published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

Since Hong Kong's reunification with China, there has been more cooperation between Hong Kong and the Mainland in tertiary education, with Hong Kong-Shenzhen partnership being particularly active. This dissertation examines cooperation in tertiary education between Hong Kong and Shenzhen from the perspective of collaborative governance. It is found that the initiation of the collaboration is driven by leadership of the HKSAR Government, the Shenzhen Municipal Government and the Central People’s Government, interdependence between the cities in educational resources, productivity and information as well as consequential incentives for the Hong Kong institutions. To look into how the cooperation may advance to the next level, the plan for the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to establish campuses in Shenzhen are analyzed in details, taking into account their early stage of development. Recommendations on how similar setups can be done in the future have been come up, and they include putting formal memorandum of understanding and agreements in place, having long-term commitment to the project, identifying shared objectives with the counterparts, retaining a large share of discretion, adopting suitable approaches to managing the policy networks and managing risks. It is considered that such recommendations may be taken as reference for other means of cooperation in tertiary education between the two cities as well as that between Hong Kong and other mainland cities. / published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

Managerialism has been a main driver of change facing the academic profession in Hong Kong with the rationalization of university governance and managerial structures. There is a common view that managerialism is not welcomed by academics for the traditional academic ethos of collegiality has been undermined by the growing importance of managerial values and practices. However, whether the rise of managerialism leads to a demoralized academic profession in Hong Kong and a climate of resentment and resistance deserve more in-depth research and analysis. Drawing from the statistical data of the survey of “A Changing Academic Profession: The Second International Survey of the Academic Profession” conducted in 2007 in Hong Kong and other countries, this research aims to compare and analyze how academics respond to changes in university governance and management amidst the rise of managerialism in Hong Kong and other systems in Asia, Europe and North America. The data analysis reveals that the impact of managerialism on the academic profession in Hong Kong should not be seen purely from a negative perspective. While academic values would not be completely superseded by managerial values, some managerial values have been embraced by academics in line with the “marriage” between managerial and academic values. The data analysis also indicates that institutional mission and competent leadership are managerial values and practices with strong impact on Hong Kong academics’ perceptions of their work whereas academic freedom and collegiality are academic values and practices being strongly emphasized by academics in Hong Kong. This study refutes the assumption that the rise of managerialism has only negative impact on the academic profession and its work in Hong Kong, and also provides an objective assessment of the impacts of managerialism on academic work in Hong Kong. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

In 2012, the vast majority of programmes within the eight tertiary institutions in Hong Kong will transform from three-year to four-year undergraduate curricula. As a result, general education requirements, extra-curricular modes of learning, methods of assessment, and numerous other issues are being considerably revised under the rhetoric of “reform.” Although several public policy documents produced by the governing body for tertiary education (the University Grants Committee) offer rationales for reform, there has not yet been a study which examines the individual interests, expectations and concerns of professors working in the Hong Kong public university system. Through interviews and questionnaires with professors working at tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, this project aimed to define and evaluate the reform issues which academic staff consider most meaningful. Responses from academic staff members were analyzed not only as a whole, but by demographic factors, such as individual universities, fields of study, cultural backgrounds, educational backgrounds, and work experiences. This study employed a sequential mixed-method exploratory design, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. Hence, the study progressed through two stages: a single qualitative stage in which data was gathered from 23 semi-structured interviews, and a single quantitative stage in which a thirty-item questionnaire was completed by 261 full-time junior and senior level academic staff. For the qualitative stage, a phenomenological approach was adopted to explain and compare the perceptions of individuals deeply invested in Hong Kong’s curriculum reform. For the quantitative stage, a number of statistical tools were utilized to explicate results, draw comparisons, and support conclusions. As a result of interviews and the quantitative data propagated by the questionnaire, it was found that 1) there were more negative than positive responses concerning the articulation and implementation of reforms; 2) conspicuously negative scores were generated on all four defined aspects of the reform process; 3) there was a general sense that research expectations had increased and there was a greater emphasis on international benchmarking in the Hong Kong higher education sector; 4) a significant proportion of academic staff wanted to see greater collaboration between different universities, increased recruitment of international students, a greater emphasis on Putonghua and English language training, an upward adjustment in the retirement age for professors, and greater freedom for students to change degree programmes; and 5) statistically significant differences could be observed on several issues, depending on individual professors’ universities, fields of study, cultural and educational backgrounds, and work experiences in Hong Kong. Based on these results, implications for Hong Kong, reforms in other cultural contexts, and future research were advanced. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education