Once again the Business School was host to many exciting international and local events, including alumni events, public lectures by world-renowned presenters, student events and conferences. Some event highlights include:
The Financial Crisis: What it means to you and the Western Australian economy - A Panel Discussion.
There was huge public interest in the Financial Crisis public lecture and panel discussion held on Thursday 23rd October. The event was over booked with over 240 guests attending.
The panel consisted of 5 panel members - Professor Raymond Da Silva Rosa, Director, WA Centre for Capital Markets Research, UWA Business School, Professor Ken Clements, Professor of Economics and BHP Billiton Research Fellow, UWA Business School, Dr Michael McLure, Economic Historian and Senior Lecturer, UWA Business School, Associate Professor Phil Hancock, UWA Business School, Member CPA Australia Centre of Excellence, Financial Reporting and Governance, Alex Passmore, Head of Metals and Mining, Pattersons Securities Limited.
The panelists presented diverse perspectives on the crisis without any agenda, which perhaps is what accounted for a large part of the attraction of the forum. Professor Da Silva Rosa gave a concise overview of the crisis, Professor Clements noted that the crisis has severely damaged investor confidence which is a foundation of financial markets and observed that restoring this confidence is the prime challenge for governments and regulators. Dr McLure put the crisis into historical context and noted that present-day governments, in particular the Australian government, is much better placed to deal with the crisis than has been in previous episodes. Professor Hancock gave a critique of some common misconceptions about the role of financial reporting in precipitating the crisis - his quotation of Thomas Jefferson stating his belief that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies brought the audience to its feet with fervent applause! Alex Passmore finished the formal presentations by providing an insightful analysis of the likely impact of the crisis on WA's resources companies.
The question and answer session that followed was lively and, unfortunately, had to end without all queries being addressed because the session was well over time.
For those who attended and those people that were unable to attend, a web forum has been set up to allow for further discussion:
http://bits-ticket.biz.uwa.edu.au/cgi-bin/yabb3/YaBB.pl
Breakfast by the Bay Series with Trevor Nesbitt
On 10 September 2008, Trevor Nisbett, Chief Executive Officer of the West Coast Eagles Football Club, addressed a full house to provide an insider's view on the challenges one faces when it comes to managing a sport of passion and what it means to provide strong leadership.
"Leadership entails staying positive through the controversy and the tough times. You are judged on how you've managed the tough times and the desired outcomes". Trevor said. He also added that thanks to the great support the club has received, the tough and controversial times have been easier to overcome.
Based on his years of experience, Trevor has learned that when running a business one should adhere to five guiding principles which include: leading by example, living and sharing the vision of success, challenging yourself, developing your people, and finally innovating in order to improve. This rang true for many members of the audience.
Business School Dean Tracey Horton closed the breakfast, and thanked Trevor for providing an inspirational story of overcoming challenges and hard work in what we all know as the passionate sport of football.
Trevor Nesbitt commenced his career with the Club in September 1989 as Football Manager. In March 1999, he became the Acting Chief Executive and was later appointed to the position of Chief Executive in June 1999. Like many businesses, the West Coast Eagles is responsible to their stakeholders but along the way the Club has faced many additional challenges in their journey to success. It is during these tough times that leadership is required.
Breakfast by the Bay Series: the Future of Perth's Property Market - A Panel Discussion
On 12th November 2008, a panel of property experts addressed a full house at the University Club to discuss the issues facing the Perth property market. The panel was facilitated by UWA Business School Professor Raymond da Silva Rosa and included Russell Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer of Hawaiian; Nigel Satterley, Managing Director of Satterley Property Group and Andrew Whitechurch, State General Manager of nab Business & Premium Banking WA.
