Newsletter No. 127

Wei Lun Professor Discusses Future of Marketing Research Dean of Business Administration Prof. Lee Kam-hon (left) and Prof. Paul Green (right) P rof. Paul Green, professor of marketing at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and marketing researcher of international renown, gave a lecture at the University on 5th May in his capacity as Wei Lun Visiting Professor to the University. In his lecture entitled 'Marketing Science or Marketing Engineering: What is the Future for Research in Marketing?', Prof. Green traced the development and maturation of marketing research from the late 1950s and commented on the question of relevance of academic marketing research to the needs of business students and the business community. He also predicted some future trends in marketing research and their implications for academic promotion and tenure, M BA education, and business needs. Prof. Green's research interests include quantitative methods and new m e a s u r e m e n t techniques in market analysis and consumer research. He is a recipient of the Parlin Award for the Advancement of Science in Marketing, the Paul D. Converse Award in Marketing Theory, and the Gilbert A. Churchill Jr. Award for 'lifetime achievement in marketing research'. Prof. Green's contribution to education was demonstrated in his being awarded the AMA/Irwin Marketing Education of the Year Award in 1991 and the Academy of Marketing Science Distinguished Education of the Year Award in 1992. He is a fellow of various professional bodies, including the American Statistical Association, the Decision Sciences Institute, and the Attitude Research Hall of Fame. Prof. Green also has extensive industry experience, some of which involved firms such as E.I. Dupont de Nemours and the Sun Oil Company. He has been consultant to Air Products, IBM, Squibb International, AT&T, Subaru, and other big names. SUPPORT FOR TWO RESEARCH PROJECTS T wo projects undertaken by staff of the University have received funding from local sources: Development of Indicators to Track Awareness, Attitude and Behaviours Sponsor: Council for AIDS Trust Fund Amount: HK$ 1,095,000 Investigators: Dr. Joseph Lau, Prof. S.H. Lee Development of Over-the-counter Pharmaceutical Products Based on Local Medicinal Plants Sponsor. Industrial Support Fund Amount: HK$8,128,000 Investigators: Profs. Kong Yun-cheung and Kwan Hoi-shan Medical Professor Targets Diabetes and Obesity in Inaugural Lecture U rbanization and industrialization in Asia have produced changes in lifestyles which have led to overnutrition, physical inactivity, and stress — underlying factors for a spectrum of non- communicable diseases including diabetes and obesity. At his professorial inaugural lecture entitled 'Human History, Lifestyle and Metabolic Disease 一 A Journey Through Time', Prof. Clive Cockram, professor of medicine, discussed both genetic and environmental factors underlying various metabolic diseases in the light of research data f r o m H o n g K o n g a nd examples from mainland China and the Pacific Islands. The lecture was delivered on 24th April. Prof. Cockram studied medicine at St. Thomas' Hospital Medical School, University of London, and received his MBBS in 1973. In 1979, he was awarded a fellowship to undertake research into the structure-function relationships of insulin, leading eventually to the award of doctor of medicine. He completed specialist training in internal medicine, endocrinology and diabetes mellitus in 1984. Prof. Cockram joined The Chinese University as senior lecturer in medicine in 1985, and was promoted to reader in 1991, and chair professor in 1996. He was instrumental in the establishment of a Diabetes and Endocrine Centre at the Prince of Wales Hospital, and is actively involved in the activities of the International Diabetes Federation. CUHK Invent ions Granted US Patent A new method for compressing 'loss-tolerant video image data' invented by Prof. Soung C. Liew of the Department of Information Engineering was granted US patent on 31st March 1998. The patent is the latest of the five granted to University staff so far. The following table gives details of all five patents: Inventors Patent Title Date Issued Prof. K.K. Mark Prof. Walter Ho Microbial Degradation of Indigo and Indigo Carmine with Bacteria Strain 23rd May 1995 Prof. K.K. Mark Prof. Walter Ho Degradation of Indigo and Indigo Carmine with an Enzyme Isolated from Bacteria Strain ATCC 55396 10th October 1995 Prof. K.T. Chan Optical Waveguide Employing Modified Gallium Arsenide 12th February 1996 Prof. K.K. Mark Bacterium Useful in the Removal of Sulphur Black Dye from a Substrate 11th March 1997 Prof. Soung Liew Method for Compression of Loss- Tolerant Video Image Data from Multiple Sources 31st March 1998