REVIEW

UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE BUSINESS SCHOOL REVIEW 2010-2011

ADDRESSING
INDUSTRY
NEEDS

FARM BUSINESS YOUNG GUNS LEGEND IN LAW

SECURING FAMILY RUN FARMS STUDENTS WIN NATIONAL PRIZE LEGAL EXPERT VISITS
 SUPPORT FOR

Contents 32
FARMING FAMILIES
A new study is helping to secure the future of
family-run Australian farms.

HANGING UP FOOD FOR THOUGHT

HIS BOOTS For Kyrgyzstani and self-confessed “world-

9 37
Accounting veteran Fred “Chocka” Bloch traveller” Mila Tarabashkina, the chance to
made the most of his 43 year tenure at the do a PhD in Australia was a once in a lifetime
Business School. opportunity.

DETMOLD DELIVERS
FIRST YEARS FLYING LOCAL LEARNING
Three University of Adelaide MBA students
First year students are enjoying a new level of

12 44
had the exciting opportunity to undertake a
social engagement and learning support with consulting project for one of Adelaide’s leading
the opening of the First Year Learning Centre. global companies.

LEGEND IN LAW
Business School Lecturer in Law, Jenifer
Varzaly, could hardly believe her luck when she
YOUNG GUNS

16 51
had the opportunity to invite Professor Michael A group of Adelaide business students have
Klausner to become a visiting academic at the taken out the top gong in the 2010 UBS
Business school. Investment Banking Challenge.

SPRINGBOARD
NORA THE EXPLORER TO SUCCESS
International student Nora Veluntini Garcia Asian corporate finance high-flier Daniel Yeoh
has found that in the world of business, you

25 58
will never forget the important grounding the
never stop learning - especially when you’re University of Adelaide gave him and how it
off home soil. became the springboard for his success.

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Contact: Janet Barelli, +61 8 8313 7401
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37 Fullarton Road, Kent Town,
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University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 1

INTRODUCTION

L-R: Lew Owens and Barry Burgan

2 l BSR

The University of Adelaide’s Business School
has had a year of great achievements. Most
notably we have attracted approximately
$1 million in research grants from the
Australian Research Council. The funds have
been granted to a broad range of projects
including a ground breaking new study that will
help to secure the future of family farms.
This research project, headed up by Professor
Ralf Zurbrügg, is a joint initiative between the
Business School and the ANZ Banking Group.
The outcomes of the study are expected to
form the basis of advice to farmers on how to
manage succession planning, how to better
access capital and how to increase awareness
of good financial management practices that
will lead to a long term future for their business.
Other grants have been provided for research
into areas such as consumer choice in the wine
industry, sustainability and adequacy of self-
managed superannuation funds and corporate
social responsibility in marketing.
We have once again expanded our international
focus both externally and internally. We have
seen increases in student participation in
exchange programs and study abroad; we have
coordinated international excursions such as
our undergraduate study tour to Singapore;
and have enhanced our curriculum to reflect a
greater scope of internationalisation.
The first full year of our Advisory Board has
Strong Foundations
Building a culture of excellence
helped the School improve its connectivity with environment and to improve retention rates.
the business community and government. To
2010 has been a very successful year in terms
ensure the Business School remains relevant
of academic recruitment. Professor Grant
to its local community, the Advisory Board has
Richardson and Associate Professor Janice
recommended the School align itself with the
Loftus will be offering their valued skills to
goals of the State Strategic Plan. As a result we
our Accounting programs. Associate Professor
are evaluating all of our research and teaching
Takeshi Yomada has joined us in the area
to make a more direct contribution to South
of Finance and Associate Professor Susan
Australia’s future.
Freeman has been appointed specifically to
The Advisory Board has opened many doors build our focus in International Business. We
for the School to meet with industry partners to are delighted to welcome them all to the School.
discuss their needs, and has assisted with a high
We have also had several high profile academic
level of industry and government engagement at
visitors this year including Professor Yossi
our School events.
Ahrony from Tel Aviv University, Professor
Our recent luncheon with John O’Shaughnessy, John Fahy from the University of Limerick and
former Deputy CEO of the Investment and Professor Simon Stevenson from University of
Financial Services Association (IFSA), resulted Reading, UK.
in the School writing a letter to the Premier
We have farewelled one of our longest serving
suggesting actions for the finance industry. We
staff members, Fred Bloch, who has been a
will continue to increase this tangible impact on
stalwart of the School since the 60s. Everyone
industry and government in years to come.
will remember Fred as much for his football
The School continues to adapt to new teaching antics as well as his unique way of teaching.
and learning methodologies. We have used
In 2011 we look forward to the completion of
an Assurance of Learning process to review
our international accreditation and cementing
what we teach, how it is taught, and what skill
the changes resulting from the School’s
and learning outcomes are achieved. We have
restructure. We look forward to building on
undertaken significant projects as to how to
the strong foundations that have been laid,
effectively integrate online support to match
strengthening the unique and relevant nature
student expectations. In 2010 the First Year
of the Business School.
Learning Centre opened in the Professions
building. The centre aims to facilitate the Barry Burgan
transition of students to the university Head of School
University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 3
INTRODUCTION
Addressing industry needs
Our diverse group of Board members from
government, mining, water, engineering, human
resources and corporate business have been
very successful in opening industry doors, both
formally and informally, to enable the Business
School to foster closer working relationships
with the wider business community in
South Australia.
The Board comprises: Dr Graeme Bethune,
CEO, EnergyQuest; Wendy Campana, Executive
Director, Local Government Association;
Rob DiMonte, Adelaide Managing Partner,
Deloitte; Chris Eccles, Chief Executive
of the Department of the Premier and
Cabinet; Joe Flynn, CEO, Water Industry
Alliance; Christine Locher, Executive Chair,
Locher Human Resources; Robyn McLeod,
Commissioner for Water Security; Denise
Picton, Director, Denise Picton & Associates;
and Jim Whalley, Chairman, Nova Aerospace
Australia. I would like to thank each member
for their contribution over the past year,
The first 12 and for their preparedness to share their
knowledge and insights with the School.
months’ operation The Board has assisted the Head of School
of the Business
in progressing the School’s international
accreditation, and has also encouraged the
School to align its activities with the future
School’s advisory
needs of South Australia, by considering the
State’s vision and industry clusters targeted
board has been
for growth.
an opportunity to The Board believes that, as the State Strategic
Plan is the major document driving the future
create stronger of South Australia, there is a great opportunity
for the Business School to provide input to
linkages with
this and to use this to expand the connection
between the School, government and business.
industry and
It also believes there are many opportunities
to engage with the Local Government sector,
which interacts with business in many areas
government, and
and is a significant part of the State economy.
to assist in the Through the advisory board, discussions
have been set up between the School and the
clarification of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet to talk
about how the Business School can engage with
strategic focus of strategies to implement the State’s Plan. To
formalise this alignment, the University, through
the School. the Business School, has become an Alliance
Partner of the State Strategic Plan and will now
4 l BSR
actively participate and provide input into
it’s development.
The State Strategic plan has six objectives
- growing prosperity; improving wellbeing;
attaining sustainability; fostering creativity
and innovation; building communities;
and expanding opportunity.
The advisory board will use these themes
to help shape the strategic offering of the
Business School, to demonstrate relevance
to the business community. What is the
School teaching students about morality
and governance? How is it bringing in
considerations of risk and sustainability?
How can it help a community build resilience?
Looking at the current direction set by State
Government, there are particular industry
clusters being promoted such as defence,
health, wine and tourism that the advisory
board is helping the Business School gain
access to, to determine the educational
requirements for these growth industries.
Equally, we are assisting the School explore
with Local Government the opportunities
for developing business skills to assist
that sector as it engages with issues of
community development, asset management,
environment and sustainability.
While still in its early stages, the advisory
board plays a crucial role in providing
suggestions and challenging the Business
School to raise the bar for business
education in Adelaide and Australia.
Next year we will be continuing our
government and industry relations focus, as
well as looking at strategies for recruiting
more industry expertise into the class room
to expand the amount of hands on, real life
experience for students to learn from.
We believe that, over the next few years,
the School will develop its reputation
in these areas and become one of the
leading business schools in the region.
Lew Owens
Chairman, Business School Advisory Board
Walsh appointed The International Centre
for Financial Services, a Research
head of ICFS professional centre within Projects
the Faculty of the Professions ICFS offers a number
advisory board works primarily with input
of academics in the Business
of financial services
related courses and
School. It continued to remains a Centre of
engage with the business Excellence for Self
community in 2010 with the Managed Superannuation.
support of an influential A related three year
Advisory Board. research project is
Matt Walsh, Head of Lifeplan and General underway and will
Manager Specialised Products Australian
Unity Products Management has succeeded
result in providing
the inaugural Chair of the Advisory Board, recommendations on all
John O’Shaughnessy. aspects of Self Managed
Matt will continue to enhance the role of Super Funds.
Advisory Board in seeking industry support for
A continuing project is the Lifeplan ICFS
ICFS’s projects and communicating research
Financial Planning Satisfaction Index
results to the wider financial services industry.
which regularly reports on the attitudes of
Other industry representatives on the Board are investors to the quality of advice they feel
Andrea Slattery, CEO SPAA, Kerrin Falconer, they are receiving from financial planners.
SA Chair FPA, Colin Taylor, Con Michalakis, In general it measures how investors rate
Head of Investments Statewide, Dr Martin Fahy, the technical quality and performance of
CEO Finsia and prominent academics Prof Fred financial planners and the measure of
McDougall, Prof Ralf Zurbrugg and Assoc. Prof trust and confidence they have towards
Barry Burgan. those planners.

Australian dollar would have an uneven

ICFS Hosts impact on various sectors of the economy.

Educational institutions may be affected

Industry Talks by declining overseas student enrolments

and Universities would have to be more
innovative in how they provided education

A new initiative this year services to overseas students.

John O’Shaughnessy, Deputy CEO
was to initiate a series Financial Services Council, addressed

of luncheons for senior John O’shaughnessy another luncheon and led the discussion
on “How can South Australia maximise

academics and industry the potential economic benefits of building

Australia as a financial services centre?

leaders to discuss issues of The presentation focused on identifying

and maximising opportunities that

national importance but with would emerge from the Johnson Report
recommendations and the Government’s
a focus on South Australia. response to them. Discussion at the
lunch between industry and government
The first of these featured Dr Philip Lowe, Assistant Governor (Economic) policy makers looked at the challenge
at the Reserve Bank of Australia. Dr Lowe discussed a wide range of of developing the Australian services
economic issues including currency, interest rates, trade, India, China, the Phil Lowe sector, especially the need to stimulate
resources boom and productivity. Dr Lowe acknowledged that the rising sustainable services trade opportunities.

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 5

EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Andrew Stevens

6 l BSR
“Leadership and learning are
indispensable to each other.”
– John F. Kennedy
Lessons in Leadership
Executive Education is the University of Adelaide professional
centre delivering programs to managers from industry,
government and business.
Take any of the world’s most successful companies and it’s
hard not to deny the importance of great leadership. Indeed,
many would argue Apple, Microsoft or even Harpo Productions
would not have reached global dominance without the vision or
determination of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey.
But the makings of a great leader is not just restricted to the top
echelons of executive boardrooms and the challenge for any business
is to find ways of identifying talented employees within its own
ranks and equipping them with the appropriate skills to achieve.
It’s the potential of this often under-utilised talent pool that is being
untapped by the University of Adelaide’s Executive Education Unit.
More than 2,000 managers in both the public and private sector
completed the Unit’s Professional Management Program, which is
especially designed to build skills and confidence by engaging modern
management tools and techniques. However, unlike other management
courses – which place a greater emphasis on text book theory - this
program specialises in providing participants with practical everyday
experience which can be immediately applied to their own workplace.
“We recognise people enter our programs with a high skill level,
so we are always focused on how we can develop these existing
capabilities to deliver tangible results to benefit their organisation,”
says Andrew Stevens, Director of Executive Education.
In the past 12 months the Unit has delivered programs throughout
Australia, attracting an array of government and private sector clients
including the South Australian Department of Transport Energy and
Infrastructure, Port Augusta City Council, BHP Billiton and Orlando
Wines. A number of these clients received a customised program, designed
by the Unit to meet their specific needs while also accommodating
the competing demands of employees’ time with extra study.
It was this tailor-made approach that first caught the attention of the
Northern Territory’s Department of Justice, which was searching for a
management program that would help address its specific recruitment
challenges while also promoting a greater cohesiveness within a
department which has a varied and extensive scope of responsibilities.
“It can be difficult to recruit and retain staff in the Northern Territory
and the pool of skilled and talented staff is smaller than elsewhere in
Australia,” explains Deputy Chief Executive Officer Anne Bradford.
“One of our strategic directions for the next five years is to develop
a sustainable organisation and we recognise that an important
part of achieving this is to grow our own leaders. We were drawn
by the fact that the University of Adelaide had a specific unit for
executive education and impressed with the calibre of the program’s
presenters – in particular, that they were real-world experts.”
Since the year-long program was first implemented in 2009, more than
37 Department of Justice managers have taken part, including senior
lawyers and community correction officers. “I believe the biggest
change in participants is an enthusiasm for involvement in across-
agency problem solving and many have seemed to develop a strategic
viewpoint, which is what we want,” says Ms Bradford. “ We are relying
on these people to be innovators and drivers of change in our agency.”
The feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive
too, as many relished the opportunity to network with colleagues
outside their own sphere of expertise and to gain a ‘big picture’
understanding of a department that employs 1200 people. “It’s not
often staff get an opportunity to meet, let alone study together,”
says Ms Bradford. “They feel they’ve learnt a lot from being able to
work so closely with other staff who, while working in the same
department, know so little about each other and their business.”
It’s a view that’s endorsed by Jackie Dibbs, who was one of the
first participants in the program. Apart from developing a broader
understanding of her colleagues’ individual talents, she says the program
has taught her to be a more effective leader. “I’d like to say I learnt a
bunch of new stuff about my personality, learning and communication
styles, but really the program confirmed what I already know about
myself. What I did learn was how to use those things effectively.”
University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 7
TEACHING

Hanging
up his boots

8 l BSR
Accounting veteran Fred “Chocka” Bloch enjoyed a career
full of achievements as much inside the classroom as out
in the university community. From accounting to football
and jazz to politics, Fred Bloch made the most of his 43
year tenure at the Business School.
After completing his schooling at
Adelaide Boys High in 1956, Fred Bloch
never imagined he would spend the
majority of his career at a university.
But a turn of fate during his first job working
for National Bank saw Fred selected to
undertake a university degree sponsored by
the bank, and Fred never looked back.
“The bank started a program to send two staff
members in each state to study economics
and I was lucky enough to be one of the two in
Adelaide because I had just finished a banking
diploma by correspondence,” Fred said.
“I finished Honours in 1967 and the following
year left the bank and became a tutor in the
Commerce Department, which was then
the smaller part of the Economics Faculty
with only about seven permanent staff.
“At that time in Commerce, Ken Wright
was the professor and other notables
were Bob Newman, Geoff Mitchell, Ann
Wills and later Fred McDougall.”
During his 43-year tenure Fred became
known as much for his unique teaching
antics as his involvement with the Student
Union, Blacks football club and Jazz Club.
“I joined the Uni Jazz Club, then run by Keith
Conlon, Peter and Martin Wesley-Smith and
Bob Lott. Later Trevor Mules joined and
changed it to the Jazz Rock and Blues Club.
“We had regular concerts in Union Hall, and
regular record sessions, and a frequent visitor
was history professor Trevor Wilson and Psych
Department heavy Ted Nettlebeck,” Fred said.
“Then I got involved with the Student Union
and became chairman in 1972 and 1973,
taking over from John Bannon, a loyal North
Adelaide supporter. The Union heavies were
Horace Swales-Smith, Harry Medlin, Ralph
Middenway, Colin Pickering and David Muir.”
But most of Fred’s time outside of class was
taken up with the ‘Bob Neil’ Football Club,
more commonly known as the Adelaide
University Football Club or the Blacks - the only
club up until 2007 to have been represented in
A1 in every year the South Australian Amateur
Academic Achievements:
Football League (SAAFL) has operated.
1967 - Qualification B.Ec (Hons)
“From 1980 to 2006 I filled just about every
position in the Club including handing 1968 - Started teaching at the
out the cordial at quarter time, but I gave University of Adelaide
that up when the Vice Chancellor Don
1993 - 2005 - Head of School,
Stranks took over the job because his son
School of Commerce
Steve was one of the A Grade stars.”
1973 - Qualification PhD (Expectation, Risk
Fred’s commitment to football was formerly
Aversion and the Term Structure of Interest
acknowledged in 1999 when he was awarded Rates in Australia)
an Order of Australia for service to youth
and Australian Rules Football through Football Facts:
the Adelaide University football club. 1961 - Recruited from Berri, Fred made his
After creating a lasting impression on North Adelaide league debut on ANZAC Day
multitudes of accounting students in the when, playing in the centre, he was best afield
university’s hallowed halls and mentoring in the Roosters’ 16.11 (107) to 12.10 (82)
budding young footy players on Adelaide’s defeat of Norwood.
fields, Fred is hanging up his boots, handing 1965 - Won North’s premier individual
in his whiteboard markers, burning his award in 1965
overhead projector slides, and retiring.
1999 - Awarded an Order of Australia on 26
The Commerce Alumni Network held a January 1999 for service to youth and Australian
BBQ in Fred’s honour in November 2010 Rules Football through the Adelaide University
to celebrate these stories and memories. football club.
University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 9
TEACHING

L-R: William Lake, Minh Khang Tran, Dr Cullen Habel and Sean Heylen

10 l BSR
Marketing Students
Delivering for Industry
Gaining hands on experience in the workplace prior to graduation
is giving Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) students the edge when
entering the professional workforce.
Gaining hands on experience in the workplace prior to graduation is
giving Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) students the edge when
entering the professional workforce.
Marketing students have the opportunity to undertake an internship in
their third year of study, where they are matched with one of six industry
clients and given a market research brief.
And it’s not only students who are reaping the benefits. Clients
participating in the internship program gain access to valuable market
research resources including teams of students to work on a project of the
client’s choice and state-of-the-art data collection and analysis tools such
as Qualtrics and SPSS, used by the students.
Students are required to develop a research proposal, collect and analyse
data, prepare a full report and present this to the client. Clients receive a
complete package: raw data, DVDs of the presentations, final reports, and
power point presentations.
“Informed decision making is critical for business success,” says Dr Cullen
Habel, Lecturer in Charge of the third year Market Research course.
“Marketing intelligence – specifically market research, makes an excellent
platform for decision making.”
One such client is Deadline Media, of Chesser Street, Adelaide. Sean
Heylen – also president of the SA Chapter of the Entrepreneurs
Organisation Network needed to establish consumer perceptions and
demand about a new website product.
Throughout the first half of 2010, Business School students conducted
focus groups for the project and ran online questionnaires for the
domestic market, delivering their findings in July.
Finding the process invaluable for his business, Sean took on two students
to extend the study globally. Based on the first six months’ work, students
William Lake and Minh Khang Tran rolled out an online questionnaire in
an overseas market. The findings were used for product development and,
critically, in the business case for an investor prospectus.
“I’ve been able to work with great young people and really kick some
goals for my business,” says Sean. “The applied academic approach of the
Business School brings a new set of eyes to business planning. We’ve all
got a great deal out of it.”
Clients are taken in January of each year. For enquiries contact
cullen.habel@adelaide.edu.au
The Business School would like to thank its 2010 Market Research clients:
Grover Allman; The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel; Deadline Media; Sunfresh
Salads; Herb Valley; San Remo Macaroni Company; Aged Care Housing;
Kidsense; and Key Tubing and Electrical Industries.
University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 11
TEACHING

First Years Flying

First year students at the Business School are
enjoying a new level of social engagement and
learning support with the opening of the First Year
Learning Centre in 2010.

Located on the ground level of the Professions

Hub on Pulteney Street, the First Year Learning
Centre is a dedicated space for first year
undergraduate students of the Business School
and the School of Economics. The Learning
Centre aims to support students through
the transition from school to university and
ultimately improve first year retention rates.
Kathleen McEvoy, who is the Associate Dean
of Learning and Teaching in the Faculty of the
Professions, says the concept for the Learning
Centre was developed specifically to help
first years connect with their peers and avoid
feelings of isolation that students sometimes
experience during their first year of university.
“The First Year Learning Centre supports
students in their first year at university which
is often a challenging and critical year in their
overall academic success,” Kathleen says.
“The Learning Centre has been designed to
encourage first-year students to share their
experiences with their peers, make new
friends and collaborate on group work. It gives
students who may feel isolated in their new
environment a place to come when they are
not in lectures, and a sense of belonging.”
The Learning Centre is a state-of-the-art facility
with meeting rooms; computer stations; group
work areas with widescreen TVs, computer
access, white boards and digital projectors;
a lounge area for socialising; and a quieter area
for students wanting to read or review work.
There are also more than 30 laptops available
for students to borrow for 24 hour blocks using
a self managed electronic tracking system.
Additional support is provided to first year
students in the form of Study Coaches who

12 l BSR
“Feedback from students has been very positive. Students
tell us they find the process of talking one on one with a
Study Coach helps them understand the broader context
of their course content and as a result they become
more motivated about what they are learning. They
also find these services particularly helpful for exam
preparation. As one student said, seeing a Study Coach
put him in a much better position to pass his course.”
provide discipline-specific advice on core become more motivated about what they
courses within Business and Economics. are learning. They also find these services
There are also Learning Advisors available particularly helpful for exam preparation. As
providing advice on academic literacy such as one student said, seeing a Study Coach put him
how to write and read analytically, note taking in a much better position to pass his course.”
skills, footnoting, referencing, paraphrasing
and summarising, as well as oral presentation “The personalised process provides students
skills and exam revision strategies. with the positive reinforcement they need
to overcome the challenges that university
“Meeting rooms on site and a “drop in” system
throws at them, especially in their first year.
where students can knock on the door to
make an appointment, make these support “We are delighted with the level of interaction
services accessible and they have been very we’ve seen so far in the Learning Centre.
well received as a result,” Kathleen says. Students feel like a member of the university
“Feedback from students has been very community being in this space, and they also
positive. Students tell us they find the process have the opportunity to engage with their
of talking one on one with a Study Coach learning in a social environment. As soon as
helps them understand the broader context they feel valued and have a sense of belonging,
of their course content and as a result they their learning becomes more effective.”

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 13

TEACHING
Professionals developing
2010 University of Adelaide MBA students commence their studies with the
Fundamentals of Leadership course and participating in a two day intensive.
All students participate in the intensive,
providing them with an opportunity
to meet and learn from the diverse
group of students they will continue
with in the program including
international students from China,
South America, Europe and Cambodia.
14 l BSR
These photos were taken at the dinner at
Ayers House on the occasion of the dinner
for MBA commencing students at the
beginning of Trimester 3, 2010.
The intensive is facilitated in a relaxed style with students entering into
discussion and debate about management and leadership. They interrogate
and come to understand their own leadership styles and how to adapt these
for effective interaction with colleagues in their respective organisations.
Students enjoy a dinner as part of the intensives and have the opportunity
to meet MBA lecturers and Business School professional staff. In trimester
3, MBA Director Dr Sam Wells was guest speaker at the dinner and
he challenged students to think ‘out of the box’ about management
and leadership in their particular contexts. Sam’s talent to provoke a
different way of thinking is well known among MBA students and staff.

“It’s such a great
opportunity,
immersing oneself
in the culture of a
place, rather than
learning about
it from afar. It
becomes a much
more worthwhile
experience. I
would definitely
encourage other
students to do
this course.”
Exposure to the international business
community is an essential component of
study for today’s business student. For
Australian students, having an understanding
of business processes in our neighbouring
regions such as Asia is particularly important.
“With Asia being a major regional business
hub, it’s vital that our future leaders have
a strong grounding in business activities,
specifically in the East Asian region,”
said study tour course coordinator and
Associate Dean for Partnerships and
Community Liaison in the Faculty of the
Professions Professor Ralf Zurbruegg.
“The Business School is committed to
supporting and encouraging students to expand
their learning environments and networks by
developing innovative and attractive courses to
meet the changing needs and interests
of students.”
In July 2010 the University of Adelaide Business
School ran its inaugural Singapore Study Tour.
“Wanting to work in fashion retailing, Singapore would be
a great location to kick start my career and I plan to go
back once I’ve finished my degree.”
Singapore
Study Tour
Based at the Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education
Centre (NAAEC), the Study Tour assisted in
broadening students’ understanding of
business processes not only in Australia
but also overseas.
Working with senior academics from the
Business School and business and industry
leaders from across Asia, 15 students from
commerce, finance and economics backgrounds
came together to study Business in East Asia.
Incorporating intensive seminars, site visits
and cultural experiences (including Karaoke
and tasting native Asian fruits) students were
immersed in Singaporean life and given the
opportunity to live and breathe what they
were studying.
The Study Tour exposed students to new
ways of looking at commerce and industry
and to see how other cultures are dealing
with worldwide issues. At NEWater students
were introduced to a reclaimed water
purification plant working to supplement
University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 15
Singapore’s water supply, and at Jurong Island
they were given a personalised tour of the
petrochemical industry established there,
which is encouraging business development in
resources and energy as Singapore is moving
to produce higher-value-added specialty
products to raise its competitive edge.
This tour allowed a diverse group of students
to come together and develop a close network
of peers they can rely on and connect with
throughout their professional lives.
Many of our students have now spoken of
their desire to undertake an international
internship or work in Singapore and the
East Asia region, and a significant majority
have now also gone on to do an international
exchange or study abroad experience.
Feedback from students regarding the
course was overwhelmingly positive and the
Business School will continue to develop
and support our students in undertaking
these experiences in 2011 and beyond.
International – Visiting Academics
Legend
in law
“Professor Klausner thoroughly
enjoyed his time in Adelaide and
had the opportunity to attend
a number of high profile social
events hosted by Justice Gray
and Justice Sulan of the Supreme
Court of South Australia, in
addition to his more formal
commitments at the University.”
Business School Lecturer in Law, Jenifer
Varzaly, could hardly believe her luck when
she had the opportunity to meet the highly
esteemed Professor Michael Klausner when
visiting Stanford Law School in 2008.
Currently the Nancy and Charles Munger
Professor of Business and Professor of Law
at Stanford University, Professor Klausner
has previously held positions at New York
University School of Law; the Office of
Policy and Development in the White House
and at international law firms Paul,
Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher.
Since meeting Professor Klausner, Jenifer has
set up a mentorship with him to assist her with
her directors’ duties research, and last year
had the opportunity to invite him to become
a visiting academic at the Business school.
“Professor Klausner believes strongly in
the benefits of mentoring young academics
16 l BSR
that are new to a career in research and
teaching, and was more than happy to bring
his invaluable skill set to Adelaide for the
benefit of the Business School,” Jenifer said.
“In addition to his role as a research mentor
during his visit to Adelaide, Professor
Klausner presented his research on Securities
Class Actions and Litigation Funding at
a number of functions during his stay.
“The relevance of this topic to current case
law and ongoing litigation in Australia made
his presentations attractive to the media,
legal practitioners, barristers, academics,
and Judges from all around the country.”
The pinnacle of Professor Klausner’s visit was
a high profile event hosted by The University
of Adelaide Business School, IMF (Australia)
Ltd, and The Honourable Justice Gray of
the Supreme Court of South Australia. The
Keynote topic of the evening was: “Targeting,
Outcomes, and Costs of Securities Class
Actions in the U.S.: Potential Lessons for Class
Actions and Litigation Funding in Australia”.
“Justice Gray continues to be one of the
great supporters of interaction between the
academic and practicing legal community,
and his support during the visit of Professor
Klausner was invaluable,” Jenifer said.
“Professor Klausner has assembled a large
database on securities litigation since 2000,
which he used to examine securities class
actions empirically. He eloquently presented his
findings and discussed potential implications for
securities class actions and litigation funding in
Australia during the evening’s keynote speech.
“Professor Klauser was joined by a panel of
eminent Australian contributors, providing a
range of perspectives on the topic including
The Honourable Justice Raymond Finkelstein,
of the Federal Court of Australia, Charlie
Gollow Investment Manager, IMF (Australia)
Limited, and Jason Betts, Partner, Freehills,
NSW. The presentations were followed by an
interactive discussion facilitated by Bernard
Murphy, Chair and Senior Principal of the Major
Projects Department, Maurice Blackburn.”
The event was attended by nine Federal and
Supreme Court Judges, six Queen’s Council
Barristers, a number of eminent law firm
Partners, Professors and Law School Deans,
and media contacts from both Adelaide
and interstate.
“Professor Klausner thoroughly enjoyed his
time in Adelaide and had the opportunity
to attend a number of high profile social
events hosted by Justice Gray and Justice
Sulan of the Supreme Court of South
Australia, in addition to his more formal
commitments at the University,” Jenifer.
“Ultimately, this visit provided a great
opportunity to bring together various
constituents of the legal community,
demonstrating the benefit of interaction
within the profession to discuss current
issues facing all facets of the legal and
business community in Australia.”
Visiting academic (L-R:)Professor Michael Klausner
with academic Jenifer Varzaly and supreme court
judge Tom Gray outside the supreme court.

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 17

International – Visiting Academics

UNFOLDING BEAUTY
AND INTEREST
Yossi is a tenured professor of Accounting at the Faculty of Management, Tel Aviv University,
Israel. He received his BA and MBA from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem and his PhD from the
Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Yossi served twice as the Chairperson
of the Accounting Department at Tel Aviv University. Yossi has published numerous articles in
leading academic journals and served as a visiting professor in various prestigious academic
institutions such as the University of Southern California, UCLA, Bocconi University, Milano, Italy,
Singapore Management University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

For Business School Visiting Professor of
Accounting Yossi Aharony, Adelaide is a
city of unfolding beauty and interest.
Invited by Head of School Barry Burgan from
Tel Aviv University early in 2010, Yossi is
co-supervising two accounting PhD students,
has published two academic papers, is engaged
in research with several accounting faculty
and in particular is working on a joint research
project with Senior Lecturer Dr. George Shan
on the rapid growth of the Chinese economy.
“The title of our project is: The Effects of
a Shift in China’s Corporate Governance
Regime on Firm Performance: an Analysis
by Economic Regions,” said Yossi, who is a
tenured professor of Accounting at the Faculty
of Management at Tel Aviv University.
“It is very timely given the enormous impact
China is having on the world economy and
we hope it will provide an insight for the
effects of corporate governance on Chinese
firms’ performance in two dimensions:
(a) pre and post shift in China’s corporate
governance regime; (b) a comparison among
three distinctive economic regions.”
Yossi’s research focuses on market-based
accounting issues and includes topics such
as value-relevance of accounting information;
earnings management; corporate governance;
China-related empirical research.
But when Yossi isn’t crunching numbers
he is enjoying a city which he finds one
of the most liveable in the world.
“We came from Tel Aviv, which is the
second-largest city in Israel, with a
population of about 400,000, but the heart
of a metropolitan area which is home to
over 3 million people,” Yossi said.
“Tel Aviv is the richest city in Israel, and home
to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and its beaches,
cafés and restaurants, plus its famous 24-hour
culture have led to it being a popular tourist
destination for domestic and overseas visitors.
“A New York City-based writer David
Kaufman called it the Mediterranean’s
New Capital of Cool, earlier this year.
“So Adelaide is very different...
but in an exciting way for us.
“It’s such a pleasant, quiet and convenient
place to live in - a major city which is
very easy to get around, with modern but
seemingly traditional infrastructure.
“I have been particularly impressed by
the architectural design of the city, the
exceptionally wide streets in a grid layout,
with the very generous green parks and
the mix of modern and old buildings.
“In the first three months we lived in Glenelg
near the beach, and we appreciated the
convenient connection with the CBD by tram.
During our stay in Glenelg, we used to walk
along the beach, which I found one of the most
fascinating coastlines I have ever visited.
“Taking long walks along the beach on weekends
during the late summer and fall was sheer joy.
“We then moved to the CBD in winter
to an apartment in the East End of
Rundle Street which is just five minutes’
walk from the Business School.
“We tell our overseas friends that our apartment
is located in what was the central fruit and
vegetable market and it reminds me of the East
Village of New York City. We enjoy walking in the
beautiful Botanic Gardens located nearby and
we love Adelaide’s wide variety of high quality
restaurants as well as its cultural offerings
of music, theatre, museums and galleries.
“Adelaide’s other attraction is its close
proximity to beautiful and interesting places
such as the Adelaide Hills, the Barossa
Valley, Hahndorf and Kangaroo Island.”
Yossi is equally impressed with his work
place which he describes as “an amazingly
beautiful old campus in the heart of the city.”
“The University of Adelaide has provided
me with an amazingly supportive
working environment,” he said.
“We have excellent teaching facilities, there
is a reasonable level of supporting research
funds, a strong commitment by academic
staff to be visible and present during the
work days and well organized academic
activities such as weekly seminars.
“I was also very impressed with the
exceptionally high proportion of international
students and the regular contribution
of visiting international scholars.
“It has certainly been a great career and
lifestyle move coming to Adelaide.”

18 l BSR
 Visiting
Academics 2010
The Business School was grateful for the knowledge and
experience gained from ten esteemed academics from
all around the world who spent time at the Business
School as part of its 2010 Visiting Academics program.

Name origin discipline area

Yossi Aharony Tel Aviv University, Israel Accounting

Copenhagen Business
Chris Ellegaard Marketing
School, Denmark
University of
John Fahy Marketing
Limerick, Ireland
University of Central
Melissa Frye Finance
Florida, USA
University of
Tanja Kontinen Management
Jyvaskyla, Finland
Michael Klausner Stanford Law School, USA Business Law
The University of
Michael Lemmon Finance
Utah, USA
University of
Stephen LeRoy Finance
California, USA
Simon Stevenson University of Reading, UK Finance
Visiting Professor of Accounting Yossi Aharony. University of Massachusetts,
Ercan Tirtiroglu Management
Dartmouth, USA

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 19

International – Visiting Academics
When visiting Danish academic Chris Ellegaard says his
fellow researcher Dr Chris Medlin is a “good bloke” and
one of his favourite pastimes is “having a barbie”, his
assimilation into Aussie culture seems to be complete.
Chris, who is Associate Professor and Head
of the Centre for Applied Market Science at
Copenhagen Business School’s Department
of Marketing, said he chose Adelaide as his
sabbatical destination mainly because of
Chris’s reputation.
“I had been to Australia three times before
and liked it a lot,” he said. “While there is a
strong group of researchers in my field in
Sydney, Chris’s work appealed to me and was
on a similar subject to my area of research.
“Several of my colleagues knew him and
thought he was a good bloke – which was
important – and after we met at a conference
in Denmark last year we collaborated on a
research paper so I thought why not Adelaide?”
The two researchers are using Chris’s
sabbatical visit to investigate what
is known as value appropriation in
industrial buyer-seller relationships.
“This concept spans several academic
fields of research, including marketing,
corporate strategy (including research
on alliances), innovation, and traditional
microeconomics,” Chris said.
“In marketing there has been much
focus on value and value creation,
but little on value appropriation.
“The primary marketing objective of most
companies is to create value for customers
with the expectation that this will generate
VALUE
sales and profits automatically. However,
companies need not only create value for
customers – they also need to actively
appropriate some of the value for themselves
to secure a competitive advantage.
PROPOSITION
20 l BSR
“We know little about how companies actually
do that and what mechanisms are in play?
“So Chris and I decided to pursue this
topic with a particular focus on how South
Australian wine producers appropriate value
in their export business, with Europe and
particularly Denmark as focus markets.
“For instance, some producers may be
very good at producing a high quality wine,
but they are perhaps not that skilled in
appropriating a good part of the profits.
And they may deal with export clients with
advanced value appropriation capabilities,
who will reap the largest part of the cake
at the expense of the wine producer.
“Therefore, even though they create value
for the customer they struggle to maintain
their business.
“We need to know more about these imbalances
and understand the value appropriation
phenomenon better, so we are interviewing a
range of wine producers in SA and a range of
retailers, distributors and import companies
in Denmark.”
Chris said he was pleased with the progress
he was making and is also enjoying his time
in Adelaide.
“My wife and kids and I are enjoying it a lot,”
he said. “Adelaide is a big city with all that has
to offer, but without many of the drawbacks
of other “normal” big cities. Copenhagen is
approximately the same size but we just seem
to squeeze more people into a small space
making it more difficult for everyone to breathe.
“The Adelaide zoo was a particular attraction
for us. We liked it so much our whole family
became members and visited regularly.
“In Adelaide, traffic is light, the cost of living
is low and there is nowhere near the same
focus on attracting interest from the outside
as there seems to be in many other big cities.
So instead of constantly struggling to attract
tourists, companies, fairs, conventions,
political meetings and so on, Adelaide
seems to have a more relaxed approach.
“It seems that you take care of the people
that are already here, instead of the
constant struggle to become bigger.
“Well that is the feeling we get anyway.”
SPRING
SABBATICAL
For Irishman John Fahy, taking sabbatical leave in Adelaide
during an almost tropical Spring, while his homeland was
covered in inches of late Autumn snow was a no-brainer.
“I’ll take this weather anytime,” he said. “McLaren Vale, Victor Harbor,
the Adelaide Hills and Gorge Wildlife Park - what a lifestyle.”
But the talented Professor of Marketing at the University
of Limerick, didn’t just travel thousands of kilometres
Downunder for our weather, but to absorb the University of
Adelaide Business School’s international reputation.
“My main contact at the University of Adelaide is Professor
Pascale Quester,” he said. “We had done some co-writing in the
past particularly in the field of sponsorship and collaborated on a
published article in the European Journal of Marketing which looked
at sports sponsorship as a source of competitive advantage.
“I have great respect for Pascale’s work.
“My reason for spending a period of my research leave
here is to study the question of positioning strategies being
adopted by institutions in the higher education sector.
“Throughout the world, higher education has become a much
more competitive industry and for some universities, survival
itself is no longer guaranteed. Strategic responses in the form
of distinctive, competitive offerings underpinned by unique
resources and capabilities are necessary for continued success.
“As part of this work I have visited contacts in Senshu University, Japan;
the University of Otago, Dunedin and Monash University, Australia.
“My experience here has been very positive. I have been struck by
the welcome I have received from the staff at the Business School
and have had some very constructive meetings with them.
“The Morning Tea welcome is a nice protocol and the level of attendance
to it reflects the welcoming culture and vibrancy of the School.”
Formerly an academic at Trinity College, Dublin, John’s research
interests are in the areas of marketing capabilities and performance,
evolutionary perspectives on marketing, neuro-marketing and
marketing research and practice. He is the author of two books,
including the best selling Foundations of Marketing, now in
its third edition, and over 70 articles in leading journals.
He is also the winner of several major international research
awards such as the AMA Services Marketing Paper of the Year
Award and the Chartered Institute of Marketing Best Paper
Award at the Academy of Marketing Annual Conference.
He retains close links with industry through consulting assignments and
his involvement in executive training programmes and is regularly invited
to speak on business issues.

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 21

INTERNATIONAL – INTERNSHIP
Australia Calling
Growing up in Brno, the second largest city after Prague in the Czech
Republic, Lenka Dokoupilova has always been adventurous. “Since
childhood I have been very curious, exploring and travelling whenever
possible,” says Lenka.
After graduating from high school, thanks to her strength in mathematics,
Lenka studied at the Faculty of Business and Economics at Mendel´s
University in Brno. Before completing her masters she spent a year on an
Erasmus exchange to Istanbul, Turkey.
Lenka was keen to experience Australia’s culture before “settling down”
and applied for an internship through international exchange organisation
AIESEC - the largest student run organisation in the world working with
more than 100 countries bringing together 50,000 students wanting to gain
work experience in a foreign country.
“I was specifically looking for an internship in Australia. I have always
wanted to learn how to surf, but have also always wanted to live with
‘Aussies’ and learn about their history, way of life, values and culture,”
Lenka says.
“The offer of internships in Australia was not as high as in other countries
but after a few weeks of searching, I got an opportunity to undergo an
internship with the Business School in Adelaide, which I accepted without
any hesitation,” Lenka said.
“Becoming part of such an important organisation as the Business School
was definitely very challenging for me. I have been working as a Tutor in
the School of Accounting assisting students in their learning by providing
practical examples and exercises.
“I am responsible for preparing, delivering and evaluating accounting
and information systems tutorials. I’m also responsible for marking my
students´ performance in course assignments and be available for
students consultation.”
Coming from Central Europe, Lenka was pleasantly surprised by the work
culture in Australia, which she found to be very welcoming, friendly
and helpful.
“This is fundamentally different not just from the Czech Republic but from
the whole of Central Europe and definitely helps you settle in.
“Attending different functions and social events held by Business School
helped me to build stronger relationships with my colleagues and meet a
lot of important and interesting people.
“Working in the Business School gave me the opportunity to join the
22 l BSR
Adelaide University Volleyball Club which made it much easier for me to
meet people and make friends, especially at the beginning when I did not
know anyone.
“I personally consider Adelaide as one of the most elegant cities I have
ever seen. It is very beautiful with large parks, wide streets, modern
shopping malls, restaurants and bars. As a passionate volleyball player I
was impressed to see beach volleyball courts in the city centre, just a few
steps from my work place.
“The chance of theft or assault is much less than in my country and feeling
safe is a very important aspect for me as a girl who came to live here alone.
I can ride my bike or walk to work and the living costs here are less than I
expected in Australia.”
While living in a country on the other side of the world without parents
or close friends, in a totally unfamiliar environment has been a challenge,
Lenka says solving her every day problems has provided her with
invaluable life lessons.
“Independence, better life balance, increased confidence
- these are only a few personal qualities which have been
improved significantly during my internship in Australia.”
As for her professional development, Lenka says that in addition to gaining
more knowledge and experience in teaching Accounting and Information
Systems, she has also had the opportunity to complete a Teacher Support
and Development program, which she says was one of the most interesting
parts of her internship.
“I have been provided with support and valuable feedback from my mentor
teacher and I have learned a lot about teaching and dealing with students
from a different cultural background.
“Thanks to my mentor I was able to complete the training and at the end of
the semester be certified as a Teaching Associate in the Faculty of
the Professions.
“Working in a culturally diverse environment such as the Business
School and communicating in English every day, are great assets for my
future career.
“I would definitely recommend this internship to other AIESEC members
and it is not any secret that I consider this internship one of the best
offered by AIESEC, and one of the best decisions of my life,” says Lenka.
“I am grateful to all who gave me this opportunity and would like to thank
them for making this possible.”
Lenka Dokoupilova loves travel
as much as she loves her business
studies. So when an opportunity
came up to work at the Business
School, she jumped at it.

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 23

INTERNATIONAL – EXCHANGE STUDENT

24 l BSR
Nora the Explorer
She’s worked for major organisations in her
native Venezuela, but international student
Nora Velutini Garcia has found that in the
world of business, you never stop learning –
especially when you’re off home soil.
Hailing from the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, the 29-year-old
Master of Accounting and Performance Management student
is now in her last semester of a two-year program.
“When I first moved here it was a bit of a shock adjusting to student
life,” Nora says. “I had been working full time since 2005, as a Sales
Analyst for the world’s sixth largest food manufacturer General
Mills, at Kraft for 12 months and then as a Pharmacy Manager. I
also worked for major shipping line Maersk in a marketing role.”
Nora’s decision to return to study was prompted by her desire to specialise
in management. Before she knew it, a trip to Australia was on the cards.
“Friends who had studied in Australia had such positive things
to say about their experience,” she says. “They told me how
friendly Australians were – just simple things like pointing
you in the right direction if you are lost,” she says.
“The University of Adelaide course stood out to me as it
was one of a kind. Being a G8 university, it’s well ranked
internationally, so I believed that I would have a better experience
and that it would be better for my career prospects.”
Driving around the streets of Adelaide for the first time,
Nora was surprised by the difference in Australian
architecture – and the relaxed pace of city life.
“I imagined that the buildings would be taller,” she says.
“I really like the city, it is easy to navigate, everything is so
close and the traffic isn’t as busy as it is back home.”
Like most of the nearly 30 million strong population of Venezuela,
Nora had studied English at school, so didn’t find language
to be a barrier. In fact, she’s excelled at her studies.
“I have managed to get very good grades and was even elected to
be a Student Representative of the Business School,” she says.
Among her new friends are students from Canada, New Zealand,
Finland, India, China and Malaysia – a multicultural affair that
Nora says has made her experience that much better.
“I have really enjoyed the debates I’ve had with my classmates
both in and out of the classroom,” she says. “I have learnt
so much from the different perspectives people offer.”
“And I’m finding that the Australian style of communicating is
rubbing off on me. In Venezuela we spend a lot of time talking
around issues. In Australia, it is much more to the point.”
Nora has explored the city by bike, taken a trip to Kangaroo
Island and Melbourne, and manages to keep homesickness
at bay by catching up with her friends and family on Skype.
She’s also managed to attract some friends to Australia.
“I am recommending to everyone back home to come to
Australia, and specifically the University of Adelaide,”
she says. “This experience has been so enriching.”
“When I set out to do my Masters in management, I thought it would offer
flexibility in career options and it’s certainly living up to my expectations.
“Good management skills can take you anywhere, from
specialising in an industry you love, to working for a transnational
or even running your own business. Anything is possible.”
University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 25
INTERNATIONAL – EXCHANGE

The Road to
Helsinki
Being stranded in Helsinki by
the eruption of the Eyjafjoell
volcano was a dramatic end to
Michael Fioravanti’s international
student exchange, but it did give
him a chance to reflect on the
lessons he’d learnt about life Michael Fioravanti (l) and friend
and business.

When the volcano erupted, the 46 year old had been in the Finnish capital
for three weeks – his first time in the Northern hemisphere and his first
overseas stint since a cruise to Fiji as a teenager some 30 years earlier.
Before Helsinki, Michael was a busy and successful state manager for
an electronic and security communications company. Then a chance
meeting with a friend resulted in a dramatic change of direction.
“My friend had just completed his Master of Business Administration
at the University of Adelaide and I saw how he’d grown as a
business man and how much it had improved his confidence,”
he says. “He emphatically encouraged me to apply.”
But with a career in sales and management spanning more than
20 years, and having never attended university, the thought of entering
a zone largely occupied by bright young things was intimidating.
“I failed matriculation at high school, and I’ve never considered
myself an academic,” Michael says. “But I thought ‘Why not?’
and applied on the basis of my management experience.”
As the story goes, Michael was accepted, and commenced
part time study. And far from being a struggling class member,
Michael soon found himself leading many class discussions.
“It’s strange to sit in class and realise that you’re the oldest,” he
says. “But my management experience helped me contribute
to class discussions in a really valuable way. The mix of part
time and full time students also meant I was surrounded
by a balance of fresh and experienced perspectives.”
With his time at university coming to a close, Michael got wind
of an opportunity to do a student exchange to Helsinki.
“It was serendipity. I had the time available at work and was
studying High Tech Marketing, which I’d found to be one of
the most enjoyable courses in my degree,” he says.
Arriving in Helsinki in early April after a quick stopover
in London, Michael stepped into the tail end of the worst
European winter on record, where night-time temperatures
of minus two were still a regular occurrence.
“My first impression of Helsinki, besides the cold, was that
it was really beautiful. The people are very accommodating
of foreigners and usually switched to English when they

26 l BSR
figured out I couldn’t speak Finnish,” he says. amazing teacher. He has become a good friend.”

Part of a small class of eight at Aalto University’s School of
Economics, Michael’s fellow classmates hailed from India,
China, Russia, Australia and, of course, Finland.
“I can’t emphasise enough how positive my experience at Aalto
University was. Petro Paunu, the Head of School made me feel
extremely welcome and even took me to dinner,” he says.
“The best way to round off my total MBA experience was to be
immersed in an international business environment. It stretched my
educational framework and was experiential learning at it’s best.
“And I have to say that my lecturer Professor Omar
Merlo, visiting from Cambridge University was an
When the volcanic ash had settled, Michael returned home with
renewed enthusiasm and confidence, as well as a particularly strong
thirst for travel. He has since graduated with his MBA and in September
joined a business coaching company, Intrinsic Business Coaching.
“My business partner Tim Millar and I coach Small to Medium
Enterprises and help business owners become more strategic
in how they run their business, rather than making decisions
solely based on opportunity,” Michael says. “It is a service
that’s in high demand and the future is very exciting.
“My MBA made all the difference to my career. It provided
invaluable insights across many business disciplines, but more
importantly, it gave me the confidence to go out on my own.”

Greetings from Montréal...

I am currently living out the final days of my exchange at HEC Montréal
as a third year Commerce student from the University of Adelaide.
On arriving in Montréal I was warmly welcomed by 200 other exchange students. My
journey had begun. Led by the HEChange Committee, run voluntarily by current HEC
Montréal students, our semester in Montréal was jam-packed with weekly activities,
trips, and parties. UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE BUSINESS SCHOOL REVIEW
By the third week of life as an exchange student I found myself looking for excuses to
study and retreat. In retreating from the hectic social scene, I was able to recognise and 233 North Terrace
fully appreciate the high quality of teaching offered at HEC Montréal. Their pragmatic
and culturally sensitive approach to teaching coupled with the intimate classroom
environment allows students to form friendly and comfortable relationships
Adelaide SA 5000
with their professors.
Exchange has provided me with a wealth of information both academic and
personal. The experience helped me to understand how I relate with others
and has provided me with an improved understanding of intercultural relations.
The environment within which I was studying fosters ongoing leadership. Their
positive reinforcement imprints in your mind that you have the potential to
become an active contributor to society paired with a drive to want to do so.
I feel very fortunate to have lived this amazing experience.
Mary Angove

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 27

International – Singapore
Bachelor of Commerce Launched in Singapore
Following 10 years of delivering programs in Singapore the Ngee Ann
Adelaide Education Centre (NAAEC) has announced the addition of a
Bachelor of Commerce degree in 2011.
The NAAEC, a partnership of the University of Adelaide and Ngee
Ann Kongsi (a large education and charitable trust), has had notable
achievements over this time to support this expansion. Deputy Vice-
Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic) of the University of Adelaide,
Professor Fred McDougall said the Business School had played an
important role in the growth of the NAAEC over the past decade.
“The MBA was the first of the University’s postgraduate programs to
be offered in Singapore and continues to attract the largest cohort of
students,” Professor McDougall said. “Postgraduate programs in Applied
Finance and in Accounting have since been added, and plans are well
advanced to launch the Bachelor of Commerce degree later in 2011.
“Singapore is fast developing as a major education hub in South East Asia.
Many of the leading universities around the world have or are seeking to
have a presence in this dynamic learning environment. The University
of Adelaide has the advantage of being well established in Singapore,
with a growing number of alumni working in Singapore and surrounding
28 l BSR
countries who completed their degrees at the NAAEC.
“In Singapore a large proportion of school leavers seek to enter the
polytechnic institutions to obtain a vocational qualification, often before
seeking to go on to university in that country or overseas.
“Offering the Bachelor of Commerce at the NAAEC will provide these
polytechnic graduates and also graduates from private education
institutions in Singapore with an opportunity to complete a high quality
degree program in their home country.
“The Bachelor of Commerce has been designed in the first instance as a
full-time articulation degree for polytechnic graduates, with plans well
advanced to offer the full three year program in the future,” Professor
McDougall said.
Building work has already commenced at the NAAEC to prepare facilities
for the first cohort of Bachelor of Commerce students in mid 2011. There
will also be an opportunity for Commerce students from Adelaide to
undertake courses at the NAAEC as part of their Commerce degree, and
in the process gain experience of living and studying in one of the world’s
most dynamic international cities in Asia.
A Tale
of Two
Financial
Crises
“A Tale of Two Financial Crises”
was the topic presented by
keynote speaker Professor
Dogan Tirtiroglu, Business
School Chair of Banking, at the
Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education
Centre Business Forum 2010.
The keynote presentation by Professor Tirtiroglu examined how the two
financial crises will impact the global economic future including interest
rates in Singapore.
Jointly organised with the University of Adelaide’s Business School, the
Forum hosted more than 180 delegates and distinguished guests who were
addressed by the Guest-of-Honour, Ms Kirsten Sayers, Senior Trade and
Investment Commissioner and Minister Counsellor for Australia Trade
Commission as well as Professor Tirtiroglu.
Delegates had the opportunity to participate in a forum discussion with a
panel of high profile financial professionals chaired by Associate Professor
Barry Burgan, Head of Business School.

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 29

International – Singapore

Encouraging Entrepreneurs
200 professional and institutional delegates attended the inaugural
Forum for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

A panel of distinguished speakers engaged in a
stimulating discussion at the Ngee Ann-Adelaide
Education Centre’s inaugural Innovation and
Entrepreneurship Forum 2010.
The speakers addressed challenges and
opportunities in developing entrepreneurship
and dynamic capabilities to a delegation of 200
professional and institutional delegates.
The President of ASME, Mr Lawrence Leow
was invited as the guest of honour to deliver
the opening address to the forum chaired and
moderated by Dr Pi-Shen Seet, Senior Lecturer,
Business School, University of Adelaide.
The Singapore Entrepreneurs’ Challenge
culminated with a Forum and Award Ceremony
in the Global Entrepreneurs’ Week on 18
November 2010. The 2010 Challenge received an
increase in submissions of more than 100 entries
from the Polytechnics with six finalist teams
pitching to clinch the Grand Prize of a trip to
Adelaide and seed funding of S$4000 sponsored
by Ngee Ann Kongsi.
Reputable homegrown entrepreneur, the
Founder and President of the 77th Street retail
chain and youth entrepreneur Champion, Ms
Elim Chew, graced the award ceremony as the
Guest of Honor to deliver the welcome speech.
The Republic Polytechnic’s team “Global
EduTour and Services” an educational travel
service that helps teachers to plan and execute
educational tours through its unique GETS travel
system, clinched the Grand Prize and will travel
to Adelaide for a study trip sponsored by the
Ngee Ann Kongsi and organised by the ECIC of
the University of Adelaide.

Other broad aspects of entrepreneurship

were presented by Dr Allan O’Connor,
Academic Director of the Entrepreneurship,
Commercialisation and Innovation Centre,
University of Adelaide.

Delegates were given an insight on the

“Dynamic Capabilities for Superior Organisation
Performance” by Guest Speaker, Mr Koh
Hock-Tee, PhD Candidate, Business School,
the University of Adelaide and the possibilities
of “Exploiting Business opportunities with
Disruptive Technologies” by Dr Jim Kerry
Li, CEO and Founder of Ventura Group
of Companies.

The forum closed with the launch of the

Singapore Entrepreneurs’ Challenge 2010, a
business plan competition organised by Ngee
Ann-Adelaide Education Centre with the aim to
foster the successful development of new ideas
into investment–ready, early-stage companies.

30 l BSR
Singapore Alumni
Mary-Ann NG Mei-Yin
Lester Yap Choon Peen Company: OCBC Bank
Company: Ngee Ann Polytechnic Position: Assistant Vice President
Position: Lecturer, School of Awards Received: Ngee Ann-Adelaide
Business and Accountancy MBA Scholarship, Takashimaya Prize
Degree: Masters in Finance for Marketing Management

How did you come to postgraduate study with the Tell us about your employment / career up until now?
University of Adelaide?
Since my graduation, I have spent the major part of my career in the
I enrolled in the Masters in Finance program with an education Banking Industry as a Corporate Relationship Manager. Through the
background in Engineering and Business. At the time I was working in years, I have experienced opportunities in managing the whole spectrum
sales and marketing in the electronics industry. Based on my background, of corporates ranging from sole-proprietorships to the conglomerates.
an MBA would have been a logical choice but I decided to pursue a Besides being exposed to their diversified business industries,
Masters degree in Finance as I wanted to confront my weakness. I had I have enjoyed the opportunities in managing corporates with
very little understanding of finance before commencing the degree and I international presences.
believe we should have good knowledge of IT and finance in our modern
How did you come to postgraduate study with the
society. The course has led me to now be a Lecturer at the School of
University of Adelaide?
Business and Accountancy, Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Merit from the National
Was there a particular lecturer that you would like to mention who
University of Singapore, majoring in Economics and Sociology. As I
was inspirational or provided an exceptional learning experience?
constantly seek self-improvement, I desired an MBA qualification as it
I am deeply grateful to all lecturers who have taught us. They are all very would enhance my value and give me an advantage over others while
dedicated and inspiring but I would like to highlight three of them in opening more career opportunities. The University’s MBA program has
particular. Professor Ralf Zubrugg’s unconventional method of teaching always been highly-regarded and recognised.
the various option strategies was very useful in helping us grapple with
Did the program meet your expectations?
the multitude of different combinations of options. Professor Aku always
challenges us to go beyond theories in textbooks and The program has exceeded my expectations.
we also learnt a lot from his sharing of real world For Lester Yap Choon Peen My lecturers were ever ready to share their
issues in finance. Professor Dogan Tirtiroglu is very and Mary-Ann NG Mei-Yin, knowledge and experience. I have improved my
passionate about his work and approachable when we post graduate studies at the technical and analytical abilities while enhancing
needed his advice. University of Adelaide’s Ngee my ‘soft’ skills. In an environment where diversity
Ann-Adelaide Education is respected and creativity never stifled, it offered
Were there relationships/networks that you
Centre in Singapore has been me a platform to build my confidence especially
formed that were beneficial to your personal
an essential stepping stone in human communication. This was a great
interests and/or your professional development?
into fruitful careers. complement to the networking opportunities
Besides the learning experience, the friendships gained offered during the program.
through the course are also invaluable. I was lucky to be able to work
Can you tell us what winning the scholarship meant to you?
with dedicated group members for the assignments. Many of them were
also from the finance industry and they were generous in sharing their I am grateful to the people who have placed their confidence in
experiences with me. me by awarding me the Ngee Ann-Adelaide MBA Scholarship. The
acknowledgement of the success I have achieved has given me a
Would you have any advice/recommendations for someone
tremendous sense of satisfaction and achievement. I am honoured to be
considering a degree with the University of Adelaide
exposed to greater opportunities to contribute to the University’s MBA
Business School?
program and the business community.
The workload for the program can be heavy and demanding, especially for
Where do you see yourself in five years? Has this qualification
working adults. For anyone interested in the program, it will be important
played a role in your longer term career goals?
to plan your time allocations ahead to fully reap the benefits from the
program. For people who have no background in finance, it is also very The higher qualification obtained has equipped me with broader skill
useful to familiarise yourself with the use of a financial calculator and sets which will assist me in my career advancement and personal
know some basics of financial statements. In all, the MAF is a demanding development. Complemented with my work experience, it will facilitate
and rigorous program, but certainly rewarding and do-able if you put in my career progression.
the required time and effort.

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 31

RESEARCH
Support for
farming families
A new study is helping to secure the future
of family-run Australian farms.
In a three year study sponsored by the ANZ
bank and the Australian Research Council,
Business School researchers will determine
whether farm management and ownership
structures influence a family-run farm’s ability
to access competitive financial support.
PhD candidate Andrew Harrison, who is
conducting the study under the supervision of
the Business School’s Professor Ralf Zurbruegg,
and Dr Jean Canil, as well as the Agribusiness
School’s Professor Randy Stringer, says that it has
become increasingly difficult for family farms to
maintain their market position in the past decade.
“In the past ten years we’ve seen a number of
co-operatives trying to take over family farms,”
Andrew says. “As they rapidly gain market share
many family-run farms are finding it impossible
to compete.”
“The family farm is an Australian icon. They
battle flood, drought and disease as well as a
changing climate, and with limited access to
financial resources it is a pretty tough slog.
“Their future success depends on them
having the same level of access to financial
support and credit as their competitors.”
The outcomes of the study are expected to form
the basis of advice to farmers on how to manage
succession planning, how to better access capital
and how to increase awareness of good financial
management practices that will lead to a long
term future for their business.
32 l BSR
“The farming industry is an ever-changing
environment and farmers may not have
adapted their overall financial management
strategy, instead allowing change to unfold
without preplanning,” Andrew says.
“We’re trying to determine where
the gaps are so that we can
give farmers specific advice.”
The study is a joint initiative between the
Business School and the ANZ Banking
Group. It will be conducted in two parts, the
first stage a market survey and the second a
round of in depth interviews with farmers.
“Participants will receive an individual report
analysing their current financial management
practices and will receive comparative analysis
of their responses against the ‘benchmark’
farmer,” Andrew says. “It is a real incentive
for people to get involved in the study.”
The study commenced in late 2009 and has had
the support of the team at ANZ, including Land
Integration Team Product Manager Travis
Morgan, Head of Agribusiness Development
John Redpath and State Agribusiness
Manager Stephen Radeski.
“The ANZ team have provided the
invaluable networks and knowledge of the Front: Andrew Harrison, Back: Dr Jean
agribusiness industry essential to us moving Canil, Professor Ralf Zurbruegg and
forward with the study,” Andrew says. Stephen Radeski from ANZ Bank.
University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 33
RESEARCH
Family Ties
A three-year research project has examined the factors influencing the
ability of family owned firms to access private equity funding.
Dr Chris Graves, who conducted the research in
collaboration with Dr Pi-Shen Seet with support
from a CPA Australia grant, says that the research
suggests that owners of family firms would benefit
from knowing more about private equity funding.
“Many family firms don’t make it past the third
generation because of a lack of available or suitable
successors,” says Dr Graves, the University’s Head
of Accounting and Information Systems.
“That leaves the option of either selling or closing
the business.”
“Given the volume of business owners looking to
exit in the next five years, it is anticipated that most
can’t look forward to a traditional trade sale exit
and will have to explore an alternative succession
strategy such as private equity funding.
“This type of funding could give family business
owners a way of extending the life of their business,
allowing for growth and a staggered sale.”
However, previous research has suggested that
many owners of family firms are not open to private
equity funding.
“There’s a finance gap, where a fear of losing
control limits the family’s openness to outside
funding,” Dr Graves says.
34 l BSR
“On the other hand, we determined that some
private equity firms believe that family firms have
an economically flawed business model and aren’t
willing to engage for this reason.
“There’s also a knowledge gap in that many family
firms don’t know enough about private equity
funding to consider it a viable option,”
Dr Graves adds.
“In the same vein, private equity firms have a lack of
understanding about family business dynamics and
what’s important to family businesses.”
Dr Graves says that accountants and financial
advisers can play a significant role in closing
the gaps.
“Our research determined that accountants in
particular are the biggest advisers to family firms,”
Dr Graves says.
“It places them in a privileged position when it
comes to educating family businesses about private
equity funding, and it’s important that they are
aware of the benefits so that they can help their
clients navigate the impending succession crisis.”
Maintaining the presence of family firms, says Dr
Graves, is vital given the significant role they have
played in building our social and economic fabric.
“The influence of family firms in
Australia and internationally is
huge,” he says. “Think of family
controlled firms like Rothschild,
Fiat, News Corporation, Coopers
Brewery, Yalumba Wines, Haigh’s
Chocolates and Rossi Boots – they
have become icons.”
“And more importantly, family firms play a
significant role in building our economy. Research
has shown that a successful transfer preserves,
on average, five jobs, whereas a start-up business
generates on average only two jobs.”
With the University’s Dr Jill Thomas, Dr Graves
launched the Family Business and Education
Research Group (FBERG) last year. The group
promotes family business research, engages in
family business education and interacts with
the family business community to disseminate
information.
Latest developments from the group include Dr
Graves’ appointment to the board of International
Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA) and
the introduction of a family business course in the
University’s MBA and the Bachelor of Commerce.
University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 35
RESEARCH

In the know:
How consumption shapes identity
within a youth subculture
An interest in youth culture and Hip Hop subcultural status is determined by an individual’s level of subcultural
commitment. As such, my study advances our understanding of status
led PhD student Damien Arthur to discover within youth subcultures, and provides a valuable insight to marketing
how to understand and communicate with researchers and practitioners.
Australia’s young adults. In addition, I found the structure of the subculture to be more fluid,
contested and negotiated than those presented in previous studies, and as
What did you study at the University of Adelaide?
such, I propose an alternative framework for assessing the structure of a
After completing an international exchange program at the University subculture. Also, the findings of my study advance our understanding of
of Victoria, Canada, I graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the evolving nature of symbolic consumption within a subculture. In doing
the University of Adelaide in 1999. I returned in 2001 to complete an so, it contributes to the body of knowledge that examines subcultural
Honours degree in Commerce. In 2002 I was awarded a University of production, sacred consumption, and the expression of authenticity,
Adelaide scholarship to complete a PhD in marketing. My PhD proposal masculinity and countercultural values as individuals develop their
was awarded the 2003 ANZMAC Monash Doctoral Colloquium Prize for identity through consumption.
the Best PhD Proposal that had the greatest potential to contribute to
What are your immediate plans and where do you see
marketing knowledge and my PhD was confirmed in 2010.
yourself in 5 years time?
What is your thesis topic?
In 2011 I intend to engage more directly with business. I have established
The Symbolic Consumption of Subcultures: An Ethnographic Study of the a business that provides youth research and consulting advice to
Australian Hip Hop Culture. Essentially, I examined how knowing “what organisations looking to understand and communicate with Australia’s
to buy” grants status within a youth subculture. young adults, and intend to develop this further over the next five years.
For more information you can refer to my website
How did you come to choose this topic?
www.youthresearch.com.au.
I wanted to choose a topic that I would remain interested in and feel
passionate about throughout the length of my PhD
studies. I have always been interested in youth
culture and music and felt that an ethnographic
study, a methodology where one observes and
interacts with members of a culture in their natural
setting, would be both interesting and illuminating.
Can you describe your research
and summarise the findings?
My thesis examined symbolic consumption within
a youth subculture and its relationship with one’s
identity. Over four years I conducted an ethnography
of the Australian Hip Hop culture collecting data via
participant observation, in-depth interviews, and
non-participatory observation online. Analysis of the
data revealed a countercultural male enclave where
members overcame race and locale and claimed
authenticity through their consumption practices.
Two types of subcultural capital emerged from
the data as being determinants of status within
the subculture of consumption: an individual’s
embodied subcultural capital and subculture-
specific social capital. These determinants contrast
with the more commonplace assertion that

36 l BSR
 L-R: Professor Pascale Quester, Mila Tarabashkina and Dr Cullen Habel
For Kyrgyzstani and self-confessed “world-traveller” Mila Tarabashkina,
the chance to do a PhD in Australia was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Food for thought
Supported by an International
Postgraduate Research Scholarship,
Mila’s three-year PhD research
project will focus on the drivers
behind food consumption and
obesity in Australian children.
Arriving in Australia in February
2010, Mila was immediately taken
with our superb natural landscapes.
“I had always dreamt of coming to
Australia and it is incredible to be
living that dream,” she says. “I feel
like I am doing a PhD in an
exotic resort.”
Mila’s journey to Australia is not
her first taste of international study.
After graduating with a Bachelor
of Business Law in 2006 from the
American University of Central
Asia, Mila moved to Germany
and completed a Master of Arts
at Jacobs University Bremen,
graduating in 2008.
“After graduating from my masters,
I travelled around Europe,
before applying for the research
scholarship to come to Australia
and do my PhD,” Mila says. “A few
of my supervising professors
recommended that I travel to
Australia and I knew I had to come
and see it for myself.”
Mila’s “small and mountainous”
home country, Kyrgyzstan, is a
tantalising mix of cultures and
cuisines with origins as a trade
settlement along the historic Silk
Road trading route that emerged in
the 3rd Century BC.
“I would describe the culture as
having a mostly Asian influence, but
it is very multi-cultural, with more
than 80 nationalities, a diverse range
of religions and a mix of cuisine,”
Mila says.
Under the supervision of Executive
Dean Professor Pascale Quester
and Lecturer Dr Cullen Habel Mila
hopes that her PhD research will
identify theoretical and empirical
knowledge on food marketing
communications and the factors
that influence children’s
consumer behaviour.
“We will examine the impact of food
marketing communications, parents
and peers on children’s food choice
and obesity,” Mila says.
University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 37
The most recent statistics indicate
that one quarter of Australian
children between the ages of 5 and
17 are overweight or obese.
“Childhood obesity has significant
impact on social welfare and public
health, as well as the economy,”
Mila says. “At present, this is still an
emerging area of research
in Australia.”
More travel and a career in
marketing research is part of
Mila’s five-year plan, but for now
she is focused on the successful
completion of her PhD.
“It is a long and hard journey,” she
says. “But I am learning new things
everyday. It has been the most
rewarding experience.”
RESEARCH

University of Adelaide
Business School Dr Lisa Powell
Business School

Seminar Series Seminar Series

Coordinator 2010

The Business School continued to build its profile
and demonstrate its capability in 2010 through its
extensive seminar series. The 2010 series hosted
30 presentations from highly respected and
published local and international researchers in the
disciplines of accounting, finance, management,
marketing, law and international business.
Highlights of the series included presentations
by Professor Michael Klausner (Standford Law
School), Professor David Yermack (New York
University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business),
Professor Srilata Zaheer (the Elmer L. Andersen
Chair in Global Corporate Social Responsibility,
Carlson School of Management, University of
Minnesota, USA) and Professor Dan Dhaliwal
(University of Arizona) along with presentations
by many other highly distinguished speakers.
All seminars have been well attended by Business
School staff, Higher Degree by Research
(HDR) students and external academics. The
informal lunchtime format of the seminars has
allowed presenters and audience members to
continue discussion of the presentation and
relevant research issues over a casual lunch
at the conclusion of each presentation.
This format has been particularly successful
in providing HDR students and early career
researchers with the opportunity to discuss
their research interests with our presenters in
an informal and supportive environment.

Date Discipline Presenter Paper title

Accounting and Professor Dan Dhaliwal Did the 2003 Tax Act Increase Capital
19 March Information
(University of Arizona) Investments by Corporations?
Systems
Accounting and Information Asymmetry of Fair Value
26 March Information Dr Qingliang Tsang (University of Western Sydney) Accounting and Loan Loss Provisions
Systems during the Global Financial Crisis.
Herding Behaviour among Chinese
9 April Finance Dr Harminder Singh (Deakin University)
and Indian Investors.
Dr Jeremy Kees Transformative Consumer Research
16 April Marketing
(Villanova University) and Health Decision Making.
Professor Ercan Tirtiroglu A Quantification of Judgemental Criteria in Supplier
16 April Management
(University of Adelaide) Selection and Measuring the Information Gained.
Accounting and The Impact of Mandatory IFRS Adoption
Professor Joseph (Yossi) Aharony
23 April Information on Equity Valuation of Accounting Numbers
(University of Adelaide/Tel Aviv University)
Systems for Security Investors in the EU.
Dr Chris Ellegaard Start Making Sense Again- Business Relationship
30 April Management
(Copenhagen Business School) Restoration After Severe Norm Violation Episodes.
Associate Professor Hean Tat Keh The Differential Effects of Expert Review and
3 May Marketing
(Peking University) WOM on Consumer Decision for Services.
Jo Castillo
14 May Finance Herding Cats-The Regulation of SMSF's.
(University of Tasmania)
Professor John Fahy Marketing Capabilities and Positioning
21 May Marketing
(University of Limerick) Strategy in Higher Education.
Dr Melissa Frye Does Regulation Substitute or
28 May Finance
(University of Pennsylvania) Complement Governance?

38 l BSR
Date Discipline Presenter Paper title

Information Ethics of Managers, Large-

Professor Maris G. Martinsons
28 May Management Scale IT-Enabled Organizational Change
(City University of Hong Kong)
and E-commerce Development.
International Professor Lawrence Welch Re-internationalisation: Exploration
18 June
Business (University of Melbourne) and Conceptualisation.
Professor Mark Uncles
25 June Marketing The Scope of Employer Branding.
(University of NSW)
Professor David Yermack
Deferred Compensation, Risk, and Company
26 July Finance (New York University Leonard N.
Value: Investor Reactions to CEO Incentives.
Stern School of Business)
Professor David Yermack
The Michelle Markup: The First Lady’s Impact
27 July Finance (New York University Leonard N.
on Stock Prices of Fashion Companies.
Stern School of Business)
Associate Professor Sanjay Goel
3 Aug Management Entrepreneurial Resources in Family Firms.
(University of Minnesota)
Are All CEOs Above Average? An
Professor Michael Lemmon
6 Aug Finance Empirical Analysis of Compensation
(Utah University)
Peer Groups and Pay Design.
Professor Simon Stevenson Estimation of Dynamic Correlation
13 Aug Finance
(City University of London) across REIT Sub-Sectors.
Associate Professor Edward Lin
The Asymmetric and Procyclical
14 Sept Finance (National Taiwan University of
Behaviour of Asset Correlations.
Science & Technology) 
Accounting and Dr Mark Christensen What is the Managerial Impact of Accrual
24 Sep Information
(Southern Cross University) Accounting in Public Sector Organizations.
Systems
Professor Shantaram Hegde Pension Contributions, Investment, and Firm Value:
24 Sep Finance
(University of Connecticut) Evidence from Frozen Defined Benefit Plans.
International Human Resource Management
International Associate Professor Cherrie Zhu
29 Oct and Implications for International
Business (Monash University)
Expansion of Chinese Firms.
International How to do qualitative research and get published
29 Oct Dr Catherine Welch (Sydney University)
Business in top journals in international business.
An Empirical Analysis Of Securities Class
Professor Michael Klausner
29 Oct Law Actions In The US, And Lessons Which Australia
(Standford Law School)
Can Learn From The US Experience.
A Study of Customer E-Loyalty:
19 Nov Marketing Dr Shu-Ching Chen (Massey University)
The Role of Mediators.
Professor Vipin Gupta Understanding the Internationalization of
14 Dec Management (College of Business and Public Administration Family Businesses: Lessons from the History
California State University) of Chinese and Lebanese Diaspora.
Prof Sylvie Chetty
International (Massey University) Professor Lawrence Welch IB HDR Seminars How to Complete your Thesis
23 Nov
Business (Melbourne University) and Dr Catherine on Time and How to Publish in IB Journals.
Welch (Sydney University)
Marketing Strategy and Externalities: The
International Dr Christian Felzensztein
8 Dec Case of the Chilean Wine Cluster.
Business (Universidad Adolfo Ibanez Chile)
Professor Srilata Zaheer How technology changes the international location
International
10 Dec (Carlson School of Management and organization of firms worldwide, and on
Business
University of Minnesota) the legitimacy of multinational enterprises.

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 39

RESEARCH
Global Focus
Two internationally focused events in 2010 have built
much anticipation for the Business School’s new
Masters of International Business, commencing in 2011.
Driven by Associate Professor Susan Freeman,
a series of International Business Higher
Degree research seminars and academic
seminars were held in 2010 to build the
International Business Discipline.
Of particular interest was the two-day joint
International Business Higher Degree research
seminar and International Business Research
Symposium which were well attended by
international and interstate students and
academics from as far a field as Massey
University, New Zealand, and University
of Jyväskylä, Finland as well as nationally
from Sydney University, University of New
South Wales, Macquarie University, Monash
University and Southern Cross University
creating much discussion and enthusiasm
for international business studies in 2011.
The International Business Higher Degree research
seminar saw students undertaking Honours,
Masters or PhD programs in International Business
and Asian Economics and related fields present
their research topics to a group of local and
international PhD students and academics.
“The aim of the workshop was to provide a
forum for students to present on their progress,
allow academics and students to comment
constructively and supportively on each other’s
research and allow academics researching in
these fields to broaden their understanding
of these areas,” said Professor Freeman.
“The feedback was extremely positive, with
some students saying it was the first time they
had presented in a forum where they had
received this level of feedback and constructive
advice on the various stages of the thesis.
“Students highlighted the real benefit of
hearing and seeing actual examples from
fellow students of how they were solving such
40 l BSR
issues as developing critical literature reviews,
methodological problems of non-response,
assessing a range of tools for analysis for both
qualitative and quantitative or mixed method
thesis, and theory integration in the final stage
of the discussion and conclusion chapters.”
The International Business symposium examined
“SME Internationalization and born-globals:
Where to from here?” with Professor Sylvie
Chetty delivering the keynote address.
Sylvie is Professor, the School of Communication,
Journalism and Marketing, (Albany), Massey
University, Auckland, in New Zealand.
Internationally prominent, Professor Lawrence
Welch, Melbourne Business School provided
further debate around changing paradigms in
International Business, making the two-day
symposium a rich and highly collaborative
event for the academic community.
“Having people of this calibre, such as Sylvie
and Lawrence to speak to our group of staff
and visiting academics as well as PhD, Masters
and Honors students from around Australia and
overseas was highly stimulating, and generated
a great deal of discussion and momentum
among the local and interstate International
Business community,” Professor Freeman says.
“These two events have really helped to break
down the barriers to working in the field for
not only early career academic and Higher
Degree Research students but also established
academics, with the opportunity to network
and create new research agendas for future
publications and research grants. One outcome
has been the decision to make the two-day
symposium an annual event and to host it around
Australia and New Zealand in the future.”
The 2011 symposium will be held at Sydney
University, hosted by Dr Catherine Welch.
University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 41
INDUSTRY

42 l BSR
All that glitters
When marketing graduate Bonita Dixon spent time as an intern at jewellery
giant Shiels during their pre-Christmas push, she quickly gained an
appreciation of the lightning pace of the retail industry.
The 24-year-old Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) alumnus was selected
among a handful of internship recipients as part of the South Australian
Young Emerging Marketer Competition and commenced her three week
spell at Shiels in October last year.
“My lecturer encouraged me to apply, and I was ecstatic when I was one of
the students selected out of a competitive field,” Bonita says.
From day one, Bonita worked across Sheils marketing portfolio, and was
surprised to learn just how fast retail marketers have to move to keep up
with consumer demand.
“Sheils has more than 30 stores in South Australia and Western Australia,
so there was a lot of work to do,” she says.
Liaising with advertising agencies and external producers, Bonita worked
closely with the Sheils team across a range of marketing activities, visiting
stores and working on catalogues, television commercials and the day to
day management of the pre-Christmas promotional campaign.
“I loved working in such a fast paced environment, and I was surprised by
how much I learnt in such a short space of time. Retail marketing is so
detailed – down to the way in which the level of lighting in the store affects
the customer experience.
“The team at Shiels were fantastic – they were very supportive and gave
me exposure to all aspects of the business. I really felt like a part of
the team.”
A born and bred Londoner, Bonita moved to Adelaide in 2007 after
enjoying a year and half of travel when she finished high school.
“I considered going to America, but found that the courses on offer in
Australia fit more closely with the style of those in the United Kingdom,”
Bonita says.
“They provide more in depth insight into specific aspects of marketing, as
opposed to a more general overview of the marketing profession. Plus, the
University of Adelaide has an excellent international reputation.”
Bonita has now been in Australia for three years, and though “quiet”
Adelaide is light years from the busy streets of London, she has fallen in
love with the Australian lifestyle.
“I love how relaxed it is here. Everyone thinks that London is like it is in
the movies, but it’s very hard to find a work-life balance there. Adelaide has
been a great place to study as I’ve been able to focus,” she says.
Bonita has had such a positive time here that she’s decided to make
Adelaide her home, and is now on the hunt for a job.
“I really believe that my internship has given
me an advantage over other graduates,” she
says. “It’s allowed me to network with people
in the industry, not just at Shiels, but with the
teams they work with.
“I have explored a few job opportunities, and the first thing I am asked is if
I have any relevant experience.
“For marketing students in particular, I think it’s vital to gain some industry
experience through an internship. It provides you with practical
experience that complements the knowledge you learn in class.”
Having now had exposure to the industry, Bonita has her sights set on
a sparkling career in marketing, with a focus on social media
and e-commerce.
“The retail industry relies heavily on its relationships with customers and
online media is a great way to introduce the brand to people before they
have a chance to experience the store,” she says. “I’m really excited about
starting my career.”
University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 43
INDUSTRY
Detmold delivers
local learning
Detmold Packaging is a leading
Adelaide-based manufacturer of paper
products with national and international
operations. Operating for more than 50
years, the Detmold Group is one of the
largest manufacturers of paper
packaging products in the Asian region
and is expanding its operations into
Europe and North America.
University of Adelaide MBA students
Peeyush Jain, Julian James and Valerie
Lux recently had the exciting
opportunity to undertake a consulting
project for Detmold Packaging as part
of the last stages of their MBA.
Brad Eiffe, Group Human Resources
Manager for Detmold Packaging says
while the MBA internship project was
undertaken for the students’ learning
purposes, the outcomes were also of
great benefit to the company.
“The Business School’s MBA program
provides a great opportunity to access
intelligent, articulate and motivated
researchers at no cost who can deliver a
meaningful outcome to the business in
a short period of time. It’s a win for the
company and a win for the students,”
says Brad.
Project Supervisor and Senior
Management Lecturer, Dr Marilyn
Clarke, says MBA students undertaking
projects are team leaders and
professionals with extensive business
expertise who are also bringing to the
table their recent studies of up-to-date
business theory and research.
The three students participating in the
Detmold project offered a valuable mix
of diverse experiences with Julian a
manager in South Australian local
government, Peeyush an international
student on study leave from his family
44 l BSR
business in India; and Valerie an
exchange student from Germany.
Marilyn says that in the early stages of
the 12 week project, one of the main
challenges was to decide on the project
scope given the broad nature of the
consulting brief.
“In common with many projects the
group experienced various highs and
lows as it grappled with the amount of
data to be collected and analysed.
“At times it seemed impossible that the
project would come together on time
but the group not only met the deadline
but also presented a high quality and
very professional report to an
appreciative management group at
Detmold,” she says.
Julian admitted the Detmold project
was the toughest assignment of the
MBA program but it was very satisfying
to rise to the challenge.
“It was great to get inside a company,
delve into the internal aspects of the
company culture and see how this links
to company performance. The project
was exciting and has left me looking for
more opportunities to apply my MBA
skills and knowledge,” Julian says.
“If I had any advice for someone else
looking at the MBA consulting project it
would be to know you have a team that
will pull together when it gets tough
because it will.
“I worked with great people and the
support from our supervisor Marilyn
Clarke and Detmold management and
staff was excellent. It was much more
work than a typical subject but we
reached a new level of skill and
confidence as a result of the effort.”
Peeyush says the project taught him
new skills and ideas about management
theories and their applications.
“This project proved that there may be a
standard solution to a problem but it
can be applied in various ways to make
it more effective. As a professional this
project gave me an insight about
what management needs from its
employees and what traits I need to
develop as a leader.”
Valerie relished the opportunity to
apply her theoretical knowledge in the
“real” world.
“University education alone is simply
not enough to prepare students for the
business world,” she says.
“I am very happy to
have participated in
this project; within a
few months I learned
much more than I
expected about
business, its people
and about how to
manage a group
project with all its
constraints in order
to reach the best
possible outcome.
“I would advise each and every student
to do such a consulting project if they
get the chance.”
L-R: Peeyush Jain, Julian James, Marilyn Clarke, Valerie Lux and Brad Eiffe

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 45

INDUSTRY

Masters
of industry
Since its origins in the early 20th century,
engineering firms have used the MBA
increased and I am making informed decisions
based on the theories I’ve learnt,” he says.
Five “tradies”
to help their trade trained staff gain
Like many of his co-workers, Industrial
from engineering
professional management skills. And
it seems that contemporary firms like
Installations Manager Michael Weinel firm O’Donnell
national Australian electrical engineering
admits that he found the prospect of
going to university daunting, but that
Griffin have found
and contracting business O’Donnell Griffin
are continuing to reap the benefits.
the hands-on nature of the course made new opportunities
For National Service Business Development
the degree much easier to approach.
with a University
Manager Frank Halman who works
“It was really important to me that I complete
my degree in a classroom situation rather than of Adelaide
alongside his fellow MBAs at the company’s
South Australia branch, the degree has
by correspondence,” Michael says. “I found Master of Business
affirmed the knowledge he gained through
that the interaction with other students and
the face to face contact with lecturers was Administration,
20 years of industry experience.
really critical to the learning process.” and in the process
“Doing the MBA allowed me to reflect on my
experiences and modify my management style
There is more than coincidence at work for given a nod to
accordingly,” Frank says. “The theoretical
knowledge I discovered in the classroom
these five professionals, who all agree that the
University’s strong reputation and collaborative history.
learning approach motivated them to enrol.
affirmed the way I had been operating in my
And O’Donnell Griffin is finding benefits from
job, and it also exposed me to a whole range
a workforce rich in management skills.
of perspectives I had never considered.”
Andrew Cross, who completed his MBA
Co-worker Business & Development
at the University in 2003, agrees that
Manager SA/NT Darren O’Brien believes
completing an MBA did not only benefit
that his MBA, which he plans to finish in
his personal career, but has been of
2013, will open up career opportunities.
enormous benefit to the organisation.
“I think that without the MBA my career
“The MBA has taken my blinkers off and
progression would be limited,” Darren says.
has encouraged me to challenge everyday
“There’s no doubt that it will help me get to
decisions in the workplace,” National Service
the level of management that I’m seeking.”
Manager Andrew says. “I am approaching
Project Manager Matthew Lewis is also problems from a number of different angles
still in the midst of completing his MBA, and considering a range of solutions.”
but has found it is already making an
“There is a real benefit in having a group of
impact on his job performance.
people trained in the same way. And because
“Although I’ve only been studying for a short we all have a background in the trade, we can
period of time, my management skills have truly understand the business at all levels.”

46 l BSR
L- R: Andrew Cross, Frank Hamlan, Michael Wienel, Damen O’Brien, Matthew Lewis.

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 47

INDUSTRY
Going Social
A trip to Cambodia in 2005 set PhD candidate
Lois Whittall on a path of discovery.
With a career in senior management, a
Master of Business Administration and a
background in organisational development
and finance, Lois was unsurprisingly
intrigued by how economic development
occurs in emerging economies.
“In developed countries, entrepreneurs are
an important part of economic development,”
Lois says. “They start businesses, employ
people, and contribute to increasing wealth.
But I wondered how this occurs in countries
like Cambodia, particularly given the lack of
infrastructure, education and resources.”
Cambodia, still reeling from the devastation
of the Pol Pot regime and decades of civil
war and armed conflict, has in the last twenty
years relied heavily on international aid.
“Many Non Government Organisations do a
wonderful job of capacity building, teaching
people in the community skills that they
can use to sustain their livelihood,” Lois
says. “However, generally they don’t focus
on developing commercial ventures.”
An Adjunct Lecturer in the MBA program
at the University’s Business School, Lois
commenced her PhD in 2007, with the aim
of conducting further research into social
entrepreneurship in developing nations.
“Social enterprises usually have both
commercial and social objectives”
Lois says. “The social aims are about
empowering disadvantaged groups.
The commercial aims are about creating
sustainable and scalable businesses.”
Lois is exploring the keys to creating
successful commercial enterprises
in the Cambodian context.
“What I found in my research so far is that
respect for cultural norms is critical; you can’t
just take what works in Australia and apply
48 l BSR
it to a developing country,” she says. “Just as
important is an expectation that stakeholders
in the venture are actively involved. They put
something in and they get something out.
“In one savings program, for example,
the poorest people save very small
amounts, but they commit to weekly
saving, they earn interest and then
they use their savings to develop an
income. It’s a two-way commitment.
“I’ve also found that social entrepreneurs have
amazing patience and resilience,” Lois adds.
Lois is putting her research into practice
through the Plas Prai Foundation, a
locally registered NGO in Preah Vihear
Province in Northern Cambodia.
“The foundation provides bright kids with
a high school education and the chance
to go to university” Lois says. “The hope
is that many of them will return to their
communities with professional qualifications.”
“In remote villages in Preah Vihear, high
school often finishes at the end of year
nine, and even if a senior high school is
available girls are often kept at home because
education is not a high priority. Through
Plas Prai, 36 young women have access
to years 10, 11 and 12. And we now have
a dozen students at university studying
teaching, nursing, midwifery and finance.”
The Plas Prai Foundation currently relies
on donations but Lois has launched a
sewing business and a chicken farm is on
the drawing board. The aim is for these
businesses to make Plas Prai self funding.
“My ultimate aim is for the foundation
to become redundant,” Lois says.
“When we are no longer needed, we
will have truly achieved our goals.”
Local Impact
The Business School continued
to forge new partnerships with
the local business community in
2010, holding several important
business events attended by a
range of government and
industry stakeholders.
Surviving at the Top
Jerry Kleeman, Chair, Executive Connection addressed a group of
business leaders at this evening event, discussing the strategies and
tactics CEO’s employ to ensure they keep growing and learning. Jerry
shared his experiences from mentoring CEO’s and business executives.
Building on Jerry’s perspective, academic staff member of the Business
School, Dr Jill Thomas, considered the role of education in the
development of leadership and in facilitating a leader’s ability to cope
with ongoing challenges.
Leadership Breakfast
Philip Morton, Managing Partner, Morton Philips, was the guest
speaker at the Business School’s Leadership Breakfast, discussing
how an organisation and its leaders can embrace flexibility and deliver
outstanding performance, in an increasingly risk averse global business
environment. Philip challenged guests to accept that change is constant
and to consider what the future looks like for business leaders.
Philip Morton is an accomplished Company Director, General Manager,
and a proven high level Executive Search Consultant who has contributed
to many taskforces on employment.
University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 49
STUDENTS

L- R: Richard Horden-Gibbings, Will Middleton, Miranda Young and Jonathan Khong

50 l BSR
Young Guns
A group of Adelaide business students have
made their mark on the business world after
taking out the top gong and $5000 prize
money in the 2010 UBS Investment Banking
Challenge in Sydney.
Commerce Law students Will Middleton, “The only secret to our success was hours and
Jonathan Khong, Richard Horden-Gibbings and hours of preparation,” Will says. “We had the
Miranda Young experienced their first thrill of projector set up at my house and we would
success in the cut and thrust world of corporate rehearse questions and answers over and over
finance in May 2010, beating 400 teams from until we felt really comfortable.”
around Australia to win the prestigious UBS
student challenge. “We estimate that we each spent 200 hours
preparing for this Challenge – or three weeks
“Winning the final was a complete shock,” Will minus sleep,” says Jonathan.
says. “We went in with a plan to win but knew
the other eight finalists were very strong. It was Being awarded this prize has confirmed for each
a great feeling when we realised we had won.” student that what they are learning in Adelaide
as commerce students is on par with the eastern
The 2010 challenge set by UBS was to act as
states, where the majority of investment banking
the investment bank advising Westpac and
career opportunities are based.
St George on their 2008 merger. Teams were
provided with a case study of the merger and “The fact that teams from the
were required to advise Westpac and St George
across three rounds of the competition.
University of Adelaide have taken
out this challenge two years out
The judging panel consisted of six senior
Directors from UBS Investment Bank who
of the last three tells us that the
worked on the actual St George merger, course material we are being
providing an invaluable real life experience for taught is at a very high level,”
the teams.
Jonathan says.
“The challenge gave us the opportunity to work
Winning this challenge has driven each of the
across all aspects of the merger as if we were
students to take their experience and put it into
senior bankers,” Will says. “This experience has
action. With increased hunger for the industry
definitely prepared us all for our future careers
Will has snagged a job at Ernst & Young in
more so than anything else we have done during
Sydney and Miranda at Glencore, the world’s
our studies. It was hard work, but really exciting
largest commodities trader. Jonathan and
to have the opportunity to test our skills in the
business world.” Richard are eager to finish their degrees to get
their teeth stuck into a career.
“Gaining an insight into the world of finance
bankers was fascinating,” Richard says. “We would urge University of Adelaide business
“We definitely saw the truth behind the students to take part in the UBS Challenge
saying ‘money never sleeps’ in some of the experience because you never know where it
professionals we met. They work extremely may lead you,” Miranda says.
hard, but we could see the attraction - it’s a very UBS Investment Bank is one of the top three
exciting industry.”
investment banks in Australia. Headquartered in
Three teams entered from the University’s Zurich and Basel, UBS is a global firm providing
Business School, but team ‘Proto Capital’ proved financial services to private, corporate and
to have the winning formula. institutional clients.

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 51

STUDENTS
CFA Global Investment
Research Challenge
The GIRC is an equity research competition,
offering students a unique opportunity
to gain skills in company analysis and
presentation through hands-on mentoring.
Students are required to deliver a
comprehensive equity research report,
analysing a publicly traded company. This year
students studied JB Hi-Fi, a key player in the
computer and electronics retail industry.
“The report must comprise an analysis of
the industry and company; financial analysis
and valuation; and a risk analysis,” said
Sai Perchard, a participating student.
Professional research analyst, Anthony
Rohrlach, mentored University of Adelaide
students through the process.
“Anthony provided invaluable advice and
feedback regarding the research process
and development of the report,” Sai said.
“We were able to draw broadly on corporate
finance and economic principles set out in core
52 l BSR
University courses to develop the report; however
as there were a lot of new ideas and information
Students from
to learn, mentoring was indispensible.” the University of
A panel of leading industry experts reviewed Adelaide Business
the report and high-profile heads of research,
portfolio managers, and chief investment officers
School competed
from the world’s top firms judged the event. in the CFA Global
The University of Adelaide team presented its Investment Research
report in Melbourne, in October 2010. Tensions
were high as finalists prepared to deliver their
Challenge (GIRC)
presentations, against the backdrop of a month- once again in 2010.
long research process. Results were characterized
by narrow margins, which ultimately saw
Adelaide yield to a Melbourne-based University
in the final round of the competition.
“The knowledge and skills derived from the
competition delivered significant value to
all participants,” Sai said. “The competition
was highly enjoyable and is thoroughly
recommended to any individual with an interest L-R: Jonathan Khong;
in equity research and financial markets.” Sai Perchard; Monte Engler.
ALUMNI
networks
Working
Together
Henry Ford summarised the
benefits of networking most
eloquently in his quote:
Coming together
is the beginning
Staying together
is progress
Working together
is success!
This captures the philosophy of the University of
Adelaide’s Business School Alumni experience
and the networking opportunities that exist
through The Commerce Alumni Network.
The Commerce Chapter (more recently
known as The Commerce Alumni Network)
was established in December 2002 by a group
of graduates led by inaugural President Luc
Bondar with the support of the then School of
Commerce’s, representative, Chris Medlin.
The Chapter grew quickly through 2003 with a
series of Cocktail events featuring a range of
speakers including Jeff Lucy, head of ASIC.
Its activities developed further throughout 2004
and 2005, hosting events which showcased
entrepreneurs including Tim Pethick, the
founder of Nudie Juices and Martin Haese,
Managing Director of Youth Works. In 2006
networking focused on small informal
dinners with a range of speakers including
Rob Chapman, CEO, Bank SA and Christie
Anthony, Director of the Adelaide Fringe.
Since then, the Commerce Alumni has held
a range of events and activities including the
popular annual Sea and Vines Winery Tour
and more recently has set up an investment
group with a series of events on investment
topics such as shares and property.
These events have provided the opportunity for
Alumni to network, create business opportunities,
make new friendships with fellow Alumni
University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 53
and learn from prominent business leaders.
Paul Hill, Project & Strategic Analyst Engineering,
Logistics with Cobham Aviation Services
Australia and President of the Commerce
Alumni Network believes that by staying in
touch and networking, success is inevitable.
“When you network, you give and you learn,
but I think many people question the benefits
of networking. Benefits do exist,” Paul says.
“When you’re in business it is important to
stay in contact with people as you never
know when a seemingly innocent phone call
or meeting will generate an opportunity.
“Networking allows you to gain new ideas
and new approaches that you didn’t think of
before. It helps stimulate decision making
and help you think outside the square.
“Also, we can all struggle at times to
communicate confidently and effectively.
Attending networking events can lead to higher
levels of self esteem and confidence, allowing
you to communicate with both peers and
business professionals more confidently.”
Networking and staying in touch with the School
and your peers at the University of Adelaide
is achieved through Alumni membership.
Students and graduates are invited to join the
Commerce Alumni via the University’s’ online
community “onLION” by requesting an account.
www.adelaide.edu.au
STUDENTS
Careers in Gear
In 2010 the Adelaide Business Students’ Society (ABSS) held its inaugural
careers fair for second and third year students.
Sasa Krecinic, 2010 ABSS President
In 2010 the Adelaide Business Students’
Society (ABSS) held its inaugural careers
fair for second and third year students.
After surveying students about which industry
sectors were in demand, the ABSS approached
the most diverse group of employers it
has ever reached out to and established
sponsorship relationships with each of them,
with an invitation to attend the careers fair.
The event was a huge success, with more
than 160 tickets sold. Firms including CPA
Australia, ICAA, UBS, KPMG, Ernst &
Young, Grant Thornton, PKF, Kennedy & Co,
Australian Central Credit Union, Savings &
Having a Ball
The annual ABSS Ball was held in September 2010 at Ayers House, in the conservatory styled
Henry’s Brasserie, with more than 160 attendees. This year’s “Old Money” theme was inspired
by the 1920s as depicted in the famous novel The Great Gatsby. The event was a highlight on the
ABSS events calendar as it gave students a chance to dress up and network with fellow business
students. The event was made possible due to the generous sponsorship and support of CPA.
54 l BSR
Loans and Macquarie Bank attended and
gave a presentation to provide students with
an insight into the professional world.
Students had the invaluable opportunity
to engage with each firm personally and
discuss graduate opportunities such
as internships or vacation work.
The sponsors complemented the ABSS
on the event and all expressed a desire
to attend a similar event in 2011. Many
of the firms were delighted to report that
graduate application numbers increased
dramatically following the careers night.
Planning is underway for the 2011 event.
Firm
Engagement
During the 2010 academic year the ABSS
ran five Firm Barbeques for students. These
events allowed students to talk to industry
representatives to gain an insight into the
working world. Importantly, students also had
the opportunity to find out what each firm was
looking for in graduates in a very casual setting
based in their own daily environment.
Thank you for getting MBA
graduates involved, we
loved the day! Let us know
when the next match is so
we can level the score!
Melanie McClave, Group financial
controller, The Jewellery Group

The event was great. I

talked with and listened to
members of the corporate
world and had such a fun
time playing with them on
the volleyball court.
Manvendra Kumar. MBA
International student
MBA ALUMNI Beach
Volleyball Event
A sporting event proved to be a great success for the MBA Alumni Association (MBAAA) in 2010.
The city beach volleyball courts were transformed into competitive hubs where Alumni members and
current students spent the afternoon competing for wine packs kindly donated by Wirra Wirra Wines.
Teams of varying skill-levels formed to enjoy a round robin competition, which saw alumni members
giving some of the academic staff cause to rethink their fitness regimes.
A gourmet barbeque with Head Chef - Associate Professor Barry Burgan, Head of the Business School,
was a great way to end the day of competition and conversation.
With over 3,000 members, the University of Adelaide’s MBA Alumni Association has the largest
member base of all the Associations in the University.
The MBAAA supports members and the Business School by creating valuable business links and
securing corporate sponsorship, presenting professional development seminars and guest
speaker panel forums, and putting members in touch with each other, the Business School and the
business community.
Current MBA students and graduates are eligible to join.
Applications can be made at www.alumni.adelaide.edu.au

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 55

STUDENTS
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Four Business School Alumni tell their career stories...
Feel-good business
When Nicole Graham
joined scosa, the Spastic
Centres of South Australia
Inc, in 2004 from a
human resources role
at Mitsubishi Motors it
was her first taste of just
how challenging life can
be as a not-for-profit.
“A not-for-profit faces the same business
issues as a for-profit organisation and people
are often surprised that the not-for-profit
sector is not a soft place to land,” she says.
“It is a competitive market and at times it is a
challenging sector requiring commercial skills.”
Formed in 1950, scosa is now the largest
provider of day services for people with
a disability in South Australia. It has an
annual turnover of nearly $8 million,
employs 230 staff and supports 350 people
with a disability across its 11 sites.
“We receive the majority of our funding
from government contracts, with the
remainder generated by marketing and
fundraising activities, and our effective
portfolio management,” Nicole says.
Since joining the organisation, Nicole has
managed to thrive professionally. Within three
years she was appointed as General Manager
of Workforce Planning and Development and
later General Manager of Client Services.
“In this role I managed 90% of scosa’s
operational budget, achieved a 160%
56 l BSR
increase in revenue and implemented a new
model for service delivery,” Nicole says.
In 2007, Nicole set her sights on attaining
the CEO position and was encouraged
by her mentors to attain a Master of
Business Administration for professional
development and recognition.
“I researched the programmes available and
found the MBA program at the University of
Adelaide to be one of the most professional
and highly recognised,” Nicole says. “This
was reinforced by every interaction I
had with the staff at the university.”
In 2008 Nicole was appointed as Deputy
Chief Executive Officer while the existing
CEO was on leave. With the opportunity
to act in the CEO role, Nicole was able to
apply the knowledge she was gaining in her
degree. In March last year, she achieved
her dream of becoming CEO at scosa.
“I believe that the MBA program has been a
key contributor to my career success,” Nicole
says. “It expanded my thinking, knowledge
and business skills and provided opportunities
for me to develop to my full potential.”
Since becoming CEO, Nicole has driven a
number of successful initiatives. Last year,
scosa were finalists in two categories at the
Australian Marketing Institute Awards.
“Marketing is vital to the survival of scosa, and
while I did not have a formal background in
marketing it is an area I enjoy,” Nicole says.
“The marketing subjects in my MBA provided
me with the skills to innovate, create and
implement the projects that received awards.”
Having now completed her degree,
Nicole advises any professional
wanting to invest in their professional
development to consider an MBA.
“The hard work was worth it. I have never
had such exposure to a diverse range of
professionals,” she says. “The networks
I formed during my degree have been
incredibly valuable and the professional and
personal friendships will last a lifetime.”
Nicole says that her MBA highlighted
that business principles can be applied
to any organisation, regardless of the
purpose of their bottom line.
“For a not-for-profit like scosa, having a strong
business strategy is vital to our survival,” she
says. “As a result of the MBA I have a better
understanding of key business principles,
and the confidence to identify issues, analyse
the situation and formulate appropriate
strategies to deliver the best outcome.”
But for Nicole, the satisfaction of success
takes a back seat to being able to make a
difference to the lives of scosa’s clients.
“The best part about working for a not-
for-profit is contributing to developing
the living and social skills of our clients
so that they can be a valued member of
the local community, enjoy activities and
social interaction with others,” she says.
“At scosa we are so much more than a
Disability Support Service, we are a family,
and in our family we laugh, support,
care, include, teach and excel.”
She’s the youngest ever CEO of scosa and one of the youngest CEOs in
the country. But this MBA graduate says that her greatest achievement
to date has been helping put not-for profit back in the spotlight.

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 57

STUDENTS
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Four Business School Alumni tell their career stories...
SPRINGBOARD TO SUCCESS
Asian corporate finance high-flier Daniel Yeoh
will never forget the important grounding the
University of Adelaide gave him and how it
became the springboard for his success.
“I strongly believe a significant part of who
I am - my life achievements, my thinking,
my expressiveness, self confidence and
sense of humour – all come from my nine
years in Australia, and particularly my
years at the University of Adelaide Business
School,” the AU Alumni member said.
“I can’t under-estimate
the importance of having
been able to be part of
the Adelaide community,
understanding the
culture and learning
to interact with the
Australian people.”
It’s been a meteoric rise for the innocent
Malaysian 19 year old whose trip to
Adelaide was his first away from home.
“Our former neighbour who was involved
in the Ministry of Education in Penang sent
his daughter to Adelaide for matriculation,
so my parents thought he would be the
best person to ask for advice on my
matriculation year,” Daniel said.
“It was the best advice I ever had. I went
to Marion High School in Clovelly Park for
58 l BSR
my Year 12. I had never been anywhere, so I
didn’t know what to expect at all. I heard that
Adelaide and Georgetown (Malaysia) were
twin sisters, but one is very western and the
other eastern, so it didn’t help that much.
“Everything was so different – although
Georgetown and Adelaide are both multicultural
cities, Adelaide is far more multi-cultural than
Georgetown. In Malaysia, the ranges of cultures
primarily consists of Malay, Chinese, Indian and
Singh. But in Australia, it is like a mini universe
consisting of every country I could think of.
“When I matriculated and it was a natural
decision to choose the best university in SA -
for me that was the University of Adelaide.”
Daniel spent the next six years at the
Business School, starting with a Bachelor of
Economics in 1992, followed by an Honours
degree in Commerce in 1995 under a Merit
Scholarship. In 1996, he was awarded the
Overseas Postgraduate Research Scholarship
to study his PhD in Adelaide. He studied half
of the doctorate at the Business School and
then transferred to the Australian National
University, completing the degree in 2000.
Since then he has been on an Asian
business roller coaster ride.
“I left Australia in early 2000, and found a job in
Kuala Lumpur with Malaysia’s leading investment
bank, CIMB. I was recruited for a very junior
position, providing analytical supports to my
senior colleagues who went around pitching
for deals such as mergers and acquisitions,
initial public offerings, fund raising and a whole
spectrum of other corporate advisories.
“By 2005, I had been assigned the job to establish
an investment banking outfit for CIMB in
Penang, to cover the northern region of Malaysia.
“I spent two years in Penang before I was
head hunted in 2007 for a Managing Director
position in a listed company which was facing
financial distress. Then in 2009, I moved
on and joined a private entity under the
brand name of Tune Group as Director for
Corporate Finance and Investments. I was
lucky to be involved in the initial stage of
Tune’s entry into the Formula 1 racing which
was very exciting and I am still there.”
Daniel says his most positive recollection of
academic life at the University of Adelaide
was how he came to love learning.
“Growing up in Malaysia, I had never been fond
of studying,” he said. “I hardly touched my books
for more than an hour per week and copied
assignments from friends most of the time.
“In Adelaide, everything was so different.
I suddenly really liked to study and would spend
5 to 6 hours a day – if I was really into something
I could study 10 or even 12 hours a day.
“The big difference was that back in Malaysia,
education meant memorisation. It certainly
did not encourage the in-depth analysis and
understanding of a subject that I received in
Adelaide, the encouragement for creativity and
critical thinking. It was at a whole different level.
“My honours year in commerce and my
PhD degree brought the best out of me.
“It was an all round academic experience,
sharpening all the skills in writing, critical
thinking, research and presentation.”
 While Daniel was working on his PhD thesis,
he was selected from 16 PhD candidates
to present at the European Financial
Management Association Doctorate
Conference in Paris in 1999. Among the
audience were renowned professors such
as Michael Jensen and Richard Roll.

“It was an incredible

experience. My thesis
was subsequently
published in the Journal
of Business in 2004.
I consider that as my most
spectacular academic
achievement,” he says.
Daniel believes that while the Business
School was the right educational environment
for him it was also the personal attitudes
he learnt that ensured his success.
“The University of Adelaide Business
School may not be the best in the world,
but it is certainly one of the best,” he said.
“I couldn’t recommend it highly enough
to international or Australian students.
“The good thing about Adelaide is that
the lecturers, the research staff and other
students will definitely bring out the best in
you. As an Adelaide graduate you have an
80% chance of success in your career – the
other 20% is up to you and how you are
going to apply what you have learnt.”

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 59

STUDENTS
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Four Business School Alumni tell their career stories...
LIFE TRANSFORMATION
According to Hemant Jain
studying his Masters in
Commerce at Adelaide
University was more
than an education, it was
a life transformation.
“It was really the best thing that ever happened
to me,” he says from his international trading
office in China. “It completely changed
me as a person and led to my all round
development. I met such amazing people
that I never had dreamed of meeting and got
to make friends from all round the world.
“The Business School really gave education a
whole new meaning.
Hemant came to Adelaide after completing
his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of
Delhi, India. Taking a methodical approach to
international higher education, he shortlisted
USA, Canada, UK and Australia as countries
where Indian students usually travelled for
study. He chose Australia on the basis of quality
of education, the variety of courses available,
cost effectiveness, the international community,
friendliness and the multicultural environment.
“I had always wanted to major in a commerce
related field, so I started to shortlist the
universities that offered courses of my choice.
The University of Adelaide Business school
was an obvious choice for its reputation, G8
stature, quality of alumni, nice friendly location
in the middle of Adelaide and the fact that
students from all around the globe came there.”
60 l BSR
Hemant describes his early weeks
studying his Masters at the University of
Adelaide as “amazing and terrifying”.
“I had never been away from India and the initial
experience of coming to a western country was a
little nightmarish,” he said. “Loneliness, distance
from family, cultural shock and the different
education system all came together at once.
I admit I was panicky but I decided I had
to give it a try. The familiarity with the
language really assisted me in assimilating
with other people and given the multicultural
environment that Australia offers, one
cannot be a stranger for long.”
But it was the educational opportunities
that soon assured Hemant that his
decision to choose Adelaide was right.
“I never thought that lecturers could be
so friendly and understanding,” he said.
“The courses were practically based and
well structured, classes were refreshingly
interactive, I was receiving proper mentoring
from interested staff - it was fantastic.
I also started winning prizes. The Dux of
Marketing which was a $500 cash prize and
the Executive Deans award for Excellence.
I was being rewarded for my efforts –
what else could a student ask for?
“The course exceeded my
expectations and would
certainly be the most
memorable experience of
my short life till now.”
After graduating, Hemant returned to India
and started looking for marketing jobs.
Unfortunately, due to the GFC, opportunities
were scarce but a chance meeting with one
of his father’s colleagues (and mention of his
M.Com (Mktg) from Uni Adelaide) scored him
a job offer with a Chinese trading company.
“My company New Horizon Trade Wings is
based in Hong Kong and is involved in
import-export management,” Hemant said.
“We provide buyers with a comprehensive range
of services to help them source products globally.
I am based in China where I was promoted
to the position of senior project coordinator
within five months and then in August I was
promoted to Business Development Manager.
“I was relocated to Shenzhen where I am
handling the Electronics and Renewable
Energy Products (Solar Energy) Division of
the company and developing the consumer
base as well as organising the supply chain.
“The skills that I acquired during my course
at the University of Adelaide have proven
instrumental in me inching towards realizing my
career goals successfully. The company is really
happy with my work and there are talks going on
that pretty soon I might be promoted further and
made the Manager of our Hong Kong Office.”
“Five years down the line I see myself
sitting in my executive lounge in one of the
world’s biggest skyscrapers on my personal
island! Jokes aside, I want to be a successful
entrepreneur at the helm of one of the biggest
MNC’s in the import-export services sector.”
 So would Hemant recommend Adelaide
as a study destination to other
Indian or Chinese colleagues?
“I will be encouraging every prospective student
to consider coming to Adelaide,” he said.
“People will always be apprehensive about
Adelaide instead of the more popular Sydney
or Melbourne. But it’s the best decision I ever
took and it has put me on the path to success.

“You will be getting skills and

knowledge that would put you at par
with the best in the world. You will
study in world class infrastructure
with a highly knowledgeable
faculty combined with a truly
global environment. If you are game
for hardwork, Uni Adelaide will
guide you to the summit.
“Australia is a beautiful country and Adelaide
is the jewel in the crown. Beautiful landscape,
nice weather, world class infrastructure,
crime free atmosphere all make Adelaide
the place everyone would want to live
in. It really is an amazing place.”

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 61

STUDENTS

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Four Business School Alumni tell their career stories...

ALUMNI
ENGINEERING PEOPLE
geophysicists and geologists. A reservoir
After undertaking an engineer estimates the quantity of oil and
MBA at the University of gas lying up to 5km below the surface of
Adelaide Business School, the earth and how likely it is to come out.
reservoir engineer Craig I’m now working as a Senior Reservoir
Engineer with multinational company
Flavel experienced a Baker Hughes RDS in London.
transfer to the Strategic Why did you choose to do a
Projects group at one University of Adelaide MBA?
of Adelaide’s largest After five years with Santos, I wanted to
companies, Santos, develop my personal passion for painting and
languages. I studied and travelled through
followed by international South America, Brisbane and France for
employment with a a couple of years before returning to the
multinational firm. Not reservoir engineer role with Santos. After
this sabbatical, I found I was being exposed
to mention the vital increasingly to the cost pressures of the
skills and knowledge he business which required more contact with
financial units such as accounts. I also became
gained along the way. more interested in who purchased the gas
What is a reservoir engineer? and oil we produced. I enrolled in the MBA
Well firstly, it’s not about looking after the fish to understand other business functions and,
in the Hope Valley reservoir. After a brief stint after finishing my first subject, I secured
as an underground mining engineer, I joined a new role as a commercial analyst.
Santos in Adelaide as a drilling engineer,
What is the most exciting
designing well bores to extract gas from a
part of your work?
geological basin stretching between South
Australia and Queensland. The role gave me It was exciting to join Santos as it is the
great exposure to field work, however I was biggest firm based in Adelaide. It was
curious to understand the subsurface in more formed through the privatisation of SA’s gas
detail and more about other disciplines, so providers. It has assets in the Cooper Basin
I transferred to a role of reservoir engineer which continue to deliver energy to SA, as
after three years. The job requires me to well as growth businesses in the liquefied
lead teams of engineers to gain approvals natural gas business in Queensland. One of
for technical projects such as drilling wells the best things about my role was to meet the
and laying pipelines, in collaboration with challenge of lowering costs while thinking of
new ways of exploiting the available assets.
This required innovative approaches to
complex challenges. One of the highlights was
using a new commercial model to appraise
gas deposits previously stranded 30 to 90km
from existing infrastructure. I combined
a knowledge of reservoir performance
with practical development scenarios.
In my new role with Baker Hughes RDS
I find I am utilising my MBA on diverse
projects from India to Russia and from
Angola to Brazil. This role involves 25%
travel which is exciting, and a challenge in
itself with many opportunities for growth.
Was there a particular part of
the MBA which stands out?
As a person from an engineering background
I found the psychology subjects extremely
useful. The Fundamentals of Leadership module
enabled me to communicate to other people
more clearly while at the same time helping
me better understand what they were trying
to say. This created a much smoother working
environment and when I returned to the
technical challenges of reservoir engineering in
2009 I felt I understood people’s needs better.
How important are the relationships/
networks that you formed during the MBA?
The contacts made during the MBA allowed
me to better understand the business world
outside of Santos. As a specialised engineer,
employees from KPMG seem completely
foreign. The people I met during the MBA
showed how my skills could be used in the
broader business environment and let me learn

62 l BSR
about the career choices others had taken.
I made some firm friends during the course.
You undertook your final two electives
at ESCP Paris in 2010. How was this
multicultural classroom experience?
The French multicultural experience differed
from that in Australia in that there were
many more North American and Eastern
European exchange students. The dynamic
was very different, as in Australia each culture
normally chose to work with their fellow
nationals. The courses that I took were in
English, however some French students
were also there to practice their English. The
miscommunications while working in teams
due to perception rather than pronunciation
were both educational and downright funny.
Many of the students did not yet have the
professional experience to leverage what was
taught. However, the exposure to European
business practises was very educational.
So how do you rate the University
of Adelaide MBA experience?
The MBA enables you to come into contact
with professionals from a wide range of
disciplines. The University of Adelaide
Business School provides a safe environment
for you to bounce new ideas off peers as
well as to have some fun. There are a wide
variety of teachers, and students often get
to discuss their teaching methods before
selecting a class. I think that is really healthy
and I enjoyed studying at the School.

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 63

STUDENTS

GRADUATIONS
Graduates Going Places
The Business School Undergraduate Postgraduate
celebrated the graduation of
Program Totals Program Totals
1,480 students in 2010 across
its Adelaide and Singapore B.Business Info Technology 2 GCert.Commerce 2
campuses. The School is B.Commerce - honours 15 GCert.Management 24
B.Commerce (Accounting) 328 GCert.Management (Offshore) 1
proud of its students, who
B.Commerce (Corporate Finance) 92 GDip.Business Administration 11
will be moving into exciting
B.Commerce (Int Business) 36 M.Accounting 2
careers in the business
B.Commerce (Management) 37 M.Accounting & Finance 196
community, offering their B.Commerce (Marketing) 71 M.Applied Finance (Offshore) 39
valuable skills and knowledge. B.Commerce Plan 25 M.Bus Admin (12) (Offshore) 69
B.Economics with B.Finance 19 M.Business Admin (12) 83
B.Finance 45 M.Business Admin (Advanced) 6
B.Finance - honours 3 M.Business Research 4
B.Finance (International) 37 M.Commerce - coursework 19
B.Finance (Quantitative) 13 M.Commerce (Accounting) - cw 140
B.Finance with B.Economics 20 M.Commerce (App Fin) - cw 92
B.Finance with B.M&CS 2 M.Commerce (Marketing) - cw 20
TOTAL 745 M.Commerce (Perf Mgt) - cw 8
M.Finance & Business Economics 5
M.Laws & M.Com (Accounting) 1
Ph.D in Commerce 8
Ph.D in Commerce- Cotutelle In 1
Ph.D in Grad Sch of Management 4
TOTAL 735

Grand total for Under

1480
and postgraduate

64 l BSR
2010
Graduation Ball
The Business School held its 2010 Graduate
Ball at the Hilton Ball Room in December
2010. The event was proudly supported by
major sponsor CPA with door prizes kindly
donated by Bird in Hand winery. Students,
staff and friends of the School had a fantastic
night enjoying great company, food, wine
and music by Zaftig Lounge with Head of
School Barry Burgan on the double bass.

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 65

STUDENTS

PRIZES

In 2010, 76 students were awarded

prizes by industry sponsors for
outstanding academic results at the
School’s annual prize ceremony.
The Business School would like to thank its valued sponsors for making
this possible: The Australian Institute of Management, Hayes Knight,
SMSF Professionals’ Association of Australia, Corporate Express,
Colonial First, Hays, the Auditor-General’s Office, PPB Chartered
Accountants, CPA Australia, Commonwealth Bank of Australia,
Bank SA, South Australian Government Financing Authority, Australia
Post, Baron Partners, CPA Joseph Fisher, PricewaterhouseCoopers,
American Chamber of Commerce, Genesys Wealth Advisers, MBA
Alumni Association, Ernst & Young, Lifelounge, Hender, ATO, Norman
Waterhouse, Advantage One, San Remo, Perks, Baron Partners,
Wallmans Lawyers, Deloitte, Lifeplan Funds Management, Edwards,
Marshall, Bernie Mills, Holden, Scott Henderson, Australian Cleantech,
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Bendigo & Adelaide Bank Limited,
Leadenhall, SA Water, Playford Capital, McGregor Tan Research.

66 l BSR
L – R: Langdon Blight, General Manager, CPA with Associate Professors in Accounting Janice Loftus and Bryan Howieson

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 67

APPENDIX

ACADEMIC STAFF
BA, MBA (Hebrew Uni, Jerusalem), PhD, (Kellogg
Aharony Dr Yossi Visiting Professor
School of Management, Northwestern)
Director, Undergraduate
Ali Dr Syed Akbar Z. (Aku) BS (CompSc), MBA (Mting), MCom (Finance), PhD
Finance Programs
Arthur Dr Damien Lecturer BCom (Honours), PhD (Adelaide)
Barker Mr Nigel Adjunct Lecturer MMktg, DipMktg
Baume Dr Georges Senior Lecturer BA, DipEd (Flinders), MSc (Oxford), MBA, PhD (Adelaide)
Bessell Dr Max Associate Dean (International) BBus (Acc), PhD, FCA
Bloch Dr Fred Lecturer BEc (Honours), PhD
Burgan Assoc Prof Barry Head of Business School BEc (First Class Honours) (Adelaide), ABFIA (Snr)
BAcc (UniSA), LLB (Adelaide), GradDipAcc
Callea Ms Pasqualina Associate Lecturer
(ICA), GradDipLaw (Law Society SA)
Canil Dr Jean Associate Head Research BEc, BCom (Honours), PhD, SF FIN
Carbone Mr Domenic Discipline Leader: Business Law & Tax LLM (Commercial), LLB, GradDipLP
Catterwell Mr Ryan Associate Lecturer BMedia, LLB (First Class Honours) (Adelaide)
Chen Dr Jiun-Lin (Alex) Lecturer BBusAdmin, MBA (Finance) (Taiwan), PhD (Louisiana State)
Cheong Dr Chee Seng Lecturer BCom(CorpFin), (First Class Honours), PhD
Chua Ms Yi Lin (Elaine) Associate Lecturer BCom (CorpFin) (Adelaide), CA, MBusRes (Acc)
Clarke Dr Marilyn Academic Director, Assurance of Learning BA (Honours) (Adelaide), GradDipBusAdmin, PhD (UniSA)
Conduit Dr Jodie Visiting Lecturer BCom (Honours) (Adelaide), PhD (Monash)
Daniel Dr Lisa Lecturer BSc (Honours), PhD (UQ)
Davidson Dr Robyn Senior Lecturer AdvDipAcc, BCom (First Class Honours), PhD (Flinders), PNA
Derina Ms Ratna (Erin) Lecturer BEc (Honours) (Indonesia), MCom (UNSW)
Eklim Mr Shabeer Associate Lecturer MBus, BBusSystems (Honours), GradDipIT
Associate Professor, Discipline Leader: BEc (Monash), DipEd (Mercy College),
Freeman Dr Susan
Marketing and International Business MEdSts, PhD (Monash),
Gerrard Dr Michael Senior Lecturer BSc (Honours), PhD (London)
Glabadanidis Dr Paskalis Senior Lecturer BA (American Uni Bulgaria), MSBA, PhD (Washington)
Program Director - Higher
Goodman Dr Steve BIntBus (First Class Honours), PhD (Adelaide)
Degrees by Research
Gould Mr Graeme Lecturer, Honours - MBR Coordinator BEc, MCom (Research), PhD in progress
Senior Lecturer, Discipline Leader:
Graves Dr Chris BA, MEc, PhD, CPA
Accounting & Info Systems
Gray Mr Nathan Associate Lecturer PhD (Washington University, St. Louis)
Habel Dr Cullen Lecturer BMgmt, PhD
Lecturer, Honours - MBR
Haque Dr Tariq BCom (Honours), BSc, PhD
Coordinator, Finance Discipline
Harris Ms Kate Adjunct Lecturer BSc (Honours), GradDipAcc, DipT, MCom
Henderson Emeritus Prof Scott Emeritus Professor MEc, PhD, FCPA
BCom (Int Mktg), DipClinPharmacology,
Hewerdene Dr Lisa Lecturer
MCom (Int Mktg), PhD
Hodson Ms Susannah Associate Lecturer BCom (Acc), LLB
Howieson Assoc Prof Bryan Associate Professor in Accounting BCom (Honours), MCom, FCPA
Chair in Management, Prof of
Hubbard Prof Graham BEc (Adelaide), MBA (Cranfield), PhD (Melbourne)
Strategic Management

68 l BSR
Jerram Dr Cate Lecturer BEd (Honours), BAdultEd, PhD
Jochims Mr William (Bill) Associate Lecturer BS (Business), MCom (Accounting), CPA
Jones Mr Michael Adjunct Lecturer BA (Acc), MBM, FCPA
BSc (Honours) (Flinders), MBA (Adelaide),
Karunaratna Dr Amal Adjunct Associate Professor
MCom (Bond), PhD (Sydney)
Kim Ms Sujin Associate Lecturer MAccFin, MBusRes (Adelaide)
Kummerow Dr Elizabeth Lecturer BA, DipAppPsych, PhD (Adelaide)
Sports Marketing Degree (Bus College Helsinki), MSc, MBA
Laanti Dr Riku Lecturer
(Honours) (Helsinki Sch of Economics), PhD (Adelaide)
BA (Honours) (UW), LLB (Cant), MBA,
Langton Dr Robert Associate Head, Learning & Teaching
PhD (Massey), LLM (Corp & Com)
Larkin Mr Jim Richard Lecturer BA (Acc) (UniSA), GradDipEc (Adelaide)
Le Ms Thi Thanh Van Associate Lecturer BFin (First Class Honours) (Adelaide), PhD in progress
Lebed Ms Alina Adjunct Lecturer MBA, BSc, GCertEd, Dip Mgmt & Intl Trade, APESMA
Li Miss Shan Associate Lecturer MFin, PhD in progress
Program Director, Higher
Lightbody Dr Margaret BA (Acc), PhD (Adelaide), FCPA
Degrees by Research
Lin Dr Edward Visiting Research Fellow BSEE (Penn State), MBA (Houston), PhD (Texas Technical)
Loftus Ms Janice Associate Professor BBus (NSWIT), MCom (Honours) (UNSW), FCPA
DipMkt Res, Cert III Government, BCom
Lu Dr Vinh Lecturer
(Marketing), BCom (Honours), PhD
BEc (Flinders), GMQ (AGSM), MCom (Acc) (Adelaide),
Mackay Mr Will Lecturer
GradDipChartAcc (ICAA), MBusRes (Adelaide) CA
Markovic Mr Martin Senior Lecturer LLM, BEc (Honours), MBA
BCom (Honours), MCom (Fin) (Dhaka), MBus
Masum Mr Mahmud Al Associate Lecturer
(Acc) MBus (by Research) (UniSA)
Program Director,
McMurtrie Mr Tony BCom (Honours) (Flinders), MCom, CPA, PhD in progress
Undergraduate Programs
Medlin Dr Chris Senior Lecturer BEc, DipEd, GradDipEdAdmin, MBA, PhD
Miller Mr Ashley Adjunct Lecturer CA, BEc, MBA, Financial Planning Specialist
Moschakis Ms Nicole Associate Lecturer BA (Honours), MCom (Acc), MBusRes (Acc) in progress
BA (Acc) (SAIT), DipEdAdmin,
Murphy Mr David Adjunct Lecturer
GradDipAppFin&Inv (SIA), CPA, FFin
BA (Honours) (Moscow State University),
Muzychenko Ms Olga Lecturer
MSc (Stirling), PhD in progress
Myers Ms Alexandra Associate Lecturer BA, LLB, LLM, GCEd (HE)
Pender Mr David Adjunct Lecturer BEc, MBA (Adelaide), CA, PhD in progress
Director, International Centre
Perring Mr Clive BA, DipFinPlanning
for Financial Services
Dip Betriebswirtin (FH Münster), PhD
Plewa Dr Carolin Senior Lecturer
(Adelaide), AFAMI, CPM
Powell Dr Lisa Lecturer BEc, PhD (Adelaide), FCA
Senior Lecturer, Honours
Rao Hill Dr Sally CPM, BBus (Honours) (USQ), PhD (Griffith)
and MBR Coordinator
Reddaway Ms Melanie Associate Lecturer BCom (Acc), CA, MBR

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 69

APPENDIX

ACADEMIC STAFF
Academic Director, Research BBus, MBA, MBus, PhD, GradDipGlobalWlthMgt,
Rice Dr John
Development GradCertEd (HigherEd) (Adelaide)
Richardson Prof Grant Professor MCom, PhD, FCPA, CA.
Robins Dr Fred Senior Lecturer BA, MA (Cantab), MSc, PhD (Newcastle)
Rosser Dr Bruce Senior Lecturer BEc (Honours), MEc, PhD (Adelaide), FCPA
Saj Dr Phil Lecturer BAcc (Honours 1A), PhD (Adelaide), CPA
Diplom-Kauffrau (Universität Mannheim),
Schuhrer Ms Sabine Associate Lecturer
CPA, PhD in progress (Adelaide)
MA (Oxon), MDefSt(Canberra), MBA (SQld), PhD
Seet Dr Pi-Shen Senior Lecturer
(Cantab), GradCertEd HigherEd (Adelaide)
BAppFin, BCom (UniSA), MCom (Acc)
Shan Dr George Senior Lecturer
(Adelaide), PhD (UniSA)
Sherman Dr Claire Associate Lecturer BFin, BCom (Honours), PhD (Adelaide)
DipT(Sec), BSc (Honours) (Adelaide), MSc (ClinPsych)
Smith Dr Chris Program Director (Off-shore)
(Surrey), MBA (Adelaide), MA, PhD (Warwick)
Tan Mr Gary Lecturer MAppFin (Adelaide) CPA, CA, CFP
Thomas Dr Jill Senior Lecturer BA (ANU), MBA (Adelaide), PhD (UniSA)
PhD (Uni of Connecticut), BSc Business Admin
Tirtiroglu Prof Dogan Chair in Banking (Quantitative Orientation) (Middle East Technical
Uni), MBA (St. John Fisher College, USA)
BSc (Quant Methods) (Middle East Technical Uni), MA (Mktg)
Tirtiroglu Visiting Prof Ercan Visiting Professor
(Bosphorus), MS (Ops Research), PhD (Union College & Uni)
MTax (UNSW), GDLP (Law Society SA), LLB
Tretola Mr John Lecturer (Honours), BCom (Adelaide), LLM (Global
Business Laws) (La Trobe), CPA, FTIA
PhD (CompSci), MSc (Computer-Based Info
Troshani Dr Indrit Senior Lecturer Systems), GradCertEd (Tertiary Teaching),
BBusAdmin (Honours), MACS
Varzaly Ms Jenifer Associate Lecturer BCom, LLB (Honours), GDLP, LLM, CSP (US Law, Columbia)
Program Director, Post PhD, BCom (Honours), BBus (Marketing),
Veale Dr Roberta
Graduate Programs BEd, GradCert (eLearning)
BCom (Acc),LLB (Honours) (Adelaide),Grad
Villios Ms Sylvia Associate Lecturer
DipLegalPractice(LawSocietySA), FTIA
Discipline Leader Management, Senior
Wells Dr Sam BA (First Class Honours), DPhil Oxon
Lecturer, MBA Program Director
Whittall Ms Lois Adjunct Lecturer BA (Honours), MBA, FCMA
Wilson Dr Patrick Adjunct Professor BA (Eco) (Honours) UNSW, PhD (Eco) Wollongong
BSc (Shandong Inst of Tech), MBA (Uni of Shandong),
Xu Dr Lei (Theodore) Lecturer
PhD, Teaching at University Certificate
BA, MA (Economics), Keio University, PhD
Yamada Dr Takeshi Associate Professor
(Finance), University of California at Berkeley
BSc (Acc) (Honours) (Uni Ghana), MSc,
Yawson Assoc Prof Alfred Associate Professor
PhD (Queen's, Belfast), CA
Zornada Mr Max Adjunct Lecturer BEng (Mech), Honours in Automatic Control, MBA (Adelaide)
Associate Dean Community Engagement, BSc (Econ) (LondonSchEco), MSc, PhD
Zurbrügg Prof Ralf
Discipline Head: Finance (Manch), GradCertHEd (UNSW)

70 l BSR
PROFESSIONAL STAFF
Barelli Ms Janet Accreditation Support Officer BA (Communication) GradCertMgt
Dokoupilova Ms Lenka AIESEC Intern MEco&Mgt
Hill Ms Leah Business Manager GradDipBusAdmin
Hutchinson Mr Luke Learning & Teaching Coordinator BBus (AdmMgmt)
Jayawardena Ms Shyama Gayathrie Finance and Office Coordinator Adv Dip Accounting
Kelly Ms Celeste Academic Support Officer: Undergraduate
Kennedy Ms Kate Project Officer B Maths&CompSci (Honours)
Kennedy Ms Toni Research, Travel & Events Coordinator
Lepore Ms Jessica Academic Support Officer: Postgraduate
McKee Dr Steve EQUIS Accreditation Coordinator BSc (Honours), MSc, PhD
Piche Ms Marelle Executive Assistant BA (French & English)
Rokoei Ms Niloufar Finance & Office Coordinator MCom (Accounting) (Adelaide)
Ryan Ms Jemima Reception and Academic Support Officer
Sandison Ms Carol Finance & Program Support Officer
Spiers Ms Una MBA Projects Coordinator MBA, GradCertEd (Higher Ed)
Stain Ms Carolyn Reception and Academic Support Officer Cert IV (Business)
Assistant Director (Programs),
Turner Ms Tania
International Centre for Financial Services
Academic Program Support BSc (Business), CertBusAdmin (Assc of
Zarazillah Ms Marziah
Officer: Offshore Bus Execs, UK), Dip CompStudies

University of Adelaide Business School Review 2010-2011 l 71

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