On September 1, the HKU Business School held the distinguished Beijing Forum at the HKU Beijing Centre. The event drew over 200 esteemed guests, professors, students, and alumni, culminating with the inaugural dinner of the HKU Business School North China Alumni Network.
This significant occasion marked the official establishment of the HKU Business School North China Alumni Network, representing a significant milestone for the Faculty’s alumni body in mainland China. During the opening remarks, Professor Hongbin Cai, Dean of the HKU Business School, Chair of Economics, and Director of the Institute of China Economy, underscored the paramount importance of this newly established network. As the first regional alumni network for the Faculty in mainland China, it serves not only as a bridge linking alumni with the school, but more importantly, it establishes a platform for lifelong learning, intellectual exchange, and mutual development among all alumni and faculty.
We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all speakers, panelists, guests, and attendees who contributed to making this forum and dinner a platform for engaging discussion and meaningful networking. We would like to offer our special thanks to our distinguished guests, including:
Mr. Li Hui, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Beijing Municipal Government; Professor Hongbin Cai, Dean of HKU Business School; Professor Chen Lin, Associate Vice-President of HKU; Professor Haipeng Shen, Associate Dean (Executive Education) of HKU Business School; Professor Wei Zhang, Assistant Dean of HKU Business School; Dr. Grace Xie, Principal Lecturer at HKU Business School and Associate Director of HKU EMBA and IMBA programs; Ms. Alison Wang, Director of the HKU Beijing Center; Ms. Alice Hui, Head of Development and Alumni at HKU Business School; Professor Xu Li, Director of the HKU EMBA Program; Ms. Monica Wong, Director of Alumni Affairs at the Development and Alumni Affairs Office of HKU; Dr. Aam Yan, Director of Strategic Partnerships at HKU Business School; Ms. Floria Xu, Executive Director of the DBA Program at HKU Business School; Ms. Janice Tsang, Executive Director of the EMBA Program at HKU Business School; Dr. Norman Shi, President of the HKU Beijing Alumni Association; Ms. Beatrice Chan, President of the HKU Shanghai Alumni Association along with more than 200 distinguished guests and alumni.
As we celebrate this achievement, we would like to emphasize the vital role of our alumni network. It is through these bonds that we fortify our community, cultivate opportunities for advancement, and uphold our shared values. We encourage all alumni to participate actively in the alumni network, contributing to its ongoing success and the prosperity of our HKU Business School. The strength of our school lies within the strength of our alumni – united, we empower the future.
Let’s revisit the highlights of this momentous day!
In celebration of the commencement of the new academic year, HKU Business School is fully prepared to greet the undergraduate freshmen of the 2024-25 intake and incoming exchange students with a diverse range of engaging and informative orientation activities commencing in mid-August 2024.
August 19 | Faculty Academic Induction Talk: Serving as the official welcome to all undergraduate freshmen of the 2024-25 intake, the Academic Induction Talk offers an overview of studies and university life for each student. It acknowledges the valuable support from senior students who share their enriching experiences, various experiential learning opportunities, insights from Student Associations, as well as contributions from the University Equal Opportunity Unit and CEDARS. These interactions signify the University’s dedication to nurturing and unlocking the potential of each freshman throughout their four-year academic journey.
August 22 – September 3 | 8 Sessions of Programme Induction Sessions for Freshmen across 11 Undergraduate Programmes: With the generous support of all Programme Directors and Deputy Programme Directors, freshmen have the opportunity to connect with their peers, gain deeper insights into their respective majors, and receive practical advice and tips from senior students and alumni.
August 28 | Career Orientation for Undergraduate Freshmen: This session, a novel and customized initiative, aims to introduce freshmen to the resources and support provided by our Undergraduate Career Development & Training (CDT) Team. It equips them with a foundational understanding of how to initiate their career exploration during their tenure at HKU Business School. Through interactive engagement, over 100 freshmen actively seek advice, engage in discussions and network with our Professional Career coach.
August 29 | Incoming Exchange Students Orientation: We are delighted to welcome 260 exchange students from 24 countries and over 100 partner institutions as they commence their journey at HKU Business School. These students will spend one or two semesters immersing themselves in our dynamic and empowering HKU community.
September 7 | Non-Local Freshmen Orientation 2024: Over 100 of non-local full-time freshmen participated in this distinctive orientation session hosted by the HKUBS International Student Society. The session facilitated connections within the non-local student community, provided insights into the school and Hong Kong, and offered networking opportunities.
We are excited to welcome the incoming freshmen of the 2024-25 academic year and eagerly anticipate supporting them as they embark on their academic journey at HKU Business School.
Congratulations! Prof. Roni Michaely and co-authors’ research “Does Socially Responsible Investing Change Firm Behaviour?”, won the Pagano and Zechner Award for the Best Non-investment Paper published in the Review of Finance. The research highlights the need for alternative approaches to socially responsible investing and potential regulatory responses to ensure that SRI funds deliver on their promises of impact. The debate on the role of institutional investors in shaping a more sustainable future continues.
Key Findings:
SRI funds are more likely to hold firms with lower pollution, better workplace safety, greater board diversity, and higher employee satisfaction.
However, SRI funds do not significantly change the E&S conduct of their portfolio firms, despite 81% claiming to do so.
The incentives of SRI fund managers appear to be aligned with maximizing investor flows rather than driving tangible impact.
These findings suggest that while SRI funds may not be “greenwashing”, they are engaging in “impact washing” – investing in firms with good E&S performance but failing to catalyse meaningful behavioural change.
The Joint University Summer Workshop on Information Systems (JUSWIS) 2024, held from July 7th to July 10th, was a resounding success, bringing together leading academics, researchers, and students from across the globe. Hosted at HKU, the workshop featured a dynamic lineup of keynote speeches, breakout sessions, and collaborative discussions that spanned a wide range of cutting-edge topics in information systems.
The workshop was co-chaired by prominent scholars in the field, including Prof. Jack Jiang and Prof. Yulin Fang from the University of Hong Kong, Prof. Weiquan Wang from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Prof. Kai Lim from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Their leadership and expertise were instrumental in shaping the workshop’s agenda and ensuring its success.
The event began with a warm welcome from Professor Zhixi Wan, the Area Head of Innovation and Information Management at HKU, setting an engaging tone for the workshop. A keynote speech by Prof. Sue Brown provided deep insights into current trends and challenges in the field, sparking thoughtful discussions among participants. The breakout sessions that followed allowed presenters to share their research on diverse topics, from AI’s role in chronic illness management to the impact of digital technology on user growth in decentralized applications. Each session was met with active participation, reflecting the high level of interest and expertise among attendees.
On July 9th, the workshop featured two compelling keynote speeches. In the morning, Prof. Suprateek Sarker delivered a thought-provoking talk on the empirical traditions and theoretical contributions essential to leading IS journals, offering valuable considerations for both authors and reviewers. Later that afternoon, Prof. DJ Wu shared several intriguing studies he recently conducted on human and AI interaction, offering fresh perspectives and sparking further discussion on the evolving dynamics between humans and AI systems. Both talks underscored the importance of advancing our understanding of these critical areas as AI becomes increasingly integrated into various aspects of life and work.
The interactive and collaborative environment of JUSWIS 2024 was one of its key strengths. Participants had ample opportunities to engage in meaningful dialogue, share innovative ideas, and form new research partnerships. The final day wrapped up with individual meetings, providing a more intimate setting for in-depth discussions and potential collaborations.
In addition to the intellectual exchange, the workshop included social events that allowed attendees to network in a more relaxed atmosphere. A memorable dinner at HKU was particularly well-received, offering a perfect blend of professional interaction and cultural experience.
Overall, JUSWIS 2024 successfully achieved its goals of advancing knowledge, fostering collaboration, and building a vibrant community in the field of information systems. The positive feedback from participants underscores the workshop’s impact, and we look forward to continuing this tradition of excellence in future events.
Congratulations to our students for winning the Champion in Deloitte USHINE Case Competition!
The Deloitte USHINE Case Competition is organised by Deloitte which aims to provide a platform for the next generation of young talents to showcase their innovative business solutions.
This year’s competition focused on the Chinese Cosmetics Market, challenging participants to submit a comprehensive business report that comprised an executive summary, competitor analysis, recommendations on addressing ethical dilemmas, and a detailed implementation timeline. After two rounds of rigorous review, eight finalist teams were shortlisted to present their ideas to a panel of judges on their proposals.
Among the 120 teams from different universities, students from HKU Business School stood out by demonstrating their outstanding ability to navigate real-world business challenges and excellent pitching skills and crowned as Champion of the competition.
“Taking part in the Deloitte USHINE Case Competition was such a rewarding and eye-opening experience. This was my very first-time taking part in an external case competition after receiving training in the HKU International Case Society (HICS) in the past few months. Even though I have received plenty of experience regarding deck making and pitching in HICS, I have never written a business report before, hence it was quite challenging to adapt. As the team leader, I led our team in brainstorming products and conducting thorough market research, putting ourselves into the shoes of a U.S. cosmetic company looking to break into the Chinese market. We first identified the pain points through complex market, consumer and competitor analysis, then researched on market gaps and opportunities. Finally, we came up with and grouped our strategies and finalised our timeline. Unlike typical case competitions, we had the freedom to pick our designated hypothetical company, hence we were able to fully express our creativity. Looking back, I learnt a lot more about deck pitching and stepped out of my comfort zone.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supportive teammates for perfecting every detail and every graphic on our pitch deck, and for self-learning how to calculate financials from scratch. Thank you, HKU Business School, for the valuable opportunity and HICS for the countless hours spent in facilitating teams in learning how to excel in deck pitching. This competition has truly been a valuable and memorable experience”
(By Miss Lai Yi Huen Hayley)
“It has been wonderful taking part in the USHINE Case Competition held by Deloitte club and an absolute honour for us to take home the champion prize. Through a whirlwind of research, analysis and discussion, I have truly learned so much more about the Chinese cosmetics industry and case pitching. My main role was to complete our team’s financials, which involved certain concepts that were foreign to me, as we had to learn how to properly calculate key metrics and ratios to substantiate our strategic recommendations on our own. I struggled to identify accurately which sections of the financial statements were relevant and useful for calculations and what key assumptions to set. I am very thankful that we managed to come up with reasonable assumptions and data through hard work. This was a critical part of our preparation, and we are grateful to have gained these practical financial analysis capabilities.
More importantly, I realised the value of teamwork and perseverance. I would like to thank my teammates for demonstrating such seamless cooperation and team spirit; all of us were dedicated to our respective roles and would actively contribute ideas. While we were all quite inexperienced, this dedication allowed us to navigate through the overwhelming and intense preparation process.”
(By Miss Lam Yi Tak)
“As the Deloitte USHINE Case Competition was the first case competition we have ever participated in, let alone entering the finals, we were pushed well outside of our comfort zone to say the least, but the guidance from our team leader and support from fellow team members enabled us to all develop valuable new skills.
Additionally, the high-pressure final presentation in front of the Deloitte judges was an invaluable learning opportunity. Although we all felt quite nervous the days leading up to our presentation, our words of encouragement to each other and the perspective of this competition being a learning opportunity helped us ease our minds and become more confident in our presentation and think quickly during the Q&A session. Navigating these challenging aspects of the competition has undoubtedly expanded our skillset and prepared us for future case competition challenges.
We deeply appreciate all of our fellow dedicated teammates who worked tirelessly for this achievement, as well as the HKU Business School for providing this unique chance to apply our classroom learnings in a real-world, competitive setting. This competition has been a truly transformative and memorable experience.”
Congratulations to our student for winning the Second Place in Deloitte Digital Camp 2024!
The Deloitte Digital Camp 2024 is a global competition organised by Deloitte with the aim to inspire and equip future talent with skills to thrive in an ever-evolving business landscape.
In the first round, participants delved deep into their chosen topics and prepared individual proposal. Then, participants were formed into teams to perfect their proposal under the guidance of professional mentors from Deloitte.
Our student showcased her exceptional analytical skills and effective teamwork and finished at second place among other top participants from different universities.
Second Place
Yan Yu, BEcon&Fin, Year 3 (The team comprises 4 other team members from other universities in the Mainland China)
Student Sharing:
“Winning the Second Place in the Deloitte Digital Camp 2024 was an unforgettable experience. This competition provided an opportunity for me to engage in critical thinking, efficient collaboration, and break new ground in digital innovation. Through this experience, I was able to develop creative solutions for complex business problems by drawing upon my understanding of cutting-edge trends and technologies. Participating in this competition not only enhanced my professional skills, but also ignited a deeper passion for driving digital transformation.”
