Working Paper Series

Abstract: Few researchers have examined Japan?s inbound tourism and the important sources of visitors. This study examines factors that drive tourist traffic from Hong Kong to Japan. Focus group interviews is the methodology used and the findings indicate that Hong Kong people are motivated to travel to Japan mainly because of some ?trip-related features and push factors?, Japan?s ?natural wonders? and ?traditional culture,? ?tourism attractions? and ?the hospitality and shopping opportunities,? as well as various events. These findings pave the way for more effective marketing strategies Japan can use to target Hong Kong as an important market for its tourism industry.

Abstract: This paper examines the tendency of initial issuers to exhibit lower levels of disclosure in their prospectuses ensuing relaxed disclosure requirements by the exchange. We focus on disclosure pertaining to issuers? corporate governance structures with the element of disclosure branched into quality and quantity which we find to be highly correlated. Despite general postulation that disclosure quality and quantity will decline after relaxation, our results suggest otherwise. The departure is however largely attributed to companies? responses to investors? demand for enhanced disclosure following high-profile corporate failures. Furthermore, we also investigate the association between cost-of-equity capital and the quality and quantity of disclosure. Our findings are consistent with economic theory which advocates a negative relationship between them, suggesting that disclosure levels have a part to play in asset-pricing models.

Abstract: This paper explores how media victimization, which involves institutions and individuals, operates to construct risk and fear in society. A grounded theory analysis was conducted to investigate stories of problem in 130 public services announcements and 399 print newspaper articles in Hong Kong. It was found that, along the temporal dimension of story plot, a strong sense of distress is constructed in the narration of preconstructed future under particular essential and intensifying conditions of media victimization. By depicting fear and constructing risk in media content, media victimization is a socially constructed process of narration that enables individuals to anticipate themselves as potential victims. The politics of media victimization is that both government and nongovernment units are two bipolar forces calling for institutionalization in society for better governance.

Abstract: This paper is about developing a conceptual management model of strategic enrolment, graduation and articulation (SEGA) in self-financing tertiary education in Hong Kong. This research is significant as it provides information on how SEGA would be viewed as a successful conceptual management model to (1) maximize enrolment, (2) improve graduation rates and (3) enhance articulation opportunities within limited educational resources in self-financing tertiary education in Hong Kong. The proposed conceptual model of SEGA is modified from the concept of Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM). However, as the drop-out rates are not significant in Hong Kong self-financing tertiary education in comparing with the situation in U.S., the parameter of retention will not be considered in this study. Instead, the parameter of articulation is introduced in this study. This study seeks to establish a conceptual management model of SEGA which will be applied to the self-financing tertiary education in Hong Kong; thus, the characteristics of the SEGA conceptual model are to be discussed. Examining how SEGA would be developed successfully in the three core areas (i.e. enrolment, graduation, articulation) of self-financing tertiary education in Hong Kong will be studied in further research.