Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) organised the 10th Biennial International Association for Chinese Management Research (IACMR) Conference, the largest of its kind in Asia, from 14 to 18 June, 2023.

IACMR is the most authoritative world-class organisation in the area of Chinese management research committed to promoting organisation and management research in the country. The inaugural IACMR Conference was unveiled in Beijing in 2004, and the event returned to Hong Kong this year following its success in 2012. As the city gradually recovered from the pandemic, it provided an excellent platform for this prominent conference that brought together nearly 1,500 leading scholars and researchers and deans from top institutions, as well as professional managers and entrepreneurs from all over the world. Revered scholars, including acclaimed economist Professor Zhang Weiying, Professor Ohad Kadan, Dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, Professor Shen Wei from the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Professor Chen Xiaoping from University of Washington, Professor Cai Hongbin from the University of Hong Kong, Professor Chen Yubo from Tsinghua University and Professor Lu Xiongwen from Fudan University, gathered to share and discuss the latest research topics and findings on management and organisation.

The HKBU School of Business always stays at the forefront of business education in Asia. In his opening remarks at the 10th Biennial IACMR Conference, Professor Alexander Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU, noted that ongoing global challenges and geopolitical dynamics would continue to create uncertainties on the outlook of globalisation. These developments would also require those in the business and management field to reflect on issues like change management, operational resilience and business continuity, sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, organisational and social innovation, and technological applications. In order to address the challenge of globalisation, HKBU would adopt an innovative and transdisciplinary approach to equip students with the skills, knowledge and visionary mindset required to help them seize the opportunities presented by new technology.

Themed “Globalisation in Flux: China and the World”, the conference invited Professor Chen Xiaoping from University of Washington, Professor Zhang Yan from Rice University, and Professor Chiu Chi Yue from the Chinese University of Hong Kong to host the keynote panel on 15 June, and to share their views on the hottest topics of cross-cultural business research, Chinese firm’s investments in the new era of globalisation, and the implications of Generative AI on global talent development. On 17 June, the Dean of the HKBU School of Business was joined by six renowned scholars and heads of business schools from Arizona State University, The University of Hong Kong, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tsinghua University, Fudan University and Zhejiang University, to discuss “The Future of Business Education”.

In addition to an impressing array of innovative and technological elements that highlighted the flair of HKBU and Hong Kong, the conference also featured a cute panda as its mascot, symbolising peace and joy. “At HKBU, we highly value creativity. Therefore, we wanted to present a professional yet inviting conference with a diverse range of new elements. Our School of Business is known for its proactive spirit and influential research. We hoped that with the international platform provided by IACMR, the School could share its academic achievements and continue to pursue its goal of becoming a world-class business school,” noted Professor Huang Xu, Associate Dean of the School of Business at HKBU and Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee (LAC).

As a global highlight, the IACMR Conference fuelled the academic exchanges on the management field, and offered valuable insights and ideas for the development of Chinese management in the context of globalisation, helping Chinese enterprises strength their foothold globally. Featuring nearly 170 sessions and activities, the conference also marked the launch of the fourth edition of Organisation and Management and Research Methods, as well as the “School Night: School Receptions and Recruitment Activities”.