Snomannen
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-- Leanda Lee
Why would any foreigner want to live in Macau? Undoubtedly most people would offer one overriding reason: the opportunity to earn money, for surely there is not much else to entice.
Beyond the economic rationale, there are a plethora of reasons why talented and skilled professionals decide to work elsewhere but we often dismiss these motivations as unimportant: career opportunities, the political and the personal. People then assess the characteristics of their potential new home. They look to the culture of a place to see whether the values accord with their own. The cappuccino effect of clearing the throat followed by the splat of sputum often raises eyebrows, if not gasps of horror. Over time newbies tolerate or become immune to such behavioural and value differences. Others insulate and isolate themselves so as not have to come into contact with elements of the host culture that they find unacceptable. Thus, we have parallel worlds in Macau that sometimes touch, sometimes meet and at other times are misunderstood. In many ways this is a pity, for many professionals will assess their working and living environment with a view to how easy it is to integrate into society. It should be much easier for them than for lesser-skilled workers for they hold privileged places in society but even then, what they see, hear and experience may drive them away.
Most foreign professionals are concerned for the quality of education for their children. Even if it is thought that schools are not as good as at home, the exposure to new experiences, people and ways of doing things often make up the gap. But Macau has lost families because of the belief that educational opportunities are limited theres so much more on offer than the English based curriculum schools, were just not that good at promoting them, often because of the assumption that we know what expatriates want. Medical services are another area that sends people running and word-of-mouth horror stories that circulate expatriate communities do little to instil confidence. Knowing that social media plays a huge role in creating a negative country image is the first step towards damage control. Then, immigration policies and practices that lack transparency, are overly discretionary or are mired in untimely red tape have also been the cause of many a senior hire to turn down a position.
Regions, countries, and cities compete for capital investment, the tourist dollar and human capital. Nation branding highlights a countrys competitive advantage bringing in foreign investment this is the job of IPIM among other government departments; destination branding is used to encourage visitors the job of MGTO; and countries such as Singapore package offerings to attract the best in professional talent.
Branding to attract human capital is problematic; its sensitive and controversial: Macau is no exception. The recent debate over allowing foreign university graduates to work in Macau is one piece of evidence, protests against the competition that non-resident workers may bring is another. It would be a courageous government that actively pursues human capital branding within this context. But if we want in Macau the people that contribute most to a community, those who may learn an official language and build networks, who contribute to society in more than economic ways, who play team sports, who get out and volunteer their time and skills to create a dynamic society people who are not only here to earn loads of money and repatriate it elsewhere then Macau needs to build a brand and the infrastructure to attract the type of person that will enhance it. Defining who these people are is an initial step, convincing residents that we want these people is next, then comes the development of public amenity, education, medical services, quality of life and community of inclusiveness to attract them. Human capital branding requires a cohesive effort to create policies and regulations and the promotion of Macau as a welcoming place to live, work and bring up a family, but there must be political will to create this identify and a sense of pride to promote what is great about Macau.
MACAU DAILY TIMES - Bizcuits: Macau branded
Why would any foreigner want to live in Macau? Undoubtedly most people would offer one overriding reason: the opportunity to earn money, for surely there is not much else to entice.
Beyond the economic rationale, there are a plethora of reasons why talented and skilled professionals decide to work elsewhere but we often dismiss these motivations as unimportant: career opportunities, the political and the personal. People then assess the characteristics of their potential new home. They look to the culture of a place to see whether the values accord with their own. The cappuccino effect of clearing the throat followed by the splat of sputum often raises eyebrows, if not gasps of horror. Over time newbies tolerate or become immune to such behavioural and value differences. Others insulate and isolate themselves so as not have to come into contact with elements of the host culture that they find unacceptable. Thus, we have parallel worlds in Macau that sometimes touch, sometimes meet and at other times are misunderstood. In many ways this is a pity, for many professionals will assess their working and living environment with a view to how easy it is to integrate into society. It should be much easier for them than for lesser-skilled workers for they hold privileged places in society but even then, what they see, hear and experience may drive them away.
Most foreign professionals are concerned for the quality of education for their children. Even if it is thought that schools are not as good as at home, the exposure to new experiences, people and ways of doing things often make up the gap. But Macau has lost families because of the belief that educational opportunities are limited theres so much more on offer than the English based curriculum schools, were just not that good at promoting them, often because of the assumption that we know what expatriates want. Medical services are another area that sends people running and word-of-mouth horror stories that circulate expatriate communities do little to instil confidence. Knowing that social media plays a huge role in creating a negative country image is the first step towards damage control. Then, immigration policies and practices that lack transparency, are overly discretionary or are mired in untimely red tape have also been the cause of many a senior hire to turn down a position.
Regions, countries, and cities compete for capital investment, the tourist dollar and human capital. Nation branding highlights a countrys competitive advantage bringing in foreign investment this is the job of IPIM among other government departments; destination branding is used to encourage visitors the job of MGTO; and countries such as Singapore package offerings to attract the best in professional talent.
Branding to attract human capital is problematic; its sensitive and controversial: Macau is no exception. The recent debate over allowing foreign university graduates to work in Macau is one piece of evidence, protests against the competition that non-resident workers may bring is another. It would be a courageous government that actively pursues human capital branding within this context. But if we want in Macau the people that contribute most to a community, those who may learn an official language and build networks, who contribute to society in more than economic ways, who play team sports, who get out and volunteer their time and skills to create a dynamic society people who are not only here to earn loads of money and repatriate it elsewhere then Macau needs to build a brand and the infrastructure to attract the type of person that will enhance it. Defining who these people are is an initial step, convincing residents that we want these people is next, then comes the development of public amenity, education, medical services, quality of life and community of inclusiveness to attract them. Human capital branding requires a cohesive effort to create policies and regulations and the promotion of Macau as a welcoming place to live, work and bring up a family, but there must be political will to create this identify and a sense of pride to promote what is great about Macau.
MACAU DAILY TIMES - Bizcuits: Macau branded
