I joined the PhD programme at the School of Accounting and Finance in 2020. In the first year, our coursework exposed us to cutting-edge knowledge. This foundational year helped me develop my research habits. In the second year, due to the pandemic, the School organised six online workshops with top scholars. These sessions, coupled with frequent ‘coffee hour’ discussions with my supervisor, helped me refine my ideas into a funded GRF research project and several working papers. In the third year, I used the school's database and computational resources to analyse the audio from 60,000 conference calls, resulting in a working paper now under revision for The Accounting Review. In the fourth year, encouraged by my supervisor, I collaborated with many scholars, co-authoring papers with professors both within and outside the School, as well as with fellow PhD students. With the support of the School, I presented these papers at a prestigious conference organised by the American Accounting Association, and at the equally prestigious China International Conference in Finance.

My journey at the PolyU Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies has been transformative, contributing to both my academic growth and personal development. The department provides many opportunities to connect with leading scholars through seminars and academic exchanges, broadening my perspective and enriching my research. It also supports participation in international conferences, enabling students to present their work and receive insightful feedback from their global peers.

Our professors ensure that the curriculum is both comprehensive and applicable to our research. The rigorous PhD qualifying exams further underscore the programme's commitment to academic excellence.

My supervisor’s guidance has been crucial to my development. Rather than focusing entirely on task completion, my supervisor emphasises skill-building and provides valuable support and encouragement. The collaborative and diligent nature of my peers creates a vibrant academic environment, where ideas are freely exchanged and collective learning is prioritised.

I enjoyed every second spent in the PhD programme at the Department of Management and Marketing. My experiences deeply influenced both my career trajectory and my personal development. Professionally, the programme trained me to become an independent and qualified management researcher and educator. Its well-designed courses taught me the basics of academic research, while it also provided an enormous range of resources and support to conduct meaningful, high-quality studies. As an internationally renowned programme, it connected me with top scholars from around the world, helping me understand management phenomena from different perspectives. Personally, I was privileged to work with many brilliant professors and fellow doctoral students. Many of them became my lifelong friends. I’m truly grateful for what the programme has offered me.