Food Industry: Management and Marketing - Faculty of Science, HKU

The MSc in the field of Food Industry: Management and Marketing is a part-timetaught master programme introduced in 1998. It is supported by the School ofBiological Sciences. The objective is to offer advanced training in management skillsand marketing research methodology for food professionals so as to enhance thecompetitiveness of local food manufacturers in a changing market. The programmeemphasizes practical approaches to quality assurance and safety management inprocessing, packaging, storage and distribution of food products, waste managementand control, as well as market research, financial planning, product developmentand evaluation, and compliance with food laws and regulations.The programme extends over two academic years of part-time study. Instruction isgiven by the academic staff as well as experts both locally and from overseas withrelevant industrial experience. This is the only taught postgraduate programmeavailable in Hong Kong on food technology and management. It differs from othermanagement programmes in that students are taught marketing and managementskills relevant to the food industry, using case studies drawn from the food sector.

Admission in September 2013The Programme offers:• Food professionals an advanced training in managementskills and marketing research methodology so as toenhance the competitiveness of local food manufacturersin a changing market• Secondary school teachers the relevant training toprepare themselves to teach under the New SeniorSecondary Curriculum, e.g. Technology & Living• Practical approaches to quality assurance and safetymanagement in processing, packaging, storage anddistribution of food products, waste management andcontrol, as well as market research, financial planning,product development and evaluation, and compliancewith food laws and regulationsProgramme StructurePart-time two years studyFirst Year – Core Courses (33 credits)FOOD7001 Quality assurance and management (6 credits)FOOD7002 GMP and environmental management(6 credits)FOOD7003 Food quality preservation and evaluation(6 credits)FOOD7004 HACCP and food laws (6 credits)FOOD7005 R&D and export market strategies (9 credits)Second Year – Core courses (33 credits)FOOD8006 Marketing management (6 credits)FOOD8007 Financial control (6 credits)FOOD8008 Organisational behaviour (6 credits)FOOD8009 Project (15 credits)Course ContentsFirst YearFOOD7001 Quality assurance and managementAn overview on quality management will be presented.Case studies will be used to generate in-depth discussion onrelevant topics. The management of food laboratories willalso be described, with a review of the modes of infectiousdisease transmission followed by discussion on microbial andother contaminants of relevance to South East Asia. Standardassays as well as newer methods will be covered. Guidelinesof the Department of Health on acceptable limits and routineinspection procedures will be discussed.FOOD7002 GMP and environmental managementGood manufacturing practice has a significant impact on thedaily operation of a food processing facility. Quality productsand a safe work place are important components of a goodcompany. This course will focus on issues arising from GMPand aspects of the physical design of a food processingfacility which impact the safety of workers and products.There will be emphases on the sources of contamination,sanitation techniques for production site and personnel,pest control, and contingency plan for the productionline. Quality assurance and HACCP will be discussed as well.Proper handling of waste is closely related to the issue offood safety and, in a broader context, it has an eventualimpact on the environment. This course will also cover wastetreatment and disposal, environmental impact assessment,operational procedures to implement ISO 14000, and lawsand regulations on pollution control enforced by the HongKong Environmental Protection Department.FOOD7003 Food quality preservation and evaluationThe effects of processing and packaging on the physical andchemical characteristics of food products will be discussed.Emphasis will be placed on the freezing technology ofmarine products and frozen dim sums. Analytical methodsfor sensitive nutrients and techniques to preserve thecharacteristic aroma and taste of a product in processingmodification will be reviewed. Issues related to nutrientenrichment and fortification will be discussed. Sensoryevaluation as an important component of food productdevelopment and marketing will be covered. Variousevaluation methods and analytical techniques will bediscussed in a case study setting.

Second YearFOOD8006 Marketing managementThe course is designed to provide an understanding of the roleof marketing in the business organization and its contributionto business success. Students will be taught in an applicationsoriented framework to become familiar with the variousmarketing concepts, marketing programmes and planning andcontrol of marketing strategies. On completion of the course,students will be able to analyze customer requirements, thecompetitive environment and to formulate effective marketingprogramme. Perspectives of local food manufacturers will beintroduced through special seminars.FOOD8007 Financial controlFOOD7004 HACCP and food lawsAs a core quality management tool in the food industry, therelevance, impact and use of HACCP in manufacturing andcatering will be discussed. Topics covered will include theintegration of HACCP and ISO 9000 as well as the practicalimplementation of HACCP using Asian case studies. The coursewill provide students with a proper perspective on local Chineseand international food laws and regulations. Familiarisationwith international agencies such as the Codex AlimentariusCommission. Issues related to food inspection, food additives,and contaminants as well as the concept of and proceduraldetails in attaining ISO registration will be discussed.FOOD7005 R&D and export market strategiesThe role of research from the management perspective, theR & D process and the impact of technological innovation onthe development of new products will be discussed. Culturalaspects will be emphasized as an important considerationin developing new market frontiers. The strengths andweaknesses of major “Chinese food” manufacturers will beanalyzed. Areas of potentials will be identified and explored.Basic concepts of intellectual property rights will also bedescribed in this course: copyright, trademarks, trade secrets,patents; Patent strategy for research-intensive technologycompanies; Practical aspects and international considerationsin filing for patent protection. The application of informationtechnology in food manufacturing and catering will bediscussed.The course aims to equip non-accounting professionals withthe skills required to analyze and interpret the major financialreports prepared by businesses. The focus of the course ison providing a user perspective of the financial statementsrather than on specific preparation concepts. In addition, thecourse addresses principles of basic financial management andexplains the need for internal control procedures. Particularemphasis is given to developing an understanding of thebalance sheet, profit and loss statement, and cash flowstatement. The relationship between the statements will beexplained and illustrated in detail. A framework for makingbusiness decisions by analysing a set of financial statementsusing simple techniques will also be developed.FOOD8008 Organisational behaviourThe course aims to equip students with a better understandingof the complex array of behaviours in organisational life.It will analyse the determinants of human behaviour in anorganisation at the individual, group and organisationallevels. Topics covered will include motivation, performancemanagement, group dynamics, leadership, organisationalculture, management of conflict, management ethics, andthe management of change.FOOD 8009 ProjectThis is an individual or group research project to be carriedout under the supervision of one or more Faculty members.Students may propose their own topics and approachpotential supervisors, or they may consider those suggestedby the Faculty members. The proposed project title must besubmitted for approval by June 30 of the first year of theirstudy. Candidates shall make a formal presentation on thesubject of his/her/their project during the final semester ofthe teaching programme. The deadline for submission of theproject report is April 30.

Programme Duration and Class SchedulesThe programme extends over two academic years of parttimestudy. Teaching takes place mainly on weekday eveningsand Saturday afternoons. This is a small programme andstudents are expected to participate in class discussion.Targeted StudentsThe programme is intended for those with experience infood industry and related areas. Students are expected tohave science background preferably in food and nutrition. Italso offers secondary school teachers the relevant training toprepare themselves to teach under the New Senior SecondaryCurriculum, eg. Technology & Living. Job positions held bysome of our admitted students in past years are:Tuition FeesThe composition fee for the whole programme for2013-14 intake will be HK$95,000 # which can be paidby 4 instalments. In addition, students are required topay Caution Money (HK$350, refundable on graduationsubject to no claims being made) and Graduation Fee(HK$350).# Subject to approvalRequirementsA Bachelor’s degree with Honours in science. Preferencewill be given to those recommended by their presentemployers.• Senior Health Inspector, Food & Environmental HygieneDepartment, HKSAR Government• Quality Control Officer, Vitasoy International Holdings Ltd.• Head of Dietary Department, Tsuen Wan AdventistHospital• QA/R&D Supervisor, The Kowloon Dairy Limited• Quality Assurance Officer, Cathay Pacific CateringServices (HK) Ltd.• Quality Assurance Supervisor, Wellcome Co. Ltd.• Mechandiser, City Super Ltd.• Vending Services Assistant Manager,Swire Coca-Cola HK Ltd.• Assistant Quality Assurance consultant, McDonald’sRestaurant• Food Technician, Amoy Food Ltd.• R&D Manager, Maxim’s Caterers Ltd.• Code Standard Section Executive, Lee Kum Kee• Food Technologist, Lam Soon (HK) Ltd.AssessmentWritten work forms an important part of the programme.All written and verbal communication is in English. Coursesin this programme are assessed in different ways, accordingto the requirements of each course:a. by coursework assessment only;b. by examination only;c. both by coursework assessment and by examination.The project report will be assessed by examiners andparticipation in the seminars at which students present theirwork is one of the requirements for the completion of thiscomponent of the degree curriculum.ApplicationApplication will be considered immediately until May 31,2013.Course details can be downloaded fromhttp://www.asa.hku.hk/admissions/tpg/prospectusor http://www.scifac.hku.hk/pg/prospective/tpgOnline application can be accessed viahttp://www.asa.hku.hk/admissions/tpg

Programme DirectorsDr E T S LiBSc, MSc, PhD (Tor)Associate Professor, School of Biological SciencesDr Li is an Associate Professor of Food and NutritionalScience in the School of Biological Sciences. After Dr Liobtained his PhD Degree in Nutrition from the University ofToronto, Canada, he was appointed as Assistant Professor in1986 in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Universityof Toronto. In 1993, Dr Li joined the then Department ofZoology of the University of Hong Kong.Dr Li is an executive member of the Hong Kong NutritionAssociation. He also holds membership in the Hong KongFood Science and Technology Association, the CanadianSociety for Nutritional Sciences and the American Society forNutritional Sciences. Dr Li serves as consultant to several localand international food and beverage manufacturers.Tel: 2299 0807Email: etsli@hku.hkDr J M F WanBSc, PhD (Soton, UK)Associate Professor, School of Biological SciencesDr Wan is an Associate Professor of Food and NutritionalScience in the School of Biological Sciences, The Universityof Hong Kong. After obtained her PhD degree in thedepartment of Human Nutrition from the University ofSouthampton, UK, she was appointed as a research fellow(1988-1990) and later, as an Instructor of Medicine (1990-1993), at the department of Medicine, Harvard MedicalSchool in the USA. In 1993, Dr Wan joined the Departmentof Zoology of the University of Hong Kong. Dr Wan teachesundergraduate courses including: Diet and Disease, FoodToxicology, Chinese Medicated Diet and Food Chemistryetc., in the Food and Nutritional Science programme. Shehas extensive experience in conducting applied research inthe relationship of diet and cancer and in Chinese medicine.Dr Wan also obtained a medical degree in Chinese Medicinein 2003 from the Beijing University of Traditional ChineseMedicine, Beijing. Dr Wan has served and serves as advisor,honorary president and committee member, to several localand international food and nutrition societies.Tel: 2299 0838Email: jmfwan@hkusua.hku.hkFaculty of ScienceThe University of Hong Kong12 Chong Yuet Ming Physics Building, Pokfulam Road, Hong KongTel: 2241 5287 Fax: 2858 4620 Email: science@hku.hk http://www.scifac.hku.hk/pg/prospective/tpg