Newsletter No. 80

2 No. 80 19th December 1995 CUHK Newsletter APIB Where Executives are Students Again 'Everybody who has shaken my hand has ended up coming here. ... We always win every competition for c l i ent s , ' says Prof Leslie Young, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Business (APIB) and professor of finance at the Faculty of Business Administration, A graduate of the Diploma Course in Business Communication (left) receiving his diploma from Prof. Leslie Young (right). In the context of explaining to the CUHK Newsletter the activities and achievements o f AP I B, in particular the visitation programmes it organizes for educational institutions all over the world, Prof. Young goes on to joke that there are so many prospective clients that he has to 'price them out' in order to take on only as many as can be accommodated. APIB was established, with some initial funding by the University, in February 1990. From 1993, it has been financially self-supporting: salaries of all administrative staffare covered by income generated from its many fee- charging activities. It has also established a strong reputation for itself as one of the leading organizers of management training programmes for administrators and managers at various levels. Visitation Programmes Extremely Popular The visitation programmes normally range in duration from 3 to 12 days with their themes invariably centred around doing business in Hong Kong and China. While dwelling on the success of these programmes, Prof. Young acknowledges the importance o f being strategically located. 'Worldwide interest in Hong Kong as the business gateway to China plus The Chinese University's long-standing connections in Hong Kong and China provide AP IB an edge in hosting these programmes ,' he says. The first visitation programme was organized for the Executive MBA students of the University of Pittsburgh. It was so well received that it is now repeated each year. The programme comprises four days of presentations by CUHK faculty members, business leaders, and senior government officers on doing business in Hong Kong and China. APIB has subsequently organized similar courses for the College of William and Mary and the University of Southern California, and now the University of California at Irvine, the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration at Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), the Executive MBA Programme of Stellenbosch University (South Africa), and the Global Executive Programme of Duke University (whose business school ranks amongst the top 10 in the world). For the G l o b al E x e c u t i ve P r o g r am o f D u k e University, for instance, which was held last October, the students included relatively senior executives of American, European, and Russian companies. They were taken to Beijing, Shanghai, and Tokyo from Hong Kong and were exposed to talks by senior Chinese officials and academics including Prof. Young himself and the president of one of the universities in Shanghai. In Shanghai, visits to the Xerox and the Volkswagen plants, and market surveys and feasibility studies vis-a-vis the setting up o f offices in Beijing, were a part o f the practical experience that those attending the course found to be invaluable. Prof. Young believes that the world economy being what it is, no corporation today can claim to be global unless it has business operations in the most vital and fast-growing of all markets 一 China. APIB provides executive education for capable corporate leaders and helps managers think globally. That APIB training programmes are of top quality is proven by the fact that clients keep returning annually for the same services. The institute is currently devising ways to ensure that the University's Business Administration students also benefit from these visitation programmes. Dr. Japhet Law, associate dean of business administration and the first executive director of APIB, w i ll look after the University of South California programme and will invite some CUHK students also to attend it. This, it is hoped, will set the trend for fruitful interaction between CUHK students and those of other universities. Diploma Courses a Major Source of Revenue In addition to the high profile training programmes, APIB currently organizes eight general diploma courses jointly with the Faculty of Business Administration, and three specialized diploma courses on its own or with partners. While most of the teaching staff for these are from the Faculty of Business Administration, business professionals also contribute. These diploma courses are eagerly sought after locally and generate surpluses which support faculty research. Faculty Diploma Courses No. of Students to date Business Management 117 Marketing and International Business 66 Finance 63 Accounting for Managers 61 Training Management 39 Smaller Company Management 64 Management Studies (for civil servants) 44 Management and Business for Bank Officers 26 (for Hang Seng Bank Employees) Other Diploma Courses Diploma in Business Communication 28 Diploma in Advanced Securities Market 69 Analysis with Securities Exchange Hong Kong Certificate in Marketing in China with the 58 the Hong Kong Trade Development Council In-company Programmes and Consultancy Services APIB provides in-company programmes tailor-made for individual companies. These can range in time from half a day to two weeks. Prominent clients include the Kowloon Canton Railway (KCR), Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd, the Securities and Futures Commission, and Kirin Brewery. Executive MBA students from UC Irvine visit San Miguel in Guangzhou and receive a warm welcome. Students from Chulalongkorn University attend a lecture by Mr Ian Perkins, Chief Economist of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. APIB arranges for managers from Kirin Brewery to visit a joint venture of Chongqing Jianshe and Yamaha Motors in Yunnan.