THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF CAREER COUNSELLmG SERVICE

W PROVIDING A COMPETITIVE EDGE TO

THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

by

LUM WAI-MUN 钵暴敬

MBA PROJECT REPORT

‘ Presented to

The Graduate School

In Partial Fulfilment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADM^ISTRATION

THREE-YEAR MBA PROGRAMME

THE CHnSfESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

May 1995

砂 / " #

/ ^ ^ \ m -[u^^Aitn \ A / T 厂」 . : ' 1 5 ffl m 1 1 u J U V^v~~~UNIVERSITY""""/M V XLIBRARY SYSTEf^>^ ^ ¾ ^ ^

<•«

APPROVAL

Name: Lum Wai-Mun

Degree: Master ofBusiness Administration

Title ofProject: The Strategic Role of Career Counselling Service in providing a Competitive Edge to the City University ofHong Kong

Dr. Poon Wai-Keung

Date Approved:

ii

ABSTRACT

• - Strategic planning is now being adopted my many non-profit-making organisations due to

its usefukiess in helping the organisations to meet the challenges from the increasingly unstable

environment. Facing the keen conpetition both in attracting of quality students and in graduate

employment market from other tertiary institutions, financial constraint and increasing pressure

from public accountability of fimds, City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is now utiUsing

strategic planning as a planning approach which aims at achieving a better organisation future. One

of the objectives of this study is to examine the strategic planning process now taking place in

CityU.

Changes in environment have implications not only to the senior management of CityU but

also on its Career Counselling Service (CCS). From the study, it is found that as CityU is

mandated to provide professionaVvocational education to students and to maintain strong links with

the industry and employers, CCS 's role in CityU is twofold:

1. The career education and life skiUs training provided by CCS is part of the value

added process offered by CityU to students.

2. It has a boundary spanning role to collect feedback from employers on how effective

its graduates are in meeting the needs of en^)loyers and the society.

Changes in environment require CCS to take a strategic review of its services in order to have a

better support to the corporate strategies of ChyU. From the Employer Feedback Survey of this

project, it is noted that employers put much en^hasis on the working attitude and transferable

skiUs e.g. interpersonal and communication skills in their selection criteria for a fresh graduate as

an employee for their companies. The firture service design of CCS should incorporate this

iii

elements so as to increase the competitivQiess of its graduates in the job market. Moreover, in

order to build up its competitive advantage, adoption of strategic planning as a regular planning

process and promotion of quality cukure as well as establishment of formal feedback system - - -•"»• -• r

should also be future strategies of the Career Counselling Service.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS • - -〜•

-•.->

ABSTRACT ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF FIGURES vi

LIST OFTABLES vii

LIST OF APPENDIX viii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix

Chapter I. OTRODUCTION 1

Background 1 Objective of Study 2 Methodology 3

II. STRATEGIC PLANNESfG 6

What is strategic planning 6 Benefits of Adopting Strategic Planning 6

III STRATEGIC PLANNmG IN THE CITY UNrVERSFTY OF HONG KONG 8

Threats and Opportunities in the External Environment 8 Strength of City University of Hong Kong 10 Weaknesses of City University ofHong Kong 12 Mission 13 Strategies 15

rv CAREER COUNSELUNG SERVICE OF THE CITY UNWERSITY OF HONG KONG 16

Background 16 Its role in Supporting the Corporate Strategies 17

V

V STRATEGIC PLANNDsfG FOR THE CAREER COUNSEUJNG SERVICE 21

SWOT Analysis 21

Student Needs Analysis 28

VI RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CAREER COUNSELUNG SERVICE

Strategies 34 SharedValue 36 Style 37 Staffand Skills 37 Structure 37 System 38

VII CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES 40

APPENDIX 42

BIBLIOGRAPHY 46

vi

LIST OF FIGURES: - ' . ' •

Page

Figure A Value Added Processes in the City University of Hong Kong 19

Figure B Feedback System of the Career Counselling Service 39

vii

LIST OF TABLES: 广 r

Page

Table 1 Employment Rate of 1988, 1989 and 1990 Graduates 22

Table 2 Monthly Average Salary of 1993 Graduates 22

Table 3 Satisfecticm Level on Performance by Company Size 29

Table 4 Satisfection Level on Performance by Disciplines of Study 29

Table 5 Rating on Specific Aspects ofWork Performance 30

Table 6 Rating on Overall Efficiency and Quality ofWork 30

Table 7 Selection Criteria for University Graduates as Employees 31

Table 8 List of Priority Skills for Managers 32

viii

LIST OF APPENDIX: o r ,

Page

I. Questionnaire ofEmployer Feedback Survey 42

II. Service Statistics for Career CounselHng Service 1992 - 1994 City University ofHong Kong 44

in. List ofDesired Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes Required by Employers 45

ix

I

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor of the City University ofHong Kong, Professor Y C Cheng and the Principal Counsellor of the City University of Hong Kong, Mr. Joseph Chan for offering me a chance to discuss with them the present and future development of the City University of Hong Kong and its Career Counselling Service. Special thanks are given to my MBA project supervisor, Dr. W K Poon for his valuable advice and guidance on my MBA project.

1

CHAPTER 1 _ - • • 气 ，

-• f .>•

mTRODUCTION

Background

hi the past, tertiary education institutions in Hong Kong faced a stable environment. The

source of financing mainly came from the University & Polytechnic Grants Committee (UPGC，

now called University Grants Committee). Funding was aUocated according to number of students

intake. At that time, the tertiary education system provided higher education for a very small group

of elite only. Graduates from the two universities and one Polytechnic easily found jobs because of

limited supply and high quality of coUege graduates. Li addition, students were more motivated and

mature in choosing their own careers and equipping themselves for future career development. The

role of career counsellors within the tertiary institutions is that of passive and remedial rather than

proactive and developmental in nature. Because of the stable environment, the planning method

used in the past for tertiary institutions and its career counseUing service relied more on

extrapolation of current trends rather than strategic examination of their environment and

formulation of a "vision for success".

Nowadays, the environment facing the tertiary institutions in Hong Kong has changed. The

new challenges stem from new demands in tertiary education called upon by structural change in

economy, the intensifying conq>etition in the job market, the deteriorating quality of studaits and

pressure from public accountability of performance, t i view ofthese changes, the City University

2

of Hong Kong (formerly caUed City Polytechnic of Hong Kong* )，one of the 7 UPGC-funded

tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, has adopted strategic planning v^ich aims at achieving a better

organisation future . The new challenges have in^)lications not only on the senior management but - _ •—•

.»•

also on its Career CounselUng Service(CCS):

1. The organisation is in fact a system which consists of various departments and functional units.

Any changes in the directions and corporate strategies of the organisation have direct impact on

the goal and the strategies of its departments and functional units, bi retum, the inputs from

each individual department or functional unit are of utmost importance to the success of the

planning process and whether the organisation can survive and grow in a turbulent

environment.

2. The Career Counselling Service chiefly aims at enhancing the employability of the students

after their graduation. The nature of service depends largely on the need of employers as weU

. •

as the society, therefore it closely interacts with its environment. Any changes in the

environment certainly lead to new demands and necessitate a strategic review and reorientation

of its service.

Objective of studv

This study aims at:

• to examine the environment that City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is now facing;

• to study the corporate strategies it is now employing to meet the challenges;

• to evaluate the role of its CCS in supporting the corporate strategies of CityU;

• to examine the environment that CCS is fecing;

1 The City Polytechnic ofHong Kong (the Polytechnic) was renamed the City University ofHong Kong in 1994.

2 The Management Board was set up in 1993, one of the duties ofwhich is to develop, oversee, regulate and promote a formal, Polytechnic-wide system of strategic planning.

3

• to design strategies for the CCS.

Methodology • •>

Literature Review

The study started with collection of secondary data through library research and literature

review. The literature is Usted under the bibliography section. They fall under five categories:

1. Literature on university education.

2. Literature on strategic planning for pubHc and non-profit-making organisations.

3. Literature on the role of student affairs and career counselling.

4. Literature on government policies on tertiary education of Hong Kong.

5. Annual reports, academic development plans, prospectuses, graduate employment surveys,

student profile survey and other related information of the Chy University of Hong Kong.

Merview

Personal inniepth interviews are arranged as one of the major primary collection method.

The parties who have been contacted for interviews and the

areas under discussion during the interviews are set out as below:

1. The Vice-ChanceUor

• The environment and challenges that City University of Hong Kong is facing.

• The strength, weaknesses, q)portunities and threats (SWOT analysis) of City

University ofHong Kong

• The strategies that CityU employs to cope with the challenges

4

• The role ofcareer counselling unit in supporting the corporate strategies

2. The Head of Career CounseUing Service

• The environment that Career Counselling Service of ChyU is facing V

• The future direction of Career CounseUing Service of ChyU

• The role of Career CounseUing Service in supporting the corporate strategies of ChyU

Survey

h\ addition to the use of CityU's Graduate Employment Survey as a source of data, a

questionnaire has been sent to employers of CityU graduates to collect feedback on employment of

graduates.

Sampling size

The employer database of CCS for 1993 and 1994 batch of graduates contains 1502 records of

employers, h mid February 1995, questionnaires have been sent to 500 employers which are

randomly selected from the employer database.

Content of the Questionnaire

Employers are requested to:

• evaluate their satisfaction level on the overaU work performance of CityU graduates.

• rate the specific aspects of performance of CityU graduates in terms of professional

knowledge, technical skills, planning, organising skills, leadership skills, analytical skills,

communication skills, interpersonal skills, creativity, language proficiency, working

attitude, efficiency as weU as quality of work.

• select from a list of fectors a maximun of 6 items they regard as most important selection

criteria for a fresh university graduate as an en^)loyee for the company.

5

A sample of the questionnaire is attadied in the Appendix I.

Response Rate

The questionnaires were sent out in mid February this year. As of 15 March 1995, 113

questionnaires were received. Among the 113 questionnaires, 108 questionnaires are valid, giving a

response rate of 21.6 per cent.

Findings

The findings are presented in Chapter rV.

6

CHAPTER II

!»•

STRATEGIC PLANNFNG

\Vhat is Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is defined as " a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and

actions that shape and guide what an organisation is, what it does, and why it does i t .”� Strategic

planning involved a examination of the organisation's strength and weaknesses as well as the

opportunities and threats presented by its environment. ‘The central concept is the notion of fit

between unique capabilities of an organisation and the competitive requirements of an industry that

distinguished it from others. The challenge for management is to choose or create an environmental

context where the organisation's distinctive competence and resources could produce a relative

competitive advantage. The strategies formulated then would be actualized through a consistent

effort that coordinated the organisation's goals, policies and functional plans. '^

Benefits of Adopting Strategic Planning

According to Steiner，strategic planning has following benefits:

“1. Strategic planning forces managers to ask and answer questions that are of the highest importance to a company and that skilled managers should address.

2. Planning can stimulate the future on paper, a practice that not only is comparatively inexpensive but also permits a company to make better decisions about what to do now about future opportunities and threats than waiting until events just happen. Planning itself clarifies the opportunities and threats that lie ahead for a company.

3 John M. Br>'son, ed. Strategic Planning for Public Service and Non-profit Organizations (Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1993),2.

4 Christensen C. Roland . Teaching and the Case Meihod (Harvard Business School. 1987)

7

3. Strategic planning is an effective way to look at a business as a system and thereby prevent subopt.m,sat.on o f the parts o f the system at the expense o f t h e whoIe organisation ^ ^ a ; Z r r r p I e a c j r e d e v e — e n t ofappropnate company 聽 ’ which .n t u . are powerful

5. ! l r < ! " f P - [ ^ e s a framework for decision making throughout the entire company and thereby makes .t more hkely that the lower level managers will make decisions in confo J n c e with top management s desires. 1叩

. 6 . Planning is necessary for the better exercise of most other managerial ftinctions

7. P ann,ng prov,des a basis for measuring the performance ofentire company and its major parts

S ^ : : ! ; r t r t ^ m a - _ . ey issues and h e , s to estabHsh ; ; a t e

9. Strategic planning systems are superb channels of communication by means of which people t h r o ’ o u t an organ,sat.on converse in a common language about problems of central importance to them and to the organisation.

10. Strategic planning helps train managers as managers. It also helps bu.ld a managerial and staff capability that facilitates quick and proper response to new events

11. t k T t t ， 7 r ' _ provide an opportunity for people in organisations to contribute 二 t , lems to the dec,sion-making process thereby giving employee a sense ofpart icipation and satisfaction not othenvise easily achieved."^ ^

‘ t A ) S : = S S t r a t e ^ Planninp-Whai Fwry Manager Mu.t Knnw (New York: Free Press’

g

CHAPTER m

STRATEGIC PLANMNG ^

THE CrrY UNTVERSrrY OF HONG KONG

At present, the Management Board of CityU is responsible to develop, oversee, regulate

and promote a formal, university-wide system of strategic planning. This chapter wiU examine the

external and internal environment CityU is now facing and set out the strategic planning process of

CityU at present.

Threats and Opportunities in the External Environment

The Changing Economic Structure

As a result of the opening of economy in China and the retum of Hong Kong to China in

1997, the economy of Hong Kong has been and will be much more entwined with that of China.

One ofthe most obvious example is the trend of shifting of manufecturing bases of Hong Kong to

China wiiere there is an abundant source of cheap labour. Besides, Hong Kong needs to keep on

competing with the other little Asian dragons, namely Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea which

are shifting their economies from labour intensive industries to high technology ones.

To retain its competitiveness, Hong Kong is expected to foUow suit and shifts from

manufeicturing into knowledge-intaisive service industries and, within manufacturing itself, the

shift out of manual assembly into higher value-added production. This creates an increasing

demand in the skilled and knowledgeable labour force in Hong Kong, not an insignificant number of

them have left Hong Kong in the late 1980's and early 90's due to the 1997 issue.

9

To meet this aid，the tertiary educaticm must do its best to rahance the quality and skills of

Hong Kong's labour force, through primary training, continuing education and retraining. Before

1986, less than 5 per cent ofthe 17-20 age group could receive tertiary education in Hong Kong, bi

1991 first-year first^legree intake of 10570 places represents 12.5% of the 17-20 year age group in

the community, and expansion plans announced by the government has further increased the figure

to 18% in 1994/95. ^ Li addition, there are considerable number of students wiio go overseas for

further studies at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level every year. Therefore the

percentage of 17-20 age group pursuing post-secondary studies is higher than 18%.

bitensified Competition in Graduate Employment Market

The employment market for fresh graduates is becoming even more competitive as a resuh:

of the recent expansion in tertiary education locally and the inflow of overseas returned graduates

based in Hong Kong. There are signs that the labour market for fresh graduates in Hong Kong has

become more internationalized with fresh graduates from both America and British Commonwealth

countries coming to Hong Kong to seek employment. Also, after 1997, the graduates in China wiU

become the potential competitors ofHong Kong graduates in the employment market.

Accountability for Public Funds

t i the past, the University & Polytechnic Grants Committee (UPGC) aUocated funds to the

seven institutions, namely Uaivershy of Hong Kong O^U),Chinese University of Hong Kong

(CUHK), Polytechnic University ofHong Kong (PUHK )，C i t y University ofHong Kong (CityU),

Baptist University of Hong Kong OBUHK), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

6 University & Polytechnic Grants Committee ofHong Kong, Higher Education 1991-2001 An Interim Report (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government Printer, Nov. 1993),4.

10

(HKUST) and Lignan College (LC) according to the number of student intakes. However, from

1994/95 cmwards, in order to enhance public accountabiUty for performance, the University Grants

Committee (UGC) adopts a new model wbereby a significant proportion of the funds is linked to

the research performance of eadi institution. Moreover, as indicated in the UPGC titerim R^)ort in

1993，the UGC wiU place particular emphasis on effective procedures for monitoring teaching

quality and cost^ffectiveness 7

Changing Financial Condition

The goldai age of expansion of tertiary education has now come to a period of

consoUdation in the 1995-98 triennium. W^h competition from various public expenses towards

government funds, the financial support from the government on education will become more tight

in the coming years. It has been announced that the amount of funding proposed by UGC for CityU

for the 1995 - 98 triennium"is 3.29 billion which is 10% less than the amount applied for.' As a

result, internal reallocations and reductions will be typicaUy part of the budgd: and planning

process as the institution seeks to reduce or c<»itrol expenditures.

Strength of City University ofHong Kong

MomOTtum of Change

CityU has just celebrated its 10th anniversary. The dynamics of change and improvement

of the organisation enable it to attain university status within only 10 years' time. As the Vice-

Chancellor said, ‘The momentum of continuous improvement has released itself from the inertia

that is suffered by many old organisation with long-estabUshed practice and burden of resistance to

^ University & Polytechnic Grants Committee, Annex C, 2.

8 "The Proposal for AUocation ofFunding by UPGC." Wen Wei Paa 4 October 1994, A6.

11

change.，As a relatively young institution, it strives to gain greater recognition from the society.

Course marketing campaigns, open days, participation in Career and Education Expo as weU as

organising reception for employers are examples of its efforts in promotional activities.

Advanced Facilities

As the institution is a relatively young organisation, the desigQ of the building incorporates

the advanced educational technology to support teaching. Its laboratories, design studio, language

laboratories, video laboratories and TV studio provide professional teaching and learning aids to

both the staff and the students. The canq>us was buik with the physical provision for a modem

telecommunications system, providing computer connections to all offices, laboratories, lecture

theatres and classrooms. ^

Computer Literary of Students and Professional Training

As the course design is professionK>riented and practical in nature, students have akeady

equipped with good knowledge and technical skills for certain professions v^en they graduate.

Many en^)loyers like to enploy CityU students because they can take up the job within a short

period of time. Moreover, the high computer Uteracy of students enables them to master the newest

work procedures and technology easily and thereby enhances their efficiency and competitiveness

in the job market.

9 City Polytechnic ofHong Kong, Undergraduate Prospectus (1995 Entrv). (Hong Kong: City Polytechnic ofHong Kong, 1994),14 - 18.

12

Weaknesses of Citv University ofHong Kong

Short History of the bistitution

Owing to its short history, it is obvious that CityU is not among the top priority choice of

students for their tertiary education as revealed by the entry scores provided by the Joint University

and Polytechnic Admission Scheme (JUPAS). As a result, some of the students of CityU have low

level of confidence in their own ability and very weak sense of belonging to the institution. Thus

their personal drive for academic exceUence and personal development is low.

t i addition, during the interview with the Vice-Chancellor of CityU, he said that compared

to other well^stablished institution, CityU found it difficult to attract experienced scholars because

of its short history.

Management Structure

CityU is grouped by both function (e.g. Personnel Office and Finance Office) and

divisional form (i.e. by faculties/division and then by academic departments). Faculties/College are

served as an intervening organisational level betwe^ the Academic Board and the academic

departments. One of its functions is to advise the Budget Committee on resource allocation.

However, some staff raised that the mechanism and systems established within Facuhies/College

for resources allocation vary and have on some occasions failed to give equitable treatment to their

constituent DepartmentsyDivisions or to respond to their genuine needs. Therefore, there is strong

advocacy for (1) more open and transparent Faculties/College Board meetings and (2)

establishment of a bicameral system in v^ch the management issues such as disposition of

resources and academic matters can be handled by 2 sq)arate committees.'"

10 City University ofHong Kong, Report ofWorking Partv on Review of the Academic Structure (City University ofHong Kong, 1994)

13 r

Course structure

The courses offered by CityU are vocational in orientation. Students entering a particular

course has to go through all the modules offered by departments. Only a Umited number of electives - - -.•».

- ’ . -

are provided in the final year of some courses, therefore students are quite narrow in their

perspectives. No general education is offered in the university except some language courses

offered by the Language tistitute and complementary studies offered by the Continuing Education.

QuaUty of Students

As a resuh: of the expansion in the first-year-first degree places, the quality of students in

terms of academic achievement in pubUc examinations entering the tertiary institutions is decUning.

Students are now not so motivated in and not so equipped with study skiUs for academic work at

degree level. Drop out, examination failures and course transfers are more common than before.

The language skill of students in both EngUsh and Chinese is deteriorating. This poses a

big problem not only to the study of students but also to the future career development ofgraduates

as Chinese is gaining its importance with the approach of 1997 while EngUsh will still retain its

significance in Hong Kong because of its status as a cosmopoUtan business centre.

Mission

t i the 10th anniversary album of the City University of Hong Kong, it is stated that 'Ts[o

polytechnic or university exists in isolation. It must assist the present and future directions and

needs of the community it has been created to serve." "At the time ofthe CityU's creation, higher

education was mandated to address the challenge to bridge the gap between the generation ofnew

11 City Polytechnic ofHong Kong, 10th Anniversary Commemorative Album (Hong Kong-City Polytechnic ofHong Kong, 1994),27-28.

14

knowledge and its commercial appUcation and to offer education to students to meet the need for

highly trained industrial and business professionals. This was the environment in which the

Polytechnic's mission was formulated:

“ to provide highk education for professional practice, \\iiich anticipates and responds to community needs and the effects of social and technological change. The mission also committed the institution to offering the community full access to its human, physical and technological resources for the advancement of society."订

With the approach of 1997 and the intensifying competition from neighboring countries,

the government is continuously reviewing its policies on higher education, bi the UPGC Merim

Report in 1993, it is stated, “ the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong to China in 1997 means

that the role of the UPGC-funded institutions has to be considered in the context ofthe hinterland."

The UGC recommended that:

* he institutions should incorporate centres of excellence having local, regional and international fimctions. They should provide very high quaUty biUngual manpower for both Hong Kong and the hinterland and should act as points of referaice, particularly in business and social studies and in innovative science and technology for developments in Southern China and more widely. Some undergraduate students and many postgraduate students would be recruited from outside Hong Kong." 13

It is under this changing environment and the direction given by government on higher

education that the CityU is now undergoing a process of 'reengineering'. A consultation process is

under way to solicit campus wide opinion on a new vision and mission. During the interview with

the Vice-Chancellor of CityU, he pointed out, “ the City University aspires to be recognised，by the

tura of the century, as a leading university in the Asia-Pacific Region with international standing in

selected areas of significance."

12 City Polytechnic ofHong Kong, 10th Anniversary Commemorative Album. 28-29.

13 University & Polytechnic Grants Committee, 7-8.

15

Strategies

The Academic Development Proposals for the period 1995/96 to 1997/98 sets out some of the

strategies for the coming triennium:

" - T h r o u g h the mounting ofundergraduate and postgraduate academic programme of a standard which is recognised by universities of stature worldwide and of a range of sub-degree studies. The courses are designed to give a broad knowledge base. They will develop students' intellect and understanding, their ability to communicate, and their critical and problem-solving abilities and ability to adapt to change.

- T h r o u g h a comprehensive and continuous critical evaluation and through established links with professional bodies, industry and commerce, Government agencies and public organisations, to ensure that the Polytechnic's courses are o f a consistently high standard and contain an updated curriculum.

- T h r o u g h building a centre of academic excellence at the Polytechnic. - T h r o u g h promoting a quality culture in all of its scholarly activities such that staff members

feel that it is each and every staff members' individual responsibility to provide quality education to their students.

- T h r o u g h efficient and effective use of the academic and management structures, administrative systems and decision-making processes.

- T h r o u g h continuous review and development of its student services and amenities, and support facilities."'^

It is noted that the above strategies are responses to the internal and external changing

environment and many of the strategies have been adopted at present. The first strategy aims at

broadening the perspectives of students and strengthening their ability to meet the challenges of

increasing complex and internationalized economy while the second one helps to identify the needs

and requirements of employers and industry which the organisation is created to serve. The third

strategy is a response to the recommendation of the UGC to improve the quality of education,

research and other scholar activities. The last two target at restructuring the organisation and

support services to reduce cost and increase efficiency in view of the financial constraint and

increasing pressure from public accountability of perfomiance.

M City Polytechnic ofHong Kong, Academic Development Proposals for the Period 1995/96 to 1997/98 (Hong Kong: Hong Kong City University ofHong Kong, 1993),2.

16

CHAPTER W

'.>•

CAREER COUNSEUJNG SERVICE OF

THE CrrY UNrVERSrrY OF HONG KONG

Background

The Career CounseUing Service under study is one of the supporting service to the students

of City University of Hong Kong under the Student Affairs Office. It includes 4 teams of

professional staff, namely Career Education Team, Appointment Services Team, Research Team

and Life Skills Training Team. They all report to the head of the CounseUing Service.

The Career Education Team consists of 6 professional staff, 3 clerical and some shared r

secretarial support. The major responsibilities of the team includes :

• to manage the Career Resources Centre

• to provide developmental training for students for better career future

• to provide career counseUing for individuals and groups of students

• to coordinate company visits, career taUcs and campus interview with prospective employers

• to prepare career tips and hints, guidebooks and other reading materials for students

The Appointment Services Team includes 2 professional staff, one secretary and one clerk.

The major duties are:

• to take care ofthe graduate, summer and part-time employment requests ofthe employers

• to explore the potential en^)loyment market by employer visits, mailing campaign and other

means

17

• to represent the institution in the appointment counseUors' meeting of the Civil Service Branch

The Life Skills Training Team includes one professional staff and one secretary. Its major

responsibilities include:

• to manage the Personal Development Centre

• to organise group activities on personal development for students

• to coordinate the leadership training course

The Research Team includes one professional staff and one clerk. Its major duties entails:

• to conduct Graduate Employment Survey, Summer Employment Survey and other career-

related researches

• to assist students in their appeals of financial assistance cases

• to assist the Life Skills Training Team in organising group activities on personal development

of students .

• to maintain the employer database of the City University of Hong Kong

• to organise a Reception for Employers

Its Role in Supporting the Corporate Strategies

•

As indicated by the UPGC hterim Report in 1993 and reflected in the mission statement of

CityU, the role of CityU is to provide professionaLVocational training to students and to maintain

strong links with the industry and employers. Therefore, one of the most important criteria to

evaluate its effectiveness is whether its graduates can meet the needs of employers. As such, CCS

will play an important role in supporting the coiporate strategies ofCityU. The strategic role ofthe

CCS can be analysed from the perspective of a system. The relationship between its input (i.e.

18

students), process (i.e. value added services offered by the Career Counselling Service), output (i.e.

graduates) and feedback (i.e. employment of graduates) is illustrated in Figure A.

1. The quaUty of output (i.e. graduates) of the system depends on the quality of input (i.e.

students) and the value added service (including academic studies, student activities, career

education and life skills training offered by CCS).

2. The quaUty of graduates will affect their quality and level of employmoit. The employment of

students serves as a feedback to the system which is an indicator of the effectiveness of CityU

and it also affects (a) the quality of input (in terms of students' choice of institution they Kiter

for tertiary education) and 0>) the process (in terms of strategies of CCS).

Therefore, the strategic role of CCS in CityU is twofold:

1. It offers career education and Hfe skills training to students v;iiich is part of the value added

service with CityU. The standard of service wiU affect the quality of graduates.

2. It has a boundary spanning role between the system and the environment to coUect feedback on

how effective its graduates are in meeting the needs of employers and the society.

Moreover, the institution aims to be recognised, by the tum of the century, as a leading

university in the Asia Pacific Region with international standing in selected areas of significance.

One of the strategies to achieve the goal of the university is "through providing students not only

with a solid base of their discipline but general intellectual abilities and perspectives" and it is

hoped that "students would attain a breadth of vision and grasp beyond the confines of a single

discipline." ^

15 City Polytechnic ofHong Kong. Academic Dcvelot>ment Proposals. 2.

Valu

e ad

ded

proc

ess

Inpu

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20

The Vice-Chancellor, in a meeting with the staff of Student Affairs Office pointed out,

"The curriculum in future wiU aim at broadening the perspective of the students. However, as the

course is vocationalK>riented, it is unhkely that general education wiU be incorporated as part ofthe

credit-bearing curriculum." bi this aspect, the CounseUing Service can play an important role to

enhance students' abiUty and motivation to leam as weU as to stimulate their awareness of the need

for a general and international perspectives in its career and life-skiUs training programmes.

•

21

CHAPTERV - - -•—•

广 r . . >

STRATEGIC PLANMNG FOR THE CAREER COUNSELUNG SERVICE

Facing the changing environment, the CCS should re-examine its strength and weaknesses

as well as the threats and opportunities available outside. Moreover, new needs of the users of its

services should also be explored so that CCS can make use of its distinctive competency to provide

services that really meet the requirements of its users, bi this chapter, a SWOT analysis for CCS

and a student need analysis will be carried out. Then, recommendations wiU be given to CCS in the

next chapter based on the results of these two analyses.

SWOT Analvsis

Threats and Opportunities in the External Environment

Keen Competition in the Graduate Job Market

Due to the expansion of tertiary education sector, there is keen competition in the graduate

job market. A Report on the Career Development of Firstniegree Graduates in Hong Kong - A

Survey of Graduates of 1988, 1989 and 1990 ' shows that the CityU graduates are in a less

favourable enq>loyment conditions than those counterparts in other well^stablished universities:

16 University & Polytechnic Grants Committee, A Report on the Career Development of First-Degree Graduates in Hong Kong- A Surv cv of the Graduates of 1988. 1989.1990 (Hong Kong: University & Polytechnic Grants Committee), List ofTables-Table 6.

22 •

»

Table 1: Employment Rate of 1988.1989 and 1990 Graduates

Employment Rate of Graduates • :':: as at 30 April 94

(o/o) CPHK 91 CUHK 92.5 HKBC 90.5 HKP 94.5 HKU 94.2 TOTAL 93.3

A comparison on the 1993 Graduate Employment Survey Findings among City

Polytechnic of Hong Kong (CPHK): Hong Kong Polytechnic'' OfflCP, now called Hong Kong

Polytechnic University) and Hong Kong Baptist College】，(HKBC, now called Baptist University of

Hong Kong) indicates that while the higher diploma and diploma graduates of CPHK competed

favourably with those of HKP, its degree graduates received lower average salary than their

counteq5arts in other two institutions.

Table 2: Monthly Average Salary of 1993 Graduates

Monthly Average Salary ($)

Bachelor Degree Higher Diploma Diploma

CPHK 9103 8195 10870 HKP 9513 8159 9906 HKBC 10152 - -

“ C i t y Polytechnic ofHong Kong. Graduate Employment Survev 1993 (Hong Kong: City Polytechnic ofHong Kong，1993)

«>

18 Hong Kong Polytechnic，Graduate Employment Survev 1993 O^ong Kong: Hong Kong Polytechnic, 1993)

19 Hong Kong Baptist College. Graduate Employment Survev 1993 (Hong Kong : Hong Kong Baptist College, 1993)

23

Life-long Emplovabilitv

Large companies can no longer guarantee a life-long employment to their employees.

Companies like IBM and Hong Kong Telecom are re~engineering their companies in order to

remain competitive in the turbulent market. The latter has just announced its plan to fiirther

reduce its staff number by 2500 within 3 years in facing the competition after the e?q)iry of its

franchise in July this year. Since a ‘job for Ufe' is no longer a reaUty, lifelong decision-making

skiUs are more conducive to the continuous chaUenge of making appropriate Ufe and occupational

choices.

Career Management

Hong Kong industry structure is characterised by a lot of small to medium-sized

companies. With the increasing downsizing trend of large companies, the future prospects of new

graduates wiU lie on those entrepreneurial smaU to medium-sized local companies. Due to the size

and limited resources of these con^)anies, they are less likely to offer systematic formal training to

their staff. Employers will therefore expect their staff to take responsibility for managing their own

career development. As such, CCS has to increase the awareness and abiUty of students to take

care of their own development.

Generalist with Broad Knowledge and Transferable Skills

Owing to the increasingly conq)lex economy and fast changing society, business executives

have to face more and more con^)Hcated problems in their daily work and to make decisions in

higher degree of uncertainty. En^)loyees therefore are required by their companies not only to

possess technical skills relating to their professions but also a set of transferable skills i.e.

interpersonal skills and problem-solving skills as well as knowledge beyond those demanded by

their professions.

24

Public Accountability and Financial Constraint

The increasing concem in accountability of public funds, pressure from financial constraint

and demand for higher quality education from the society require not only the tertiary institutions to

review its policies but also its individual fimction within the institution to reexamine the priorities

ofits services and makes effective use of its resources. Output performance in terms ofboth quality

and quantity are the key for future allocation of funding. Dmovative methods and clientK^ntered

services are needed to meet the rising expectations from studaits on career counseUing services and

the increasing requirements placed on the quaUty of univershy graduates from en^>loyers and the

community.

bitemal Threat and Opportunities

bi addition to the general decrease in ability and motivation of students to leam^°, CCS has

to face the following situations:

Socio-economic Background of Students

The substantial increase in tertiary places will mean that CityU students will come from a

wider social and economic spectrum. Survey of First Year Students 1994 ^ of the CityU shows

that 90 percent of the father and 95 percent of the mother of the CityU students received secondary

or lower education while 72 percent of father and 87 percent of mother of the students were either

worker/labourer/hawker, clerk/salesmen or retired/unemployed/ housewife. That means many

students wiU be first-generation tertiary education beneficiaries, coming from the lower socio-

economic sector with extremely limited exposure and hardly any experience of encounter with

middle class norms and culture. However, as graduates of tertiary institutes, students will inevitably

2° Refer to p. 13: Quality of Students.

21 City University ofHong Kong. Survey ofFirst Year Students 1994 (Hong Kong : City University ofHong Kong, 1995),10-11.

25

run into close encounter with middle and upper class in employment or social circles after

graduation. As such, CityU students would be in a less favourable position in empl05^ent

prospects with majpr big corporations^. -••.'

General Bdiaviour and MentaUtv of Students

The lack of residential faciUties for students, the ‘commercial-like’ environment and

insufficient common areas are not so conducive to the development of student activities. Students

are not keen on serving as the office-bearers and participating in extraK:urricular activities. This

affects the all-round development of studaits in terms of social, inter-pers<ml and organising skiUs.

As CityU 's curriculum are very vocationaVprofessional in orientation, students are more

interested in getting the award quickly and find a job after graduation rather than fully develop their

whole person during the three years' education. Many of them Umit their readings to those assigned

by the lecturers so they adopt a rather narrow perspectives in outlook.

Higher Level Demand from the Graduates

As the economy becomes increasingly affluent, a job is no longer regarded by the graduates

solely as a means to make fortune. Demand on job satisfection, better working aivironment and

other higher level needs mean that there are far more factors to be considered in making a proper

career choice than before.

^ As the first year survey is an internal document of a tertia^ institution, comparable figures from other institutions can't be obtained

26

bitemal Strength and Weaknesses of the Career CounselUng Service

Shared Value

No strong shared value is developed among the whole CCS so far. Differait values tends to

exist among professional staff with dififeroit backgrounds and training e.g. between staff with

business exposure and those with social work training.

Management Stvle

The management style of the head of career counseUing service is democratic. He gives a

lot of autonomy to hs staff and encourages creativity in developing programmes and services. His

roles in respect of service provision to students are best be described as ideas generator, resources

provider, information giver and network builder rather than a supervisor and controller. As a result,

the service and output of the CCS increases a lot in terms of varieties, mode of delivery and

quantity. The service output of CCS in recent three years is shown in Appondix IH.

Structure

At present, there are 10 professional staff and 8 support staff involved in career education,

appointment service, research and life skiUs training. Each professional staff are specialised in

looking after students of several academic departments and also responsible for exploring

employment opportunities of students in certain industries and professions. This speciaUsation

proves to be effective as it enhances the accountability of individual staff. #

Staffand Skills

The professional staffhave a good mix of skills and background with 5 having commercial

experience. AH of the counsellors have either a bachelor or master degree in social work,

psydiology, counseUing or business management. The support staff are experienced and possess

good clerical and con^>uter skills. The team of staff are mostly on the young side in their early to

27

mid thirties. However, some of them are not so highly motivated as they have the mentality of

working with an ‘iron bowl’. This affects the efficiency of the whole service.

- _ - • ， --• r , System

The administrative systems are very elaborate, formal and detailed involving a lot of

clerical manpower, file storage space and professional staff time. The quality of the input and

output ’ i.e. the tables, reports or files produced are very good However, the amount of data

coUected are tremendous whilst the analytical, efficiaicy, cost and service objective part of the

administrative systems are not much attended to. Simplification of administrative system has been

done for the past two years. However, there is room for in^)rovement in terms of quality of the

system in order to increase the overaU efficiency and effectiveness of the service.

As the head of the service is a strong believer of setf^irive, self-respect and self^iiscipline,

he gives a lot of freehand to the staff.. CoHDrdination is in the form of standardization of some

information flow procedures and record of output service. As the atmosphere of the team is one of

encouragement of innovative ideas, each team has introduced many new programmes in meeting the

diversified developmental needs of students. However, there are some overlapping in the contents of

programmes which creates confusion among students, hi addition, with change from trimester to

semester system of the institution, every team is grasping the 'gold^ period’ for its large training

programmes. It creates tension in resources allocation hke classroom feciHties and clerical support.

A lot more coK>rdination is needed.

Control of work processes and output is difficuk because of the complex nature of

counseUing service \Niiich can't be standardized and the resuh: of the service is difficult to measure.

The quality of service depends very much on the professional ethics, skills and expertise of

individual counseUor. There are monthly activity reports，but they are for the purpose of recording

rather than for monitoring and controlUng. There are performance appraisal but the existence of the

28

appraisal is ofsuperficial in nature rather than actual evaluation of performance and it is not tied to

the reward system.

- - • —•

.>•

Student Needs Analvsis

Employer Feedback Survey

Overall Satisfaction Level on Performance

Out ofthe 104 companies responding to this questions, 66 (63.5%) express that the overall

work performance ofthe CityU graduates is very satisfied or satisfied. 27 (26.0%) indicate average

level of satisfaction while 11<10.6%) mention that they are not satisfied or feel disappointed at the

work performance of the CityU graduates.

Satisfaction Level on Performance bv Business Nature.

Job Nature and Company Size

Since there are only 108 respondents to the survey, a meaningful analysis on the

satisfaction level of different business sector and for different job nature cannot be carried out. As

regard the satisfection level of companies of different size, the tendency shows that the larger the

companies, the higher is the satisfaction level.

29

Table 3: Satisfaction Level on Performance bv Company Size

Average or above level - - Company size (No. of persrai) of satisfaction (%)

1 -49 85.7 5 0 - 9 9 81.5 100-499 91.3 500 - 999 100 Over 1000 100

Satisfaction Level on Performance bv Discipline of Study

]n respect of the satisfaction level of the companies on performance of students from different disciplines ofstudy, the result is shown as below:

Table 4: Satisfaction Level on Performance bv Disciplines of Studv

Discipline Satisfied or above Average Total

Business 69 23.9 92.9 Humanities and Soc. Sc. 51.6 38.7 90.3 Technology 70 17.5 87.5 Law (no respondents)

Evaluation on Specific Aspects of Performance

hi terms of evaluation on the specific aspects of work performance, the companies show

highest level ofrating on the working attitude, interpersonal relation and professional knowledge of

the CityU graduates while the rating for planning and leadership skills are the lowest among

various aspects of work performance.

30

Table 5: Rating on Specific Aspects ofWork Performance

Good or Average Total - - --”. Above

Working attitude 65.4 29 94.4 titerpersonal relation 56.1 37.4 93.5 professional knowledge 38.3 55.1 93.4 Communication skills 45.8 45.8 91.6 Language proficiency 30.8 58.9 89.7 Technical skills 38.5 51.0 89.5 Analytical ability 39.0 48.6 87.6 Creativity 31.7 55.4 87.1 Organising skills 35.0 50.5 85.5 Planning 33.0 47.6 80.6 Leadership skills 15.8 52.1 67.9

90.6% and 92.5% of the responding companies report average or above level of rating cai the

overaU efficiency and quality of work.

Table 6: Rating on Overall Efficiency and Quality ofWork

Good or Average Total Above

Efficiency . 51.4 39.2 90.6 Quality 49.5 43.0 92.5

Selection Criteria

An analysis on the selection criteria for recruitment of fresh university graduates find that

working attitude, communication skills and professional knowledge are regarded as important

criteria by greatest number of responding companies.

31

Table 7: Selection Criteria for University Graduates as Employees

Criteria Percentage of responding companies

- - Working a _ d e 84.3 Communication skills 71.3 Professional knowledge 56.5 hterpersonal skills 47.2 Language proficiency 46.3 Organising skills 46.3 Analytical skiUs 40.7 Technical skills 37.0 Planning 30.6 Creativity 20.4 Leadership skills 18.5

Other Surveys

A Project on Quality Higher Education done in UK in November 1992^ has also tried to

identify the list of desired knowledge, skills and attitudes required by employers. The resuh: is

shown in Appendix DI. t i summary, it is found that there is strong emphasis on the ‘transferable

skills' by en^)loyers which are not taught primarily in academic courses but can possibly be

developed partially through training programmes by the counselling service.

Another survey on “ The Management Development Practices in Large Organisations in

Hong Kong" ^ identifies a list of priority skills for managers. The list sets out qualities that

university graduates are required to possess when they want to move further up their career ladder:

23 L. W. Rue and L. L. Byars. Management: SkiUs and AppUcation (Irwin, 1992)

24 Sau Lai Joanne Ng Lee, The Management Development Practices in Large Organizations in Hong Kong Ofong Kong: Chinese University ofHong Kong, 1987),57.

32

Table 8: List ofPrioritv Skills for Managers

Skill No. of respondents

--LeadershiprTeam-building/Group Dynamics 16 Problem-solving/Decision-making 16 . Marketing Management 12 People Management/interpersonal skills 12 Time Management 9 General Management Concepts and Skills 9 Financial Management/Cost Budgeting 8 Communication 8 Management of Change 7 Strategic Planning/Business Planning 6 Con^)uter Management System 6

Analysis

1. The Employer Feedback Survey shows that the rating of the work performance of CityU

graduates is quite good as 89.5 per cent of respondents indicate average or above level of

satisfaction.

2. It is not surprised to discover that the specific aspects of performance which are given highest

scores i.e. working attitude, interpersonal skiUs, professional knowledge and communication

skills match with the four most important staff selection criteria indicated by the greatest

number of companies. Nevertheless, v M e the strength of CityU graduates is valued by the

existing employers, it is more critical to find out the reasons why potential non-CityU

employers do not recruit staff from CityU graduates. Whether it is due to low level of

satisfaction on their performance, lack of understanding on their capabiUty or insufficient

promotion efforts by the University is worth further investigation.

3. The Employer Feedback Survey confirms that in addition to the professional knowledge and

technical skills required by a particular profession, working attitude and transferable skills are

33

also important qualities that employers are looking for from their staff. This findings have

implications on the service and programme design of CCS.

» - - --*••

4. Leadership skills are not regarded by a significant percentage of respondents as most important

selection criteria for a fresh graduate as an employee for their companies. It is probably

because fresh graduates are employed to take up relatively junior level of jobs when they join

the companies and leadership skiUs are not much required at this stage. However, as indicated

by Ng's list ofPriority SkiUs for Mangers^, teambuilding and leadership skiUs are the essential

qualities which an university graduate should possess ifhe wants to move further up the career

ladder.

5. Although the difference between the percentages of respondents v^o indicate average or above

level of satisfection on the performance of graduates from different disciplines of study is not

great, it is interesting to note that higher percentages of respondents give satisfied or above

level of satisfection for graduates from Business as well as Science and Technology discipUnes

compared with those ofHumanities. This is probably due to the relations between the nature of

subjects they study and the nature of work they take up after graduation and is worth further

examination.

25 Sau Lai Joanne Ng Lee, 57.

34

CHAPTERVI . - - - - ^ -

!>

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CAREER COUNSELUNG SERVICE

Strategies

Grand strategy:

hi line with the re^ngineering efforts in the City University of Hong Kong, CCS should

also adopt a more proactive attitude by utilising the strategic planning approach in its service

planning. According to Steiner , strategic planning “ permits a company to make better decisions

about what to do now about future opportunities and threats”. It "forces managers to ask and

answer questions that are of the highest importance to a con^>any". Therefore, strategic planning is

most suited for CCS as a planning approach since the environment it faces is changing. Regular

and critical review of issues of highest importance and development of strategies according to the

strategic analysis of the environmait enable it to provide the best service to its students and the

employers as well as support the growth of the whole organisation.

Product Development

The services provided to students should be developmental rather than remedial and

problem-solving in nature. It should be student~centered and cater for the need of employers. The

analysis in chapter v indicates that working attitude, communication skills as well as other

transferable skills are important quaUties employers are looking for from their staff. Moreover, due

to increasing global competition in economy, students are required to possess general and

international perspectives beyond the professional knowledge and technical skills demanded by

26 Steiner, 47 - 48.

35

their work discipline. CCS should incorporate these elements into their career education and life

skills training programmes in order to meet the needs of the society.

• - - ， •

• .-

Although leadership skills are not regarded by a significant percentage of respondents in

the Employer Feedback Survey as the most important staff selection criteria for an university

graduate, they are nevertheless an indispensable quaUty of a professional \^ilen they want to cUmb

up the organisation hierarchy. Since career development is a life long development process, career

counseUors should adopt a far-sighted and proactive approach in incorporating the team building

and leadership skiUs training in their training programmes.

Market Development

As shown by the CCS service statistics, most of the users of the counselling service are

final year students. However, transferable skiUs cannot be grasped within a short period of time and

best be leamt through practice. For examples, interpersonal and communication skills can be

practiced through student activities after students receive initial training in the CCS programmes.

Moreover, acquiring such skills in an earlier stage facilitates their adjustment to the university Ufe.

Therefore, greater penetration into the first and second year is needed.

Market Segmentation

A tremendous growth of service output of CCS in the past three years shows that the need

for such service is great. With a total student population of 12614, it is difficult for the CCS to

provide sufficient service to meet all the demand. At present, the mode of delivery of service

includes:

-self-help service such as tips and hints onjob search.

-mass programmes such as career taUcs and company visits.

-intensive workshops such as Business Orientation Programme.

36

-individual career counseUing

Since not all students need more intensive type of service, the market can be segmented into - _ • • ， •

different market niches. While stud^ts are encouraged to join intensive training programmes, the

future service should also be designed in the direction of developing more setf-help materials and

programmes. For exan^)le, througJi computerised programme of career interest exploration or

through setfK>rganised groups to ejq>lore industries and professions students want to enter after

their graduation. Service provider should ako be flexible in their roles i.e. as faciUtator, educator,

trainer, information provider, resources guide to meet the needs of different students.

Creation of Resources

Through involvement of academic staff and alumni in the service, CCS can greatly enhance

the quality and quantity of its service to students. Academic staff who have expertise in

transferable skiUs and alumni who can contribute first-hand career information to the prospective

graduates should be identified and encouraged to offer their assistance to students.

Shared Value

In line with the corporate strategy to foster a quality cuhure in the institution, CCS should

also strengthen the values of quaUty among every member of staff. Although there may be different

values for staff with different background and training, gradual build-up of quality concept can be

fostered by invitation of outside experts addressing on the topic or conducting intensive training

workshops, bench marking of service with the best service worldwide and open recognition of good

performers. Moreover, through reguhr strategic planning meetings, issues of highest importance

can be brought out for discussion. Licreased communication and possible development of common

objectives during the strategic meetings will foster teamwork within the unit.

37

Style

The present style of participative management and encouragement of creativity in service _ _ - -"»- *

...: ‘

provision should be continued. However, more control should be exercised through promotion of a

quality culture. Performance appraisal by the Head and evaluation of service by students after

training courses can be utilized as supplementary means to ensure quality of service.

StafFand Skills

1. Encouragement should continue to be given to staff development through sponsorship of

courses, invitation of outside experts to conduct training to enhance the professional knowledge

of staff，encouragement of staff to attend outside seminars and conferences to update

knowledge and exchange expertise.

2. Through effective performance evaluation according to the service objective set in the strategic

planning meeting at the beginning of each year, recognition can be given to good performers,

weaknesses of staff be identified and proper training be given to enhance professionalism.

Moreover, as the senior management has just announced that amendment has been made to the

reward system whereby merit increase in salary will be given to good performers in addition to

the annual seniority-based increase, performance appraisal can help to identify good

performers.

Structure

The existing system of specialisation by academic department, profession and industry should be

continued as it proved to be an effective means to enhance accountability. However, greater co-

ordination should be made through regular planning meeting and installation of computer network

so that database ofcommon interest can be shared and updated information can be received without

delay.

38

System

1 • Further simpUfication and rationalization of administrative system are needed to be carried out. t _ _ •—.

Efficiency can be improve through computerization and standardization of certain procedures

e.g. placement request processing procedures and appointment booking system.

2. To establish formal and regular feedback system to improve quality of service. The feedback

system is shown in Figure B:

a) Evaluation of effectiveness of training courses by students after programmes or possibly

follow-up survey can be conducted after intensive workshop to examine their impact on the

long term development of students in terms ofknowledge, attitude^ behaviour and resuk.

b) Large scale employer feedback survey in regular interval to evaluate graduates'

performance and to identify requirements ofjobs of different nature.

c) Surveys on First and Second year students to identify training needs of students.

d) Regular employer visits to solicit innlepth employer feedback and job market information.

e) Maintaining service statistics to identity profile of service users and ou^>ut of CCS.

3. Nevertheless, as the service is operated by a group of professional, output control in the form of

suggestions Usted in the above should not be overemphasized in order not to impede the

professional judgment and creativity induced by professional autonomy. Clan control in the

form of promotion of quaUty cukure would be a major strategy.

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40

CHAPTERVI . _ • - -^-

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES

Strategic planning is now becoming an essential part of management process of many

public and non-profit making organisation because it emphasizes an assessment of organisation'

internal and external environment and formulation of strategies that can utiUze its distinctive

competency to take advantage of the opportunities available.

The City University ofHong Kong, due to its short history, has not been firmly established

and highly recognised by the pubUc in Hong Kong. Facing intensified competition both in attraction

of quality students and in graduate job market, financial constraint and increasing pressure from

public accountabiUty of performance, it strives to become a leading university in Asia-Pacific

region. The strategic planning approach can be best suited as a planning approach to the

organisation because it forces managers to deal with issues of highest importance and provide a

framework for decision making that can fully utiUzes the distinctive competency of it. Strategic

planning enables CityU to take advantage of opportunities arising from the changing environment

> iiich the University is now fecing.

While the strategic planning process is still on the process of formulation of a new mission,

it is too early a stage to give comment on the result. However, the effectiveness of the process and

the success of the organisation worths further study in due course.

With the attainment of status as an university, there is stiU a long way to go before its

students and graduates can gain the recognition from employers and the society on their capability

41

compared to their counterparts in other well~estabUshed universities. As one of the functional unit

in the University, the Career CounselUng Service of CityU definitely has a role in helping students

to enhance their competitiveness in the society. Facing the changing environment, CCS should . - - • < -

-•.- • •

adopt a more proactive attitude in its service planning. User^riarted service, utilization of various

channels to identify needs, market penetration, creation of resources through involvement of

academic staff and alumni are the strategies in future which enable it to build up its own

con^petitive advantages.

However, from the perspective of a system, CCS is only part of the value added services

provided by the wiiole education system in CityU while academic study and student activities are

also very crucial elements in the development of students. Quality of teaching and promotion of

student activities are therefore other critical success factors of the City University ofHong Kong.

Appendix I

42

Employer Feedback Survey

- . ••‘

Please circle as appropriate.

1. Overall speaking, how satisfied are you with the work performance of the graduate(s) of the City University ofHong Kong (CityU) you have employed ？

a. Very satisfied b. Satisfied c. Average d. Not satisfied e. Disappointed

2. How would you rate their performance in the following aspects ？

Very Good Average Below Poor N/A Remarks Good Average

Professional knowledge 1 2 3 4 5 6

Technical skills 1 2 3 4 5 6

Planning 1 2 3 4 5 6

Organising skills 1 2 3 4 5 6

Leadership skills 1 2 3 4 5 6

Analytical skills 1 2 3 4 5 6

Efficiency/output 1 2 3 4 5 6

Quality of work 1 2 3 4 5 6

Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 6

Interpersonal skills 1 2 3 4 5 6

Creativity 1 2 3 4 5 6

Language proficiency 1 2 3 4 5 6

Working attitude 1 2 3 4 5 6

3. Which of the following are the most important selection criteria for a fresh university graduate as an employee for your company ？ (You may circle six or less items.)

a. Professional knowledge e. Leadership skills i. Creativity 43 b. Technical skills f. Analytical skills j. Language proficiency c. Planning g. Communication skills k. Working attitude d. Organising skills h. Interpersonal skills 1. Other:

4.- Other comments on the performance of CityU graduates:

氺 * * * 氺 氺 * * * * * * * * * * 氺 氺 * * * * * * 氺 * 氺 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 氺 * * * * * * 氺 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Name of your organisation (optional):

Nature of your business:

a. Accountingy'Audit g. Legal Services m. Telecommunication b. Architecture h. Manufacturing n. Trading c. Banking/Finance i. Mass Media/Publication o. Transportation d. Computer j. Public Utilities p. Wholesales/Retail e. Construction k. Research q. Others (Please specify) f. Education 1. Social Services

Job nature of the CityU graduate(s) being employed in your organisation: (Please choose as appropriate.)

a. Accounting/Audit h. Estate Management o. Social Services b. Advertising/Public Relations i. Legal Services p. Teaching c. Architecture j. Marketingy'Sales q. Translation d. Banking/Finance k. Personneb'Admin. r. Others (Please specify) e. Building/Quantity Surveying 1. Production f. Computing m. Research g. Engineering n. Reporting/Editing

Discipline of study of the CityU graduate(s) being employed in your organisation: (Please choose as appropriate.)

a. Business c. Law b. Humanities and Social Sciences d. Science & Technology

Staff size of your company:

a. 1 - 49 b. 50 - 59 c. 100 - 499 d. 500 - 999 e. Over 1000

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION

Please return the completed questionnaire by using the enclosed reply envelope.

44

Appendix II

一 _ - —

Service Statistics for Career CounseUing Service 1992-1994

Citv University ofHong Kong

1992 1993 1994

NoofStudentsinCityU FinalYear 2247 2437 2372 Total 7236 8032 12614

No of Student Contacts mdividual Counselling 1514 1560 2294 Group Contact 1450 2133 3911 lstYear 640 531 1201 2ndYear 586 856 1365 3rdYear 1738 2306 3639

No. ofCareer/Recruitment TaUcs Attendance 4625 5387 4768

Graduate Employment No. ofGraduateNotices 740 1067 1334 No. ofStudents Placedthrough CCS 471 725 657

Summer Employment No. ofSummer Job-notices 497 604 769 No. ofStudentPlaced 420 418 366

EmployerVisits 112 62 50

45

Appendix UI

List of Desired Knowledge. SkiUs and Attitudes Required bv Emplovers^^ .">•

Attribute Ranking

Effective communication 1 Team Work 2 Ability to solve problems 3 Analytical skills 4 Flexibility and adaptability 5 Self skills(awareness and confidence etc.) 6 Decision-making skills 7 hdependent judgment 8 Numeracy 9 Logical argument 10 Enquiry and research skills 11 bnagination and creativity 12 Use information technology 13 Relate to wider context 14 SpeciaUst subject knowledge • 15

” L. W. Rue and L. L. Byars, Management: Skills and Application (Irwin, 1992)

46

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Balderston, Frederick E. Managing today's University. Oxford: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1975.

- Brennan, John and PhiUp McGeevor. Graduates at Work - Degree Courses and the Job Market. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1988.

Brown, D. and L. Brooks and Associates. Career Choice and Development. Oxford: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1994.

Bryson, John M. Strategic Planning for Public Service and Npnjjrofit Organisations. Oxford: Pergamin Press, 1993.

Burkhart, Patrick J. and Suzanne Reuss. Successful Strategic Planning - A Guide for Non-profit Agencies and Organisations. London: Sage Publication, 1993.

City Polytechnic ofHong Kong. Academic Development Proposals forthe Period 1995/96 to 1997/98. Hong Kong: City Polytechnic ofHong Kong, 1993.

City Polytechnic ofHong Kong. Calendar 1993/94. Hong Kong: City Polytechnic ofHong Kong, 1993.

City Polytechnic ofHong Kong. Graduate Employment Survey 1993. Hong Kong: Chy Polytechnic ofHong Kong, 1994.

City Polytechnic ofHong Kong. Undergraduate Prospectus (1995 Entrv). Hong Kong: City Polytechnic ofHong Kong, 1994.

City University ofHong Kong. Report ofWorking Partv on Review ofAcademic Structure • Hong Kong: City University ofHong Kong, 1994.

City University ofHong Kong. Survev ofFirst Year Students 1994. Hong Kong: City University ofHong Kong, 1995.

Creamer, D. G., ed. Student Development in Higher Education. Ohio: ACPA Media Publication, 1980.

Earwaker, John. Helping and Supporting Students SufFoUc: St Edmundsbury Press, 1992.

Hong Kong Baptist College. Graduate Employment Survev 1993. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Baptist College, 1994.

Hong Kong Polytechnic. Graduate Employment Survev 1993. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Polytedmic, 1994.

Ng, Lee Lai Yee Joanne. The Management Development Practices in Large organisations in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Chinese University ofHong Kong, 1987.

Roland，Christensen C. Teaching and tfae Case Method. Harvard: Harvard Business School 1987. ’

Rue’ L. W. and L. L. Byars. Management: Skills and Application. Irwin, 1992.

47

Seymour, Daniel T. On 0: Causing ouahtv in Higfaer Education. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1993.

Steiner, G. A. Strategic Planning-What Everv Manager Must Know. New York: Free Press, 1979.

Thomas, Charles C. Designing Organisaticmal Futures - A Svstems Approach to Strategic Planning with cases for Public and Non-profit Organisations. Oxford: Pergamcm Press Ltd, 1989.

University & Polytechnic Grants Committee. A Report on the Career Development ofFirst-Degree Graduates in Hong Kong-A Survey ofthe Graduates of 1988. 1989. 1990. Hong Kong: University & Polytechnic Grants Committee, 1994.

University & Polytechnic Grants Committee, Higher Education 1991 - 2001 An hiterim Report. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government Printer, 1993.

Wen Wei Pao. The Proposal for Mocation of Funding bv tfae Universitv Grants Committee. 4 Oct 1994，A6

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