Past Forums - Academic Year 2017-18
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To remain competitive, some E-commerce giants are progressively diversified into offline sales by opening up brick-and-mortar stores. For example, with the advanced shopping technology, including sensor fusion, deep learning, smart shelving tools, etc., Amazon launched its first checkout-free grocery store, Amazon Go, in January 2018. Will the battleground for online retail business shift to offline due to the novel shopping technology? What are the opportunities and challenges of operating and managing no-staff shops? Let’s explore more with the e-commerce giant tech leader and the Hong Kong retail pioneers.
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E-Commerce retailers on the battlefront must be able to meet the growing expectations of today's consumers who crave convenience and speed. To maintain market share and fuel business growth, they are pressured to deliver anything, anytime, from anywhere to avoid getting a “dislike” from their customers. Driven by the importance of integrating resources from different online and offline channels to achieve better services in a cost-effective way, more and more sellers have invested in smart supply chain with innovative use of AI and Big Data. Join us to learn more about how the advancement of digital technology might disrupt retail business models and what the future supply chain will look like.
How could enterprises, themselves being fostered by society, create sustainable social impact while maintaining the benefits of their stakeholders? An inventive approach, known as Cross-sector Partnership (CSP), has been proposed and widely adopted in recent years. Such a social-oriented partnership, which offers a new lens for exploring Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), leads to a co-working platform where individuals from partner organizations commit various resources and work cooperatively to address social issues.Two innovative social entrepreneurs are invited to explore the values and appeals of CSP by sharing their practices and experiences.
To make a living, we succeed by what we get. To make a life, we succeed by what we give. With venture philanthropy, social entrepreneurs take the latter mindset to heart, aiming to create a business which brings social value rather than personal wealth. How does such a business take innovative steps towards generating social impact while ensuring sufficient financial returns for reinvestment and sustainability? Three well-respected social entrepreneurs, dedicated to alleviating the plight of marginalized groups in society, are invited to share their views and experiences. You will be inspired by their passion and compassion!
Travel industry is taking off for a new era. Real-time monitoring and Big Data processing technologies have compelled companies in the industry to embrace digital transformation and revisit their conventional marketing approach. To explore the industry’s opportunities and challenges in leveraging innovative adoption of digital technology for tapping travelers' trend and offering quality travel services, speakers from Hong Kong Tourism Board and relevant industry stakeholders are invited to share their views. Special attention will be given to the Mainland China and Hong Kong markets, where the travel industry has witnessed the phenomenal growth of Chinese travelers in recent years
Rapid technological advancement has disrupted the financial industry in recent years. Blockchain technology is revolutionizing the payments system and trade finance, and new machine learning tools are generating more insights from data analysis. While technology could help to optimize workflows and increase efficiency in financial services, it could also create some risks. With the advent of robo-advisors and the continued growth of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, certain labor-intensive tasks could become obsolete. How does the future path look like and how can we continue to be relevant? Our panel of distinguished speakers will discuss the latest trends in Fintech and Insurtech, as well as AI adoption in the banking sector. They will also provide insights on the new opportunities and risks under the current environment.
Based on a recent survey, about 80% of physicians use smartphones for work reasons. The connectivity, accessibility, mobility, and smartness inherent to mobile devices have bolstered a more closed integration between hospital and home. How will this integration enhance the quality of medical services and facilitate the efficient distribution of medical resources? By exploring the new wave in personal healthcare, this forum will discuss the benefits of mobile healthcare from patients’ perspective and the resulting potential changes to a patient’s lifestyle.
Starting a business is a complex minefield as founders would typically run into a host of hardship. Through discussing and discovering how startups can face up to their rivals in the ever-changing and highly competitive market, this forum aims to share some experiences and advices with those who are or will be facing the hardship in the entrepreneurial process.
