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Case Study Unilab

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Unilab finds recipe for success blending legacy values and professional management by Grace Zata With a growth rate that places it among the top three markets in Asia and a buoyant business environment resilient to global shocks, the Philippines is on a growth trajectory and is, for a change, dealing with the side effects of rapid growth. Retention of talent, for example, has become a major challenge for Philippine companies. United Laboratories (Unilab) has avoided this problem, however, by embracing the best of Western professional and Asian family cultures. “No one leaves Unilab,” said Imee Centeno, Senior Vice President for Organizational Development, “Especially not senior managers.” Many Philippine conglomerates were founded by “taipans”, the name used for rags-to-riches Chinese immigrant businessmen. United Laboratories was founded by Jose Yao (JY) Campos, originally from China’s Fujian province. He aspired to be a soldier, but his father sent him to the Philippines to learn entrepreneurship instead. In 1945, he opened a small drug store in Manila together with Mariano K. Tan that grew into the country’s leading pharmaceutical company within 14 years. Unilab continues to be the largest pharmaceutical company in the Philippines, with about 6,000 employees, …show more content…

When someone gets sick, it’s not only the company that assists with its health benefits, employees often chip in to help their colleagues. The Campos family has been known to send employees abroad for specialized medical treatment when necessary. Unilab holds parenting workshops and summer camps to expose children of employees to Unilab from an early age. Retirees are welcome to visit the company and are given Christmas gift baskets. A Retirement Foundation has been established to provide hospitalization benefits and offers scholarships for the children of needy

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