Case Development Program

Abstract
The Hong Kong government contracted the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) to construct sections one and two of the Shatin to Central Link which was included in the Railway Development Strategy 2000. Construction began in 2012. In 2018, allegations of corruption and substandard work at the Hung Hom Station Extension (section two) emerged in the media. The allegations of poor workmanship on the station platform, which is used for the alighting and boarding of passengers, caused community-wide anxiety over the structural safety of the station. The public pressure and criticisms added to the many other housing and transport problems that Secretary Frank Chan had to handle. At the center of the incident was Engr. Jason Poon, an engineer for the China Technology Corporation, which is one of the subcontractors in the Hung Hom Station Extension project. Jason witnessed the severing of rebars used for the concrete slabs and diaphragm walls of the station platform by the workers of another subcontracted company. He warned MTRC officials several times that such a practice was unprofessional and illegal, and if allowed to continue the platform could fail in the future and cause a serious catastrophe. But his warnings were unheeded. The government established a Commission of Inquiry, chaired by Judge Michael John Hartmann. The Commission conducted investigations, which included the opening of the concrete platform at various places, revealing evidence of shoddy workmanship. The government ordered the MTRC to conduct rectification works, incurring delays in the opening of the station and additional costs. During its investigations, the Commission also uncovered other problems related to negligence, cutting corners, and conflicts of interest. All parties involved, including relevant government bodies, had a part in the incident. The case highlights the failure of the monitoring and supervision systems of a major infrastructure project, as well as the challenges and obstacles to a collaborative culture in the context of a public-private partnership.

Learning Objectives
The teaching case aims to
•Familiarize students (and readers) with some of the features of the Project Integrated Management System used in Hong Kong for the construction of big infrastructure projects
•Provide a platform to discuss the importance of collaboration as well as the challenges or obstacles to the success of a public-private partnership of an infrastructure project
•Learn the important role of the values of responsibility, accountability, and transparency in promoting a successful collaborative culture
•Identify the factors that can lead to the deterioration of the monitoring and supervision systems
•Provide the opportunity for students to suggest innovative or interesting ideas to make collaboration and monitoring more effective

Abstract
Transitional housing, a type of social housing, has been seen in Hong Kong since 2017, intended for those awaiting results of their applications to public housing. The waiting time can take several years due to the serious lag of supply of public housing vis-à-vis demand, a wicked problem in Hong Kong. Initially, an NGO provided transitional housing, in collaboration with private developers who were willing to have their vacant properties used for such purpose. The government eventually played a more active role, providing funding support to NGOs to assess applications and manage facilities, as well to provide other support services to residents. The more recently added purposes of transitional housing were to reduce the number of individuals living in unsafe subdivided flats and to address low fertility rate in the region. Despite its benefits, transitional housing has also had several criticisms related to the size, supply, location, and funding, casting doubt on its effectiveness as a temporary solution to the severe lack of affordable housing.

Learning Objectives
The teaching case aims to
-Provide a basic understanding of the transitional housing practice in Hong Kong, as well as the key points of contentions
-Familiarize readers of some of the innovative approaches and design of transitional housing
-Provide students a platform to discuss and devise innovative transitional solutions or approaches to improve living conditions of low-income people

Abstract
A crisis is a public management issue. Governments around the world are faced with different types of crises, from financial crisis to disease outbreak to natural disasters. There are public expectations for governments to have capacity to deal with these crises. Government leaders need to meet these expectations to maintain public confidence. This case describes the management of three different types of crises: flood in Hebei Province, China caused by super typhoon Doksuri (2023), crowd crush disaster during Halloween celebrations in Itaewon, Seoul (2022), and political turmoil in Hong Kong concerning the Extradition Bill (2019-2020). Each of these standalone case examples can be read individually and used for discussion and analysis. To some extent, a comparison across these case examples can be made in terms of the quality of crisis leadership traits displayed by protagonists, and response and measures taken at various stages of crisis management.

Learning Objectives – The case provides readers/students the following opportunities:
•To identify different types of crises and their characteristics
•To familiarize themselves with some of the basic government measures and responses at various stages of crisis management
•To identify important crisis leadership traits
•To some extent, to conduct a comparison across the three case examples in terms of crisis leadership traits and government measures and responses
•To formulate lessons based on actual performance of governments in crisis situations, post-disaster investigations results, and the reactions of disaster victims to emergency measures and response

Abstract
Days of serious haze in Beijing (and Shanghai) in October 2011 which disrupted normal road and airport operations brought a long-harboured grudge that residents had toward their municipal government to the surface. Beijing residents doubted the government had done enough to improve air quality, since and despite the city having won the bid, perhaps ironically, to host the 2008 Olympics. Their doubts were confirmed when readings from an air quality monitoring device installed on top of the US Embassy and those published by the municipal government’s environmental protection bureau did not coincide. Residents’ eventual learning that the former included PM2.5 readings and the latter not stoked up the flames. Netizens took to the popular microblogging platform Weibo to vent out their anger and to raise awareness; well-known figures in China became opinion leaders overnight. The awareness of the importance of monitoring PM2.5 spread nationwide. After weeks of intense debates and discussions on social media and mounting pressure, the Beijing government decided to take more decisive steps to address public concerns, including transparency regarding PM2.5 levels in the Ambient Air Quality Index.

The teaching case aims at:
- To provide students (and readers) the intellectual tools – concepts and frameworks related to agenda-setting – to discuss, argue or explain how the PM2.5 issue reached the government agenda
- To enable students (and readers) to acquire a basic understanding of the role of issue framing in making an issue reach the government agenda

Abstract
The importance of urban farming as one of the solutions to food insecurity and sustainability issues has in recent years been increasingly recognized in many places. Urban farming has a diversity of forms and benefits. Already many social enterprises in Hong Kong have embarked on innovative forms of urban farming projects, often made possible with the collaboration of private sector organizations, because of difficult challenges not least the cost, lack of space, stringent regulatory requirements, and lengthy approval procedures. Collaboration among various stakeholder groups and individuals has continued to take urban farming to the next level of development by exploring other areas in the city for urban farming and other innovative forms. This requires going beyond the current policy support to enhance the contribution of urban farming to food security and sustainability in Hong Kong. The case study invites readers to reflect on the constraints to the development of urban farming in Hong Kong and the good practices that can be learned elsewhere to address these challenges.

The teaching case aims to:
- To provide a basic knowledge of the concept and benefits of urban farming, as well as some examples of the practice in some places
- To provide a basic understanding of the current practice and regulatory framework for urban farming in Hong Kong
- To provide a platform for students (and readers) to discuss and/or explore ways to enhance urban farming development as an important means to promote food security and sustainability in Hong Kong

Abstract
Becoming aware of the urgent need to tackle the increasingly poor air quality conditions in the country, the Chinese government embarked on an ambitious coal-to-gas program in 2013. The program involved, among other things, replacing residential coal-fired stoves with gas furnaces and laying gas pipelines. The program demanded a significant increase in natural gas imports from suppliers in neighboring countries because China had a limited technical capacity to harvest its natural gas reserves. “2+26” cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region were selected for the pilot program. With high targets and tight deadlines, the tasks which local governments were expected to carry out were daunting. The Chinese government typically uses the “target responsibility system” to implement environmental programs and to ensure targets are achieved. Despite good intentions, miscalculations and flaws in either planning or implementation led to unintended consequences. The worst hit were rural villagers in North China who were left without heating during the cold winter season of 2017.

The teaching case aims to
• To enable students to acquire a basic understanding of the coal-to-gas program implemented in China, as part of the effort to improve air quality in the country
• To familiarize students with the basic features of the target responsibility system, an implementation strategy for environmental programs in China
• To provide students with a platform to discuss and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the target responsibility system, as well as the lessons to be learned from the experiences of implementing the coal-to-gas program

Abstract
A recent action by the Cybersecurity Administration of China to conduct a cybersecurity review into Chinese ride-hailing giant DiDi Chuxing raised concerns about possible misuse of personal data. Ride-hailing companies gather and constantly analyse huge volumes of data from riders, drivers and their business operations, making these firms de facto big data analytics companies. Various places have enacted privacy laws to regulate the collection and use of customers’ data by commercial and business enterprises. Car-hailing firms have adopted privacy policies to comply with the data protection rules in places where they have business operations. However, violations of privacy rules have become frequent, and the exposure of user data has led to growing concern in society. The case of DiDi provides an apt opportunity to discuss data privacy and security issues involving car-hailing companies and the adequacy of current protection regimes and mechanisms.

This teaching case aims to:
- Provide some basic knowledge of privacy rules and data protection policies adopted in various places and car-hailing companies
- Raise awareness of breaches and misuse of personal data of passengers and drivers by cybercriminals and employees of car-hailing companies
- Provide a platform to discuss possible loopholes in current protection regimes and practices and what innovative polices (or technologies) might enhance data protection.
 

Abstract

Located in Southern District of Hong Kong, Cyberport is a huge infrastructure project comprising a digital technology industrial park, office buildings, a hotel, and an entertainment complex. In 1999, the government announced its plan to build Cyberport to help local businesses to capitalize on the rapid development of the Internet. It was meant to provide both local and international businesses an ecosystem for digital technologies such as FinTech, esports, AI, blockchain and cybersecurity. This was seen as an opportunity to diversify Hong Kong’ economic structure where finance and real estate dominate. Pacific Century Group (PCG) completed the project in 2004 and transferred the title completely to the government in exchange for an adjacent land for luxury housing development which was finished in 2008. However, almost two decades on, there is public scepticism as to whether the project has attained its original intention or it has turned mainly into a residential and commercial development.

Learning Objective

This case provides students a basic knowledge of the controversies surrounding the Cyberport project. They are expected to reflect on the extent to which the Cyberport project has succeeded or failed by examining its current operations vis-à-vis original intent. They can also discuss how policymaking can be better carried out and/or what can be done going forward to improve the project’s effectiveness.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading across the world since its first discovery in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Following the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020, countries across the world have implemented various control strategies and social distancing measures to slow the spread of this disease, and Hong Kong is no exception. Hong Kong is highly susceptible to disease outbreaks given its high population density and high infrastructural and social connectivity with mainland China. The government has been dealing COVID-19 with the implementation of social distancing and quarantine measures of varying strictness since the beginning of 2020. However, these restrictions have taken a toll on the psychological well-being of various groups such as medical professionals, vulnerable individuals, students, and the general public. This impact on mental health has generated significant debate if Hong Kong’s COVID-19 control measures are correctly calibrated. Infection management and containment strategies are unequivocally crucial in controlling the pandemic, but concerns about adverse psychological and neuropsychiatric effects of isolation and social distancing measures are also justified. Against this background, this case study examines the challenges of balancing the need for strict social distancing and quarantine restrictions for infection control against their adverse effects on psychological well-being. Students reading this case study are expected to draw on their own experiences, appreciate different perspectives both local and international, and explore how they would deal with the policy challenges discussed.

Abstract

The full-blown trade war between the world's two largest economies- the United States and China has been rumbling along for months. The US has accused China of its unfair trading practices and intellectual property theft in the technology industry while China, in turn, believes that the States is attempting to curb its ascent in the global economy. Consequently, the trade war is not only about imposing tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of goods but also exacting restrictions on technology flows and demanding intellectual property protection in China. Despite the on-going negotiations between two sides and a preliminary deal signed in January 2020, the trade war seems to have no end due to the unsolved thorniest issues. Uncertainties brought by the US-China tensions will continue to have impacts on businesses and weight on the global economy.

Learning Objective

This case presents the events and causes that that led to the US-China trade war, as well as the impacts of the conflict on the global economy. Students are expected to reflect upon the policies implemented by both sides and consider what appropriate directions and strategies they should adopt to reach a compromise and manage the conflict.