Integrated BBA IBBA Thematic Talk: 外賣仔的前世今生 Host / Speaker: Dr. Fred Ku (Assistant Dean (Undergraduate Studies), Programme Co-Director, IBBA)
In Hong Kong, the business of food delivery is undergoing rapid change as takeaway apps race to capture markets, displacing the traditional courier model. Is the industry changing for good or for bad? How can CUHK Business School courses help us understand the concept of “Platform Economy”?
Dr. Fred Ku (Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Studies) helps you to investigate this platform economy business model and introduce how CUHK Business School courses help you understanding this issue in the IBBA Thematic Talk “外賣仔的前世今生”.
The academic advising (counselling) video link has been shared with students. In addition, the programme team will arrange a livechat session on 25 August 2020, 10:00a.m.-11:00a.m. We will send you the link near the dates.
If you have any questions on the programme, course registration and anything related to your academic study, do come and talk to us, the programme directors will also meet you there.
Rex Ma Leads the Way in Innovation for IBBA Students in HKUSIEC 2020
Rex Ma (Integrated BBA, Year 4, right one on the cover image) has performed outstandingly in the 6th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition (Entrepreneurship First-Class Award), and received the Entrepreneurship First-class Award with his invention, Dr. Body.
Dr. Body is a posture detection and rehabilitation-tracking system, which provides the public with comprehensive, accurate and fast posture health checks. The posture health analyser collects offline users’ posture data through image processing, algorithm calculation and big data analysis, then reconstructs a three-dimensional model of the user’s body to analyse potential posture problems through comparison with clinical parameters. With Dr. Body APP, the posture health management platform, users’ data is recorded online to provide personalised follow-up services, such as providing rehabilitation training guidance, and customised correction equipment to enhance the effectiveness of rectification and rehabilitation. Dr. Body aims to use advanced technology to resolve users’ body posture problems, improve overall medical efficiency, and reduce the burden on healthcare systems, for the sake of public health.
(Rex Ma’s achievement is first covered in the CUHK press release. To read the full news article, please visit: https://bit.ly/2VhLxTK)
Congratulations to Dr. Fred Ku (Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Studies; Director of Integrated BBA Programme), Prof. Darwin Choi (Department of Finance), and Dr. Ervi Liusman (School of Hotel and Tourism Management) for being awarded the CUHK Business School’s Faculty Teaching Excellence Award (FTEA) of the academic year 2018-2019, in recognition of their dedication and outstanding contribution in teaching as top educators, and promoting teaching excellence amongst faculty staff. Our sincere congratulations to their spectacular achievements!
Dr. Fred Ku also shared his thoughts on receiving FTEA, and reflected on his tenure at the School, teaching goals, and looks into the future:
I am deeply honoured to receive the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award 2018 – 19.
The year 2019 has been a special year for me – I officially started my career at CUHK Business School in 2009, meaning that 2019 was my 10th year here. I cannot believe that I have already spent more than ¼ of my life here! To be a university teacher has always been my dream since I was an undergraduate student, and it’s literally a dream come true for me. Even more fortunate, I have been surrounded by colleagues who care about our students and commits to teaching excellence. This culture of delivering the best education is one of the several things that make our School unique.
Being the director of the Integrated BBA Programme and Assistant Dean (Undergraduate Studies) meant that I have an opportunity to exert positive impacts outside of the classroom. I have the chance to talk to more students, and I enjoy interacting with them. It’s the personal touch between teachers and students that matters.
We are probably facing one of the most challenging years, and online teaching and learning have been tough for both teachers and students. I have heard both good and bad words from colleagues and students. Nonetheless, I think it’s something that we need to live with and embrace – as virtual collaboration is becoming more and more important, we all have to learn how to make remote work more efficient and effective. It is also a good opportunity for us, as educators, to reflect on ourselves. What kind of teacher am I? What learning experience do I want to deliver to my students? Can I facilitate my students learning effectively in an online setting? What can I bring to my virtual classroom to enhance student’s learning? I have been constantly searching for answers to these questions.
All in all, I believe that FTEA is an encouragement and a reminder for us to keep striving for excellence.
Home > News and Events > IBBA Student Shines at Credit Suisse Media Conference at the 2020 World Economic Forum
IBBA Student Shines at Credit Suisse Media Conference at the 2020 World Economic Forum
On 21 Jan, Integrated BBA student Gao Minye (year 4) was invited as a guest speaker during the Credit Suisse Media Conference at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to deliver his winning pension strategy from the CSRI Academy Challenge 2019.
One month prior to the Credit Suisse Media Conference, Minye was crowned as the top winner in the Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI) Academy Challenge, which he crafted an outstanding solution by demonstrating a firm understanding of the market demand on pension products. As the competition’s top winner, Minye earned an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2020 World Economic Forum, where he showcased his recommended strategy during the Credit Suisse Media Conference.
The CSRI Academy Challenge is an annual competition with a focus on topics that will shape the financial industry’s future. Each year, the competition draws hundreds of bright-minded students from top institutions around the world to compete against each other.
In January 2020, I took a trip to Switzerland to attend the media conference held by Credit Suisse during the 2020 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. It was quite an unforgettable experience.
Entrance of Davos
It all started in late 2019 when I took part in the Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI) Academy Challenge. The competition focused on the pension crisis faced by a specific region, and by researching and analyzing market data, to propose potential recommendations to secure pension for 50 more years. By winning the competition, I earned an all-expenses-paid trip to the Credit Suisse Event at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where I was invited to give a presentation at the Credit Suisse Media Conference on 21 Jan.
The media conference was attended by 27 media outlets from all over the world. During the conference, Credit Suisse released their latest research outcomes on the global pension trends, and my presentation was right after the Credit Suisse specialists. I got the chance to meet with Credit Suisse’s Global Chief Economist and other specialists in the finance industry. It was my first time to attend a media conference of this scale, fortunately, I performed well and the event went smoothly.
The inside look of the conference room
The World Economic Forum was made up of an Open Forum, and individual venues for large companies. Due to strict security measures, I was unable to meet some of the big names like President Trump and the Climate Activist. So after the conference, I took the opportunity and stayed at Davos for a short visit.
President Trump was making a speech
Davos is a great place to ski. Even during the WEF period, there were lots of people here skiing. I had never seen so much snow before and planned to go skiing there next time.
Minge at the Davos ski resort
I travelled back to Zurich that evening. As I had a full day of free time the next day, I took a city tour around Zurich. Zurich is an ancient city with lots of historic structures. I went to some main landmarks and had a wonderful time there.
The panorama of Zurich
Home > News and Events > Staying Ahead of the Curve: A Recollection of the Biggest Lessons Learned in Japan
Many of my friends chose to go to America or Europe for exchange, but in my case, I was eager to polish my Japanese and to learn more about the Japanese culture, so I decided to take a year-long exchange at Keio University, Tokyo. During my stay, I took various classes, including business, Japanese history, and Japanese economics, which enabled me to understand the country from multiple perspectives. Learning the difference in business environments and social culture between Hong Kong and Japan was interesting. For example, application of the same marketing theory in Japan could be thoroughly different from Hong Kong, due to the contrasts in social norm and consumer behaviour.
Other than studying, I also took part in various extra-curricular activities, such as visiting the ANA aircraft maintenance center at Haneda Airport. It was amazing to see how the highly disciplined staff conduct their daily maintenance schedule and how they uphold their highest safety standard. During my leisure time, I travelled around Japan to explore the beautiful landscape, discovered delicious local cuisine, and appreciated the rich Japanese culture by attending different kinds of festivals. Moreover, I was lucky to participate in the celebrations of the change of era name from ‘Heisei’ to ‘Reiwa’.
An interesting part of my exchange experience was doing a part-time job. Depending on your Japanese language skill, a wide range of part-time jobs was available for students. While applying and preparing myself for the job, I asked the locals about the job interview etiquette and was fascinated to learn that all candidates are required to dress in the same way – a standard black suit with a black carrying bag. It was then I realised Japan is a more collectivistic society than Hong Kong. As I began working as a customer service agent, my first challenge was to learn the Japanese way of greeting customers, including using the polite form in Japanese. I also had to get accustomed to the unique work culture, such as bowing when I entered and exit my working area.
Another unforgettable experience was visiting the Fukushima area, which was struck by the nuclear disaster during the earthquake on 11 March 2011. As a first-time ghost town visitor, I was taken aback by the eerie silence and slights of damaged properties and debris on the ground. Trees were chopped down to prevent the spreading of radioactive materials, with contaminated soils were dug up and piled alongside main roads, covered only by green plastic sheets. It was touching to see residents making an effort on rebuilding their home by introducing tourism and agriculture back into the area, despite the clean-up work still in progress. I also had the chance to meet with the project lead of a stress relief fund whose primary goal was to achieve local sustainable recovery by assisting farmers in the local area to produce new products and introduce them to the market. Witnessing the project in action, I have learnt a valuable lesson in exercising corporate social responsibility, product development, and marketing in Japan.
Going on exchange is a fun experience, you would make friends from all over the world, gain an in-depth understanding of the local culture and society, and make unexpected and yet surprising discoveries. If you have the opportunity to apply for academic exchange during your study in CUHK, do take this valuable chance to create your own unforgettable experience.
