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HKBU School of Business Ignites Interdisciplinary Collaborations at Research Mingle

24 May, 2024

In the ever-evolving landscape of academia, an ongoing wave of interdisciplinary collaboration is reshaping the research frontier. At the forefront of this movement are the innovative minds from the HKBU School of Business, who convened at the university-wide Research Mingle event on 24th May, 2024, to share insights and foster connections beyond the School.

Professor Yuk-Shing CHENG, Interim Dean of HKBU School of Business, underscored the significance of crossing disciplinary lines to tackle complex challenges. He cited the School’s long history of fruitful collaborations with behavioural scientists, psychologists, and data experts spanning fields like marketing, management, and economics. “The research impact actually goes far beyond our discipline. I hope our research will continue to be boundless, to go beyond the scope of our discipline – this is exactly what this event helps us to do,” he said.

True to this spirit of collaboration, Dr. Rocky CHEN, Associate Professor of the Department of Management, Marketing and Information Systems, discussed his research on the impact of humanoid service robots on consumer satisfaction and employee performance. "Whether you like it or not, they are already there," he said, referring to the pervasive influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in diverse fields. His research unveiled the intricate interplay between operational efficiency and human touch, prompting a profound question that lingered in the minds of the audience: can a robot truly serve humanity soulfully?

Building on this interdisciplinary theme, Dr. Ting CHEN, Associate Professor and Associate Head (Research) of the Department of Accountancy, Economics and Finance, introduced her research about building an AI-powered local history database. The database’s experimental model, containing over 2,000 valuable Chinese county gazetteers — an essential resource for exploring Chinese history spanning the last millennium, encapsulating local cultures, governance, economies, and more — boasts high accuracy in Chinese history and culture, surpassing even the capabilities of the current common and large language models (LLMs).

During the dynamic Q&A session, the room was filled with animated discussions. The engaged audience, composed of researchers from various backgrounds, explored the variations, societal/commercial value, research directions of the presentations, and even how the speakers embarked on their research journeys. Time seemed to slip away as the agenda unfolded, but the attendees stayed put. After the formal programme, many attendees stayed behind to engage in more in-depth discussions over refreshments.

The Research Mingle event series is designed to empower HKBU's dynamic research community. By facilitating vibrant idea exchanges, the initiative aims to catalyse interdisciplinary collaborations and ignite innovative breakthroughs. For upcoming events of the series, visit: https://research.hkbu.edu.hk/news-and-events/events/research-mingle