Delicate transition

摘要

Locals were irate when the drug giant Pfizer closed its 70-hectare research and development (R&D) facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2007. T-shirts sporting the word 'Pfired' appeared on the streets; the governor called the lay-offs a "punch to the gut"; and the state of Michigan pledged US$1 million to help the 2,100 displaced workers find new jobs.