• 2009 IIBD & LEWI International Conference on Chinatowns and Beyond
• Forum on "China's 30 Years of Reform: The Way Forward and Hong Kong's Role"
• 2008 IIBD & LEWI International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• CABC Forum 2008 - Business & Investment Opportunities in Africa
• Seminars on "Tibet Experience"
• Forum on "Investment in China and Africa: The Role of Hong Kong"
• Seminar on "Economic Development and Higher Education in Arkansas, U.S.A"
• International Workshop on "Higher Education East and West: Cooperation and Competition
• The 14th International Employment Relations Association Conference Family- friendly Employment Policies and Practices: An East-West Perspective on Work-life Balance
• International Conference on "Migrations Between East and West: Normalizing the Periphery
• International Conference on "East-West Identities: Globalisation, Localisation, and Hybridisation
• International Workshop on "East-West Studies

2009 IIBD & LEWI International Conference on Chinatown and Beyond

David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies (LEWI), Wing Lung Bank International Institute for Business Development (IIBD), and Hong Kong Baptist University (HKUB), in association with Simon Fraser University, announce an interdisciplinary conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

CHINATOWN AND BEYOND An interdisciplinary examination of the historical development, global significance, key characteristics, evolution and future of the world’s “Chinatowns”.  A Chinatown is both a demographic entity of cultural insularity outside of greater China and a psychological phenomenon. This interdisciplinary conference aims to examine Chinatowns as working communities that have often emerged in urban areas where mutual benevolence in the face of poverty, racism and loneliness created social cohesion and subsequently a broad array of distinctive economic, social and cultural activities along with a unique infrastructure.

The two-day conference will begin with a plenary presentation on the evening of 13 May, by globally recognized architect Dr. Bing Thom followed by a gala reception.  The working portion of the conference will take place on 14-15 May and will be situated at Simon Fraser University’s Vancouver campus, mere steps from Vancouver’s Chinatown.  Keynote addresses will examine unique identifiers of Chinatown including history, architecture, business and benevolent associations and societies, cultural activities and other characteristics idiosyncratic to the genre. 

Papers are invited on all possible aspects of Chinatown in addition to comparative analyses of ethno-cultural enclaves such as “Little Italy” and other relevant entities.  The Program Committee will strive to cluster keynotes and plenary sessions with relevant submitted papers.  The committee welcomes previously unpublished materials, particularly but not solely those of an interdisciplinary nature as the conference itself will provide an interdisciplinary venue.  Papers from academics, graduate students and relevant professional communities are welcome.

More details about the conference are available at the website:  http://www.sfu.ca/chinatown/. _________________________________________________________________

Forum on "China's 30 Years of Reform: The Way Forword and Hong Kong's Role"

Co-organized by World Trade Centers Association (Hong Kong) & School of Business, Hong Kong Baptist University, the Forum on "China's 30 Years of Reform: The Way Forward and Hong Kong's Role", was held on 10 December 2008 at the Council Chamber of Hong Kong Baptist University to celebrate China's 30 years of reform and Open Door Policy. It was our honour to have the following speakers and officiating guests at the Forum:

Prof. Ng Ching-Fai, GBS
Member of the National People's Congress, and;
President & Vice-Chancellor of Hong Kong Baptist University

Mr. John Tsang Chun-Wah, JP
Financial Secretary, HKSAR Government

Sir David Akers-Jones, KBE, CMG, GBM, JP
Honorary Chair of Hong Kong East-West Connect Foundation

Mr. Oltmann G. Siemens
Co-Chairman, Advisory Board, First Trust Portfolios LP, Wheaton, Illinois, USA, and Senior Advisor, Oxford Analytica, Oxford, United Kingdom; former World Bank Group Representative in Germany and Special Representative in Europe, International Finance Corporation, World Bank Grou

Prof. Fred Dubee
Senior Advisor of United Nations Global Compact

Dr. Ronald Wong, DCL
On behalf of JV "001": Beijing Air Catering Limited

The Forum was honored to have in attendance Consul-Generals and Consul-Generals’ representatives of Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Poland, South Korea, United Kingdom, Vietnam, and 70 guests from different parties. Forum participants had the opportunity to engage in dialogue with the speakers and to give comments during the Forum.

More information on the Forum can be found on the website at http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~iibd/forum/forum.htm.

　

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2008 IIBD & LEWI International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship

IIBD, David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies (LEWI), and School of Business of HKBU organised an international conference on innovation and entrepreneurship held on 12 & 13 November 2008 at HKBU.

Under the broad theme of innovation and entrepreneurship, the Conference covered the following topics:

•  Entrepreneurial Environment

•  Entrepreneurial Orientation

•  Entrepreneurial Education

•  Innovation

•  Entrepreneurship in China

•  Social Entrepreneurship in Hong Kong

•  Corporate Entrepreneurship

The Conference included a keynote speech entitled “Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation” by Professor David Kirby, Vodafone Chair of Business Administration & Founding Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration, Economics and Political Science, the British University in Egypt, two workshops and seven parallel paper sessions.  Apart from academic papers presentation, the Conference also included a forum on “Social Entrepreneurship in Hong Kong” where delegates have the opportunity to engage in dialogue with entrepreneurs and corporate executives from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Thailand and other countries.

Around 100 scholars and specialists from North America, Colombia, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Mainland China and Hong Kong attended the Conference.

More details about the Conference are available at the website: http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~iibd/IEW2008/. _________________________________________________________________

CABC Forum 2008 - Business & Investment Opportunities in Africa

For the second time since its establishment in April 2007, the Hong Kong Chapter of China-Africa Business Council (CABC (HK)) organised the Forum on "Business and Investment Opportunities in Africa" on 27 June 2008 at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU).  The Forum aimed at providing the updated information of the newly developed market in Africa for businessmen in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Mr. Joseph LAI, JP, Director-General to Trade and Industry, Trade and Industry Department of HASAR Government was invited to be the officiating guest and delivered the opening remarks for the Forum.  The Honourable Maurice Strong, Former Under Secretary General of the United Nations, shared his timely and meaningful message with regard to social responsibility and accountability in his keynote speech on "China-Africa: Opportunities and Responsibilities".  In order to provide first-hand information on the investment opportunities in Africa, Ir. Cammy Chan, JP, Mr. David Wai and Ms. Justina Wu, who have traveled to or invested in Africa, were invited to share their ideas in the panel discussion session.

Over 60 participants from different organizations, companies as well as representatives from different countries attended the Forum and they got a lot of useful information on doing business in Africa.

The Institute of Enterprise Development (IED), School of Business, HKBU and IIBD will continue to serve as the Secretariat of CABC (HK) which aims at providing a platform to strengthen business ties between China, Hong Kong and Africa to meet the challenges and keen competition in the global market.

For details, please visit the website of CABC (HK) at  http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~cabc.

　

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Seminars on "Tibet Experience"

With the assistance of the China Tibetan Children Health and Education Fund Limited, IIBD held two seminars on “Tibet Experience” in September 2007 at HKBU:

1.   “Being blind without being disabled in Tibet” (5 September 2007)

Ms. Sabriye Tenberken and Mr. Paul Kronenberg, Co-founders of Braille Without Borders was invited to share their experiences of “Being blind without being disabled in Tibet” with our 60 students and faculty/staff in the seminar.  Sabriye is a young blind lady who brought hope to the blind children of Tibet.  She raised money from her home town – Germany and the rest of Europe and set up a training center for the blind in Tibet which was officially accepted by the Tibetan Government and in cooperation with the Tibetan Disable Persons Federation.  Their presentation was very inspiring and touching.

 2.    “From Dreaming Spires to Rooftop of the World” (21 September 2007)

The seminar was delivered by Ms. Brenda Li, Graduate student in “Tibetan and Himalayan Studies”, Oriental Institute, University of Oxford, UK.  Brenda shared her experience of studying Tibetoloty in Oxford and staying in Lhasa, Tibet with our 60 local and overseas students and provided an overall picture of Tibetan life, such as their culture, food, language and religion.  Feedbacks were very positive from the participants, who found the seminar very informative, interesting and stimulating.

　

　

Seminar on "Economic Development and Higher Education in Arkansas, U.S.A"

　

With the assistance of the Hong Kong East-West Connect Foundation, IIBD held a 2-part seminar on 22 January 2007 at HKBU:

1. “The Economic Development of Arkansas State Before and After the Clinton   Administration”, delivered by Dr. Walter Nunn, Director of Arkansas International Center, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, USA;

2. “The Impact of Globalization on Internationalization of Higher Education”, presented by Prof. Takeo Suzuki, Assistant Provost for International Program Development, University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, USA. Prof. Suzuki also shared with the audience the living and learning experience of UA Fort Smith.

Around 30 people participated in the seminar, including faculty members, MBA students, as well as representatives from the Hong Kong East-West Connect Foundation.  Feedbacks were very positive from the participants, who found the seminar very informative, interesting and stimulating.

　

International Workshop on "Higher Education East and West: Cooperation and Competition

The International Workshop on “Higher Education East and West: Cooperation and Competition” was jointly organised by LEWI and IIBD. It focused on how globalisation and internationalisation affect universities in the East and the West and the strategies universities have developed to manage these global challenges.
The Workshop, held on 5 October 2006 at HKBU, aimed to discuss the following issues with university administrators, academics and students and to identify future trends and ways to overcome obstacles to further promote international exchange and cooperation:

• The consequences of increased competition and commercialization of higher education for universities in the East and the West
• Strategies of competition versus strategies of cooperation
• Possibilities of cooperation between universities
• Experiences of collaboration between universities in different international consortia, for example, LEWI, IIBD and Universitas 21

• How does international exchange affect integration of higher education in different regions (e.g., adaptation of educational structure, recognition of studies, credits, etc)?
• Language barriers: internationalization in the form of student and teacher exchange, joint curriculum development, assessment and examination of international students and accreditation of studies abroad requiring the use of a common language

In the Workshop, Dr. Jane Knight from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at University of Toronto, Canada, delivered the keynote speech entitled “Internationalisation in the 21st Century: Evolution or Revolution?” Dr. Knight discussed whether the transformation brought about by globalisation on internationalisation is part of an evolutionary or revolutionary process, and what the major benefits and risks are. There were also two plenary sessions, chaired by Dr. Kjell Nilsson, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, President, Ateneo de Manila University. The analysis of a global survey was also presented at the Workshop.

Over fifty people participated in the Workshop. Twenty members of LEWI and IIBD had attended the Workshop. Participants also include academics and administrators from local tertiary institutions.

For details, please visit http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~lewi/images/conference/highereducation.html.

The 14th International Employment Relations Association Conference Family- friendly Employment Policies and Practices: An East-West Perspective on Work-life Balance

The 14th International Employment Relations Association Conference on "Family-friendly Employment Policies and Practices: An East-West Perspective on Work-life Balance" was organised by IIBD with the Hong Kong People Management Association and the International Employment Relations Association.

The conference ran from 19 – 23 June 2006, was a very successful event attended by over 150 experts, scholars and practitioners from 12 countries and regions, such as, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Mauritius, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, the UK, and the USA. It provided an excellent opportunity for scholars and practitioners around the world to share views and experience and to discuss ideas and issues related to family-friendly employment policies and practices. A total of 54 papers were selected for presentation.

The conference was opened by Prof. Ng Ching-fai, GBS, President and Vice-Chancellor, Hong Kong Baptist University; and Mr. Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, JP, Permanent Secretary for Economic Development and Labour (Labour), HKSAR Government.

Mr. Raymond Tang, chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission, gave a speech at luncheon on the opening day of the conference. This was followed by two practitioner forum sessions. Panelists included: Dr. Ferrick Chu, Head of Policy & Research, Equal Opportunities Commission; Ms. Christine Fang, Chief Executive, The Hong Kong Council of Social Service; Mr. Lai Kam-tong, President, Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management; Mr. Peter Yeung, Vice-chairman, Hong Kong Employment Development Service; Mr. Eddie Ng, Head of HR, Asia, Macquarie Securities Limited; Ms. Gloria Siu, Director & General Manager, Gain Miles Group; Dr. Felix Yip, Vice President – HR, Admin & Audit, Hong Kong Cable Television Limited; and Mr. Thomas Yuen, Executive Director – Human Resources, Aon Hong Kong Limited.

Apart from presentation of papers by scholars, other major sessions included Pre-conference Doctoral Workshop facilitated by Prof. Janet Druker, senior pro-vice chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University, and the Meet the Editor session chaired by Prof. Yehuda Baruch, editor of Career Development International.

A study tour to Zhuhai, China was organised for conference participants on 23 June 2006. They visited Pulse Component Ltd. and Zhuhai campus of the United International College of Hong Kong Baptist University. They had opportunities to meet with local human resources managers and executives in sharing current human resources practices and issues of company’s operations in mainland China.

More details about the conference are available at the website: http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~iera2006.

International Conference on "Migrations Between East and West: Normalizing the Periphery

The International Conference on “Migrations between East and West: Normalising the Periphery” was jointly organised by IIBD and LEWI of Hong Kong Baptist University. The conference was supported by Universiteit van Amsterdam and Xiamen University.

The first part of the conference was held from 2 – 5 April 2006 at Xiamen, China. This was a conventional scholarly event dealing with theoretical, empirical and policy issues about migration. A total of 26 papers were selected for presentation.

The second part of the conference was an open forum on "Migrants in Hong Kong: Experiences, Problems and Responses", held at HKBU on 6 April 2006. More than 100 academics, guests, students and alumni attended the open forum at which experts discussed the problems faced by migrants in Hong Kong and what practical steps can be taken in response. Speakers included Mr. Alejandrino A. Vicente, Consul General of the Philippines in Hong Kong, Mr. Stephen Yau, Chief Executive, International Social Service Hong Kong Branch, as well as human resources managers, social workers and NGO workers. The speakers expressed their views on the problems faced by immigrants, expatriates and migrant workers and gave practical advice on how to tackle such issues. Their expert understanding of this topic and their expertise in social science provided valuable material for planners of population policies.

For details, please visit http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~lewi/images/conference/migrants.html.

International Conference on "East-West Identities: Globalisation, Localisation, and Hybridisation

The International Conference on “East-West Identities: Globalisation, Localisation, and Hybridisation”, jointly organised by IIBD and LEWI, was held from 26-27 February 2004 at Hong Kong Baptist University. About 70 participants from more than 15 countries such as USA, Canada, Australia, UK, the Philippines, the Netherlands, China and Hong Kong attended this Conference. The Conference aimed to: (1) further the comparative understanding of how evolving and hybridising identities are articulated, expressed and shared through various media in Asia and in the West; (2) ascertain the extent of “internationalisation” of individual, group and national identities; and (3) examine how foreign goods, ideas, and self-concepts are “localised” when they take root in soil far from their origins. It aspired to re-think mix of old and new ideas in social theory.

This two-day Conference was intended to be interdisciplinary in both form and content. Participants presented papers at the Conference on the following 12 panel topics:

• Whither Hong Kong Identity?
• Cross-cultural Encounters in Global Business
• Mediating East-West Differences through Education
• Writing China: East-West Perspectives
• Cinema Now and Then, Here and There
• Migration and Mobile Identities
• Identity Formation and the Internet
• Local Reading of Images of Global Popular Culture
• Global Business Practices and Strategies
•  Hybridisation in Language and Religion
•  Glocal Popular Culture
•  Beyond Globalisation: New Perspectives on Identities

Prof. Ng Ching Fai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU, officiated at the Opening Ceremony. A keynote speech and presentation was delivered by Mr. Henry Steiner, Managing Director of Steiner&Co. Prof. Zhang Longxi, Chair Professor of Department of Comparative Literature and Translation of City University of Hong Kong, Prof. Chung Ling, Dean of Arts, and Prof. Georgette Wang, Dean of Communication of HKBU were speakers of the plenary session on “Globalisation, Localisation and Hybridisation: Currents and Countercurrents”. Twelve concurrent sessions of paper presentations on various topics were scheduled and a roundtable discussion was held at the end of Day 2. A Conference Proceedings (in CD format) was published and selected papers from the Conference will also be published in an edited volume after the Conference.

Please visit http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~iibd/Conference/conf1.htm for details.

International Workshop on "East-West Studies

The International Workshop on “East-West Studies”, held on 21 November 2002 at Hong Kong Baptist University, was co-organised by IIBD and the David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies (LEWI). About seventy participants, including representatives of thirty-two member universities of the IIBD and LEWI consortia, attended the Workshop. Twelve non-member tertiary institutions from Australia, Canada, Germany, Macau, the USA and Hong Kong were also represented at the Workshop.

The one-day Workshop was officiated by Professor Herbert H. Tsang, Academic Vice President of HKBU. Dr. Charles E. Morrison, President of the East-West Centre in Honolulu, Hawaii, delivered a keynote address on “Globalization, Terrorism and the Future of East West Studies”, followed by an East-West Centre Alumni Forum coordinated by the Hong Kong America Centre. The afternoon session included a plenary on “East-West Studies: Now and Beyond”, thematic group discussions and reports, and closing remarks by Dr. Charles E. Morrison and Professor Chan Kwok Bun.

The Plenary was chaired by Fr. B.F., Nebres, S.J., President of Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines. Speakers at the plenary were Professor Chan Kwok Bun, Director of LEWI; Dr. Vivienne Luk, Director of IIBD; Dr. David Hayward of Swinburne University of Technology, Australia; Professor Werner Meissner of the Department of Government and International Studies, HKBU; and Professor Jan Walls of Simon Fraser University, Canada. Professor Jan Walls also facilitated thematic group discussions in which participants were divided into four groups to discuss the Concepts, Forms, Problems and Solution, and Future of East-West Studies in their home institutions.

The Workshop provided an excellent opportunity for IIBD & LEWI members to conceptualise the meaning of East-West Studies and explore possible research collaboration.

For more information on the Workshop, please visit http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~iibd/Conference/workshop1.htm.