Centre for Sustainable and Responsible Organisations (CSaRO) News
Professor Subramaniam will attend the United Nations Global Compact Forum in Rio
The United Nations Global Compact has recently welcomed Deakin University as a signatory and as a member of the UNGC Network in Australia. Professor Nava Subramaniam has been instrumental in leading Deakin's engagement with the Global Compact. In recognition of this Professor Subramaniam has been invited to attend the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum in Rio de Janeiro from the 15th to 18th June. Whilst there, Professor Subramaniam has been asked to form part of a panel that will be convened jointly with the Australia, Indonesian and Japanese UNGC Local Networks to discuss risk management, outreach, dialogue facilitation and how that maps through to the development of more sustainable UNGC Networks.
The Forum aims to strengthen the business contribution to sustainable development globally - seeking to bring greater scale to responsible business practices, to advance and diffuse sustainable innovation, and to stimulate broader collaboration between companies, governments, civil society and the UN. For more information visit the UN Global Compact Network website.
Award at Rio World Public Health 2012 Congress for CSaRO member Dr Paul Harrison
Congratulations to CsaRO member Dr Paul Harrison, along with his co-authors in achieving an award for the work entitled 'Accountability of public-private partnerships with food, beverage and restaurant companies to address global public health nutrition challenges'.
The paper by Vivica I. Kraak, Boyd Swinburn, Mark Lawrence, and Paul Harrison, received an award in the category 'research report' in the World Nutrition Rio2012, from 27 to 30 April 2012 at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Dr Paul Harrison partners with the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, USA
The Centre for Sustainable and Responsible Organisations has signed a research memorandum of understanding with the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University in New Haven, USA. The MOU builds upon a research partnership already informally established through Dr Paul Harrison of the Social Impact Cluster of CSaRO, and Professor Jennifer Harris at Yale. Paul and Jennifer are currently working on research examining children's exposure to marketing messages, and the new partnership will further support and develop the research programs between the two institutions.
Professor Nava Subramaniam speaks at the Green Summit
The summit was organised for companies wanting to position themselves as leaders within the corporate sustainability arena. Topics included sustainable business initiatives, highlighting the priorities and providing insights into the future direction of this growing market. Professor Subramaniam's speech centred around the review of the strategies currently employed in risk management relating to Carbon Emissions as well as examining the planned approaches and evolving ideas in relation to handling carbon tax. Findings of a recent survey of Australian firms that are required to report carbon emissions under the NGER Act, suggest that much more needs to be done under risk management. Risks related to carbon are not straight forward, but are complex and inter-related with impacts on costs as well as reputation. Survey results suggest there needs to be a greater level of staff training, clear risk management processes, reporting and involvement by internal auditors in the assurance of carbon emission management.
Professor Paresh Narayan appointed Alfred Deakin Professor
Deakin University Council has conferred the title of Alfred Deakin Professor on Professor Paresh Narayan. Professor Narayan is Chair in Finance with the School of Accounting Economics and Finance in the Faculty of Business and Law.
Professor Narayan was awarded this title, along with three other Deakin Professors, for his outstanding and sustained contribution to the University.
Professor Paresh Narayan is a prolific researcher whose passion and talent for Financial Econometrics has translated into a meteoric career rise. His work has been recognised with numerous awards, in 2009 he was ranked in the top ten authors in Australia by RePEc (Research Papers in Economics); and in 2010 he received the Vice Chancellor's award for Distinguished Research and the Deakin University Award for Research Excellence.
In making the announcement the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jane den Hollander said, "The title of Alfred Deakin Professor is the highest honour that Deakin (via its Council) can bestow upon its academic staff members and it is testament to the calibre of our staff that four Alfred Deakin Professors have been conferred in a single year."
The Faculty congratulates Professor Narayan on this significant accomplishment.
Nava Subramaniam named ICMA member of the month
CSaRO Director, Professor Nava Subramaniam was named the first Member of the Month in the Institute of Certified Management Accountants newsletter for 2012. Her key message in the article is that there needs to be more professional engagement and support from industry in order for researchers to embrace more industry relevant projects. Read the article in full.
CSaRO researchers present their findings
Several CSaRO members presented their current research projects at the Symposium held on the March 2nd at Deakin's Melbourne Burwood Campus. After a delicious lunch prepared by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), a forum on Small to Medium Business Enterprises (SME) was undertaken to explore possible research projects. For further information regarding SME opportunities please contact George Tanewski.
Read the presentation abstracts [141KB PDF].
CSaRO's Paul Harrison active in the media
Dr Paul Harrison, a CsaRO member, has been out and about in the media recently. His article Economics and the brain: how people really make decisions in turbulent times appeared in The Conversation and was interviewed on ABC Radio National on the topic Does loyalty or laziness keep people from switching banks?
CSaRO members research
CSaRO members have been active in the field of research securing joint grants with various external organisations. Andrew Noblet is conducting his research,"Identifying and addressing the organisational sources of job stress" with VicHeath. Peter Carey and George Tanewski are conducting research in partnership with Kingston University (UK) and Paul Harrison is working alongside The Open University (UK) in researching "Positive effect and message framing in social marketing".
Dr. Deryl Northcott on the challenges and rewards of qualitative research
Deryl Northcott, Professor of Management Accounting at AUT Business School and the chief editor of Qualitative Research on Accounting and Management (QRAM) visited our School of Accounting, Economics and Finance in Deakin University for one week between 9 and 15 February, 2012. Apart from meeting faculty members with interest in qualitative research, she presented a seminar for the Centre for Sustainable and Responsible Organizations (CSaRO) that highlighted the methodology and clarified the significant features of qualitative research methods. The interest was evident by the large number of participants to the Seminar.
In the seminar, Professor Northcott began with a more inclusive definition of the term 'qualitative' and clarified that it related to the processes of meanings-making, the outcome of which ultimately leads to generalization back to the theory. The purpose of such generalization is to expand the domains of the extant theory. Expansion can be achieved by inquiring into the exceptional events or 'outliers' or perhaps into understanding the underlying reasons for the existing practices, if there are none. In short, theory development by inquiring into the data, rather than by measuring the spread of the data, is the key to successful qualitative research.
View Dr Northcott's presentation notes [210KB PDF].
Successful 3 day course on SEM
CSaRO ran a very successful 3 day course on SEM from 15th February 2012 at Deakin University, Burwood. With 21 attendees, the course focused on Structural Equation Modelling for existing AMOS users who wish to convert to Mplus. The course was conducted by Professor Phillip Holmes-Smith, Director of SREAMS who is an experienced educational psycho metrician, statistician, researcher, program evaluator, Professional Learning facilitator and lecturer in the field of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The course introduced Mplus programming language by revising basic models and introducing the treatment of non-continuous data. Topics included linear regression, Probit, Logistic, and Multinomial logistic regression, Poisson regression for count dependent variables, advanced single-level models and Latent Growth-Curve Modelling. Professor Holmes-Smith's passion and knowledge in the field generated a lively discussion throughout the three days and participants agreed that the course was a great success.
Opportunities for Indigenous Australians to enter the accounting profession
Professor Barry J. Cooper, together Ms Luisa Lombardi have received two grants in order to support their research project 'An introduction into the role of educators, employers and the accounting profession in providing opportunities for Indigenous Australians to enter the profession,' CPA Australia have approved a Global Research Perspectives Program grant for $60,000. CSaRO has given approved to supplement this project with a $10,000 grant.
The objectives of this research are:
- To determine why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands are effectively excluded from the accounting profession.
- How, given insights into why this situation exists, can this be addressed?
- What practical strategies can be employed to implement change that will lead to providing opportunities to Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders entering the accounting profession in credible numbers.
