Dr. Yanni Yan and Dr. Choo-sin Tseng from City University of Hong Kong won the Best Paper Award at the Fifth Annual International Business and Economy Conference 2006, announced the university here Wednesday.

Dr. Yanni Yan and Dr. Choo-sin Tseng were associate professors of the Department of Marketing at City University. They outperformed participants from 23 countries to clinch the award at the Conference. This is the first time scholars from Hong Kong have been honored with this award since the Conference first held.

The Conference, themed "Emerging Issues in the Global Economy" was held in Hawaii from Jan. 5 to 8. It attracted more than 100 submissions from 23 countries. Among the eight papers short-listed for the Best Paper Award, the paper from CityU was ranked highest.

The award-winning paper, co-authored by Dr. Yan and Dr. Tseng, is entitled "A study of Resource Competitiveness in High-tech Firms." It confirms that a firm's organizational control, such as its corporate culture, organizational formalization and business strategy, has a significant mediating effect on firm-specific advantages and performance.

"This paper suggests that a broadened perspective is needed for considering the relationship between resources, control and performance for a firm to generate better performance," Dr. Yan said.

The paper was reviewed and ranked by a panel of 20 world-renowned professors from the US, Denmark, Korea and Hong Kong.

Reviewers said the paper could have "positive impacts on international research of business and economy" and it has been invited for submission to the Journal of International Business and Economics.

The Conference was first held in 2002. It is held every year to provide a forum for scholars to present, examine, discuss and exchange ideas relevant to emerging business and economic issues in the global economy.

It also aims to promote the renewal and creation of professional ties between participants. Issues discussed this year included resource management, knowledge management, human resources management, financial and economic issues, and marketing services.

Source: Xinhua