title: Essays on Fintech development

authors: Tang, Mengxuan

abstract: Fintech is a contraction of the term "financial technology", which has become increasingly popular in the financial sector in recent years. Even the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2019 has not changed the fact that the Fintech industry is growing. The rapid development of Fintech has significantly impacted the traditional financial landscape, redefining the delivery of financial services, broadening their coverage, and significantly improving efficiency and convenience, injecting new vitality into the global financial industry.

The aim of this thesis is to explore the impact of Fintech on the incumbent financial system and the real economy in the Chinese context. First, to gauge the development of the Fintech area in China, this paper uses various Fintech development indicators. Notably, this thesis builds the Fintech development index by combining the multidimensional information that involves advanced technologies and Fintech-related fields. The study also uses the Peking University Digital Financial Inclusion Index of China (PKU-DFIIC) and hand-collected and constructed datasets of Fintech patents. Second, this thesis comprehensively analyses the implications of Fintech developments on corporate operational strategies in several key areas including risk-taking, liquidity creation, diversification, fraud, tax avoidance, financing, and investment policies. By exploring how Fintech shapes corporate development strategies and influences value growth in these areas, the thesis reveals the role of Fintech in optimizing resource allocation, improving corporate efficiency, and reducing operational risk. Moreover, the study analyses the potential risks and challenges that the Fintech development may pose.

The main contribution of this thesis is to provide new empirical evidence for the impact of Fintech on the development of traditional financial institutions and the real economy and to fill the gaps in existing research. Through an in-depth exploration of the economic consequences of the Fintech field, this paper not only reveals the role of Fintech in promoting the transformation of the real economy but also provides new perspectives on the benign development of the Fintech industry. Meanwhile, the findings provide valuable insights into the transformation of China's existing economic system, especially in terms of how to optimize the financial service system, improve the efficiency of resource allocation, and achieve sustainable growth in the context of the digital economy, which has important political implications.

text: Essays on Fintech development Fintech is a contraction of the term "financial technology", which has become increasingly popular in the financial sector in recent years. Even the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2019 has not changed the fact that the Fintech industry is growing. The rapid development of Fintech has significantly impacted the traditional financial landscape, redefining the delivery of financial services, broadening their coverage, and significantly improving efficiency and convenience, injecting new vitality into the global financial industry.

The aim of this thesis is to explore the impact of Fintech on the incumbent financial system and the real economy in the Chinese context. First, to gauge the development of the Fintech area in China, this paper uses various Fintech development indicators. Notably, this thesis builds the Fintech development index by combining the multidimensional information that involves advanced technologies and Fintech-related fields. The study also uses the Peking University Digital Financial Inclusion Index of China (PKU-DFIIC) and hand-collected and constructed datasets of Fintech patents. Second, this thesis comprehensively analyses the implications of Fintech developments on corporate operational strategies in several key areas including risk-taking, liquidity creation, diversification, fraud, tax avoidance, financing, and investment policies. By exploring how Fintech shapes corporate development strategies and influences value growth in these areas, the thesis reveals the role of Fintech in optimizing resource allocation, improving corporate efficiency, and reducing operational risk. Moreover, the study analyses the potential risks and challenges that the Fintech development may pose.

The main contribution of this thesis is to provide new empirical evidence for the impact of Fintech on the development of traditional financial institutions and the real economy and to fill the gaps in existing research. Through an in-depth exploration of the economic consequences of the Fintech field, this paper not only reveals the role of Fintech in promoting the transformation of the real economy but also provides new perspectives on the benign development of the Fintech industry. Meanwhile, the findings provide valuable insights into the transformation of China's existing economic system, especially in terms of how to optimize the financial service system, improve the efficiency of resource allocation, and achieve sustainable growth in the context of the digital economy, which has important political implications.

year: 2025-08-01

title: Collaborator, applied linguist, academic, expense? Exploring the professional identities of academic language and learning professionals

authors: Fenton-Smith, Ben

abstract: The complex role of academic language and learning (ALL) professionals in higher education is poorly understood, even though it contributes to key outcomes such as improved study skills, academic language enhancement, curriculum development and student retention. In this paper, we explore the multiple professional identities of people working in this field. Ten ALL practitioners employed in Australian universities took part in semi-structured interviews exploring their roles and the contextual constraints and affordances of their work. We elaborate on eight discrete subject positions that emerged from the participants’ data: the collaborator, the relationship manager, the applied linguist, the teacher, the content (non) expert, the academic, the strategist, and the expense. We draw on a critical realist frame to articulate the interplay between structure and individual agency within these identities, highlighting the range of expertise that ALL practitioners bring to the role.

text: Collaborator, applied linguist, academic, expense? Exploring the professional identities of academic language and learning professionals The complex role of academic language and learning (ALL) professionals in higher education is poorly understood, even though it contributes to key outcomes such as improved study skills, academic language enhancement, curriculum development and student retention. In this paper, we explore the multiple professional identities of people working in this field. Ten ALL practitioners employed in Australian universities took part in semi-structured interviews exploring their roles and the contextual constraints and affordances of their work. We elaborate on eight discrete subject positions that emerged from the participants’ data: the collaborator, the relationship manager, the applied linguist, the teacher, the content (non) expert, the academic, the strategist, and the expense. We draw on a critical realist frame to articulate the interplay between structure and individual agency within these identities, highlighting the range of expertise that ALL practitioners bring to the role.

year: 2022

title: Developing community and social psychology for Aotearoa: Experiences from a New Zealand programme of indigenization

authors: Thomas, David R.

subjects: indigenous psychology

abstract: Experiences related to developing an indigenous community and social psychology
in the teaching of psychology at the University of Waikato in Aotearoa/New Zealand
are described. The process of localization emphasizes the need to interpret
"universal" concepts in terms of local cultural patterns and to elaborate psychological
concepts derived from the cultures of indigenous peoples. The localization of
psychology in New Zealand involves: (a) differences between the dominant United
States cultural pattern, in which much English-language psychology is embedded,
and New Zealand cultural patterns; and (b) differences between the dominant
Pakeha (Anglo-New Zealander) cultural patterns and the cultural patterns of
indigenous Maori peoples. These cultural differences involve contrasts between
individualistic and collective conceptions of self-identities and social identities, and
alternative conceptions of community needs.
Three processes relevant to localization are outlined: socio-cultural contextualization,
agenda-setting, and knowledge of cultural styles. Socio-cultural contextualization
refers to the relevance of psychological knowledge, taught in dominant national
institutions, to local social, cultural and political systems. Agenda-setting focuses on
how the dominant themes in teaching and research within psychology are selected,
and the relevance of these themes to community needs. Knowledge of local cultural
styles is required to describe and teach professional roles that are congruent with
such cultural styles.

text: Developing community and social psychology for Aotearoa: Experiences from a New Zealand programme of indigenization Experiences related to developing an indigenous community and social psychology
in the teaching of psychology at the University of Waikato in Aotearoa/New Zealand
are described. The process of localization emphasizes the need to interpret
"universal" concepts in terms of local cultural patterns and to elaborate psychological
concepts derived from the cultures of indigenous peoples. The localization of
psychology in New Zealand involves: (a) differences between the dominant United
States cultural pattern, in which much English-language psychology is embedded,
and New Zealand cultural patterns; and (b) differences between the dominant
Pakeha (Anglo-New Zealander) cultural patterns and the cultural patterns of
indigenous Maori peoples. These cultural differences involve contrasts between
individualistic and collective conceptions of self-identities and social identities, and
alternative conceptions of community needs.
Three processes relevant to localization are outlined: socio-cultural contextualization,
agenda-setting, and knowledge of cultural styles. Socio-cultural contextualization
refers to the relevance of psychological knowledge, taught in dominant national
institutions, to local social, cultural and political systems. Agenda-setting focuses on
how the dominant themes in teaching and research within psychology are selected,
and the relevance of these themes to community needs. Knowledge of local cultural
styles is required to describe and teach professional roles that are congruent with
such cultural styles.

year: 1994-08