Prof Farh: make decisions based on principles, not theory

Recognising the significance of training in acquiring the right technique to handle employees, half of the 21 management of organisations courses offered to undergraduates at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have programmes which help students deal with human relations.

Outspoken and erudite, Prof Larry Farh, past head of the Department of Management of Organisations at the School of Business and Management, HKUST, says, "Ability and experience are important. But in order to be a happy manager, your personality and job requirements need to have a good fit.

"A manager performs different roles: he is a team leader, spokesperson, resources negotiator [and] decision-maker and looks for new ways to handle disturbances like the recent SARS crisis.''

He says it is equally important for a competent manager to possess technical, interpersonal and conceptual skills, which will enable him or her to solve complex problems even when there are no clear solutions. "You have to look at the questions from a higher perspective with an [ability for] abstract thinking, like [finding] a path out of a jungle."

He also points out that, while many professionals have acquired strong technical and conceptual skills, they need more in-depth training in dealing with people to become a good team leader. "Some of the functions of a manager, like performing ceremonial duties, may not appear to be important, but they signal that [the] management cares about employees and customers."

Educated in Taiwan and the United States, Prof Farh, who has published over 40 articles in leading international journals, says that a successful manager should make decisions based on principles rather than theory.

Courses offered on training in handling human relations cover some of the following areas of study: organisational behaviour; human resources management; the most popular, negotiation; and groups and team work in organisations.

The minimum prerequisite for enrolment into the School of Business and Management as a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) student is at least a pass in two Advanced Level subjects, including a grade D or above in Use of English. BBA students wishing to major in management of organisations must complete their first year of study in the school. The school offers students a choice of six majors at the end of their first year of education.

The latest figures from the university's student affairs office show that, of the 66 management of organisations graduates in 2002, 15 percent found jobs before June; 73 percent between June and August and 12 percent from September to December - and that their salaries ranged from HK$6,000 to HK$31,667. Thirty-three percent entered administration and management positions and 33 percent marketing and sales.

Professor Farh says he has yet to obtain figures on the employment situation of graduates this year, but admits that both job opportunities and pay would not be as promising as in the past years because of Hong Kong's economic downturn.

The school also offers diploma and PhD programmes for post-graduates. Diploma programmes provide the necessary training for people to perform better in their jobs and will be beneficial to their career development, while PhD programmes prepare people to launch a research or academic career.

For people who already have a bachelor's degree in another profession and wish to take up management studies, the school offers MBA programmes featuring a general sampling of management courses as core requirements. In addition, elective courses cater for different interests. HKUST's MBA programme concentrates on three streams: China business, information technology management and financial services. Part-time students may opt for dual MBA/MSc degrees, with two options - the MSc in Information and Systems Management and the MSc in Investment Management.

Course information

A unique position There is clearly a sharp difference between eastern and western management culture, according to Prof Larry Farh, head, Department of Management of Organisations at the School of Business and Management, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He points out that eastern management culture is generally adopted by family-owned businesses operating in places such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia. "Management culture is embedded in society and does not exist in a vacuum," he says, adding "Chinese people usually adopt [the] family management model into their business practice.'' He observes that these companies' management decisions are usually influenced by a small group of family members and the managers they employ might find it difficult to make independent decisions. By contrast, he points out that professional managers of companies in European countries and the United States are more objective decision-makers and less influenced by individuals. "Family business needs a transition to become more driven by professional management to keep up with the world trend," he adds. Prof Farh says that, recognising Hong Kong's unique position in the region where the notion of East meeting West is a reality, the department and the school have adopted a two-pronged strategy to develop global business knowledge and accentuate its edge in building local expertise. This is achieved by, on the one hand, providing various training programmes for Hong Kong managers to develop global management skills and, on the other, supporting its faculty to focus on management and organisation issues in a Chinese context as the theme of its research centre. The scholar says the department's mission is to be a leader of management research in this region. To this end, it continues its on-going efforts to recruit the brightest minds from around the world. It also works in partnership with local business leaders to identify and address pressing management problems through research, consultation and involvement in community activities. Over the past nine years, since its foundation in 1994, the department has hosted some 40 distinguished scholars, who have taught and researched on campus as visiting professors. It has also organised two international research conferences and numerous workshops and established a research centre. Currently, it is spearheading a long-term programme of collaborative research with management scholars in China.

Taken from Career Times 2003/08/22