School of Business

2012 School of Business Research Seminars

Seminars are held in the School of Business Level 1 Seminar Room (Bottom Floor, Building 27) on Select Thursdays from 12:15-13:15 (unless otherwise advertised below). They usually comprise a presentation of around 40 minutes followed by 20 minutes discussion time. All welcome.

• Topic:"Policy for Environmental Innovation: a comparative review of empirical evidence from two sectors"

  Presenter: Professor Christian Berggren, Linköping University, Sweden

  MONDAY, 3 December, 12:00-13:00

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  When governments seek to encourage technological development to reduce pollution, there are various approaches, such as : general vs technology-specific, and economic vs administrative. Economists argue from an allocative perspective that general market-conforming means reduce emissions more efficiently than administrative or technology-specific measures. The impact of different types of instruments on innovation has received little attention, however. This talk presents a systematic review of empirical studies of the innovation impact of four main types of policy instruments in two high-emitting sectors: automotive and energy. Major conclusions are:

     (i) there is no effective one-size-fits- all policy route;
     (ii) general economic instruments tend to encourage incremental innovation among established actors;
     (iii) general administrative regulation can enforce significant improvements based on modular innovation; and
     (iv) technology-specific means are necessary to support the development of radically new technologies

  Bio:

  Christian Berggren is Professor in Industrial Management & Innovation at Linköping University, Sweden. Christian is co-director of the research program , Knowledge Integration & Innovation in Transnational Enterprise (KITE) and is a distinguished scholar in the fields of technology policy and environmental innovation, notably in relation to sustainable vehicle development in the automotive industry.

• Topic:"Serving the under-served: Commercialising innovations in developing economies"

  Presenters: Dr Amit Paradkar, University of Otago

  THURSDAY, 25 October, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  India, one of the fastest developing economies in the world, is home to 1200 million people. 30% of this large population can barely read or write, yet the country boasts of 730 million mobile phone users.

  What are the needs of these people? Opening a bank account may not seem like a difficult task to us. But for 300 million people, who own a bicycle, earn 3 dollars per day and live > 20 kms away from the nearest bank branch, this is a daunting task. While large firms have ignored the needs of these millions of consumers, some young start-ups with their ingenuity and innovative technologies are making a big difference in the lives of millions who are at the bottom of the pyramid.

  Innovation creates new benefits for consumers while business models transform these benefits into profits for the firm. Using India as an example this presentation discusses the need to challenge traditional business models in order to create new markets. The role of complementary assets in commercialising innovations is also discussed.

• Topic:"Why governments don't invest enough in early childhood development"

  Presenter: Dr Wendy Jarvie, Visiting Professor, School of Business

  THURSDAY, 4 October, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  Under-investment by governments in preventative social policies and programs is well-known and early childhood development (ECD) is no exception. Despite (a) neurological evidence of the impact of poor childhood environments on brain development, including cognition and socio-emotional control, and (b) solid evidence of high returns to government investment in the form of improved child health and education outcomes (in the short-term), and improved productivity and reduced crime (in the long-term), in most countries governments have been slow to invest, and arguably, when they do it is often in the less effective programs.

  This seminar will explore the hypotheses put forward to explain behaviour of governments in ECD. It draws from the experience of Australia, Vietnam, China and Argentina.

• Topic:"Capturing CO₂ to Reduce Global Warming – Challenges for Technology Management"

  Presenter: Mr Garrett Upstill, Lecturer, School of Business

  THURSDAY, 27 September, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  Rapid and pervasive technological change is needed to contain global warming and meet internationally agreed targets for climate change.

  Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is one of a limited set of low-carbon technologies that can be mobilised in the medium term. It is the only way to reduce CO2 emissions from large stationary point sources, such as fossil-fuel based power plants, but also refineries, cement manufacture, and steel making. CCS still, however, remains to be demonstrated and proven in integrated operations at scale.

  This presentation looks at how innovation management research can help illuminate the technology issues involved, contribute to the policy debate and shape CCS-related innovation policies. It focuses on the capture of carbon dioxide, which accounts for some 75% of the total costs of CCS.

  Bio:

  Garrett's research interests are in innovation and technology management with a particular focus on the challenges of climate change, notably in relation to carbon capture & storage. In addition to his responsibilities as Deputy Head he teaches technology management and strategic management in the School of Business at UNSW Canberra.

  Garrett's career has a continuing technology, environment and economics focus. Early appointments were as a research scientist with a multinational manufacturing company in Melbourne, a scientific editor with the Chemical Society in London, and a four year appointment as an administrator in the Chemicals Program of the OECD Environment Directorate in Paris. He has also worked as a consultant to OECD and the United Nations Environment Program.

  On his return to Australia, Garrett headed the economics section of the federal environment department in Canberra. In 1989 he moved to the corporate office of CSIRO, where he was responsible for research planning and technology policy development in the areas of minerals and manufacturing research.

  Garrett joined the School of Business in 2002. His research since then has focused on the role of public research agencies in national development as well as the innovation trajectories of the chemical and minerals industries. His current research interest is innovation and technological change in carbon capture, transport and storage. He is the author of "R&D Management Challenges for Carbon Capture and Storage" presented at the RND Management Conference in Grenoble in May 2012.

• Topic:"Pathways to Publication: A Guide to Getting Published in International Journals"

  Presenter: Dr David Lamond, Professor and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Victoria University, Melbourne

  THURSDAY, 20 September, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  This session, presented by Professor David Lamond of Victoria University, has several key aims:

   - To 'demystify' the publishing process
   - To provide tips, insider knowledge and answers to key questions to maximize your chances of publication
   - To encourage you to go beyond publishing, e.g. reviewing, book reviewing, editorial roles.

  Bio:

  Professor Lamond, currently PVC (Offshore Campus Development) at Victoria University, has a long history of publishing his own work and supporting the publishing efforts of others:

   - Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Management History, 2003-2011
   - Senior Editor of Asia Pacific Journal of Management
   - Consulting Editor of the Asia Pacific Journal of Business Administration
   - Consulting Editor of the Journal of Chinese Human Resource Management
   - Regional Editor, Chinese Management Studies
   - Emerald Leading Editor Award as Editor, Journal of Management History.
   - Management History Division Best Reviewer Award, Academy of Management
   - Outstanding Special Issue Award, Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence.

  Editorial Advisory Board Member

   - Management Decision, since 2003
   - Leadership and Organization Development Journal, since 2005
   - Journal of Technology Management in China, since 2005
   - Chinese Management Studies, since 2006
   - Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies, since 2007
   - Asia Pacific Management Review, since 2009

  Referee/Reviewer

   - Journal of Management and Organisation, since 2006
   - Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, since 1999
   - Management and Organization Review, since 2003
   - Scandinavian Journal of Management, since 2010
   - Academy of Management Annual Conference HRM Division (since 2003); Management History Division (since 2003); Carolyn Dexter Award (2004-2008)

  His current research interests include human resource management in China, Confucian thought and management, history of management thinking.

• Topic:"An alternative view of project management governance"

  Presenter: Dr Vanessa McDermott, Lecturer, School of Business

  THURSDAY, 13 September, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  Modern governments face a complex environment characterised by contested power relationships between dominant actors and uncertainty as a result of pressure from external factors and events. Governments have also been influenced by concerns around policy capacity, which has contributed to a growing focus on ways to strengthen their ability to effectively implement policy (Barrett 2012; Halligan 2007). Part of this process has been a shift in focus from 'public sector administration' to 'public sector management' (Verspaandonk, Holland and Horne 2010). The relevance of this distinction is that 'managers are now responsible for results, where administrators simply carry out the instructions of others' (Hughes 1998:366 cited in Verspaandonk et al. 2010:2). A focus on results and performance, including increasing efficiency and delivery of services, contributed to the adoption of project management tools and methodologies in the public sector (Halligan 2007). The question here is whether project management techniques can be applied to policy work as a complex project intended to change behaviour.

  Despite the increasingly complex nature of modern projects, much project management research remains focused on mechanistic, rational methodologies and 'hard' skills associated with resource allocation and efficient delivery of project outcomes. However, the modern social context influenced by factors such as rapid advances in information technology and issues around globalisation have led to a 'new competitive landscape' and a search for organisational practices emphasising flexibility, knowledge creation and collaboration (Whittington et al. 1999). There is a growing field of project management research that explores project management as a complex socially situated activity involving organisational, behavioural and technical change (Owen, Connor and Linger 2011; Sense, Owen and Watt 2011). This approach reflects research into communicative practices in the context of organisational behaviour from other disciplines (for example see Hendry and Seidl 2003). The question explored in this paper is whether reconceptualising traditional views of project management governance as complex socially situated activities can be applied to new work contexts, and particularly complex areas around social and behavioural change. Using the Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011 (TPP) in Australia as a case study, this alternative project management research considers whether project management principles can be applied as a way of organising policy work.

  Research conducted by: Dr Jill Owen, Dr James Connor, Dr Vanessa McDermott

  Hendry, J. & Seidl, D. 2003 The Structure and Significance of Strategic Episodes: Social Systems Theory and the Routine Practices of Strategic Change, Journal of Management Studies, 40 (1), pp175-96.

  Owen, J., Connor, J. & Linger, H. 2011 Innovation in ISD Projects: A KBV Approach, ACIS 2011 Proceedings. Paper 93.

  Sense, A. J., Owen, J. & Watt, C. 2011 Profiling the context and opportunities for Australian project management research, International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 4 (1), pp105-17.

  Verspaandonk, R., Holland, I. & Horne, N. 2010 Chronology of changes in the Australian Public Service 1975 - 2010, Services, D. O. P., Parliament of Australia Canberra http://202.14.81.230/Library/pubs/BN/pol/APSChanges.pdf - accessed 23 April 2012

  Whittington, R., Pettigrew, A., Peck, S. C., Fenton, E. & Conyon, M. 1999 Change and Complementarities in the New Competitive Landscape: A European Panel Study, 1992 - 1996, Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, 10 (5 Focused Issue: Coevolution of Strategy and New Organisational Forms), pp583-600.

• Topic:"Cognitive Enhancing Drug Use in Australian Universities: An Exploratory Study"

  Presenters: Dr Jason Mazanov, Senior Lecturer, School of Business; and Dr James Connor, Senior Lecturer, School of Business

  THURSDAY, 6 September, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  Little is known about cognitive enhancing drug use by university students outside US contexts. This paper responds to calls to develop an evidence base in the Australian context with a convenience sample of n=1729 students across four universities (Group of 8, non-Group of 8, urban and regional). Results show use of modafinil and methylphenidate (MPH) exceeds that reported in US and German contexts. Most users for study purposes do so to control concentration and to overcome tiredness. Modelling indicates variation by faculty of study (e.g. medical and legal students more likely to use MPH), perceived normalisation of performance enhancing drug use and poly drug use. These results provide a platform for discussing cognitive enhancing drug use by Australian university students, including methodological, policy and regulation implications.

  Authors: Jason Mazanov, James Connor, Mai Lee Fielding, Matt Dunn (Deakin)

• Topic:"Sponsorship in 2012 and Beyond"

  Presenter: Dr Norm O'Reilly, Associate Professor, University of Ottawa

  THURSDAY, 30 August, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  Over the past 40 years, sponsorship has gone from a philanthropic pursuit to key marketing tactics that – by most accounts – represents more than 1/5th of marketing expenditures for corporations globally who invest in sponsorship. Practically, the three key stakeholder groups of sponsors, sponseed and agencies have varying roles and ever increasing interest in sponsorship, activation, sponsorship evaluation, exclusivity and other key business concepts in sponsorship. In response, researchers have built a large body of literature that provides models, examples and direction on these items. The field of sponsorship is maturing. This seminar will briefly discuss the history of sponsorship, then will focus specifically on the current state of the field and discuss its key challenges going forward.

  Bio:

  Dr Norm O'Reilly, B.Sc., MA, MBA, PhD, CGA

  Recently named a lifetime Research Fellow of the North American Society for Sport Management and 2011 recipient of the University of Ottawa's Media Excellence Award, Dr Norm O'Reilly is an accomplished scholar and active business professional. He is full-time, tenured professor at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Health Sciences, specializing in sport business. He teaches courses in both English and French related to sport management, sport finance, and sport marketing. Dr O'Reilly is also a Senior Advisor with TrojanOne, a Toronto-headquartered marketing agency with offices, where he works with corporations and properties on revenue generation and sponsorship.

  A former School Director, Vice-Dean and Director of a Research Centre (the Institute for Sport Marketing) at Laurentian, Dr O'Reilly is an active researcher in the areas of sport management, sponsorship, tourism marketing, marketing, risk management, sport finance, and social marketing.

  A volunteer Board Member and Executive Board Member of multiple organisations (including the Canadian Olympic Committee, Diving Canada and Triathlon Canada), he has been active with a number charities, including the Ad Astra group who fund-raised over $150,000 to build a school for kids at a Nepalese orphanage and the Garnier FindingLife Africa 2011 Expedition which provided the opportunity for 6 Canadian High School students and 3 Canadian University students to collaborate in Africa, with Kenya students on the building of classrooms in schools, a safari and a summit attempt of Mount Kenya.

  Dr O'Reilly is the former North American Editor of the Journal of Sponsorship and leads or co-leads long term research programs on urban youth sport participation and sponsorship, country images and mega-events. Dr O'Reilly sits on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Sport Finance, the International Journal of Sport Communications, and is a Regional Editor for the Sport, Business, and Management Journal. He has also been involved with a number of multi-year major research projects including projects with Gatorade, the Ottawa Senators NHL Hockey Club, the Golf Association of Ontario and ParticipACTION.

  Prior to joining academia, Dr O'Reilly had involvement as an administrator, including Senior Policy Officer at Sport Canada, Team Manager & Office Manager at Triathlon Canada, and Event Manager for the 2008 Toronto Olympic Bid. He has been a member of the 2004, 2008 and 2010 Mission Staff for the Canadian Olympic Committee at the Olympic Games, and attended the 2012 Olympic Games in a research capacity.

  Norm is an active athlete, who still competes in triathlons, long-distance runs, cross-country skiing events and ice hockey leagues/tournaments. He is former captain of the University of the Ottawa Gee Gee's swim team (1999-2000) and was a member of the University of Waterloo OUA champion Nordic ski team in 1996. He completed 6 Ironman triathlons and represented Canada at 5 long distance World Triathlon Championships in his age-group, finishing as high as 17th in 1997. He has taken up mountain climbing, and recently climbed to the summit of Mount Aconcagua, at 7,000m the highest mountain in North and South America, and Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest point.

• Topic:"Doping the Digger: Public attitudes towards performance enhancing substance use in the ADF"

  Presenters: Dr James Connor, Senior Lecturer, School of Business; Dr Jason Mazanov, Senior Lecturer, School of Business; and ASLT Ian Aston, RAN, CDF Student, SBUS

  THURSDAY, 23 August, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  Performance enhancing substances (PES) have been part of sport and warfare since the origins of both. While the banning of PES in sport has been constructed relative to "winning", war is about life and death. Despite use in allied militaries the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has a strict zero tolerance policy towards PES. Using a Haraway inspired mind-body approach overlaid with a moral panic framework and doping in sport literature, we explore the opinions of the Australian public regarding ADF PES use. Analysis of focus groups identified four key themes: unknown long-term impacts on health; lack of knowledge about the substances; self-body split; and, reliance on medical sanctioning. Of note is the importance of "bodily incorporation" versus traditional enhancement strategies (such as training and equipment), framed by participants within the moral panic discourse of drug use. The ADF has, and will face foes using PES; the question for policy makers and the ADF is how to incorporate PES use that exceptionalises the military experience against sporting and general public use of PES.

  Bios:

  James Connor, PhD(ANU), has three research areas all informed by his sociological training and perspective that fundamentally we are creatures of social interaction. The view that we interact and exist through our emotional life informs all his research into emotions, sport and project management. He has published extensively in these areas with his research supported through national and international grants. Dr Connor has presented key note speeches for the Norwegian Security Agency and Australian Defence Force on loyalty, emotion and culture.

  Dr Jason Mazanov, PhD (ANU), works mainly on the policy implications of drug use in sport (alcohol, illicit drugs and doping), with a special interest in policy paradigms. Jason's current interests include: alternative drugs in sport management policies, psychosocial predictors of athlete drug use, adolescent athlete drug use and the economics of doping.

  Ian Aston, is an Officer in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and is in his final year as a BBus (CDF) student. Originally joining the Royal Marines, at age 16, he transferred to the RAN in 2003, and was awarded his commission in 2009. After commencing studies at ADFA, during his first year he was selected to join the Chief of Defence Force Special Program. Ian enjoys the challenge of being a mature age student and has embraced his first opportunity to become involved in research.

• Topic:"No Arranged Marriages Here: Feminism, Love and the Discourse of Consent amongst Second Generation Lebanese Women in Australia"

  Presenter: Dr Nelia Hyndman-Rizk, Lecturer, School of Business

  THURSDAY, 2 August, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  This paper analyses the emergence of feminist discourses amongst second generation Lebanese women in Australia, who seek choice and equality in marriage, options they believe were not available to their own mothers. This transformation, I argue, can be understood as a change in the social relations of production, whereby the marriage contract has shifted from relations of descent to relations of consent (Sollors 1986) in the context of Australia. Instead, second generation daughters are creating a 'new marriage contract', which inverts the previous paradigm and emphasises love, choice, equality and autonomy in relations between women and men, as captured by the adage: "no arranged marriages here". It will be shown that the new marriage contract represents a significant challenge to the gendered social order of Lebanese families and the reproduction of cultural identity in Australia.

• Topic: "Speciation in Technological Evolution: The Effect of Differential Selection Environments on a Military Technology"

  Presenters: Lecturer Robert Wylie and Emeritus Professor Peter Hall, School of Business

  THURSDAY, 19 July, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Background

  One of the key foci of evolutionary theory since its inception has been speciation. Speciation refers to the process(es) through which populations with evolutionary roles and tendencies come into existence (Wilkins, 2009:202)and are attributed to reproductive isolating mechanisms. Of particular interest to us in this paper is the allopatric mechanism - under which a new species emerges when a sub-group of a population is isolated in a differentiated habitat, a niche, in which selection pressures operate in a distinct manner to take the sub-group down a divergent evolutionary path.

  Analogously with evolution in nature, it is possible to think of "isolating mechanisms" that yield new products and production processes when an existing mainstream technology is subjected to distinct and different economic and social selection pressures. For Levinthal (1998), the event that sets speciation in motion is "the application of existing technological know-how to a new domain of application" that has its beginnings in an isolated niche. Domains of application may be isolated by factors that are spatial, cognitive or shaped by idiosyncratic social and political aspirations (Schot and Geels, 2007). The technological change involved at the initial point of application might be small, even negligible, but the subsequent "lineage development" of the technology may take a divergent path if — using the terminology of economics and markets — the new domain, the niche, has a distinct basis of selection as a result of: (a) the functional attributes of the application that users see as critical, and (b) users' willingness to pay. The ensuing pace of any development along the new path is driven by the resources devoted to the task and the capacity of the innovation to diffuse into other niches. The notion of the niche as a seedbed for change may be characterised, as in Levinthal, in market terms. But in their more wide-ranging typology, Schot and Geels extend to non-market characterisations to consider the potential importance of what they call "technological niches" and "breakthrough niches". As they recognise, empirical work is required to judge the usefulness of their taxonomy in practice.

  In this paper we use case studies of two speciation events in the development of radar technology to apply niche-based development reasoning and test the usefulness of the Schot and Geels framework, and to provide enhanced understanding of the innovation processes at work here. The speciation events we study occur in domains — the defence systems of Australia and Sweden — isolated from the mainstream by geography and political choice. Each event was prompted by the need for national defence planners to address a specific military problem in their respective jurisdictions, finding the solutions to which led their scientists and engineers to draw on broad area surveillance radar technology to develop new applications. We ask here how the domains differed in the selection pressures they exerted and what implications that had for the evolutionary paths taken in each case as the technology developed.

  References

  Levinthal, D. (1998), "The slow pace of rapid technological change: gradualism and punctuation in technological change", Industrial and Corporate Change, 7(2):217–247 Schot, J. and F. Geels (2007), "NIches in evolutionary theories of technical change: A critical survey of the literature", Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 17: 605-622

• Topic: "Advanced Public Procurement as Innovation Policy: The Swedish Experience."

  Presenter: Gunnar Eliasson, Professor in Industrial Economics/Dynamics at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden

  TUESDAY, 10 July, 14:30

  RSVP (for catering) required to m.mcgee@adfa.edu.au by 3 July

  View Abstract

  Background

  As a small nation of 9 million people, Sweden has a remarkable record of using public procurement to foster technological innovation in defence and other areas of its economy.

  Sweden's use of advanced public procurement as innovation policy makes a most interesting contrast with Australia.

  One of the best known scholars of the Swedish experience is Professor Gunnar Eliasson, an economist with a deep interest in innovation. He is the author of "Advanced Public Procurement as Industrial Policy: The Aircraft Industry as a Technical University" (Springer, 2010). In this book Prof Eliasson:

  - proposes a methodology for estimating the spillovers from major defence and other government procurement programs;
  - applies that methodology to estimating the spillovers from the Swedish Gripen fighter aircraft program.

  Prof Eliasson is visiting Australia in early July 2012 to deliver a paper to the Schumpeter Society conference. In a reflection of the School of Business' long standing interest in the business of defence and innovation, Prof Eliasson has agreed to give a seminar at the School of Business, UNSW Canberra at the ADFA campus on 10 July based on his research.

• Topic: "Understanding Company Credibility in China - the case of financial reporting processes"

  Presenters: Leon Jiang, PhD student, School of Business

  THURSDAY, 7 June, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  With economic globalisation, China has been internationalising its economy for over two decades. This has resulted in more and more Chinese companies doing businesses internationally. So as Chinese companies become internationally active, they face a credibility gap. How will they convince international economic players that they are credible companies? At this point of discussion, scholarship could disappear into long and possibly fruitless effort to clearly define 'the credible company'. This research, however, uses three Chinese listed companies to explore how they report their financial position by inquiring into their actual processes of financial reporting. The research, thus, attempts to afford insights to this question of company credibility in China.

  The inquiry, from the perspective of reporting practitioners, reveals that all of the companies in this research experience five same general processes for financial reporting regardless of the different stock exchanges in which they list. These processes are different at various levels from the processes as required by international financial reporting standards (IFRS) despite these companies' claim of using IFRS and the fact that their reporting has always been regarded to be complaint with the relevant regulation. The difference mainly arises from government intervention in the business operation of these companies, and because of the intervention, none of these companies seems likely to report their actual financial position to the market.

  This research, therefore, concludes that while the government is always the most powerful player in the economic sector in China, companies may not be likely to report their actual financial position to the market regardless of international standards and regulation. This situation can be harmful for international economic players who have a contractual relationship based on financial reporting with Chinese companies. This situation may affect economic globalisation when China's economy becomes increasingly internationalised.

• Topic: "Dancing with Pay Equity - just a jump to the front - then a step to the side."

  Presenters: Suzanne Hammond, CPSU-SPSF Federal Women's Industrial Officer

  THURSDAY, 24 May, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  The pursuit of pay equity has been a long process with steps forward and backwards and many side steps. In this seminar Suzanne Hammond considers where pay equity is up to now and what the future may hold in securing gender pay equity.

  Bio:

  Suzanne Hammond is the Federal Women's Industrial Officer for the CPSU-SPSF. She has worked as an industrial relations researcher and academic, a trade union activists and an advocate for community and women's groups. She has been the Industrial Relations spokesperson for Women's Electoral Lobby and the National Pay Equity Coalition and a member of the ACTU Women's Committee. She represented the Women's Organisations in the New South Wales Pay Equity Principles Test Case. Suzanne has appeared before many Senate and House of Representatives Inquiries, made submissions to minimum wages case hearings, and was active in the first Equal Remuneration Test Case under the Fair Work Act. She has also published and researched in the field of women's international working conditions and has worked as a consultant on international pay equity for the Public Service International. and the International Labour Organisation.

• Topic: "Haven't we been this way before? Learning and the politics of evaluation."

  Presenters: Jenny Stewart, Professor of Public Policy, School of Business; and Dr Wendy Jarvie, Visiting Fellow, School of Business

  THURSDAY, 10 May , 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  Failure to use the results of policy and program evaluations is widely described in the literature. This failure has implications, not only for the viability of evidence-based policy but also for policy learning. However, while scholars have investigated the relationship between evaluation and use, the relationship between evaluation and learning has rarely been investigated empirically.

  In this paper, we investigate the parameters of evaluation-based policy learning. To do this, we focus on a policy trial that was undertaken in a complex and controversial policy field (Indigenous community development), with the avowed objective (from government) of learning from experience in the field. We trace the conduct of the trial and the aftermath, focusing on delineating factors that appear to promote learning, and those that appear to impede it. By focusing on the reasons for the failure, preconditions for successful learning are identified.

• Topic: "A role for eye tracking research in accounting and financial reporting."

  Presenter: Lyn Grigg, Lecturer, School of Business

  THURSDAY, 3 May , 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  The paper identifies a promising new application for eye movement research, through applying eye tracking to the development of behavioural research in accounting and financial reporting. To identify if eye tracking has potential research benefit, we undertook a pilot study of how a financial statement is read by professional accountants and novice readers. Despite a myriad of global efforts aimed at improving financial reporting usefulness in decision making, the eye tracking results indicated there remains possibly serious problems for users in reading and decision making efficiency of financial reporting information. This paper hopes to encourage interest in the eye tracking community in the design and development of behavioural research for accounting and financial reporting.

• Topic: "When defence procurement goes wrong: are improved business processes the answer?"

  Presenters: Jenny Stewart, Professor of Public Policy, SBus and Tony Ablong, University of Technology Sydney

  THURSDAY, 12 April, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  Defence procurement is a notoriously difficult and, often controversial field of public management. In Australia, problems with schedule and budget over-runs have been addressed through business process reforms aimed at tightening control and improving professionalism. The three case studies examined in the paper lead us to question whether these reforms will be sufficient. We suggest that there is a disjunct between the types of controls that are available to Defence, and the requirements of delivering complex, long term projects involving multiple stakeholders.

  Studies of partnering in other contexts show the importance of relational factors of trust, collaboration and risk sharing. However, these factors are not encouraged by the contractual environment of Defence. Given these realities, it is hard to see that the problems of the system can ever be fully resolved by improved ex ante controls. The need for both flexibility and accountability is evident. We argue that balancing these values involves processes that encourage, rather than discourage, communication, risk-sharing and trust.

  Biographies:

  Jenny Stewart

  Professor Jenny Stewart joined the School of Business in July 2009 as Professor of Public Policy. Before joining the School Jenny was Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of Canberra and prior to that until 1993, Jenny was a policy adviser in the Australian Public Service, working in a number of agencies, including the Australian Science and Technology Council.

  Jenny researches, teaches and writes in the fields of policy analysis, change management and public sector reform. Her books include The lie of the level playing field, (Text Publishing 1994); Renegotiating the environment: the power of politics (co-authored with Grant Jones and published by Federation Press in 2003); and The decline of the tealady: management for dissidents (Wakefield Press, 2004). In 2009 Palgrave Macmillan published Jenny's monograph Public Policy Values. She is currently developing a major project linking public policy and governance.

  Her latest books are The dilemmas of engagement: the role of consultation in governance, ANU e-press and Australian New Zealand School of Government, 2009 http://epress.anu.edu.au/dilemmas_citation.html and a book of essays The Two Canberras: essays on public policy (Ginninderra Press, 2011).

  Tony Ablong

  Tony Ablong has extensive senior management experience in the APS and the ADF in ICT and Program Management. He continues to practice in both the private and public sectors as a consultant on matters related to corporate governance and management practice. Tony has graduate qualifications in business and management and is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Technology Sydney.

• Topic: "Collective Workplace for Gender Equality: Evidence from the Bargaining Table"

  Presenter: Dr Sue Williamson, Visiting Fellow, School of Business

  TUESDAY, 27 March, 12:15-13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  While a great deal of research has been conducted on collective bargaining in Australia and internationally, less research has been conducted on how parties bargain for claims which progress gender equality in the workplace. Most of the existing research does not track the emergence and influence of different factors and the dynamics of bargaining as the negotiations occurred. This seminar presents research findings which uncover the dynamics of negotiating for collective workplace agreements in six workplaces. The focus is on how union officials negotiated for family provisions, particularly paid maternity leave. The case studies show the significant impacts of various factors at the national, industry and organisational levels, revealing both facilitative and inhibitive factors for bargaining for family provisions and other gender equality claims.

• Topic: "Military leadership: public perception, professional understanding, and practical reality"

  Presenter: Dr Nick Jans, Visiting Fellow, School of Business

  TUESDAY, 20 March, 12:15 - 13:15

  Please RSVP to h.steer@adfa.edu.au due to limited seating.

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  The military profession is long accustomed to – indeed, may be largely indifferent to – a mismatch between the public's perception of its leadership and cultural milieu and the practical reality. But perhaps the time has come to confront the implications of such a mismatch, since its many consequences include difficulties with recruitment, with winning government trust, and with aligning military organisational needs and the civil/academic/professional components of professional development.

  The seminar will examine the issue, and the question of whether the Australian military institution has itself developed valid and robust internal professional understanding of core concepts, such as "leadership", "followership", "professionalism", and "culture".

  Biography:

  Nick Jans, PhD, is a soldier, a scholar, and a management consultant. A graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon (Class of 61), he served in the Australian Regular Army in field artillery, training, and personnel policy development. He later became a Senior Lecturer at the University of Canberra and then a management consultant. He currently holds visiting fellowships at both the ADC's Centre for Defence Leadership & Ethics and the School of Business, UNSW Canberra. His research interests include leadership, followership, organisational culture, leadership culture, career development, and employee commitment and engagement. He was an adviser to the US Army in its recent Campaign for the Military Professional Ethic, and a team member of the 2011 ADF Personal Conduct Review.

• Topic: "The impact of the global financial crisis on HRM and Industrial Relations in multinational companies - experience from a small, highly globalised economy"

  Presenter: Patrick Gunnigle, Professor of Business Studies, University of Limerick, Ireland

  TUESDAY, 21 February, 12:15 - 13:15

  View Abstract

  Abstract:

  This presentation examines the impact of the global financial crisis (GFC) on human resource management (HRM) in Ireland, placing particular focus on the experience among multinational companies (MNCs). Its starting premise is to outline a number of neo-classical economic propositions on the likely effects of economic recession on key aspects of HRM, namely staffing (including recruitment and selection and training), pay and benefits, industrial relations, and more generally on the role of the HR function. It then draws on a range of data sources to test the validity of these propositions in practice and document the responses and actions of MNCs in the face of the GFC. Finally, I assess the extent to which these findings support or question the predictions of economic theory and provide some explanations of the possible reasons for such conformance or digression. I will begin by briefly outlining the rationale for our focus on Ireland and the utility of the Irish case in illustrating the effects of the GFC on the MNC sector. I will then document a number of standard propositions as to the predictions of economic theory on how HRM might be impacted by economic crisis, paying due attention to literature on the effect of previous downturns, especially the Asian economic crisis of the late 1990s. The methodological approach adopted is then detailed, followed by findings, discussion and conclusions.

  Biography:

  Dr. Patrick (Paddy) Gunnigle, Professor of Business Studies and Director, Employment Relations Research Unit, Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, Ireland.

  Paddy is Professor of Business Studies and former Head, Department of Personnel and Employment Relations. A graduate of University College Dublin (B.Comm, 1977; MBS, 1978) and Cranfield School of Management (PhD, 1995), he has authored or co-authored 17 books and over one 100 refereed journal papers and book chapters.

  A former Fulbright Scholar and current Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD), Paddy is former co-editor of the Irish Journal of Management, and current member of the Editorial Boards of the Industrial Relations Journal., the Human Resource Management Journal and Employee Relations: The International Journal.

  He is currently a Marie Curie IRSES scholar and holds Visiting Professor appointments at Paris II University and the University of Cadiz. He has previously held visiting appointments at Rhodes University and San Diego State University. He is currently external examiner at Queens University Belfast, University of Bath, University College Cork and the University of Ulster. He has examined doctoral theses at a number of universities, most recently at Trinity College, Dublin, Queens University, Belfast, University of Warwick and National University of Ireland, Galway. In 2009, he was bestowed with the award of inaugural Fellow of the Irish Academy of Management in acknowledgement of his distinguished contribution to academia and the study of business and management in Ireland.

  His main research interests are in the areas of multinational corporations and human resource management (HRM), trade union membership and recognition, management strategies in industrial relations, and the role of HRM specialists.

  He previously worked as a senior executive in the Semi-State sector in Ireland and taught for some years in Zambia.

Separator

School of Business Seminar Presentations from other years:

2009

2010

2011

2013