In shaping Hong Kong into an international education hub and in offering hope to youth and the promise of social mobility, talent development is a major priority of the Hong Kong Government. Since the 2000s, associate degrees (ADs) have been mandated to fulfill this promise through increasing higher education access - that is, to raise the post-secondary education participation rate to 60% or above. Given the mandate and insufficient genuine governmental support, this thesis argues that AD students of the self-financed sector experience precarity beyond education, underpinned by higher education marketization and chronopolitics. Drawing upon geography of precarity and life course studies, and using a mixed method of data collection including interviews, group discussions, diary studies, social media and participant observation, and grounded theory, the research explores the AD youth cohort's multidimensional everyday life precarity. This thesis builds a 'precarity over the life course' conceptual framework that can contribute to the geographies of higher education and wider research fields such as eldercare.

The purposes of this study were to (a) examine higher education activities from 1945 to 1980 before Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong became newly industrialized countries; (b) study the higher education reforms that each country made in its progress in order to meet the challenge; (c) compare and contrast the higher education systems that were adopted; and (d) identify a single Asian higher education system model (descriptive model) for any country that desires to become an industrialized country. Historical research was utilized in this study. This study was approached as follows: First, the economic growth of the countries under study was examined. Then, the countries' higher education systems were compared and contrasted. The result is at least one possible higher education system model that can be used by any country to improve the future performance of its higher education system. The study concluded that the models of higher education used by Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong from 1945 to 1980 were not identical. However, they came to similar conclusions in terms of economic development. In this case, an emerging industrial country like the social and economic condition of Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong would find that adoption of those higher education models might be appropriate. For instance, an emerging country with a social and economic system like Taiwan would find Taiwan's higher education model appropriate for adoption in that country. On the other hand, if an emerging industrial nation has social and economic criteria dissimilar to those of Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, a proposed single model of higher education would be appropriate, with an adjustment to suit the national resources, cultural background, and structure of trades and the labor force of that country.

by Terpstra Tong Jane Lai-Yee. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-100). / EXECUTIVE SUMMARY --- p.i / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.ii / LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES --- p.v / ACKNOWLEGEMENT --- p.vi / Chapter / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Methodology of Studies --- p.3 / Terminology --- p.3 / Approach --- p.3 / Data Collection --- p.4 / Chapter II. --- METHODOLOGY --- p.6 / Five Competitive Forces --- p.6 / Advantages of Industry Analysis --- p.13 / Establishing Competitive Advantage --- p.14 / Putting Strategy to Work --- p.16 / Data Collection --- p.17 / Rationale and Objectives of the Questionnaire --- p.18 / Chapter III. --- AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONTINUING BUSINESS EDUCATION INDUSTRY --- p.20 / Bargaining Power of Customers --- p.20 / Bargaining Power of Supplier --- p.23 / Threat of New Entrants --- p.24 / Threat of Substitutes --- p.26 / Rivalry Among Existing Competitors --- p.28 / Is the Continuing Business Education an Attractive Industry to Get in? --- p.30 / Chapter IV. --- "THE PRODUCT, THE CUSTOMERS, AND THE CURRENT OPERATIONS" --- p.32 / The Product: Diploma Course in Management Communication --- p.32 / Customer Profile --- p.35 / The Current Operations --- p.36 / Structure of APIB --- p.36 / Structure of DMC --- p.37 / Chapter V. --- COMPETITORS OF DMC --- p.39 / Competitors for Customers that View DMC as an English Program --- p.39 / Competitors for Customers who Take DMC as a Management Program --- p.43 / Diploma Programs of APIB --- p.43 / Professional Diploma of Hong Kong Management Association --- p.44 / Other Suppliers of Diploma Programs --- p.45 / A Warning of Quality --- p.47 / Competitors that Offer Management Skills Training --- p.48 / Who to Compete With? --- p.49 / Chapter VI. --- COMPETITIVE STRATEGY FOR DMC --- p.50 / Cost is Not Manageable and Low Cost Strategy is Not Possible --- p.50 / Broad Differentiation or Focus Differentiation? --- p.52 / Proper Strategy: Focus Differentiation --- p.52 / Position as Management Skills Program --- p.53 / Putting Strategy into Action --- p.54 / Focus Differentiation Strategy: Implications and Related Issues for DMC's Operations --- p.54 / What Do the Customers Value? --- p.55 / Target Customers - Who Should DMC Focus on? --- p.55 / Market Size --- p.58 / Chapter VII. --- MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM / Previous Marketing Plan --- p.60 / Core Program --- p.61 / Program Brochure --- p.62 / Press Release --- p.63 / Advertising --- p.64 / Direct Mailing --- p.65 / Option One: Sales Calls to Selected Corporations --- p.67 / Option Two: Whole Day Walk-in Registration Session --- p.68 / Budget --- p.69 / Chapter VIII. --- CONCLUSION --- p.70 / APPENDIX 1 QUESTIONNAIRE --- p.71 / Chapter 2 --- RESULTS OF SURVEY ON PART-TIME STUDIES OF WORKING EXECUTIVES --- p.77 / Chapter 3 --- STUDENT PROFILE --- p.89 / Chapter 4 --- SAMPLE OF PRESS RELEASE --- p.96 / Chapter 5 --- SAMPLE ADVERTISEMENT --- p.98 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.99