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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a research synthesis of substantive findings drawn from studies of educational leadership and management in Hong Kong between 1995 and 2014. The goal of the research synthesis was to identify and elaborate on key trends identified by scholars who studied educational leadership in Hong Kong over the past two decades. The synthesis drew upon on relevant articles published in eight “core international journals” specializing in educational leadership and management. Design/methodology/approach – The study first identifies a clearly delimited body of relevant literature comprised of empirical, non-empirical and review/synthesis types of studies in a total of 161 published research articles from the eight journals. Information concerning the nature of the studies as well as substantive findings was extracted from each of the articles. The findings were then initially coded in preparation for data analysis. Synthesis of substantive findings was accomplished by cross-article comparative mapping aimed at identifying key themes in the literature. Findings within four of the most robust themes were then synthesized and reported. Findings – The synthesis highlights the challenges faced in Hong Kong’s efforts to reshape its education in a multi-faceted quest for quality education in the twenty-first century. A variety of inter-related issues emerged as policymakers and education administrators sought to implement a full plate of imported globally recognized education reforms. Analysis of the research from this period yielded four robust themes: “leadership development,” “leadership for learning,” “organizational change,” “multi-level performance focus.” The findings also further highlight the impact of “education policy borrowing” on system-level efforts to revamp the structural conditions in which school leaders operate and reshape managerial, as well as teaching and learning processes in schools. Research limitations/implications – Although the scope of the sources included in the review are highly representative of the “Hong Kong literature” of the past two decades, the authors note that it was not an “exhaustive” review of all potential sources. Originality/value – Prior research by Hallinger and Bryant (2013b) had identified Hong Kong as having produced the largest volume of literature in educational leadership and management in Asia. This paper represents the first systematic review of research findings that emerged in the recent educational leadership literature produced in Hong Kong. Therefore, although the authors make no claims of generalizability to other parts of Asia or even to China as a whole, the paper offers insight into how global trends have reshaped the practice of educational leadership in one East Asian society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Warnings that a breakdown in multilateral trade liberalization would bring about an upsurge in protectionist sentiment, the possible collapse of the multilateral trading system and, in the most doomsday of scenarios, the fragmentation of the global economy have been an intrinsic part of trade negotiations since the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was first negotiated. What is seldom acknowledged, however, is the role that this language of crisis and collapse--what might be called a 'crisis discourse' --has had on framing trade negotiations and in maintaining forward momentum in the liberalization process. This discourse has played a role in facilitating the kind of institutional development that the GATT and the World Trade Organization (WTO) has undergone--helping to push through bargains among GATT contracting parties and WTO members that have been (and remain) deeply asymmetrical--and driving the trade agenda forward at moments when the institution appears deadlocked; and it has continued to play a role in the current round of negotiations. The aims of the paper are twofold. First, the paper explores the content of the crisis discourse. Second, it examines the way in which the discourse has been deployed as a means of reframing trade negotiations in such a way that the likelihood of their continuation and ultimate conclusion increases. The paper does this by focusing on the collapse and resumption of the negotiations in the wake of the WTO's 2005 Hong Kong ministerial meeting, though the crisis discourse and its intensification at moments of intransigence has been a key feature of trade negotiations since the Allies first sat down to develop a trade architecture in the wartime and early post-war years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the similarities and differences of critical success factors (CSFs) for public-private partnership (PPP) projects in developing and developed countries, using Ghana and Hong Kong as examples.Design/methodology/approach An empirical questionnaire survey was conducted with experienced PPP practitioners in Ghana and Hong Kong. Survey responses were analysed using Kendall’s concordance analysis, mean score ranking, quartile groupings analysis and Mann-Whitney U test.Findings The results indicate that a favourable legal and regulatory framework is very critical in both jurisdictions. Further, technology transfer, technological innovation, public/community participation and coordination and government providing financial support are of low importance in both jurisdictions. The non-parametric test shows that 16 CSFs are of different importance in Ghana and Hong Kong. Specifically, CSFs related to the socio-political and economic conditions of PPP projects are very critical in Ghana, whereas CSFs directly related to the organisation and relationship of PPP projects are very critical in Hong Kong.Originality/value The outputs of this study add to the international best practice framework for successful PPP implementation. Further, international private investors and governments who are yet to adopt the PPP concept would be considerably informed of the investment strategies to employ when engaging in PPP arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectacular economic success of the Newly Industrialising Countries (NICS) of Asia since the 1960s, has led to the quest to identify other less developed countries which may be just about to become the next NICS of Asia. This paper examines the arguments for and against the view that there is a "second tier" of less developed countries which are about to join the ranks of the Asian NICS. While Malaysia and Thailand are generally thought to be the most likely candidates, this paper argues that one hitherto unrecognised contender. China, is likely to join these countries in achieving NIC status. This paper examines the question of whether there are likely to be more Newly Industrializing Countries (NICS) emerging over time, following in the footsteps of the original four in Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan). While some writers suggest that several developing countries are about to achieve NIC status in the near future, others argue that world trading conditions have deteriorated to such an extent as to make this very unlikely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of a survey of the use and place of industrial engineering techniques in 29 manufacturing establishments in the light engineering, electronics, garment, and scientific equipment sectors of Hong Kong industry. The results are compared with, those of similar surveys in Europe and North America. The conclusions are that the number and use of industrial engineering techniques and their place in the organization of manufacturing industry in the newly industrialized city-state of Hong Kong is comparable with that found some seven to ten years preciously in the U.S.A. and Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing countries are increasingly facilitating migration as a way of generating remittances for the home economy. The Philippines serves as a paradigmatic example, inaugurating a labour export scheme in 1973 that has grown each year and resulted in nearly 25 per cent of the labour force working abroad. The institutionalization of this labour export policy, along with changes in citizenship and voting laws, has led to the increasing deterritorialization of the Philippines state, with concomitant implications for democracy and democratization. This deterritorialization presents both opportunities and challenges for the state. Among them are the possibility of securing sustained remittances and the necessity of securing democratic legitimacy from a globalized polity. This paper traces the evolution of this labour export policy and analyzes the effects of state discursive strategies designed to secure democratic legitimacy. To further this analysis I present the results of a survey conducted among Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong (n=691). The responses indicate the discursive strategy of 'national heroes' has been effective in that majorities of OFWs view themselves as 'heroes of the nation.' However, OFWs also view themselves as making sacrifices for the nation and have concerns about government commitments to protect the rights and interests of OFWs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Solar energy technologies can play an important role in meeting the ultimate goal of replacing fossil fuels to generate inexhaustible, clean and safe energy. The availability of more comprehensive solar radiation data is invaluable for the design and evaluation of solar-based conversion systems. In many places of the world, particularly the developing countries, the basic solar radiation data for the surfaces of interests are not readily obtainable. This paper presents an approach to estimate the annual global solar radiation on various inclined planes facing different orientations based on measured sunshine hours. Solar radiation and sunshine hours data recorded in 2004 were used for the model development. The performance of the proposed model was assessed against data measured in 2005. It is shown that the solar radiations estimated by the proposed method are in good agreements with the measured data and the peak difference was found less than 5.2%. The predictive ability and the simplicity nature of the model provide a reliable and convenient alternative for estimating inclined solar radiation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Biotechnology, the surging wave of economic development in the world, prompted Newly Industrialised Economies (NIEs) in Asia to emulate developed countries in biotechnology development. The stakes are however high and the uncertainty about return on investment has provoked a careful assessment of national scientific and technological strengths. With a focus on Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, this paper reviews the current market conditions and key factors that may advantage the development of biotechnology industry in the NIEs. It is argued that co-evolution of scientific and technology capabilities are essential, and the NIEs will have to leverage their comparative advantages in technological capabilities and should focus on core competencies in the already locally established biotechnology areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how important model specification is in estimating the parameters of demand for LDC exports. The supply side of LDC exports is difficult to model, and as a result has been addressed primarily by assumption. Assuming supply is infinitely elastic, the bulk of time series work has found relatively low price elasticities and high income elasticities of demand for LDC exports in developed countries, their major export markets. Thus it has become a widely held view that LDC export prospects depend crucially on the level of income and prosperity in developed countries. A further implication of the 'consensus view' is that LDCs are limited in their ability to use price competition (including exchange rate adjustment) to maintain or even increase exports in a period of weak aggregate demand in developed countries. If Hong Kong faces an infinitely elastic demand for its exports, would not other developing countries which export similar products? One reason they might not is that they may be less able than Hong Kong to circumvent trade barriers in developed countries. Where other LDCs also may differ from Hong Kong is in their ability to compete in world markets. Hong Kong is renowned for its resourcefulness and adaptability. The econometric results reported above confirm that, indeed, Hong Kong exporters are highly responsive to price incentives, and that Hong Kong workers are prepared to adjust real wages as market conditions change. These, far more than the state of external demand, are the key ingredients of Hong Kong's superlative export performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of construction in economic development is an important issue facing the construction research community, government and international development agencies. Based on empirical analyses, the complexities of the relationship between construction activity and stage of economic development in Hong Kong were examined. With time series data, Granger causality test results show that the construction output particularly the infrastructure sector drives the economic growth of Hong Kong, and not vice versa. Findings further indicate that the role of the local construction industry changes as the economy matures from newly industrializing country (NIC) to advanced industrialized country (AIC) status, as revealed by the diminishing rate of capacity addition by construction as well as the growing maintenance and repair sector. This complies with Bon's inverted U-shaped relationship between construction activity and gross domestic product (GDP). However, the proposition of 'volume follows share' is not supported since the indigenous construction investments still sustain for the service-oriented economy which inevitably needs commercial development and logistics infrastructure to provide the services. The results may be significant for policy makers in NICs, in the long run, to formulate corporate and industrial policies to chart out a viable and sustainable course to revive the vigour of the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the agricultural policies of developing nations, discussed in the Doha, Qatar. These will be negotiated in the Sixth World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference to be held from December 13-18, 2005 in Hong Kong, China. Agriculture brings almost two-thirds of the economic gains in the world. Domestic support bindings must be cut to reduce binding overhang in addition to the agricultural export subsidies. Liberalizing merchandise and especially agricultural will prove to be gainful.

China is too often analyzed without regard to the example of other developing countries. A discussion of development models suggests that China's situation can fruitfully be analyzed as similar to that of the four "Little Dragons" (Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong), and to Japan in an earlier era. Because of the unusual size of Hong Kong and Singapore, and the special political status of Hong Kong, most attention is focused on China, Taiwan, and South Korea. Various implications for management and the external environment for management are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the differential outcome of schizophrenia in developed and developing countries. The 15-year outcome of patients with schizophrenia in Hong Kong is reported.Method: In a 15-year retrospective outcome study, 100 patients with first-onset schizophrenia in 1977-1978 were randomly selected for outcome assessment from a pool of 797 patient files. The patterns of outcome were assessed by the same set of instruments and methodology as in other centres, since Hong Kong is 1 of the World Health Organization (WHO) centres for the International Study of Schizophrenia (ISoS).Results: Nineteen subjects were untraceable, and 10 subjects committed suicide. More than one-half of the subjects had a good symptomatic outcome, while about 20% of the subjects were rated as having a good psychosocial adjustment. Over the entire 15-year period, 96% of the subjects were maintained on medications, and 79% were living with family members.Conclusion: Despite Hong Kong's developed economy, its schizophrenia outcome is similar to that in developing countries. The existence of good family support and active follow-up treatment may be important contributory factors to better outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]