On November 7 and November 27, 2025, the Department of Finance and Accounting at the School of Economics and Management, University of Science and Technology Beijing, held two seminars on program development. Associate Professor Xuan Wu from Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) and Professor Geng Niu from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics were invited as keynote speakers. All faculty members of the Department participated in the discussions. In addition, on November 12, faculty members from the Departments of Finance and Accounting and Business Administration jointly visited the School of Business at Renmin University of China for a field study and academic exchange to learn from advanced practices in program development.
On November 7, following her academic presentation titled “The Morality of Corporate Tax Avoidance: Evidence from Felony Larceny Thresholds,” Associate Professor Xuan Wu introduced the undergraduate curriculum design of the Accounting program (Big Data Accounting track) at Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen). She also shared her teaching experience in digitally oriented courses such as Intelligent Financial Sharing, Intelligent Investment, and IT Auditing. She emphasized the importance of integrating accounting knowledge with modern information technologies and suggested incorporating courses such as Principles of Machine Learning and Applications in Economics and Management and Big Data and Intelligent Decision-Making into the core curriculum. Her insights provided valuable guidance for revising the undergraduate training program of the Department.
On November 12, faculty members from the Departments of Finance and Accounting and Business Administration participated in a joint seminar hosted by the School of Business at Renmin University of China. Discussions focused on talent cultivation, disciplinary classification, curriculum design, and faculty recruitment. Key takeaways included: the significant challenges faced by business schools in the digital and intelligent era and the necessity of embracing AI; the importance of interdisciplinary faculty backgrounds and continuous learning for academic staff; the sharing of特色training programs, such as Sino-Italian-American triple-degree programs and business law dual-degree programs; recognition of the supportive role of administrative systems in sustaining institutional development; and the proposal of a new research paradigm characterized as “organized research, unorganized creativity, and self-organized collaboration.”
On November 27, Professor Geng Niu delivered a presentation titled “Climate Risk, Collateral Constraints, and Entrepreneurship,” followed by a roundtable discussion with faculty members on program development. Professor Niu highlighted the critical importance of curriculum design in interdisciplinary training programs. Given the integration of multiple specialized courses across disciplines, it is essential to balance academic rigor and student workload, ensuring that students can effectively acquire knowledge in economics, management, accounting, and engineering within a manageable workload. He also shared valuable experience in student selection for experimental classes and in the training of master’s and doctoral students.
Through this series of seminars, faculty members gained insights into advanced practices in designing digital and intelligent curricula, deepened their understanding of interdisciplinary talent development models, and explored new directions for collaborative research. These outcomes will support the Department’s ongoing efforts in curriculum reform, faculty transformation, and research advancement, contributing to the cultivation of interdisciplinary talents in “Accounting + Digital Intelligence.”
About the Speakers
Xuan Wu is an Associate Professor and PhD Supervisor at the School of Economics and Management, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen). She received her PhD in Management (Business Administration) from Xi’an Jiaotong University and her PhD in Accounting from City University of Hong Kong in 2020. Her research focuses on capital market information disclosure and corporate governance. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Nankai Business Review, Accounting Research, Management Science, Chinese Journal of Management Science, The Accounting Review, and Journal of Business Ethics.
Geng Niu is a Professor and PhD Supervisor at the Institute of Economics and Management, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. He is also a Financial Risk Manager (FRM), a Young Top Talent under the Sichuan “Tianfu Qingcheng Plan,” a Council Member of the Chinese Society of Quantitative Economics, and a Council Member of the Nordic Chapter of the Western Returned Scholars Association. He received his PhD from Tilburg University in the Netherlands. His research areas include household finance, financial markets, and corporate finance. He has published over 30 papers in leading Chinese and international journals, including The Journal of World Economy, Journal of Management Sciences in China, China Rural Economy, The Journal of Quantitative & Technical Economics, Finance & Trade Economics, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Banking & Finance, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, and Journal of Business Finance & Accounting. He has led multiple projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and has received several academic awards, including the Second Prize of the 17th Sichuan Outstanding Achievement Award in Social Sciences. His supervised doctoral dissertation was awarded the 2022 “Contemporary Economics Doctoral Innovation Project” by the Contemporary Economics Foundation.
Contributed by: Department of Finance and Accounting
Edited by: Wang Hongxia
Reviewed by: Jin Jiahua
