Introduction

The Inaugural Annual Conference on China and the Global Economy will be held on May 8 and 9, 2023, at The University of Hong Kong. The conference is sponsored by the HKU Business School’s Institute of China Economy. The objective of the conference is to create a forum to discuss new economic research on China and its relationship with the global economy.

Keynote Speaker

(Sequence is in alphabetical order of surname)

Professor Michael GREENSTONE

Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics

The Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics, The University of Chicago

Professor Chang-Tai HSIEH

Phyllis and Irwin Winkelried Professor of Economics and PCL Faculty Scholar

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Submissions

We welcome papers in all areas of economics relating to the Chinese economy. Authors are invited to submit theoretical and empirical papers on the above-mentioned topics. Submissions must consist of either a full paper (preferred) or an extended abstract and should be submitted in PDF format to the conference page at the Conference Maker Page.

Important Dates

Submission Deadline:    March 5, 2023

Notice of Acceptance:      March 13, 2023

Expenses

The Organiser will provide up to three nights of hotel for presenters.

Organizing Committee

(Sequence is in alphabetical order of surname)

Professor Hongbin CAI

Dean, Chair of Economics

HKU Business School

Dr Guojun HE

Associate Professor of Economics, Management and Strategy

HKU Business School

Dr Bingjing LI

Associate Professor of Economics

HKU Business School

Dr Yanhui WU

Associate Professor of Economics

HKU Business School

Dr Hongsong ZHANG

Associate Professor of Economics

HKU Business School

Professor Xiaodong ZHU

Area Head of Economics, Professor of Economics

HKU Business School

Contact

Please contact the Institute of China Economy at iceinfo@hku.hk for enquiries.

HKU Business School is organising an ESG Forum, with an emphasis on green finance, asset management and net-zero society, at HKU iCube on June 23, 2023. The Forum will serve as a platform to foster discussion among well-regarded scholars, public sectors, business leaders and the community, to facilitate collaborations on ESG projects that will create positive social impact, and to contribute to the local, regional and global sustainable economic development in the long run.

All are welcome to attend the Forum.

Introduction

The Conference on Behavioural Science in the Age of Smart Technology 2023 will be held on July 3, 2023, at The University of Hong Kong. The conference is sponsored by the HKU Business School’s Institute of Behavioural and Decision Science (IBDS) and Institute of Digital Economy and Innovation (IDEI).

The objective of the conference is to create a forum for researchers from multiple disciplinaries to discuss the behavioural impact of the smart technology. We welcome papers in all areas of business research with a behavioural focus.

Keynote Speaker

Professor Andrew Burton-Jones

MIS Quarterly Editor-in-Chief

School of Business, The University of Queensland

Submissions

Authors are invited to submit empirical papers on the above-mentioned topics. An extended abstract should be submitted in PDF format to the submission page.

Important Dates

Submission Deadline:    May 30, 2023

Notice of Acceptance:      June 10, 2023

Organising Committee

Professor Echo WAN

Director, Institute of Behavioural and Decision Science

HKU Business School

Professor Yulin FANG

Director, Institute of Digital Economy and Innovation

HKU Business School

Professor Zhenghui Jack JIANG

Academic Area Head, Innovation and Information Management

HKU Business School

Dr Michael JIA

Associate Director, Institute of Behavioural and Decision Science

HKU Business School

Dr Yiwen ZHANG

Associate Director, Institute of Behavioural and Decision Science

HKU Business School

Contact

Please contact the Institute of Behavioural and Decision Science at ibds@hku.hk for enquiries.

Web3.0 and cloud technologies are transforming how governments, academia, and firms approach to a Smart City. Under this rapidly developing phenomenon, there is an expanding need to prepare individuals to acquire the skills and knowledge through talent development and career-sharing initiatives to succeed.

By hosting the Seminar and MoU Signing Event, HKU Business School and Alibaba Cloud hope to bring talent, industry experts, and aspiring professionals together to build a more sustainable and equitable future

Details

Date: April 14, 2023 (Friday)
Time: 4:00p.m. – 5:30p.m.
Venue: 2/F Multipurpose Area, HKU Main Library
Language: English
Participation mode: Physical / Online

Agenda:

• 3:45p.m. – 4:00p.m. Registration
• 4:00p.m. – 4:30p.m. MoU Signing Ceremony between HKU Business School and Alibaba Cloud
• 4:30p.m. – 5:30p.m. “The Impact of Web3.0 on Smart City Development” Seminar

MoU Signing Ceremony Signatories:

• Professor Hongbin Cai – Dean of HKU Business School
• Mr. Leo Liu – General Manager of Hong Kong, Macau region and Philippines, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence

Seminar Speakers:

• Mr. Joseph Chan – Associate Director, Centre for Asian Entrepreneurship and Business Values and Senior Lecturer, HKU Business School
• Mr. Patrick Chan – Solutions Architect – Public Sector, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Hong Kong & Macau
• Mr. Clarence Ng – Head of Alibaba Cloud International Training Operations, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence

*The agenda is subject to change without prior notice.

REGISTER NOW

Smith Around the World Lecture Series

Triumph of the Market: What China’s past and present tell us

Date: 24 March, 2023 (Friday)
Time: 16:30 – 17:45
Location: Wang Gungwu Lecture Hall, Graduate House, The University of Hong Kong

Adam Smith 300 is a timely opportunity to renew the global interest in Adam Smith and to bring his ideas and legacy into contemporary debates around the world. HKU Business School is pleased to collaborate with the University of Glasgow to jointly organise the Smith Around the World Lecture Series, presenting a lecture titled “Triumph of the Market: What China’s past and present tell us” by Professor Zhiwu Chen to mark Adam Smith’s Tercentenary.

From the Neolithic to the Han dynasty, the southern coastal regions remained as China’s backwaters and did not experience much development. However, from the early Tang dynasty onward, maritime trade launched the South onto a Smithian growth path, transforming China’s economic landscape. By the end of the Yuan dynasty, the coastal economies became the country’s economic powerhouse. Over the subsequent centuries, the South stagnated as the emperors wavered between sea bans and limited maritime trade. Ultimately, though, the country had to open itself for foreign trade as a result of the Opium War, unleashing the forces of unfettered Smithian growth.

In this lecture, Professor Chen will argue that the rise to prominence of the southern coastal regions – especially Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Hangzhou – showcases the power of Smithian growth drivers. Uncompromised freedom to exchange encourages division of labour, which raises productivity and lifts wealth creation; and, as the extent of the market determines the extent of this division effect, globalization deepens specialization and lengthens the supply chain, pushing growth to unprecedented levels. It is the Smithian growth experience that gave the South its distinctive pro-business culture, as opposed to North China’s pro-power culture.

Speakers

Professor Zhiwu Chen
Chair Professor of Finance, HKU Business School
Director, Hong Kong Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences

Professor Y.C. Richard Wong
Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, The University of Hong Kong

Moderator

Professor Xiaodong Zhu
Area Head of Economics, HKU Business School

Programme Rundown

Welcome Remarks
Professor Y.C. Richard Wong
Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, The University of Hong Kong

Opening Remarks
Professor Kostas Kontis
Dean for Global Engagement (China and East Asia),
The University of Glasgow

Opening Remarks
Professor Sara Carter
Vice Principal and Head of College of Social Sciences,
The University of Glasgow

Lecture
Professor Zhiwu Chen
Chair Professor of Finance, HKU Business School
Director, Hong Kong Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences

Discussion with Professor Y.C. Richard Wong, to be moderated by
Professor Xiaodong Zhu
Area Head of Economics, HKU Business School

Question-and-Answer Session

China: in the eyes of an HKU Graduate & Fortune 500 CEO

一位港大畢業生及財富500 CEO眼中的中國

Date: 20 February, 2023 (Monday)
Time: 17:30 – 19:15
Location: Loke Yew Hall, The University of Hong Kong

Synopsis

Since 2020, COVID has brought profound disruptions to the restaurant industry. Reduced mobility, recurring lockdowns, changed consumer behaviors and rising cost inflation are just few of the major challenges faced. In this unprecedented and volatile environment, Yum China, the largest restaurant company in China, has demonstrated exemplary agility and resilience. The company pivoted quickly, innovated and delivered solid financial performance throughout the period. Moreover, it continued to expand its store portfolio and tap into new brands in China. Joey will share her learnings in this long battle as well as insights from her invaluable experience turning around businesses in UK and China. 

Keynote Speaker

Ms. Joey Wat
CEO, Yum China Holdings, Inc.

Joey Wat is CEO of Yum China (NYSE: YUMC & HKEX: 9987), a Fortune 500 Company, and has been a member of Yum China’s board of directors since July 2017. Yum China separated from Yum! Brands, Inc. and became an independently listed company on the New York Stock Exchange on November 1, 2016. Ms. Wat served as the President and COO of Yum China from 2017 – 2018, and as CEO of KFC China from 2015 – 2017. Before joining YUM China Division in 2014, Ms. Wat served in both management and strategy positions at AS Watson of Hutchison Group in the U.K. from 2004. Her last position at Watson was as Managing Director of Watson U.K. Before joining Watson, Ms. Wat spent seven years in management consulting including with McKinsey & Company in Hong Kong from 2000 to 2003. Wat holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hong Kong. Wat was included in the Forbes World’s Most Powerful Women list from 2020 to 2022, and Fortune’s Top 50 Most Powerful Women in International Business from 2018 to 2021.

Moderator

Professor Christine Chan
Associate Dean (Outreach and Global Engagement), HKU Business School

Keynote Speaker

Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides

2010 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences

The Honourable Paul Chan Mo-po

Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government

Dr. Tao Zhang

Chief Representative for Asia and the Pacific, The Bank of International Settlements

Abstract

HKU Business School is dedicated to Hong Kong economic policy research with an aim to create positive change in the community. Subsequent to the successful launch of the very first Hong Kong Economic Policy Green Paper and the inaugural conference last year in encouraging fruitful discussions, this year, the School will join hand with Hong Kong Institute of Economics and Business Strategy, Institute of Digital Economy and Innovation and Asia Global Institute to host the second conference entitled “The Future of Hong Kong Economy” under its Thought Leadership Conference Series 2022. The conference will serve as an exchange platform to foster discussion among well-regarded scholars, policy makers, business leaders and the community, with an aim to contribute to local, regional and global sustainable economic development in the long run.

Event page: https://www.hkubs.hku.hk/eventsite/future-of-hong-kong-economy-2022/

Hong Kong’s Next 25 Years: Challenges and Opportunities

香港未來 25 載：不容錯過？

Date: 22 November, 2021
Time: 17:30 – 19:15
Location: Loke Yew Hall, The University of Hong Kong

Synopsis

Twenty-five years after the Handover, four young business leaders will examine how Hong Kong can maintain its advantage and develop its role as a world city and international financial center amidst the fast-changing global landscape.

Panellists

Ms. Gigi Chao
Executive Vice Chairman, Cheuk Nang (Holdings) Limited
Dr. Adrian Cheng
Executive Vice-chairman and Chief Executive Officer, New World Development Company Limited
Mr. David Liao
Co-chief Executive, Asia-Pacific, HSBC
Ms. Dee Poon
Managing Director, Brands and Distribution, Esquel Group

Moderators

Dr. Victor Fung
Former Chairman, HKU Council
Professor Frederick Si-Hang Ma
Honorary Professor, HKU Business School