MENU MENU
Capstone Projects
The Application of Social Innovation in Hong Kong Businesses to Help Hong Kong Become a "Smart, Green and Resilient City"
An exploration of how businesses in Hong Kong can use Social Innovation to help themselves survive and thrive, benefit future generations and the city's initiative to become a "Smart, Green & Resilient City."

Tutor: Kevin Denney
Sandy Y. S. Leung
Sandy Y. S. Leung
Program: MDes International Design & Business Management
Year of Graduation: 2021
Topic: Social Innovation
Project Type: Reflective Thesis
The traditional role of businesses has always been seen to be solely for profit, but a growing number of businesses mix goals of equal or lesser importance for social, economic and environmental aspects, especially for the places they reside or operate in.

Although traditional belief is that this sole purpose has driven businesses to survive and thrive, a growing body of evidence has suggested otherwise, that by incorporating social innovation and social goals businesses have benefited from a plethora of unexpected benefits and reduced negative outcomes and costs for surviving and thriving within their place of operation. From the power to create change in waves or ripples to better the future whilst benefitting the business and its profits as well as serve as its competitive advantage.

In the hope to inspire or shed more light on how incorporating social innovation in conjunction with business goals can make a world a better place, this thesis explores what social innovation is, identifying what Hong Kong's most pressing needs and problems are, the concept of Smart, Green and Resilient (SGR) and Hong Kong's 2030+ Plans and how incorporating Social Innovation into startups and businesses can help Hong Kong solve its most pressing problems.

A business earns profit so it can do more or better, and to do so, regardless of their definition, they require a sustainable planet in order for the businesses own survival as rarely do they mean to be short-term entities.
Having the business be a profitable agent of progress in the society, with measured success as a collective effect.
Utilizing the community as a part of the solution along with businesses to promote faster changes… collective creation, participation and practice.
Sustainable businesses who focus on social and environmental issues do better financially in the long term and capsize on the unique benefits.
Having the business be a profitable agent of progress in the society, with measured success as a collective effect.
Utilizing the community as a part of the solution along with businesses to promote faster changes… collective creation, participation and practice.
Sustainable businesses who focus on social and environmental issues do better financially in the long term and capsize on the unique benefits.
© 2021 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design
Home Home
The Fellowship
MDes Programmes
Meet the Fellows
Capstone Projects