Dr. Peter Lorange, President of Switzerland's IMD (International Institute for Management Development), paid a visit to President of NTU, Dr. Li Si-chen on March 2nd, and delivered a lecture entitled "Exploring Taiwan in the Rankings of World Competitiveness" at the College of Management. Dr. Lorange pointed that, by ranking No. 18^th in the world competitiveness chart in 2006, Taiwan showed that its enterprises had the capability to adapt to market changes, and the populace also were highly receptive to the changes globalization brought about.

However, in the areas of educational systems, university education to meet the demands of economic competition, an economic environment which can attract foreign hi-tech talents, the quality of life and environmental pollution, Dr. Lorange though Taiwan still had a lot of room for improvement.

The International Affairs Office of IMD indicated that the world competitiveness report has been issued by IMD every year for over 20 years; its rankings cover 61 nations and territories worldwide, and are compiled based on a combination of 265 variable factors that serve as generalcriteria. Dr. Lorange's lecture attracted a crowd of faculty, students, and media people. There were lively discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of Taiwan in world competitiveness rankings.