https://www.scmp.com/rss/10003/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The two hottest looks for this Christmas are glamorous and natural, or a combination of the two. Whichever you choose, there’s a stronger focus than ever on considering the environmental impact of what you bring into your home. The good news is that the growing demand for eco-friendly products means more sustainable options are now available. Start your decorating plan with a colour palette. Traditional Christmas hues are red, green and gold, but there’s no need to stick rigidly with them. “This... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3041444/will-eco-friendly-and-sustainable-materials-change-way-we?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3041444/will-eco-friendly-and-sustainable-materials-change-way-we?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Dec 2019 04:00:09 +0000 Christmas – a time of opulence, glitter and gold. Or for bright jewelled colours that collide and contrast. Then again, it could be the perfect time for muted metallics. Or how about natural wood, paper ornaments and chunky ceramics? When it comes to decorating your home for Christmas, there is always a wealth of options and inspirational ideas to choose from. All you have to do is decide which ones are right for you because at Christmas – as with any time of year – the only trend worth... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion-beauty/article/2178439/christmas-home-decor-deck-halls-unusual-tree?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion-beauty/article/2178439/christmas-home-decor-deck-halls-unusual-tree?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Dec 2018 10:00:15 +0000 Madeleine Thien stands at a small podium facing a long line of fans who are waiting for her to sign their books. It is midway through this month’s Macau Literary Festival and she has just finished a talk about her latest novel, Do Not Say We Have Nothing. Eventually, every book has been graciously signed and Thien, a slight, elegant figure, steps down from the stage with a smile. Thien has, naturally, talked a lot about her book since it was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize as well as... https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2083151/hong-kong-period-change-and-danger-ex-city-academic-and-writer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2083151/hong-kong-period-change-and-danger-ex-city-academic-and-writer?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Mar 2017 00:30:15 +0000 I was born in Ballaghadereen, in county Roscommon, in Ireland. When I was 12 years old, I moved to Galway, my father’s native county. I was the eldest child. My father was a passionate Gaelgóir (Irish speaker). My parents spoke to me in Irish and I spoke mostly Irish until I went to school. Most of the other children spoke English and there was some sort of distance (between us) at school, I wasn’t able to say the Hail Mary. I rebelled against (the language) in an ignorant way and I’m probably... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/2079520/theatre-director-garry-hynes-rebelling-against?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/2079520/theatre-director-garry-hynes-rebelling-against?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Mar 2017 09:00:49 +0000 Man Booker Prize-shortlisted author Madeleine Thien and acclaimed Korean-American writer Krys Lee are among more than 60 influential literary figures attending The Script Road this year, Macau’s literary festival, making it the biggest since the event was launched in 2012. Getting bigger was not intentional, says the festival’s programme director and co-founder, Hélder Beja. Last year’s festival turned out to be almost bigger than the festival team could manage and the plan was for the 2017... https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2073357/next-months-script-road-literary-festival-macau-set-be-biggest-yet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2073357/next-months-script-road-literary-festival-macau-set-be-biggest-yet?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Feb 2017 05:15:45 +0000 When Nobuki Sugihara visited Hong Kong in September, local busi­ness­man Glen Steinman finally met the son of the man who had tried to save his mother’s family from extermination in Lithuania, during the second world war. The meeting, at the University of Hong Kong, was “a very special experience”, says Steinman, an American who has lived in Hong Kong for 25 years and who sits on the board of the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre, which had invited Sugihara to open the “Asian Righteous... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2044793/japanese-oskar-schindler-who-saved-thousands-jews?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2044793/japanese-oskar-schindler-who-saved-thousands-jews?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2016 03:00:30 +0000 THE END OF NORMALITY I was born in 1926 (in Bratislava, in what is now Slovakia), the second child of my parents. My childhood was very privileged and I enjoyed the warmest, most wonderful family attention as a child. The wonderful years didn't last very long. In 1939, all German laws were adopted - the (anti-semitic) Nuremburg Laws - and were immediately exercised. When it happened, it was too late to make arrangements to leave or to emigrate. We couldn't go to school. We lost all our friends.... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1453151/my-life-olga-horak-auschwitz-survivor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1453151/my-life-olga-horak-auschwitz-survivor?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Mar 2014 15:19:57 +0000 British classical crossover singer Sarah Brightman's latest album, Dreamchaser, is closely connected to what's happening in her life at the moment. On top of her to-do list, the youthful 53-year-old says, is preparing to travel into space next year with Space Adventures, a US-based space tourism company. The soprano signed up in 2012 to be part of a three-person team that will travel to the International Space Station on board a Soyuz rocket. She will orbit the earth 16 times a day on the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1409725/singer-sarah-brightman-tells-her-plan-record-song-space?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1409725/singer-sarah-brightman-tells-her-plan-record-song-space?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2014 03:11:29 +0000 As the founder of a public relations and consultancy firm that represents publishers such as Random House, Penguin Asia and Hachette UK, Harrison Kelly might be expected to have appropriated some literary airs, but such posturing is anathema to the Yorkshireman. Kelly says the name of his firm, Flatcap Asia, is a tribute to the no-nonsense, hardworking, straight-talking characteristics associated with north England, from where he hails, and a marker of how he runs his business - with plenty of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1402317/culture-trumps-cash-pr-man?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1402317/culture-trumps-cash-pr-man?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Jan 2014 08:05:20 +0000 American economist Milton Friedman famously said in 1976: "Only government can take perfectly good paper, cover it with perfectly good ink and make the combination worthless." Friedman's musings on the dangers of a debased currency are ringing true again. Nearly six years after the financial crisis, central banks around the world are turning to the printing presses in ever-greater vigour. Recently, news of the Bank of Japan's commitment to radically expand the nation's monetary base, in what... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/1264324/do-you-need-private-bank?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/1264324/do-you-need-private-bank?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 In the battle to win the business of the very wealthy, private banks are developing ever more refined bespoke services, and even delving into clients' psyches to help hone their investment strategies. Private banks have always performed a myriad of services for their clients beyond mere banking. Among the private banks that pride themselves on listening closely to the needs and aspirations of their high-net-worth clients, some are developing services that clients would be hard pressed to find... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/1080850/safe-hands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/1080850/safe-hands?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 At some stage in most people's lives, the spectre of how to plan your financial future raises its unwieldy head. Some see a future where financial security is assured thanks to a plethora of well thought out savings and investment strategies and maybe even a golden egg in the shape of a trust fund. For others, the future looks grim, with the cupboards of financial protection looking particularly threadbare. For those in the latter group, it may be time to turn to sage advice from a financial... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/1080849/retire-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/1080849/retire-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 PASSION FOR THE PAST At school, I was quite academic, and my passion has always been history. My hobby is still history, military history, and all my reading - I'm a voracious reader - tends to be historical biographies. I'm intrigued by good military history. At the moment I'm reading Antony Beevor's huge book titled The Second World War, which is brilliant; one of the best I've read. VIEW FROM THE TOP When I finally climbed Everest, in 1985, the views on the southeast ridge on the south side -... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1074232/my-life-chris-bonington?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1074232/my-life-chris-bonington?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 When Mina Weight and her husband, Guy Facey, found they could not have children, they knew exactly what they wanted to do - adopt from China. It was a country they knew and loved; both had travelled extensively in the country on business and spoke fluent Putonghua. But they had to break down walls of bureaucracy and incomprehension in their native Britain before they could make that dream come true. The mainland was not on Britain's list of accepted adoptive source countries when Weight and her... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1065048/charity-helps-adoptive-families-and-adoptees-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1065048/charity-helps-adoptive-families-and-adoptees-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Organising an array of thought-provoking seminars and workshops for counsellors, parents and their helpers, a new steering committee at Adoptive Families of Hong Kong has been breathing new life into the group. Australian consultant Janette Pepall was the keynote speaker at a series of talks last month. She pioneered the fostering and adoption of Hong Kong children with disabilities during the 1990s, and now provides training for people dealing with children at risk. A warm, motherly woman from... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1065049/janette-pepall-adoption-pioneer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1065049/janette-pepall-adoption-pioneer?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 What does it take for a woman to achieve success in Hong Kong's highly competitive work environment? Quite a lot, it transpires. Nevertheless, in a city that is uniquely supportive of helping women advance their careers, it is entirely possible. It's an environment that can offer rich rewards in terms of both remuneration and career advancement. However, unlike locations where those rewards can come with a heavy price on family life or childcare responsibilities, Hong Kong offers an altogether... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/article/1049549/perfect-balance-how-hong-kongs-career-women-combine-work-and-family?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/article/1049549/perfect-balance-how-hong-kongs-career-women-combine-work-and-family?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 A new survey shows that Generation Y employees in Hong Kong lack the skills needed to drive the city's economy forward, with most respondents blaming the education system. The most pressing areas for improvement for Gen Y are their work attitude, a sense of responsibility and interpersonal communication skills. In a survey by professional accounting organisation CPA Australia among 273 respondents from across the business community, 54.9 per cent said that members of Hong Kong Gen Y are not... https://www.scmp.com/article/1007226/x-mark-generations-y-and-z?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1007226/x-mark-generations-y-and-z?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 For many parents, trying to get children to do their music practice requires a tricky combination of encouragement, cajoling and incentive. But point them towards the drums and no second reminder is needed. Perhaps something about beating away freely and making lots of noise seems to appeal to children of all ages, whether it's pounding on overturned pots or on a wood and animal skin drum. That appeal comes as no surprise to people like Kumi Masunaga, a long-established drummer who has lived in... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006804/beats-everything?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006804/beats-everything?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Dr Chang Wing-chung is a clinical assistant professor at the department of psychiatry at the University of Hong Kong's Li Ka-shing Faculty of Medicine and works in Queen Mary Hospital. What attracted you to psychiatry? Psychiatry is quite different from other medical specialities. It has long been regarded as the 'Cinderella' of medicine because it is relatively less developed, due to the complexities of the brain. In psychiatry, the patients' complaints are different; they mainly complain... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006806/dissecting-challenges-career-psychiatry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006806/dissecting-challenges-career-psychiatry?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Today's session is not about getting angry, but getting even - getting even pay,' said moderator Tara Joseph, executive producer at Thomson Reuters, at a panel organised by The Women's Foundation and the French Chamber of Commerce on the gender gap in pay. Joseph set the tone for an informative, no-holds barred discussion by three panellists on why women in Hong Kong earn an average of 20 per cent less than men, and how they can act to rectify that pay deficit. The statistics make for puzzling... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006048/dont-get-angry-get-equal-pay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006048/dont-get-angry-get-equal-pay?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Sonia Cheng is CEO of New World Hospitality, a hotel-management company with a global portfolio of properties that includes pentahotels, a 'neighbourhood lifestyle' brand that offers a cool, tech-savvy, creative environment for independent travellers. The brand has 15 hotels worldwide and plans to increase the total to 80 by 2020. The first pentahotel in Asia opened in Shanghai in 2008, followed by one in Beijing in March this year. Another will open in Kowloon in 2013. Cheng graduated from... https://www.scmp.com/article/1005419/opening-new-world-hospitality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1005419/opening-new-world-hospitality?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Bordeaux may be down, but it still reigns supreme, say the experts. After strong showings at top auctions, the fine wine market is holding its own. Sotheby's two-day spring wine sale ended on April 1 with 100 per cent sold and sales totalling HK$63.6 million, including commission. Bordeaux, Burgundy and champagne performed particularly well, according to the auction house. A case of Chateau Lafite 1996 sold for HK$147,000, much higher than its presale estimate of HK$90,000 to HK$120,000, and a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/1004911/bordeaux-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/1004911/bordeaux-back?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000 It's 1am in Hong Kong when your phone rings. It's the tenant in your holiday home in Switzerland saying the heating isn't working and can you please arrange for an engineer to come immediately. At times like these, it's easy to wonder if buying that dream apartment that you end up using for only two weeks a year was really a good idea. The downside of owning a second home overseas is the unwelcome reality of having to deal with maintenance from abroad. It's an aspect of ownership that can... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/1004908/hideaway-holidays?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/1004908/hideaway-holidays?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Candice Liu is president for business at ePRO E-Commerce, where she is responsible for strategic direction, operational management, investor relations and marketing. The company has more than 1,000 employees, based mainly in Shenzhen and Shanghai, and owns several e-commerce websites such as DealExtreme.com, a business-to-consumer site that sells Chinese-made gadgets of all kinds, and MadeInChina.com, a retail and wholesale B2B site linking Chinese manufacturers of consumer products with... https://www.scmp.com/article/1004088/clicking-e-commerce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1004088/clicking-e-commerce?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000 If a job is done well, it should make no difference whether the employee is male or female, and they should be rewarded with the same pay for the same work. It sounds like an argument based on indisputable logic, and yet the issue of the gender gap in pay is still unresolved in many countries. Hong Kong has dealt with the issue less successfully than most. According to figures from the Census and Statistics Department report, Women and Men in Hong Kong - Key Statistics 2011, the city's official... https://www.scmp.com/article/1001962/what-women-really-really-want?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1001962/what-women-really-really-want?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Tarek Robbiati is group managing director of Telstra International Group and also chairman of CSL. During a 20-year career in the telecoms, finance, media and technology industries, the Italian native has been guided by Michelangelo's maxim, Ancora imparo: 'I am still learning.' What did you study at university? I studied engineering and nuclear physics, long ago in France. My speciality was something called electronic instrumentation and physics. It's a very traditional engineering discipline.... https://www.scmp.com/article/1001975/telecoms-chief-still-learning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1001975/telecoms-chief-still-learning?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 As men's roles change, the time is right for fixing the imbalance between men and women. As with many important life lessons, real gender equality has to start in the home. That's where couples have to work out, on a daily basis, how to balance the demands of childcare, work and housework. While legislation can impose parity of pay and treatment at work, it is in the privacy of the home that many of the most deeply ingrained beliefs about the equality of the sexes are played out everyday - and... https://www.scmp.com/article/1000738/better-halves-better-whole?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1000738/better-halves-better-whole?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 In February, Cheng Yu-tung, Hong Kong's fourth richest man, according to Forbes' Rich List, announced his retirement at the age of 86 as chairman and executive director of the property giant New World Development. He passed the reins to his son, Henry Cheng Kar-shun, at the same time making Henry's son, Adrian, an executive director and joint general manager, and Adrian's sister, Sonia, chief executive of New World Hospitality. Late last year, Cheng had listed the company jewellery business,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/999620/family-planning-succession?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/money/article/999620/family-planning-succession?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Although still in its infancy, the family office has arrived in Asia, and is growing fast both in terms of numbers and sophistication. In response, private banks in the region are offering an increasingly nuanced variety of services designed to meet the particular needs of Asia's high-net-worth families. Family offices are generally set up as private companies that manage the investments and trusts of such families. Beyond that basic purpose and structure, the variations in their composition... https://www.scmp.com/article/998893/little-family-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/998893/little-family-support?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong's family offices differ from those in the mature markets of Europe and the United States on several counts - including structure, family priorities and outsourcing. UBS/Campden Research shows that 81 per cent of Asia's family offices are linked to core family businesses, a far higher percentage than in Europe, where the family office and the family business are more distinctly separated. Sharper distinctions between the family business and the family office in the US and Europe mean... https://www.scmp.com/article/998892/privacy-comes-first-regions-wary-dynasties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/998892/privacy-comes-first-regions-wary-dynasties?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The mainland's history of philanthropy and donating is deep and long-ranging, but has traditionally been less formal than the more structured set-ups often seen in more mature countries. That is changing as the country's charity system is becoming gradually more transparent, making philanthropy potentially more popular. Nathalie Sauvanet at BNP Paribas Wealth Management says mainland billionaires are now starting to donate large amounts to the needy. 'They mostly give through their... https://www.scmp.com/article/998898/donors-now-dealing-causes-instead-applying-band-aids?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/998898/donors-now-dealing-causes-instead-applying-band-aids?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 While philanthropy in Asia generally lags behind the levels seen in more developed countries, Hong Kong is an unusual case - the city as a whole gives more than other Asian nations, yet the wealthiest give less. According to the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, 86 per cent of adults in Hong Kong make donations to charity, giving an average of HK$2,986 per head a year, more than in other Asian countries, according to Nathalie Sauvanet, head of individual philanthropy at BNP Paribas Wealth... https://www.scmp.com/article/998899/rich-hk-are-not-big-givers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/998899/rich-hk-are-not-big-givers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 International Tuition Services (ITS) may be best known for its tutoring and college-placement businesses. But as of late, the company has also been gaining recognition for its summer courses, which not only keep young students occupied during the break, but also help them achieve their long-term educational goals. 'We are educators first and foremost, so we work closely with parents to understand what they want to help their children achieve and recommend summer courses that produce the required... https://www.scmp.com/article/998314/surfing-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/998314/surfing-success?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Quantum Academy was founded by its programme director Maggie Chau, who was formerly the deputy principal of St Stephen's College. It's little wonder then that the summer courses it provides are almost exclusively education-centric. Many are centred on building study and critical thinking skills, a focus that very much reflects the philosophy of its founder, who feels that helping students adopt good study habits at an early age is essential to instilling lifelong learning abilities. 'We believe... https://www.scmp.com/article/998315/quantum-leap-studies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/998315/quantum-leap-studies?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 As women struggle to gain a meaningful foothold on Hong Kong's male-dominated corporate ladder, mentoring offers a welcome handrail that benefits mentees, mentors and their organisations. Mentoring is a way of sharing experience, advice and networks with less experienced colleagues. Women in particular can gain hugely, as it can help to counter their effective exclusion from places where men traditionally network and share information, such as the bar, golf club or male-dominated business clubs.... https://www.scmp.com/article/998202/mentors-help-us-all-make-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/998202/mentors-help-us-all-make-it?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Keith Pogson, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, retraces his career path. What did you want to do when you were at school? My parents are both scientists; my dad was a biochemist and my mother was a physicist. At school, the teachers said: 'You should do science. You're genetically gifted in this area.' But science didn't actually appeal to me that much. I was interested in the business world. I focused more on social sciences - geography and things like... https://www.scmp.com/article/995816/lets-call-it-pocket-science?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/995816/lets-call-it-pocket-science?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Almost half-a-century after the women's liberation movement, the city's boardrooms remain a hostile place to female executives, and only a change of mindset among leading firms can smash this glass ceiling, according to a recent report. The stark finding and recommendation were presented by two Hong Kong women's non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and by Mervyn Davies, former British trade minister, ex-chairman of Standard Chartered Bank, vice-chairman of Corsair Capital, and author of a... https://www.scmp.com/article/995674/breaking-boardroom-barrier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/995674/breaking-boardroom-barrier?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The doctor of business administration (DBA) is a graduate programme aimed towards senior executives who have substantial professional and management experience. Candidates come from a variety of backgrounds, including government, corporations, as well as the education and other sectors. Much of the emphasis is on honing effective analytical and research skills that are invaluable in today's rapidly - and often dramatically - changing business environment. At the Hong Kong Polytechnic... https://www.scmp.com/article/995198/doctorate-degree-choice-experienced?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/995198/doctorate-degree-choice-experienced?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 As mainland China beckons companies from around the world, gaining an in-depth knowledge of the country's unique business environment has become essential for business leaders. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) offers two programmes to equip leaders with inside knowledge: the master's of science in China business studies (MSc CBS), and the OneChina MBA. Both programmes aim to shine a light on China's evolving business environment for companies that are eager to penetrate the market,... https://www.scmp.com/article/995196/orient-express?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/995196/orient-express?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Name: Nathalie Melville Occupation: jewellery designer How did you get started? I went to do a foundation course, which I started with a view to doing fashion or costume design. Then I got my hands on a welding torch, and that sold me on working with jewellery. I went on to do a BA degree in jewellery design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. After that, I went to work with a goldsmith in London for a year to refine certain techniques. Why did you choose jewellery design? It... https://www.scmp.com/article/995104/designer-gives-traditional-craft-modern-twist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/995104/designer-gives-traditional-craft-modern-twist?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 It was perhaps inevitable that Tisa Ho, executive director of the ongoing Hong Kong Arts Festival, would carve out a career in the world of the performing arts. 'I always knew that was what I loved, so at school I was in every theatre production I could get into. I was in every choir, dance programme, whatever was going,' says the soft-spoken Ho. She studied literature at university but found herself drawn to the performing arts - drama in particular - spending most of her three years hanging... https://www.scmp.com/article/994376/consuming-passion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/994376/consuming-passion?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The Office of the Ombudsman is an independent watchdog between the public and the government administration. It was established in 1989 with the aim of investigating complaints about the administration, a job that requires keen analytical and communication skills, says Tommy Wong, chief investigation officer, who has worked there for the past 10 years. 'Our function is to investigate matters of maladministration in connection with actions taken by the government or 23 [government-related]... https://www.scmp.com/article/993581/guarding-truth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/993581/guarding-truth?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The Hong Kong Police (HKP) will recruit 180 probation inspectors and 890 police constables in its 2012-13 continuous recruitment exercise. Within these two job brackets, the force offers a wide range of exciting careers in different fields, including working in airport security, marine, traffic and crime divisions. In line with the variety of job opportunities, the criteria for new recruits are also broad, says Francis Cheung Kwok-wai, chief inspector of police. 'We welcome people with... https://www.scmp.com/article/993580/police-force-eyes-gen-y?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/993580/police-force-eyes-gen-y?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 As Hong Kong's shops open their doors to millions of highly aspirational mainland Chinese customers, retailers are struggling to find the right staff to serve them. Job vacancies for frontline staff in Hong Kong's retail stores are as high as 8.8 per cent, according to the results of a recent survey by the Hong Kong Retail Management Association (HKRMA). At the same time, the number of mainland Chinese visitors grew by 23.9 per cent in 2011, with over 28 million of them - and billions of their... https://www.scmp.com/article/992924/what-yuan-wants-yuan-gets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/992924/what-yuan-wants-yuan-gets?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Think of Hong Kong, and along with the bright lights and world-class cuisine, most people think of exciting shopping possibilities coupled with the latest in technology. Put these together and you might expect that traffic in online shopping would be giving its bricks-and-mortar counterparts a run for their money. But this is not the case. In fact, interest in internet shopping in Hong Kong has been slow to evolve, say online companies. Still, a combination of technological advances, strategic... https://www.scmp.com/article/992926/jobs-await-online-shopping-fans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/992926/jobs-await-online-shopping-fans?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Just 22 per cent of privately-owned businesses in Hong Kong use social media to communicate with their customers, a rate that is almost half the global average - 50 per cent in the newly emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China (the so-called BRIC countries), and 53 per cent among the world leaders - the Latin American countries. In the mature G7 markets, the figure falls to 40 per cent, and in Europe, it is just 35 per cent - but still more than the rate in Hong Kong. Social media... https://www.scmp.com/article/992925/marketers-scan-social-media-impact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/992925/marketers-scan-social-media-impact?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Vikas Swarup leads something of a double life. An Indian diplomat by day, currently posted to Osaka, Japan, as India's consul general, he is also the acclaimed author of two best-selling novels. He was in Hong Kong on January 13-15, wearing his author's hat at two events organised in his honour by the Hong Kong Literary Festival. His debut novel was the 2005 novel Q&A, which shot him to fame when it was turned into the blockbuster film Slumdog Millionaire. The story centres on the adventures... https://www.scmp.com/article/990768/using-soft-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/990768/using-soft-power?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000 If it's Christmas, it must be red. Or purple. Or black. When it comes to decorating your house for the festive season, the only rule is to throw out the rule book, say designers. For Jim Marvin, a US design guru for the past 30 years who has designed for many Christmas events at the White House as well as themes for indoor and outdoor spaces in Hong Kong, the best advice is to free your inner colour genie. 'Colour, colour, colour - All things bright and beautiful is a wonderful theme,' advises... https://www.scmp.com/article/986609/deck-halls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/986609/deck-halls?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000 As the end of the year approaches, Hong Kong's calendar of performing arts is packed with events which sell out quickly. Here are some highlights this festive season. Cirque Mechanics - Birdhouse Factory is a family circus performance with influences from Stomp and the aerial wonders of Cirque de Soleil. The setting for this action-packed Las Vegas show is a factory where the workers are acrobats and the machinery doubles as props. With a team of trapeze artists, trampoline wall artists,... https://www.scmp.com/article/986612/entertainment-all-ages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/986612/entertainment-all-ages?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000 As Hong Kong continues to increasingly attract expatriates from around the globe, the shortage of international school places is a problem, and new players are likely to be welcomed. Since 1992, Nord Anglia Education has been operating international schools in Europe, the Middle East and China, offering a British-style education to about 6,000 students. Now, the organisation is moving its headquarters to Hong Kong from Britain, and hopes to open a school here for around 1,000 students. Why is... https://www.scmp.com/article/985919/best-british-schooling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/985919/best-british-schooling?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000