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In This Issue
Editor's Note
Medicine in China, Addressing Factory Worker Suicides, and More
With an annual 23 percent increase in overall R&D spending in China, the country's pharmaceuticals industry is growing fast. Already the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, China is starting to invest more in innovation, which will position the country well to supply its large market with medicine.
BSR’s Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology Practice Director Mark Little and Advisory Services Associate Chloë Poynton explore what this means for global companies, and how CSR can be used to give any company a competitive edge in China’s changing health care market.
Also in China, following the recent spate of suicides among factory workers, BSR Advisory Services Associate Jessica Davis Pluess outlines how employee-assistance programs focused on mental health education, diagnostic services, and counseling can help address the underlying challenges that led to these tragedies.
On a lighter note, we had a laugh over one cartoonist’s take on the proliferation of standards—and so we’re sharing it with you.
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In Depth
Adapting to China’s Changing Health Care Market
By Mark Little, Director, Healthcare, Advisory Services, BSR; Chloё Poynton, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR
China’s health care industry is starting to boom: Increasing government investments in R&D and a growing number of life-science PhDs staying to work in the country’s biotech field mean China is well-positioned to supply its own market with medicine. How can global companies use CSR to respond to the competition?
Read more →
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Spotlight
Investing in Factory Workers’ Mental Health and Well-Being
In response to the reported rise of suicides among Chinese factory workers, leading companies are investing in employee-assistance programs (EAPs)—including mental health education, diagnostic services, and counseling—to help workers and their families balance work- and personal-life demands, while also improving productivity. While common in North America, EAPs are emerging as important tools for addressing the root causes of mental health issues among workers in China.
To ensure that these programs suit worker needs and are sensitive to local perspectives and awareness of mental health issues, we recommend companies:
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Obtain high-level support and establish management accountability for the EAP.
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Build staff awareness of services and the importance of maintaining confidentiality and objectivity.
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Adapt the delivery of services to address stigmas around mental health and reflect the way workers feel most comfortable communicating about personal issues.
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Invest in the country’s mental health profession to support counseling, treatment, and crisis management.
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Monitor program usage and provide a mechanism for worker feedback.
For more information on implementing an EAP in China, contact BSR Advisory Services Manager Jason Ho.
Quick Hit
Room for Another Standard?
View larger image here.
Source: www.xkcd.com
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