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A Note from the Director |
In this newsletter we highlight the many new initiatives of Departments and staff in the Faculty of Business. Our postgraduate students benefit significantly from such initiatives as faculty staff expand their networks to gather the latest information that is incorporated in our courses. In 2005 we will be featuring the new programs that your course leaders have generated based on industry demands. We encourage our continuing students to draw the attention of their fellow managers to the wide array of postgraduate programs that we offer and advertise in the media. Please take note of the postgraduate bursaries for new students enrolling in 2005.
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Final Reminder ... 2005 Postgraduate Bursaries - Closing 11 February 2005 |
A reminder that applications for postgraduate coursework bursaries offered by the Faculty of Business, are invited from students intending to enrol in a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Masters degree by coursework in the Faculty of Business, USQ in Semester 1 2005. These bursaries offer an amount equivalent to that of a fee for one course of a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma or Masters degree . Applications will be considered on the basis of academic merit or referees' reports and essay. |
USQ Centre for Australian Financial Institutions |
The Centre for Australian Financial Institutions (CAFI) is a research centre located within the Faculty of Business. In the last few years, CAFI has conducted a number of benchmarking studies under the sponsorship of Fuji Xerox Australia . Process benchmarking has become a valuable tool for financial institutions seeking to evaluate changes made through process integration, re-engineering and improvement. Institutions operating in competitive markets must maintain effective processes and adapt to the changing business environment through process re-engineering. Early results from the benchmarking studies helped to identify important areas which were ripe for ‘rejigging' to achieve cost reductions. Several typical front-office operations were identified as areas for potential cost cutting. This research is currently being repeated and the results will provide important insights into the impact of further improvements in lending processes, including credit card issuance. One of the chief findings was that the type of distribution channel (conventional, such as bank branches, and non-conventional, such as mortgage brokers or originators or mobile lending managers) has a large impact on front-office costs and the speed of the delivery. This appears to be particularly relevant for home-loan products which are often initiated often by mortgage brokers and mobile lenders. Subsequent benchmarking studies have revealed that some institutions have been capable of keeping processing costs of a mortgage under $1,000. Such improvements were possible because financial institutions have been able to refine the most complex issue of loan processing – the documentation. Some financial institutions have been able to cut the average cost of documentation from $400 to a mere $50. As with any formal commercial relationship, the loans process is rich in documentation, with much of it complex and legalistic due to prudential and regulatory requirements. Hundreds of years of legal evolution underpin this documentation, yet the business environment is constantly changing as governments seek to maintain a fair balance of power between lenders and borrowers. Secure and appropriate documentation is vital to ensure stable financial arrangements for the $600 billion (at October 2004) Australian mortgage industry. Assoc Prof Diana Beal (Director ) |
Special Interest Programs Initiative |
Our nation's future is undeniably linked with Business, and so people with sound business skills will always be in demand both in Australia and overseas. The USQ Australian Graduate School of Business offers a large choice of postgraduate programs in a variety of modes. Postgraduate programs range from those covering general management to some quite specialised programs. The USQ AGSB has recently developed a new web facility which will be updated on a monthly basis to highlight 'niche' programs and other postgraduate business initiatives within the USQ Australian Graduate School of Business. January 2005 features the Master of Personal Financial Planning. We encourage you to monitor this website for further exciting initiatives throughout 2005! For further information regarding this site, please contact Erin White. |
New Postgraduate Programs in Police Management |
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As part of its special interest programs, the USQ Australian Graduate School of Business is proud to introduce a suite of postgraduate programs in Police Management commencing in semester 1, 2005. The programs include the Postgraduate Certificate in Police Management, Postgraduate Diploma in Police Management and the Master of Police Management. They are designed to support middle to senior level officers in their leadership roles in the police service. These programs were initiated by Drs Glenda Adkins and Bruce Millett. The programs will provide students with an opportunity to extend and enhance their management and evaluative skills by specifically addressing the operational performance review process. They will enable them to develop a better understanding of performance management as it relates to police services; enhance their ability to manage financial and other resources; develop a set of leadership skills suitable to their career aspirations in the police service; and enhance their ability to identify and critically discuss the contemporary strategic issues confronting police services. For further details, please visit the website. The Management Development Program of the QPS recently constituted an Academic Board. Professor Ronel Erwee and Mr Cec Pedersen were invited to represent USQ on the Academic Board as well as its Teaching and Learning team. |
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Farewell to Professor Susan Bambrick |
Pictured (L-R) is Prof Susan Bambrick, along with Prof Ronel Erwee and Prof Bill Lovegrove. |
2004 ANZAM Conference Dunedin NZ
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During the recent ANZAM conference in Dunedin , Prof Ronel Erwee was co-opted as a Region 4 representative on the ANZAM Executive Committee. ‘We encourage USQ staff in the Faculty of Business to join the Australian New Zealand Academy of Management to network with their peers and discuss the latest industry and research trends' says Prof Erwee. The ANZAM conference included sessions on Knowledge Management, research of which was conducted by USQ Faculty of Business staff in the Divisions of IS as well as Management and Organisational Behaviour. Professor Erwee acted as Track Chair (to select reviewers) and Session chair, and also delivered a paper on ‘Virtual teams in International Management' on teaching and learning in a USQ course. |
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USQ's Higher Education Innovations Program (HEIP) Grants Success |
USQ was recently proud to be awarded a series of very significant grants under the Commonwealth's Higher Education Innovations Program. One such grant, for a sum of over $158,000 was awarded to the team of Dom Pensiero Faculty of Business, Peter McIlveen Student Services, Ian Olton Marketing & Public Relations and the businessman John Reynolds for a project entitled: 'Beyond Education: graduates into the workforce' which will identify the skills necessary for the effective transition of graduates to the workforce and assess whether universities are effectively meeting the needs of business. It is envisaged that USQ oncampus MBA and MBAI students will participate in specific workshops in the project. Prof Erwee is part of the Steering Committee to critically review progress with the project. |
Experience Counts at USQ |
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Live the Life you have Imagined |
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In Section 5.9 of the 2005 University Calendar, new regulations on academic standing, progression and exclusion have been included. This could specifically impact on your postgraduate program and you need to carefully manage your successful progression through these programs. The new regulations about ‘satisfactory academic standing' are that postgraduate students must maintain a GPA of not less than 3.5. You must have a ‘satisfactory academic standing' in a program in order to be eligible to graduate from that program. A postgraduate student with a GPA of less than 3.5 will be deemed to have a program status of ‘conditional' and will be advised that they have to improve their academic performance (for assistance with this, you can contact Student Services or OPACS). We are monitoring enrolment via the USQ Connect program. A significant number of local and international students have received letters about their unsatisfactory progress during 2003 and 2004. Useful Tips |
Faculty of Business Library Sources |
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We encourage you to utilize the Faculty of Business sources in the USQ Library . Your Faculty Librarians work collaboratively with Faculty staff to provide a range of subject-specific classes to assist you in developing your information literacy knowledge and thus ensure you have the skills needed to complete your assignments. Library staff conduct a range of general catalogue and online searching classes throughout the year and have developed a number of online tutorials. Postgraduate students can contact their Faculty Librarian for additional assistance. |
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Contact Details
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Prof Susan Bambrick in her role as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) assisted the USQ AGSB to finalise the examination guidelines for the Doctor of Business Administration program. ‘ Prof Bambrick understands that leadership is a reciprocal and distributed process and demonstrated that understanding by her cooperation with the various Deans of Faculties to inspire and guide them to reach USQ's academic and research objectives', says Prof Bill Lovegrove, USQ Vice Chancellor. ‘ In her role as Provost (Wide Bay) she received a Certificate of Recognition from the USQ Women's Network Inc. for her style of management which has promoted EEO for women and has been of benefit to staff individually and the campus as a whole', says Prof Ronel Erwee. 
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