Tai Ping Carpets is looking to hire millennials that have this one core ability
The South China Morning Post posted five key questions to all interviewees in the Moving Forward series, seeking their insight on the city’s future. Here are Tai Ping Carpets International Chief Executive James Kaplan’s view.
Do you think Hong Kong is still an ideal place to do business?
Yes. Hong Kong is where our company is founded. Geographically, it is very close to our manufacturing centres in mainland China. It is very easy for our staff and designers to travel from Hong Kong to our factories. Hong Kong itself is also a very good sales centre: it has many hotels, restaurants, and it is only one hour from Macau where almost all the casinos and hotels use our carpets. We could also recruit good talent in Hong Kong, people who are hardworking and have the “can do” spirit.
How is your company coping with the economic downturn in Hong Kong and the mainland?
I do not think the Chinese economy is really so bad. It is true that it has slowed down to about 7 per cent growth now from 10 per cent some years ago. But the US and Europe have annual economic growth of less than 2 per cent. The slowdown in the mainland is not an excuse to slow down our expansion plans in the region.
It is true that some hotels in the mainland and Hong Kong have cut back their expansion plans and this has had some impact on our hospitality business. However, the casinos in Macau continue to order carpets for their expansion as they feel long-term business opportunities remain strong. We have also seen residential demand rising due to the growing wealth of people in the mainland. By doing more marketing in the mainland, I believe we can capture this growing business.
It is important for young people to learn the importance of listening to other people’s opinions
What do you think the government should do to help your business to do better?
