News and Events
News archive
Annual Research Higher Degrees (RHD) conference a success
The second Annual Research Higher Degrees (RHD) Mini Conference was held on 6 and 7 August at the TAFE Conference Centre at the Hawthorn campus.
Forty RHD candidates provided updates on their research progress. These presentations included research for the degrees of Master of Business (by Research); Professional Doctorate of Business Administration and Doctor of Philosophy.
Each of the Candidates spoke passionately about their research. Candidates described their studies at the proposal stage, the mid-candidature stage and those close to completing their thesis.
There was lively audience interaction as experienced researchers and RHD Candidate Supervisors provided support with constructive feedback.
The impassioned exchange of ideas continued through the refreshment breaks.
ARC Linkage Grant success for FBE
May 2009
The Faculty of Business and Enterprise (FBE) has been successful in the latest Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant round. A team including Phil Taylor, Libby Brooke, Nita Cherry, Janet Gregory and Margaret Steinberg has secured $330,000 (excluding industry funding) to study the work-life transition issues facing older women. The partner organisations involved are ESS Super, Westpac Banking Corporation and UniSuper.
There are significant gaps in knowledge in relation to the later life experiences of work and retirement among older women, whose career opportunities and trajectories, experiences of balancing work and personal aspects of life, social relationships both at work and in the community, financial security, and lived experience of ageing, may differ from those of men. As a consequence of such gaps, public policymaking and that of employers is based on an incomplete understanding of older women's orientations and attitudes. The study will develop policy and practice recommendations for structuring and enriching women's later job and retirement opportunities.
Best paper award for Swinburne academics at premier Australasian conference
January 2009
Congratulations to Alex Maritz and Mehdi Salaran who won the best paper award in the Management Education and Development Stream at the ANZAM conference in Auckland in December for a paper titled "Networking, Entrepreneurship and Productivity in Universities". ANZAM is the premier Australasian conference for management researchers in all management disciplines and a best paper award from ANZAM is a significant achievement.
Research Student Mini-conference
November 2008
On Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 November, Doctoral and Masters students within the faculty will be showcasing their research at a mini-conference. The students are giving brief presentations on their topics and their progress. The sessions will run from 9.15 to about 5 p.m. both days, at the Augustine Centre, 2 Minona Crt, Hawthorn. All are welcome to come along and hear about the wide range of interesting research being undertaken within the faculty. Judging by the topics, there will be something to interest everyone.
For further information, please call Tiffany Brown on 9214 5772.
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FBE Professor Wins Major Grant for 'Preventing Adverse Events in Hospitals' Project
October 2008
Professor Janice Langan-Fox of the Faculty of Business and Enterprise is Chief Investigator for an ARC grant for a project titled 'Preventing Adverse Events in Hospitals'. Co-investigators are Prof Con Stough of BSI and Dr Arda Cunningham of Lilydale. Hospitals in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland will be collaborating on the project. This project is unique in bringing together a multidisciplinary team and in developing research on 'extended stayers'. It specifically aims to develop knowledge and expertise around the reduction of complications in high-risk patients. The costs to the healthcare system associated with acquired complications are approximately the same as the costs associated with all forms of injury combined. Accordingly, the project promises substantial benefits to hospitals through reduced costs, but will also have wider social and economic implications.
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Research scholarships now being offered to PhD students
The Faculty of Business and Enterprise is offering research scholarships - Australian Post Graduate awards (APA) - for full-time students to undertake a PhD in the following areas:
Population ageing and the labour market;
Enterprise performance, governance and regulation;
International business;
Social enterprise and entrepreneurship;
Public sector management;
Accounting;
Marketing; and
Organisational studies.
To find out more about post graduate research in the Faculty of Business and Enterprise view the courses
descriptions
(PhD research degree and Masters by research degree) or call 03 9214 8475 -
Applications close Friday October 31 2008
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Professor Robert Jones Wins Publishing Award
Professor Robert Jones and co-author Associate Professor Gary Noble, University of Wollongong, have received a 2008 Emerald Literati Highly Commended Award for excellence for their article 'Grounded Theory and Management Research: A Lack of Integrity' published in the journal Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management, 2/2, 2007: 84-103. The award will be presented to Professor Jones at the 24th EGOS Conference in Amsterdam in July.
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Toyota Production System Research Project
Professor Bob Jones recently returned from a one-week visit to Thailand where he visited three of the production facilities of Toyota Motors. Bob and his research team (Jim Latham, Michela Betta, and Samir Shrivastava) are conducting a research project on the problems encountered by different Toyota affiliates in implementing the Toyota Production System. The team has already visited USA and China. Thailand has been chosen as the Asia-Pacific hub for Toyota's production and training activities. The company produces over 500,000 vehicles annually in Thailand (five times the production of Australia) and is poised for further expansion over coming years. In the photo Professor Bob Jones is accompanied by Lucy Liu (Deputy General Manager, Toyota Institute Asia-Pacific) and Sarawut Rattanaphan (Assistant Production Manager, Gateway Plant, Thailand)
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Faculty staff successfully receive competitive grants to commence in 2008
Prof Janice Langan-Fox was recently awarded an ARC Linkage grant worth $100K for her project titled, 'Approved Air Traffic Controller Competencies and Selection' in collaboration with Airservices Australia. Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) provide the nation with aviation services that require them to perform all tasks without error. The project will help develop the standards of excellence of Australian ATCs, contribute to internationalizing Australian human factors literature, develop the knowledge and skills of the Airservices staff and research team, and assist RAF and civil ATC collaboration.
Dr Dennis Foley has also secured an ARC Discovery Grant for a total of $155K for his project titled 'Developing Aboriginal Social Capital for participants not spectators in the Australian economy'. If a sector of Indigenous Australians can be taught to understand financial management, resource budgeting and financial planning (personal attributes that Western society values, yet often takes for granted); it is anticipated that they will in turn seek to improve their social position and look at wealth creation to reduce their dependence in a welfare culture.
Libby Brooke from the Centre for Business, Work and Ageing has also been awarded $307K over three years to support her project, Managing Employment Pathways, from an ANZ Philanthropic Trust (Wicking Trust).
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Marketing and International Research into the Italian Election
Over the last week researchers in Marketing and International studies have generated great interest in their research into the Italian election that was held over the weekend. Their angle has been the role of Australian-based representatives. Congratulations to Bruno Mascitelli, Simone Battiston, and Gregoria Manzin for their outstanding contributions. It is an excellent illustration of the emergence of a new research force in the Faculty.
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Research visit to China
Professor Robert Jones, Dr Jim Latham, and PhD student Lucy Liu recently returned after a 10-day visit to China during which they visited Toyota assembly and engine plants in Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Beijing. This visit was part of a larger research study currently being conducted which is investigating the difficulties experienced by foreign affiliates in incorporating the Toyota Production System into their strategic and operational activities. The research team will shortly visit the Toyota plant in Kentucky (USA) as the research study progresses. (Featured left to right: Lucy Liu, Professor Robert Jones and Dr Jim Latham in the Toyota plant in Tianjin).
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Dr Simone Battiston receives Best Foreign Language PhD Thesis Award
Dr Simone Battiston was the recipient of the prestigious 2007 Best Foreign Language PhD Thesis Award of the Altreitalie Migrant Studies Research Centre at the Giovanni Agnelli Foundation, Turin, Italy. Simone's thesis examines the history and collective memory of Italian migrant workers involved in the FILEF organisation in Melbourne. The Giovanni Agnelli Foundation, sponsored by the automotive company FIAT, is a top leading research and cultural institute in the field of human and social sciences in Italy. The Giovanni Agnelli Foundation runs a number of activities including theoretical and empirical research projects, conferences, journals, books and other publications.
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Indigenous Entrepreneurship Expert Receives Endeavour Fellowship
Dr Dennis Foley has received a Commonwealth-funded Endeavour Scholarship that will allow him to research Maori entrepreneurship in New Zealand. The Endeavour Scholarship worth $25,000 and will cover Dr Foley's field visit to New Zealand in July when he will split his time between UNITEC in Auckland and the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. The catalyst for the research came from Dr Foley's observation of differences between the Indigenous tourism industry in Australia compared to New Zealand.
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Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence
Professor Chris Selvarajah has been selected for the Highly Commended Winner Award at the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2007 for the paper "Understanding appropriate educational methodologies - a cross-cultural study of Chinese and European Student perception" published in Cross Cultural Management: An international Journal.
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Dr Joseph Voros recipient of 2007 Emerald Highly Commended Award
Every year Emerald invites each journal's Editorial Team to nominate what they feel has been that title's Outstanding Paper and up to three Highly Commended Papers from the previous 12 months. Dr. Joseph Voros' paper "Introducing a classification framework for prospective methods" published in foresight has been included among these and has been selected as a Highly Commended Winner at the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2007. Congratulations to Dr. Voros on his second Emerald Literati Network Award for Excellence! >>More information
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Dr Libby Brooke is Awarded a Research Fellowship worth over $500K
Dr Libby Brooke, Director of Research, Business Work and Ageing Centre for Research was one of three successful applicants for a VicHealth Public Health Research Fellowship worth $105K a year for five years, a total of $525K. The Fellowship was awarded following a rigorous peer review process by public health experts, including international and interstate reviewers. >> More information
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Professor John Saee Invited Keynote Speaker
Professor John Saee (pictured to the left) was invited by the Program Chair, Professor Hab. Ginvevicius (President/Rector of the Vilnius Gedminas Technical University; President of the Lithuanian Councils of Rectors and President of the Privatisation Commission, Lithuania) (pictured to the right) as the distinguished Keynote Speaker at the 4th International Scientific Conference held in Vilnius, Lithuania. Professor Saee delivered his speech on the Integration of Eastern and Central European Economies in Transition into Contemporary Global Economy during the Plenary Proceedings to an audience that included Mr Navickas, Minister of the Economy of the Republic of Lithuania, Mr Jasinavicus, Chairman of the Business Employers Confederation of Lithuania and senior diplomatic staff from neighbouring countries. Professor Saee was also serving as a member on the International Scientific Committee for this international conference.
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Professor Robert Jones Appointed Guest Co-editor
Professor Robert Jones has been appointed as guest co-editor for a Special Issue of the International Journal of Human Resource Development and Management. The topic of the Special issue is "Human Resource Development and Management in Lean Production". >> View Call for Paper Details
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A Significant Milestone for Professor John Saee
An international publisher has published Professor John Saee's book titled Managerial Competence within the Tourism and Hospitality Service Industries: Global Cultural Contextual Analysis (ISBN 9780415385961). This research book examines cross-cultural managerial competence across all managerial functions, focusing particularly on the hospitality and tourism industry. Similarly, this research book examines the cross-cultural implications of planning, workplace communication, recruitment/ promotion, induction, training, supervision, industrial relations, management of change, customer service, financial management and marketing. >> Buy the book here
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Professor Chris Selvarajah Strengthens Research Links with two International Universities
Professor Chris Selvarajah Professor Chris Selvarajah did an extensive international tour in June that included visits to the National Economics University (NEU) in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; as well as Build Bright University (BBU), the largest university in Cambodia, located in the heart of Phnom Penh. He met with NEU Director, Dr Pham Quang Trung and BBU to discuss joint research initiatives on leadership in Vietnam and Cambodia respectively. While at BBU, he was invited to make a presentation on leadership with a focus on Cambodia as a developing country in which he was presented with an engraved silver plate commemorating the occasion (pictured left). >> View presentation
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Scholarships for Postgraduate Students Undertaking Research in Italy
A total of five (5) scholarships of up to $5,000 each for Australasian postgraduate students wishing to undertake research in Italy in 2007 are available through the Cassamarca Foundation. Applications close Friday 10 November 2006.>> More information
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Professor Louise Kloot Wins Best Paper Award
Professor Louise Kloot won the best paper award in the public sector/not-for-profit category for her paper "Public sector change, organisational culture and financial information: a study of local government" with Prof John Martin (Latrobe Uni) at the recent Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand (AFAANZ) annual conference in Wellington.
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- PhD graduate Dr John Yenken and Prof Murray Gillin for having their paper 'Parent research provider environments and the early stage development of spin-off companies', published in the International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, 2006.
- Prof Kevin Hindle and PhD student Brent Mainprize for the publication of their article 'A Systematic Approach to Writing and Rating Entrepreneurial Business Plans' in The Journal of Private Equity, Vol.9, No.3, Summer 2006.
- Prof Chris Selvarajah's latest publication titled 'Cross-cultural study of Asian and European student perception: the need to understand the changing educational environment in New Zealand' was published in Cross Cultural Management, Volume 13 Number 2, pages 142-15
- Dr Tony Lobo who has published his article "Finding the sweet spot: A two industry study using the zone of tolerance to identify determinant service quality attributes" in the Journal of Financial and Services Marketing
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Prof Janice Langan-Fox busy busy busy ..
Janice Langan-Fox has had a busy year with four articles in top tier journals accepted for publication and has also submitted two ARC grants totalling 1.5 million (3 year ARC Linkage grant with Murdoch Research Institute: Skill Acquisition, Communication Technologies and Rehabilitation AND a 3 year ARC Discovery grant: Developing Methodologies for Analysing Team Mental Model Data). Congratulations also to Dr Sharon Grant who co-authored two top tier journal articles with Janice Langan-Fox. >> Details of the journal articles.
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Prof Chris Selvarajah a Jack-of-all-Trades
Professor Chris Selvarajah was recently featured in the The Star online publication (www.thestar.com.my), which has the largest circulation in Malaysia. >> Read article
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Dr Kim Klyver's Paper Accepted
Dr Kim Klyver's paper "The changing importance of the strength of ties throughout the entrepreneurial process” was accepted in the Journal of Enterprising Culture 14(1). Evald, M. R., Klyver, K. and Svendsen, S. G. (2006).
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Dr Geoff Drummond Receives his Second PhD
Research Fellow Dr Geoff Drummond receives his Doctor of Education (his second PhD) for his thesis titled "Australian Universities in Crisis'.
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Prof Kevin Hindle and Dr Kim Klyver Publish Paper using GEM Data
"Exploring the Relationship between Media Coverage and Participation In Entrepreneurship: Initial Global Evidence and Research Implications" has been accepted for future publication in International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, an A-grade entrepreneurship journal. All empirical data were drawn from the GEM project proving that the value of GEM as not only a policy and monitor tool, but also as a solid empirical database for research.
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Professor Chris Selvarajah Visits two International Universities
Professor Chris Selvarajah was invited to visit the Multimedia University in Malaysia (Cyber Jaya and Melaka campuses), from the 13 -19 March as External Examiner to the Faculty of Management reporting to the Senate of the University. This was an invited honorary position. During his visit he presented to the University his findings on his research titled 'Profiling the Malaysian manager: Exploring ethnicity as a contributing dimension to Leadership excellence'. On the 21 March Chris also took up an invitation to meet with the Dean and the Dean of Research of the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy, Thammasat University in Thailand (one of the premier universities in Thailand) to look at possible research colloborations. Whilst at Thammasat, he discussed furthering his ASEAN research on leadership in Thailand, with Thammasat partnering on the Thai side.
(Photo L to R: Associate Professor Sesak Jumreornvong, Head of the Department of Finance Professor Chris Selvarajah, Associate Professor Gasinee Witoonchart, Dean of the Faculty of Commerce & Accounting, Associate Professor Siriluck Rotchanakitumnuai, Associate Dean of Research).
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Professor Robert Jones Publishes his Latest Article
Professor Robert Jones has recently published his article with co-author Dr George Kriflik "Subordinate expectations of leadership in a cleaned-up bureaucracy: a grounded theory study", in the Journal of Organisational Change Management, vol 19, no 2, 2006, pps 154-172.
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ARC Linkage Grant Leads to Commercialisation
Professor Russell Kenley and Nicola Brackertz, recipients of an ARC Linkage grant have successfully completed the project and the product, Logometrix, a new management tool aimed at facilities managers around Australia. Designed primarily for local councils, but able to be adapted for other organisations, the Logometrix system is a web-based portal that enables cities and shires to better manage council facilities such as libraries, childcare facilities and community centres using six strategic indicators: physical, services, community, financial, use and environment. Organisations can weight these factors differently and then benchmark their results online against those of other councils. Development of the portal was funded by nine participating local councils, two industry partners and an ARC Linkage Projects grant awarded in 2001. Logometrix is now fully commercialised and used in seven Victorian councils.
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Giving Social Entrepreneurship a 'Fair Go'
Pamela Hartigan is Adjunct Professor within the Faculty and Managing Director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. A transcript of her inaugral address to the Faculty on Social Entrepreneurship during her Australian Tour in August 2005 has recently become available.
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Professor Robert Jones a Distinguished Speaker..
Professor Robert Jones was invited as a distinguished speaker at a three-day international seminar on "Creating an entrepreneurial environment and developing entrepreneurial management" held at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai (Bombay) over the period 16-18 March. Professor Jones addressed the audience with his paper titled: "Uncertainty, reactive narcissism, and deference-emotion in the development of an entrepreneurial action framework". This presentation takes an individual-level approach to the theory of entrepreneurial action by analysing three recent conceptual contributions in the area ('uncertainty' [McMullen and Shepherd, 2006], 'reactive narcissism' [Jones et al, 2004], and 'deference-emotion' [Goss, 2005]) and applying these to the career biography of a leading scientific-entrepreneur in the field of genetic discovery - Craig J Venter. Findings provide evidence for further enhancement of an action framework in entrepreneurial research.
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3rd International Entrepreneurship Research Exchange
The 3rd AGSE International Entrepreneurship Research Exchange was held at Unitec New Zealand from 7th - 10th February and was truly international with delegates from 30 countries and representing some 38 universities. >> More information
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Our Staff and Students Busy Publishing
- PhD student Raveendra Nayak and his supervisor Dr Shahid Yamin. Raveendra will be receiving a Research Excellence commendation from the PVC Research for his PhD completion.
- Professor Kevin Hindle whose paper co-authored with Brett Mainprize and entitled, "Assessing the Efficacy and Standardization Potential of Five Competing Venture Capital Investment Evaluation Approaches" has been published as the leading article in the Journal of Private Equity.
- PhD student Janusz Tanas and Dr Shahid Yamin whose paper entitled "Nexus between social capital and entrepreneurial development in Poland " was awarded the Best Paper Award in the 'Small Business and Entrepreneurship' stream of the 19th ANZAM Conference held in Canberra last December.
- Professor Chris Selvarajah whose article "Dimensions that relate to cross-cultural counselling: Perceptions of mental health professionals in Auckland, New Zealand", was recently published in the Cross-cultural Management: An International Journal, Vol 13, No.(1) 2006