DBA and DMgt Go International

A hand shake after the signing ceremony. (Front row from left) Professor Peter Lorange, President of IMD and Professor Judy Tsui, Dean of Faculty of Business and Director of Graduate School of Business (Back row from left) Professor Peter Yuen, DBA Programme Director; Ms Kate Chan, Director, Greater China and Northeast Asia of IMD; Professor Ferdinand A. Gul, Head of the School of Accounting and Finance; Professor Jeong-bon Kim, Associate Dean (Postgraduate Programmes and Research) of Faculty of Business; Professor Edward Snape, Head of the Department of Management and Marketing

Professor Edwin Cheng, Chair Professor of Management in Department of Logistics

Professor Edwin Cheng Awarded ScD Degree by the University of Cambridge Professor Edwin Cheng, Chair Professor of Management in the Department of Logistics has been awarded the Doctor of Science (ScD) degree by the University of Cambridge in March this year. The award was for his outstanding research achievements in scheduling science which has contributed to the advancement of the discipline. This rarely awarded higher doctorate is conferred by the University from which a person obtains his PhD degree after a rigorous assessment of his post-doctoral publications. The publications necessarily have to have expanded the frontiers of knowledge in that person's field of specialisation. Professor Cheng, an authority on the fields of Production and Operation Management, Operations Research and Industrial Engineering, has made significant contributions to scheduling science. Scheduling science basically refers to the optimal allocation of resources over time which is particularly helpful in making the most appropriate resources utilisation decision.

When contacted, Professor Cheng said that he was excited as well as gratified on being conferred the degree. He explained that much of the research for which the ScD was awarded was done in the PolyU. Professor Cheng said, “The University and the Faculty, as institutions, created the conditions which nurture research and they also provided the support without which my research would not have been as fruitful. I am very grateful to the University and the Faculty”.

On 10 April 2006, Professor Judy Tsui, Dean of the Faculty personally hosted a reception to congratulate Professor Cheng. Senior colleagues from the Faculty attended the function to pass on their good wishes to Professor Cheng. Professor Tsui said, “I am very happy for Professor Cheng and proud for the honour that his ScD degree has brought to the Faculty.”

Dr Patrick Fung, Department of Logistics

Dr Patrick Fung Wins the “Most Active New Consultant Award” Dr Patrick Fung of the Department of Logistics received the “Most Active New Consultant Award” for the year 2005 from the Polytechnic Technology & Consultancy Co Ltd (PTeC). The PTeC is a company set up by PolyU to administer consultancies secured by staff members of PolyU. Dr Fung has been the logistics management consultant of the Tao Heung Holding Ltd since November 2003. He helped the company evaluate and implement its ERP system. He also assisted Tao Heung Holding Ltd secure ISO accreditation in October 2005. This is Dr Patrick Fung's second award in the 2004/05 academic session. In December 2005, he won the 2004/05 Faculty of Business Prize for Teaching.

Press briefing on the latest Customer Perceived Value in Hong Kong's Retail Sector Report (From left) Professor Edward Snape, Head of Department of Management and Marketing; Dr Sherriff Luk, Director, Asian Centre for Brand Management; Professor Judy Tsui, Dean; Professor Peter Walters, Chair Professor of Department of Management and Marketing; and Dr Leslie Yip, Associate Head of Department of Management and Marketing

Latest Customer Perceived Value in Hong Kong's Retail Sector Report The overall satisfaction with the level of the service provided by Hong Kong's retailers remains high. This is according to the latest research report on “Customer Perceived Value in Hong Kong's Retail Sector” released by the Asian Centre for Brand Management in the Department of Management and Marketing (MM) at a press conference held on 28 April. The report is based on a survey conducted between January and February 2006, to assess the quality of service provided by Hong Kong retailers. The assessment was based on a number of measures such as product and service quality, customer satisfaction and perceived value. This survey identified nine factors affecting the overall quality of retail service, namely perceived risk and safety, enhancement of self-image, service attitude and skills, product quality, promise and interaction, price, shop environment, efforts spent in purchasing and consuming the service, and ability of the merchandise to match the life-style of the shopper.

The research team used 2,432 completed questionnaires collected at local shopping districts. Respondents were shoppers from Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas. According to the survey, the overall satisfaction level and customer perceived value remain high. Part of the reason seems to be the improvement in the language proficiency in both English and Putonghua of the frontline personnel.

Professor Judy Tsui, Dean of Faculty of Business and Director of Graduate School of Business said, “This is the fourth survey of its kind and the results provide the retail industry with reliable statistics and insights to enhance their service quality and achieve a higher service standard.”

The Asian Centre for Brand Management was established in 2005. It focuses on conducting vigorous applied research on branding issues with practical value for improving business performance. Professor Edward Snape, Head and Professor of MM, said, “We anticipate that with the establishment of the Asian Centre for Brand Management, a sustainable knowledge platform bridging academia and industry can be established.”

The current report is part of an on-going project on “Customer Perceived Value in Hong Kong's Retail Sector” that began in February 2004. The aim of the project is to determine how shoppers evaluate the quality of the services offered by Hong Kong's retailers and to assess how likely it is that tourists will return to shop again in Hong Kong.

The Logistics Research Centre was set up in March 2006 by the Department of Logistics. The aim of the Centre is to promote and encourage applied research in logistics and to provide preferred research, consultancy, and training services to the logistics and related industries.

The Logistics Research Centre's research team comprises specialists from different academics departments in the PolyU. These include Logistics, Management and Marketing, Applied Mathematics, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, and Textiles and Clothing. The team members' expertise spans e-business, maritime logistics, optimisation, production management, purchasing, quality management, supply chain management, and transportation logistics.

The Centre is financially supported by PolyU's “Areas of Strategic Development” and “Development of Niche Areas” funds.

Besides applied research and industry-based studies, the remit of Centre includes consultancy services, training programmes, overseas collaboration, seminars and conferences. It is currently co-organising the Greater China Supply Chain and Logistics Conference, scheduled to take place on the PolyU campus from 9-11 December 2006.

Professor Chung-Lun Li of the Department of Logistics has been appointed the Director of Logistics Research Centre.

In line with the Faculty's mission of producing students “qualified for the real world”, the School of Accounting and Finance has launched the “FastTrack to the Real World” professional development programme.

The programme will provide a series of professional development avenues to 40 high potential students to develop their global outlook and business acumen to prepare them for successful careers.

Those who are admitted to BBA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance degree will be qualified for this programme. Students will receive financial support to participate in an exchange programme with top universities in the Chinese Mainland or overseas. The universities include Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University as well as universities in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. They will also be placed in internships with well-known international accounting firms and financial institutions in Hong Kong or the Chinese Mainland. On completing the programme, these students will be nominated to compete for the prestigious “Citigroup Young Fellowship Programme”.

To develop their leadership and business skills, the students will have ample opportunities to participate in various business competitions such as “HSBC Young Entrepreneur Awards” and “ACCA Hong Kong Guangzhou Inter-tertiary Competition”. They will also be given places on the Faculty's leadership development programmes includes “A Day with a Professional”, the “Faculty High Table Dinner” and the “Professional / Alumni Mentorship Programme”.

“Our students have always been well equipped with the professional skills and know-how that their potential employers require. We are confident that the graduates from this “FastTrack to the Real World” professional development programme will leverage on the strengths of PolyU in the accounting and finance fields to become the most preferred accounting and finance graduates for international accounting firms and multinational financial institutions,” stressed Professor Tsui, Dean of the Faculty of Business.

At the “FastTrack to the Real World” professional development programme press briefing. From left to right, Dr Tao-chiu Lam, Chinese Mainland Programmes Coordinator, Department of Management and Marketing, Dr Bosco Yu, Programme Leader of BBA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance, Professor Ferdinand A. Gul, Head of School of Accounting and Finance, Professor Judy Tsui, Dean of Faculty of Business and Dr Daniel Cheung, Associate Head of School of Accounting and Finance.

---

Professor Gul, Head of School of Accounting and Finance at the opening ceremony

Symposium on “Mergers and Acquisitions in the Mainland” The School of Accounting and Finance and the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountant organised a symposium on “Mergers and Acquisitions in the Mainland” on 26 May 2006. More than 200 delegates - professional accountants, auditors and academics - attended the Symposium. Mr Mark Fong, the Vice President of Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Professor Ferdinand A. Gul, Head of the School of Accounting and Finance officiated at the opening ceremony. The one-day symposium consisted of two plenary sessions and two “breakout” seminars where discussions were highly encouraged. The symposium covered such areas as the Chinese government's attitude towards mergers and acquisitions, the legal regime governing M&A activities and the latest accounting and auditing regulatory developments relating to mergers and acquisitions in the Chinese Mainland.

Miss Ge Jun receiving the Faculty's Outstanding Student Award from PolyU's President, Professor Poon Chung-kwong
	Miss Ge Jun is the Faculty's outstanding student this academic year. She achieved this by winning the Outstanding Student Award of the Faculty of Business 2005. Two other outstanding students who competed with Ge Jun are Miss Wong Sum-yi, Summy from the Department of Logistics and Miss Li Xixi from the Department of Management and Marketing. Ge Jun is a final-year BA (Hons) in Accountancy student from the School of Accounting and Finance who has excelled not only in the academic field but also in extra-curricular activities as demonstrated by her active participation in, among others, the Leadership & Competence for Success Programme, the “Preferred Graduate” Development Programme, the exchange programme at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Busan, Korea. She was an internee Managerial Assistant in Shanghai in 2004 and held an internship in Deloitte's in 2005. PolyU President, Professor Poon Chung-kwong, presented the award to Miss Ge Jun on 24 February 2006 at the Chiang Chen Studio Theatre. The ceremony was attended by over 200 guests. These included members of the Faculty and Ge Jun's family and friends who came to share the exciting moment with her. Ge Jun's name has been inscribed on the Roll of Honour at the Shaw Amenities Building in recognition of her outstanding performance.

PolyU's LGT team with the Champion Cup From left to right: Mr Law Po-kin; Miss Fok Hiu-tung, Gigi; Mr Leung Kong Yui (President, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport); Miss Chow Man-yi, Sophia; Miss Lam Lai-king, Candy; and Mr Cao Jie, Matthew

---

Officially, the competition is known as the “MPFA & IFPHK Financial Planning Competition for Secondary Schools and Universities”. The competition is divided into two streams: one for secondary schools and the other for the universities in Hong Kong.

The winning team at the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority & Institute of Financial Planners of Hong Kong Financial Planning Competition. (from left) Mr James Ho; Miss Una Ge; Miss Doris Leung; Mr Jess Wong and Mr Beenz Hui

---

The team of Mr Leung Chin-yiu, Miss Kimmy Ngai Ka-po and Mr Chan Hoi-pan won the bronze prize in the HSBC Young Entrepreneur Awards 2005-06. The three are students of the Department of Management and Marketing (MM). The team took six months to win the prize and had to beat over 300 teams of full-time students from local institutions of higher education to make it into the finals. Their project entitled “Life Recorder” presents an automatic diary that helps users capture memorable moments and search for stored information efficiently.

One other team from MM received the Certificate of Excellence for their excellent performance. Each of two other teams, one from MM and the other from the School of Accounting and Finance received the Certificate of Merit.

The HSBC Young Entrepreneur Awards, launched in 2000, is an educational programme designed to promote creativity, entrepreneurship, business skills and teamwork among young people in Hong Kong. Participating teams are required to develop an innovative business plan which has the potential of becoming a successful venture.

The winners of the HSBC Young Entrepreneur Awards 2005-06 bronze prize: Mr Leung Chin-yiu, Mr Chan Hoi-pan, (first row, second and third from left respectively) and Miss Kimmy Ngai (second row, second from left). The Faculty Dean, Professor Judy Tsui is second from right in the second row.

---

Mr Lego Leung and Miss  Nancy Lam with their  Convoy Business Administration Paper Competition 2005 trophies

Department of Management and Marketing Students Ranked at the Convoy Business Administration Paper Competition 2005 Mr Lego Leung and Miss Nancy Lam, students from the Department of Management and Marketing, ranked 4th at the Convoy Business Administration Paper (BA Paper) Competition 2005. The theme of the BA Paper Competition 2005 was “Brand Strategy for Convoy - a leading financial planning services provider”. The Convoy BA Paper Competition 2005 was organised by the Hong Kong Federation of Business Students which is a non-profit-making and student-run organisation formed by the eight tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. The title sponsor, Convoy Financial Services Limited, is a leading independent financial advisor in Hong Kong aiming at providing high quality financial planning consultancy and services.

Professor Edward Snape, Head of Department of Management and Marketing presenting a souvenir to Mrs Margaret Leung, President of Clarins Ltd

Department of Management and Marketing: Dinner Seminar “Dinner Seminar” on the theme, “Learning from the Real World”. The event took place on 11 April 2006 at the Staff Restaurant of the PolyU. The aim of the social event was to expose the students to the real world by bringing them together with mentors, industry celebrities, MM Departmental Advisory Committee members and staff for a relaxing evening. Thirty-one final year students from undergraduate programmes with 28 guests and staff attended the event. The highlight of the evening was the dinner talk delivered by Mrs Margaret Leung, President of Clarins Ltd, Chairman of the Fragrance and Beauty Products Importers' and Distributors' Association, and the Vice President of the Cosmetic and Perfumery Association of Hong Kong. Mrs Leung delivered an interesting presentation on Behind the Pretty Face: Can we build image profitably in the cosmetics industry? She shared with the audience her business experience and summarised the performance drivers for today's companies: continuous innovation, resource management, and timely decisions. The talk was followed by a lively question and answer session.

The Professional Mentoring Orientation Dinner 2006

The School of Accounting and Finance held a professional mentoring orientation dinner on 4 March 2006 at the Banquet Hall in the Student Halls of Residence. The event was meant to provide an opportunity for both mentors and their charges to meet each other in a friendly and relaxed setting.

A total of 51 honorary professional mentors and 135 students under their charge attended the function.

The event began with welcoming speeches from Professor Judy Tsui, the Dean, Professor Ferdinand A. Gul, the School Head and Dr Stella Cho, the Professional Mentoring Programme Coordinator. Two guest speakers then gave insightful presentation to the gathering. They were Mrs Lucia Li, Director of Accounting Services, the Treasury of the Government of the HKSAR, and Mr Jack Chow, Partner of KPMG.

Mrs Lucia Li detailed the challenge facing the accounting profession. She also dealt with career opportunities open to accountants in both the private sector and the HKSAR Government. Mr Jack Chow briefed the gathering on the strong presence of KPMG in Mainland China and Hong Kong, and the promising prospects for KPMG employees. This part of the programme ended with the Dean presenting souvenirs to the two guest speakers.

Miss Laura Chan Hiu-yan, one of the students, remarked that she and her friends were very much indebted to their mentors who played a vital role in grooming them to become preferred graduates.

The Professional Mentoring Programme (PMP) of the School of Accounting and Finance is committed to helping the students develop to their fullest potential by facilitating their educational, social and personal growth. Currently, the PMP has altogether 74 honorary professional mentors who are professionals in accounting, banking, commerce, finance and government.

A total of 202 undergraduates have enrolled in the programme. Each mentor takes two to three students under his or her wing. The students meet their mentor for about five times over the whole mentoring period.

Professor Edward Snape, Head of Department of Management and Marketing at one of the WIE game stalls

Work-Integrated Education The Faculty organised an exhibition to highlight its Work-Integrated Education (WIE) programme. The WIE programme requires every student to complete three training credits through 300 hours of full-time or part-time or summer internship. The WIE is intended to provide students with the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills in the workplace and to develop contacts with experienced professionals and executives. It enables students to apply the theoretical knowledge they imbibe in the classroom in sustained and direct practical work and is aimed at turning the students into graduates able to meet the expectations of their first employers after graduation. At the consultation sessions graduates as well as undergraduates shared with visitors their WIE experiences. One of the speakers explained that businesses benefit from the WIE programme by securing a flexible pool of talented, productive and motivated students to fulfil their short-term needs. Further, businesses find WIE not only cost-effective but also an excellent way of recruiting future employees.

In addition, the Faculty employed various team games and problem-solving games to give the players an idea of just some of the skills that the WIE programme will impart. The visitors participated actively in games and the buzz from the game booths added fun and liveliness to the Day's activities.

The School of Accounting and Finance, the Department of Logistics and the Department of Management and Marketing each had its own programme for the Consultation Day.

School of Accounting and Finance

The formal part of the School of Accounting and Finance's programme consisted of an Info Seminar. The Dean of the Faculty of Business, Professor Judy Tsui and Dr Wayne Yu conducted the session. Professor Tsui spoke at length about how the School's new initiative, the “FastTrack to the Real World” professional development programme, serves as the graduates springboard into the real world. In the lively question and answer session that followed, the participants seemed to be fascinated by the guaranteed placements and the opportunities for international exchange inherent in the “FastTrack to the Real World” professional development programme. The Head, Professor Gul and other programme leaders of the School also attended the Info Seminar.

The Info Seminar merged into consultation sessions at which prospective students met current students and programme leaders to discuss and gain an understanding of the School's different programmes. Most of the visitors focused on the admission requirements for the different programmes.

Prospective Students at the School of Accounting and Finance's info seminar

Professor John Liu, Head of Department of Logistics

Department of Logistics Professor John Liu, Head of the Department of Logistics and Chair Professor of Maritime Studies kicked off that department's activities by addressing the visitors. He emphasised that Hong Kong has been the world's incubator of technology innovations, and the international centre of maritime and logistics services. He explained the logistics degree programmes are designed to qualify students for the real world by providing them a business education that is firmly based on the realities of the business world both locally and globally. “Such an education,” Professor Liu concluded, “not only qualifies our students for the real world; it also equips them to contribute to the development of the community.” The Department of Logistics also conducted an information seminar where the programme leaders explained the details of the different degree programmes. More than 100 visitors attended the seminar. In excess of 200 other prospective students had individual consultation with the professors in the department.

The Department of Management and Marketing organised an information seminar for the visitors. Associate Professor Andy Chan, the Programme Leader of the BBA(Hons) in Management Programme conducted the seminar. Although it was raining, the lecture theatre was filled to the brim with those attending expressing interest in the Department's new Design and Marketing double degree and seeking information about the “Major” and “Minor” structure.

There were consultation sessions throughout the day. At some, the clarification was provided by members of the academic staff. At others, student volunteers led discussions about the different degree programmes. Details about entrance requirements were the most sought after information. Nearly 300 visitors attended these sessions.

Dr Jackie Tam (third from right) from Department of Management and Marketing detailing entrance requirements

---