1.Welcome, New PHBSers!
On the bright sunny morning of August 24, Peking University HSBC Business School (PHBS) welcomed 333 new students, including MA, MBA and Ph.D. students, to complete registration on campus. To safeguard everyone, PHBS has strictly implemented the provisions of Peking University and Shenzhen government on epidemic prevention and control. PHBS also distributed kits with face masks, disinfectant supplies and epidemic prevention manuals.
“The internationalization of PHBS really impresses me, as the school has a strong international faculty team and MA courses are conducted in English,” said finance student Bi Zilong, who attended the PHBS summer forum and winter camp. The curriculum design of finance program and diverse student activities also seemed quite appealing to him.
"The school has outstanding faculty and excellent curriculum design. Considering my future career development and prospect, I think PHBS is a perfect choice for me, and it’s better than going abroad for further study," said full-time MBA student Ding Yibin, adding that she gave up two offers from key universities in Australia.
Volunteers help a student to complete the registration
This fall, 55 full-time international students have been admitted to PHBS programs. PHBS held an orientation webinar for 2020 international students on August 31, to give instructions, tips, and guidelines on the school’s academic requirements and campus life. Young Joon Park, Assistant Dean of International Affairs, elaborated on curriculum design, course arrangement, GPA requirements and scholarships, to get students well informed about the school’s academic policies and requirements.
Nigel Wong, PHBS international ambassador program member, shared his experience about online courses last semester and some tips. Brandon Stefano, President of International Student Union, spoke on topics relating to student union, as well as expectations and involvement to our international community.
In the Q&A session, the international office answered questions about students’ exams, online courses and course registration. Due to COVID-19 pandemic and virus prevention measures, most international students registered online and are attending online courses.
2. PHBS 2020 Opening Ceremony for MA and PhD Program
Following orientation activities, PHBS welcomed students at its evening opening ceremony on September 9. Over 300 full-time master and Ph.D. students attended the event, which was livestreamed for new international students to watch from their respective countries.
Professor Peng Xianhua shared six pieces of advice with students. He encouraged them to stay confident, proactive and open-minded. He also stressed developing independent thinking and self-motivated learning. Peng further remarked that no matter their courses of study here, students should share the same spirit of progress and love for the nation.
Chen Xiyang, representing the class of 2019, spoke about the many experiences and feelings that students have at PHBS; and Feng Zhe, speaking on behalf of the class of 2020, recalled shared memories, laughter and teamwork during the fitness and team-building training.
Student performances
French student Manon Heitzler, on behalf of incoming international students, shared her excitement about coming to study at PHBS. She regarded wisdom, grit, gender equity, and respect as four important pillars for individuals, which she said were also reflected in the school’s student cultivation. She encouraged fellow students to get prepared and make a difference in the future.
The international class of 2020 hails from 33 countries from around the world. Six representatives from Germany, Russia, North Korean, Brazil, Tanzania and Australia introduced themselves via a video clip, sharing their background and reasons why they are excited to start their studies at PHBS.
3. PHBS Holds 2020 Student Forum
PHBS held its 2020 Student Forum on July 3-6, attracting around 140 excellent students from key universities nationwide, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Renmin University of China. A full schedule of the four-day event featured academic sessions, paper presentations, team building activities and a dialogue with PHBS faculty. Students participated in seven academic sessions related to their research papers including such topics as international trade and finance, corporate governance and business management, micro-financial markets and banking, macroeconomy and policy research, socioeconomic research, cyber finance and economics, media and social research. The forum provided them a rare chance to present their research in English and engage in face-to-face academic discussions with PHBS faculty.
4.PHBS 2020 Graduates Stand Out in This Year’s Fiercely-Competitive Job Market
COVID-19 is already having a substantial impact on the labor market. According to the Institute of Student Employers (ISE), many firms have scaled down their recruitment of entry-level staff and more than a quarter of businesses are reducing the number of graduates they hire this year. However, PHBS 2020 graduates stand out in this fiercely-competitive job market with a majority of the graduates securing positions in leading finance and consulting companies. Among a total of 280 Chinese students who graduated from PHBS this year, 273 graduates chose to enter the job market, and seven decided to pursue doctoral degrees overseas. As of July 6, the initial employment rate reached 95.4%. Most PHBS graduates began their career in the financial sectors, including financial companies like China Development Bank, The Export-Import Bank of China, China Central Depository & Clearing Co., Ltd., China International Capital Corporation, CITIC Securities, Guangfa Securities, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Tainhong Asset Management, E-Fund, as well as renowned firms such as Huawei, Tencent and Alibaba.
Students at PHBS building
5.Professor Thomas Sargent Shares His Insights at PKU Global Open Talks
Professor Thomas Sargent was invited to share his insights at Peking University Global Open Talks on June 24. Co-organized by the PKU Office of International Relations and PKU Office of Global Communications, the X-LENSE at PKU: Peking University Global Open Talks is an online lecture program, which seeks to provide the public with academic perspectives into these unknowns, or “Xs,” as we move forward. This program invites world-renowned scholars to share their insights on the hottest new debates and information in their fields. Professor Sargent probed into the history of macroeconomics, focusing on business cycles, one of the two major parts of macroeconomics.
6.PHBS Provides Academic Support for 2019 China City Business Environment Report
Report was released in a ceremony in Beijing on June 18. Compiled by the China Central Radio and Television Station (CCTV), the report focuses on the third-party assessment of business environment. Two PHBS faculty served on the report's expert committee, Hai Wen, vice chairman of Peking University Council and PHBS dean; and Ren Ting, PHBS associate dean. Ren is the report’s lead author. The World Bank's business environment evaluation standards were used as benchmarks. These reference international peers’ evaluation indicators while taking into account the characteristics of the Chinese business milieu. Authors designed a five-dimension evaluation process including infrastructure, human resources, financial services, governmental affairs environment, and inclusive innovation. They also released a five-dimensional sub-ranking to comprehensively assess the state of a city's business environment, which covers the key factors affecting companies’ business development, including systems, markets, resources, technology, talent, and funds. The ultimate purpose is to build an evaluation system for Chinese cities’ business settings based on indicators closely related to market players.
The report shows that major cities play a leading role in comprehensively optimizing the nationwide business environment extending from the central cities to the surrounding cities, and an improved soft environment facilitates advances in the business environment.
