The SHKP Quality Academy organized a workshop on mobile app writing for staff and their children in July. Participants learned programming from a professional instructor to get a hang of the basics and designed their own apps. They also had the chance to write apps and games with Applnventor.

Serving drivers is the common thread among the diverse businesses in SHKP's Wilson Group. Managing Director Thomas Siu said the company's mission is to create a quality ecosystem for Hong Kong's driving community.

Wilson Group employs about 4,000 people. As many of whom are front line staff, comprehensive training is offered, and the company has special "Alignment Ambassadors" to reinforce its customer first value. Wilson Group fills a spectrum of fields from running Wilson Parking to tollways management and on to electronic toll collection and supplying a full range of next-generation transport infrastructure equipment.

Wilson Group is best known for car park management, operating some 400 of them containing nearly 100,000 bays. Wilson Parking Director & General Manager Vincent So said that as car park management industry has been developed for a long time, new ideas and technology are essential to keep it up-to-date. He said: "We were the first in Hong Kong to launch electronic payment, and we enhance service efficiency with a centralized operation centre and mobile patrol team. Recently, we also enhanced our mobile app to provide real-time parking information and hourly parking reservations for motorists."

The company recently had Professor David Yoffie from the Harvard Business School present a seminar on reputable overseas companies' success stories for managerial staff.

Professor Yoffie presented case studies on the success of Tesla and Whatsapp to illustrate to staff their developmental strategies and business models and the latest technology international corporations apply. Participants cherished the chance of learning from Professor Yoffie and there was enthusiastic response from them.

Singers and musicians from various departments, subsidiaries and the Evergreen Club entertained colleagues with a lunchtime performance.

There was a party with colleagues throughout the company to mark the retirement of Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency Executive Director Jimmy Wong after 28 years of distinguished service, with Chairman and Managing Director Raymond Kwok on hand to wish him congratulations. Jimmy will continue working for SHKP as a consultant.

Doris Cheng is one of the few but growing number of women working on construction sites, monitoring building quality to make sure that work stays safe and on schedule and acting as a mediator between contractors and co-workers.

Her role as assistant supervisor entails regularly checking all the different aspects of a project against the blueprints she carries around, with a tape measure in her pocket. She also helps defray tension, saying: "The fact that I'm a woman probably makes the contract supervisors and my colleagues temper their behaviour with me. They are more willing to listen when I ask for something, so this is an advantage for us I suppose." There are always challenges, but Doris remains positive: "It feels awesome when you discover a problem and then put things back on track!"

Doris likes scuba diving outside work and recently took up rugby. She says: "The game requires a lot on teamwork, as you can easily miss points if someone on the team gets distracted even for a moment. The same applies to work; colleagues have to help and fill in for each other to get things done."

SHKP's extensive hotel portfolio includes collaborations with famous international names, like The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong.

The highest hotel of the world has 312 luxurious guestrooms along with seven restaurants or bars and facilities ranging from an indoor pool with an LED ceiling to a spa and gym and one of Hong Kong's largest hotel ballrooms. The service has garnered extensive international acclaim, as recounted by General Manager Pierre Perusset: "We have been honoured with Forbes Travel Guide Five-star Awards since 2013 in addition to an impressive tally of accolades by international authorities such as TripAdvisor, Conde Nast Traveler, Robb Report, Travel + Leisure and more."

Many of the hotel's guests now hail from the US and Europe, but it has been investing more to draw additional patronage from markets like India, the Middle East and Korea, as well as actively promoting its restaurants and spa to locals.

Elegance and respect are the hallmarks of The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, so one of the perks of working there is being treated and trained as ladies and gentlemen. New staff get a three-day orientation to understand the hotel and develop the required service standards, plus there are diverse courses that encourage continuous learning and recreational activities and volunteer programmes for a balanced lifestyle.

"Fascinating things are all around us in Hong Kong, but people who live here are just too used to them to realize how special they are."

Kai Shing Assistant Property Facility Manager Ric Tse may be just one of millions of LEGO fans around the world, but he has captured international interest online and from the media (even CNN) with his original recreations of Hong Kong's cityscape and culture made from LEGO bricks, miniature figures and accessories.

Over 41,000 Facebook users follow Ric's page featuring vignettes of the city inspired by tourist attractions, older areas with special character, street food and aspects of everyday life. Ric says the photography only takes a few hours but the scenes often need weeks or months to prepare, noting that finding the right props is the hardest part. He can get tiny toys from gachapons, although it's time consuming searching for the right ones, and Ric even makes his own creations sometimes if there's nothing on the street that fits.

"These photos are meant to bring happiness – both to viewers and myself. It's the same goal I try to achieve with residents while at work, and being on good terms with people helps solve problems if they arise," says Ric.

Adaptive retailing at YATA has redefined Japanese superstores in the city, and here’s a look inside the dynamic team to see how they did it.

About 1,000 colleagues work at eight YATA outlets – mostly on the sales floors – and while 60% of the merchandise is from Japan, YATA buyers travel the world from France and Australia to Taiwan and Korea looking for the best food and lifestyle products for customers in Hong Kong.

YATA has a big, busy year planned in 2017. First was a Hello Kitty-theme outlet in Sai Wan opening in February, and now the team is gearing up for a new Tseung Kwan O outlet opening in July and another in Kwai Fong by year end. It takes high energy and a constant flow of creativity to make this all happen on a tight schedule – or the power to maximize the possible within limits, in the words of Chief Executive Susanna Wong: “There was a hitch with our chain-wide semi-annual sale because the Sha Tin outlet was being renovated. But we managed to make it even bigger by renting external space.” This attitude of not being constrained by limitations has achieved considerable success and should continue leading YATA to greater triumphs.