Thursday, 1 March 2007

Scholarship Deadline

The Business School recently reviewed a number of applicants for new scholarships including the new Resource Capital Funds Scholarship and the Stan and Jean Perron Honours Scholarship. These scholarships offer some great opportunities for students in the Business School.

The Resource Capital Funds Scholarship, worth $10,000, is available to selected Economics and Commerce students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, who have an interest in resources and mining.

The Jean and Stan Perron Honours Scholarship, worth $15,000 is available to selected fulltime Bachelor of Economics or Commerce students who aspire to commence an honours program that incorporates ethics or entrepreneurship.

For more information see:
https://www.biz.uwa.edu.au/home/scholarships/business_school_scholarships

Rich tradition inspires ECOMS President

Apart from some great events and lots of fun, 2007 is all about helping first year students as well as providing assistance to a wider range of students in ECOMS, according to the new ECOMS President, Hayley Parker.

ECOMS is a student body for Economics and Commerce students that conducts numerous events and social activities throughout the year.

Freshly home from a trip to China where she put her Mandarin language skills to good use, Hayley predicts an exciting 2007.

A fourth year Arts/Commerce student, she was originally attracted to ECOMS because of its rich history, and the opportunities it presents for students to network with companies in affiliated industries. Hayley has been involved in ECOMS since her days as ‘Fresher Representative' when in first year.

"ECOMS is a fantastic society to be a part of and has a renowned history of staging great events," she said.

"In 2007, with the collaboration of the Business School, we want to continue to increase the recognition of our student body throughout the Perth business community. We'd love to see a wider range of students join up, especially first years who are often daunted by such a large faculty."

Tradition is a great inspiration for Hayley and with a 57 year history, ECOMS' practices and events are heavily embedded into the UWA spirit, especially that of Economics and Commerce students. She finds this sort of history a great driver for her to succeed in her studies and establish a career in advertising and marketing.

"I love the thought that so many of our society's thinkers, scientists and business people once sat in the seats at UWA before me. I have also had some special lecturers who are so passionate about their field and really stimulated my interest in learning," she said.

With just over one year of study left, Hayley hopes to carry on the tradition and excellent work ECOMS has achieved in the past, and also continue to excel in her studies of marketing, management, psychology and Mandarin.

"I look forward to meeting more of the Faculty staff and welcome any of their ideas regarding the future for ECOMS. I anticipate 2007 will be a memorable year!"

Business School DBA Student Takes Trifecta

Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) student John Carruthers won a trifecta of awards at the Australia and New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM) Conference held in December 2006 and hosted by the Central Queensland University.

Winner of Best Paper in the Leadership Stream, Best Doctoral Paper and Best Conference Paper, John was honoured to receive such accolades for the first ever academic paper he had written for a conference.

"It was a real unexpected pleasure to be recognised, particularly with three awards," he said.

John's paper "Winning the Soul by Discourse: The Persuasiveness of Figurative Language in Management Communication" proposes that persuasive communication is critical to the effectiveness of leadership and organisational change and judges were impressed by its unique focus.

Currently two-thirds of the way through completing his doctorate based on the same concept, John found it very encouraging to be recognised for his work so far.

"I remember midway through writing the article saying to my supervisor Sandra Kiffin-Petersen, ‘why am I doing this when it isn't markable and doesn't contribute to my thesis?' In reflection it was very useful in helping me unify my thoughts.

"As a researcher, you often feel a bit self-absorbed, thinking you are the only person interested in what you are doing and the connections you see. To find out that others see your work as interesting enough to give it such high praise is very satisfying for the soul," John said.

As for the prize money, John has no plans to pamper himself in celebration of his achievements, rather investing his winnings into the cost of his research experiment.

Best Paper Award for Management in Non-Profit Sector

Other award recipients were Robert Maxwell Brown and Timothy William Mazzarol who won a Best Paper Award within the Management in the Non-profit Sector Stream, for their paper "Factors Driving Student Satisfaction and Loyalty in Australian Universities: The Importance of Institutional Image."

Again judges were impressed by the uniqueness of this paper, which outlines the findings of a study employing structural equation methodology to test a customer satisfaction model of the drivers of student satisfaction and loyalty in higher education settings.

More than three hundred papers were submitted for judging of which only twenty were awarded Best Paper Prizes. The multiple wins by students from UWA Business School are great recognition of the high calibre work being produced within the University.

Work Transition Program

Your first professional job marks the end of more than fifteen years of education. You would have not faced such a life style change since your first day at kindergarten. You will be thrown in at the deep end, there will be no ‘mornings-only' programs or mum's to dry the tears. Sink or swim, you will be in the workforce for a long time and while you will learn most from experience, there are some basic facts that will ease the transition and provide a solid foundation for your career planning.

The Business School introduced a series of seminars in Semester 1 which assist in creating a smoother pathway into the workforce. The seminars currently running are interactive and consist of a formal address by a key note speaker followed by an informal discussion with a recent Alumni from UWA Business School who provide feedback from a graduate perspective.

These seminars are open to all final year undergraduate students currently studying at the UWA Business School.

The Business Practicum unit (BUSN3348)

Students in their final year of study who have completed more than half of the core units towards their major may apply for one of the industry placements advertised. As part of this unit it is a pre- requisite that students must attend these seminars. More information about this unit can be found on a separate flier.

Schedule

The seminars run from 7.30am till 8.45am in the Murdoch Lecture Theatre. The seminars have been timetabled to avoid clashes with teaching schedules and include:

6 March ‘Business Practices in a Brave New World ‘- Balancing Global Outlook and Local Focus
13 March ‘Jobs for Life' - a Modern Perspective on Graduate Careers
20 March ‘Graduate Attributes' - Meeting the Needs of Today's Employers
27 March ‘Marketing Your Talents to Employers' - The Secrets to Good Applications and Effective Interview Performance
17 April Small business
23 April ‘Making Your Future Work' - Strategies for Creating, Securing and Maintaining a Career

During the course of their working lives most graduates can expect to have 7-10 different work roles and up to 3 changes in career direction. What is the secret to setting career goals that reflect your preferred future? What are the strategies you can use for creating, maintaining and managing a personal career portfolio?

Further Information

For further information refer to the Business School section of the ‘UWA Undergraduate Handbook' or visit our website: http//www.biz.uwa.edu.au
Specific questions can be addressed to the Careers Coordinator, Mrs Cherry Randolph, 6488 1829 or [email protected] .

Tags

Channels
Media Statements
Groups
eBiz