News
- Marketing lecturer Angela Paladino wins teaching accolade
- Melbourne Institute awarded large grant to research hospitals ("NHMRC Partnerships for Better health")
- Proposed merger of the Faculty with Melbourne Business School will not proceed
- ARC Future Fellowship awarded to Professor Tony Scott
- Applications open for staff scholarships to study at the Melbourne Graduate School of Management
- 'In the Spotlight' a success
- Professor Gregory Whitwell named Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor, Teaching, Learning and Equity
- Professor Nasser Spear is the Faculty's new Deputy Dean
- Dr Angela Paladino been awarded the Edward Brown Award for Teaching Excellence
- Professor Margaret Abernethy wins prestigious National Telstra Business Award
- New audio and podcasts available
- University News and Events
Marketing lecturer Angela Paladino wins teaching accolade
October, 2009
Senior Lecturer in marketing Angela Paladino has been awarded an Australian Learning and Teaching Council 2009 Australian Award for University Teaching. This is a recognition of Angela’s commitment to teaching quality for many years. The ALTC award program is comprised of award types that recognise teaching excellence and outstanding contributions to student learning. The Australian Awards for University Teaching are offered each year by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, formerly known as the Carrick Institute. Congratulations to Angela from the Department of Management and Marketing.
Melbourne Institute awarded large grant to research hospitals
As part of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s funding program, “NHMRC Partnerships For Better Health”, on 13 October Melbourne Institute was awarded a $750,000 five year partnership grant to measure, assess and explain hospital performance.
The research has three Chief Investigators: two from the Melbourne Institute, Professor Tony Scott Director of the Health Economics Research Program and Dr Jongsay Yong, and the third Chief Investigator is Dr Vijaya Sundararajan, Senior Medical Adviser at the Victorian Department of Human Services (DHS).
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Professor Margaret Abernethy, Dean, Faculty of Economics and Commerce, said this is a prestigious award for the University of Melbourne and demonstrates the high quality of research being undertaken by the health program at Melbourne Institute. Mark Wooden, Professorial Research Fellow and Acting Director at Melbourne Institute, congratulated Professor Scott, and Dr Yong. “This award reflects the exceptional expertise of our Heath Economics research staff and acknowledges the excellent project design that will contribute to improved hospital efficiency”, said Professor Wooden.
The aim of the collaborative research is to improve the generation and use of knowledge to measure, understand and improve hospital performance in Australia. The research partnership will help build long-term capacity to evaluate policies and incentives for improving of hospital performance.
Professor Scott, who was recently awarded a prestigious four-year Future Fellowship by the Australian Research Council, says “A rigorous and in-depth understanding of the relationship between efficiency and quality is critical in developing policy initiatives that aim at improving hospitals’ performance in terms of both efficiency and quality of care. In Australia, there has been little rigorous analysis of the determinants of hospital performance, primarily due to a lack of good quality data”.
The research project will commence in 2010 and has been funded for 5 years.
Proposed Merger of the Faculty with Melbourne Business School will not proceed
September 2009
The Melbourne Business School board met on the 29th September and they agreed not to put the merger recommendations to the scheduled meeting of MBS Donor members on October 7. This is most disappointing given the 15 months of intense negotiations to arrive at an agreement; followed by the unanimous support for the merger by both the University Council and the MBS Board in July of this year. The MBS board made this decision as they had been advised that a small number of the original donor members of the School were opposed to the merger. Despite strong support from other donor members and the business community more generally, these members could have defeated the special resolution necessary to effect the merger. The Board felt it would not be in the interests of the School to proceed.
We have experienced extraordinary support from alumni and in particular, members of our Faculty Advisory Board. Peter Yates and Chris Leptos were involved in the discussions between the University and the board of MBS and provided continual support and advice during this period. Additionally, the Vice-Chancellor, the Chancellor and other members of the University community have worked tirelessly to support the proposal.
The Vice Chancellor fully supports the development of the Faculty’s Melbourne Graduate School of Management and we will offer the full spectrum of programs to meet the demands of industry. We will devote our resources to building on our excellence and ensuring that our programs are leading edge.
Our Faculty will continue on our mission to be the leading business and economics faculty in the region and I look forward to working with our alumni, business and the community to achieve this.
Professor Margaret Abernethy Dean, Faculty of Economics and Commerce
ARC Future Fellowship awarded to Professor Tony Scott
September 2009
Congratulations to Professor Tony Scott, Director of the Health Economics Research Program, Melbourne Institute, on being awarded one of only 200 prestigious four-year Future Fellowships by the Australian Research Council.
On 9 September, the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, announced the 200 outstanding national and international mid-career researchers. Senator Carr stated that “all 200 Future Fellows will conduct research into areas of national priority and will advance Australian’s international research and innovation standing”. Professor Scott was one of only 14 Fellowship recipients who were invited to attend Minister Carr’s function in Canberra when the Fellowships were announced.
There was a total of only 200 Fellowships awarded, covering all disciplines, with just two awarded in economics, and only 11 awarded within the social science disciplines. Researchers associated with the University of Melbourne were awarded 25 of the Fellowships.
In congratulating Professor Scott, Professor Margaret Abernethy, Dean, Faculty of Economics and Commerce and Director of the Melbourne Graduate School of Management, said that this is ’wonderful recognition of Tony's research and the standing of the Melbourne Institute and the Faculty’.
Professor Peter Rathjen, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), said ‘the addition of 25 research Fellowships across the University provides a valuable opportunity for Faculties to augment the strength and range of research programs - especially welcome in these times of budgetary restraint’.
The title of Professor Scott’s project is ‘Incentives and performance in the health care system’.The research will examine changes in financial incentives for health care providers, which can have direct effects on their behaviour and influence patients' health outcomes, quality of care, and access to health care. The research will provide a richer understanding of the effects of incentives, and will influence policy on the design of incentives for health care providers in Australia. Changes in incentives will ensure patients receive more appropriate, higher quality, and less costly health care, in the most appropriate settings, and delivered by the most appropriate health care providers. This will have direct effects on population health and well-being and the capacity of individuals to lead healthy and productive lives.
The ARC Future Fellowships scheme is administered by the Australian Research Council under the National Competitive Grants Program. The Australian Government has committed funding of $844 million over five-years from 2009 for the scheme.
Information about all Future Fellows and their research projects is available at http://www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/futurefel/ft_outcomes.htm
Applications open for staff scholarships to study at the Melbourne GSM
September 2009
The Faculty of Economics and Commerce is offering 10 scholarships for outstanding staff to take up graduate study in the Melbourne Graduate School of Management in 2010. We see this as an ideal way to support the University’s reward, recognition and retention initiatives as well as allowing us to assist in the development of management capacity within the University.
The Faculty is offering 10 places free of charge to staff supported by a division head (Dean or Vice-Principal). Details of programs on offer at the Melbourne GSM are available at the Melbourne GSM website or through the Melbourne GSM Student Centre, located at Level 4, 198 Berkeley Street (phone 8344 1670).
Staff are encouraged to contact the admissions team for advice on eligibility. Staff at all levels are eligible to apply and must be in a continuing position or on a fixed term contract.
To apply, staff should submit:
- A completed application form and supporting documentation
- A GMAT or GRE score report if necessary – please call admissions team to discuss on x41670
- Letter of support and nomination from respective division head (Dean or Vice-Principal)
Completed applications, supporting documentation, GMAT/GRE score report (if necessary) and a letter of support from the respective Dean or VP must be received by the Melbourne GSM by 27 November 2009. All applicants must meet the minimum requirements for entry into their chosen program which can be viewed at the Melbourne GSM website. Selection is based on previous academic performance and is highly competitive. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application no later than Monday 14 December 2009.
If you have any other queries please contact the Admissions Manager, Ms Margaret Herczeg on 8344 2172.
Joseph Barrins is a University of Melbourne staff member who is already enjoying one of these scholarships. Joe is the E-Learning Coordinator at the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning. He has a PhD from the University of Melbourne and previously worked for a few years in the IT industry. Joe is currently enrolled part-time in the Master of Business and IT. He says, "Having the ability to work independently and shape the way things are done is important to me. I changed jobs at the beginning of last year to become part of a team again, and I was keen to create an opportunity to influence the direction of my next position. I've seen jobs around that I think I'd be good at; it's just a matter of tailoring my studies to demonstrate this. Business and IT seems like a great way to get the financial and people management skills I need to complement my IT experience."
'In the Spotlight' a success
September 2009
From Monday the 14th to Friday the 18th of September, the Melbourne Graduate School of Management (GSM) hosted In the Spotlight, a week of engaging and inspirational seminars and student experience activities, as part of the GSM’s Creating Future Leaders Series.
The week saw more than 300 students and staff from across the University, as well as members of the wider community, attend seminars focussing on a variety of topics including; World Vision’s approach to community development, Ernst and Young’s advice on sustainability and climate change and Professor Margaret Abernethy’s personal journey into leadership.
In the Spotlight opened on Monday with the Latin American Student Association’s (LASA) photo exhibition ‘Vive Peru’. The exhibition showcased a collection of colourful and culturally striking images of Peru, the country and the people.
Throughout the week, LASA hosted the Inside Latin America Film Festival showcasing fine examples of Latin American influenced films including: . ‘Frida’, a biography of surrealist Mexican painter Frida Kahlo; ‘Machuca’, the story of two boys during the socialist government of Salvador Allende in Chile and ‘Before Night Falls’, an adaptation of the autobiography of Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas.
The first seminar of the week was Tuesday’s World Vision presentation entitled, “Community Development – Testing the Entrepreneurial Approach”. It was a delight to hear from Reverend Tim Costello, CEO of World Vision Australia, together with Ms. Rudo Kwaramba, National Director of World Vision Uganda, who spoke on the importance of developing genuine partnerships between aid agencies, local communities and entrepreneurial business organisations. The speakers focused on how these partnerships deliver real and sustainable community benefits, often more successfully than government efforts.
Following the seminar, the World Vision guests attended a lunch hosted by Professor Margaret Abernethy, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Commerce. Both graduate and undergraduate students, who are actively involved in global causes such as sustainability, poverty and social entrepreneurship, were invited to join the lunch also attended by senior University and Faculty staff.
The lunch was a perfect platform to discuss the partnership between World Vision and the University’s Knowledge Transfer and Partnerships Office. A collaboration which focuses on economics, aid policy and global health is currently being developed.
Sponsored by the Graduate Careers Centre, Thursday’s seminar welcomed guest speakers from Ernst and Young. Ms Helen Adair, Senior Manager Advisory Services and Ms. Allie Wnuk, Graduate Consultant, presented on the topic ‘Advising on Sustainability and Climate Change’. Ms. Adair, whois a chartered chemical engineer and specialises in climate change and sustainability services, gave an insightful overview of the factors and considerations involved in advising industry and businesses on how to address their carbon footprint.
On Friday, the week came to a close with Professor Margaret Abernethy, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Commerce and 2008 Telstra IBM Business Woman of the Year sharing her unique and inspiring leadership story entitled ‘Where you go tomorrow is up to you today: Leadership as a journey’.
Professor Abernethy discussed her journey into leadership, which started when she was a volunteer teacher in Jamaica at the age of 21. Professor Abernethy used the analogy of a kaleidoscope to frame her life journey, noting that there always needs to be a balance between career and personal life, despite the challenges this presents and most importantly that at all stages it is important to be yourself.
Professor Abernethy also spoke of how all of us should choose to work in a field that we enjoy, the importance of having a mentor, and how we can all make a difference. About her journey into leadership, Professor Abernethy said, "It has been a wonderful journey. Nothing can be more rewarding than working with the young, and nothing can be more important than education”.
In the Spotlight week succeeded in highlighting a range of different people, organisations and global issues. Spanning relevant and interesting topics, the week was engaging and inspirational for all who attended.
Audio available:
“Community development: Testing the entrepreneurial approach”
A World Vision seminar
Advising on sustainability and climate change”
An Ernst & Young seminar
Professor Gregory Whitwell named Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor, Teaching, Learning and Equity
June 2009
Professor Gregory Whitwell, Associate Dean (Academic Programs) The Faculty of Economics and Commerce, has been invited by The Provost to be Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor, Teaching Learning and Equity, for up to six months until a new provost is appointed.
Professor Margaret Abernethy, Dean, Faculty of Economics and Commerce and Director, Melbourne Graduate School of Management, congratulated Professor Whitwell and commented ‘this is recognition of Greg’s leadership in teaching and learning’.
The Office of the Provost fosters collaboration across the University, managing changes in policies and practices that affect the academic life of the University as a whole, with a view to the delivery of curricula and a Melbourne Experience based on the provision of high quality, consistent student support.
Professor Nasser Spear is the Faculty's new Deputy Dean
June 2009
Professor Nasser Spear is the newly appointed Deputy Dean position until the end of 2009. Professor Nasser is currently Associate Dean (International) and he will continue with this role until the end of the year.
Professor Spear received his PhD from the University of North Texas. He holds the G.L. Wood Chair of Accounting and is a Fellow Certified Practicing Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant. Professor Spear has published in leading international accounting journals such as the Journal of Accounting and Economics, Contemporary Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting Literature, International Journal of Accounting, Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, and Management and Information Technology.
The previous Deputy Dean, Professor Jeff Borland, has stepped down to focus on his research and teaching until he takes up his appointment to the Chair of Australian Studies at Harvard. Professor Borland is the first economist for a number of years to be appointed to the position, which he will commence in mid 2010. He will be the first economist to hold the chair since University graduates Professor Max Corden (1986) and Professor Bob Gregory (1983-84). Professor Borland will contribute strongly to Harvard’s micro-economic teaching curriculum, as well as teaching a course on Australian economic history. As well as teaching, Professor Borland will be involved in the promotion of Australian studies across the US, through visiting similar research centres and events to organizing public seminars and lectures.
Dr Angela Paladino awarded the Edward Brown Award for Teaching Excellence.
June 2009
Dr Angela Paladino has been awarded the Edward Brown Award for Teaching Excellence. The Dean, Professor Margaret Abernethy, said that Angela has an outstanding record of Teaching and Learning achievement. She has been recognised with numerous nominations and prestigious teaching related awards both locally, nationally and internationally, including the Deans Outstanding Lecturer B Award in 2006.
Professor Abernethy wins prestigious National Telstra Business Award
December 2008
Professor Margaret Abernethy has won the prestigious 2008 National Telstra IBM Community and Government Business Woman of the Year.
Award winners from each state and territory competed for the national award in their category at the National Award Presentation Gala Dinner in Melbourne on Tuesday 9 December 2008. Overall winners from each state and territory will also be in the running for the prestigious title of 2008 Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year.
The award, which applies to government departments, statutory bodies and not-for-profit organisations, is in recognition of Professor Abernethy’s outstanding contributions to the Faculty and is a wonderful example to women aspiring to a leadership position.
The award is a showcase of successful women role models and provides a powerful platform to help redress the ongoing under-representation of women in management ranks. Women comprise 45 per cent of the Australian workforce yet they represent only 12 per cent of executive managers, and 8.7 per cent of board appointments in the ASX top 200 listed companies.
In her role as Dean, Professor Abernethy is responsible for almost 7,000 undergraduate and graduate school students, 360 academic and administrative staff, and a budget in excess of $130 million. Professor Abernethy is also responsible for obtaining funding for a new $125 million building, strengthening ties with business and alumni, developing new programs and implementing initiatives that have significantly improved the quality of research and teaching in the facility.
Industry professionals sought for career mentoring roles
Do you have a background in business or consulting? Would you like to be a career mentor for one of our graduate students? Our Career Mentoring Program is seeking individuals with experience in diverse fields, including accounting, economics, finance, business/IT, HR or org development, international business or marketing.
The mentors in our Career Mentoring Program make a huge contribution to the professional development of our graduate students. They gain professional and career insights and valuable preparation for their careers after graduation. Student places in the program are keenly sought after and are allocated on a competitive basis. This means our mentors are assigned a student who is bright and highly motivated, with career aspirations matched to your experience. Our mentors report that they derive great satisfaction from their participation in the program and many come back to mentor a new student each year.
For more information visit the career mentoring page on the Graduate Careers Centre website or contact the Mentoring Co-ordinator at 8344 1693.
New audio files available
Public Policy Lecture 2009 by Professor Ross Garnaut
Professor Ross Garnaut delivered the 2009 Dept of Economics and MIAESR’s Public Policy Lecture entitled 'Ideas, the National Interest and Private Interests in Public Policy: the Case of Climate Change'.
This lecture covers the processes through which the main ideas embodied in the Garnaut Climate Change Review emerged in the period to September 2008. It describes pressures from private interests on the policy making process as the government formulated its legislation on climate change mitigation and assesses the policy outcomes.
Download the lecture (mpeg 15.4 MB)
Inaugural Lecture: Professor Bill Harley
Professor Bill Harley delivered his Inaugural Lecture entitled 'The Strange Case of the Missing Worker: Human Resource Management, Employees and Organisational Performance'.
Abstract: Since the 1980s, there has been a massive growth in empirical research testing the links between human resource management (HRM) and organisational performance. The clear evidence of associations between HRM and performance has led many to argue that effective management of employees is the key to organisational success. There has, however, been very little work which has empirically explored the role of employees as the link between HRM practices and organisational performance. In this lecture, Bill will consider this gap in the research and its implications for our understanding of HRM, focussing in particular on his own research conducted over the past decade.
Inaugural Lecture: Professor Greg Linch
Professor Greg Linch delivered his Inaugural Lecture entitled 'Adopting International Financial Reporting Standards: Possible Effects and an Opportunity for Research'.
Abstract: In a major shift in the corporate reporting landscape, Australia adopted International Financial Reporting Standards in 2005. In this lecture Greg will describe some prior and ongoing research projects that relate to the possible effects of adoption of common international financial reporting standards on Australian companies and financial markets.
Download the lecture (12.1MB)
2009 David Finch Lecture by Sir Howard Davies
Sir Howard Davies delivered the 2009 David Finch Lecture entitled 'Pricking Bubbles in The Wind. Could Central Banks Have Done More To Head Off The Financial Crisis?'
Inaugural Lecture: Professor Simon Bell
Professor Simon Bell delivered his Inaugural Lecture entitled 'Organising for Co-creation: The Service Employee-Customer Interface as a Source of Competitive Advantage'.
Abstract: Customer-firm co-creation – the proactive involvement of customers in the service process – has begun to generate a great deal of discussion and debate. Some remain sceptical of its value while others are calling it the next frontier in competitive advantage. Marketers of services have long recognised the role of customers as active participants in the service delivery process but, until recently, this was seen as something to be ‘managed away’ or simply endured. A co-creation model requires that firms flip this logic on its head and embrace the opportunities that come from ‘letting customers into the kitchen’. In his inaugural lecture, Simon will show how a co-creation business model can lead to increased value for customers and, ultimately, improvements in business performance. Importantly, though, he will also consider what firms must do to make this approach to customer relationships work. In particular he will shed some light on a potential paradox of educating customers – a necessary precursor to effective co-creation. He will also consider the role of service employees – the often neglected players in this process – and how best to equip them to deliver on the firm’s co-creation promise.
Inaugural Lecture: Professor Ian King
Professor Ian King delivered his Inaugural Lecture entitled 'Search for a theory of unemployment'.
Abstract: This lecture covers the development of the theory of unemployment, with particular emphasis on the role of “search theory”. Different branches of this theory are identified, with the common core of rational agents searching for good matches in environments with uncertainty. The talk ends with the most recent development in search theory –“directed search”- and explores fruitful directions for future research.
2009 Max Corden Lecture by Professor Doug Irwin (Dartmouth College)
Professor Doug Irwin delivered the 2009 Max Corden Lecture entitled 'The Current Financial Crisis vs. the Great Depression: Lessons for Avoiding 1930s Style Protectionism'.
Abstract: The world’s current economic and financial crisis - complete with plummeting stock markets, collapsing world trade, sharply rising unemployment rates, and the possible threat of deflation - has prompted many comparisons to the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Great Depression was marked by protectionist trade policies and the breakdown of the multilateral trading system, leading to fears that policymakers may make the same mistakes and adopt similar “beggar thy neighbor” trade policies that will undermine the current system of open trade. This lecture examines why countries moved to impose higher trade barriers in the 1930s and shows that it was a peculiar function of the collapse in the exchange rate regime, the gold standard. Specifically, countries that remained on the gold standard resorted to tariffs, import quotas, and exchange controls to a much greater extent than countries that went off gold. This suggests that trade protection in the 1930s was less an instance of special interest politics run amok than second-best macroeconomic policy management when monetary and fiscal policy was constrained. The lecture then turns to the parallels and contrasts with today’s situation to see if the world may be moving in a more protectionist direction.
Download the lecture (12.5MB)
Up Close: Human Judgement and Investment Manias by Professor Charles Noussair and Dr. Tom Wilkening
"In the US mortgage market, while the recent housing bubble was going on, the lending standards were relaxed, people could borrow a lot more money and pour it into their house and that exacerbated the bubbles." - Prof Charles Noussair
Up Close: Understanding Cooperation through Behavioural Economics by Dr Nikos Nikiforakis
"Peer punishment is a problematic mechanism to enforce cooperation." - Dr Nikos Nikiforakis
University News and Events
News and Events around the University of Melbourne. This includes media releases and the weekly
university newspaper, Melbourne University Voice.