Abstract:

Globalization and technological innovations of the 21st century have changed the way organizations compete. Knowledge society places increasing emphasis on a high-performance workforce that is able to acquire and to process knowledge rapidly. Increasingly, “knowledge”, “skills”, “attitudes”, “innovations”, “creativity”, “flexibility”, “learning capacity” and “entrepreneurship” are key elements which determine the success of an organization, in addition to the traditional concerns for product mix, pricing strategy, distribution channels, branding etc. These fuel the growth of continuing education in Hong Kong and in many other parts of the world. Moreover, China’s membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO) brings profound changes to China and the world. There are opportunities for Hong Kong scholars and practitioners to bring in their international experience to China. As complimented by Professor Lee Yanbao, Sun Yat-Sen University’s Party Secretary-General, in the opening ceremony for Sun Yat-Sen University-HKU Joint Centre for Professional Education on 19 November 2001, “globalization requires education to go international, making it necessary for China to partner with overseas universities to launch courses with an international perspective, useful to China’s development, so contributing to its modernization efforts.” The joint HK-China efforts will inevitably bring prosperity to both China and HK. On the other hand, the trend for diversified, multi-channel, flexible and interlinked system of higher education provides learners with more choices of studies according to their abilities, needs and preferences, rather than being determined by teachers’ arrangements or administrative convenience of institutions. Furthermore, running on a self-financing basis, the on-going drive to achieve higher efficiency, flexibility and openness as well as to offer higher value added products and services at a reduced cost impose intense pressure on all providers of continuing education. They need to be more effective in building the human capital of their staff and reinventing in the process in order to sustain their market share and achieve competitive advantage. In this sense, few outstanding deeds can be accomplished alone. It pays to be part of a team. With this vision, we would like to show how to collaborate strategically with local and overseas academic institutions to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead of all continuing education providers in HK and in the PRC.

Key Words: Globalization, Knowledge Society, Continuing Education, Collaboration and Partnership

1. INTRODUCTION

The global market is undergoing momentous changes in economy, technologies, as well as a shift in social and cultural paradigms. For instance, the industrial economy is gradually being replaced by the knowledge-based economy; industries that rely heavily on extensive labour are giving way to emerging industries based on knowledge, technology and innovation. Meanwhile, multi-layered rigid organizations with strict division of workforce are gradually displaced by lean management structures with more flexible staffing; the key to success of these industries, organizations and individuals are linked with their abilities to create, update, apply their knowledge and adapt to various changes. Rapid developments in Information Technology (IT) have also removed the boundaries and territorial constraints for trade, transport and communication. These transformations have created keen competitions in the globalized market leading to a rapid expansion of market-centered administrative reform. Some CEOs and managers are so frustrated with the inadequacies of traditional performance measurement systems that they have abandoned financial measures like ‘return on equity’ and ‘earnings per share’. Other executives even stressed on the notion of “make operational improvements and the numbers will follow" (Kaplan & Norton, 1998, p.123). Since they want a balanced presentation of measures that allow them to simultaneously view the organization from different perspectives, it follows that management performance in these companies is now measured by the mostly widely used tool derived from the concept of Balanced Scorecard. In simple term, the Balanced Scorecard is a management system that measures performance beyond mere financial analyses. It is a carefully selected set of measures derived from corporate goals, departmental objectives and critical success factors that represents a tool for corporate leaders to communicate strategic direction and monitor performances. Translating the company’s strategy and mission statements to specific goals and measures can create a balance scorecard. These measures communicate vision, strategy and performance expectations to stakeholders from the customer, financial, internal process as well as staff innovation and learning perspectives.

To envisage the likely scenario of the global tertiary education, attention should be paid to the changing needs of the learners. Their new roles and functions in the new environment should also be defined. In order to cope with these challenges, the tertiary education must provide opportunities for all learners so that they can take charge of and build a better future for their own life. Educators have the responsibilities and obligations of laying a flexible, solid ground which allows learners a fair chance of pursuing continuous improvement through life-long learning. In such a knowledge-based globalized market, learners need to keep themselves abreast with new and emerging skills and knowledge before their existing ones become obsolete. They should be well equipped with abilities for life-long learning.

2. IMPACTS OF CHANGES IN TECHNOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY

The MIT90s (MIT/Sloan, 1990) research suggests that business turbulence and technological changes imply potential organizational changes, and that the external forces associated with such changes must be reacted to constructively for survival. It further suggests that Information Technology (IT) can alter the way work is done, and that it can shrink the effects of both time and space. The challenge, therefore, is to create a situation where changes can be implemented to the maximum benefit of the organization.

Concerning the impacts of technological changes in the 21st Century, Gregg Philips predicted the following scenario at the Concept User Group (CUG) Conference 2000 in Gold Coast (Philips, 2000):

2.1 Technology Development -- there will be rapid development in quantum computers, with super fast and huge capacity, satellite broadcasting, digital data transmission, networking, interfaces (including PCs), portals, and the increasing use of wireless application protocols (WAP).

2.2 Sociological Issues -- work settings will become virtual such that: (a) there will be more company loyalty through share ownership; (b) family centered and female owned business will become more powerful; and (c) employees will become more self-serving, with people retiring and re-entering the workforce constantly at any age.

2.3 Business Practices-- only few global-large or small businesses in the form of super ocean liners and many small service boats can survive. Companies will have to change their size and shapes regularly. Work locations will become more disparate. Routine business to business will be automated with less paper and more phones bills via emails. Companies will keep only their best/core business and have everything else outsourced. Intellectual capital with knowledge economy and innovation will become the only differentiator. Service industries will be far bigger than any other sectors.

2.4 Human Resources -- typical human resources (HR) departments are at one of the four levels - i) limited capability other than automated payroll, ii) internal full service unit which is procedural and compliance focus, iii) multidivisional with focus moving to staffing and compensation programs, and iv) strategic focus aimed at increasing the organization's productivity. The transaction and process oriented HR departments, which cannot marshal enough resources to change, will not be able to survive. As a result, some HR departments will dramatically engage themselves in outsourcing (which has been growing at over 50% p.a. in the USA). These new HR departments are characterized by their smaller business partner mentality, being more focused on strategic planning, with high potential growth areas and limited internal administration. Outsourcing for specialists, on the other hand, will include training, payroll and IT.

3. THE FUTURE TREND OF GLOBAL TERTIARY EDUCATION

3.1 Education Reforms in the Global Tertiary Education

It is essential for universities to respond and cope with the constant threat of the global changes in technology and information transfer in order to survive and protect their share in the market place. Although many top universities in the world, such as Yale and Oxford, are good at teaching and research, they are not strong enough in certain areas. For example, Cambridge University has formed partnerships with Bill Gates of Microsoft and Massachusetts Institutes of Technology whilst Oxford cooperates with Princeton University, all with the purpose of strengthening and complementing their weaknesses in the field of IT (Ming Pao, 27 November 2000).

In recent years, the phenomena of collaborations and merges of universities also became a prevailing trend in China. The establishment of the New Shanghai University, the New Szechuan University and the New Chekiang University are genuine examples that follow the global trend of strategic alliances of universities. Examples of PRC universities merging are also found in the report of Daniel Kwan in Hangzhou (Zhang, 2000). Mr. Zhang Junsheng, head of Zhejiang University and formerly vice-director of Xinhua's office in Hong Kong, was put in charge of merging several universities in Zhejiang three year ago. And on September 15, 1998, Hangzhou University, Zhejiang Agricultural University, Zhejiang Medical University were merged into Zhejiang University, forming a huge institute of more than 55,000 students and staff. Zhejiang University has become one of the nine universities the PRC Government has pledged to develop into world-class learning institutions. The merger has been hailed as a major attempt by the Government to overhaul its tertiary institutions and increase enrolment.

On the other hand, some other universities resisted reforms and fought to maintain their independence. For example, the merger between Tianjin University and Nankai University foundered, after neither party agreed to give up their names despite intensive lobbying by Vice Premier Li Lanqing. Mr. Zhang considered mergers good for universities, although he could also appreciate some of the opponents' views. He noted that it is natural for some people to oppose the idea because it is simply impossible for everyone to agree. However, he argued that modern sciences, not just subjects like engineering but also disciplines such as humanities, often required input from different sectors. Through mergers, universities could offer students better choices and perspectives. He continued, "I support mergers, not because I am the head of Zhejiang University. In the long run, everybody can benefit from mergers." While China accelerated the reforms of its state-run universities, Mr. Zhang said that more privately funded universities, universities run by the society, would be established in coming years to become an important force of the education system. He added that Zhejiang University had established one such University-City College-last year. Instead of relying on funding by the state, the college was set up as a joint venture between Zhejiang University and the Hangzhou municipal Government. He recommended that the Chinese universities should merge to raise the competitiveness of teaching faculties and meet the needs of the society.

Similarly, Wong (2001) also reported about the reforms in Japanese Tertiary education in the 21st century, where strategic alliances among the universities have long been established. For example, the alliances among a number of Universities in Kyoto enable students to choose a wider scope of subjects from the disciplines offered by other universities. Other series of reform exercises in the form of strategic alliances can also be found from several universities in Hong Kong and Singapore. To cite a few, the collaboration of University of Hong Kong with Tsinghua, Fudan, British Columbia, California (Berkeley), Southern California, London, and Curtin; the partnership of Singapore National University with Harvard, Massachusetts Institutes of Technology, Princeton, Oxford and Cambridge, etc. Wong (2001) recommended that the rationale and effectiveness behind restructuring and merging exercises of university can certainly assist the universities in having better teaching and research development, resources utilization, talents nourishment and administrative management. He further added that, unlike Japan and China, universities in Hong Kong could adopt its own features and maintain only up to about three governments subsidized universities whilst others will be encouraged to opt for privatization, with the government subsidizing them in terms of research and development and operational costs. He also stressed that the effective measures and quality control mechanisms should ensure that the learning experience is of an adequate standard. In this new environment, private universities can have their bases to recruit more students, establish relationships across territories with various organisations, enterprises, funding bodies such that professional collaborations, competitions and co-operations are facilitated and made possible - achieving what is called "Rebuilding another Hong Kong" and "two coasts four places" strategies (Wong, 2001, p.93).

Current education reforms in places like Shanghai, Singapore, Korea, Taipei, Chicago and USA, highlight some salient points regarding life-long learning, quality assurance and IT reforms in education (see Appendix I). The proposed timeframe for implementation of the education reform (Education Commission, 2000a) regarding the priority items, interim measures and long term goals for higher and continuing education are also summarized in Appendix II.

3.2 International Education in Australian Universities

Australian Universities use a strategic operations approach based on developing unique relationships with partners (including suppliers, customers, employees, shareholders, government, and sometimes, with competitors). They recruit international students via differentiated regional, global and country strategies as well as virtual campuses through the creation of innovative international degree products, relationship and technology management and commission agents. This new business model is one in which competitive advantage is based on rapid and flexible responses to market change. The new capabilities are based on an understanding of and the ability to use and manage the new technology, and understanding the impact of knowledge creation and its distribution. This paradigm has been the basis of a service industry for the Australian Universities that has grown from a few hundred thousand dollars in export value in 1986 to more than $3.7 billion in 2001 (Walters and Adams, 2001). Yang and Welch (2001) reported that 38.98% of Guangzhou universities had joint/double degree programs with foreign institutions. These degrees were mainly at Masters and Bachelor levels. Doctoral level was the least common. Reasons for this cooperation emerge from both sides: while many foreign institutions are seeking partners in China, Chinese universities equally seek international partners. Benefits to Chinese universities include updated teaching contents, methods and textbooks, increasing equivalence of Chinese degrees with international qualifications etc. A typical example is the joint Masters program between Guangzhou University and the University of New South Wales in Australia. Market force is the real dynamics for such cooperation.

3.3 Crisis in Tertiary Education: the New Zealand Experience

As in many other places of the world, serious concerns have been raised in New Zealand about the commodification, marketization and privatization of education at the university level. The marketization process is posing a threat to those working in the state run universities, so special attention is paid towards the emergence of the "perpetual chooser", the potential changes in conditions of work for academics, and the reconfiguration of academic priorities in the age of the market (Roberts, 1999). Perpetual shortage of funds at all levels of the education system has also been perceived as an impediment to the full development of tertiary educational programs. The question of how to acquire more and how to spend less remained uppermost in many minds when references to crises in the higher education sector are made.

The Ministry of Education document (1997d) responded to these concerns by suggesting that increased competition could enhance the quality and relevance of tertiary education, such that they become 'more readily responding to the educational needs of students through diversification and specialization' (1997d: 4). They also recommended "competitive neutrality", where students would be given an entitlement (tertiary education voucher) to use as they see fit. By using such a system, resources that follow students would pose even greater competitions among service providers, which eventually lead to both cost reductions and improvements in educational quality. Current research funding arrangements, with their "poor accountability and inadequate quality assurance also require revision" (1997d: overview, p.4). So students are expected to pay more for a better education, whilst the institutes/universities have to compete with each other to offer the best services and products to students (Peters and Marshall, 1996; Fitzsimons, 1997). This transformation in the direction of education policy making has been accompanied by a new language and redefinition of key concepts:

"Education" has become a commodity that is to be bought, sold, traded, and consumed. Competition between "providers" (i.e. educational institutions and other organizations offering courses of study for formal qualifications) is explicitly fostered. Students become consumers of course offerings, and are expected to wander the educational "marketplace" making continuous (supposedly "free", "autonomous" and "rational") choices about which programs to accept or reject. Instead of educational processes, we now have "inputs", "throughputs" and "outputs" (as well as "outcome"), with (ostensibly) clearly defined "pathways" through the maze of qualifications currently on offer. (Roberts, 1999, p.68)

3.4 Universitas 21: A Network for International Higher Education

To strengthen the capacity to operate internationally and to enhance international recognition and standing, partnerships among universities across borders become inevitable and desirable. One of the most representative examples is the Universitas 21 (Universitas 21, 2000), a company incorporated in the United Kingdom with a network of eighteen universities (Ref. Appendix IV) in ten countries. Collectively, it enrolls about 500,000 students each year, employs some 44,000 academics and researchers, and has a combined operating budget of almost US$9billion. The Company's core business is the provision of a pre-eminent brand for educational services. The network offers experience and expertise across a range of vital educational functions, with the support of a proven quality assurance capability and high brand value. It also provides a framework for member universities to pursue agendas beyond their individual capabilities, capitalizing on the established reputation and operational reach of each member. As an incorporated entity, Universitas 21 is in a position to leverage the reputation, resources and experience of its members on behalf of corporate partners, claiming that it has uniquely placed to address the cross-jurisdictional branding requirements of new educational providers. Universitas 21 has been established for the purpose of:

•	Providing a quality assurance structure that operates globally to offer internationally valid processes for enrolment, instruction, assessment and certification of students, and an internationally recognised brand identifiable with a global network of high quality universities;

•	Providing partnership opportunities for major new providers, including corporateuniversities, wishing to access a fast-growing international market for higher education and advanced training;

•	Bringing to such partnerships international recognition and legitimacy, premium highereducational branding, a demonstrable quality assurance capability, and a proven capacity for producing and delivering quality higher education and training programs.

However, alliances such as the Universitas 21 and the Australian Technology Network are bound in the end to fail to meet reasonable expectations because they bring together like institutions with same set of capabilities, strategies, course types, and student profiles separated only by physical location, when what is required is to bring together different but complementary capabilities.

3.5 Global University Alliance: Power of Shared Knowledge

The Global University Alliance (GUA) is a partnership of ten fully accredited international universities guaranteeing high quality education using the latest easy-to-access interactive web and data based technologies (GUA, 2002). The network of academics and campuses link all parts of the world with accessible, fully accredited educational courses. The GUA's Member Universities (Ref. Appendix III) Could offer Award Programs to a great range of countries and students. Their new Member Universities network gives students from anywhere in the world access to courses in a way that was not possible using the traditional distance learning methods. The GUA creates opportunities for its Member Universities to gain advantage in using economies of scale in providing student services. They can create opportunities for university collaboration in course development, platform software and hardware development, provision of reliable systems and better management of customer relationships.

The GUA is committed to being the premier global provider of the highest quality university accredited education, distinguished by its flexibility and accessibility for its worldwide students. It is driven by its student-centric philosophy, its investment in leading edge technologies and its extensive international reach and presence.

Each Member University, by combining their resources under the GUA network, offers a greater choice of courses, more than any other individual institution. It also provides an enhancement of quality because of the possibility of receiving co-branded academic awards. Unique co-branded awards are created out of the ability of the GUA universities to provide cross accreditation through their network members. Access to cross-accreditation gives students competitive advantage over traditional single-site universities and over providers of unaccredited courses. Internet delivery of the GUA courses from their participating Member Universities makes receiving, studying and course fulfillment requirements an easy, pain-free way to achieve a further degree regardless of where they live.

• System design
• Program design approval and review
• Management of program delivery
• Student development and support
• Student communications and representation
• Student assessment

Students can e-mail to their instructors or other students, and raise questions through discussion groups. Administrative support will be supplied through inquiry forms on the web, e-mails and Common Questions section on the web site. Most courses have assigned a technical mentor to help students solve technical problems and make effective use of the online learning environment.

4. TERTIARY AND CONTINUING EDUCATION REFORMS IN HONG KONG

4.1 The Need for Life-long Learning

In view of the globalized economy and high operating costs, a large pool of talents with good communication, innovative and analytical skills, generalists and specialists alike, are urgently needed to maintain Hong Kong's position as an international center of finance and trade as well as further develop into a world class cosmopolitan city. With Hong Kong's lack of natural resources, human resources are undoubtedly the most critical success factor contributing to its competitive edge. Thus it is imperative that the tertiary education system keeps track with the times, becomes responsive to the changing needs of the learners, and nurtures talents to promote a society's prosperity and progress. It is also crucial to help more people enhance their life-long learning abilities in meeting the needs of the knowledge-based society by increasing the post-secondary learning opportunities (as recommended by the Education Commission). This is necessary especially when Hong Kong is far behind in comparison with the world's proportions of post-secondary places to the relevant age group, which is only about 34% (1999 data, 1999 Statistical Yearbook) compared to 81% (1995 data) for the United States, 80% (1997 data) for Australia, 52% (1996 data) for the United Kingdom, and 68% (1997 data) for the Republic of Korea.

A series of reforms have taken places to remove obstacles to learning, and to create more room for effective teaching and learning. With reference to the consultation document (Education Commission, 2000a, 2000b) concerning the aims of education for the 21st century, one of the reform proposals focuses on the promotion of lifelong learning and all-round development. In order to equip individuals with the abilities for continuous development towards the above goals, the Education Commission (EC) has proposed the concept of 'Through Train', which strengthens the linkages between different stages of education and the adaptation to the natural course of the physical and psychological developments of students. This one-stop education service provides a consistent link in philosophy and aspiration all through the various learning stages, from early childhood, primary and secondary school education, to higher education and continuing education. The admission system of the universities as well as the interface between nine-year basic education and senior secondary education are also adjusted accordingly.

4.2 How to Excel in the Knowledge-based Economy

In the 1998 Policy Address, Mr. Tung Chee-hwa, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, mentioned for the first time the concept of lifelong learning as a foundation stone of the education system. During a talk delivered by Professor Enoch C.M. Young at the Annual General Meeting of the Hong Kong Library Association on 7 December 2000 (Young, 2000), he maintained that only 18% of the young people (among the age cohort of 18 to 21) in Hong Kong has a chance of receiving university education at degree level. This falls far behind the figures of 30-40% in many East Asian countries, not to say the even higher percentages in the Western countries. Thus, in the 2000 Policy Address delivered by Mr. Tung Chee-hwa on 12 October 2000, Mr. Tung recognized this problem and set forth an important target: to bring the percentage of senior secondary school leavers who can have access to higher education from the present 30% to at least 60% in ten years' time.

This move sets forward the incorporation of more diversity and flexibility in the tertiary education system. For instance, with the assistance of the Government, the Shue Yan College has commissioned the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation to conduct accreditation for some of its proposed degree programs. The Hong Kong Government is also promoting the development of private higher education institutions by encouraging distinguished overseas universities to set up private universities in Hong Kong (Education Commission, 2000a). In fact, it is a common phenomenon in many places worldwide to have private-run universities, so that the students can have more channels of university education. For example, in the United States, private universities account for around 33% of the total number of universities in the country. In Japan and Korea, the ratio is 74%.

Private college education in China, after nearly a five-decade hiatus, has also resurfaced. Even the National People's Congress is preparing to revise the Higher Education Law to set guidelines and incentives for the establishment of non-government colleges (SCMP, 2000). There are now over 1,200 private colleges and vocational schools on the mainland, and new ones are still opening every month. Many are directly established by local businesses, while others form partnerships with leading enterprises to create research facilities and target specific training programs. Yang Ao, a senior administrator at Baiyun College said, "As China is about to enter the World Trade Organization and opens itself completely to international competition, and global competition is decided by a rapid development of education". The actual number of students attending private colleges remains small (less than 3% of the total enrolment). Even in Guangdong, there are only about 13,000 college students attending private schools, accounting for only 5% of the province's tertiary student population of 240,000. However, with the rising family incomes and the failure of the state system to find places for all students demanding tertiary education, students are more prepared to pay for a better college education. With fewer than one in ten mainland college-age youth being able to attend some form of advanced study (which is less than 25% of the country's six million high school graduates going to college each year), they believe that more opportunities are likely to be created in the long run which outweighs all the hardships in the short run (SCMP, 2000). Xu Xueqiang, the province's higher education department chief, commented, "Our goal is to establish a new structure that will allow government and non-government education to develop together to meet the needs of social development." Xu continued that Guangdong has a tremendous demand for talent, and state-owned education has been unable to meet the challenge. So it is expected that the number of private school students will double over the next 10 years.

To summarize, education of the learners and the work environment will become more integrated to pave way for the global market. Privately funded educational institutes will be encouraged. Increasing use of education vouchers will also provide greater freedom for students to choose Universities/Institutes, such that funds will go to students instead of the education units. Likewise, changes in technology will also increase the opportunities for an organization, although such changes can also at the same time expose

1. Professor Enoch C.M. Young is the Director of the School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPACE), The University of Hong Kong.

threats to those not yet ready to change. New ways of doing jobs not otherwise possible, new service opportunities, new levels of cost or new relationships with partners will prevail. In the education sector, teachers and students can access valuable teaching and learning materials on the Internet, and make use of the various teaching support networks such that learning becomes more lively and interactive. Learners will make extensive use of technology in learning and learn at a distance, from home or in the workplace and not just on a campus. They can use a wide range of learning resources including computer-based learning packages, printed open learning studying materials, networked information resources which they will seek out across the Internet; and books and other documents held in the library or resource centers. They will also inhabit a much more diverse and richer information environment (Ford et. al., 1996). Competitions from foreign universities offering distant learning courses will also be keen.

4.3 The Emerge of Private Universities and Continuing Education

In the past, the upgrading of human resources was mainly seen as the responsibility of the formal education system. This, however, has changed drastically following the new reform initiatives mentioned earlier. Continuing education, usually funded on the 'user-pays' principle, actually helps cater for the needs of different learners. They develop the potentials and personal qualities of the learners, which in turn contribute to manpower and resources needed by the Hong Kong society. A recent survey has indicated that the number of Hong Kong citizens engaging in continuing education is close to 0.7 million every year, with a total trade volume of about 9 billion Hong Kong dollars (Young, 2000). Thus, a series of measures were proposed by the Education Commission (Education Commission, 2000a) to help learners pursue continuing learning. They recommended that continuing education institutions or community service organizations should make use of existing community resources to set up life-long learning centers embracing teaching facilities, libraries, information technology equipment, study rooms and advisory services. They also recommend that educational institutions / public organizations (e.g. schools, community halls, tertiary institutions, languages education institutions, etc.) should consider allowing continuing education providers and learners to use their classrooms, lecture rooms and libraries on a cost-recovery basis. Moreover, the Government is planning to further expand the Non-Means Tested Loan Scheme to cover professional and educational courses offered in Hong Kong by registered schools, non-local tertiary institutions, professional organizations and recognized training institutions. All these recommendations will definitely help those who wish to pursue continuing learning but lack the means to do so; if they are not given the proper channels and support, their potentials and talents will not be realized. After years of neglect, there is no doubt that the importance of continuing education is now being fully recognised.

The education system in Hong Kong is becoming more diversified and vigorous in fostering the growth of community colleges, continuing education, open and private universities; this provides a variety of learning opportunities to assist individual learners acquire skills and qualifications recognized by employers. Most of them operate in a very flexible program structure and duration to easily meet individual circumstances and needs. Some examples of such program structure takes in the form of broad-based curriculum and a student-centred approach, continuous and formative assessment in addition to lectures, group discussions, tutorials, group projects, the introduction of work-based learning (WBL) programs, on-line learning courses, credit unit system etc. In comparison with traditional universities, entry requirements of these education institutes are relatively more lenient so that more people can fulfill their aspirations for higher education programs that suit their abilities. However, stringent exit standards are secured to meet the requirements set by the employers, professional bodies and other organizations. In fact, the Education Commission recommended the establishment of a comprehensive mechanism whereby qualifications are mutually recognized and transferable among various continuing education/ formal education/ professional/ vocational training programs. Such framework will include the following elements: (a) features of qualification assessment and accreditation, (b) multiple points of entry and exit on the qualifications ladder, (c) due recognition of uncompleted program when the learners resume their studies in the future, and (d) possibility for qualifications acquired through various channels to migrate to another mode of learning geared to one's own needs, with the credits accumulated from different modes of learning being counted as well. All these mechanisms are essential in equipping learners with up-to-date knowledge, especially in the knowledge-based information era. So, it is expected that the present trend of global tertiary education will be sustained and promoted. More collaboration in offering specialized programs currently unavailable in the local context will occur between overseas tertiary institutions. Some may even draw on overseas experiences and expertise

4.4 The University of Hong Kong, School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE) Experience

HKU SPACE has established vast arrays of international network and collaboration with both local and overseas institutions and professional bodies, which, geographically, include the UK, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and the Mainland China. For somebody as busy as the Hong Kong adult learner, convenience and ease of access are important ingredients of continuing learning. In contrast to the traditional philosophy of "bringing the students to the classrooms", "bringing the classrooms to the students" has been the motto used by HKU SPACE (Young, 2000). This motto has two new meanings. First, the classrooms are not only limited to physical ones but also include those in the "virtual domain". This paved way for the development of a web-based learning platform called the SPACE On-line Universal Learning (SOUL). With the increasing power of the Internet, this service can be extended even into the remotest regions, which is indeed a great improvement breaking down the barriers of space and time. The second meaning of the "bringing the classrooms to the students". With China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), professionals familiar with international standards and practices are in great demand. Moreover, globalization requires education to go international, making it necessary for China to partner with overseas universities to launch courses with an international perspective. Given the strength of both institutions, high-level programmes will be offered. For example, HKU SPACE established "SPACE Shanghai" with Fudan University and "SPACE Beijing" with Tsinghua in 2001 offering advanced professional programmes. In 2002, SPACE collaborated with Guangzhou's Sun Yat-Sen University to open the third learning centre in Mainland China, "Sun Yat-Sen University-HKU Joint Centre for Professional Education". Plans are already under way to set up similar arrangements in Shenzhen and other cities in the Mainland China. Although there are strong desire and demands from students in China to upgrade their qualifications to degree and post-degree levels, external institutions are required to have a local partner, with a maximum of 50% share, who are resident Chinese national. All Degree and post-graduate programmes need to get approval from central authourities, the process is often very long and difficult. Furthermore, there are not sufficient students in China to have the acceptable English language abilities. Many of them cannot afford to pay the high fees for the joint external programmes.

4.5 The Asia International Open University (Macau)(AIOU) Experience

Another unique example is the Asia International Open University (AIOU) of Macau, a small International University based in Macau and Hong Kong which serves students from the region. Its objective is to train and educate needy administrators and managers mainly in the area of Business Management. It currently offers programs at the Diploma, BA, MBA, M.Phil, DBA and Ph.D. level, and is going to extend its services to include MPA, LLM and M.Sc. in IT. Its courses are highly flexible to suit the needs of the working groups, with face-to-face lectures and tutorials conducted on either a full time or part time distance-learning mode. Because of its specialized service, AIOU has formed strategic alliances with more than thirty partner institutions in various parts of the world, including Institutions and Universities in Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, Portugal, UK and USA. AIOU is collaborating with Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA) to run the Chinese MBA program.

5. CONCLUSIONS

Implications from the above scenario as educators move into the 21st century suggest that flexible and continuing learning will become the global trend in tertiary education. In a world marked by rapid technological change, and with the increasing emphasis on 'student-led resourcing' and 'portable qualifications', there will be an increasing demand on premium intellectual skills over manual skills (Ministry of Education, 1997b, p.8). Information technologies, including distance learning that support individualized learning programs, will also have a major impact on the structure and policy making in tertiary education in the future. Most policies will induce keen competitions between tertiary institutions and universities (Ministry of Education, 1997a, b, c, d). Both individuals and organizations have to continually update themselves with the latest technology, knowledge and skills in order to keep up with the escalating pace of change in the highly competitive and globalized economy. The risks associated with marketization are, however, worth noticing. Education providers of the future will need to be increasingly responsive to the needs of individual students and local communities. Staff will be held accountable for their incompetence if they do not adapt adequately to the changing global tertiary market. Covey, Merrill and Merrill (1994) provided educational leaders with a series of important issues in preparing for 2020. They must have conscience and need to be professionals with self-awareness, which is our capacity to stand apart from ourselves and examine our thinking, motives, history, social and educational rootedness. Michael Hammer and Steven Stanton (1995), in their book The Reengineering Revolution, make the point that all change is loss and requires grieving, but if you believe you cannot change, you will not change, and then you become the loss!

Students, on the other hand, with increased autonomy under the voucher system, are also expected to bear greater responsibility for their choices. As one of the performance indicators is built on the logic of revenue generation, a more commercial and accountability set of operating arrangements with greater flexibility and diversity will be essential. Selection of staff will also be advocated on the basis of their demonstrated ability to win contestable research funding from outside bodies. The provision of services or products to specialized groups of customers, "niche marketing", will become part of the strategy of higher education. "Flexible" working conditions allow productive workers, high achievers, and innovative thinkers to flourish while, at the same time, leaving room for the easy removal of the less competent ones from the system. The rules here very much resemble those of the business world. As the Government of most nations lacks the resources to fund their educational needs, this fosters the growth of private institutes/universities in their pursuit of "continuing and professional education" (CPE), the underlying philosophy of which is "Lifelong Learning" and "Lifewide Learning".

China is now aware that no economy can remain immune from global market competition. It higher education system is thus being compelled to embark upon reform: from being a 'social institution' to being an 'enterprise', under the influence of a market-oriented economy. Given this scenario of increasing financial stringency and the urgent pursuit of efficiency, it is increasingly important for universities to cooperate among themselves. As China's regional economy develops, its 'Open Door' policy continues, and the devolution of higher education continues, such cooperation will continue to increase in the coming years.

In light of the partnerships and strategic alliances discussed so far, universities will need to develop strong alliances with key channel providers: global and regional agents, offshore partners, technology platform and Web navigation companies, and universities etc. These relationships should be strategically managed and will open both organizations to cross boundaries with processes, quality assurance, and strategy. To conclude, no tertiary education institution can excel by itself in the new millenium. The only way to succeed is to form strategic alliances with other institutions and partners.

Reference

Covey, S.R., Merrill, A.R. and Merrill, R.R. (1994) First Things First, New York: Simon and Schuster.

Education Commission (2000a) Review of Education System: Reform Proposal, Consultative Document, Education Commission, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, Education Blueprint for the 21st Century, May, 2000.

Education Commission (2000b) Learning for Life, Learning through Life: Reform Proposals for the Education System in Hong Kong, Education Commission, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, Education Blueprint for the 21st Century, Sept. 2000.

Fitzsimons, P. (1997) Human Capital Theory and Participation in Tertiary Education in New Zealand, in K.Morris Mattews and M. Olssen, eds., Education Policy in New Zealand: The 1990s and Beyond. Palmerston North: Dunmore Press.

Ford, P., Goodyear, P., Heseltine, R., Lewis, R., Darby, J., Graves, J., Sartorius, P., Harwood, D., & King, T., (1996) Managing Change in Higher Education: A Learning Environment Architecture, Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press.

Gaughan, P.A. (1996) Mergers, acquisitions, and corporate restructuring, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.

GUA, (2002) The Global University Alliance, http://www.gua.com

Hammer, M. and Stanton, S.A. (1995) The Reengineering Revolution, New York: HarperCollins.

Kaplan, R.S., & Norton, D.P. (1998) The Balanced Scorecard-measures that drive performance. In Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review on measuring corporate performance. Harvard Business School Press.

Kwok, C. (2001) China's entry into WTO and the expansion of Hong Kong Financial Industry, Hong Kong Economic Journal Monthly, January 2001, vol. 286: 26-31. 郭楚（２００１），中國加入ＷＴＯ與香港金融業的拓展。信報財經月刊，２００１年１月．總２８６期，頁２６－３１。

Ministry of Education (1997a) A Future Tertiary Education Policy for New Zealand: Tertiary Education Review (green paper). Wellington: Ministry of Education. (Ref.: http://www.minedu.govt.nz/data/NQF/paper/htm.)

Ministry of Education (1997b) A Future Qualifications Policy for New Zealand (green paper). Wellington: Ministry of Education. (Ref.: http://www.minedu.govt.nz/data/NQF/paper/htm.).

Ministry of Education (1997c) Quality Teachers for Quality Learning: A Review of Teacher Education (green paper). Wellington: Ministry of Education.

Ministry of Education (1997d) Tertiary Education Review: Proposals and Key Decisions. Wellington. (Draft document dated 17 July 1997, leaked to the media.)

MIT/Sloan, (1990) Management in the 1990s Research Program: Final Report. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management: Boston, Mass, MIT.

Peters, M., & Marshall, J. (1996) Individualism and Community: Education and Social Policy in the Postmodern Condition. London: Falmer Press.

Philips, G. (2000) Viewing darkly into the crystal ball. Paper presented at the CUG Conference 2000 for the Concept User Group, 9 May, 2000.

Roberts, P. (1999) The future of the University: Reflections from New Zealand, International Review of Education, vol. 45, No.1, 65-85.

SCMP (2000) Learning to go private, In South China Morning Post, dated 11 May, 2000, p.16.

Statistical Yearbook (1999), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. In Education Commission, Review of Education System: Reform Proposal, Consultative Document, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, Education Blueprint for the 21st Century, May, 2000.

Universitas 21 (2000) A network for International Higher Education, Universitas 21, Faculty of Education, Oct., 2000. (Ref. http://www.universitas.edu.au/introduction.html dated 22 Oct., 2000).

Walters, D. and Adams, T. (2001) Global Reach Through a Strategic Operations Approach: An Australian Case Study. Journal of Studies in International Education, Vol. 5, No.4, Winter 2001, p.269-290.

Wong, C.L., (2001) The Japanese Tertiary Institutes under reborn --the developmental theories and practices of "three pass over" in the 21st century, Hong Kong Economic Journal Monthly, January 2001, vol.286: 89-93. 黃枝連（２００１），「日本再生」中的高等院校：二十一世紀大學的「三跨越」發展理論與實踐。信報財經月刊，２００１年１月．總２８６期，頁８９－９３。

Young, E. C.M. (2000) Towards a Learning Society-HKU SPACE and Lifelong Learning in Hong Kong. Paper delivered at the Annual General Meeting of the Hong Kong Library Association, HKU (SPACE), 7 December, 2000.

Yang, R and Welch, A (2001) Internationalizing Chinese Universities: A study of Guangzhou, World Studies in Education, Vol.2, No.1, pp.21-51.

Zhang, J.S. (2000) University chief backs mergers, In South China Morning Post reported by Daniel Kwan in Hangzhou, 24 October, 2000, p.7

Appendix I

Reforms in the education sectors

With reference to the Reform Proposal set by the Education Commission (Education Commission, 2000a), comparisons have been made on the education reforms in Shanghai, Singapore, Korea, Taipei, USA and Chicago. Some salient points regarding life-long learning, quality assurance and IT reforms in education are highlighted:

Education Reforms in Shanghai

Education Reforms in Singapore

Education Reforms in Korea

Education Reforms in Taipei

Education Reforms in USA

Education Reforms in Chicago

Appendix II

Implementation of the education reform

The proposed timeframe for implementation of the education reform as recommended in the Education Commission (Education Commission, 2000a) regarding the priority items, interim measures and long term goals for higher and continuing education are summarised and listed below:

Priority Items

Interim Measures

Long Term Goals

Appendix III

At present, the GUA's membership consists of ten prestigious, fully accredited international universities well recognized for their academic excellence and the practical relevance of their courses.

Athabaca University, Canada
Canada's leading distance-education university and a world leader in E-Learning, it offers more than 70 programs and 550 courses to a total of 20,000 students.

Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Founded in 1895, AUT is one of New Zealand's largest universities offering a range of courses to 25,000 students with a strong emphasis on practical learning.

George Washington University, USA
The largest institution f higher learning in Washington D.C., it offers comprehensive programs in medicine, law, engineering, education, business and public management.

International Business School (Hogeschool Brabant), The Neverlands
Part of the Academy of Brabant, it is one of the foremost institutions dedicated to meeting the needs of professional business people in the Neverlands.

Rochester Institute of Technology, Australia
RMIT is one of Australia's largest, oldest and most successful multi-level universities with over 55,000 students and 20 research centers and institutes.

University of Derby, United Kingdom
Unique in its wide-ranging links with universities and educational institutions in Europe and beyond, it offers programs to over 29,000 students.

University f Glamorgan, United Kingdom
One of the leading modern universities in the United Kingdom, it is described by the British Press as having "one of the finest teaching records of all new universities."

University f South Australia, Australia
Known for its high quality teaching and learning programs, and its collaborative industry research, it offers a range of professional education courses to its 25,000 students

University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, USA
Ranked as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Foundation, it offers 145 programs to over 25,000 students every year.

Appendix IV

Universitas 21 Membership

Australia - University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland

Canada - McGill University, University of Toronto, UBC

UK - University of Birmingham, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Nottingham

China - Fudan University, Beijing University, / HKU

Singapore - National University of Singapore

Sweden - Lund University

Germany - Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg

New Zealand - University of Auckland

USA - University of Michigan