CUBA

Undergraduate Office (UGO) Monthly Announcement – April Issue

Recent Events:

(A)

Admissions & Promotions

CUBA Admits 30% of Outstanding Secondary 6 Students Territory-wide under EAS, the First Faculty in Hong Kong to Admit More than 100 EAS Students

CUBA admitted a total of 112 students through the Early Admissions Scheme this year, making CUBA to become the first faculty among universities in Hong Kong to admit more than 100 EAS students. This figure represented the largest number of EAS student admission made by CUBA since the launch of EAS in 2002 and reflected the popularity of CUBA among EAS students. The Faculty’s EAS admission also accounted for nearly 30% of the total number of EAS applicants (422), and for 52% among the 215 students who were admitted by all business-related programmes in Hong Kong.

Global Business Studies admitted four out of the nine EAS applicants who got 10 A’s in the HKCEE, representing the largest number of 10-A’s students being admitted among all programmes in Hong Kong. The average HKCEE results of the students admitted by the programme was 9.2 A’s, which was also the best average HKCEE result among all programmes.

In addition, CUBA admitted 15 students who obtained 9 A’s in the HKCEE. Among the top 50 students participating in the EAS who got 10 A’s or 9 A’s, 19 were admitted by CUBA, accounting for around 40% of the whole group.

Admissions & Promotions to Secondary Schools / Institutions in April 2008

Date	School	Speaker
10 April	Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School	Mr Jimmy Chiu Department of Management
25 April	St Stephen’s Girls’ School	Prof. Raymond So Department of Finance

Prof. Raymond So (left) delivered an admission talk at St Stephen’s Girls’ School.

(B)

Student Enrichment Activities

CUBA Undergraduate “Heart to Heart Talk” on 26 March 2008

Guest speaker: Dr William Ho Shiu Wei, JP, (何兆煒醫生) Chief Executive of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Venue: LT4, Wong Foon Yuan Building, Chung Chi College, CUHK Campus
Topic: Leadership in Crisis

We had the honour to have Dr William Ho as a guest speaker to deliver a talk on “Leadership in Crisis”. Dr Ho shared with CUBA students and CUHK alumni on the qualities that leaders should possess during crises and illustrated the application of leadership skills by using real-life examples. The participants found the talk very inspiring and fruitful.

Jessica Cheung Chung Yan, a Professional Accountancy Year 1 student, shares her thoughts on the talk:

"‘Great leaders appear when a mission fails.’ Dr William Ho explained this seemingly contradictory statement in the talk ‘Leadership in Crisis’. He pointed out that risks arise when a mission does not go smoothly and this creates opportunities for leaders to shine as they need to demonstrate their leadership skills in critical situations. Preparedness and maintaining morale in a team is the key to successful risk management.

I was truly blessed to be invited to the talk and a dinner with Dr Ho and Prof. Andrew C.F. Chan. Not only did Dr Ho talk about the importance of preparedness, but he himself also demonstrated his thorough preparation for the sharing. I am also much impressed by the relaxing yet inspirational sharing of Dr Ho and Prof. Chan about their school days and work experiences during the dinner. Their experiences revealed that their achievements were the result of a lot of hard work.

The ‘Heart to Heart Talk’ series offers students a chance to better equip themselves. I would like to express my gratitude to CUBA for organizing such a meaningful and fruitful event.”

Dr William Ho delivered a talk on “Leadership in Crisis”.

Prof. Andrew C.F. Chan, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) of CUBA, presented a souvenir to Dr William Ho.

Student’s Participation in Live Radio Broadcast “New Thinking in Management”

Ms Winnie Sze, Global Business Studies Year 3 student, participated in the recent episode of “New Thinking in Management”. This episode’s speaker was Mr Frederick Ma, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (商務及經濟發展局局長馬時亨先生).

From left: Ms Winnie Sze; Mr Frederick Ma; Prof. Andrew C.F. Chan

Winnie talks about her experience:

“I am very grateful to have this precious opportunity to meet Mr Frederick Ma. I have gained a lot through the interesting conversations between Mr Ma and Prof. Andrew C. F. Chan. As the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Ma shared with the audience about being a successful leader in Hong Kong. With his comprehensive expertise in banking and several commercial sectors, Mr Ma has served the government with his experience and charisma for nearly six years. Working in the HKSAR government is doubtless a challenging task. Mr Ma talked about how to stand out among the crowd — work hard to exceed expectations. He also stressed the importance of integrity, responsibility, and humbleness.

With over 30 years of experience, Mr Ma has worked for both private firms and the HKSAR government. I asked him what else he would like to pursue in the future. He responded by saying that he would like to study subjects that he did not have chance to explore before, such as science and film appreciation. He also recommended that we watch a movie entitled “Life is Beautiful”. As a graduate this year, Mr Ma reminded me about the beauty of life-long education.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Gigi of the EMBA Programme and Melina of the Undergraduate Office for their efforts in coordinating the event. My heartfelt gratitude goes to Prof. Andrew C.F. Chan for his unfailing guidance and support.”

Leung Hoi Yan, BBA-JD Year 1 student, met Mr Henry Fan, Managing Director of Citic Pacific (中信泰富董事總經理范鴻齡先生), on 17 April 2008.

left: Prof. Andrew C.F. Chan, Mr Henry Fan and Ms Leung Ho Yan

Graduation Ceremony of Citibank University Banking Course

Date: 22 April 2008
Time: 12:00noon – 1:00pm
Venue: UC Staff Common Room, 3/F, Cheung Chuk Shan Amenities Building, United College, CUHK Campus

The Graduation Ceremony of the Citibank University Banking Course was held on 22 April 2008 to mark the successful completion of the Banking Course 2007-08. Following the well-structured intensive lectures, four out of 45 student participants were selected and awarded with the “Outstanding Achievement Awards” in recognition of their outstanding performances throughout the whole study period. The recipients of the Awards were Mr Lee Chi Chung (Integrated BBA, Year 2), Ms Sun Beibei (Insurance, Financial and Actuarial Analysis, Year 2), Mr Wong Chi Wah (Integrated BBA, Year 2), and Ms Yeung Man Yee (Quantitative Finance, Year 2). The four students selected will be able to participate in study trips to Shanghai and Singapore this summer.

Four students were awarded the “Outstanding Achievement Award” based on their class participation, attendance, results of their mid-term tests and final projects. From left: Ms Yeung Man Yee, Ms Sun Beibei, Prof. Liu Pak Wai, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, Mr Weber Lo, Chief Executive Officer & Country Business Manager, Citibank Global Consumer Group, Mr Wong Chi Wah and Mr Lee Chi Chung.

Student representatives of CUHK Faculty of Business Administration presented a thank you card to Mr Weber Lo, Chief Executive Officer & Country Business Manager, Citibank Global Consumer Group (middle). Second from left was Prof. Liu Pak Wai, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of CUHK. In order to express their heartfelt gratitude to Citibank, a student produced a special couplet to thank Citibank for its kind offer of this unique learning opportunity which was definitely an asset to the students’ future career development.

Elite Mentorship Programme

Ms May Yau, Quantitative Finance Year 2 student, met with her elite mentor Ms Lina Yan in April. Below is May’s reflection after the meeting:

“What can we get from a mentorship programme? What should a good mentor be like? An encyclopedia that gives every solution to your problems, or a map that marks every path you should follow in the future? Before I joined the Elite Mentorship Programme of CUBA, I had no idea about the exact answer to these questions.

In the Elite Mentorship Programme, all members are assigned a mentor who has demonstrated excellent performance in the business field or a related area, and I am very lucky to became a mentee of Ms Lina Yan, a member of the CUHK Convocation and Council.

Ms Yan is a really enthusiastic and helpful mentor. The topics we’ve discussed involve many aspects in daily life, including tips to improve my resume and cover letter from the employer’s point of view, how to have a positive attitude when facing the challenges and difficulties, and things one should notice when making a plan. Before, I always thought business as simply about making profits. It is Ms Yan that demonstrated to me how business is keeping a city like Hong Kong active and attractive, which shows the responsibility that a business person should have. All her advice has enlightened me and has been of great help to me.

Now back to the original question. What should a good mentor be like? Instead of an encyclopedia or a map, a good mentor should be your honourable friend, who shares his/her valuable past experiences with you and gives you advice. That person will never make decisions for you. Instead, he/she helps you understand the choices in front of you and even yourself better.”

Ms May Yau (left) and her mentor, Ms Lina Yan (right).

Articles in the Hong Kong Economic Journal (信報)

An inspiring talk delivered by Dr John Yeung (楊顯中博士), OBE, JP, Managing Director of The Cross-Harbour (Holdings) Limited, during the CUBA Academic Cup was published in the Hong Kong Economic Journal. Dr Yeung shared his insights into social enterprise and entrepreneurship. (please click here for the article)

Two CUBA students, Mr Jacky Lui (Global Business Studies Year 3) and Mr Fergus Chan (Professional Accountancy Year 4) participated in the recent episodes of “New Thinking in Management”. The summary of their discussions with the guest speakers were also published in Hong Kong Economic Journal in April. (please click here for article ‘IT Life” and here for article “Reading and Management).

(C)

Advisory Board on Undergraduate Studies in Business

First Meeting of the Advisory Board on Undergraduate Studies in Business

Date: 17 April 2008
Time: 12:45pm – 2:00pm
Venue: Restaurant in JW Marriot

CUBA is committed to providing quality business education to students in Hong Kong and throughout the region. With the changing business environment and the new academic curriculum in 2012-13, CUBA would like to take this opportunity to further enhance its undergraduate business education to achieve the learning outcomes expected by the students, the University and society. In addition, CUBA also puts great emphasis on this learning enhancement process in regards to students’ educational needs and the qualities graduates are expected to possess by society.

Bearing the above objectives in mind, CUBA set up an Advisory Board on Undergraduate Studies in Business in 2007-08 with an aim to solicit and consolidate professional views from the business sector and society, thereby formulating strategies to enhance our business education. The Advisory Board was composed of the following members:

Ms Leonie Ki, JP, (紀文鳳女士) Managing Director, New World China Enterprises Projects, Ltd. (Convener of the Advisory Board)
Prof. Linus Cheung, JP, (張永霖教授) Chairman, Board of Directors, HKU School of Professional and Continuing Studies
Dr William Ho Shiu Wei, JP, (何兆煒醫生) Chief Executive of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals
Mr Paul Kan, CBE, JP, (簡文樂先生) Founder and Chairman, Champion Technology Holdings Ltd.
Mr Dick Lee, GBS, (李明逵先生) Former Commissioner of Police
Dr John Yeung, OBE, JP, (楊顯中博士) Managing Director of The Cross-Harbour (Holdings) Limited
Mr Chan Wai-lun, President, BASO (Student representative of CUBA)

Secretary:
Prof. Andrew C.F. Chan, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) of CUBA

From left: Mr Paul Kan; Prof. Andrew C.F. Chan; Mr Chan Wai-lun; Ms Leonie Ki; Dr John Yeung

II.

Upcoming Events:

(A)

Student Enrichment Activities

Summer Internship

In order to equip students with the necessary skills and enable them to get connected with the real business world, we organize a summer internship programme each year. Participating students will be affiliated with companies in a wide range of industries including investment banking, commercial banking, marketing, consultancy, human resources management, and FMCG.

Study Abroad Programme

Each year, the Study Abroad Programme is arranged for students to offer them a chance to understand the business environment and culture of countries or cities outside Hong Kong.

III.

Student Achievements:

Reaching the World

Date: 13 May 2008 (tentative)
Venue: University Guesthouse

This activity is arranged in an effort to establish a connection between our business students and society’s business leaders. Several leaders will be invited to visit our campus and share their valuable experiences, practical knowledge and inspiring ideas with a group of selected business undergraduate students.

Field Trip to Singapore for Global Business Studies Students

Date: 10 to 14 May 2008
Location: Singapore

A group of 15 Year 1 Global Business Studies, led by Prof. Gordon Cheung (Programme Director of Global Business Studies), will visit various companies in Singapore in mid-May. This field trip will allow the students to probe the business strategies adopted by companies and reinforce their business knowledge learnt in the classroom.

Study Abroad Programme

Date: 19 to 23 May 2008
Location: Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo

Date: 20 to 22 May 2008
Location: Pearl River Delta

Each year, the Study Abroad Programme is arranged for students to offer them a chance to understand the business environment and culture of countries/cities outside Hong Kong. Four groups of students will travel to designated countries/cities in May and explore the management philosophies and operations of select companies and organizations there. The students can also use this valuable chance to find out the similarities and differences in culture between Hong Kong and outside locations.