Faculty of Economics and Commerce October 2006www.ecom.unimelb.edu.au/alumni/

In this issue

alumnimattersDean’s update

During the last six months under theleadership of Professor Bill Griffiths, ourAssociate Dean (Undergraduate Studies),academic and professional staff have beendeveloping a framework to ensure that theBCom meets the requirements of the newgeneration degrees. This includes designinga program of study that will expose studentsto a broader range of subjects outside theFaculty while at the same time ensuring that students can specialize in any of theFaculty’s core disciplines. The BCom willcontinue to meet the requirements foraccounting and actuarial accreditation for those who choose to complete these as part of their undergraduate degree. We are examining ways to improve thedistinctive experience of BCom studentswhile at the University through a capstonesubject that requires students to undertakea project with industry or government. Weare also providing increased opportunitiesfor students to incorporate an internationalexperience as part of their degree.

Our Graduate School continues to thrivewith its programs in demand from studentsaround the world. Our new building will bethe home of the Graduate School. We havenow finalized the design of the teaching and learning floors and they are trulyoutstanding. Coupled with our excellentacademic and professional staff ourGraduate School is well placed to providean educational experience in business andeconomics second to none.

Part of the implementation of the University’snew strategic plan, Growing Esteem, hasrequired all faculties to rank the researchperformance of each of their disciplines. The Melbourne Institute provided data thatenabled all disciplines within the University to be ranked against relevant comparators inAustralia. Each of our disciplines was rankedwithin the top three with several rankednumber one or equal number one. This was not entirely surprising and confirms ourposition within Australia and internationally.The assessment of our performance hasenabled us to implement strategies forimprovement and to prepare for theResearch Assessment Exercise which will occur Australia wide in 2008.

Our links with industry and alumni continueto strengthen. The Young Alumni event held on May 2 at RSM Bird Cameron was a great success and the presentation byAlistair Lucas from GoldmanSachsJBWerewas much appreciated by all. The AlumniCommittee also held its Annual GeneralMeeting and Dinner on 18 July. It was alovely event held at Ormond College with

the Hon. Jim Short as the dinner speaker.Jim shared with the group his experiencesover a most interesting and varied career.The Faculty held a cocktail party forstudents graduating mid-year with a “Black and Silver” theme including a smallFaculty keepsake (a silver boomerang) for all students to ensure that they keep intouch with the Faculty. We continue toimplement strategies to strengthen the linkswith our alumni and after much searchingwe have appointed a new AdvancementDirector who will be responsible for ourCampaign for Commerce and for externalrelations. It was most pleasing to see thenumber of gifts that alumni made to theFaculty in the latest University AnnualAppeal. By far the largest amount everraised by the University. This augers well for the major drive that we will be having for scholarships in the very near future.

I hope that you enjoy the Newsletter. Itprovides you with further details of theMelbourne Model and other activities of the Faculty and the Alumni Committee.

Many of you may have read about the University’s strategy to implement what is nowcalled “The Melbourne Model”. The Melbourne Model is based primarily on the BolognaModel where students undertake a three year undergraduate degree followed by a twoyear professional masters. The University has rationalized many of its undergraduatedegrees into six New Generation degrees, of which the BCom is one.

The Melbourne Model 2Making the boom pay 3Student Achievement 4Prizes and scholarships 5UMCAS AGM and dinner 6

Industrial relations 7A toast to graduates 8Accounting at Melbourne 9Postgraduate outcomes 11Featured alumnus 12

2 Faculty of Economics and Commerce

The Melbourne ModelThe new generationBachelor of Commercedegree will be introducedfrom 2008 under theMelbourne Model.

The Melbourne Model has been described in leading newspapers as ‘a radical break with its 150 year old traditions,’ but the Universityplans to combine the best elements of Australian and internationalapproaches to undergraduate education and graduate professionaltraining. The Vice-Chancellor, Glyn Davis has said that ‘by mostmeasures that count Melbourne remains the most successfuluniversity in the country in terms of its research output, its inter-national ranking and as a place of choice for the top students. But many of our programs were designed in the 19th century and,although the Australian model has served us well for a long time, we will soon be seen as the odd one out.’

The Bachelor of Commerce degree will continue to provide theopportunity for students to acquire skills and knowledge for a career incommerce and business that is unrivalled in Australia. It will blend acore curriculum that develops foundation skills for a business careerand the scope to study in complementary areas from outside the core.

Importantly, the degree will still allow students to meet accreditationrequirements specified by accounting and actuarial professional bodies.

Complementary subjects may be chosen from discipline areas in the arts, the sciences, music, engineering and environments wheresix out of 24 subjects will be taken. Following completion studentshave 3 choices – enter the workforce (our students enjoy exceptionalemployment outcomes); pursue graduate qualifications in areas such as law or an extensive range of business and managementstudies or pursue studies leading to a PhD.

So what do students and employers think about the proposedchanges? A recent survey of students found that they value theincreased international portability of the degree and flexibility instudying subjects outside the ‘core.’ They also perceived aheightened prestige of an undergraduate commerce combined with a masters under the Melbourne Model as a definite plus.Employers like the focus on students developing breadth acrossseveral disciplines as well as depth, creating graduates with a wellrounded experience and increased focus on the soft skills. They also see postgraduate qualification as the mark of a professional.

For more information on the Melbourne Model please visit:http://melbournemodel.unimelb.edu.au/

AM: Member of the Order of AustraliaMr Joseph I. GERSH (BCom 1980/1979, BLAWs (Honours)1980/1979)For service to business, commerce and public sectoradministration, and to the community, particularly throughJewish organisations.

Mr Graeme L. HERRING (BCom 1955, GradDipEd 1958)For service to business through the Australian Tax ResearchFoundation, to the accountancy profession, and to thecommunity through Anglican Church organisations.

Mr Dennis R. HOGG (B SCI 1961, BCom 1967, MBA 1970)For service to hospital administration and health care servicesthrough a range of organisations, including the AustralianPrivate Hospitals Association.

Mr Jonathan M. HUTCHISON (BCom, 1966/1965)For service to tourism and business through promotingAustralia as a travel destination and in leadership and advisory roles with industry organisations.

Mr Ian P. PREDL (BCom, 1963)For service to education and training, particularly throughcontributions to the establishment of the technical and further education system in Victoria, and to the community.

Mr Douglas J. RATHBONE (BCom, 1977/1976)For service to the community through executive roles and contributions to a range of children’s cancer supportorganisations, particularly the Children’s Cancer CentreFoundation, to chemical engineering and to viticulture.

OAM: Medal of the Order of AustraliaMr Pat C. HOPE (BCom 1963, MBA 1977/1976)For service to the community of Ballarat through a range of tourism and heritage organisations.

Mr Ken MAWSON (BCom,1946)For service to the quarrying industry, particularly through theestablishment of extractive industry training resources andprograms, and to the community of Cohuna.

Mr Ben K. PIPER (BCom 1982/1981, BLAWs 1982/1981,MLAWs 1988/1987)For service to the community, particularly as a volunteer adviser to and administrator of local legal service organisations,and as a supporter of the activities of the Friends of PortMelbourne Foreshore.

PSM: Public Service MedalMr Andrew M. JACKOMAS (BCom 1977/1976)For outstanding public service involving Indigenous issues in the Department of Justice.

Queen’s Birthday Honours

Alumni News 3

Drawing on the expertise of political leaders,representatives of the business and not-for-profit organizations, senior public servants and academics across a range of disciplines, the focus of the conference will be on thepolicy challenges and options facing Australiaover the next decade.

After two decades of a reform program that has transformed the Australian economy, theLucky Country currently finds itself blessed bya China-driven resources boom. Previous suchbooms have ended in tears. At issue is how wecan manage the boom properly? What policiesand strategies should Australia adopt to setitself up for continued opportunity andprosperity? In the process, how might we best tackle areas of entrenched disadvantage,what are the pros and cons of different optionsfor confronting the longer term challengesassociated with increased pressures on naturalresources and the ageing of the population, andhow can we use the fruits of prosperity to bestinvest in education and training to provideskills for the future Australian workforce in anevolving global economy and at the same timeprovide for equality of opportunity?

The opening sessions will provide a review of where the Australian economy is now, thendelve into likely developments over the nextdecade, and suggest policy options for thefuture. Paul Kelly of The Australian, ChrisRichardson of Access Economics, Ross Garnautof the ANU and Craig Emerson MP will leadthe discussion on such topics as commoditybooms, likely trends in the global economy,including China and India, technical andworkplace changes, demographic change, and the roles for and options of Australianmacroeconomic and microeconomic policies as they affect the sustainability of economicgrowth for different segments of the economyand for the whole economy. Important issues

of equity and redistribution will be consideredby Mark Wooden and Bruce Heady of theMelbourne Institute, Ann Harding ofNATSEM, and Michael Raper from theWelfare Rights Centre.

Katie Lahey of the Business Council ofAustralia and Gary Banks from theProductivity Commission will address thechallenging issue of the options for federal-state relations in the future.

Three sets of concurrent sessions will addressin more detail and depth specific policy topics.One of these sets of topics will be educationand training, with sessions on Pre-school andSchool (with the Honourable Lynne Kosky MP, Fiona Stanley of the Australian ResearchAlliance for Children and Youth, and BarryMcGaw of the University of Melbourne), and the University Sector in the Next Decade (with Glyn Davis of the University of Melbourne, the Honourable Julie BishopMP and Jenny Macklin MP).

A second set of topics will consider energy and the environment with specific topics ofPowering the Boom (Martin Sevior of theUniversity of Melbourne and Don Henry of the Australian Conservation Foundation),Water Policy Challenges and Options (theHonourable Malcolm Turnbull MP, NeilByron of the Productivity Commission andMike Young of CSIRO), and UrbanCongestion (Graham Evans of the VictorianCompetition and Efficiency Commission,Harry Clarke of La Trobe University and Kevin O’Connor of the University ofMelbourne).

A third set of topics will concentrate onwelfare and social policy. Particular sessionswill be on Participation, Childcare and Welfare Reform (Guyonne Kalb of theMelbourne Institute, the Honourable Sharman

Stone MP, and Pru Goward, Human Rightsand Equal Opportunity Commission), the New Health Reform Agenda (the HonourableTony Abbott MP, Julia Gillard MP and TonyScott of the Melbourne Institute), and SocialPolicy in Action (Warren Hogan of Universityof Technology Sydney, a representative fromACOSS, and an indigenous Australianrepresentative).

Other special sessions will discuss How theNew Workplace System is Faring (Ian Harperof the Australian Fair Pay Commission, Angela Robertson from Holden Ltd, and arepresentative from the ACTU), and the NextWave of Tax Reform (Wayne Swan MP, NeilWarren of the UNSW, and John Freebairn,Melbourne Institute).

A feature of the conference will be the speakers at the Gala Dinner on the Thursday evening, Dr Ken Henry, Secretary,Commonwealth Department of the Treasury,an executive from a major mining company on the Thursday Lunch, and the Leader of theOpposition, the Honourable Kim Beazley MP,on the Friday Lunch.

A plenary session on Road Blocks to Prosperity will conclude the conference. Peter Boxall, Secretary, CommonwealthDepartment of Employment and WorkplaceRelations, will discuss the topic of workplaceskills, and Rod Sims of Port Jackson Partnersand Brian Fisher, Chair of the Prime MinistersInfrastructure Taskforce, will open discussionon the provision of infrastructure.

In all sessions there will be opportunities foraudience participation.

For further details of the conference programand for a copy of the registration form, pleasesee the Melbourne Institute web site atwww.melbourneinstitute.com

Making the boom pay: Securing the next generation of prosperityOn November 2 and 3, a conference titled “Making the Boom Pay: Securing the Next Generation of Prosperity”will be held at the University of Melbourne. This is the fourth Economic and Social Outlook Conference jointlyorganized by the Melbourne Institute and The Australian.

Invitation for AlumniUniversity House would like to extend an invitation to past Graduates to maintain their contact withthe university community by joining the staff club as an affiliated member. Membership includes use of the University House facilities and function rooms along with access to members only functionsand events and University House wine deals and delivery. Alumni are also encouraged to visitUniversity House when considering a venue for their graduate reunion. More information on UniversityHouse and membership benefits is available at www.uniclub.com.au or phone 03 8344 5254.

4 Faculty of Economics and Commerce

Held in the Executive Lounge in the Alan Gilbert Building, guestswere able to mingle, giving students the opportunity to meetrepresentatives from some of the Faculty’s industry sponsors, whilst enjoying finger food and drinks. Representatives from Bain &Company, CPA Australia, Taxpayers Australia, Booz Allen Hamilton,Citigroup and the University of Melbourne Commerce Alumni Societywere able to attend the evening.

The welcoming address, given by the Dean of the Faculty ofEconomics and Commerce, Professor Margaret A. Abernethy,congratulated students on their achievements and thanked sponsorsfor their support. Professor Abernethy also remarked upon thediversity of students within the Faculty, listing students from countriesincluding Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, India, China, France,Colombia and Mauritius as well as local and interstate Australians.

The evening proved a great success, giving the Faculty theopportunity to thank our many industry sponsors for their support and allowing the sponsors to meet our high achieving students. After being presented with a certificate of achievement from the Dean, students posed for photographs with Professor Abernethy,friends and parents. Photographs are available from Jacqui Hoare(j.hoare@unimelb.edu.au).

Many thanks to staff who attended the evening – especially toProfessor David Dickson, Associate Professor Bryan Lukas,Professor Paul Kofman, Professor Bill Griffiths and Professor ColinFerguson who agreed to co-present the departmental honoursprizes. I look forward to seeing you again next year!

Jacqui Hoare

Inaugural Student Achievement Evening 2006On Tuesday 15th August, the Faculty held the first-ever Student Achievement Evening, where semester 2, 2006scholarship recipients and 2005 subject prize winners were recognised for their outstanding achievements bystaff, industry sponsors, friends and family. The evening was also an opportunity to thank our industry sponsorsfor their support and enable them to meet our students.

Semester 2 scholarship recipients with the Dean, Professor Margaret Abernethy

Sarah McArdle receives her award for the top honoursstudent in 2005 studying a Bachelor of Commerce(Honours) in Management from Bryan Lukas, Head of the Department of Management and Marketing andthe Dean, Professor Abernethy.

Alumni News 5

The Faculty of Economics and Commerce offers anever-increasing number of scholarships and prizes to high achieving students. The Faculty is expandingits Prizes and Scholarship Program in 2007 withadditional scholarships available to commencingstudents, both local and international.

In 2006 the Faculty awarded seventy-five subject prizes to studentsachieving the top mark in sponsored subjects in 2005. The prizes are funded by thirty-six donors including industry sponsors, trustfunds and the Faculty itself, valued at more than $28,000.

Each year the Faculty awards 130 new scholarships and in any given year there are approximately 300 students in the Facultyreceiving scholarships, as many scholarships are offered for theduration of a student’s course.

With the introduction of the Melbourne Model in 2008, scholarshipswill become even more important as a way of providing access andequity to undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Faculty.

It is anticipated that industry-funded scholarships will be the bestway to do this, providing companies with access to high-achievingstudents; strengthening the Faculty’s links to industry and mostimportantly, providing additional pathways for graduates to start

their career in industry. Current sponsors include Horwath, DeutscheBank, Goldman Sachs JB Were and the University of MelbourneCommerce Alumni Society, totalling more than $31,000 worth ofscholarships.

Selection criteria for these scholarships is generally on the basis of academic merit, extra-curricular activities, interpersonal andleadership skills and qualities which offer evidence that applicantsmay make an important contribution to the industry upon graduation.

In 2007 there will be twenty eight undergraduate, eighteenpostgraduate and additional PhD scholarships available forcommencing international students.

Local students may be eligible for a number of scholarships including the Melbourne Access Scholarships. The AccessMelbourne program allows students from educationally, financially or socially disadvantaged backgrounds to enroll in an undergraduateprogram at the University of Melbourne. Up to 200 of these studentswill be awarded a Melbourne Access Scholarship which offers aHECS-exempt place plus $2,000 per annum. Twenty percent ofHECS places are allocated to eligible Access Melbourne applicants.In 2006 the Faculty awarded 33 Access Scholarships.

If you would like to enquire about involvement in the Faculty’sScholarships and Prizes Program, please contact Clare Harper on 03 8344 2167 or via email: harperc@unimelb.edu.au.

Prizes and Scholarships Program continues to grow

Young Alumni event hosted by RSM Bird Cameron Guest speaker Alastair Lucas, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Goldman Sachs JBWere Around 60 guests attended the Young Alumni event on 2 May 2006. Alastair Lucas’ discussion on the current state and future of Investment banking was informative and entertaining. The function gave young alumni, graduating students and corporate representatives an opportunity to meet and chat over the drinks and great food kindly catered provided by RSM Bird Cameron. Thanks once again to Alastair Lucas and Rob Miano, partner at RSM BirdCameron for hosting the event.

Above: guests at the Young Alumni event

Left: Alastair Lucas and Dennis Lee (UMCAS Committee member)

6 Faculty of Economics and Commerce

In his address, Mr Short reflected on the changes he has seenevolve over a working life which has spanned almost five decades in a variety of public policy arenas both in Australia and overseas. He analysed those changes based on his personal experiences. Hethen offered comments as to whether as a result Australia is a betterplace in which to live, whether we are better governed and whetherwe are better off in an overall sense – whilst noting that in manyrespects ‘better’ is like ‘beauty’: it is very much in the eyes of thebeholder.

Mr Short listed some improvements to the Australian way of life as a result of the policy formation and change he was involved with,noting:

– The belief that, despite their imperfections, markets – for goodsand services, labour, capital – are more effective in determining the efficient and equitable allocation of scarce resources than the decisions of governments, no matter how well meaning thosegovernments might be. And prioritizing the allocation of scarceresources in directions that optimise the wellbeing of all membersof our society must surely still remain the basic task of economics.

– The increase in transparency in government decision making.

– The growth of the market for ideas. We are now a much betterinformed community than ever in the past.

He also cautioned there remains much to do to ensure that marketsdo in fact perform to their potential.

Mr Short concluded his thought-provoking speech with thefollowing:

“In the end, it is an informed and free market for ideas that willdetermine our future as individuals and as a society. Vibrantinstitutions like this university have always had a critical role to play in shaping the way our society develops, in both its economic andwider aspects. We have been fortunate and privileged to have hadthe opportunity to benefit from its existence. I believe strongly thatwe all have a responsibility to share that benefit with the members of the wider community in whatever fields of endeavour we areengaged in.”

Mr Short’s speech is available in full on the alumni website:www.ecom.unimelb.edu.au/alumni

UMCAS AGM and dinnerThe UMCAS Annual General Meeting and dinner was held at Ormond College on Tuesday 18 July this year. Our guest speaker was alumnus, The Hon Jim Short, who has had a distinguished career in both the FederalTreasury and Federal Parliament, including the Ministerial portfolio of Assistant Treasurer.

Professor Margaret Abernethy, Dean, and Mr Steven Zigomanis UMCAS President with UMCAS committee members

Alumni News 7

This inspirational public lecture on a hot contemporary topic attracted a large and diverse audience, including senior IR and union represent-atives, academic staff and students. The University’s Deputy Chancellor,the Honourable Justice Alex Chernov, introduced Professor Joe Isaac.

Professor Isaac is a Professorial Fellow of the Department ofManagement and Marketing and has been studying industrial relationsand economics for over 60 years. He was taught industrial relations by Orwell de Ruyter Foenander during the 1940s and has held variouspositions including Deputy President of Australian Conciliation andArbitration Commission for 14 years and has more recently beenconsultant to the ILO in Indonesia and Timor Leste.

According to Professor Isaac, the Australian economy did well underprevious IR laws and there are no signs on the economic front in themedium term to warrant radical changes. He questioned the idea thatWorkChoices will provide greater productivity, saying that sustainedproductivity growth depends on investment in technology and skillswhich could now be threatened by companies being attracted to cost-cutting rather than being pressured to boost productivity.

Professor Isaac set out the requirements for an economically efficient and socially fair industrial relations system. He then analysed howWorkChoices may unravel that arrangement, to “open up the prospectsfor a return to the master and servant mentality of the 19th Century”.

The excitement, exchange of information, sharing of views, andquestions continued well after the 21st Foenander lecture had beendelivered, at the post lecture reception and beyond. For instance, at the reception there was a buzz among the students about the linking of the event to their coursework.

Professor Isaac’s lecture was the perfect example of research, teachingand community engagement culminating to stimulate debate on issuesof great importance to our society.

Dr Isabel MetzCentre for Human Resource ManagementDepartment of Management & Marketing

Reforming Australian industrial relations?Australia’s new WorkChoices laws have been establisheddespite a lack of economic evidence supporting the changes,and go against the traditional Australian ethos of a fairsociety, according to Emeritus Professor Joe Isaac AO, at the annual Foenander lecture on 28 August 2006.

From left: Honourable Justice Alex Chernov (Deputy Chancellor), Professor Carol Kulik(Director, Centre for HRM), Professor Margaret Abernethy (Dean), Emeritus Professor

Joe Isaac AO, Dr Isabel Metz

An amazing Latin experienceDuring June this year, Associate Professor Neville Norman (Economics)took up a short-term position as Summer School Professor at theUniversity of Los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. An intensive 32-hour course onStrategic Planning for and Evaluating Business Operations in Australasia and the Far East was delivered to about 30 students at Master’s level. Among them wasJeronimo Uribe, the younger son of the Colombian President, Mr Alvaro Uribe. The President has gained much popularity with Colombians for bringing democraticsecurity to the country and a clear and fair government. Colombia’s economy is fast growing and the political situation is stable.

Neville was fortunate enough to get to know Jeronimo Uribe, well and to dine with him and part of the family at the President’s home/palace.

Neville reports that he was impressed by the quality and dedication of the students,the hosting of Los Andes and the warm reception. Most importantly, he wasimpressed with the prospect of fuller academic collaboration.

Dr Tatiana Zalan, Department of Management, visited the Faculty of BusinessAdministration, University of Los Andes (Bogota, Colombia) as a DistinguishedVisitor – Corona Chair. During 14-18 August Tatiana delivered a series ofpresentations to undergraduate and Master’s students, Faculty members andColombian executives. This visit was part of the Faculty’s initiative to strengthen links with Latin American educational institutions.

Rocio Karibian, Executive Officer, Marketing and Development Unit

8 Faculty of Economics and Commerce

A toast to graduates 2006

The function gave the Faculty and theDean a chance to congratulate thesestudents, to wish them well in theircareers and encourage them to stay incontact with the faculty. It also gave thestudents an opportunity to get togetherand reminisce on good times had at theUniversity.

A student-driven organising committeearranged spectacular décor, prizes,entertainment and catering for the event, and all who attended had a great evening.

There will be a second event for 2006, held on 15 December.

MalaysianAlumniActivitiesAlthough our active group of alumni in Malaysia have not had any specificCommerce Alumni event since the last onein August 2005 at the Royal Lake Club,they have helped to organise and haveparticipated in several MelbourneUniversity alumni events as follows.

1. Dinner hosted by H.E. Mr. James Wise, The Australian High Commissioner athis residence – “The Residency” on 7 April 2006

2. Welcome home at the Australian HighCommission on 23rd August 2006

3. 2006 Combined University of Melbourneand MABC Careers Networking Event at the Australian High Commission on28th September 2006.

Our Malaysian alumni chapter are keen tohear from alumni in the region, so pleasecontact the Faculty Advancement office viaour website at www.ecom.unimelb.edu.au/alumni/ in order to reconnect and stay intouch.

On 10 August undergraduate students who had completed their studiesin the first half of 2006 gathered with Faculty staff at University House for a cocktail party hosted by the Dean.

Alumni News 9

Published by Melbourne University Publishing, Promise Fulfilleddepicts a discipline that has always possessed a powerfulundergraduate presence, however has only in recent years gainedinternational recognition for its research and postgraduate programs.

Associate Professor Burrows, who headed the Department ofAccounting 1987–1990, says Accounting had to counter the image that it was not a ‘true’ academic discipline.

Other challenges included changes in information technology, new research paradigms, burgeoning enrolments, and thedevelopment of attractive postgraduate programs.

Promise Fulfilled chronicles the response of accounting staff to these challenges and their success in transforming accounting into a dynamic contributor to the university’s modern presence.

The author rebuts the uptight image of academic accounting,depicting a rich collection of staff and student personalities, and not a few pranks perpetrated by the latter.

Chapter highlights include: the struggle to establish the discipline in the pre-World War Two period and maintain it during the War,using only part-time staff; inauguration of the University-CPAAustralia Annual Research Lecture in 1940, now the most enduringannual research lecture series at the University; and the feminisationof the student body, demonstrated by the proportion of femalestudents increasing from 5 per cent in 1946 to 57 per cent in 2004.

Accounting at Melbourne:how a rich discipline grewThe story of Accounting at the University of Melbourne, from its inception as an academic discipline in 1925 to its 80th birthday in 2004, is told in a new book, Promise Fulfilled, by Associate Professor Geoff Burrows,Principal Fellow in Accounting and Business Information Systems (ABIS).

Dynamic contribution: Associate Professor Geoff Burrows (second from right) and (from left) ABIS tutor Priyanka Gosain, ABIS PhD students Munther Al-Busaidi and Hassan Al-Nasser, and Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) student Emmanuel De George celebrate the recent launch of Promise Fulfilled.

10 Faculty of Economics and Commerce

Lauren has managed to juggle an outstandingcareer as a professional tennis player with herpart time study, this being her fifth year playingon the WTA professional tennis tour.

Some of Lauren’s career highlights include:

– Lauren was one of six duces at WesleyCollege in 2001 and named the AlexanderWawn Scholar

– a breakthrough this year in January playing inher first Maindraw Grand Slam singles matchat the Australian Open against current top 10player Svetlana Kuznetsova from Russia.

Lauren also played in the maindraw of thedoubles at the Australian Open 2006.

– playing in the Maindraw Australian Opendoubles in 2004 against current US OpenChampion and former Wimbledon championMaria Sharapova

– winning 3 professional ITF tennis tournaments

– representing Melbourne University andAustralia at the World University Games inDaegu, Korea 2003 and in Izmir, Turkey 2005

Lauren is currently playing in Bulgaria and nextmoves onto Spain and then Mexico, she has awebsite at www.laurenbreadmore.com if youwould like to track her progress.

We wish Lauren the best of luck in all matchesand in obtaining her current goal to make it intothe world top 100!

Student profile: Commerce/Law student rankednumber 1 professional tennis player in Victoria

New appointment – Departmentof Management and MarketingAssociate Professor Bryan Lukas is the newly appointed Head of Department of Management and Marketing. He holds severalacademic awards, including three Best Paper awards from theAmerican Marketing Association. Bryan has published two booksin the areas of marketing research (McGraw-Hill) and marketingmanagement (John Wiley & Sons) and many peer-reviewedresearch papers in leading international journals and conferenceproceedings, such as the Journal of Management, Journal of theAcademy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Research, and AMA Conference Proceedings. Bryan is an editorial board member of the Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of BusinessResearch, and Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics. He is also a member of the Australian and New Zealand MarketingAssociation, American Marketing Association, Academy ofManagement, Academy of Marketing Science, and Society for Marketing Advances.

In addition to his academicactivities, Bryan has carriedout consulting and executiveteaching assignments in Asia,Australia, Europe, and theUSA. He has also providedexpert evidence and madestatutory declarations in anumber of legal matters andtrade mark applications, most recently for Pipers Lawyers andAdvisors, Middletons Lawyers, and Houlihan Patent Attorneys.

Associate Professor Lukas sees the aim of the Department as to be the best in the areas of management and marketing teaching,research and knowledge transfer in the Asia Pacific region andbeyond.

We are proud to announce that current Commerce/Law student, LaurenBreadmore, has reached a career high ranking this year of No.4 in Australia,No.1 in Victoria and No. 221 WTA in the world!

Alumni News 11

While high academic achievement provided ahead start, participating in the PostgraduateCareers Program may well have made thedifference for many of these students.

Two Master of International Business students,who both attended the fortnightly Career Hours workshops and had individualconsultations with the Faculty’s CareersManagement Consultant, recently beganworking for Biokaiser Petronis.

While one graduate is currently overseeingbusiness development in the South East Asianand Middle Eastern regions, the other is nowresponsible for Latin America, and said of theCareers Program:

“Being an international student requires lots of work to prepare effectively to look for a job.The advice received, and the help andcounselling, have been very important for me in my job hunt.”

Choosing to study the Master of Business and IT because of its flexibility and broad scope ofcareer options, another recent graduate spoke of the Faculty’s personalised careers service.

“This service is truly customised to my needs as a student and I have received positive feedback upon applying for work”.

She recently began work as a Procurement and Logistics Planner for Synnex Australia andsays that the most enjoyable aspect of her newrole is building and maintaining relationshipswith vendors.

“I get to build a network with other experiencedpeople in the industry and exchange ideas, gaininvaluable skills and experiences.”

Other students have found the Career MentoringProgram to be particularly helpful in preparingthem for the job market with 2006 menteesaccepting graduate positions in ANZ, NAB,KPMG and PwC.

Students can choose from a number of careerdevelopment activities as part of the Faculty’sCareers Program including: attendingworkshops and individual consultations,participating in the Mentoring Program, as well as creating an electronic CV using the new Online CV Book.

For more information on any of the aboveactivities, please contact Careers ManagementConsultant Agnes Banyasz on 03 8344 7681 or abanyasz@unimelb.edu.au.

Postgraduate employment outcomesIt’s exciting times ahead for a number of our postgraduate students who have already been successful insecuring a wide range of positions in the marketing, finance, accounting, banking and IT fields.

Contact details: Faculty of Economics and Commerce, Level 7, Alan Gilbert Building, 161 Barry Street The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010Tel: 03 8344 2128 Fax: 03 9349 4291Email: commerce-alumni@unimelb.edu.auWeb: www.ecom.unimelb.edu.au/alumni/Alumni Matters edited by Amanda Stanger,designed by Sophie Campbell, published by theFaculty of Economics and Commerce withauthorisation from the General Manager.Disclaimer: The information in this publication was correct at the time of printing. The Universityreserves the right to make changes as appropriate.

UpcomingeventsMaking the Boom Pay: Securingthe Next Generation of Prosperity 2006 Economics and Social OutlookConferenceThursday and Friday 2 and 3November For further details, registration forms etc, please visit the Melbourne Institutewebsite at www.melbourneinstitute.com

Annual Reunion LuncheonFor Alumni who graduated 45 years ago or more

Thursday 16 November, 12.30pmVenue: Private Dining Room, Student Union BuildingCost: $45 per person for 2 course mealand drinksInvitations will be mailed in October for this eventEnquiries: Amanda Stanger on (03) 8344 2128 or emailastanger@unimelb.edu.au

Downing LectureTuesday, 21 November, 6pm Presented by Professor David Card,University of CaliforniaTen Big Questions on ImmigrationProfessor Card will discuss ten of themost important questions facing policymakers and analysts regarding the effectsof immigration on the host country, andwhat is known about the answers. He will also try to provide some insightsabout the areas of disagreement amongdifferent researchers in the field.Venue: Copland Theatre, Economics and Commerce BuildingEnquiries: Phyllis Vellu on (03) 8344 5311or email ppv@unimelb.edu.au

Edmond LeeSenior Vice President, SG Equity DerivativesBCom 1989, Completion of MFin Hong Kong University 2006

Edmond Lee is Senior Vice President at Societe Generale Equity Derivatives, responsible for derivatives products analysis, sales and marketing. Prior to joining SG in 2004, Edmond worked with ANZ Bank (in Australia) and Sun Hung Kai Securities Ltd (inHong Kong) and has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. Edmond is a well-known investment strategist and equity market commentator in Hong Kong, specializingin derivatives products including warrants.

Edmond has regular columns in Hong Kong Economic Times and Apple Daily and makesfrequent appearances on television and radio programs to give comments and analysis. Hewas elected as one of the top three stock commentators by Hong Kong Economic Times in2003. Edmond also appears regularly as a speaker at Equity Derivatives seminars. He haspublished two books on investment, Alternative Investment (2001) and Investment Strategy(2003), with this second book being recorded for its 7th print. Edmond has also co-authored a book, School of Warrant, with a colleague which has had a 3rd print. A version in simplifiedChinese and English of this book will be published in late 2006.

Edmond graduated from the University of Melbourne, Australia with majors in Economics andCommercial Law, and he has completed a Master of Finance course at Hong Kong Universityrecently.

Edmond would particularly like to thank Mr Bob Speechley (The Australian Centre) who assistedhim greatly in his University life and with whom he has become good friends since graduating.

Mr Lee is married with two sons, he enjoys outdoor activities and travelling.

We wish to congratulate Mr Lee on his outstanding career and publishing success to date,and wish him further success for the future.

Featured Alumnus

Mentoring:Mr Lee is interested in improving contact with current students from Hong Kong, Singaporeand Malaysia with a view to establishing a mentoring program which will help guide themthrough the transition from study to worklife. If you are interested in this project, pleasecontact us through the Alumni website, www.ecom.unimelb.edu.au/alumni/

The faculty currently runs a Mentor Program for postgraduate students. If you would like toknow more about this program, please visit http://www.ecom.unimelb.edu.au/faculty/business/mentoring.html or contact:Ms Agnes Banyasz, Careers Management Consultant, Faculty of Economics and Commerce7th Floor, Alan Gilbert Building, 161 Barry Street, The University of Melbourne Victoria 3010 Tel: (03) 8344-1856 Email: careers-ecompg@unimelb.edu.au

Supporting the Faculty of Economics and Commerce:Mr Lee understands the great value and importance of financial support from corporationsand alumni. He has been a long time generous supporter of the Faculty of Economics andCommerce, donating to the Faculty regularly over since graduating. We thank him for hislongstanding generosity.

We are committed to staying in touch with you:We would be pleased to hear about your life’s milestones and successes. To update yourinformation, stay connected, or to learn more about how you can support the Faculty ofEconomics and Commerce, please:

Stay in Touch!Amanda Stanger, Advancement, Faculty of Economics and Commerce

7th Floor, Alan Gilbert Building, 161 Barry StreetThe University of Melbourne Victoria 3010

astanger@unimelb.edu.au, www.ecom.unimelb.edu.au/alumni/ Tel: 03 8344-2128