Welcome to the December 2022 edition of the FB Magazine!

When our previous edition was published in June, large parts of the world were busy adapting to living with COVID as an unwelcome but inevitable feature of daily life. Hong Kong was taking a more cautious approach, but in recent months we have also seen cumulative steps that have edged us towards fully re-joining the international community. As I wrote in mid-December, the speed of change is increasing as China further relaxes its COVID containment measures. I hope that by the time I write my next message, Hong Kong will have been fully open and thriving.

The theme of this edition is Leading Blockchain Innovations in Business. The transformative and disruptive power of blockchain technology has been compared to that of the Internet when it first entered our lives. Given its potential to change our lives, it is only appropriate that we focus on this exciting technology and open a window onto the world of Web 3.0 that we are now entering.

Our first feature story reports on how the School of Accounting and Finance (AF) has set up a decentralised blockchain network that connects it with other institutions to collaborate with industry and other universities. The project’s pilot application connects industry experts to AF’s untapped talent pool through student capstone projects and provides tamper-proof ‘badges’ that verify student competencies.

Our second feature story, which you can find in the Alumni section, reports on an attempt by an IT industry veteran and FB alumnus to use blockchain technology to address the complexity and cost issues of doing cross-border business, especially in the Greater Bay Area. This blockchain platform provides a secure and trusted marketplace for cross-border digital trade between Belt-and-Road economies.

In the Research News section, you will find updates on our latest research projects – 23 in total! – that successfully secured funding this academic year. In the Research Perspectives section, you will find accessible summaries of innovative research projects that have recently been published in leading journals by our faculty members. Among these are an explanation for the phenomenon known as ‘biting the hand that feeds you’ and a study that reveals how marketing professionals can design marketing campaigns built around social media influencers to maximise their effectiveness. You can also find a summary of the achievements of FB faculty over the past six months and a profile of one of the recipients of the Outstanding PolyU Young Alumni Award 2022.

And that’s the December 2022 edition of the FB Magazine. I look forward to sharing more success stories six months from now!