- The Hong Kong Baptist
University (HKBU) wishes to thank the UGC Review Panel for the good work it has done in
conducting the Management Review of the University, and is especially appreciative of the
effort made by the Panel to follow closely the earlier agreed approach of promoting
self-assessment and self-improvement within the University.
- The University welcomes the positive and highly encouraging tone with which the Report
of the Review has been written. It is most reassuring to note that the Panel has given
recognition to the strong sense of collegiality and the generally high morale of the staff
in the University.
- The recommendations and suggestions for improvement put forward by the Panel in this
Report are well thought out and the University has already set into motion appropriate
processes for giving serious consideration to these recommendations/suggestions with the
view to identifying prudent ways for implementing them for the good of the University.
- More specifically, initial responses are given in the ensuing paragraphs to the comments
made by the Panel under "Conclusions" at the end of each section of the Report.
- On the overall strategic plan, the University has finalized its 5-year strategic plan
with further input from Council members since the conclusion of the meetings with the
Panel in January 1999. For each of the strategic actions set out in the plan, time-lines,
performance indicators and overall responsibility have now been agreed. Efforts are being
made to circulate the plan widely within the University community with the view to sharing
strategic vision and engendering ownership of the plan. As the plan is meant to be a
"rolling plan", it will be continually kept under review and formally updated on
a yearly basis. In this review and updating process, the University will, in concurrence
with the Panel’s view, facilitate internal participation as well as capitalize on its
strong links with the community.
- The University sees the need for enhancing the integration of the overall strategic plan
with the operational plans, and accordingly accepts the Panel’s recommendation to
explore appropriate ways for achieving such enhanced integration. While the Panel’s
suggestion of allocating formal responsibility for the coordination of planning to an
office or a Vice-President will be taken up, it should be noted that as of now the
Academic Vice-President is already playing a heavy role in coordinating the strategic
planning process.
- On resource allocation, the University is fully aware of the advantages of strengthening
the link between resource allocation and the overall strategic plan and, as mentioned in
the meetings with the Panel, a review of the current resource allocation methodology has
been conducted with a view to achieving, inter alia, the objectives of
strengthening this link and making better use of shrinking resources. While the revised
methodology will be implemented in phases, the plan presented to the Panel for cost
savings across the University has been put into action in the meantime.
- Likewise, the move to a "one-line budget" system will be made in phases, while
taking heed of the reminder from the Panel that staff development activities targeted at
helping the Deans and Heads adapt to this new approach effectively must be organized. The
University confirms that, in line with one of the University’s guiding management
principles of striking a good balance between devolution and central planning, which has
won the Panel’s endorsement, the "one-line budget" will be administered at
the faculty/school level as far as academic units are concerned.
- With reference to the implementation of plans at the operational level, the University
will, as alluded to earlier, take appropriate measures to enhance the integration of these
operational plans with the overall strategic plan. In that same context, the University
accepts the Panel’s recommendation to also integrate the performance indicators in
the strategic plan into the monitoring process of these operational plans.
- As regards "roles, responsibilities and training", the University is gratified
with the findings of the Panel that the overall management structure of the University is
working effectively and that its committee structure is effective and efficient. In
agreement with the Panel’s views, the University will strengthen its commitment to
staff development and sharpen its staff appraisal processes with the view to bringing
about a continuous improvement of the quality of the University’s human resources.
- Moving on to "service delivery", the University will take into consideration
the Panel’s recommendation of devising a coherent strategic plan for the ongoing
development of the support services. Increasing importance will be attached to user
feedback in monitoring the performance of these support services, and in accord with the
Panel’s suggestion, the establishment of a regular channel for the sharing of good
practice among the offices and the staff providing such services has been incorporated as
one of the strategic actions in the overall strategic plan.
- Finally, the issue of an overarching IT strategy has been taken up by the IT Committee,
and the University will follow up the Panel’s recommendation on using the MIS as a
facilitating tool to monitor the progress towards achieving the overall strategic plan and
the operational plans of the various units.
- All in all, the University has learned a great deal from the interaction and experience
sharing with peers in the course of this Management Review. As mentioned in the
discussions with the Panel, the University has always accorded a high value to the reviews
of its work by peers, and considers rigorous peer reviews as one of the important factors
contributing to the continuous improvement of the University over the past years. This
belief has once again been borne out by this UGC-initiated Management Review, and the
University is most pleased with its positive outcome.
Hong Kong Baptist University
June 1999
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