Greetings to all and it gives me great pleasure to present the Spring edition of UNE Business School newsletter for 2020. COVID brought the highest level of disruption across the globe and a historic economic slowdown. The uncertain times and funding shortfalls no wonder will transform the higher education sector in Australia and elsewhere. We are no exception to many challenges triggered by COVID. No doubt we will be embracing agile ways of working and also adapt to new work practices to deliver exceptional experiences to all stakeholders.
My sincere thanks to all of our academic and professional staff members for keeping up with Trimester 2, 2020 teaching and learning activities. We kept on functioning as ‘business as usual’ and supported each other to boost our resilience. We also exerted our efforts to continuously position and reposition our strategies in-house and worked towards creating quality online learning experiences for our students.
Nevertheless, with the end of the year just around the corner, we managed to see the success of our staff and students. In 2020, particularly a year where things are just so difficult and just not so right, still we are pleased to share the achievements of our colleagues:
Congratulations to Dr Jonathan Moss for securing the 2020 SABL Faculty Education Award; and
Hearty congratulations also to Dr Bee Moss and Dr Jonathan Moss for winning 2020 SABL School Level Education Awards.
These awards showcase the outstanding contribution that our staff make to enhance students learning and their overall study experience.
The 3 Minute Thesis (MT) winners at the School level are Ian Wiltshire, Chamindri Abeysekara and Obaid Almutairi. Ian Wiltshire then represented the Business School at the university-wide 3 MT competition. Well done Ian, Chamindri and Obaid and sincere thanks for sharing your research stories with us!
The latest communication received from the EFMD Management indicates to us that the EPAS Office are willing to progress online peer review of our courses – the Bachelor of Business and the Bachelor of Agribusiness for 13th-16thApril, 2021. In my view, we are well positioned to meet the EPAS accreditation standards and criteria. Thanks for all of your ongoing support with the EPAS.
Many of our staff are recognised for their research published in reputable journals. I am certain that the research findings will translate into research informed teaching practice that benefits our students as well. Please do not forget to retrieve interesting information from the UNE Business School Blog or the UNE Business School Facebook page for recent updates on our staff publications. Congratulations to our staff for the great work and success with the research outcomes!
COVID taught us the need to work together and look after each other to address the very many challenges in a salient manner. So together we move forward and please look after yourselves.
Dr Sujana Adapa Associate Professor & Interim Head of School
UNE Business School
Stay up to date with all the latest news at UNE Business School on our social pages
STUDENTS
UNEBS 3MT 1st place recipient: Mr Ian Wiltshire
In a digitally reliant world, cyber threats are a common issue for us all, but PhD student Ian Wiltshire is determined to educate people to better understand cyber security.
Ian Wiltshire recently won first-place at the UNEBS 3 Minute-Thesis competition, which saw him represent the school at the university level finals. We spoke with him about his research.
“My research aims to improve our understanding of cyber threats. More specifically, how individuals and organisations consider DDoS as a threat within their threat landscape.”
Ian explained to us how a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) cyber-attack is unlike its counterparts which aim to find a new way in or a gap in system defences, “DDoS utilises a door that was intentionally left open, and so it becomes extremely difficult to prevent.”
“While all forms of cyber attack are motivated to achieve some form of loss to the target, DDoS acts to deliver that loss in the present and its effects are felt immediately by the consumer.”
Ian’s passion is to increase the collective knowledge regarding DDoS cyber-attacks, “I recognise that while the human element appears the most understudied and perhaps most neglected, it's probably the area that society can have most influence over,” Ian told us.
“Perhaps there will one day be a time when we don’t need technology to solve a problem that could be solved by simply encouraging people to act in a responsible way.”
Aside from the discussion on his research, we asked Ian how his experience with the UNE Business School has been. “From my first introduction to UNE, I've been treated with professionalism, care and support and it was these initial interactions with the staff that helped choose UNE to study for my PhD.”
“UNE has a fabulous culture and even though I study remotely, I still feel part of the community. For example, it was my supervisors, Dr. Sujana Adapa and Dr. David Paul that encouraged me to enter the recent 3MT competition and that has been an amazing experience.”
Well done Ian! We look forward to seeing how your research will help consumers better understand their cyber security.
UNEBS 3MT 2nd place recipient: Ms Chamindri Abeysakara
“Theories are not merely concepts but if used effectively, they can facilitate to make a positive change in people’s lives.”
PhD student, Chamindri Abeysakara, in UNE’s 3-minute-thesis competition spoke on her research titled, “Exploring the Economy-Wide Implications and Adaptation Strategies of Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture in Sri Lanka”
We asked Chamindri about her research which focuses on assessing the climate change impacts on the agricultural sector and consequences on the Sri-Lankan economy.
PhD student Obaid Almutairi, is looking into how online reviews can impact buying decisions.
“My PhD is a quantitative study that focusing on the impact of online consumers reviews on the Saudi customers purchase decision.”
We spoke with him about how the findings from his research can enable marketers to understand the power of online reviews as an effective marketing communication tool.
PhD-Innovation student Zenal Asikin, along with Professor Derek Baker and Professor Renato Villano, published a paper on smallholder cattle systems in Indonesia.
Zenal’s work involved surveys in three locations in Indonesia. Zenal, Derek and Rene developed a novel approach to measurement of innovation amongst smallholders and mapping innovation behaviour to discrete business models. Knowledge of the business models can then facilitate development action for the beef and cattle industries, which are a policy focus in Indonesia as well as being a major Australian export market. Zenal is now focused on empirical specification of the business models.
The research was funded in part from the ACIAR Indobeef project.
2020 SABL Education Excellence Award, Dr Jonathan Moss
Dr Jonathan Moss received the 2020 SABL Education Excellence Award, and UNE Business School Education Award for his application titled: Increasing the relatability of quantitative methods units: a personalised approach with impact close to home and further afield.
The awards highlight his dedication to providing a personalised approach for students in his units. "I am passionate in my ability to influence, motivate, and inspire students to learn in the quantitative units I coordinate," Dr Moss said.
“Teaching quantitative units is a complex task with some students fearful of mathematical content and a misplaced belief that they will never use the techniques taught in the real world.”
“I have implemented a number of strategies to improve student engagement in my units including increased examples of real-world application, interactive lecture recordings, continuous feedback mechanisms that allow students to benefit from their suggestions in real-time, and the development of personalised assessment items that incorporate real-life datasets, students' geographical location and principles of sustainability, sustainable development goals and internationalisation.”
“These innovations have been well received by both my students and peers, and I would like to thank the UNE Business School and the Faculty for the formal recognition through this School Education award.”
Well done Jonathan!
UNE Business School Education Award, Dr Bee Moss
Dr Supawadee (Bee) Moss, Lecturer in Financial Accounting and Auditing received a UNE Business School Education award for her application titled: Successfully engaging students in auditing, a heavily theoretically based subject, by providing context through real-life practice and a supportive learning environment.
"Auditing all over the world is documented as the most difficult and tedious of any of the accounting subjects because it is a theoretical subject with limited calculations and students often struggle to see the relevance," Dr Moss said.
"My main goals for teaching this subject are to engage all students by re-creating content that traditional students find dry and dull through stories that students can easily understand and relate to while digesting the topic matter."
"As a lecturer, my main duty is to guide and direct students to do their best in my subjects while instilling skills they will use in their future careers. Numerous students have told me that they were initially hesitant on studying auditing, but since taking my units they are now pursuing a career in the field. To be in a position that positively influences students and their future life and career choices gives me immense happiness as a teacher."
"The teaching award that I received means a lot to me as an early career academic and provides motivation for continually improving my teaching techniques and the student learning experience."
"I would like to thank the School and the Faculty for this formal recognition. I would also like to thank all of my colleagues within the School and across the Faculty who have been continually supportive since my appointment at UNE."
Congratulations Bee!
Professor Gabriel Donleavy to be featured in the China Daily
Recently, Professor Gabriel Donleavy was asked by the editor of the English Edition of China Daily to submit a piece on China’s green initiatives and their political significance.
Professor Donleavy in his article defines the green movement as "the notion that unborn future generations have rights to a clean and healthy environment at least equal to the rights of people alive today."
Professor Donleavy provides an insightful summary of China's green revolution which has worked to reduce the countries carbon dioxide emissions since 2005. He also notes the importance of forming policies that sustainably serve both present and future populations.
Professor Donleavy's article is currently in the editorial phase, and is due to be published in the coming months. Updates to follow.
Associate Professor Omar Al Farooque FCPA Status
Associate Professor Omar Al Farooque has advanced to the FELLOW rank of the CPA Australia for his contribution to the accounting profession and leadership in curriculum development and accreditation. FCPA status is a sign of Omar's knowledge, integrity and commitment to maintaining a high level of professional ethics and standards in the accounting discipline/profession.
Associate Professor Omar Al Farooque has joined the Journal of Risk and Financial Management as a Topics Editor, which is a ABDC B-rank journal published by MPDI.
Farm Financial Planning Training Course for ADAPT
Professor Derek Baker and Dr Jonathan Moss recently collaborated with School of Environmental & Rural Science's, Dr Richard Flavel, to deliver a training course on farm financial planning as part of NSW Central West Local Land Services’ ADAPT program.
The materials were developed from Professor Oscar Cacho’s ECON223 Farm and Resource Management unit materials. Design and delivery of the unit was subject to frequent change as the effects of COVID-19 on peoples’ gatherings and movement were revealed during the year.
The program was delivered in Dubbo, and remotely to Coonabarabran and Coonamble by video link, in late September. The course was well appreciated by the producers and partners, and offers a template for further short course delivery and partnership with Local Land Services and programs like ADAPT.
Dr Subas Dhakal recently presented a virtual paper titled: “Rapid Transition to Fully Online Learning during COVID-19: Myths and Reality”as a part of the ANZAM Webinar Teaching and Learning Series: ‘You’re on mute’: the key learning of academics’ teaching during COVID-19.
The event was organised by Deakin University on the 22nd of September and brought together a number of key academics across Australia and NZ to share their experience and key learnings from navigating teaching through COVID-19. Over 100 registered attendees participated in the event.
Associate Professor Sujana Adapa and Professor Rene Villano Presentation
Associate Professor Sujana Adapa and Professor Rene Villano participated and presented in the recently concluded webinar on "University of New England Australia Higher Degree Research & Academic Engagement Opportunities".
This webinar was a joint initiative by the Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Culture, Republic of Indonesia and the University of New England through the Indonesia-UNE International Partnership Consortium.
The aim of the webinar was to explore research project opportunities at UNE; identify possibilities of joint supervision of prospective Indonesian doctoral students, and opportunities for staff exchanges and collaborations. There were expressions of interests across the 3 disciplines within the school and they are pursuing the discussion further.
Professor Rene Villano 2020 ICAEFS Presentation
Professor Rene Villano delivered a keynote address in the 2020 International Conference on Agriculture, Environment and Food Security (ICAEFS) held virtually on the 8th of October 2020. The theme of the conference was “Innovation and Technologies on Sustainable Agricultural and Environmental Systems”.
ICAEFS is one of the leading international conferences for presenting novel and applied research in the fields of agriculture, environment and food security. It also serves to foster communication among key stakeholders including scientists, academes, researchers and policy makers. Rene showcased some of the key lessons learned from his current and previous research for development projects.
Food Agility CRC with Professor Derek Baker and Associate Professor Stuart Mounter
Professor Derek Baker and Associate Professor Stuart Mounter are working with the Food Agility CRC on the first phase of its “Mission Food for Life” program.
The program identifies and promotes digital and data-driven mechanisms for boosting resilience in the Australian Agrifood Supply Chain. Professor Baker chaired the Expert Working Group which included A/Professor Mounter and a team from UTS, QUT and Curtin U. The work developed a framework for assessing resilience in supply chains and evaluating impacts of digital solutions. The following phases of the program will fill knowledge gaps in how to deploy data and technologies for resilience.
Melissa Langenbaker Reflects on her new role as Academic Coordinator
What a year to start a new job! Who would have thought that after bushfires and drought that we would be working from home for months due to a virus. I packed up my office laptop, screens, docking station etc – and started working from home and home schooling during March.... and I thought multitasking at work was hard. I take my hat off to school teachers – I have no patience for homework let alone hours on end of school work.
I decided to apply for this secondment as I wanted to further push myself professionally and continue to develop myself. Being interviewed via Zoom was also an interesting experience – I had my business attire on top and my comfy tracksuit pants on below. I was so excited when Simon told me I had the job. Handovers, meeting people and starting the job all working from home was a bit of a challenge. I am a social person and love hearing the chit chat throughout the corridors – and also contributing to it. I was so pleased to start back in the office in September. While there have been challenges put in my way, I have managed to overcome these with the help of my fellow colleagues. Thank you for welcoming me into your School – I’m enjoying every bit of it and am looking forward to the next 6 months.
Professor Derek Baker GEAReD Global Presentation
On August 27th Professor Derek Baker presented on the topic of “Addressing smallholder supply chains through research” during a webinar hosted by Meryl Williams and Fellow Dr Diana Chalil. The webinar aimed to unpack how best research can achieve inclusivity and empower smallholders in modern supply chains.
Professor Baker was joined by panellists Professor Andrew Campbell, CEO ACIAR, Dr Rebecca Spence of UNE International Development and several members of the Meryl Williams Fellowship who presented case studies from the field. Over 140 people attended the webinar which resulted in a topical WeChat group where further discussion is ongoing.
Professor Derek Baker ACIAR Project for Improving Ethiopian Livestock
Derek Baker is working with German consulting firm UNIQUE Forestry and Land Use and Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Central Statistics Agency, and Institute of Agricultural Economics to develop an improved livestock inventory to enable Greenhouse Gas emissions measurement, and reporting and verification as part of Ethiopia’s broader Climate Resilient Green Economy Strategy.
Having one of the largest cattle, sheep and goat populations in the World, and being vulnerable to a changing climate, livestock numbers and productivity are key contributors both to future economic development and greenhouse gas production. This project is funded by ACIAR.
Last week we received an Expression of Interest from Kevin the Koalato undertake a PhD at UNE Business School.
He is currently looking for a supervision team to assist in his research on the impact of the 2019/20 Bushfire's on the economy of eucalyptus leaves.
Thanks to Prof. Gabriel Donleavy for the images he captured of our resident Koala crossing the road towards the UNE Business School block. A reminder to watch out for our wildlife around campus roads.
Do you have a news item to share with UNE Business School and the wider community? Let us know about upcoming events, accomplishments of students, alumni and staff, or share an update on your research progress - we'd love to hear from you!
