#bethechange: How THP is embracing the circular economy

March is a transition month in Vietnam as the country moves from spring to summer. And globally, it is a month that also has two important transition related dates if the world is to meet the Paris Agreement’s net-zero targets. March 18 is Global Recycling Day and March 22 is World Water Day. THP takes… [Read the full article]

Why governance is so important for family-owned businesses

Family: what do you come up with if you play word association? I hope the answer involves words like love, security and commitment. It is good to feel all three when operating a family-owned business too. But the key issue is to make sure that the love family members have for each other does not… [Read the full article]

Women: being the Number 1 version of ourselves

One of my favourite days of the years is International Women’s Day on March 8, or Ngày Quốc Tế Phụ Nữ as we call it here in Vietnam. It’s an opportunity to celebrate women the world over and not least the most important ones in my life: my mother, my sister and all my female friends… [Read the full article]

Why the pendulum is swinging back to family-owned companies

For the past couple of years, I’ve used this blog as a platform to examine how THP conceptualises value creation and outline the different processes we’ve put in place to achieve it. I’ve talked a lot about core values, as we view these as the foundation stone for both our short- and long-term success. One… [Read the full article]

Why we need to promote women in STEM subjects

For nine years, the United Nations has designated February 11 as its International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This is a subject, which is very close to my heart and one that THP strongly supports both in terms of our internal employment and external sponsorship. The international day promotes the full and equal… [Read the full article]

Why we need to think beyond the three-generation rule

When it comes to famous sayings relating to family businesses, I am sure you’ve heard of this one: “The first generation makes it, the second generation spends it and the third generation blows it.” On the surface, this isn’t a myth. The quote is based on a famous 1980s study of US manufacturing companies. It… [Read the full article]

Why Vietnamese consumers think healthy products are the cat’s whiskers

It is Tết Nguyên Đán, the lunar New Year here in Vietnam and in 2023 we are ushering in the year of the water cat (we have a different tradition to China, which is celebrating the year of the rabbit). A cat feels like an apt analogy for how Vietnamese consumer habits are changing. In… [Read the full article]

Why supply chain management is in focus

Creating an efficient supply chain is the bedrock of any successful manufacturing company. Just ask Apple CEO Tim Cook, who reportedly won the top job at the tech company (after founder Steve Jobs passed away) because of his success building up a smooth running supply chain, focused on Chinese suppliers. So supply chains are always… [Read the full article]

How a big clean generates even bigger rewards

Few people in life enjoy cleaning and de-cluttering with the exception of some well-known gurus like the Japanese consultant Marie Kondo. And yet we all know how cathartic it can be. It’s a principle that rings true for both our home and work lives. So what explains this disconnect: we avoid cleaning and throwing things… [Read the full article]