Dr. Edy Wong's Visit

MARCH 20, 2007

Dr. Edy Wong is the Assistant Dean International at the University of Alberta (UA) Business School in Canada. Over the years he has been involved with the expansion of the University overseas, especially in China, creating global partnerships with different institutions. He was named twice was one of the top fifty most influential people in Alberta business in 1997 and 2003.

World Business Excellence Association (WBEA), together with Jiangsu Private Enterprises Association, and Nanjing University of Science and Technology (NUST) together invited Dr. Wong to give a speech on “Social Entrepreneurship and Harmonious Society” on March 16, 2007 at NUST. Amongst an audience of graduate and MBA students, was the Chairman of Jiangsu Private Enterprises Association, Wang De Chao, and other representatives. The Secretary General, Dr. Ran Meng, and the Vice Secretary General of WBEA, Melissa Kwan, was also amongst the crowd, as well as reporters from Jiangsu Business Times.

This was WBEA’s first public event, and we are honored to have such a well-respected and knowledgeable individual like Dr. Wong as our special guest. Harmonious society is a widely promoted idea in China heavily supported by state and local governments. Dr. Wong used the concept of “corporate social responsibility” (CSR) to demonstrate necessary elements required in building a harmonious society.

CSR is a concept used by organizations and corporations, emphasizing the responsibility of taking into consideration the interests and welfare of employees, executives, customers, and all other individuals belonging to such group. This argues that companies should not only make decisions based on financial returns and benefits, but also social benefits and environmental consequences as a result of their activities. CSR is closely related to sustainable development and the future growth of a company. The success of companies in the western world placing importance on CSR helped raise awareness of the issue in China.

WBEA hopes to promote CSR to local companies by providing the necessary education and training through partnerships with academic institutions, UA being one of the primary partners. One of the main reasons for Dr. Wong’s visit to Nanjing was to explore the opportunities for partnership between UA and NUST.

WBEA will facilitate the partnership between UA and NUST, providing input and suggestions for methods of cooperation. NUST has showed interest in establishing a research centre for social entrepreneurship as well as course development, and have asked for UA’s assistance. Furthermore, both institutions are now exploring other collaborations between faculties. We will continue to provide updates as this partnership progresses.

Report from NUST:

加拿大阿尔伯塔大学黄礼民教授来校讲学

3月16日下午，加拿大阿尔伯塔大学商学院副院长黄礼民教授应邀来校作“社会企业家精神与和谐社会”的专题讲座。本次活动由世界名商联合会、江苏省个体私营企业协会和我校经济管理学院、国际教育学院联合主办。江苏省个体私营企业协会会长、原江苏省工商行政管理局局长王德超先生，世界名商联合会秘书长梦然先生，副秘书长Melissa小姐出席了活动并讲话。

演讲结束后，王晓锋校长亲切接见了主办方代表一行及黄礼民教授。（经济管理学院 刘明梁）