GBS Students Took A Visit to Swire Group

A total of 13 students from Global Business Studies (GBS), International Business and Chinese Enterprise (IBCE) and Asian Business Studies (ABS) paid a visit to Swire Group (Hong Kong Office) on 23 November.

The visit began with a company introduction by Ms. Karen Kwan, Manager of Talent Recruitment from Swire Group. Swire, commonly known as Swire Pacific Limited in Asia, have their operation centred in Hong Kong and Mainland China, but they also have presence around the globe with many businesses held directly by the parent company, John Swire & Sons Limited.

The introduction further strengthened students’ understanding of Swire operations in five main businesses namely Property, Aviation, Beverages and Food Chain, Marine Services as well as Trading and Industrial.

Other than Swire’s business model and company structure, the introduction also touched on Swire’s management trainee program. Students were thrilled to realize the charisma Swire are looking for from the prospective candidates – Humility, Integrity, Endeavour, excellence and Continuity. They could also learn the difference between group staff and house staff.

A visit to the Swire Archive Service was arranged after the company introduction. Participating students were fascinated to see the first boarding pass with all the passenger information and flight details being hand-written, the price list of the first batch of Taikoo Shing which showed a flat of 678 sq.ft cost HK$160,000 and the packaging for different food and beverage products. Not only is this a showcase of Swire’s business development, but also Hong Kong’s transformation as an international business centre.

Students found the visit exceptionally fruitful as this helped them to explore their career interest – whether they would be fit for a conglomerate business and whether they would be matched with a position which requires global mobility across different countries.

“What inspired me much is Swire’s motto – Humilty, Integrity, Endeavor, Excellence, Continuity. Not only does it lead a two-century multi-national company to extraordinary success, but it also highlights virtues that we individuals should uphold,” Ranita Ma (Year 1) said.