The Faculty of Economics and Management of the Open University of China (OUC) held an academic salon on the morning of 22 June 2021, aiming to innovate training and stimulate research in "New Business" and Economics and Management in open education.
Professors Duan Chengrong and Zhu Liping of Renmin University of China were special guest lecturers, and the salon was also attended by Jing Degang, secretary of the Party Committee and president of the OUC, and Yang Xiaotang, OUC vice president. More than 260 people participated both online and offline, and the event was hosted by Dr. Ge Junyi of the Faculty of Economics and Management.
Jing Degang stressed that the special occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China had prompted the event, which was strongly connected to the study of party history at the university, and an important step toward strengthening implementation of the OUC Comprehensive Reform Plan. For the OUC to become a world-class open university, support from the "Four Platforms", a focus on high-quality development, and education reform are all necessary. The purpose of inviting the two experts from Renmin University was to bring external wisdom to bear on the tasks of reform and of developing "New Business" at the university. Traditions need to be surpassed in order to attain innovation, and while "New Business" still has a long way to go in order to promote the high-quality development of the Faculty of Economics and Management, its future is promising.
Professor Duan Chengrong shared his opinions in a speech titled From‘Rural China’ to ‘Migrant China’- New Business Thinking behind Population Mobility. He stated that social transformation involves multiple mechanisms, including land-system reform, population-structure change, market-economy development and macro policy control. In-depth analysis of population migration is needed in order to assess its social impact and respond via macro policy-making and system design, and to establish "New Business" thinking in a macro perspective.
Professor Zhu Liping delivered a speech titled Big-data Thinking and Business Intelligence. He stated that cultivating "New Business" professionals versed in “big data” and capable of data analysis, data management, and innovation, requires gaining a clear picture of the essence of big data and thoroughly examining its application in data-driven businesses, while also recognising core problems in its use.
Dr. Xu Jinhai and Dr. Wang Jia from the OUC Faculty of Economics and Management discussed training and learning strategies for the digital economy, “new economy”, and “New Business”.
Zhao Hongyao, associate professor at the Sichuan Branch; Li Gaobo, associate professor at the OUC's Beijing Branch; Xu Yun, associate professor at the Qingdao Branch; and Dr. Bai Xue and Dr. Yang Zhenyu in the Faculty of Economics and Management of the OUC headquarters, gave speeches related to the theme of the salon and the expert reports. All agreed that the traditional curriculum needs urgent transformation based on "New Business" thinking, new technology, and new approaches to economics, management and finance. Studies on training "New Business" professionals conducted by the OUC, a university with a "New Business" orientation, are not only relevant to the development of the university, but also have important theoretical and social value. New technology must be understood and embraced, training must collaborate with industry, and students must be given correct values.
Liu Zhimin, dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management, said in her closing speech that research on "New Business" had just started, that the concept of it needed to be established, and demand for related training studied. Integration of traditional business and new technology remains to be explored, along with reform of training in Economics and Management in open education, and its benchmarking to industrial standards, in order to meet the needs of digital industries.
Written by Ge Junyi; Photos by Yang Junhong, OUC