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12 Dec 2019, 03:00
| FROM CUHK: Faculty Members Win 2019 AAM-CAMRI Prize in Asset Management |
  The winning paper beat the rest of the contestants through a rigorous judging process and was hailed as the the most original and ground-breaking paper in the thinking, practice, policies and issues affecting the Asian asset management industry among the approximately 80 other submissions this year. The Prize, which is worth US$15,000, is presented to only one submission every year. The winning paper entitled ESG Preference and Market Efficiency: Evidence from Mispricing and Institutional Trading explores how the trend towards socially responsible investing affects the informational efficiency of stock prices. It shows that the return predictability of mispricing signals is much stronger among firms held by more socially responsible (SR) institutions. The results are driven by the divergence of trading implications from ESG performance and mispricing signals. SR institutions are less likely to buy underpriced stocks with poor ESG scores or sell overpriced stocks with high ESG scores. Alternatives, such as known limits to arbitrage, were ruled out. The inefficiency only emerges in recent years with the rise of ESG investing, and is not fully offset by ESG-neutral arbitrageurs due to funding liquidity constraints.  Prof. Xintong Zhan, one of the authors, delivered a presentation based on the award-winning research at the “Sustainable and Impact Investing Forum: The New Dynamics in Asia” in Mandarin Orchard Singapore on 28 November 2019. The 2019 AAM-CAMRI Prize in Asset Management were also presented in front of an audience of academics and senior practitioners during the forum. “It is more than a great honour to win the prize on sustainability finance research in this global academic competition,” said Prof. Zhan. “I am proud that we stood out among all the competitors from top universities all over the world. Sustainability is a step we must take towards the future and CUHK has been taking the lead in promoting such research. I am grateful to the support from the University, Faculty, and the Department.” Associate Dean (Innovation and Impact) of CUHK Business School Prof. Michael Zhang added, “My heartfelt congratulations to Xintong, Jay and Elaine for winning the 2019 AAM-CAMRI Prize in Asset Management. I am impressed by not only the quality of the research, but also their focus on this highly meaningful topic of socially responsible investing. If a fundamental function of the financial market is to channel resources, then socially responsible investing channels such resources to the right destination. At CUHK Business School, we strive to generate meaningful research that are recognised by the society. This is a wonderful example.” About The AAM-CAMRI Prize in Asset Management: The AAM-CAMRI Prize in Asset Management was launched in 2015 by Asia Asset Management (AAM), in collaboration with the Centre for Asset Management Research & Investments (CAMRI) to celebrate excellence in regional applied research. The post Faculty Members Win 2019 AAM-CAMRI Prize in Asset Management appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
12 Dec 2019, 20:01
| FROM CUHK: CUHK Business (December 2019) Is Available! |
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Our Research When Family Trusts Affect the Value of Firms Share transfer restriction may induce family shirking problems, make family conflicts difficult to resolve, and distort firm decisions. Read Article [/*][/list] Earning a High Salary and Having a Secure Job May Make You More Optimistic After the reunification of East and West Germany, what types of work experiences may boost employees’ optimism, and how optimism may change their work experiences? Read Article [/*][/list] How Labour Power Shapes Corporate Payout Policy Work forces trying to limit dividends are most successful in nations with broader collective bargaining and effective labour law enforcement. Read Article [/*][/list] Does Religion Affect Loan Approvals? Research reveals banks offer favourable loan terms to religious borrowers. Read Article [/*][/list] Our People The Spark of Joy as a Guiding Light Whether Dr. John Lai is lecturing, directing a programme or conducting research, you’ll always find a spark in his eyes, with an intent on creating excellence in his students and the tasks at hand. Read Article [/*][/list] Not Your Typical Student Diane Sohn is a Korean, a mother of two, and a full-time employee at an investment bank. She quickly adapted to life as a part-time student in the Master of Accountancy Programme and shares her diverse experience. Read Article [/*][/list] Quality Entertainment Knows No Boundaries Alumna Lovinia Chiu loves bringing joy to people through quality entertainment programmes. After completing her EMBA study, she set her eyes on an IPO for her company Medialink. Read Article [/*][/list] The #CUHKBusinessSchool Bond in Legacy Families For some families, CUHK education is a tradition. These legacy families share the same education footsteps and cross-generational memories, passing on the heritage of their alma mater. Read Article [/*][/list] Our Outreach Global Alumni Forum: Chaos • Order • Lead Professors, distinguished alumni and expert speakers offered their contributions to the debates surrounding how business leaders should manage increasingly chaotic times and global challenges. Related Articles:
[/list] School News Highlights
[/list] Please click here to download the magazine in PDF format.  Want even more insights? Subscribe to the monthly digest of China Business Knowledge and our biannual CUHK Business School magazine now! The post CUHK Business (December 2019) Is Available! appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
23 Dec 2019, 02:01
| FROM CUHK: Prof. Lin Zhou Takes Charge |
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In taking up Deanship on 9 December 2019, Prof. Lin Zhou confidently stated his vision for the school. “I want CUHK Business School to be one of the leading business schools not only in Asia, but for the entire world.” This goal is entirely within reach, according to Prof. Zhou, pointing out that the 21st century, being dubbed the Asian Century for the region’s expected resurgence in economics, politics as well as culture, will translate into huge opportunities not only for its people but also for business schools. Rapid growth entails rapid change, and as a leading business school, CUHK Business School is well positioned to help different segments of society – from students to businesses – to navigate it.  “We empower young people so they can seize opportunities and benefit from the tremendous growth that will take place,” he said, adding that being in the midst of the great Asian transformation – after spending more than twenty years in the United States at both prestigious institutions such as Princeton University, Yale University, Duke University and a dynamic public university Arizona State University – was what brought him back to the region in the first place. Another advantage that makes CUHK Business School stand out from the pack is the university’s Chinese roots. The traditional Chinese culture has not only buttressed the longest living civilisation, it also has impacted many other Asian societies. Hence, CUHK is able to offer a comprehensive Asian perspective to businesses elsewhere that are eager to look to Asia to replicate business practices and processes that have driven the region’s blistering economic growth. Change will also come to CUHK Business School. “Like any business school, we need to be working with our stakeholders because things are changing rapidly so we need to change as well,” Prof. Zhou added, noting that the school must stay ahead of the curve in the knowledge and content delivered. The continued advance of technology also means the school must endeavor to push the envelope in how content is delivered, he says. The School must expand digital learning and experiential learning, figuring out how they could best be adapted to CUHK Business School’s existing curricular to help students learn more efficiently and effectively. While on the programme level the school has been highly successful in maintaining strong ties with stakeholders such as its alumni and corporate partners, Prof. Zhou intends to increase outreach of the School as a whole to seek support and guidance from all sectors of society. “I want CUHK Business School to be one of the leading business schools not only in Asia, but for the entire world.” — Prof. Lin Zhou This extends to outreach of other CUHK faculties as well. “Business now is more complicated. It’s impacted by forces ranging from politics to social movements and technology,” he said, adding that this meant that CUHK Business should seek to build its cross-faculty ties – such as in engineering and the social sciences – in order to provide the most comprehensive education to students so they are equipped to address this increasingly complex business world. Prof. Zhou also said he was highly excited by the opportunities posed by the establishment of CUHK-Shenzhen in 2014, and will seek to forge a closer relationship with colleagues there. “We are going to try to see if we can provide joint teaching programmes in addition to the joint research institutes we already have in place,” he said. It also follows that the school should continue to develop closer ties with the business sector, not only to enhance the quality of education provided to students, to help them seek out lucrative job opportunities, but to stay glued to the latest changes in business practices that are relevant to management thought leadership. “Talking to business partners will help us enhance the level of our research both in its rigor and its relevance,” Prof. Zhou said. On the concept of balance, said Prof. Zhou, who spent the bulk of his early career teaching and in research, focusing on fundamental topics in economic theory including game theory, mechanism design as well as social choice and welfare, this applies equally to the divide between education and research. “The primary responsibility of a university is to provide quality education to young people. Teaching is and always will be of the utmost importance, but on the other hand, to be a leading university you have to have research capabilities so you can provide students with the most advanced knowledge in different fields.” “Research is a very important area for a university which aspires to be the very best university in the world, so we must keep a proper balance. With the university well-endowed in both financial and human resources, I am confident we can do both.” “We empower young people so they can seize opportunities and benefit from the tremendous growth that will take place.” — Prof. Lin Zhou Following on the heels of this two-term stint as the Dean of Antai College of Economics and Management at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where he transformed the school from a domestic name into a global player in business education, Prof. Zhou also says he’s interested in applying the skills and network acquired in his previous job and while sitting on the board of various accreditation boards to help raise the awareness of CUHK Business School on a global level. Strategic planning will be a crucial task for Prof. Zhou, who added he is excited for the opportunity to liaise with the stakeholders to revise the school’s vision and mission for the next five year strategic plan starting in 2021. “Dean Kalok Chan and his team did a great job raising the academic research capability and reputation of the School, we will leverage on that and move the School forward in many directions.” For now though, Prof. Zhou said besides the smooth resumption of classes in January, he will be busy in the first quarter reaching out to students, faculty members and corporate partners to seek views on the way forward for the school.  The post Prof. Lin Zhou Takes Charge appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
03 Jan 2020, 01:01
| FROM CUHK: Staying Humble: The Beginning of a New Era in FinTech |
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FMBA: Unforgettable and Eye-opening Learning Journey Originally from Hubei province, Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in International Finance. After graduating, he joined Bank of China in Shenzhen as General Manager of the Finance Department. He participated in several major projects including the bank’s equity listing reform, the development of an IT blueprint, and forming partnerships with international banks. After several years, Michael decided to invest in himself and apply for CUHK’s FMBA programme.  Michael was invited to share his experiences with students and fellow alumni in the admission event. Michael calls himself a ‘bad student’ for having to repeat a subject because he constantly needed to work overseas. However, he still remembers the lessons of the year. “In the past, I was most afraid of accounting because the textbooks were so thick – by the time I got to the debt and owner’s equity chapter, I had already forgotten the previous chapters on assets and stocks. However, FMBA professors presented complicated financial calculations on a balance sheet, making all the intricate logical relationships clear and easy to understand,” he explained. “The FMBA programme combined finance and management into a rich curriculum, and the courses took place across Shenzhen, Beijing and Hong Kong. I found it very interesting.” Michael also highly appreciated the programme’s balance of academic and practical weight. “When discussing financial theories, professors would cite examples from Hong Kong, mainland China and the global market. Analysing case studies such as the 1987 stock market crash and the success factors of Li & Fung Group truly opened my mind.” “People are deterred by leaders who try to be Superman. Staying humble helps you build a cohesive team that works together to solve problems!” — Michael Wang Embrace the Risk of Facing Uncertainty Soon after his graduation Michael became Bank of China’s largest sub-branch in Shenzhen as General Manager, where he accumulated rich experience in internet finance and cross-border financial services. In 2015, he was invited to join China’s first digital bank, WeBank. Moving from traditional physical banking to the trendy model of virtual banking was not a rash decision for Michael. He was simply following his passion for taking new challenges. “The uncertainty that comes with managing a brand new organisation, with a new culture in an emerging sector was the greatest challenge for me.” Despite the steep learning curve, Michael has proved to be more than competent and led the team to establish a 2B product line in just two years, further expanding the business portfolio.  Michael attends the launch event of Bank of China’s “Finger Vein Authentication”. Starting from Zero: Learning While Keeping Moving Considering the immense opportunities for cross-border financial business, Michael joined the E-Finance Department of Bank of China (Hong Kong) in 2017 as the Head, leading the development of virtual banking. livi is now in its final stage of development and, together with the seven other licensed virtual banks, is set to drive Hong Kong’s FinTech industry, providing new experiences for customers and promoting financial inclusion in its mission. “My experience at WeBank was very helpful to me, but starting a new virtual bank from scratch was a whole new challenge.” The first hurdle was recruitment. With eight virtual banks entering the market at one time, the competition for talent was high in all fields, including FinTech, product innovation, and risk and compliance management. The next challenge was the system. IT structures within traditional banking cannot easily be applied to virtual banks, so new systems need to be developed internally or outsourced, and then integrated. “Now I know how easy it is to raise questions and how hard it is to find solutions.” Michael compared the experience of starting from scratch to driving a car with no parts. He and his team had to assemble the wheels and engine, fill up the gas tank, revise the route blueprint to keep up with FinTech trends – all while driving a car.  “People First” is one of the key pillars for the livi team. As CEO, Michael often hosts town hall meetings to share his ideas and maintain mutual communications with team mates. Don’t Be a Hero: Be a Team livi’s logo design and colour scheme portray a lively image. Its name, which comes from the word ‘living’, refers to a lifestyle bank that integrates banking seamlessly into consumer habits, reshaping how people think about and engage with finance. In this new paradigm, users are rewarded for planning the future and they can save money or spend at ease, enjoying every moment of their lives. Even though the competition is fierce, Michael remains optimistic because livi’s shareholders have abundant resources. “Bank of China (Hong Kong) is the largest bank in Hong Kong in terms of customer base and sales channels, which is a good complement for livi. JD Digits provides solid technical support and Jardine Matheson has the biggest retail network in Hong Kong. Backed by these partners, we can provide improved financial services and accelerate digitalisation in the retail sector.” In addition to personal banking, livi also focuses on helping SMEs develop through simple, easy-to-use banking services riding on innovative technology.  Michael (first row; 5th from left)and his team celebrate as the Hong Kong Monetary Authority grants livi a virtual banking license. Michael believes that while virtual banking and traditional banking are two very different businesses, they complement each other well – just how supermarkets and convenience stores do. In fact, the greatest challenge in the initial stages of launching a virtual bank is consumer acceptance of the market. “People get used to tangible products which they can see and touch. We need time to convince the market that virtual banks are just as real and safe as physical ones.” Looking back on livi’s journey, Michael had to handle many problems large and small, every single day. His approach throughout has been to stay positive and humble. In his words, “People are deterred by leaders who try to be Superman. Staying humble helps you build a cohesive team that works together to solve problems!”  This article first appeared in CUHK Business School Alumni Portal, republished with permission from Alumni and Corporate Affairs Office, CUHK Business School. The post Staying Humble: The Beginning of a New Era in FinTech appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
04 Jan 2020, 06:00
| FROM CUHK: CUHK Management Professor Named as a Most Highly Cited Researcher for the Third Straight Year |
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In 2019, 113 researchers around the world were identified as Highly Cited Researchers in the Economics and Business field, and Prof. Ahlstrom is among the five researchers in this major subject area from all of Asia, who made the list. In the past decade (2007-2017), Prof. Ahlstrom has 96 research publications, and his work was cited 4,468 times, as compiled by the Web of Science. His research studies appear in 53 international/regional academic journals, including top-tier ones such as Academy of Management Review, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of World Business, and Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. “I feel quite honoured to be recognised in the Clarivate Analytics (formerly Thomson-Reuters) list of Highly Cited Researchers 2019 as one of the world’s top researchers,” said Prof. Ahlstrom. “I feel we are all doing very good research at CUHK Business School, and I am happy to be doing my part to contribute to our fine school and university. And I expect our business school to continue to be at the forefront economics and international business and related research as it has been for a long time.” The highly anticipated list of Highly Cited Researchers, released by the Clarivate Analytics on a yearly basis, identifies professors and other researchers that have produced multiple papers ranking in the top 1 percent by citations for their field and year of publication, demonstrating significant research influence among their peers. The 2019 list includes 6,217 highly cited researchers in various fields from nearly 60 countries and regions, representing 0.1 percent of all professors and researchers worldwide that had a certain number of Highly Cited Papers. For the full list of “Highly Cited Researchers 2019”, please refer to: https://recognition.webofsciencegroup.com/awards/highly-cited/2019. A press release was also posted in the CUHK website on 26 November 2019. The post CUHK Management Professor Named as a Most Highly Cited Researcher for the Third Straight Year appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
28 Jan 2020, 18:01
| FROM CUHK: CUHK Business Student Teams Crowned Top Winners at HKICPA Business Case Competition 2019 |
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This year, more than 584 teams from various universities in Hong Kong, Greater China and Macau took part in the case competition. Through two rounds of blind review of written reports, reviewers from practice, corporates, and universities selected six finalist teams each from Mainland and Hong Kong region respectively to enter the final round. With their forward-thinking mindsets and innovative solutions, two CUHK teams were able to impress the judges and come out on top of the Hong Kong finalist teams. The team comprising Wong Ching-kei Poey (Quantitative Finance and Risk Management, Year 2), Lam Sze-wing (Global Business Studies [GBS], Year 2), Luk Hei (GBS, Year 2), and Wangchuk Sonam Chophel (Integrated BBA, Year 4) was awarded the champion and the best performance team. Sonam Chophel was also named the Best Presenter in the competition. Another team of CUHK students, including Li Ho-ling (Quantitative Finance, Year 4) and Wong Nam-kit (Professional Accountancy, GA Stream, Year 3), took home the first runner-up award with their exceptional performance. The winning teams received cash prizes, QP fees waiver, and internship opportunities in recognition of their accomplishments.   The annual HKICPA Business Case Competition, formerly known as QP Case Analysis Competition, aims to enhance students’ knowledge and analytical skills by solving real-life business challenges. In this edition, the participating teams were required to identify the financial risk of Platin Hotels Limited and recommend strategies to substantiate profitability, growth and ethical issues. Photo courtesy of HKICPA The post CUHK Business Student Teams Crowned Top Winners at HKICPA Business Case Competition 2019 appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
04 Feb 2020, 19:01
| FROM CUHK: Learning to Fly in International Hong Kong |
|
As a top scorer in Thailand, this Thai undergraduate student, known to her friends as Chanan, was admitted to CUHK Business School last year through the Belt and Road Scholarship (Thailand) by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government as well as the University Admission Scholarship by CUHK, and she has not looked back since. The Belt and Road Scholarship (Thailand) was a great honour considering only ten of these scholarships are offered to selected students from Thailand every year. The Ultimate Landing Spot for Global Students Chanan is well-known across campus for being energetic and cheerful, and is always ready to take up new opportunities and see which exciting roads arise in life. Her experience at CUHK Business School is an example of how the institution takes international students from every corner of the globe and allows them to thrive in Hong Kong. Chanan certainly knows a thing or two about challenge, and having to adapt from Thai culture at Triam Udom Suksa School in central Bangkok to university life in Hong Kong would not be easy for anyone. “The difference in learning style is obvious from high school to university. I needed to demonstrate strong participation in class and tutorials, but in CUHK, I am also free to embrace ideas and express my opinion,” says Chanan.  Business and entrepreneurship are two strong interests for Chanan, and Hong Kong has been an ideal place for advancing these. Chanan expresses a desire to “practice English and Chinese simultaneously, studying business in Hong Kong is great because it is a financial hub.” It has not been without its challenges while she learned to settle into Hong Kong. Chanan says fitting into city life was not as smooth as she expected from the start. “It was definitely a test adapting to the new environment and another education system, but with great friends who encouraged me and helped me get along, I was able to balance my studies with life and socialise more. This helped me find my true happiness,” she says. Though Hong Kong people generally have strong English proficiency and Chanan is quite conversant in Putonghua, language has still been somewhat of a barrier for Chanan, who doesn’t speak Cantonese, to fully immerse herself in Hong Kong. She has tried to learn Cantonese and friends have helped by speaking in English, so this has helped her acclimatise to campus life. Overcoming the language barrier. This has Chanan to maximise her network and enhance her skills with extracurricular activities, such as joining societies in her college. Chanan is very international by nature, and is looking to participate in an overseas exchange programme, perhaps in the US or UK, to experience different cultures. Globally connected academic partnerships are one of CUHK’s competitive advantages, along with the fact the university only takes the best of the best. To be admitted to CUHK she went through a stringent selection process with only the 10 most outstanding Thai students gaining a place. “Students don’t just need to possess excellent academic results, but also demonstrate strong extra-curricular participation, good leadership and communication skills, as well as recognised contribution to society,” says Chanan.  Attending the celebration dinner of the Third Belt and Road Scholarship Program in September in 2019. Chanan has a fondness for Chinese culture, and adores languages ─ Mandarin has been on her plate for four years. She first visited Hong Kong with her family when she was only eight years old, and toured universities in China as part of a field trip when she was in high school to learn more about the country. “Chinese is a must learn language that I see lots of future in, and it will be very beneficial for business. Chinese grammar is also very similar to Thai so that is an added bonus for me as well,” says Chanan. It’s thus natural for her to enjoy Hong Kong, which she finds really convenient. “For one, Bangkok traffic is really bad yet Hong Kong has a very convenient transportation system! But in all seriousness, I like the way that I am encouraged to be an active learner here at CUHK Business School,” Chanan says. Students Benefit from an Open-Minded Learning Approach The “Fragrant Harbour” is a melting pot of East and West, and students often comment that they are rather enriched by this fusion of culture. Diversity is something that many people praise regarding studying in Hong Kong, and CUHK in general, with the university’s open minded approach that puts emphasis on an all-round education and facilitates whole-person development. As a person who has a deep interest in entrepreneurship, Chanan is in the right spot to advance her career. “CUHK is the right platform to better shape myself in business, in linguistics and as a person. My plan upon graduation is to work in a company to gain more solid working experience before considering running a start-up. I absolutely want to gain more experience working abroad too,” she says. In my life it is no pain no gain. If I encounter hurdles I encourage myself – something that has no difficulty is not worth pursuing. — Chananchida Choochua Chanan has an impressive resume, but at the core of her DNA is an enticing blend of finance, PR, marketing and entrepreneurship that take centre stage. Among these, entrepreneurship is her study focus, so what brought her to this field? “I have a passion for finding the unmet needs of customers, I want to discover brilliant ideas, understand people, and come up with a product that works,” she says.  Cross-cultural communication is often a strong suit for overseas students. Chanan is busy running a Facebook page called ChananinHK for Thai people who want to come to Hong Kong, and seeing a gap in knowledge, has been promoting the resource. “Studying in Hong Kong for business is great, so I want other people to know more about it. Hong Kong accepts Thai diplomas and transcript without standardised tests like SAT, so it’s convenient for people from my homeland to come here,” she says. The traffic on the page has been very promising, and concurrently, Chanan has noticed a sharp rise in the number of Thai students here at CUHK. While she can’t necessarily attribute it to her page, it’s also a reflection of CUHK’s stature as an international campus. Of course, if anyone ever has a question about Hong Kong they can come to her. “Especially for people from Thailand, I want them to feel free to reach if they want to learn anything at all,” says Chanan. Chanan has a passion for sharing, and her book ‘Amare’ was written for Thai secondary school students to prepare for examinations with friends. Aside from scripting the book, she also had to source funding and promote the publication, which is not something ordinary high school students would do.  As the future goes, Chanan has an interest in public administration and media, so being internationally minded will be an incredible help ─ CUHK is truly the place to explore the globe from the Greater China doorstep. With these high-powered ambitions in mind, how does she see herself getting through all the challenges that will arise? “In my life it is no pain no gain. If I encounter hurdles I encourage myself – something that has no difficulty is not worth pursuing, “she says. That is the key to life for Chanan – staying humble, working hard, and bridging cultures together. There is no better place to do that than CUHK.    The post Learning to Fly in International Hong Kong appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
07 Feb 2020, 10:01
| FROM CUHK: Learning to Fly in International Hong Kong |
|
As a top scorer in Thailand, this Thai undergraduate student, known to her friends as Chanan, was admitted to CUHK Business School last year through the Belt and Road Scholarship (Thailand) by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government as well as the University Admission Scholarship by CUHK, and she has not looked back since. The Belt and Road Scholarship (Thailand) was a great honour considering only ten of these scholarships are offered to selected students from Thailand every year. The Ultimate Landing Spot for Global Students Chanan is well-known across campus for being energetic and cheerful, and is always ready to take up new opportunities and see which exciting roads arise in life. Her experience at CUHK Business School is an example of how the institution takes international students from every corner of the globe and allows them to thrive in Hong Kong. Chanan certainly knows a thing or two about challenge, and having to adapt from Thai culture at Triam Udom Suksa School in central Bangkok to university life in Hong Kong would not be easy for anyone. “The difference in learning style is obvious from high school to university. I needed to demonstrate strong participation in class and tutorials, but in CUHK, I am also free to embrace ideas and express my opinion,” says Chanan. Business and entrepreneurship are two strong interests for Chanan, and Hong Kong has been an ideal place for advancing these. Chanan expresses a desire to “practice English and Chinese simultaneously, studying business in Hong Kong is great because it is a financial hub.” It has not been without its challenges while she learned to settle into Hong Kong. Chanan says fitting into city life was not as smooth as she expected from the start. “It was definitely a test adapting to the new environment and another education system, but with great friends who encouraged me and helped me get along, I was able to balance my studies with life and socialise more. This helped me find my true happiness,” she says. Though Hong Kong people generally have strong English proficiency and Chanan is quite conversant in Putonghua, language has still been somewhat of a barrier for Chanan, who doesn’t speak Cantonese, to fully immerse herself in Hong Kong. She has tried to learn Cantonese and friends have helped by speaking in English, so this has helped her acclimatise to campus life. Overcoming the language barrier. This has Chanan to maximise her network and enhance her skills with extracurricular activities, such as joining societies in her college. Chanan is very international by nature, and is looking to participate in an overseas exchange programme, perhaps in the US or UK, to experience different cultures. Globally connected academic partnerships are one of CUHK’s competitive advantages, along with the fact the university only takes the best of the best. To be admitted to CUHK she went through a stringent selection process with only the 10 most outstanding Thai students gaining a place. “Students don’t just need to possess excellent academic results, but also demonstrate strong extra-curricular participation, good leadership and communication skills, as well as recognised contribution to society,” says Chanan. Attending the celebration dinner of the Third Belt and Road Scholarship Program in September in 2019. Chanan has a fondness for Chinese culture, and adores languages ─ Mandarin has been on her plate for four years. She first visited Hong Kong with her family when she was only eight years old, and toured universities in China as part of a field trip when she was in high school to learn more about the country. “Chinese is a must learn language that I see lots of future in, and it will be very beneficial for business. Chinese grammar is also very similar to Thai so that is an added bonus for me as well,” says Chanan. It’s thus natural for her to enjoy Hong Kong, which she finds really convenient. “For one, Bangkok traffic is really bad yet Hong Kong has a very convenient transportation system! But in all seriousness, I like the way that I am encouraged to be an active learner here at CUHK Business School,” Chanan says. Students Benefit from an Open-Minded Learning Approach The “Fragrant Harbour” is a melting pot of East and West, and students often comment that they are rather enriched by this fusion of culture. Diversity is something that many people praise regarding studying in Hong Kong, and CUHK in general, with the university’s open minded approach that puts emphasis on an all-round education and facilitates whole-person development. As a person who has a deep interest in entrepreneurship, Chanan is in the right spot to advance her career. “CUHK is the right platform to better shape myself in business, in linguistics and as a person. My plan upon graduation is to work in a company to gain more solid working experience before considering running a start-up. I absolutely want to gain more experience working abroad too,” she says. In my life it is no pain no gain. If I encounter hurdles I encourage myself – something that has no difficulty is not worth pursuing. — Chananchida Choochua Chanan has an impressive resume, but at the core of her DNA is an enticing blend of finance, PR, marketing and entrepreneurship that take centre stage. Among these, entrepreneurship is her study focus, so what brought her to this field? “I have a passion for finding the unmet needs of customers, I want to discover brilliant ideas, understand people, and come up with a product that works,” she says. Cross-cultural communication is often a strong suit for overseas students. Chanan is busy running a Facebook page called ChananinHK for Thai people who want to come to Hong Kong, and seeing a gap in knowledge, has been promoting the resource. “Studying in Hong Kong for business is great, so I want other people to know more about it. Hong Kong accepts Thai diplomas and transcript without standardised tests like SAT, so it’s convenient for people from my homeland to come here,” she says. The traffic on the page has been very promising, and concurrently, Chanan has noticed a sharp rise in the number of Thai students here at CUHK. While she can’t necessarily attribute it to her page, it’s also a reflection of CUHK’s stature as an international campus. Of course, if anyone ever has a question about Hong Kong they can come to her. “Especially for people from Thailand, I want them to feel free to reach if they want to learn anything at all,” says Chanan. Chanan has a passion for sharing, and her book ‘Amare’ was written for Thai secondary school students to prepare for examinations with friends. Aside from scripting the book, she also had to source funding and promote the publication, which is not something ordinary high school students would do. As the future goes, Chanan has an interest in public administration and media, so being internationally minded will be an incredible help ─ CUHK is truly the place to explore the globe from the Greater China doorstep. With these high-powered ambitions in mind, how does she see herself getting through all the challenges that will arise? “In my life it is no pain no gain. If I encounter hurdles I encourage myself – something that has no difficulty is not worth pursuing, “she says. That is the key to life for Chanan – staying humble, working hard, and bridging cultures together. There is no better place to do that than CUHK. The post Learning to Fly in International Hong Kong appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
12 Feb 2020, 01:01
| FROM CUHK: Care for Passengers – Win Over Their Hearts |
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When it comes to catching the bus these days, passengers do not need to be at stops until the very last minute. With an app on their smartphone, they can stay informed of the estimated arrival time, after New World First Bus and Citybus, owned by NWS Holdings, introduced Hong Kong’s first automatic bus stop announcement system and smartphone app in 2012. The technology received the “Best Public Service Application Grand Award” and “Best Public Service Application (Transformation) Gold Award” in the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2013. Newton Ng (MSc in Information and Technology Management 2003) is the mastermind behind this technology, in his role as Assistant Director (Corporate Support) of NWS Holdings and Head of Development for New World First Bus and Citybus. Enrol in CUHK Twice to Further Education Newton was a science student in secondary school but began to see business studies as more versatile. He was offered early admission to The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)’s BBA programme after completing Form Six and became one of the first student residents of Shaw College. To this day he still benefits from his instructor’s teachings. “Professor Japhet Law, who taught me statistics, compared statistics to gold mining. The treasure usually sinks to the bottom. So it’s important to ask yourself whether there are any traces of overlooked information after analysis. In my advertising and strategic marketing course, Professor Leo Sin often stressed that a unique selling point was a must for successful sales and marketing. This knowledge has become a second nature to me and proven to be very useful later at work,” Newton explains. A few years after graduation, Newton moved on to his next goal: to further his Master’s Degree. It happened to be around the time information technology was becoming more popular. Although the dot-com bubble had burst by then, he noticed that the operating logistics in his industry had plenty of room for improvement, so he returned to CUHK to enroll in its MSc in ITM programme. “The concept of the programme is to connect IT professionals with businessmen, which was exactly what I needed. I don’t know how to code, but after completing the programme, I knew how to ask for what my IT colleagues could actually deliver. It was very helpful when my company started to digitalise later on,” Newton says.  Newton (left) poses with his instructor and former Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) of CUHK Business School Professor Ching-chyi Lee at his MSc in ITM graduation. A Pioneer Who Loves a Good Challenge Looking back on his career journey, Newton had worked at Citybus twice as a summer intern even before graduating with a bachelor’s degree. “I majored in marketing. Many of my peers looked for sales and marketing jobs, but I wanted to work in product development. Back then career planning wasn’t really a thing to me. I just thought transportation was interesting, and I was drawn to the vision of Citybus. Joining the company after graduation just made sense.”  Fate brought Newton and buses together when he was an undergraduate. He completed two summer internships at Citybus and made a point to take his graduation photos in a CUHK campus bus (left). Little did he know he would join Citybus again after graduation and go on to work there for two decades In the early stage of his career, Newton wanted to fulfill his dream of working at a big corporation, so he briefly left Citybus to join MTR as a traffic controller. While he gained valuable experience operating a mass public transportation system, life inside the control room eventually became dull. It was a central reason he returned to his former employer and has been working at New World First Bus and Citybus since. He oversaw the Operations and Planning Department, and his duties ranged from managing frontline staff including bus captains and regulators to negotiating route changes, additions and reductions with the government, as well as making development plans with forecasts on future vehicle and manpower needs. Newton says the constant flow of opportunities to be part of new projects is the reason he has stayed at the same employer for this long. He joined the company in 1993 just as Citybus took over 26 routes from China Motor Bus, and was given the chance to assist with this launch within three months of joining. Upon his return from MTR in 1998, his first project was to plan new airport bus routes, dealing with the traffic chaos associated with opening a new airport. Each new project, be it a city tour bus service or mobile app development for New World First Bus and Citybus, has motivated him to move forward. “Every time I finish a project, I look for a new one. It never stops. I’m the living testament of the first line of CUHK Student Union’s anthem: ‘We’ve cut the hills and broken the grounds. Our sacred job is to blaze the trail,’” Newton says.  Newton (right) excels at his job and was presented the NWS Outstanding Employee Award in 2013 No Job Too Trivial Newton minored in Japanese studies as an undergraduate. He appreciates Japanese people’s dedication to everything they do. When he was assigned the job to develop a new mobile app for New World First Bus and Citybus, he decided to move beyond the mainstream HTML format, which lacked interactivity, and set his eyes on developing a practical yet interactive app. Taking advantage of technological advancements such as the GPS technology, Newton turned a homework assignment from the ITM programme into reality by developing a real-time monitor system of vehicles that could control and manage the location of buses. Passengers could also stay informed of the estimated arrival time of buses through the app.  Newton put what he learnt into practice and turned his ITM programme assignment into reality. He developed an automatic bus stop announcement system and a mobile app for New World First Bus and Citybus under NWS Holdings. The technology received the “Best Public Service Application Grand Award” and “Best Public Service Application (Transformation) Gold Award” in the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2013. “The biggest challenge was building hardware that could withstand vibrations on board and sending and receiving a large amount of data from a slow-moving vehicle using Wifi. The first contractor could not overcome these challenges and withdrew halfway. We went back to square one, went through the tender process again and wasted two years. I later consulted with an ITM classmate, who has an IT and engineering background, and then negotiated with a second contractor. In the end, we managed to solve the problem by using bespoke industrial hardware. The project took four years to finally come to fruition,” Newton says. The technology has evolved into a second generation offering today. All New World First Bus and Citybus vehicles are now equipped with 7-inch touchscreen tablets. Controllers can make text-to-speech commands as well. New features such as real-time bus status and using the destination to filter the next bus to arrive have been added to the mobile app. Users may even be able to pay their fare using the app in the future. Integration of Traditional Wisdom and Innovation The process of developing different systems made Newton realise that he could not just sit in the office working on his computer all day, but also meet customers face-to-face to understand their needs. “Most customers aren’t good at expressing their needs and rely on us to look for the answer. The key is to put your heart into getting every job well done. This motto is influenced by the teachings from our company’s founder and is in line with the craftsman’s spirit promoted by the group,” Newton says. Thanks to this company culture, Newton has operated a bus to serve passengers, trialed software developed by his own team, and mingled with frontline staff. “When passengers say thank you as they get off, you will understand what kind of service truly satisfies them.”  Newton likes to be on the frontline to learn about the needs of passengers and has a keen nostalgia for buses and love for the industry. He is determined to offer passengers a new bus experience via technology This article first appeared in CUHK Business School Alumni Portal, republished with permission from Alumni and Corporate Affairs Office, CUHK Business School. The post Care for Passengers – Win Over Their Hearts appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
13 Feb 2020, 08:01
| FROM CUHK: CUHK Management Professors Named Most Prolific Contributors to Leading International Business Journal |
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The prestigious Gold Medal was given to scholars with at least 11 substantive contributions in JIBS in the past 50 years (1970-2019). Coinciding with JIBS’s 50-year anniversary, Prof. Makino was the only gold medalist from Asia among the 16 scholars (including three deceased ones) who were recognised by AIB for their substantive intellectual contributions to JIBS in the field of international business. “I am honoured to receive this prestigious award. My life as a scholar was full of sighs, challenges, and (sometimes) joy. I would like to thank everyone who has provided me with intellectual and mental support,” said Prof. Makino. Currently, Prof. Makino is a Fellow of AIB and served as a Secretary-Treasurer of the AIB Fellows in 2014-2017, as well as a Vice President of AIB in 2010-2012. He has emerged as the world’s top researcher in international business since the mid-90s. He has published over 50 peer reviewed articles in a number of leading journals, including Academy of Management Journal, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management Studies, Organization Science, and Strategic Management Journal. Prof. Makino’s current research focuses on strategy and performance of multinational corporations. He is particularly interested in exploring non-economic based motivations on economic activities and their performance consequences in international business. According to Google Scholar, his research studies have been cited over 8,000 times by other scholars in the world. Furthermore, Kevin Au; Associate Professor of Department of Management, Director of Centre for Entrepreneurship and Director of Centre for Family Business at CUHK Business School; was also awarded the Silver Medal as one of the most prolific researchers with at least 5 substantive contributions in JIBS over the past half century.  Prof. Kevin Au JIBS is the official publication of AIB which is a top-ranked journal in the field of International Business. As an interdisciplinary journal, JIBS publishes insightful, innovative and impactful research from scholars in all practice areas of business and adjacent disciplines, including all the theoretical lenses and management practice areas of internationally operating firms. Ranked by Google Scholar as first among International Business journals, it is one of only 50 journals used by Financial Times in compiling the FT Research ratings for its global MBA and EMBA rankings. The post CUHK Management Professors Named Most Prolific Contributors to Leading International Business Journal appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
24 Feb 2020, 19:01
| FROM CUHK: A Master of All Trades |
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He is not just a respected professor, but an experienced economist and an Honorary Research Advisor for Hong Kong-based financial technology solutions provider FinFabrik. We delve into his past achievements and discover how he finds time to fit in all of his teaching and work commitments, not to mention his favourite hobby, Chinese calligraphy. A Good Education Creates Opportunities Coming from a humble family background, Prof. Chew had to work very hard to earn scholarships for all his education after high school. He left Malaysia when he was 18 to pursue his A-level studies in Singapore under the ASEAN scholarship. From there he went on to complete Bachelor, Master and PhD degrees in the UK and the US. His higher education journey started when he was offered a scholarship to study for a BSc degree in economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Living and studying in the UK turned out to be a life-changing experience. “I later pursued my PhD at University of Chicago where I had the privilege of having the late Prof. Gary Becker, 1992 Nobel laureate in economics, to be one of my thesis advisors,” he said. It was a pivotal moment that had opened many doors subsequently. — Prof. Seen Meng Chew Having studied for nine years straight in the UK and the US, Prof. Chew was looking for a change. He decided to take a break from university life and immersed himself in the corporate world, as he believed that gaining real life experiences in the corporate sector was as important as good academic training. He spent three years as a consultant at NERA Economic Consulting in Chicago, where he worked with corporate clients on their international pricing strategy. He later moved to Singapore and Hong Kong, where he worked as an economist for Morgan Stanley, the International Monetary Fund and J.P. Morgan, and learnt a great deal about the key economic and political issues of major Asian countries within a business context. Ask him what was one of the best elements about working at these world class institutions and he will tell you enthusiastically about the opportunities he had in meeting and learning from prominent luminaries, such as Mr. Tony Blair ─ former UK Prime Minister, Ms. Madeleine Albright ─ former US Secretary of State, and Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz ─ former Governor of the Malaysian Central Bank. After working for about 10 years in a variety of sectors, he decided to return to academia, bringing his expertise to students and relishing the opportunity to share real life case studies.  Prof. Seen Meng Chew (4th from right) toasts with fellow faculty and staff at CUHK Business School Alumni Cocktail in Shenzhen in October 2019. CUHK Business School The Place to Be Prof. Chew decided to join CUHK because in his words, “it has a great reputation in Asia, excellent resources and emphasises the highest quality of teaching”. Another key reason was because the University has a collegiate system with nine different colleges, a very unique feature for an Asian university. He believes that being part of a college is essential to students’ life, as it provides them a sense of belonging, and helps to shape their character. It also reminds him of his fond time at Trinity Hall college, University of Cambridge, where he read MPhil in economics in the early 2000s. However, CUHK Business School is not the first tertiary institution where he has taught. Before arriving at CUHK, he had clocked a fair amount of teaching hours at universities in the US, Singapore and Hong Kong. So what attracted him to the teaching profession? Being a professor means that you have to keep learning and accumulating knowledge, so that you can be an effective teacher. — Prof. Seen Meng Chew “First and foremost, a professor is given the luxury of immense freedom and flexibility in work schedules, allowing me to develop creativity which in turn helps me to design interesting courses.” He continues, “Moreover, it is a deeply fulfilling and satisfying profession as you gain respect from students and the public.” Having just been commissioned as an Associate Director of CUHK MBA last year, Prof. Chew was excited about bringing new ideas and initiatives to the MBA programmes. For the classes that he teaches at the School, he would be using case studies and the most current industry examples. He would share his experience in finance and consulting and make good use of his industry connections developed over the years. “I will strive to collaborate with select companies to source guest speakers, practicum projects and internship opportunities for students, and will also work closely with key industry partners to organise a trading competition at our business school’s Finance Trading Laboratory.” he says.  Prof. Seen Meng Chew sits in the panel at 2019 CUHK Conference on Financial Technology in November 2019. Life as an Educator, Innovator and Artist In addition to his role at CUHK Business School, he also serves as an Honorary Research Advisor for FinFabrik, a Hong Kong-based financial technology solutions provider that specialises in capital markets. So, what does the future hold for Fintech in our city? “Hong Kong is a hot spot for the Fintech industry in Asia, due to its highly developed soft and hard infrastructure, and ease of doing business. Moreover, the granting of eight virtual banking licenses by Hong Kong Monetary Authority last year shows the government’s commitment in developing this new important sector.” With the ever-changing trends in the digital economy, how does he plan to teach the MBA course: Fintech 101? As Fintech is a very dynamic subject, I think the best way to teach it is through case studies and industry examples. — Prof. Seen Meng Chew “Moreover, students should also be given opportunities to partner up with Fintech companies in Hong Kong to work on projects that involve solving real business problems. This could help them to come up with new business ideas or strategies to succeed in a Fintech venture.” Prof. Chew says. Although Prof. Chew admits he often gives people the impression that he is a very serious person, he wants to emphasise that he also has a fun side, especially when it comes to his passion: Chinese calligraphy. For the last 30 years, he has developed this hobby to as far as taking part in numerous international competitions and exhibitions. You could say his love for Chinese calligraphy is part accidental and part personal, as the practice can be traced back to his grandfather and father, who were both calligraphers and had a strong influence on him. Finally, Prof. Chew offers his words of inspiration for our students when moving into the working world: “Embrace changes as we are living in a world where the only constant is change. Working professionals need to continue to learn and educate themselves throughout their lives in order to stay relevant.” It´s fair to say that CUHK Business School is extremely lucky and excited to have Prof. Chew with us. The post A Master of All Trades appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
05 Mar 2020, 01:01
| FROM CUHK: CUHK Business School Announces the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award 2018-19 Recipients |
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CUHK Business School is committed to recognising the outstanding contribution of its top educators and promoting teaching excellence among faculty staff. Following the introduction of FTEA in 2014-15, students and academic staff of CUHK Business School nominate their excellent teacher/colleague to a selection panel every year. The awardees for academic year 2018-19 are: General Faculty Members
   All the awardees feel honoured to receive the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award. They would like to express their gratitude to those who have supported them along the journey. “I must thank my colleagues and mentors, especially Prof. Michael Fung, for their continuous support. CUHK Business School has long been known for our commitment to high quality education. I believe that FTEA is an encouragement and a reminder for all of us to keep striving for excellence.” – Dr. Fred Ku “My sincere thanks to CUHK Business School and School of Hotel and Tourism Management for providing me with numerous opportunities to learn and grow to be a passionate educator. I would also like to thank all the wonderful people around me for their guidance and support. Without them, I would not be able to receive the award.” – Dr. Ervi Liusman “I would like to express my gratitude to CUHK Business School and Department of Finance for the support. This semester has been difficult for students and teachers with the coronavirus outbreak. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Let’s create an effective online learning environment together!” – Prof. Darwin Choi Every year, all full-time academic staff members of the Business School with teaching duties are eligible for FTEA nomination under two categories. The “General Faculty Members” category is for staff who have taught at CUHK for at least three years; and the “Early Career Faculty Members” category is for staff with at least one year teaching experience at CUHK and no more than five years of teaching experience in higher education institutions. Each awardee will receive a professional allowance of HK$10,000 and a commemorative plaque specially designed for the award. The post CUHK Business School Announces the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award 2018-19 Recipients appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
11 Mar 2020, 22:01
| FROM CUHK: Let Go for Better Things to Come |
Shern Koe (MSc in Management 2019) is Malaysian Chinese. After finishing his bachelor’s degree in accounting, he joined KPMG as an auditor. Just as his career was about to take off as planned, he made a U-turn: He gave up a job that many people could only dream of and came to Hong Kong to enrol in the inaugural full-time MSc in Management (MiM) programme at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School. This risky move paid off when Hang Seng Bank made him a pre-graduation offer last year. He was selected for the Management Trainee programme, which allows him to explore a new career. He attributes this to his philosophy in life: Don’t waste time on what you don’t enjoy. Shern (centre) becomes one of the first full-time CUHK MiM graduates last year. He poses with his parents at his graduation in joy. An Aspiration to Create Value and Solve Problems Shern is fourth-generation Malaysian Chinese, and his ancestry can be traced back to Guangxi. His father was also accountant, who planted the “accounting equals job security” idea in him. He went along with his father’s wish to study accounting in university. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in 2016, he studied hard for his ACCA professional accreditation and simultaneously applied for jobs at “Big Four” accounting firms. It did not take long for him to land an offer from KPMG.  Shern (1st from left) is a fourth generation Malaysian-Chinese with ancestry that can be traced to Guangxi. His family is very close-knit. He particularly values guidance from his father on work and life. Just as everyone thought he had achieved everything he wanted, Shern realised the reality of his job fell short of his expectations. “As an auditor I was always in the office verifying numbers and then checking off boxes on a form. It was quite dull. Also, clients only came to auditors to meet legal requirements rather than asking for actual help. That wasn’t something I enjoyed.” Shern did some soul searching and had an epiphany thanks to a good friend. “I’d been friends with a senior whom I met from a charity summer camp for many years. She has noticed something special about me: I liked to think outside the box when it came to problem solving. I took pleasure in achieving success. I then had this revelation: Wouldn’t it be more fulfilling if I could help others solve problems and create value?” Although Shern knew staying at KPMG would have more guarantee of a bright future, he decided that he wanted more than a stable job, so he quit after four months at the job and never looked back. Study in Hong Kong to Prepare for His Dream It was no easy decision, and it took a lot of persuasion to convince Shern’s parents he did the right thing. Shern was certain that he must let go of his old life to welcome the new. “As long as I’m willing to let go of the past, something better will come along.” He saw the promotion of CUHK MiM programme by chance and was drawn to the unconventional curriculum. Courses such as Fintech Analytics and Corporate Governance & Corporate Social Responsibility were very innovative. “The programme was in line with my new career aspirations: to create value and solve problems in the business world.” This goal led him to Hong Kong in 2018. The one-year MiM programme benefited Shern tremendously. “For instance, Business Analytics & Digital Innovation taught us how to collect and retrieve data for scenario analysis. It was perfect for the data driven development trend in business. I also learnt from another course Corporate Governance & Corporate Social Responsibility to assess the performance of a corporation from environmental, social responsibility and corporate governance perspectives. As the Hang Seng Index plans to incorporate a related index this year, you can see how forward-thinking the MiM programme is. It equips students with what they need before entering the workforce.”  Before the MiM programme kicks off, Shern (back row, 1st from left) and his classmates take part in various pre-programme activities for a full month, including a three-day outward bound camp in Sai Kung for team building and adaptability training. In addition to this, Shern is grateful to Dr. John Lai, Assistant Dean (Undergraduate Studies), Director of MiM Programme and Senior Lecturer of Department of Management at CUHK Business School for taking students to lectures organised by different organisations such as the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and McDonald’s. It opens their eyes, giving them a chance to build their professional network and develop their people skills. Language Proficiency Becomes an Edge in New Chapter of Career Shern was hired by Hang Seng Bank before he graduated from the MiM programme. Surprisingly it was all unplanned. “A good friend of mine asked me to accompany him to a pitch competition at a recruitment event at Science Park. Contestants were asked to give a pitch of themselves in 60 seconds on stage. Corporate representatives in the audience could put up their signs if they were interested in a contestant. It was all done live and very exciting.” Shern remembers how nerve-wracking it was. Fortunately, about eight to nine companies showed interest in him – one of which was Hang Seng Bank. At first Shern was not all that interested in banking, but he was intrigued after the initial interview. “The representative from Hang Seng Bank persuaded me to apply for the management trainee programme in its Operations, Service and Technology Department because it was responsible for problem solving at the company. That was exactly what I wanted.”  Shern enters an elevator pitch competition at a career fair by chance. His 60-second pitch on stage won him interview invites from eight to nine companies, which eventually landed him the Management Trainee offer from Hang Seng Bank. Shern and his friend were both invited to an interview at Hang Seng Bank, but he was the one selected while his friend failed because of one key factor: Cantonese. “The human resources interview was conducted in Mandarin, but the interview with the line manager was in English and Cantonese. My friend was Taiwanese and couldn’t speak Cantonese. When I was home, I spoke English with my dad and Mandarin with my mum, but I picked up Cantonese on my own from TV dramas. I should really thank TVB!” Regain Long Lost Job Satisfaction Although it has only been four months since Shern joined Hang Seng Bank, it may well be the stage where he can shine. “I like writing policy briefings and contributing to improving the company. It validates my hard work and gives me a lot of satisfaction.  Shern (2nd from right) joins Hang Seng Bank around Mid-Autumn Festival. Along with his fellow Management Trainees, he introduces himself to the company at a Mid-Autumn event. A year into relocating to Hong Kong, Shern has already adapted to the local way of life. “I like how fast paced Hong Kong is. It works very well for an impatient person like me.” Understanding that the world is ever changing, Shern tends to focus on figuring out which direction he wants to go rather than the fine details when he makes plan. “If you keep walking in the direction you’ve set, you’ll eventually reach your destination.” Perhaps Hong Kong is the perfect place for him to realise his ambitions.  This article first appeared in CUHK Business School Alumni Portal, republished with permission from Alumni and Corporate Affairs Office, CUHK Business School. The post Let Go for Better Things to Come appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
15 Mar 2020, 22:01
| FROM CUHK: Starting an Impactful Journey with the Webinar on Impact Investment |
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Numerous questions were raised by audience at the Webinar on Impact Investment held on 12 March 2020. The session, as the first one of the webinar/seminar series on impact investment in 2020, was delivered by two respected experts in the field. They included Prof. Kevin Au, Associate Professor of Department of Management and Director of Centre for Entrepreneurship and Centre for Family Business at CUHK Business School, and Ms. Rosa Lee, Chief Investment Officer at Grand Capital Holdings Ltd. Prof. Au and Rosa represented the perspectives from the sell-side and buy-side respectively. The webinar received an overwhelming response with over 260 registrations, including CUHK students and graduates, affiliated partners/clients, as well as students and guests affiliated with University of Chicago. They come from a diversified background, ranging from the investment community, NGOs, social sectors to the general public with an interest in starting impact investment. “We are excited to see the increasing interest in impact investment in the Hong Kong business community as compared to previous years. Having said that, there are still lots of rooms to build up a healthy ecosystem that could benefit the society with positive impacts and returns,” said Prof. Au.  “There are different networks or community of impact funds to share deals with and provide a platform of knowledge transfer. People may actively participate to raise the level of knowledge on impact investments. These platforms include Social ventures Hong Kong (SVHK), Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund), Hong Kong Business Angels Network, and so on,” said Prof. Au. While there is a growing awareness on impact investment to the investors’ circle and more potential social enterprises or NGOs developing in the region, the bridging between the two is still of a certain level of importance.  As a seasoned investor, Rosa is optimistic about the return of impact investment to investors, “the expected return can be competitive. According to the recent study released by the GSIA (Global Sustainable Investment Alliance), the return can be as good as other asset classes,” said Rosa. She encourages potential investors to find a cause that they are passionate about so as to make the investment portfolio more meaningful. She shared her experience of an investment in an energy conservation project for the Lee Woo Sing College at CUHK where she also sits on the college’s overseeing committee. “The impact that the project generates is impressive, causing approximately 30-40% less electricity consumption as compared to similar residential halls,” said Rosa proudly. The environmental impact is one of the considerations when measuring impact investment return. The webinar is jointly organised by the Asia-Pacific Institute of Business, CUHK Business School and the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The two organisers share the same vision in enhancing the awareness and level of knowledge in the field of impact investment in Hong Kong and nearby regions. Prior to this webinar, the two partners jointly organised “Building Portfolios with Impact: A Workshop on Creating and Managing Impact Investment Strategies” back in fall 2018, creating a synergy in knowledge transfer to the community that involved both investors and social entrepreneurs. In the year ahead, the organisers will be hosting another webinar session in May and a workshop in Q3 of 2020. To stay tuned, you may visit the website of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Business.  The post Starting an Impactful Journey with the Webinar on Impact Investment appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
18 Mar 2020, 02:01
| FROM CUHK: 5G Smart Robot Joins the Battle Against COVID-19 Outbreak |
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Co-founded by Mark Mak (MBA 2011) and Eden Lu (MBA 2011), local tech startup Roborn Technology has developed a smart robot with 5G technology to monitor body temperatures in public places, and trace people who have come into close contact with infected patients, using cruise-control functions. The 5G epidemic prevention smart robot is equipped with an infrared thermometre and Roborn’s 5G AIR PEP system that allows it to detect and monitor body temperatures at specific locations. Once the device detects any abnormal body temperature, it sends out an alarm to alert medical staff to identify and track down the suspected patient. Mark Mak, Co-founder and Director of Roborn Technology, shared with China Daily in an interview, “unlike fixed infrared body temperature detection devices that are widely used, the robot can move to different locations to detect the temperature of various people, and the robot’s path can be adjusted if necessary.”  Mark Mak (left) and Prof. Larry Poon The robot’s screen also displays epidemic prevention information and knowledge, and advises people with an abnormal body temperature on the measures to be taken. According to the World Health Organization, the common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, coughing, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Mark said testing body temperatures in public places would be the norm in the future to curb the spread of the epidemic. To make the robot sustainable, being compatible with 5G technology is essential and the robot also supports Wi-Fi and 4G mobile network connection. Specialising in designing and creating humanoid robots with its motion control technology, Roborn, with a team of six professors, 15 researchers and developers, began deploying the concept of its 5G epidemic prevention smart robot on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Two days after the Chinese government locked down Wuhan – the Hubei provincial capital at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak – Mark and Prof. Larry Poon, Adjunct Professor of Department of Marketing at The Chinese University of Hong Kong Business School, discussed designing an epidemic prevention robot using Roborn’s technology. “We sourced most of the robot’s components and accessories in Hong Kong and used some components of our other robots to assemble the prototype,” Mark said. Roborn is also in touch with suppliers in the United States and the United Kingdom as most factories on the mainland have suspended operations due to the outbreak. Mark said the project is self-financed by his team to relieve the pressure on front-line healthcare workers and raise efficiency in detecting body temperatures.  The robot is being tested at medical centres in Hong Kong and is ready to be deployed in epidemic prevention efforts. Roborn’s team has tested the device at Cyberport, where the tech startup is located. The startup plans to work with government and public organisations in the future to put the robot into service. In collaboration with China Mobile and ZTE Corporation, Roborn previously developed China’s first 5G Motion Control Humanoid Robot. The project received the Hong Kong Awards for Industries 2018: Equipment and Machinery Design Grand Award and Hong Kong ICT Awards 2019: ICT Startup Grand Award and ICT Startup (Hardware & Devices) Gold Award. Besides China Daily, Roborn’s 5G epidemic prevention smart robot was also featured by local media, including Cable TV, East Week, Economic Digest, e-zone, Headline Daily, Hong Kong Commercial Daily, Hong Kong Economic Journal, Oriental Daily News, Ming Pao Daily News, RTHK, Ta Kung Pao, TVB, Unwire, Wen Wei Po and more. Source: China Daily Date published: 14 February 2020 The post 5G Smart Robot Joins the Battle Against COVID-19 Outbreak appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
19 Mar 2020, 21:01
| FROM CUHK: IBBA Student Shines at Credit Suisse Media Conference at the 2020 World Economic Forum |
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On 21 January 2020, a year-4 Integrated BBA (IBBA) student Steve Gao from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School was invited to speak at the Credit Suisse Media Conference at the 2020 edition of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on his winning pension strategy, first presented at the Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI) Academy Challenge in 2019. The media conference was well attended by 27 media outlets from all over the world. During the conference, Credit Suisse released its latest research outcomes on the global pension trends while Steve got the privilege to present his work after the specialists. At the occasion, he had the chance to meet with Credit Suisse’s Global Chief Economist and a lot of other specialists in the finance industry.  The settings at Credit Suisse Media Conference One month prior to the Credit Suisse Media Conference, Steve participated and was crowned the top winner in the CSRI Academy Challenge 2019, as he crafted an outstanding solution by demonstrating a firm understanding of the market demand on pension products. As the champion of the contest, Steve earned a sponsored trip to the 2020 World Economic Forum in Switzerland, where he showcased his ideas and thoughts at the Media Conference, and chances of collaborating with the CSRI co-authoring future publications and even expert career guidance.  Davos is a town in the Swiss Alps. It is a popular ski resort with a conference centre that hosts the annual World Economic Forum. Organised by Project Firefly and CSRI, the CSRI Academy Challenge is an annual competition, each year with a theme that focuses on topics which shape the financial industry’s future. With a theme named “Pensions, as our parents know them, are dead.”, the academic challenge in 2019 emphasised on the pension crises faced by a specific region, hoping to propose possible recommendations to secure pension for 50 more years through researches and marketing data analyses. Every year, the competition draws hundreds of bright-minded students from top institutions around the world to compete for the championship. The original article is first published in the Integrated BBA website. The article was edited by CUHK Business School’s Marketing and Communications Office with permission from the Undergraduates Office. The post IBBA Student Shines at Credit Suisse Media Conference at the 2020 World Economic Forum appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
24 Mar 2020, 21:01
| FROM CUHK: Taking the Leap from Accountancy to Bagels |
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Ashley Chan (Professional Accountancy, Year 4) originally shared the ambitions of many. She planned to work in a bank or an accounting firm upon graduation, but her career plan changed after her internship and exchange experiences in Year 3. During her internships at a bank and a Big Four accounting firm, the long working hours turned her focus on her physical and mental well-being. Turning Experience into Expertise The inspiration to start Blendit came when she noticed that many wage earners were eager to adopt healthy diets, but had neither access to healthy ingredients nor the energy to cook after work. While many shops were selling smoothies and bagels back when she was an student exchange in New York, this was an opportunity ripe for exploitation in Hong Kong. She first collected and researched different styles of smoothie recipes online, and produced smoothie kits for sale. Later, she discovered that HongKongers were not used to replacing meals with smoothies. She then introduced handmade bagels to meet the needs of different customers. In order to fulfil her ambitions, Ashley rented a factory in Fotan to produce bagels and sold them online and at pop-up markets. In one of the pop-up markets, she met Scott, co-founder of Bagoes, a specialist domestic producer of bagels. Scott offered to sell her not only bagel machinery at a low price, but also access to recipes, customers and his experience.  In her early entrepreneurial days, Ashley was the only worker in her factory. She got up at 5am or 6am to make bagels and handle kitchen work until the afternoon. Meanwhile, she also dealt with customers, orders, marketing plans, and finding business partners. After six months of hard work, she opened her first offline store in Tai Kok Tsui in March 2019. Knowing that opportunities did not wait, Ashley took a year off school to focus on her business. Coronavirus Challenges Blendit’s proposition is to promote a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing taste. It sells not only bagels and smoothies, but also superfood powders and products from different local health food brands. Superfood powders are made from natural ingredients, and can be enjoyed by mixing with cheese, smoothies, and water to achieve therapeutic effects. The shop currently offers around 40 types of superfood powders, each with different effects, from anti-oxidising benefits, lowering the three highs (high blood pressure, high blood glucose and high blood lipid), detoxification, to helping digestion. One type of superfood powder, called Camu Camu, has 60 times more vitamin C than oranges, and has become highly popular.   Under the economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, Ashley took several measures to maintain Blendit’s business. On the wholesale side, she launched cross-promotion partnerships with coffee shops to boost her business, while on the retail side, she introduced a “6+1 weekly bagel plan” (buy six get one free), hoping that even those who work from home can get a taste of her bagels and gradually develop a healthy eating habit. Disinfection efforts have been stepped up in her store – customers and staff are required to wear a mask before entering, and food-tasting activities have been suspended. Ashley also noticed that many customers in the neighbourhood could not buy masks and disinfection products at first, so she sourced and sold some masks, wet paper towels, and hand sanitisers to people in need at cost. Resuming her studies this year, Ashley said the shift from traditional to online lectures during the COVID-19 outbreak has been beneficial. In addition to saving transportation time, online learning via Zoom and Blackboard gives her more flexibility in her scheduling. She can watch archived video lectures at night while spending time to look after her business during the day. She finds such a flexible mode of learning suitable for working students like herself. Chasing Her Entrepreneurial Dream As long as I do my best, even if I fail later, the learning journey would have been invaluable. — Ashley Chan Ashley revealed that Blendit has achieved break-even, with an average monthly turnover of about HK$100,000. From the creation of Blendit to the takeover of Bagoes, she spent about HK$600,000, of which more than HK$100,000 consisted of prize money from CUHK’s entrepreneurship competition, another HK$100,000 from her internship and part-time income, and the rest was funded by her family.   From a business student to a business owner, the change has been anything but easy: Ashley has put her heart and soul into learning the art of business management, alongside on-the-job training and countless experiments. She said the sense of satisfaction from running a shop is unlike working an ordinary job. Despite the long working hours, she remains persistent: “As long as I do my best, even if I fail later, the learning journey would have been invaluable.” Ashley is proud to be part of the CUHK community. She expressed, “I’m grateful for the understanding and flexibility offered by the School of Accountancy in support of my entrepreneurial and learning journey.” She would also like to thank her customers, some of whom are CUHK students, for their continuous support. As a student entrepreneur, she encourages other students and HongKongers to pursue their dreams while they are young and to live without regrets. The news story about Ashley’s Blendit appeared in various local media outlets, including Apple Daily, HK01, Hong Kong Economic Times and BusinessFocus. * Photo courtesy of Apple Daily and HK01 The post Taking the Leap from Accountancy to Bagels appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
29 Mar 2020, 09:01
| FROM CUHK: IBBA Student Shines at Credit Suisse Media Conference at the 2020 World Economic Forum |
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On 21 January 2020, a year-4 Integrated BBA (IBBA) student Steve Gao from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School was invited to speak at the Credit Suisse Media Conference at the 2020 edition of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on his winning pension strategy, first presented at the Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI) Academy Challenge in 2019. The media conference was well attended by 27 media outlets from all over the world. During the conference, Credit Suisse released its latest research outcomes on the global pension trends while Steve got the privilege to present his work after the specialists. At the occasion, he had the chance to meet with Credit Suisse’s Global Chief Economist and a lot of other specialists in the finance industry. The settings at Credit Suisse Media Conference One month prior to the Credit Suisse Media Conference, Steve participated and was crowned the top winner in the CSRI Academy Challenge 2019, as he crafted an outstanding solution by demonstrating a firm understanding of the market demand on pension products. As the champion of the contest, Steve earned a sponsored trip to the 2020 World Economic Forum in Switzerland, where he showcased his ideas and thoughts at the Media Conference, and chances of collaborating with the CSRI co-authoring future publications and even expert career guidance. Davos is a town in the Swiss Alps. It is a popular ski resort with a conference centre that hosts the annual World Economic Forum. Organised by Project Firefly and CSRI, the CSRI Academy Challenge is an annual competition, each year with a theme that focuses on topics which shape the financial industry’s future. With a theme named “Pensions, as our parents know them, are dead.”, the academic challenge in 2019 emphasised on the pension crises faced by a specific region, hoping to propose possible recommendations to secure pension for 50 more years through researches and marketing data analyses. Every year, the competition draws hundreds of bright-minded students from top institutions around the world to compete for the championship. The original article is first published in the Integrated BBA website. The article was edited by CUHK Business School’s Marketing and Communications Office with permission from the Undergraduates Office. The post IBBA Student Shines at Credit Suisse Media Conference at the 2020 World Economic Forum appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
29 Mar 2020, 09:01
| FROM CUHK: Taking the Leap from Accountancy to Bagels |
|
Ashley Chan (Professional Accountancy, Year 4) originally shared the ambitions of many. She planned to work in a bank or an accounting firm upon graduation, but her career plan changed after her internship and exchange experiences in Year 3. During her internships at a bank and a Big Four accounting firm, the long working hours turned her focus on her physical and mental well-being. Turning Experience into Expertise The inspiration to start Blendit came when she noticed that many wage earners were eager to adopt healthy diets, but had neither access to healthy ingredients nor the energy to cook after work. While many shops were selling smoothies and bagels back when she was an student exchange in New York, this was an opportunity ripe for exploitation in Hong Kong. She first collected and researched different styles of smoothie recipes online, and produced smoothie kits for sale. Later, she discovered that HongKongers were not used to replacing meals with smoothies. She then introduced handmade bagels to meet the needs of different customers. In order to fulfil her ambitions, Ashley rented a factory in Fotan to produce bagels and sold them online via its Facebook and Instagram channels and at pop-up markets. In one of the pop-up markets, she met Scott, co-founder of Bagoes, a specialist domestic producer of bagels. Scott offered to sell her not only bagel machinery at a low price, but also access to recipes, customers and his experience. In her early entrepreneurial days, Ashley was the only worker in her factory. She got up at 5am or 6am to make bagels and handle kitchen work until the afternoon. Meanwhile, she also dealt with customers, orders, marketing plans, and finding business partners. After six months of hard work, she opened her first offline store in Tai Kok Tsui in March 2019. Knowing that opportunities did not wait, Ashley took a year off school to focus on her business. Coronavirus Challenges Blendit’s proposition is to promote a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing taste. It sells not only bagels and smoothies, but also superfood powders and products from different local health food brands. Superfood powders are made from natural ingredients, and can be enjoyed by mixing with cheese, smoothies, and water to achieve therapeutic effects. The shop currently offers around 40 types of superfood powders, each with different effects, from anti-oxidising benefits, lowering the three highs (high blood pressure, high blood glucose and high blood lipid), detoxification, to helping digestion. One type of superfood powder, called Camu Camu, has 60 times more vitamin C than oranges, and has become highly popular. Under the economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, Ashley took several measures to maintain Blendit’s business. On the wholesale side, she launched cross-promotion partnerships with coffee shops to boost her business, while on the retail side, she introduced a “6+1 weekly bagel plan” (buy six get one free) online hoping that even those who work from home can get a taste of her bagels and gradually develop a healthy eating habit. Disinfection efforts have been stepped up in her store – customers and staff are required to wear a mask before entering, and food-tasting activities have been suspended. Ashley also noticed that many customers in the neighbourhood could not buy masks and disinfection products at first, so she sourced and sold some masks, wet paper towels, and hand sanitisers to people in need at cost. Resuming her studies this year, Ashley said the shift from traditional to online lectures during the COVID-19 outbreak has been beneficial. In addition to saving transportation time, online learning via Zoom and Blackboard gives her more flexibility in her scheduling. She can watch archived video lectures at night while spending time to look after her business during the day. She finds such a flexible mode of learning suitable for working students like herself. Chasing Her Entrepreneurial Dream As long as I do my best, even if I fail later, the learning journey would have been invaluable. — Ashley Chan Ashley revealed that Blendit has achieved break-even, with an average monthly turnover of about HK$100,000. From the creation of Blendit to the takeover of Bagoes, she spent about HK$600,000, of which more than HK$100,000 consisted of prize money from CUHK’s entrepreneurship competition, another HK$100,000 from her internship and part-time income, and the rest was funded by her family. From a business student to a business owner, the change has been anything but easy: Ashley has put her heart and soul into learning the art of business management, alongside on-the-job training and countless experiments. She said the sense of satisfaction from running a shop is unlike working an ordinary job. Despite the long working hours, she remains persistent: “As long as I do my best, even if I fail later, the learning journey would have been invaluable.” Ashley is proud to be part of the CUHK community. She expressed, “I’m grateful for the understanding and flexibility offered by the School of Accountancy in support of my entrepreneurial and learning journey.” She would also like to thank her customers, some of whom are CUHK students, for their continuous support. As a student entrepreneur, she encourages other students and HongKongers to pursue their dreams while they are young and to live without regrets. The news story about Ashley’s Blendit appeared in various local media outlets, including Apple Daily, HK01, Hong Kong Economic Times and BusinessFocus. * Photo courtesy of Apple Daily and HK01 The post Taking the Leap from Accountancy to Bagels appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
14 Apr 2020, 02:01
| FROM CUHK: A Tale of Two Cities: Business, Innovation and Technology |
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Although Stephanie studied Business Administration with a major in Finance at CUHK, her interest has always been in computers and technology. She began to learn programming as a secondary school student and was inspired by Microsoft founder Bill Gates for changing people’s lives with “A computer on every desk and in every home: “Every new technology makes an impact. I’m interested in integrating new technologies with our everyday lives and applying them how we learn, work, play and live.” This made her decide to choose a career in IT after graduation. Making a Head Start at IBM Her first job was at multinational technology company IBM in Hong Kong, responsible for helping corporations computerise their work. Her most memorable experience there was assisting Cathay Pacific with the relocation of its data centre from Hong Kong to Australia. When Stephanie got married and moved to Singapore with her husband, she joined IBM Singapore in 1996 to lead a team that helped Singapore Airlines develop an integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to streamline workflow and raise its productivity. After she left IBM, she also worked for other well-known technology companies such as HP and Microsoft, partaking in many key, unforgettable projects. While at HP, she was leading the P&G Strategic Outsourcing team to focus on the largest Merger & Acquisition (M&A) business integration with Gillette and many consolidation and optimisation work streams. At Microsoft, she was responsible for the Public Sector Group, assisting the whole of government, education, healthcare, public safety and national security sectors in implementing the Collaboration and Productivity Platform to enhance the quality and efficiency of government services. Besides working for internationally renowned tech companies, Stephanie also co-founded a start-up called Skylab Holdings in Singapore, overseeing an Internet of Things (IoT) project to monitor the efficiency of solar systems across the island, the controllers and the network performance.     Transforming Singapore into a Smart City From Hong Kong to Singapore and from a global tech giant to an emerging start-up, Stephanie has been in the tech business for almost three decades and has accumulated a wealth of invaluable experience and insights. Her background caught the eye of Singapore’s biggest national defence and engineering company, ST Engineering Ltd (STE). A panel of senior executives of the Group personally recruited her in 2018. Headquartered in Singapore, STE employs about 23,000 people across offices in Asia, US, Europe and the Middle East, serving customers in the defence, government and commercial segments in over 100 countries. With more than 700 smart city projects across 130 cities in its track record, the Group continues to help transform cities through its suite of Smart Mobility, Smart Security and Smart Environment solutions.  Stephanie is now the Senior Vice-President of STE, responsible for the Singapore business and new business development in cloud computing and platform business models. One of the key projects is to provide Singapore with a Smart Nation Sensor Platform (SNSP) and Lamppost as a Platform (LaaP). Besides illumination, there are multiple use cases including collecting environmental data such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, pollution, video surveillance for pedestrian safety, and situation awareness for relevant government agencies’ analysis. This will in turn support the government in making better policies on city planning, crowd control, traffic, and environmental protection and ultimately turning Singapore into a smart city. STE has recently expanded its business scope to commercial clients, and such change has created more possibilities for Stephanie. Since the advancement of technologies such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence have become increasingly rapid and their application has become ubiquitous, her role to tap into these opportunities has become vital to the organisation. Stephanie says her current job is even more challenging than at the well-established tech companies she has worked in the past. She is now involved in building organisation capabilities, and business development strategies, meaning her knowledge of business administration learned at CUHK is being put to good use. The Lesson of a Lifetime “A professor once shared this principle in doing business with us: ‘Offer what others don’t offer. Do better than what others do. Lower prices when others do better. Exit when others lower their price.’ That means when we do business, we must understand the market and come up with innovative and unique products or services. When competitors have similar offerings, we must work on our quality and pricing. If we can foresee that the profit margin is too low, it is better to quit early,” Stephanie recalls. This is a principle she takes to heart by committing thorough research before submitting a tender for a project. She studies what the client needs, analyses the market and the strengths and weaknesses of her competitors, runs forecasts on budgets and the expected returns before coming up with the best strategy. Looking back at her time at CUHK, Stephanie says she enjoyed taking non-business electives to widen her breadth of knowledge. “Dr. Lee Tien Ming’s ‘Ways of Thinking’ was one of my favourite courses. He taught me how to identify conscious and unconscious biases and fallacies, and guided me to develop my independent thinking.” Stephanie thinks this independent thinking has enabled her to avoid her own blind spot and spot tactics used by opponents in business negotiations and to make the right decision. In an era of information overload and social media, one must think independently to tell right from wrong rather than just going with the flow.   Besides studying, Stephanie was also actively involved in extracurricular activities during university. She was an executive committee member of AIESEC’s CUHK chapter. She organised internship exchange programmes for students to go overseas and to the mainland so that they could meet friends from all over the world and immerse in other cultures. Likewise, she also invited foreign exchange students to intern at Hong Kong companies. The frequent contact with the IBM Hong Kong office during that period aided her to land an internship and eventually a permanent position at IBM, and the rest was history. Universities Pivotal in Promoting Innovation and Technology In recent years, countries and regions around the world have been actively promoting innovation and technology development. Both Hong Kong and Singapore have spared no effort and are often seen as competitors. Stephanie thinks that as Asian financial centres, both cities benefit from advantages in financial liquidity, access to fund as well as frequent technology exchange and good business networking. This helps to stimulate new ideas and creativity, which put both cities in a good position in innovation and technology development. However, given the small market size, they must look beyond their domestic markets. She thinks Hong Kong’s strength lies in its geographical proximity to China and its massive market. The rapid growth of the Greater Bay Area, and Shenzhen in particular, and the similar language and cultural backgrounds give Hong Kong companies an edge when entering the Mainland market. Whilst Singapore also needs to set its eyes on neighbouring markets, it has to work harder to overcome language and cultural barriers. To promote the development of innovation and technology, Stephanie thinks collaboration with universities is inevitable. Universities can form partnerships with the government and start-ups: Universities can conduct research, and the government can offer funding and encourage start-ups to commercialise the research and release it to the market through knowledge transfer. Through working with businesses, universities can understand market needs and pursue research that meet these needs. Universities can also place students at internships at businesses, or assign them to help companies conduct research so that their knowledge can be put into practice. This allows students to accumulate work experience while gaining market insights. CUHK: Home of Entrepreneurship  Although it has been years since Stephanie made Singapore home, she stays up-to-date with the development of her alma mater. CUHK continues to encourage student entrepreneurship and commercialisation of research output. In addition, every year the university holds an entrepreneur day and a competition where angel investors are invited to evaluate business plans with potential. Stephanie believes these events help to foster an atmosphere that inspires creativity, which is essential for promoting innovation and technology in the long run. Having lived in Singapore for over twenty years, Stephanie thinks both Singapore and Hong Kong are cosmopolitan cities that are incredibly convenient in many aspects. The common use of Chinese and English makes Singapore an ideal place for CUHK alumni to relocate. She encourages CUHK students to seize the opportunity to go on overseas exchange to broaden their horizons, learn about different cultures and develop a global perspective. It will be beneficial for their careers whether they work in Hong Kong, Singapore or other countries in the future. This article first appeared in CU Alumni Magazine (March 2020 Issue), republished and translated with permission from Alumni Affairs Office, CUHK. The post A Tale of Two Cities: Business, Innovation and Technology appeared first on CUHK Business School. |
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Hi Generic [Bot],
Here are updates for you:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 Wednesday, Apr 24, 2024 11:30am NY / 3:30pm London / 9pm Mumbai Watch earlier episodes of DI series below EP1: 6 Hardest Two-Part Analysis Questions EP2: 5 Hardest Graphical Interpretation Questions  ➡️ Sayali narrates her experience of succeeding on the GMAT after 4 attempts & 2 years of preparations with 32 percentile improvement on GMAT verbal.
Tuck at Dartmouth
AGSM at UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
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