100 Top College Postgraduates to Join China Southern Airlines; Carrier Plans to Tap Into China's Best and Brightest.

Business & Travel Editors

GUANGZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2001

China Southern Airlines (NYSE:ZNH) (HKSE:1055), the largest airline in the People's Republic of China, will be launching an all-new strategy to tap into China's best and brightest with the first executive recruitment program of its kind among all of China's airlines.

During calendar year 2001, China Southern Airlines plans to hire up to 100 highly screened and selected college postgraduates, embarking upon an important new human-resource effort for the carrier to implement new strategies for tapping new personnel.

As China Southern Airlines continues to grow and redefine itself, the airline company is faced with a quandary -- how to select the very best and highly qualified individuals to staff critical aviation positions for immediate and near-future positions.

"In executing this new strategy, China Southern Airlines will focus on hiring and retaining closely knit team players with specialized and important skills," said Li Kun, vice president of China Southern Co. Ltd.

"This new strategy is based upon finding highly skilled postgraduates with varied training in business management and on-job experience that will positively impact all of our business. The company will further upgrade its employment standards for our talented staff to guarantee a sustained and healthy work environment."

There are numerous economic and liberalizing social forces currently in play in China, all converging -- seemingly at once -- to dramatically impact the nation and China Southern Airlines' role as China's largest airline. These include:

-- China joining the World Trade Organization;

-- Implementation of the Western China Fully Development Strategy;

-- Carrying out the 10th "Five-Year Plan" and the Third Step Strategic Target;

-- Consolidation of 10 CAAC-controlled Chinese airlines into three large
airline groups; and

-- Fierce competition between Chinese and international airlines.

Faced with these and other challenges, China Southern Airlines has elected to carry out an all-new human-resource strategy by setting and expecting high standards from its executive talent/hiring pool -- new procedures that once implemented will allow newly hired postgraduates "room to breathe," which -- it is hoped -- will act as a "trickle- down" effect to expose hundreds of current China Southern Airlines employees to new techniques and skills that will help to aggressively compete against other domestic and international airlines.

To implement this new "human-resource strategy," China Southern Airlines will be actively seeking young postgraduate professionals in the areas of business management, technology and marketing.

All the 100 postgraduates that China Southern Airlines will hire this year will be required to be specialists in one or more of the following fields: international finance, securities, financial accounting, marketing, high technology, law, avionics & electricity, business management and human-resources management.

"We are building for the future," explained Li, adding, "The purpose is to introduce these talented individuals in key positions who will become strong future resources for the airline in the areas of operations, tactics, maintenance & engineering and marketing."

To recruit these 100 postgraduates, China Southern Airlines will adopt new employment methods. First will be situational simulations aimed at gauging the applicant's ability in quick thinking, persuasiveness, cooperation and management; second will be an interview phase to test the applicant's working attitude, business planning abilities, life goals and team building skills -- and finally to gauge the applicant's use of online, modern information technology.

Ranked No. 1 in passengers carried in China for the past 22 years, China Southern Airlines (www.cs-air.com/en) connects more than 80 cities around the globe. Major business and vacation destinations served in China include Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Guilin, Hong Kong, Kunming, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Wuhan; international service includes Amsterdam, Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Osaka, Penang, Phnom Penh, Seoul, Singapore and Sydney.