scholarly journals Female Professors Developing Intellectual Leadership in Hong Kong

Author(s):  
Nian Ruan

Women scholars’ participation in higher education has been on the rise, but many obstacles (e.g., the gendered academic and cultural bias) are still in their way of academic advancement. Intellectual leadership in universities constitutes the key competence for academics. It implies faculty members’ capacity to influence the innovation of science and technology, the growth of institutions, the changes in society and culture. Compared with women’s formal leadership in academia, little is known about their development of intellectual leadership. This doctoral project applied the multiple-case study of twenty-two female full professors in Hong Kong. An integrated theoretical lens was used, referring to the cumulative advantage theory (Merton, 1968 &1988), the four-role framework of intellectual leadership (Macfarlane, 2013), and cultural factors affecting gender equality. This study reveals that disciplinary characteristics, neoliberal and managerial practices in universities, and patriarchal culture interplay and shape women scholars’ paths of accumulating intellectual capacity.

English Today ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawnea Sum Pok Ting ◽  
Janice Wing Sze Wong

Although a large number of varieties of English in Asia have gained recognition as independent varieties, this has not been the case for Hong Kong English (HKE) (Jenkins, 2015: 162). The city has a low level of affiliation towards HKE (Jenkins, 2015: 167) and often laments its ever-falling standard of English (Leung, 2015). There exists a phenomenon of ‘linguistic schizophrenia’ – the community may recognise that a local variety of English exists and conform to its features in practice, but it still looks to native varieties as the norm and views local features as evidence of deteriorating language standards (Kachru, 1983: 118).


2021 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-275
Author(s):  
Ufuk Akcigit ◽  
Harun Alp ◽  
Michael Peters

Delegating managerial tasks is essential for firm growth. Most firms in developing countries, however, do not hire outside managers but instead rely on family members. In this paper, we ask if this lack of managerial delegation can explain why firms in poor countries are small and whether it has important aggregate consequences. We construct a model of firm growth where entrepreneurs have a fixed time endowment to run their daily operations. As firms grow large, the need to hire outside managers increases. Firms’ willingness to expand therefore depends on the ease with which delegation can take place. We calibrate the model to plant-level data from the United States and India. We identify the key parameters of our theory by targeting the experimental evidence on the effect of managerial practices on firm performance from Bloom et al. (2013). We find that inefficiencies in the delegation environment account for 11 percent of the income per capita difference between the United States and India. They also contribute to the small size of Indian producers, but would cause substantially more harm for US firms. The reason is that US firms are larger on average and managerial delegation is especially valuable for large firms, thus making delegation efficiency and other factors affecting firm growth complements. (JEL D22, G32, L25, L26, O14)


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 251-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayantha Wadu Mesthrige ◽  
Ho Yuk Kwong

Purpose An understanding about the criteria determining the successful application of green features, and the barriers to implementation is essential in order to promote and enhance green building development. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, the criteria determining the success of GBFs; and second, the barriers to implementing GBFs in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach A multi-method approach comprising a comprehensive questionnaire survey and a semi-structured group discussion with construction professionals, along with three case studies was adopted to address these two issues. Findings Findings suggest that although environmental performance is the most significant criterion, the living quality of occupants and the costs of green features play a crucial role in determining the success of their application. However, the environmental aspects of buildings are not sufficient for rating or determining the greenness level of a building. As for barriers, the green cost implications; the structural unsuitability of the current stock of old buildings; and the lack of financial incentives were found to be crucial barriers preventing the application of green features in the Hong Kong building sector. Originality/value GBFs have received extensive attentions by the academia and industry. This paper used a mix method approach by exploring success criteria and barriers to implementing green features in the building sector in Hong Kong. As green building development is still a contemporary subject of discussion, this study would be beneficial to decision makers as it identifies the criteria determining the success of green building adoption and barriers to implementation of such features. Hence, relevant stakeholders will have better understanding of the factors affecting the adoption of GBFs.


2020 ◽  
pp. 096973302096149
Author(s):  
Haixia Ma ◽  
Alice Yuen Loke

Background: Stigma is considered a major barrier to accessing healthcare services by female sex workers. Current knowledge of nurses’ attitudes appears to imply a stigma toward female sex workers. But in-depth understanding of their perceptions is scarce. Furthermore, factors that inform a conceptual understanding of how this occurs are lacking. Objectives: The study aimed to explore nurses’ attitudes toward female sex workers and factors affecting caring for female sex workers. Research design: This was a qualitative study. A content analysis approach was adopted in analyzing the data. Participants and research context: Thirty-three practicing nurses participated in seven semi-structured focus group interviews and three key informants participated in three individual interviews in Hong Kong. Ethical considerations: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of one university in Hong Kong. Findings: The findings revealed three themes: (1) accept, stigmatize, or against sex work; (2) reluctance, hesitation, or willingness to care for female sex workers; and (3) factors affecting the care of female sex workers. Discussion and conclusion: This study found that nurses held different attitudes toward female sex workers, and they experienced feelings of reluctance, hesitation, or willingness to care for female sex workers. Multi-level factors could affect their level of comfort of caring for female sex workers. Intervention should be developed to encourage health professionals to examine their personal views toward female sex workers introspectively, how their attitude may have affected the provision of quality services, and to enhance the provision of sensitive non-discriminative services to female sex workers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 230 ◽  
pp. 634-646
Author(s):  
Yang Yang ◽  
Albert Ping Chuen Chan ◽  
Amos Darko ◽  
Ran Gao ◽  
Hafiz Zahoor

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