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MPhil-PhD in Systems Engineering & Engineering Management
MSc in Systems Engineering & Engineering Management
EMSc in Logistics & Supply Chain Management
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Message from Professor Xunyu Zhou, the Head of Graduate Division of Systems 
Engineering & Engineering Management 

Postgraduate education lays the cornerstone for both personal and societal 
success.  Our Graduate Division contributes to the mission of boosting Hong 
Kong¡¯s competitive edge in both fundamental and applied research by offering a 
wide spectrum of programs to educate and train a distinguished cadre of 
academic and technology leaders in the 21st century. 

Established in 1991, the Systems Engineering and Engineering Management 
Department (SEEM) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong is the first of its 
kind in tertiary educational institutes in Hong Kong.  In contrast to 
traditional engineering disciplines that focus on product manufacturing, SEEM 
emphasizes the engineering of decisions and solutions.  Centering around four 
focal areas: Engineering Management, Financial Engineering, Information Systems 
and Operations Research, the Graduate Division¡¯s education and research 
programs embrace new technologies and interdisciplinary possibilities.  
Underlying all these is the common theme of developing and applying engineering 
and information technologies to decision making and problem-solving in complex 
systems such as business industry and the public sector.

The Division currently offers programs leading to the degrees of Master of 
Philosophy (MPhil), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Master of Science (MSc) in 
Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, and Executive MSc in Logistics 
and Supply Chain Management.  The MPhil-PhD program is research-oriented while 
the MSc programs are course-based.  Starting from 2004/05, exceptional 
candidates with bachelor degree may apply directly to the PhD program.  The 
Division takes pride in upholding a top-notch selectivity in its postgraduate 
admissions as well as in maintaining a high standard in training its students.  
This is made possible by virtue of a host of young, energetic and dynamic 
faculty members working on innovative and cutting-edge research projects.  
Together with various supports ranging from international conference grants, 
world-class visitors programs, to high-end computing facilities, our students 
are exposed to the frontlines of their respective fields.  As a result, !
 our students are highly competitive after their graduation.

The MSc program in SEEM is a part-time taught program incepted in 1997.  It is 
designed to offer a well-rounded education to engineering professionals who 
aspire to take up more management responsibilities, as well as to management 
professionals who wish to acquire latest engineering technologies.  Over the 
years this program has established reputation and gained popularity in the 
local community, and has been attracting high quality students among a 
competitive pool of applicants.  The other MSc program in LSCM was launched in 
2003.  This is a unique program collaborated with Tsinghua University, aiming 
at students in the Pearl Delta Region.

To know more about our division, I invite you to find more information in the 
following text.  I welcome you to become part of our family concentrating on 
achieving academic excellence of international standard.

General Information

The Division of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management (SEEM) offers an 
MPhil-PhD program leading to the award of research-based Master of Philosophy 
(MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees. 

MPhil / PhD students may specialize in the following fields: 

Decision Support Systems / Management Information Systems 
E-Commerce, M-Commerce and Electronic Markets 
Engineering Management 
Financial Engineering
Information Systems / Database Systems
Logistics and Supply Chain Management 
Machine Intelligence and Applications 
Management of Information Technology 
Operations Research/Management Science 
Resource Planning and Management 
Systems and Control

In addition, since September 1997, the Department has been running a part-time 
Master of Science (MSc) program which provides advanced training in engineering 
management for engineers and other professionals through a selected set of 
courses on state-of-the-art subjects and cutting-edge technologies.  In 2003, 
another MSc program in LSCM was launched.  This is a unique program 
collaborated with Tsinghua University, aiming at students in the Pearl Delta 
Region.

The Department has a highly qualified faculty, all with PhD Degrees from 
world-renowned universities, and provides a very stimulating intellectual 
environment with close faculty-student interaction. It is well-equipped with 
the most up-to-date equipment and facilities for advanced research. The 
Department has a number of modern laboratories, including: 

Digital Library Laboratory
Enterprise Resources Planning Laboratory
E-Services Laboratory
Financial Engineering Laboratory 
Human-Computer Communications Laboratory
Information Systems Laboratory
Knowledge Engineering Laboratory
Operations Research and Management Laboratory 
Workstation Laboratory 
Personal Computer (PC) Laboratory 

Research Degree Program

Before introducing you the admission criteria, application procedures and 
course requirements of our MPhil-PhD research degree program, you are invited 
to browse through our major research areas as well as sample research projects.

MPhil-PhD major research areas

(1) Operations Research 

Algorithms Hardware / Software Realization (K.P.Lam) 
Mathematical Programming Techniques (X.Cai, D.Li, S.Zhang) 
Optimization (X.Cai, Y.Feng, J.M.Y.Leung, D.Li, D.Yao, S.Zhang, X.Zhou) 
Queuing Networks (D.Yao) 
Reliability Networks (D.Li, D.Yao) 
Risk-Sensitive Decision Making (D.Li, D.Yao, S.Zhang, X.Zhou) 
Stochastic Dynamic Systems and Control (D.Li, Y.Feng, D.Yao, S.Zhang, X.Zhou) 
Stochastic Programming (S.Zhang) 

(2) Engineering Management

Discrete-Event Manufacturing Systems (H.Yan, D.Yao, X.Zhou)
Facility Planning (J.M.Y.Leung, H.Yan) 
Logistics and Supply Chain Management (Y.Chen, C.H.Cheng, Y.Feng, J.M.Y.Leung, 
H.Yan, D.Yao) 
Production Planning and Scheduling (X.Cai, H.Yan, D.Yao, S.Zhang, X.Zhou) 
Project and Technology Management (J.M.Y.Leung, H.Yan) 
Manpower Planning and Scheduling (X.Cai, Y.Yan, X.Zhou) 
Revenue Management (Y.Feng)

(3) Information Systems

Audio-Video Information Retrieval (H.Meng)
Automatic Summarization (C.Yang)
Bioinformatics (J.X.Yu)
Chinese Information Processing (H.Meng, W.Lam, K.F.Wong, C.Yang)
Color Image Retrieval Systems (C.Yang)
Data Mining and Knowledge and Resource Discovery (K.P.Lam, W.Lam, K.F.Wong, 
J.X.Yu) 
Data warehousing and on-line analytical processing (J.X.Yu) 
Database and Knowledge-base Systems (C.H.Cheng, K.P.Lam, W.Lam, K.F.Wong, J.Yu) 
Digital Library (C.Yang, J.Yen) 
Human-Computer Interface (H.Meng)
Machine Learning (W.Lam)
Multilingual Speech and Language Technologies (H.Meng)
Neural Networks and Reasoning (K.P.Lam, C.Yang)
Translingual Speech Retrieval (H.Meng)
XML and Semistructured database management systems (J.X.Yu)

(4) Financial Engineering

Computational Finance (X.Cai, D.Yao, S.Zhang, X.Zhou) 
Continuous-Time Mean--Variance Analysis and CAPM (X.Zhou)
Electronic Commerce and Information Market (D.Yao, J.Yen) 
Financial Index Tracking (D.Yao, S.Zhang, X.Zhou)
Portfolio Optimization (X.Cai, D.Li, D.Yao, S.Zhang, X.Zhou) 
Pricing of Assets and Derivatives (X.Cai, D.Li, D.Yao, S.Zhang, X.Zhou) 
Risk Analysis (X.Cai, D.Li, D.Yao, S.Zhang, X.Zhou) 
Risk Control and Dividend Policy in Insurance (X.Zhou)

Samples of Research Projects

The following describes in more details a number of sampled research topics 
being actively pursued in the department.  The names of the 
investigator/contact persons are also given.  You are welcome to contact them 
for more details regarding particular topics of your interest. 

Algorithmic Studies for Time-Varying Network Models
To investigate network models in which the structure/parameters of the network 
under consideration are changing dynamically and/or stochastically.  Algorithms 
to find optimal/approximate solutions will be the focus of the study.   (X.Cai)

Audio-Video Information Retrieval and Translingual Speech Retrieval
This project integrates Chinese speech recognition and information retrieval 
technologies for speech retrieval, based on a large archive of television news 
broadcasts.  We also incorporate the use of video information to enhance speech 
retrieval accuracy.  The project has recently been extended into a translingual 
retrieval context, where English textual queries are used to retrieve Mandarin 
audio documents. (H.Meng)

Automated Learning and Reasoning
To explore automated learning methodologies suitable in extracting useful 
knowledge and patterns from historical data, transform it into suitable 
representation in reasoning systems to aid decision making. (W.Lam)

Automatic Construction of Parallel and Comparable Corpus
To mine the parallel and comparable corpus from the World Wide Web 
automatically.  In the World Wide Web, information in more than one languages 
are available.  In this project, we shall develop techniques to construct the 
multilingual corpus based on the properties of parallelism and comparability. 
(C.Yang)

Automatic Cross-Lingual Thesaurus
To construct a cross-lingual thesaurus automatically based on the statistical 
information from parallel corpus and comparable corpus.  Artificial 
intelligence techniques, such as neural network and constraint network, will be 
utilized. (C.Yang)

Automatic Text Summarization
To develop an automatic technique for text summarization based on fractal 
theory. (C.Yang)

Berth Allocation of Container Terminals
Container terminals form an important link in the transport chain for 
transshipment of cargo containers.  Berth allocation aims to determine the 
optimal berthing times and positions of vessels in a container terminal, so as 
to reduce the service time of vessels and increase the resource utilization of 
berths.  We will study the problem under a new framework scheduling models. 
(X.Cai)

Chinese Database and Information Retrieval
To design and develop a database and an intelligent information retrieval 
systems with user friendly interface in Chinese, especially in a form of 
natural language. (W.Lam, K.F.Wong)

Conically Ordered Optimization, with Applications
In this project we study optimization models in which the conic 
¡°nonnegativity¡± is used to model the objective preference, as well as in the 
constraints.  Immediate applications of such models include multiple objective 
programming and conic optimization.  Theory and solution models will be 
developed for such models.  Engineering applications will be considered.  
(S.Zhang)

Content-Based Color Image Retrieval
To develop browsing and searching techniques for large scale color image 
databases based on chromatic, texture and shape features.  Neural networks are 
adopted for automatic generation of the image categories for browsing.  
Relevance feedback will be utilized to enhance the queries.  (C.C.Yang)

Continuous Basel II Requirements Compliance System (CBRCS)
Over the past few years, risk assessment, risk management, and credit rating 
have become extremely important.  After joining WTO, banks and firms in Hong 
Kong SAR and China required to follow the new regulations, such as, the Basel 
II Accord.  Potential projects include development of new risk assessment and 
credit rating procedures, development of new systems to support preparation of 
data to meet the new requirements (such process is defined to be Extraction, 
Transformation, and Loading (ETL)), etc.  This project is a collaboration 
between TechnoSolve, a subsidiary of Lippo Group, and CUHK.  Which develops a 
risk assessment and management system for banking industry in both Hong Kong 
and China to meet the new requirements from Basel Committee called Continuous 
Basel II Requirements Compliance System (CBRCS).  (J.Yen)

Continuous Financial Information Disclosure and e-Auditing System
China is facing a quite different set of issues in credit rating and market 
monitoring, for example, due diligence and data quality.  Be able to help 
investors to identify abnormal or erroneous data on the financial documents is 
extremely important and challenging and this is the major focus of our 
research.  The second project we have is to develop the Continuous Financial 
Information Disclosure and e-Auditing System to solve such problem by improving 
the transparency and efficiency of listed forms in China.  Such system monitors 
the transactions captured in databases of banks and enterprises to generate 
continuous financial statements.  The under laying technologies included XML, 
XBRL, software agents, data mining, and statistical analysis.  (J.Yen)

Continuous-Time Portfolio Selection
To investigate continuous-time optimal portfolios for a dynamic market with 
consumptions and transaction costs. (X.Zhou)

Coordination of a Supply Chain with Risk-Averse Agents
The extant supply chain management literature has not addressed the issue of 
coordination in supply chains involving risk-averse agents.  In this project, 
we take up this issue and begin with defining a coordinating contract as one 
that results in a Pareto-optimal solution acceptable to each agent.  We develop 
coordinating contracts for following cases: (i) the supplier is risk neutral 
and the retailer maximizes his expected profit subject to a downside risk 
constraint, (ii) the supplier and the retailer each maximize his own 
mean-variance trade-off, and (iii) the supplier and the retailers each maximize 
his own expected utility.  In each case, we show how we can find the set of 
Pareto-optimal solutions, and then design a contract to achieve the solutions.  
We also exhibit a case in which we obtain Pareto-optimal sharing rules 
explicitly, and outline procedure to obtain Pareto-optimal solutions. (H.Yan)

Crime Analysis and Management System
To apply knowledge engineering, map-based and AI techniques for development of 
decision aids to fight crimes; to employ data mining and information extraction 
techniques for identification of meaningful patterns; and to use pattern 
matching techniques for facial composition. (K.P.Lam)

 Cross-Lingual Information Retrieval
To design different techniques and algorithms to facilitate access of English 
information using Chinese queries, and vice versa, and to develop a system base 
on them. (K.F.Wong, W.Lam)

Cross-lingual Information Retrieval
To develop an information retrieval system to cross the language boundary.  In 
this project, we shall focus on the corpus-based approach to overcome the 
weakness of the dictionary-based approach. (C.Yang)

Data Mining and Web Mining
Data mining is a powerful technology being widely adopted to help decision 
makers focus on the most important nontrivial/predictive information/patterns 
that can be extracted from large amounts of data they continuously accumulate 
in their daily business operations or obtain from datafeeds or WWW on the 
Internet.  This project focuses on mining patterns in a large dataset including 
association rule mining, text mining, Web mining, etc. (X.Yu)

Data Stream Processing
Data streams arise naturally in many real-world applications like stock market. 
 Stock market traders need to monitor tens of thousands of data coming as 
streams in an on-line fashion, and need to analyze and make decisions based on 
the data streams they have received as soon as they can.  For instance, a stock 
market trader may need software tools to spot arbitrage opportunities.  The 
data streams are open-end in nature, and are huge in volume.  It is impossible 
to hold such whole data streams in memory to analyze, and is difficult to store 
such data streams on disk for fast processing.  This fact imposes high demands 
on processing the data streams by reducing the number of data scans down to one 
as the so-called ¡°you only got one look¡± with bounded memory space.  This 
project focuses on data stream processing/mining techniques classification and 
text classification, etc. (X.Yu)

Dividend Distributions and Risk Controls
To explore a new area on risk and dividends distribution management for 
insurance companies by using techniques in stochastic optimal control. (X.Zhou)

Dual Control
Except for a few ideal situations, an optimal control usually pursues two often 
conflicting objectives:  To drive the system toward a desired state, and to 
perform active learning to reduce the systems uncertainty.  The dual roles of 
an optimal control, optimization and estimation, in general situations, cannot 
be separated.  This coupling between optimization and estimation, in general 
situations, cannot be separated.  This coupling between optimization and 
estimation makes an analytical form of optimal control, in most situations, 
unattainable.  The research goal is to develop some embedding schemes in order 
to achieve optimal control laws with an active learning property for certain 
classes of dual control problems.  (D.Li)

Dynamic Portfolio Selection with a Mean-Variance Formulation
The research goal is to seek optimal investment strategies for dynamic 
portfolio selection problems with a mean-variance formulation.  To seek an 
optimal dynamic portfolio policy within a mean-variance framework implies to 
achieve a dual balance between the expected return and the risk and between the 
short term and long term benefits.  Variance minimization is a notorious 
problem in stochastic control due to its associated property of 
nonseparability.  Separation schemes can be developed to overcome this 
difficulty of nonseparability.  Further research efforts are needed to improve 
the portfolio selection models and to derive full feedback optimal investment 
policies.  (D.Li)

Dynamic Pricing and Risk Evaluation
Two problems bring up this topic. One is the dynamic pricing for the natural 
gas pipelines and for the ship transportation for oil. The other is the risk 
evaluation in the multi-stage supply chains. Synthesizing the risk analysis and 
optimization or developing an efficient procedure for the value-at-risk (VaR) 
should be considered for various products across industries. (Y.Feng)

Expert Systems and Knowledge Discovery
To investigate the theory and techniques for to partial or full automation of 
the the time-consuming process of expert knowledge elicitation through 
automatic knowledge discovery or learning from data. (W.Lam)

FPGA Implementation for Bioinformatics
Various algorithms on Hebbian learning, inference network, transitive closure, 
and phylogenetic tree mapping of DNA sequences are under investigation for 
efficient implementation on FPGA (field programmable gate array), including an 
embedded platform of Xilinx Virtex II Prof with PowerPC microprocessors. 
(K.P.Lam)

Hidden Convexity
The research goal is to develop sufficient conditions to identity hidden convex 
minimization problems.  A nonconvex minimization problem is called a hidden 
convex minimization problem if there exists an equivalent transformation such 
that the transformed minimization problem is convex.  Sufficient conditions 
that are independent of transformations can be derived for identifying such 
class of seemingly nonconvex minimization problems that are equivalent to 
convex minimization problems.  A global optimality can be thus achieved for 
this class of hidden convex optimization problems by suing local search 
methods. (D.Li)

Incentives for Advance Ordering in a Supply Chain
To address the issues in designing incentives for advance ordering in a supply 
chain.  In particular, we investigate what incentives the firms in the higher 
echelon of a supply chain can employ to induce the firms in the lower echelon 
to place advance orders and how each of these incentives affect the ordering 
behaviour of the firms in the lower echelon. (Y.Chen)

Inference Machines
To design a real-time systems for control and optimization applications which 
involve hardware prototyping and software simulation of inference networks. 
(K.P.Lam)

Intelligent Information Retrieval
To investigate intelligent retrieval models and incorporation of feedback 
information during the retrieval process. (W.Lam)

Internet Performance Analysis and Optimization
To analyze the Internet traffic, focusing on dependence, heavy-tailed 
distributions, and rare events; and to apply dynamic resource management (e.g., 
scheduling, caching, load balancing, flow control), to achieve optimal resource 
utilization and quality of service. (D.Yao)

Intraday Financial Prediction
Linear and nonlinear modeling techniques are applied for financial prediction 
using intraday data.  Computational intelligence methodologies including fuzzy 
expect system, neural network, and multiple models are developed for 
receding-horizon prediction that makes effective use of t he timely arrival of 
high frequency intraday news. (K.P.Lam)

 Inventory Strategies of Online Retailer
To examine the inventory strategies of Internet retailers who face options of 
holding own inventories, outsourcing through the third party(ies), or a 
combination. (Y.Chen, Y.Feng)

Logic in Information Retrieval
To characterize different information retrieval models in logic using the 
Aboutness Theorem.  A set of axioms is being defined to represent the 
functionality of information retrieval.  These axioms would then be used as a 
functional benchmark suite. (C.H.Cheng, K.F.Wong)

Manufacturing Systems and Production Planning
To develop techniques for designing reasonably good and easy-to-implement 
policies for large and complex manufacturing systems. (X.Zhou)

 Map-based Delivery Route Planning with Dynamic Updates
To develop a map-based system for route and load planning for delivery, 
suitable for use by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong.  
Algorithms for dynamic re-routing based on traffic conditions will be 
investigated. (C.H.Cheng and J.M.Y.Leung)

Multi-echelon Supply Chain Management
To optimize the inventory of a multi-echelon supply chain using constraint 
network and relative sensitive algorithm. (C.Yang)

New Scheduling Models with Negotiable Third-Party Machines 
To study models and algorithms for a branch of scheduling problems in which 
third-party machines may have to be secured to process certain jobs, through 
negotiation.  Factors such as the due dates to process the jobs as required by 
the relevant contracts, and the price and logistic costs to use third-party 
machines, will be addressed in the scheduling models.  (X. Cai)

Nonconvex Optimization and Global Optimization
The research goal is to develop equivalent transformations for generating a 
saddle point for nonconvex optimization problems.  A saddle point condition is 
a sufficient condition for optimality.  A saddle point can be generated in an 
equivalent representation space for nonconvex optimization problems that do not 
have a saddle point in their original settings.  Certain equivalent 
transformations may convexify the perturbation function and a zero duality gap 
can be thus achieved.  This investigation would lead to some efficient dual 
search algorithms that ensure the global optimality for a class of nonconvex 
optimization problems.  (D.Li)

Nonlinear ¨C1 Programming with Applications to Financial Engineering
We study the application of the SDP relaxation and the randomization methods 
for a certain class of p-1 programming problems.  As an application of such 
models, we study the asset picking problem, which plays an important role in 
the portfolio theory and financial engineering. (S.Zhang)

Nonlinear Integer Programming
The research goal is to establish convergent duality theory and to develop 
efficient solution algorithms for large-scale nonlinear integer programming 
problems.  The fundamental target underlying our theoretical development is to 
eliminate duality gap in the classical Lagrangian dual formulation.  We have 
developed nonlinear Lagrangian theory that has yielded several new dual 
formulations with asymptotic zero duality gap.  The key concept is the 
construction of a nonlinear support for a nonconvex piecewise-constant 
perturbation function.  Our numerical implementation of a duality-gap reduction 
process relies on some novel ¡°cutting¡± procedures.  Performing 
objective-level cut, objective contour cut or domain cut reshapes the 
perturbation function, thus exposing eventually an optimal solution to the 
convex hull of a revised perturbation function and guaranteeing a zero duality 
gap for a convergent Lagrangian method.  Applications include nonlinear 
knapsack problems, constrai!
 ned redundancy optimization in reliability networks, and optimal control 
problems with integer constraints. (D.Li)

Optimal Decisions for Production and Delivery of Perishable Products
We will study a situation where a variety of perishable products are to be 
produced and delivered to an export market, using a transportation service 
subject to stochastic disruptions. Optimal decisions are to be sought via 
stochastic optimization, by taking into account information on the possible 
delivery time of the transporter and the random decaying process of the 
perishable products.  Topics to be addressed include those on modeling, 
propositions of optimal policies, and algorithms.  (X. Cai)

Optimal Dynamic Portfolio Selection with Mean-Variance Formulation
To develop efficient solution algorithms to derive an analytical solution for 
multiple period portfolio selection. (D.Li, X.Zhou)

Optimal Selling Mode for Perishable Items: Posted Price and/or On-line Auction?
To study the optimal switching point in selling perishable items.  Typically, 
those items are first sold by the posted price mode, and then after a certain 
point in time sold through online auction.  When is the optimal stopping 
(start) time for posted price selling (auctioning)? (Y.Chen, Y.Feng)

Optimization of Stochastic Dynamic Systems
To investigate optimization problems for two types of stochastic dynamic 
systems: systems in which white noises exist in the dynamics and systems that 
are driven by discrete events. (X.Zhou)

Portfolio Optimization under Minimax Measures
Portfolio selection problems under a kind of new risk measures will be studied. 
 Issues on model analyses, solution examination, and algorithms will be 
investigated. (X. Cai)

Pricing and Inventory Management for Perishable Products
Selling a fix number of perishable products need differentiate prices and 
segment customers properly. The focus is centered on optimal pricing and 
inventory control policies for airline seats, hotel rooms and energy products. 
(Y. Feng)

Risk Analysis of Inventory Models with Forecast Updates
The standard treatment of supply chain models with demand forecasting confine 
themselves to the optimization of the expected value of a given cost or profit 
measure without consideration of a risk measure. Due to highly uncertain market 
demand, the use of the expected objective measure may be not justified. To 
reduce the impact of the high uncertainty of market demand, the advanced 
reservation and the general mean-variance decision framework are introduced. We 
show that a mean-variance trade-off analysis with advanced reservation can be 
carried out efficiently, and how the corresponding inventory decisions differ 
from the traditional decisions. (H.Yan)

Robust Optimization
To study the theory and applications of robust optimization.  The issue of 
robust optimization arises when the data for an optimization model is 
uncertain.  The problem of this type is pervasive in engineering design and 
management, where the measurements can at best be done only approximately. 
(S.Zhang)

Semidefinite Programming and Applications
To study advanced solution methods such as primal-dual interior point method in 
solving semidefinite programming problem and related modelling issues. (S.Zhang)

Stochastic Linear-quadratic Control with Financial Applications
To investigate stochastic linear-quadratic control problems with indefinite 
cost weighting matrices, using modern optimization techniques such as 
semidefinite programming as computational means.  Applications in portfolio 
selection and financial index tracking will be studied.  (D.Yao, S.Zhang, 
X.Zhou)

Stochastic Programming
To investigate high performance optimization techniques in stochastic 
programming with applications in financial problems. (S.Zhang)

Supply Chain Logistics
To develop methods and technologies that support decision making in supply 
chain logistics.  Two broad issues will be addressed: (a) modelling, analysis 
and optimal design of a supply (b) coordinating quality control schemes and 
production/replenishment decisions in multi-stage systems. (D.Yao)

Temporal Information Extraction
To research into the properties of temporal information embedded in Chinese 
text and to design novice algorithms to extract such properties for the purpose 
of conceptual information retrieval. (K.F.Wong)

The ¡°Author Once, Present Anywhere¡± (AOPA) Software Platform
The AOPA Software Platform aims to help web designers to achieve undersal 
accessibility, i.e. maintain a single content repository and the content will 
automatically adopt usability-optimized presentation styles to cater for 
various client devices, such as displayless voice browsers, mobile 
mini-browsers and regular Web browsers.  AOPA utilizes W3C standard 
technologies such as XML and XSLT.  It alsso incorporates core technologies 
developed in the Human-Computer Communications Laboratory, including Cantonese 
speech recognition and speech synthesis. (H.Meng)

Towards Multi-modal Human-Computer Dialog Interactions with Minimally Intrusive 
Biometric Security Functions
This project aims to develop human-centric interface technologies to support 
secure computing by a diversity of users in a variety of usage contexts.  
Human-centric interface technologies embrace the user¡¯s natural communicative 
modalities at the center of human-computer interaction (HCI).  For example, the 
user can speak and point to the computer, and the computer can ¡°see¡± the 
use¡¯s face through the camera, ¡°Hear¡± the user¡¯s spoken commands via 
handsets and microphones, and ¡°sense¡± the user¡¯s touch during pointing with 
his fingers/stylus pens/mice.  As computing permeates our everyday lives, 
security to computers, networks and content becomes and issue of prime 
importance.  User authentication should be transparent to the human-computer 
interaction.  In this project, we will focus on a speak-and-point interface 
secured with facial identification, speaker and fingerprint authentication on a 
mobile platform. (H.Meng)

Traffic Inference Engine
To develop models and methods for transit-time estimation of a road network, 
based on information on a collection of trips between various origins and 
destinations in the network.  Issues of model accuracy and robustness, data 
updating and filtering will be investigated. (J.M.Y.Leung and C.H.Cheng)

XML Database and Query Processing
XML is emerging as a major standard for representing data on the 
World-Wide-Web.  This project focuses on XML database issues including XML 
storage models, query processing, query optimization, indexing, and updating 
issues. (X.Yu)

Course List for MPhil-PhD Program

The courses offered for MPhil-PhD Program are grouped under 4 areas.

Area I: Operation Research

SEG 5410 Optimal Control
Dynamic continuous-time systems. Examples, modelling, and classification of 
optimal control problems. Pontryagin's maximum principle: adjoint equation, 
Hamiltonian system, and sufficient condition of optimality.  Bellman's dynamic 
programming: principle of optimality, Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation, and 
verification theorem.  Linear quadratic control: Riccati equation and linear 
matrix inequality.  Introduction to numerical methods of solving optimal 
control problems.

SEG 5510 System Simulation
Principles of discrete event simulation. Random number generators. Simulation 
model validation. Input and output analysis. Optimization via simulation. 
Variance reduction techniques. Introduction of simulation packages and 
applications to finance, logistics and service systems.

SEG 5520 Optimization I
The course covers the underlying theory and fundamental solution methodologies 
of mathematical programming: linear programming, unconstrained and constrained 
non-linear Optimization. Topics include optimality conditions, search methods, 
descent methods, Lagrange multipliers, penalty functions. Developments of 
duality theory are presented. Concepts and issues in global optimization and 
multi-objective optimization are introduced. Applications are drawn from 
engineering and financial optimization.

SEG 5540 Optimization II
This first part of this course covers underlying theory and fundamental 
solution methodologies of integer programming: optimality, relaxation, and 
bounds, complexity and problem reductions, branch and bound, cutting plane 
algorithms, strong valid inequalities and duality theory.  The second part of 
this course covers some of the recent developments in mathematical programming: 
Interior point methodology, conic optimization and semidefinite programming.  
Various applications in engineering, management, and financial economics are 
discussed.

SEG 5580 Advanced Stochastic Models
Poisson process. Birth-and-death process, Markov chain.  Martingale. Brownian 
motion. Renewal and stationary processes.  Stochastic integration and Ito's 
formula.  Applications to queueing models, inventory models, and financial 
investment/hedging models. 

Area II: Information System

SEG 5010 Advanced Database and Information Systems
Database and information system design and control: advanced data structures, 
query optimization, recovery, concurrency control, deadlock resolution and 
recovery.  Distributed system environment.  Object-oriented approach.  
Engineering application: requirements and proposed solutions. Current topics.

SEG 5460 Information Systems Engineering
Review of information systems development, systems project planning and 
control, and other related managerial issues; information systems engineering 
economics; quantitative analysis of systems development; systems cost and 
effectiveness analysis; design principles and methodology for management 
information systems, decision support systems, real-time systems, and 
unsurveyable systems.

SEG 5470 Knowledge Systems
The roles of knowledge systems in problem solving.  Automation of commonsense 
reasoning.  Nonmonotonic and Plausible reasoning.  Representation and reasoning 
about quantities, measurements, time, space, and physics.  Knowledge systems to 
represent mind, plans and goal. 

SEG 5530 Client/Server Systems Engineering
Issues in building client/server information systems.  Concept, implementation, 
and management aspects in the development cycle of client/server systems.  
Advanced technology such as distributed objects, CORBA and COM+, component 
technology, client/server system management.

SEG 5560 E-Commerce Systems
This course introduces some basic principles of information 
technologies/systems management, business models and strategies for e-commerce. 
 We will cover technologies and infrastructure required to support electronic 
commerce, for example, open systems, client/server computing, intelligent 
agents, knowledge extraction and data mining, middleware and plug-ins, etc.  
Other important topics, such as electronic payment and internet security, will 
also be covered.

SEG 5640 Human-Computer Spoken Language Systems
Principles and theories underlying the design and implementation of 
human-computer spoken language systems.  Component technologies including 
multilingual speech recognition, natural language understanding, dialog 
modeling, speech synthesis.  Related topics including acoustic-phonetics in 
conversational speech.  Linguistic features of spoken language, digital signal 
processing, pattern recognition, machine learning, statistical modeling and 
artificial intelligence.  Software architectures that integrate the various 
compeonent technologies.  Examples of real applications.  Students are advised 
to take ELE3410 before taking this course.

Area III: Engineering Management

SEG 5420 Scheduling and Sequencing
Classification of scheduling and sequencing problems.  Sequencing involving 
capacity expansion.  Single machine scheduling involving due dates: problem 
formulation and applications, complexity, exact solutions and approximate 
solutions.  Parallel machine scheduling.  Flowshop scheduling.  Job shop 
scheduling.  Batch scheduling with set-up times between batches.

SEG 5430 Optimal Production Planning
Overview of manufacturing systems: resources, constraints, cost, planning 
horizon, and objective of production planning.  Deterministic production 
planning: parallel machine systems, flowshops and jobshops.  Dynamic program 
equations, zero-inventory policy.  Capacity expansion and HMMS model.  
Stochastic production planning: unreliable machines, Markov Chains, 
Akella-Kumar theorem and threshold-type policy.  Hierarchical production 
planning.

SEG 5480 Engineering Management Strategy
The course introduces students to the basics of strategic management.  All 
aspects of strategic planning tools and techniques, strategy formulation and 
decision making, and implementation and control are covered.  Topics include 
SWOT analysis, forecasting models, decision methodology, project planning, 
implementation, and evaluation, team building and communication.  Integration 
of business functions such as finance, human resources, marketing, and 
production and operations is emphasized.

SEG 5600 Logistics and Transportation Planning
Global logistics management.  Facility location models.  Network design.  
Transportation planning: mode selection, routing and scheduling.  
Transportation and transshipment problems.  Vehicle routing models. Fleet 
management.  Less-than-truckload deliveries.  Warehouse layout and management.  
The lotsize / inventory / transportation tradeoff.  Enabling technologies for 
logistics management.

SEG 5610 Inventory and Supply Chain Management
Strategic importance of inventory management.  Inventory model for constant 
demand: Economic Order Quantity.  Time varying demand models.  Co-ordinated 
replenishment for multiple items.  Enterprise Resources Planning.  
Multi-echelon inventory management: constant and time-varying demand models.  
Push and pull systems.  Coordination and incentive issues in a supply chain.  
The value of information.  Strategic partnering and product design for supply 
chain management.

SEG 5630 Stochastic Inventory and Revenue Management
This course is to equip students with the skills that enable them to formulate 
and analyse stochastic inventory and revenue management models.  The 
fundamental concepts, methods, and results are presented, with an emphasis on 
the foundation of dynamic optimization.  The topics in inventory management 
include the classical (r,Q)/(s,S) models, and multi-echelon systems, and those 
in revenue management include dynamic pricing and booking controls and choice 
models.

Area IV: Financial Engineering

SEG 5550 Computational Intelligence in Financial Information Systems
Characteristics of financial data, patterns, and models, time-series 
representation and prediction. Limitations of classical systems identification 
for prediction problems.  Nonlinear system modeling and learning using neural 
networks, multiple models, and chaotic pattern detection.  Heuristic approaches 
of AI, genetic programming, and data mining in an integrated knowledge-based 
system for financial engineering applications.

SEG 5570 Numerical Methods in Finance
This course emphasizes the use of numerical methods for solving financial 
problems. The numerical methods include: binomial trees, Monte Carlo 
simulation, stochastic programming, linear/quadratic control models and 
semidefinite programming techniques.  Those techniques will be applied, among 
other things, to: option pricing, index tracking, portfolio optimization, 
interest rate models, and asset/liability management.  

SEG 5590 Financial Decision Models
Utility theory.  Mean-variance model.  Capital asset pricing.  Asset dynamics, 
Ito processes.  Option pricing, Black-Scholes formula. Term structure, 
interest-rate derivatives.  Introduction to stochastic optimal control model 
and Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation.

SEG 5620 Data Warehousing for financial Engineering
This course addresses the data and decision aspects of financial information 
systems.  The data aspect includes collection, cleansing, storage, and 
retrieval of quantitative and qualitative financial data.  The decision aspect 
include on-line analytical processing on financial data and data mining for 
nontrivial data pattern and knowledge.

Other courses: 

SEG 5060 Intelligent Control Systems
Conventional adaptive and self-tuning controllers; the use of AI concepts in 
expert control; fuzzy control; neurocontrol using connectionist networks; 
applications in manufacturing; process control, robotics and automation.

SEG 5080 Architectures for Learning System
Symbolic methods used in conventional AI: knowledge representation, search 
strategies, inference mechanisms in expert system shells. Neural network 
methods: system identification and pattern recognition issues, basic paradigms 
and their promises and limitation. Unified approaches using both symbolic and 
neural network methods . Implementation issues using microcomputers in specific 
application domains, e.g. adaptive control and microprocessor systems.

SEG 5120 Advanced Topics in SE&EM (I)
This course is designed to investigate and to discuss selected advance topics 
of current interest in Systems Engineering and Engineering Management.

SEG 5121 Advanced Topics in SE&EM (II)
This course is designed to investigate and to discuss selected advance topics 
of current interest in Systems Engineering and Engineering Management.

SEG 5130 Advanced Topics in SE&EM (III)
This course is designed to investigate and to discuss selected advance topics 
of current interest in Systems Engineering and Engineering Management.

SEG 5131 Advanced Topics in SE&EM (IV)
This course is designed to investigate and to discuss selected advance topics 
of current interest in Systems Engineering and Engineering Management.

M.Phil.-Ph.D. Programme in Systems Engineering and Engineering Management

Qualifications for Admission
In addition to the general qualifications required for admission to the 
Graduate School, applicants should normally hold an honours bachelor degree in 
engineering, applied mathematics, computer science, or related area.  All 
applicants must also fulfil the ¡°English Language Proficiency Requirement¡± as 
stipulated by the Graduate School before being considered for admission.  
Please refer to the ¡°Postgraduate Prospectus 2004-2005¡± or Homepage: 
www.cuhk.edu.hk/gss for details on such requirement.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Test may be required by the Division Head to 
ensure that the applicant has the proper preparation.

Fields of Specialization
Decision Support Systems / Management Information Systems
E-Commerce, M-Commerce and Electronic Markets
Engineering Management
Financial engineering
Information Systems / Database Systems
Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Machine Intelligence and Applications
Management of Information Technology
Operations Research / Management Science
Resource Planning and Management
Systems and Control

M.Phil. Stream

Course Requirements

Lecture Courses
Each M.Phil. student is required to complete at least 4 graduate courses with a 
total of 12 units, with at least 3 courses being SEG coded courses for 
graduation.  Undergraduate courses (Coded 4000 or below) cannot be used to 
fulfil this requirement.

Thesis Research Courses
Each M.Phil. student must register for the relevant Thesis Research Course in 
every term throughout his/her study period.

Other courses or requirements
Each M.Phil. student must complete the seminar courses in his/her first year of 
study.  In addition, each M.Phil. student is required to give an oral 
presentation on his/her research progress each year before his/her Thesis 
Advisory Committee and submit a written research report during his/her 
normative period of study.

Thesis and Oral Defence
Each M.Phil. student is required to submit a thesis and pass the oral defence 
of the thesis for graduation.

Ph.D. Stream

Pre-candidacy

Candidacy Requirements

Lecture Courses
Each Ph.D. student is required to complete at least 4 graduate courses with a 
total of 12 units during the pre-candidacy stage.  A total of at least 4 
courses taken during the pre-candidacy and post-candidacy stages must be SEG 
coded courses.  Undergraduate courses (Coded 4000 or below) cannot be used to 
fulfil this requirement.

Thesis Research Courses
Each Ph.D. student must register for the relevant Thesis Research Course in 
every term throughout his/her study period.

Candidacy Examination
Each Ph.D. student is required to pass a written candidacy examination within 
the maximum period of his/her pre-candidacy stage for the advancement to 
his/her post-candidacy stage.  The purpose of this examination is to test the 
student¡¯s basic knowledge and understanding in the SEEM discipline£®

Other courses or requirements
Each Ph.D. student must complete the seminar courses in his/her first year of 
study.  In addition, each Ph.D. student is required to give an oral 
presentation on his/her research progress each year before his/her Thesis 
Advisory Committee and submit a research report during his/her normative period 
of study.

Thesis proposal and oral defence 
Each Ph.D. student is required to submit a written thesis proposal and pass the 
oral defence of the proposal within the maximum period of his/her pre-candidacy 
stage.

Post-candidacy

Course Requirements

Lecture Courses
Each student is required to complete at least 1 graduate course with a total of 
3 units during the post-candidacy stage.  With the approval of the Division, a 
student may choose to complete this course requirement during his/her 
pre-candidacy stage.  A total of at least 4 courses taken during the 
pre-candidacy and post-candidacy stages must be SEG coded courses.  
Undergraduate courses (Coded 4000 or below) cannot be used to fulfil this 
requirement.  

Thesis Research Courses
Each student must register for a Thesis Research Course every term throughout 
his/her study period.

Other courses or requirements
Each Ph.D. student is required to give an oral presentation on his/her research 
progress each year before his/her Thesis Advisory Committee and submit a 
research report during his/her normative period of study.

Thesis and Oral Defence
Each student is required to submit a thesis and pass the oral defence of the 
thesis for graduation.

Master of Science Program in Systems Engineering & Engineering Management
(part-time taught program)

The part-time Master of Science (MSc) Program in SEEM is a pioneer in 
introducing e-commerce as well as supply chain related courses. It well 
complements the MSc in E-Commerce (Technologies Program) that was launched in 
2000.  Its curriculum has been designed to emphasize on a well-rounded training 
in information technologies, managerial skill, and decision making. 
Specifically, this program has the following objectives:

To offer students a well-rounded education in engineering management through a 
select set of courses on state-of-the-art subjects and cutting-edge 
technologies.

To provide advanced training for engineers and other professionals who aspire 
to take up more management responsibilities in their career.

Admission Criteria and Application Procedure

An applicant shall have: (1) graduated from a recognized university and 
obtained a Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, business administration 
or related fields, normally with Second Class Honors or higher, or an average 
grade of "B" or better in his undergraduate courses; or (2) completed a course 
of study in a tertiary educational institution and obtained professional or 
similar qualifications equivalent to an honors degree in related fields. 

All applicants must also fulfill the "English Language Proficiency Requirement" 
as stipulated by Graduate School before being considered for admission. Please 
refer to the "Postgraduate Prospectus" of the Chinese University of Hong Kong 
for details. 

Course Structure

This is a part-time taught program, which requires a student to take a minimum 
of 8 graduate courses (24 credits in total). A student is expected to complete 
4 required courses and 4 elective courses in the program. A student may apply 
for exemption for a required course and replace the exempted course by an 
approved elective course, if he/she is determined by the Division Head to have 
sufficient background in the exempted course. A student may select other 
courses available for engineering students as elective courses with the 
approval of the Division Head. 

Required Courses

SEG 7410 Principles of Engineering Management
This course is designed to provide fundamental principles of managing 
engineering and industrial organizations.  The focus is on the application of 
quantitative and qualitative approaches in the practice of engineering 
management.  Quantitative modelling and solution techniques for strategic and 
operational problems are discussed.  The role of strategic management, strategy 
formulation, and strategy implementation are covered.  Other strategic issues 
involving innovation and ethics are also addressed.

SEG 7430 Information Technology Management
The challenges, techniques and technologies associated with the management of 
information technology (IT) in a competitive environment.  The linkage of IT to 
business strategy and business process re-engineering.  Different types of 
information systems: MIS, DSS, TPS.  Information technology concepts: 
networking, database, batch and distributed processing.  Development Process.  
Information system planning.  Systems project management and control.  IT 
acquisition, budgeting and deployment.  Performance evaluation and audit.  
Operations management, privacy and security.

SEG 7520 Models and Decisions with Financial Applications
Models of risks.  Utility functions, and mean-variance theory.  Probability 
models and price dynamics of securities.  Geometric Brownian motion, Ito's 
lemma, Black-Scholes model.  Capital asset pricing.  Risk hedging.  
Optimization techniques.  Applications to investment and portfolio management.  
The emphasis is on mathematical modelling, analysis, and computation.

SEG 7540 Financial Analysis and Security Trading
Working knowledge of different financial markets.  Equity risk, bond risk, 
FOREX risk, commodity risk and their corresponding risk management practices.  
The use of REUTER's, Bloomberg, Dow Jones, and TIBCO traders' terminals.

Elective Courses

4 courses from the following areas; no more than 2 from each area.

Area I: Engineering Management 

SEG 7420 Manufacturing and Service Operations Management
Topics in manufacturing operations management: forecasting, aggregate planning, 
inventory theory, manufacturing resource planning, Just-In-Time (JIT) 
production.  Topics in service operations management: the framework to analyze 
service operations, methods for designing, evaluating and delivering services, 
locating service facilities, allocation of service resources, workforce 
management and quality management.

SEG 7440 Advanced Engineering Economics
Accounting income.  Cash flow modeling.  Depreciation and taxation.  Overview 
of utility theory.  Analysis of economic risk.  Risk simulation.  Decision tree 
analysis.  Procedures for replacement analysis.  Activity-based costing.  
Analytical hierarchy process.  Economic optimization under constraints.  
Strategic investment analysis.

SEG 7480 Quality Assurance and Control
Review of basic probability concepts and statistical tools.  Measuring and 
predicting part and system reliability. Quality function deployment. Failure 
mode and effect analysis.   Statistical process control charts. Lot acceptance 
sample plans.  Quality improvement processes.  Design of experiments. ISO 9000.

SEG 7490 Project and Technology Management
Project screening and selection.  Multiple-criteria methods for evaluation.  
Project structuring scheduling and budgeting.  Resource management.  Life-cycle 
costing.  Project control.  Computer support for project management.  
Forecasting of technology.  Strategic and operational consideration of 
technology.

SEG 7500 Logistics Management
Logistics planning. Integrated logistics management concept.  Customer service. 
 Channels of distribution systems.  Order processing  and information systems. 
Logistics network design , location and layout planning. Distribution and 
delivery planning. Transportation systems. Storage and material handling 
systems.  Warehousing.  Global logistics.  Third-Party Logistics .

SEG 7580 Supply Chain Management
This course introduces the key models and concepts in supply chain management. 
Topics include: demand forecasting, aggregate planning, supply management, 
inventory management, matching supply with uncertain demand, information 
distortion and demand management , information technologies for supply chain 
co-ordination, e-business models, etc.

Area II: Information Systems 

SEG 7450 Expert Systems and Decision Support
Overview of management support systems.  Data and model management in decision 
support systems.  Group decision process.  Group decision support systems and 
distributed group decision support systems.  Executive information and support 
systems.  Applications of artificial intelligence methodologies in decision 
support.  Integration of decision support technologies.  Design and development 
of management support systems.  Organizational and societal impacts.

SEG 7460 Client/Server Information Systems
Introduction to distributed computing.  Client/Server theory and practice. 
Overview of major protocols and distributed system concepts.  Management 
aspects: vision, priority and transition strategies, operational challenges.

SEG 7470 Open Systems and Electronic Commerce
Introduction to open system standards and protocols.  Transaction protocols.  
Electronic commerce applications using open system and artificial intelligence 
technologies.  Application of intelligent agents for automated transaction 
processing.  Integration of HTML and JAVA with information and communication 
systems. 

Area III: Financial Engineering

SEG 7530 Stochastic Investment Models
The focus of the course is on various stochastic models that support investment 
decisions.  Overview of investment problems: pricing, hedging, portfolio 
selection, investment vs. consumption.  Asset dynamics, binomial trees, Ito 
processes.  Introduction to option pricing, Black-Scholes formula.  Term 
structure, interest-rate derivatives.  Portfolio optimization, optimal control 
models: Bellman equation and necessary conditions.

SEG 7550 Computational Intelligence in Financial Information Systems
Characteristics of financial data, patterns, and models, time-series 
representation and prediction. Limitations of classical systems identification 
for prediction problems.  Nonlinear system modeling and learning using neural 
networks, multiple models, and chaotic pattern detection.  Heuristic approaches 
of AI, genetic programming, and data mining in an integrated knowledge-based 
system for financial engineering applications.

SEG 7560 Data Analysis in the Financial Markets
This course emphasized on econometrics modeling and inference techniques.  
Topics include: OLS, GLS, maximum likelihood estimation, statistical hypothesis 
testing, GMM, ARFIMA model, GARCH model and Stochastic Volatility model, 
cointegration, common factors and common features, switching regime model and 
other nonlinearities, simulation and estimation of continuous diffusion 
process, the use of S-plus.

SEG 7570 Computational Finance
The course emphasizes the implementation of numerical algorithms applied to 
financial problems.  The numerical methods include: binomial trees, Monte Carlo 
simulation, finite difference methods, among others.  These methods will be 
applied to basic options, exotic options, futures, term structure, fixed income 
securities, dynamic trading strategies, and financial risk management.

EMSc Program in Logistics and Supply Chain Management

This part-time taught program is offered jointly with the Graduate School at 
Shenzhen, Tsinghua University.  The objectives are:

To help local and multinational companies, facing logistics and supply chain 
issues, develop creative new solutions to improve logistics and supply chain 
efficiencies and reduce costs by grooming their logistics and supply chain 
executives.

Admission Criteria and Application Procedure

An applicant shall have: (1) graduated from a recognized university and 
obtained a Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, business administration 
or related fields, normally with Second Class Honors or higher, or an average 
grade of "B" or better in his undergraduate courses; or (2) completed a course 
of study in a tertiary educational institution and obtained professional or 
similar qualifications equivalent to an honors degree in related fields. 

Course Structure
The program requires students to complete the 16 required courses (24 credits 
in total).  Students are assessed on the basis of their performance in course 
examinations and other assignments.

A student shall be required to discontinue studies in the program, if he/she 
fails in two courses or more.

The degree of Master of Science will be conferred upon students who have 
completed the prescribed coursework with a cumulative grade-point average of 
2.0 or above.

Courses
SEG 8101 Essentials of Engineering Management
SEG 8102 Strategies in Logistics and Supply Chain Management 
SEG 8103 Managing Capital Flows
SEG 8104 Principles of Engineering Economics 
SEG 8105 Demand and Customer Relationship Management  
SEG 8106 Technologies for Internet Business  
SEG 8107 Decision Methodologies
SEG 8108 Supply Chain Coordination and Integration
SEG 8109 Manufacturing Logistics
SEG 8110 Transportation Logistics 
SEG 8111 ERP Systems and SCM Solutions
SEG 8112 Game Theory and Applications
SEG 8113 Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery
SEG 8114 Practitioner¡¯s Workshops
SEG 8115 Field Studies 
SEG 8116 Special topics in Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Course Description
All are 1.5 unit courses of 21 class hours per course.

SEG 8101 Essentials of Engineering Management
This course provides fundamental principles of managing engineering and 
industrial organizations.  The focus is on the use of qualitative and 
quantitative approaches in the practices of engineering management. 
Quantitative modeling and solution techniques for strategic and operational 
problems are discussed. Applications in various business functions such as 
Finance, Marketing, Production, Logistics and Supply Chain Management are 
examined.

SEG 8102 Strategies in Logistics and Supply Chain Management 
The objective of this course is to teach students how to develop a 
comprehensive supply chain strategy to support overall business strategy. The 
course examines the role of logistics in a firm¡¯s overall strategy and 
explains how creating a strategic fit between a firm¡¯s competitive strategy 
and its supply chain strategy affects performance.  Topics also include 
industry analysis, strategic positioning and analysis, logistics strategy 
formation, and performance measures, and benchmarking procedures.    

SEG 8103 Managing Capital Flows
This course introduces costing and financing principles relevant to Supply 
Chain Management. Topics include performance and profitability measures, 
activity-based costing, and project evaluation and capital spending. Other 
issues such as sources of capital, leasing, and mergers and acquisitions may 
also be addressed.

SEG 8104 Principles of Engineering Economics                                    
        
This course is an introduction to the economics theory, essential to understand 
how individuals and firms behave. Topics include the market force of supply and 
demand, concepts of costs and choices, profit maximization, concept of 
equilibrium, and elementary game theory and models. 

SEG 8105 Demand and Customer Relationship Management  
This course provides an overview of demand-side management and tools for 
customer relationship management (CRM).  Demand-side management focuses on 
market research, demand estimation and revenue management.    The course also 
explores the importance of CRM in the Internet era and IT tools for 
implementation.  Topics include principles of marketing, tools for forecasting, 
and optimization approaches to revenue management.
 
SEG 8106 Technologies for Internet Business 
This course focuses on the technological and strategic aspects of information 
technology in supply chain management.  Topics include issues in e-commerce 
(such as security, electronic payment, electronic data interchange, dynamic 
pricing, on-line promotions, and advertising and auctions), the foundation of 
Internet standards and protocols for Internet communications, mobile 
technologies and M-commerce.

SEG 8107 Decision Methodologies
This course explores the fundamentals of decision-making concepts and 
methodologies.  Topics include decision tree and influence diagram, risk 
preference, utility functions and construction methods, subjective probability 
and assessment methodologies, Bayesian analysis and information updating, value 
of information, trade-offs and multiobjective decision-making, and applications 
to supply chain management and risk management.

SEG 8108 Supply Chain Coordination and Integration
This course focuses on the coordination and relationship among the links of a 
supply chain and its interactions with others.  Topics include drivers of 
supply chain performance, bullwhip effect, supply chain collaboration, and 
incentives for supply chain coordination.  

SEG 8109 Manufacturing Logistics
This course addresses the key drivers of effective management of logistics in 
manufacturing systems.  Topics include the basics of inventory management, 
inventory risk pooling, various forms of postponement, risk-based production 
planning, JIT, and push-and-pull production systems.  

SEG 8110 Transportation Logistics
This course addresses the planning, implementation and control of processes 
involved in the transport and storage of materials from the point of origin (as 
raw materials) to the point of consumption (as finished goods). Topics include 
transportation modes, global network design, fleet management, routing and 
scheduling, goods consolidation and dis-aggregation, warehouse location and 
layout. Issues in multi-modal transport and international logistics are also 
discussed. 

SEG 8111 ERP Systems and SCM Solutions
This course provides a strategic view of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and 
its relationship to supply chain and logistics functions. Topics include the 
evolution of supply chain and logistics management systems and tools, a 
comparison of current ERP software: the logistics planning process, the 
components of ERP, supply chain planning (SCP) and supply chain execution 
(SCE), and future directions of ERP and SCM solutions.

SEG 8112 Game Theory and Applications
This course provides fundamentals of game theory and its application in 
decision-making. Topics include dominance, Nash equilibrium and static game, 
non-zero-sum game and applications in bargaining and negotiation, dynamic game 
in market competition, and applications in bidding and auction, international 
policy coordination, and strategic trade policy.

SEG 8113 Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery
This course provides data mining and knowledge discovery techniques for finding 
and extracting useful, interesting, actionable patterns from a large amount of 
data sets. The knowledge discovered based on those patterns can assist 
businesses in providing high quality of service and gaining profits. Topics 
include data warehouse, association rule mining, data clustering, data 
classification and statistical analysis.

SEG 8114 Practitioner¡¯s Workshop
This is a capstone is composed of lectures and presentations by experts and 
practitioners.

SEG 8115 Field Studies
Through a series of company visits, students will be exposed to different 
business environments and learn various forms of operations and management.

SEG 8116 Special Topics in Logistics and Supply Chain Management
This course covers emerging issues in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.  
Topics include: Logistics Issues in International Trade, New Ventures and New 
Products, Revenue Management, and Reverse Logistics.

Faculty List

Li, Duan
BSc (Fudan University), ME (Shanghai Jiaotong University), PhD (Case Western 
Reserve University)
Department Chairman and Professor

Cai, Xiaoqiang
BEng (Harbin Shipbuilding Engineering Institute), MEng , DEng (Tsinghua 
University)
Professor

Chen, Youhua, Frank
BE (Tsinghua University), MA (University of Waterloo), PhD (University of 
Toronto)
Associate Professor

Cheng, Chun-Hung
BSSc (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), MSc, MBA, PhD (University of Iowa)
Associate Professor

Feng, Youyi
BS, MS (Nanjing University), MS, PhD (Columbia University)
Associate Professor

Lam, Kai-Pui 
BSc (The University of Hong Kong), MPhil (The Chinese University of Hong Kong),
DPhil (Oxford University)
Professor

Lam, Wai
BSc, MPhil (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), PhD (University of Waterloo)
Associate Professor

Leung, May-Yee, Janny
SB (Harvard University), MA (Oxford University), PhD (Massachusetts Institute 
of Technology)
Professor

Meng, Mei Ling, Helen
BSc, MSc, PhD (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Associate Professor

Wong, Kam-Fai
BSc, PhD (Edinburgh University)
Professor

Yan, Houmin
BASc, MASc (Tsinghua University), PhD (University of Toronto)
Professor

Yang Chuen-Chi, Christopher
BSc, MSc, PhD (The University of Arizona)
Associate Professor

Yao, D., David
MSc, PhD (University of Toronto), FIEEE
Professor of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management

Yen, Chih-Hung, Jerome
BS (Chung-Yuan University), MS (The University of New Mexico), PhD (University 
of Arizona)
Professor

Yu, Xu, Jeffrey
BE, ME, PhD (University of Tsukuba)
Associate Professor

Zhang, Shuzhong
BS (Fudan University), PhD (Erasmus University)
Professor

Zhou, Xunyu
BSc, PhD (Fudan University), SMIEEE 
Graduate Division Head and  Professor

Notes for applicants

Tuition Fees for 2004-2005 (Provisional)
Full-time MPhil - PhD Program in SEEM:  $42,100
Part-time MPhil - PhD Program in SEEM:  To Be Advised
MSc Program in SEEM:    $44,000 (Year 1) / $44,000 (Year 2)


MPhil / PhD Financial Aid
All MPhil and PhD students receive financial support.  This could be:
(1) Postgraduate Studentship (04-05): HK$11,800.00 which is non-taxable.  The 
amount may be adjusted annually.  Students with Postgraduate studentships are 
generally required to take up some tutoring duties; (2) Scholarships and 
Bursaries:  There are a number of scholarships and bursaries available to 
eligible students. 

Application Deadlines:
PhD Program:    The application is invited year around.
MPhil Program:  29th February 2004
MSc in SEEM Program:    15th March 2004

Enquiries:

Division of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management
Rm 116, Ho Sin Hang Engineering Building
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Shatin, HKSAR
Tel:    (852) 2609-8470 / 8313 / 8215
Fax:    (852) 2603-5505
Email:  address@hidden
Website:        http://www.se.cuhk.edu.hk

Graduate School Office
4/F, Academic Building No. 1
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Shatin, HKSAR
Tel:    (852) 2609-8976 / 8977
Fax:    (852) 2603-5779
Website:        http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/gss