.dk March 2011

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New Members Corporate : Air France KLM 849 Vorawat Building, 21st Floor Silom Road, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel: +66 2610 0808, +66 2610 0800 Email: mail.afklhelpdesk.th@airfrance.fr, mail.enews.bkk@airfrance.fr Website: www.airfrance.co.th, www.airfrance.co.th Mr. Luc Delaplace General Manager Mekong Region Mr. Alwin Hollander Regional Commercial Mr. Stuephane Bretaudeau Regional HR & Finance Manager Designer Fields 11/26 Nirvana Sathorn, Moo 11, Kallaprapruk Road Bangkuntien, Jomthong Bangkok 10150 Mobile: +66 8 5600 6227 Fax: +66 2439 4689 Email: kenn@designersfield.com Website: www.designersfield.com Mr. Kenn Thaysen Managing Director

Ellegard Trading Co., Ltd. 16 Soi Pridi Bnomyong 27 Sukhumvit 71 Road, Klongton Nua Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Tel: +66 2392 7727 Fax: +66 2392 7727 Email: fo@ellegardtrading.com Mr. Suppanai Ratanaprakarn Managing Director Genesis Skin Klinik 946 The Dusit Thani Building 9th Floor, Rama IV Road Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel: +66 2636 3740-2 Fax: +66 2636 3730 Email: contact@genesisklinik.com, marketing@genesisklinik.com Website: www.genesisklinik.com Dr. Rujirat Vongthonsri Director Mr. Pinun Vongthonsri Director

RMI Property Hua Hin Co., Ltd. 19/2 Damnoenkasem Road Hua Hin, Prachuabkhirikhan 77110 Tel: +66 3253 3699 Fax: +66 3253 2899 Email: info@RMIproperty.com, sales@RMIproperty.com Website: www.RMIproperty.com Ms. Siriporn Wanthon Sales Manager SVI PLC 141 Moo 5, Tiwanon Road Bangkadi, Muang Pathumthani 12000 Tel: +66 2963 6401 Fax: +66 2963 6409 Email: verne@svi.co.th, pissamai@svi.co.th Website: www.svi.co.th Mr. Verne Mundell Assistant of New Product Introduction

Individual : Hans Henrik Melchior Royal River Place, Apt. 31D 950/36 Rama III Road, Soi 38 Bangpongpang, Yannawa Bangkok 10120 Tel: +66 2682 9166 Mobile: +66 8 1638 3366 Fax: +66 2682 9166 Email: melchior@asianet.co.th

Henrik Buus Larsen 35/2 Soi Yommaraj Sala Daeng Road Bangkok 10500 Mobile: +66 8 1146 0154 Email: henrikbuuslarsen@gmail.com

Klaus Støve 90/90 Moobaan Town Plus Lardprow 1010, Pokaew Road Klongjan, Bangkapi, Bangkok 10240 Mobile: +66 8 9008 0040 Email: Klausstove@gmail.com

Janik Lofdahl Waterford Rama IV, Room 443 Soi Phumchit, Bangkok 10110 Mobile: +66 8 0307 6760 Email: jannikoj@mac.com, sailorperry@mail.com

Calendar Coming Events : Easter Lunch - Supported by ECCO

Apr 1, 2011

DanCham Networking Apr 20, 2011 DanCham Networking May 18, 2011 Field Trip - Pandora

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May 26, 2011