Caroline Wong

Dr Caroline Wong is an Associate Professor in business at JCU Singapore. She completed her PhD in international business at the Australian National University and the focus of her thesis was on managing the intangible resources and competencies that have increasingly become sources of competitive advantage in the creative cultural industries such as the film industry.

Her research in knowledge management examines knowledge flows within and across industries with particular focus on Singapore. Her research publication topics have examined critically Singapore’s developmental approaches in transiting from a manufacturing/trade-dependent economy to a creative economy (with focus on creative industries) and smart city with focus on digital and knowledge-driven economy. Her recent publications (see https://research.jcu.edu.au/portfolio/caroline.wong/ and https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0860-0540) bring to fore topical issues in a tropical country like Singapore that cut across various industries such as sustainable urban planning and economic growth, transportation, urbanization and well-being of aging population, managing waste and urban farming in a smart city like Singapore. These publications have implications for government policies and practices, social impact and business practices and governance.

She had been a member of the International Scientific Committee of the KCWS (Knowledge Cities World Summit) that organised the first Global Knowledge Based Development Week in Monterrey (Mexico) bringing together nearly two hundred specialists from over 30 countries in interactive forum dialogues on a global knowledge-based development agenda. She was also a member of the panel of international experts on knowledge-based cities known as the MAKCi International Advisory Board between 2007-2009 that recommended, reviewed, selected, and voted for the final list of knowledge-based cities annually. She had contributed actively to online forum, discussion, and nomination of cities for the award of “Most Admired Knowledge City” between 2008 – 2010. Her presentation of “Singapore as a knowledge-based city” aptly clinched Singapore the best knowledge city award 2008 in Monterrey, Mexico. In 2010, Caroline accepted the top knowledge metropolis award on behalf of Singapore Government held in Melbourne, Australia.

Her other international engagements included being a distinguished speaker at the EdukCircle International Convention on International Business in 2016 organized by De La Salle University, Philippines and delivered on the topic of: International Business and ASEAN Integration: Organizational Change & Challenges in the Global Cultural Economy. Her recent publications have created impact in the business & government sectors. She was a panel speaker at the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network in May 2023 with over 150 A-Suite Executives discussing challenges of promoting productive, inclusive & sustainable urbanisation drawing insights from 2 of her publications featuring the urban design of Singapore & Cairns. In another high-level discussion with the Potsdam City Administration & community in June 2022, she was part of the New Club of Paris experts to offer suggestions and insights on Potsdam’s transformation to a Knowledge City drawing on her KM research.

Caroline’s research interest also extends into the scholarship of teaching and learning. She was invited as part of the round table panel at the Times Higher Education Campus Live SEAsia conference held at National University of Singapore on 7 Dec 2022 on the topic: Developing a new online learning university ranking: the view from South-East Asia. In Mar 2023, she also formed part of the Times Higher Education panel discussion on Looking to the future of hybrid learning in APAC to boost student and institutional success featuring exclusive findings from the THE consultancy and Class report, 'Hybrid learning: the future? This roundtable brought together a panel of experts from academia and industry to share knowledge and best practice about the new strategic challenges institutions must now embrace to deliver student success.

In exploring ways of effectively engaging first-year experience students and post-graduate students in their learning, she had collaborated with colleagues in the following research projects:

1. PELA (Post-English Language Assessment) Research

This project examined the use of PELA to predict international business students’ English writing performance with contextualized English writing workshops as intervention program. The findings published with the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice had generated lots of interest in this area of research.

2. Local Global Learning Research

This project examined the impact of work-based/service-based learning on global citizenship. This research was conducted with collaboration from various Australian institutions through an Office of Learning & Teaching (OLT) Strategic grant. The project had resulted in 2 book chapters and an upcoming journal publication.

In 2022, she achieved the status of Senior Fellow with Advance Higher Education in the UK (SFHEA) in recognition of attainment against the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and learning support in higher education. For her outstanding contributions to student learning, she received a citation award from James Cook University in 2023 for sustained student learning and success in a first-year subject through development and design of teaching resources that capitalize the strength of culturally diverse students. In 2024, she led a committee of staff members and student volunteers to host the International Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society conference at James Cook University Singapore and was duly recognized by the Management & Organizational Behavior Teaching Society for a very successfully managed conference. 

Her research in knowledge management (KM) takes on a multi-disciplinary approach that critically examines knowledge flows within and across various industries in Singapore & beyond. Her recent publications bring to fore tropical issues relating to sustainable urban planning and economic growth, consumer purchase behavior, urbanization and well-being of aging population, urban farming & waste management that brought about thought leadership in the industry. These publications have implications for government policies and practices, social impact and business practices and governance. Her earlier works on Singapore as a knowledge-based city and its transition from a technology hub to a culture hub and smart city continue to be cited by researchers. Her research interest also extends into the  scholarship of teaching and learning with research that explores ways of effectively engaging first-year experience students and post-graduate students in their learning. She had collaborated with colleagues from other Australian higher education institutions to examine the impact of work-based/service-based learning on global citizenship. This research was conducted through an Office of Learning & Teaching (OLT) Strategic grant. The project had resulted in book chapters and journal publication. Of significance in learning and teaching is also the area of skills development and education and how we are equipping our graduates with the necessary skills for the digital age in one of her publications. 

https://research.jcu.edu.au/portfolio/caroline.wong

Managment, Human Resource Management, Leadership, International Business, Business Communication, Working in Teams