International education is becoming increasingly competitive. Establishments must continuously build on their solid reputations, adapt to student requirements, embrace technology and strive to recruit students who understand that a modern education must reflect a global outlook.

With its vibrant economy and location on China’s doorstep, Hong Kong is vying to become a leading global educational hub with world-class Universities.

With its main campus conveniently located in Kowloon, The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) is dedicated to developing student focused programs. By providing open access and distance education sub-degree, degree and postgraduate courses, OUHK is reaching out to students who are looking to gain a greater understanding of the current opportunities presented by the global marketplace. In recognition of the competitive nature of the global education sector, OUHK has actively embraced opportunities and challenges, says OUHK President, Professor John C.Y. Leong;

‘Since the return of sovereignty, Hong Kong transformed itself into a knowledge based economy and there developed a need to provide more educational opportunities for students. OUHK has always dedicated itself to fulfilling the educational needs of Hong Kong and today enjoys a solid reputation as a leading university in Hong Kong. With private universities in Tokyo, Taiwan and Korea playing highly competitive roles in Asia, our government needs to provide much stronger support to the self-financing education sector in Hong Kong in order for it to develop.’

Established by the Hong Kong Government as The Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong in 1989, the university became The Open University of Hong Kong by ordinance in 1997. Under the expansion of education in the 1990s in Hong Kong, the OUHK pioneered the distance learning mode to enable students to adjust the pace of learning according to their own conditions.

This student-focused approach, combined with flexible teaching methods, has enabled OUHK to gain a reputation for excellence while continuously developing new and unique programs such as the fully online Master of Laws in Chinese Business Law. This program and other non-distance learning courses, including full-time courses are helping to ensure OUHK’s reputation for innovation, quality and flexibility is secure.

‘We are a self-financing student-focused educational establishment with a high-quality teaching staff and we pride ourselves on our flexible mode of university education,’ says Professor Leong. ‘Students benefit from a choice of face-to-face or distance learning methods, both of which can deliver. Students who choose distance learning programmes progress at a rate they can manage, using specially-developed course materials, while taking advantage of our Online Learning Environment. We encourage guided self-learning as we believe this leads to a more pro-active experience and allows students to develop more autonomy and develop interactive skills’.

OUHK has actively embraced technology to reach out to the international student population. Through channels on iTunes U and the Open Learning platform, OUHK has built a recognised educational brand which utilizes popular technology platforms to reach new students and provide educational tools for existing students.

With plans for continuous curriculum developments and further expansion of the university campus in 2013, OUHK’s leading position in the international education sector looks set to continue into the future.

‘We are the “pioneer” headhunting firm in China and the first international search firm granted multiple licenses to operate there’, says Founder and Group Managing Director, Louisa Wong.

With a cumulative of over 9,700 search assignments delivered, Bó Lè Associates’ expertise covers a wide range of industries such as consumer goods, retail, financial services, industrial, technology and pharmaceuticals. The company’s extensive market knowledge and well-integrated network have allowed cost- effective and time-effective pooling of human resources enabling Bó Lè Associates to become the largest executive search firm in China.

‘In addition to servicing our US-based clients, the Connecticut office was established to assist our Asian clients in their expansion into the U.S. market,’ says Wong. ‘We have a strong localized presence in Asia today and are committed to identifying the best local talent. Above anything else, Bó Lè Associates will continue focusing on our clients’ specific business needs’.

Established in 1983, the firm’s expertise focuses on Corporate and Commercial, Entertainment, Healthcare, Intellectual Property Acquisition, Labor and Employment, Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Matrimonial, Notarial Services, Wills, Probate and Exploitation and Litigation and Property in Hong Kong and China.

Robin Bridge & John Liu has consistently maintained high rankings in annual worldwide surveys conducted by Managing Intellectual Property magazine, Asia Legal Business magazine and Asia IP magazine and the firm’s client base today includes prestigious international clients such as Richemont, Tiffany & Co., Viacom and Nike.

Tong: ‘We are active in China because our clients want to do business there. As more American companies invest in China via Hong Kong, we offer our hand to guide them through the complex process of doing business there.’

Hong Kong exporters continue to play an important role in the city’s economy despite manufacturing facilities being relocated to the Chinese Mainland over recent decades. Traditionally, Hong Kong based original design manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers had every intention of establishing their business and eventually marketing products under their own brand. Fierce competition and conflicts of interest with customers created severe challenges for companies hoping to take this route.

One Hong Kong based manufacturer took a different approach. VTech Holdings Ltd. first set about establishing its own brand before entering the contract manufacturing services. The company today is the world’s largest manufacturer of cordless phones and is at the forefront of communications technology.

‘People saw the high quality of our products being sold in the international market and contracted us to manufacture products for them,’ recalls Allan C. Y. Wong, Chairman and co-founder of VTech. ‘We were the first company in the world to sell the fully digital 900MHz cordless phone below US$100.00 in the U.S. We have become the largest player in the cordless phone market in the U.S. and sell under both the VTech and AT&T brands’.

‘It is important for us as a company to deliver innovative products.  Take InnoTab as an example, it is a multi-function educational tablet for children aged 4-9 and a key new product for the upcoming holiday season,’ says Wong. ‘The U.S. has long been a trendsetter in the retail sector so it is important for us to play a leading role in the U.S. market. We have the flexibility to continually adapt to North American market changes while also developing our business in the rest of the world’.