An international team of postgraduate students have spent a week analysing corporate strategies for carbon trading in the mainland during a joint weeklong project between City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and the University of Queensland (UQ). 

The 19 business students from CityU and 12 from UQ were collaborating with Green Carbon Shenzhen Investment Ltd (GCI) and the Shenzhen National Development and Reform Commission Carbon Trading Management Office (CTMO).

The students, working in five teams, reviewed GCI’s media marketing strategy, corporate development strategy, website and portal design, and CTMO’s electronic government affairs structure, and the strategic collaboration between Hong Kong and Shenzhen on carbon management. Under the theme “Carbon Management and Green Innovation”, the research findings were presented to the relevant parties on 4 July. The teams compared successful cases in China and overseas, and analysed the feasibility of GCI’s overall carbon trading plans.

GCI management and department heads complimented students from both universities on the thoroughness of their research, and said their advice was valuable.

“This project provides an excellent opportunity for students from CityU’s College of Business to apply their academic knowledge and consultancy skills to solve real-world managerial problems,” said Professor Dou Wenyu, Associate Dean at the College of Business, at the closing ceremony for the project.

“I'm so proud to hear the great feedback from GCI about the students’ consulting work,” he added.

This is the fourth time that CityU and UQ have collaborated on research with Shenzhen-based companies. Carbon trading in China is at an early stage but is growing at a phenomenal speed.

To fill the gap in consultancy for China’s carbon trade, this research focused on investigating the operational model and trading strategy of the carbon trading industry, popularising knowledge on carbon trading, and promoting businesses in Shenzhen and Hong Kong that endeavour to lower carbon emissions and develop economies and societies in sustainable ways.

The participating students are studying subjects such as Business Information Systems, Electronic Business & Knowledge Management, and Information Systems Management in the Department of Information Systems at CityU and UQ’s Business School.

Teaching staff from both universities offered guidance throughout the research. They were: Associate Professor Dr Fang Yulin and Instructor Mr Frank Lo Man-wan from the Department of Information Systems at CityU; and Dr Xu Dongming from UQ’s Business School.

“I'm impressed by all the students and their hard work,” said Dr Fang. “I believe their advice will be helpful to GCI and to the emerging carbon management and trading industry in China. The cross-cultural collaboration with UQ is a great learning experience, too.”

In CityU’s 30th anniversary year, this multi-disciplinary and multi-faceted carbon management research project is the perfect example of the University’s approach to “interdisciplinary discovery and sustainable development”, enabling students to apply what they have learned to benefit society.