KE Spotlight

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  HKU Department of Real Estate and Construction launches online platform on Building Maintenance Cost (BMC) Database and Estimator

  Most building owners in Hong Kong are vulnerable to exploitative methods such as bid-rigging and price inflation by unscrupulous consultants and contractors when undertaking building maintenance projects. A research team from HKU Department of Real Estate and Construction, led by Professor K. W. Chau, was commissioned by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) to analyze data on cost of building maintenance of 426 Operation Building Bright (OBB) projects that were managed by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) and Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) between 2009 and 2013. An interactive online platform, including a Building Maintenance Cost (BMC) Estimator, has been established to disseminate the findings of the project and help building owners estimate maintenance cost. To further enhance the transparency of the building maintenance market, the research team would like to appeal to owners of private buildings that have undergone comprehensive non-subsidized maintenance works to contact its department so that maintenance cost information can be shared, collectively analyzed, and publicized as reference benchmarks for the benefit of everyone in Hong Kong.

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  HKU School of Business principal lecturer set up Asia's first not-for-profit domestic helpers recruitment agency

  Mr David Bishop, Principal Lecturer at the HKU School of Business, co-founded Fair Employment Agency (FEA), which has placed 49 domestic helpers with employers in Hong Kong without charging placement fees from helpers since September 2014. Mr Bishop set up the not-for-profit social enterprise in response to the abuse of an Indonesian helper made headlines. Helpers recruited by FEA do not have to pay any placement fee. The agency will charge employers service fees ranging from HK$2,000 to HK$7,500. The agency's corporate documents were drafted so that the founders cannot receive any windfall from profits. These will be directed back into the agency to expand its initiatives. The Fair Employment Campaign 2014/15, which aims to promote the concept of "fair employment" among HKU students, partnering firms and the public, is supported by the HKU Knowledge Exchange Fund granted by the University Grants Committee.

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  "The WAY I•CARE!" symposium and project exhibition held to enhance knowledge exchange and mobilize community resources

  HKU and CUHK have initiated the "We Are with You Project" (WAY) and "I•CARE Programme" (Local Poverty Alleviation Initiative) respectively with the support of Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundation since 2013 to help the community accumulate social capital and mobilize resource exchange through social networking, knowledge exchange, direct services, research, social enterprises incubation and various community engagement activities. "The WAY I•CARE! University Community Engagement Symposium cum Project Exhibition" was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on February 10, 2015 to provide a platform for students, faculties and community partners to share their strategies, challenges and success on university-community engagement, as well as to exchange ideas and resources to develop new projects.

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  HKU promotes oral health in local communities

  The HKU Faculty of Dentistry and the charity group Project Concern Hong Kong are co-organizing an oral health campaign consisting of three "Love and Clean Teeth Days" in different parts of Hong Kong. The first one will be held on January 24, 2015 at a public housing estate in Tung Chung. These day-long events will include free oral check-up, demonstrations and treatment services, as well as sharing of dental knowledge at public exhibitions. Furthermore, the HKU Faculty of Dentistry team will provide training for staff of Project Concern Hong Kong to deliver preventive oral health services throughout Hong Kong on a dental service bus. This is an Impact Project supported by the HKU Knowledge Exchange Fund granted by the University Grants Committee.

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  KE in The Review 2014

  The Review 2014 looks back at another fruitful year for knowledge exchange and also looks ahead to further developments. "HKU scholars have been actively bringing their findings into the community through knowledge exchange. I hope we can take these activities further by focusing more on the question of 'impact'," says Professor Peter Mathieson, President and Vice-Chancellor. "We have a moral responsibility to engage the public in what we are doing and to use our knowledge to inform public debate. This is an area where HKU has much potential to lead in Hong Kong and the region, and we will be doing more in this direction in future."

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