Accomplishments

HKBU scholars win Emerald Literati Network award

Professor Kara Chan, Head of the Department of Communication Studies of the School of Communication, and Professor Gerard Prendergast, Head of the Department of Marketing of the School of Business, won a Highly Commended Award at the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2012 for a paper they co-authored entitled "Danish and Chinese adolescents' perceptions of healthy eating and attitudes toward regulatory measures". The award was presented by Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

They received Faculty Research Grant funding to conduct the research with two Danish scholars. The study surveyed 386 Danish and Chinese adolescents using a structured questionnaire. Results showed that perceptions of healthy eating were generally based on concepts such as balance and moderation. Unhealthy eating was most frequently practised at parties and during festive periods. The Hong Kong respondents were more likely to associate eating habits with healthy eating than the Danish respondents. The Danish respondents were more likely to practise healthy eating at school than the Hong Kong respondents.

Professor Chan was delighted at receiving the award. This is the fourth time that she has won an Emerald Literati Network award. "This study attracted the attention of the editors probably because it represents the adolescent voice in regulating the marketing of not-so-healthy food. Policymakers may sometimes come up with various regulatory methods from societal points of view without paying attention to how young consumers think," she said. She thanked Dr. Meily Cheung, a PhD graduate of the School of Communication, for her help in collecting data.

Professor Prendergast said: "I am happy to receive this award because the ultimate aim of the research was to find out how businesses, schools, parents and governments can encourage adolescents to eat healthy food. Research such as this aligns with the School of Business's theme of business ethics and corporate social responsibility."

Every year, Emerald Literati Network invites each journal's editorial team to nominate what they believe has been that title's Outstanding Paper and up to three Highly Commended Papers from the previous 12 months. The winning paper by the HKBU scholars was published in Young Consumers: Insight and Ideas for Responsible Marketers. Please click here to read the paper.

	Professor Kara Chan (right) and Professor Gerard Prendergast are happy to win an Emerald Literati Network award.