https://www.scmp.com/rss/146955/feed Ming Wong is senior vice-president, Asia Pacific, at United Way Worldwide. ming.wong@uww.unitedway.org en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Recently, 181 global CEOs at the Business Roundtable signed a new “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation”, pledging to lead their companies for the benefit of all stakeholders. In short, the statement commits them to deliver value to customers, invest in employees, deal fairly and ethically with suppliers, support the communities in which they work and generate long-term value for their shareholders. This latest development represents a continuation of a movement that encompasses creating... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3025516/hong-kong-businesses-can-help-end-street-protests-putting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3025516/hong-kong-businesses-can-help-end-street-protests-putting?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Sep 2019 05:30:10 +0000 Crowdfunding has become a global phenomenon, allowing crowds of people to support their favourite projects, charities or companies. Hong Kong Free Press, for example, recently raised more than US$75,000 in one month via a local platform. Start-up companies use crowdfunding to raise equity, though that is relatively new and falls in the grey area between the regulated public arena and private equity investing, which is unregulated. Given Hong Kong's role as a global financial centre and our... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1844231/good-policy-crowdfunding-will-enhance-hong-kongs-role-global?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1844231/good-policy-crowdfunding-will-enhance-hong-kongs-role-global?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jul 2015 06:30:30 +0000 The impasse between the government and supporters of the Occupy Central movement can be traced to two problems: silo thinking and a divided mindset. But the politicians, officials and student leaders are not entirely at fault. To a degree, everyone in Hong Kong operates in a silo with each person convinced that his or her solution represents the best and only way to build a better tomorrow for Hong Kong. Last year, we completed one of Hong Kong's most comprehensive studies on the city's social... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1623694/hong-kong-must-break-out-its-silo-mentality-heal-social?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1623694/hong-kong-must-break-out-its-silo-mentality-heal-social?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2014 06:00:30 +0000 Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah has done Hong Kong a great disservice with his alarmist view that our fiscal reserves will be depleted in 20 years, following Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's announcement the government will spend up to HK$20 billion per year on measures to alleviate poverty. Tsang also appears to be out of touch with the social challenges facing us now. Hong Kong's reserves should never have been allowed to build up to the current outrageous level of HK$1.4 trillion.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1412628/john-tsang-should-make-our-money-work-harder-through-impact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1412628/john-tsang-should-make-our-money-work-harder-through-impact?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Jan 2014 19:21:18 +0000 Hong Kong today faces unprecedented challenges hindering its pursuit of a better and more sustainable future. Persistent environmental problems along with social issues, including our worsening wealth gap, lack of affordable housing, ageing population and growing community discontent, hold us back even as our city continues to garner top spots in many world competitiveness surveys. One might think that the sheer diversity and number of players addressing Hong Kong's various social and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1303363/narrow-minds-hamper-hong-kongs-search-social-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1303363/narrow-minds-hamper-hong-kongs-search-social-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Noteworthy in Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's recent announcement of the re-establishment of the Commission on Poverty is the inclusion of a task force to determine the terms of reference of the previously announced HK$500 million Social Enterprise Development Fund, now called the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund. Considering that Lam will chair the commission, her announcement effectively shifts control of this fund from the Home Affairs Bureau to the Office... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1085427/social-enterprise-funds-should-help-avoid-poverty-not-just?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1085427/social-enterprise-funds-should-help-avoid-poverty-not-just?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The Rio+20 conference witnessed the official launch of the Impact Investing Policy Collaborative, a network of researchers and practitioners working to shape public policies that create more effective capital markets for impact investing. The co-conveners invited 35 of us from 15 countries to share the different paths we have taken to help direct private capital for the public good. Not surprisingly, the presentations from the US and Britain reinforced their leadership roles through the... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006911/investment-tips-good-hong-kong-society?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006911/investment-tips-good-hong-kong-society?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in announcing a historic partnership to construct a two million sq ft applied-sciences campus, is seeking to dramatically transform the city into a leading centre for technological innovation. The winning consortium of Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, aims to build a US$2billion NYCTech Campus to 'educate tomorrow's entrepreneurs, create the jobs of the future and make New York City home to the world's most talented... https://www.scmp.com/article/988656/does-hong-kong-have-audacity-lead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/988656/does-hong-kong-have-audacity-lead?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's announcement that the west wing of the Central Government Offices will be demolished to build a 32-storey Grade A office building, but without the shopping mall, is hardly a concession to public opinion. It is a dereliction of public duty. As a public servant, Mrs Lam has failed to take into account the best interests of Hong Kong. Hong Kong's assets belong to its people, not the government officials who are merely stewards appointed to look... https://www.scmp.com/article/985582/make-west-wing-home-social-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/985582/make-west-wing-home-social-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000 In last year's policy address, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen used the words 'social enterprise' nine times. This year he did not mention them even once. This glaring omission highlights how little progress has been made on this front during the past 12 months. The government was supposed to encourage the private sector to 'befriend' social enterprises, introduce training programmes to nurture young entrepreneurs and organise fairs to raise community awareness and promote socially... https://www.scmp.com/article/982305/tsang-can-still-leave-social-enterprise-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/982305/tsang-can-still-leave-social-enterprise-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000 Not everyone will agree with British Prime Minister David Cameron's ambitious idea of Big Society as an instrument to transform Britain's social sector. Yet, we cannot fail to admire the thought and effort behind last Thursday's launch of Big Society Capital, an independent investment firm, funded by GBP400 million (HK$5.1 billion) in unclaimed assets in bank accounts and GBP200 million from four of Britain's largest commercial banks. Hong Kong sorely needs such bold ideas. If successful,... https://www.scmp.com/article/975142/hongkongers-need-could-do-big-idea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/975142/hongkongers-need-could-do-big-idea?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The recently released consultation paper from the Law Reform Commission proposing a regulatory regime for charities, including the setting up of a charities commission, is long overdue. If, however, the commission ends up primarily in the role of a regulatory watchdog, as proposed, Hong Kong would have missed a great opportunity to catch up with the other major financial centres like London and New York. Hong Kong's new charities commission must instead take the lead to introduce global best... https://www.scmp.com/article/971862/chance-innovate-citys-charity-sector?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/971862/chance-innovate-citys-charity-sector?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0000 As a first-time participant in the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship in Oxford recently, I could not help but be awed and inspired by the stories of courage and resilience as, one by one, social entrepreneurs from all corners of the globe took the stage to share and celebrate stories of how they have worked to overcome some of our world's most pressing social and environmental problems. Billionaire philanthropist Jeff Skoll chose Oxford to host his annual forum because Britain today... https://www.scmp.com/article/966689/following-lead-britains-innovators?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/966689/following-lead-britains-innovators?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 May 2011 16:00:00 +0000