Centre Events and Collaborations
The Australian Centre for Asian Business is dedicated to expanding the knowledge and research capacity of its academic community through a wide range of means, particularly exposure to high-quality diverse schools of thought. If there are any specific events and/or collaborations you would like to see ACAB involved in, please contact Vanessa Wood.
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Events:
The 'Customized business strategies for India' workshops recently held at the University of South Australia were a tremendous success. Many people participated in the workshops held across three days in a range of industry sectors. Positive feedback was received about the workshop content and the course facilitator, Sooraj Dhawan (Access India).
The Australian Centre for Asian Business would like to thank everyone involved in making the event a success. In particular, we would like to thank our workshop partner, Access India ,our sponsors, Finlaysons and the Intercontinental, our Industry partners, Clean Energy Council, Defence Teaming Industry, Food SA, SACOME, Study Adelaide and Master Builders Australia. We look forward to future opportunities to collaborate with our sponsors and industry partners, to assist in building the capacity of South Australian business interactions in Asia.
Customized Business Strategies for India - Workshops
Date: 24 - 26 July, 2012
The Australian Centre for Asian Business (ACAB), at the University of South Australia and Access India are hosting a series of hands-on workshops that will provide participants with information on the business environment in India.
Senior management will benefit from these practical workshops that go beyond
generic high level insights into customized market entry strategies, with
the opportunity to network with like-minded business leaders.
Expected
outcomes for individual participants are:
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The event has been divided into six, two-hour workshops across three days. Each workshop is dedicated to a particular industry segment.
| Date and Time | Industry |
Industry Partner |
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Tuesday, 24 July 2012 8:30-10:30 am |
Market Entry Strategies | Clean Energy Council Water Industry Alliance |
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Tuesday 24 July 2012 12:00-2:00 pm |
Building and Building Materials | Master Builders Australia |
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Wednesday 25 July 2012 8.30-10.30 am |
Defense | Defence Teaming Centre |
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Wednesday 25 July 2012 12.00-2.00pm |
Food and Beverage | Food SA |
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Wednesday 25 July 2012 4.00-6.00pm |
Mining Services | South Australia Chamber of Mines and Energy (SACOME) |
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Thursday 26 July 2012 8.30-10.30am |
Education* | Education Adelaide |
*Venue for Education sector workshop: Division of Business Board Room, 2-47, Way Lee Building, UniSA, City West Campus
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Registration fee is $50. Refreshments and catering will be provided during the workshops.
| Kindly Sponsored by |
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Business SA; Advantage SA; Australia India Business Council and Council for
International Trade & Commerce South
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| Industry Partners |
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Past Events:
June 2012
Decision Making in SOEs and the Implications
for the Resource Sector
He advises on the political economy of the global mining and metals industries in US, Australian and Hong Kong Universities. When China launched its 'Go Out' policy in 1999, leaders hoped state-owned enterprises (SOEs) would snap up valuable foreign assets and transform themselves into successful multinationals. In the mining sector, China's national champions have become powerful international investors, but they have also wasted billions of dollars on ill-conceived projects, often exacerbated by poor management. It is hard to pinpoint any Chinese foreign mining projects that are trouble free and profitable. Yet China's resource companies have an enviable record at home, where projects are invariably completed well ahead of schedule and below the cost of comparable developments elsewhere.
The presentation will discuss the processes and
techniques used by State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) to evaluate foreign
mineral resource investments. The parts of the bureaucracy responsible for
approving foreign investments will be identified as will the criteria they
use to assess individual projects. Comments will be made on the
effectiveness of the process given that SOE leadership are both commercial
actors and political officials. It is this political dimension which
differentiates Chinese managers from their foreign counterparts. The
presentation will show that as project evaluation has improved, evaluation
studies have taken on a more commercial orientation and this increased
analytical rigor is fostering greater investment discipline.
The Art of
negotiating with Chinese People
Since that time she has continued to build her knowledge and understanding of negotiating within the Chinese cultural context. Australia's business relationship with China offers enormous opportunities for Australian businesses. However, the differences in thinking and therefore the way Chinese people negotiate their way through a deal present significant challenges. Business negotiations are likely to happen in a restaurant instead of the boardroom, so you still need to play the game and focus on your goals when dining.
Chinese communication is relationship-driven as opposed to task-driven, meaning the relationship is often seen as more important than the actual task. China is often perceived by Australian business people to be a difficult and risky market to operate in. Australian businesses are continually faced with surprises, disappointments and a lot of frustration. To function successfully in China, knowledge of the Chinese negotiating culture is your greatest asset. This presentation will discuss and demonstrate how The Art of War - 36 Chinese Strategies are a fundamental part of Chinese culture, and therefore need to be understood to successfully negotiate with Chinese business people.
April 2012
The Australia and New Zealand International Business Academy (ANZIBA) is the leading association of scholars in the field of international business in Australia and New Zealand. The Centre for Asian Business at the International Graduate School of Business, University of South Australia will be hosting the ANZIBA Annual Conference in Adelaide from 12 14 April 2012. Research in international business suggests there will be a fusion between Eastern and Western business models. Will West learn from East more than East does from West? Will Asian approaches become so dominant that there will be a fracturing of East and West?
This highly successful event, held at UniSA, City West campus was attended by a wide variety of national and international academics, business-community representatives, as well as many Division of Business researchers. The Conference hosts and major sponsors would like to thank Conference Solutions, the organising committee led by Dr. Hussain Rammal and the many others who contributed to the success of this prestigious annual business event.
Photo collage from the conference
March 2012
'Economic Clustering in Northeast Asia (China, Japan and Korea): Strategic Implications for Australia' - A seminar with Professor John Benson, Professor Ying Zhu and Professor You-il Lee
The seminar aims to explore the reality of an emergence of new regional economic architecture in Northeast Asia (China, Japan, and Korea) or the so-called 'Northeast Asian economic clustering'. The project will make a substantial contribution towards Australia's understanding of how future growth and deepening integration of the Northeast Asian economy will shape Australia's future economy. The emergence of a Northeast Asian community and nascent political and economic cooperation (economic clustering) among China, Japan and Korea will require Australia to strategically reposition itself toward trade with these countries.
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'Food Security in Asia: Issues and Challenges' - A seminar with Professor Sisira Jayasuriya
Since 2007 the World's food security has been threatened and its fragility exposed by several massive shocks: a sharp and sudden food price surge in world markets in 2007-2008, the 2008 global financial and economic crisis, and a second food price spike in international markets in 2010-11. Asia's Development has enabled it to avoid sharp increases in food insecurity by insulating domestic prices from international prices; this can be largely attributed to the strong growth in China and India which has enabled both countries to avoid a deep and prolonged recession.
But the policy measures that helped Asia avoid a major food security crisis came at a cost: they aggravated international price volatility, undermined confidence in the international food trading system and incurred substantial fiscal costs. As the global economic prospects continue to darken, large scale food insecurity is re-emerging as a serious danger requiring urgent national and global action.
October 2011
'The Evolution of Chinese Competition Law and Anti-Trust Law' / 'The Influence
of Chinese Competition Law: A Criminal Perspective' (In Mandarin)
A seminar with Professor Li Xiaoming and Professor Pan
Chuanping
Professor Li Xiaoming (Robin) and Professor Pan Chuangping are Professors in
Competitive Law from Hunan University, who visited the Centre for Asian Business
for one month. This unique dual seminar offered a strategic overview of competition
law and anti-trust law in the Chinese context, as well as taking an alternate
perspective in investigating Chinese Competition Law from the position of the
offender. In a first for the CAB, Prof. Pan's portion of the seminar was given in Mandarin, with translation offered
in English.
Both Professor Li and Professor Pan are distinguished Competitive Law experts,
members of the All China Lawyers Association, and Managing Directors of the
China Hunan Provincial Law Science Economic Law Association.
Prof. Li is also a member of the China Law Science Association and the Director
of the Chinese Society of International Economic Law, whilst Prof. Pan is
Vice-Director of the Legal System Commission of the Hunan Committee of Chinese
Democratic League, and Director of Commission of Rules of the Hunan Lawyers
Association.
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'Through an FIRB lens: China's investment and cooperation in the Australian
Mining Industry'
A seminar with Mr. Michael Komesaroff
Principal of Urandaline Investments, Michael Komesaroff has over 30 years experience of Asia's mineral industries, nearly 20 of which with Rio Tinto. His most recent two roles in Rio Tinto were as President Rio Tinto Japan and Vice-President Strategy for the aluminium business group. In 1997 Mr. Komesaroff was recruited by an arm of China National Nonferrous Metals Corporation to work in China. Returning to Australia in 1999, Mr. Komesaroff established Urandaline which has now provided services to many or the world's largest mining companies as well as investment banks and government agencies.
Mr Komesaroff is a frequent presenter to conferences dealing with China's capital-intensive industries. He is also a free-lance journalist and contributes a regular column to the China Economic Quarterly under the bye-line of Metal Man. In addition, Mr. Komesaroff demonstrates a strong understanding of public policy issues, and in 2010 was appointed as Executive in Residence at the School of International Affairs at Pennsylvania State University, where he conducted seminars on the political economy of the global mining and metals industries.
Mr. Komesaroff's seminar drew upon over 30 years experience working in Asia's mineral industries, of which nearly 20 years was with Rio Tinto. Offering a broad analysis of Chinese investment in the Australian Mining Industry, Mr. Komesaroff's seminar:
- Analyseed the magnitude and structure of China's ODI in general and to Australia in particular (95% of Chinese ODI to Australia involves the mining industry);
- Discussed problems encountered by Chinese mining companies seeking to acquire Australian mineral resources, particularly cases of discrimination;
- Investigated the characteristics and circumstances that make Chinese investment in Australian minerals different from other countries and industries, and discuss the need for specialised policies;
- Explored the Chinalco-Rio Tinto transaction as a particular case study
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August 2011
'The Chinese Economy - its Transformation and Future Opportunity'
Centre for Asian Business Director Professor Ying Zhu
China's rapid rise to become an 'economic superpower' has been based on
international trade, foreign currency reserves and strong domestic growth. It
appears to have managed the transition from a tightly government-controlled
command economy, to a more open socialist market economy, better than other
former command economies in Eastern Europe and other parts of the world.
However, it is clear that the change in China is not yet complete, and
policymakers continue to be confronted by political problems.
In this UniSA KnowledgeWorks Seminar
Professor Ying Zhu traced the transformation of the Chinese economy by
drawing on the links between economic development and labour market issues. He
explored the meaning of a socialist market economy with 'Chinese
characteristics' and discussed the evolution of the traditional social
control mechanisms to those of civil society and the rule of law.
To view of video recording of this lecture, please click here.
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July 2011
Joint CAB-ADBI Symposium, 8-9 July
On 8-9 July, the Centre for
Asian Business collaborated with the
Asian Development Bank Institute in
presenting a two-day symposium entitled 'Growth
and Integration in Asia: Monetary, Financial
and Trade Issues and Challenges'.
Please see the
UniSANews Article detailing this event.
Whilst Asia has recovered well from the
global financial crisis (GFC), there are
some important lessons that can be learned
from the acute shock the region faced in
2008-09. Such lessons include the need for
sufficient amounts of liquidity to safeguard
against future financial crises, the types
of regional surveillance that are to be
conducted in the region, the choice of
exchange rate regime and the possibility of
exchange rate coordination, the development
of sound and effective financial markets and
instruments and the extent of de facto
regional real and financial integration.
The objective of this two-day symposium
which brought together over 20 leading
international academics, and was co-sponsored
by the Centre for Asian Business and the
Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), was
to gain a better and more systematic
understanding of various dimensions of de
facto and de jure regional cooperation and
integration in Asia especially after the
GFC. It is hoped that this will lead to
concrete policy recommendations for moving
forward the regional cooperation agenda.
Sessions included:
- Macroeconomic Management Issues in Asia
- 'Trilemma and financial stability configurations in Asia before and after the 2008-9 crisis'. Joshua Aizenman, University of California, Santa Cruz.
- 'Rebalancing Growth in Asia'. Willem Thorbecke, ADBI.
- 'Tradables and Nontradables in Asia'. Ramkishen S. Rajan, George Mason University.
- Lunch Address:
'In Defence of Current Account Deficits' with Dr. Guy Debelle, Assistant Governor (Financial Markets), Reserve Bank of Australia
Please see the RBA transcript and recording of this address, or see media reports
- Management of Capital Flows
- 'Patterns and Dynamics in Capital Flows for Asia'. Tony Cavoli, University of South Australia.
- 'The Impossible Trinity and Capital Flows'. Steven Grenville, Lowy Institute.
- Trade, Current accounts and the RMB
- 'Limiting Trade Imbalances: Can fixed exchange rates and current account limits help?'. Andrew Hughes- Hallett, George Mason University.
- 'RMB and Production Fragmentation'. Nobuaki Yamashita, LaTrobe University.
- 'The RMB and its trade balance'. Zhaoyong Zhang, Edith Cowan University.
- Institutional and Political Economy Issues
- 'Distribution, Domestic Politics and Monetary Cooperation in East Asia'. Natasha Hamilton-Hart, University of Auckland.
Keynote Address with Professor Sir James Mirrlees
Pressor Sir James Mirrlees provided the keynote address for the joint CAB-ADBI
Symsposium on 8 July, entitled 'The Moral Hazard Problem'. Prof. Mirrlees was awarded the Nobel
Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences 1996
along with William Vickrey, for his work on
information asymmetry as it relates to
taxation and moral hazard problems. After
graduating from the University of Edinburgh
in 1957, Professor Mirrlees was admitted to
Trinity College at Cambridge University and
received his PhD in Economics in 1963.
From 1968 to 1995 he was Edgeworth Professor
of Economics at the University of Oxford and
a Fellow of Nuffield College. From 1995 to
2003, Prof. Mirrlees served as Professor of
Political Economy at the University of
Cambridge., and has been Distinguished
Professor-at-Large at the Chinese University
of Hong Kong (CUHK) since 2002. Prof.
Mirrlees has also held visiting
professorships at MIT, UC Berkeley, Yale and
Melbourne.
Please view the Video Recording of the address, or the UniSA Press Release concerning this event.
CAB Seminar with Professor Ramkishen S. Rajan
On 11 July Professor Ramkishen S. Rajan presented a seminar to entitled
'Capital Flows and Policy Responses in
Emerging Asia'. In his seminar
Professor Rajan discussed how the liberalization of capital accounts in the
1990s contributed to a surge in private capital inflows into many emerging
Asian economies, and, having rebounded sharply from global
financial crisis (GFC), how the current concerns
in Asia are about possible overheating and
asset price bubbles. This presentation
reviewed the dynamics of capital flows in
emerging Asia over the last two decades, and
focussed on the dynamics of capital flows in
Asia and selected policy concerns including
the distinction between gross versus net
flows and those concerning macroeconomic
management and financial stability.
Ramkishen S. Rajan is a Professor of Public
Policy and International Economic Policy at
the School of Public Policy, George Mason
University (GMU), Washington DC. He
specializes in international finance with
particular reference to the developing
Asia-Pacific region, is the Managing Editor
of the Journal of International Commerce,
Economics and Policy and sits on the
Editorial Board of various other academic
journals.
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June 2011
Book Launch 'The Dynamics of Asian Labour Markets'
On July 29 the Centre for Asian Business collaborated with the UniSA Centre
for Human Resource Management to present the official launch of Professor
John Benson, Head of the School of Management, and Professor Ying Zhu,
Centre for Asian Business Director's most recent publication 'The Dynamics
of Asian Labour Markets. Balancing Control and Flexibility'.
Speakers included Professor Carol Kulik, Director of CHRM, Professor Gerry
Griffin, PVC Division of Business, and Professor Keith Hancock.
Professor Keith Hancock, was Flinders University's third Vice-Chancellor,
and one of its three original professors, in Economics. In 1987, he moved to
the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission, later the Australian
Industrial Relations Commission, and held the offices of Deputy President
and Senior Deputy President, from which he retired in 1997.
Prof Keith Hancock is a leading commentator on Labour Market policy in
Australia, and is currently a Professorial Fellow in the National Institute
of Labour Studies at Flinders University and an Honorary Visiting Fellow in
the School of Economics in the University of Adelaide, where he is studying
aspects of the regulation and deregulation of the labour market.
Published by Routledge, Prof. Benson and Zhu's book fills a major research
gap by exploring the nature, dynamics and functioning of Asian labour
markets in eight major Asian economies, including Japan, South Korea, Hong
Kong, Singapore, China, Vietnam, India and Malaysia. It examines the type of
labour markets that exist in Asia; how they have responded to globalisation;
and how flexible they are to changing social and economic conditions. The
book analyses how the current transformation has impacted on the key
parties, such as employers, employees, trade unions, governments,
organisations and society as a whole, and considers the likely future trends
and developments in Asian labour markets.
CAB Seminar with Dr. Liu Yingqiu
On Monday 27 June the Centre for Asian Business hosted an academic seminar presented by Professor Liu Yingqiu, President of the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), entitled 'Theoretic Mediation on the Relationship between the International Financial Crisis and Neo-Liberalism'. Professor Liu's seminar introduced his personal insights into the background of the GFC and previous financial crises including the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, and China's alternative approach to governmental involvement in the economy, which inspired in-depth debate amongst participants.
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May 2011
Centre for Asian Business Official Launch to the South Australian
public, 12 May
This highly successful event, held in the Bradley Forum, was attended
by a wide variety of business-community and government representatives, as well
as many Division of Business researchers. Distinguished guests included Hon Jack
Snelling, Treasurer and Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education,
Mr. Hieu Van Le AO, Lieutenant Governor of South Australia and Chairman of the
South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission, and Adelaide City
Councillor Houssam Abiad.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Peter Hoj, Pro Vice Chancellor Prof. Gerry Griffin, and
Centre for Asian Business Director Prof. Ying Zhu each expressed their visions
for the future of the Centre, stressing an extension of the impact of the
Centre's research through local and regional academic, business and governmental
collaboration, and the fostering of strong relationships with Australian and
international academic institutions, business councils, and industry and
governmental bodies.
Please see the
Media
Release and
UniSA News Article concerning the event.
April 2011
Visiting Academic: Dr. Peter Verhezen, Principal of Verhezen & Associates
Ltd, 19 April
In April the Centre for Asian Business hosted Dr. Peter Verhezen,
Principal of Verhezen & Associates Ltd, a Jakarta-based management
consulting company with offices in Singapore, Bangkok and Antwerp,
specialising in Integrated Risk Management, Corporate Governance and
Strategy.
Dr. Verhezen presented a public seminar entitled 'Corporate Governance, Strategies and Risk Assessment for Doing
Business in Asia', focussing on the importance of cultural
intelligence in developing business leaders who are adept at navigating the
complex personal, institutional, political, social and economic environments
within Asia.
Dr. Verhezen examined how Western businesses should
assess their risk appetite when doing business in Asia, and how
corporate and public governance unfolds in Asia and impacts on management
decisions of local and international companies. Additionally, this
business-oriented seminar advised on strategies for applying acquired
skills in building cross-cultural competence, how leadership styles
influence risk management in Asia, and how to demonstrate greater cultural
intelligence when doing business in Asia.
Joint CAB-AIBC Business Forum, 8 April
2010 Events:
December 2010
CAB Sponsorship of Keynote
Address, ANZAM Conference 2010
The Centre for Asian Business sponsored
Professor Sri Zaheer's keynote address at
the this year's Australian and New Zealand
Academy of Management (ANZAM) Conference,
'Managing for Unknowable Futures', hosted by
the UniSA Division of Business.
Professor Zaheer, who holds the Elmer L.
Andersen Chair in Global Corporate Social
Responsibility, and is the Associate Dean of
Faculty and Research at the
Carlson School of Management, University of
Minnesota, presented to conference
delegates on Thursday 9 December, at the
Intercontinental Hotel, Adelaide.
November 2010
Visiting Academic: Professor Bruce Stening, Peking University, 22-25 November
The Centre for Asian Business hosted
Professor Bruce Stening, Professor of Management and Vlerick
International Dean to the BiMBA program at Peking University, between
November 22-25. During his visit, Professor Stening hosted both a strategic
roundtable discussion and seminar, and contributed to collaborative research
projects with both CAB and IGSB researchers. Professor Stening's seminar,
entitled 'Rethinking China: How a Silent Revolution is Transforming the
Middle Kingdom', examined the profound impact that Web 2.0 has had on
business in and with China, and was met with great interest and discussion
from both UniSA and University of Adelaide academics, as well as three
Austrade representatives.
Visiting Academic: Professor Malcolm Warner, University of
Cambridge, 8-12 November
In collaboration with the School of Management, the Centre for Asian
Business
invited
Professor Malcolm Warner,
Emeritus Professor and Fellow at Wolfson College, and Senior Research Fellow
at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, to engage in a week of
seminars, workshops and meetings with Division staff and students.
The focus of these events was Professor Warner's CAB Seminar, entitled 'Culture and Management in Asia',
which painted a 'broad-brush picture' of research concerning culture and
management in Asia, based on the main themes and contributions of writers in
the field over the past three decades. Drawing on personal experiences and
research, Prof. Warner commented on the relationship between culture and
management in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Vietnam, among others. He also discussed his own empirical work
in a number of Asian countries, and as well as his role in promoting
research as Co-Editor of the Asia Pacific Business Review.
October 2010
Collaborative Workshop: 'Globalization, Growth and
Governance',
Singapore
The Centre for Asian Business (CAB) again collaborated with the National
University of Singapore's Institute for Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) and
George Mason University's Center for Emerging Market Policies (CEMP) in
organising and presenting a day-long workshop entitled 'Globalization,
Growth and Governance' on October 13th.
The Singapore-based workshop brought together academics from five
universities to focus on themes such as Corporate Governance, Finance and
Capital Flows, and Entrepreneurship and SMEs in Asia. Joining eight other
leading academics from Asia and the United States, CAB Research Affiliate Mr. Ron McIver
presented his paper 'The Changing Geographic Location and Industrial
Composition of Large Listed Companies: The Impact of the Global Financial
Crisis', and CAB Associate Director
Dr. Tony Cavoli
discussed his study of 'Patterns of Economic Integration in Asia'.
Both the Workshop and Dinner proved successful events, encouraging
high-level and diverse academic debate, networking activities, and the
opportunity to showcase the new Centre for Asian Business to the region.
Negotiations are now underway to publish the Workshop proceedings.
Visiting Professional: Mr. Phil Ingram, Senior Trade
Commissioner, Austrade Hong Kong
The Centre hosted Mr. Phil Ingram, Austrade Hong Kong's
Senior Trade Commissioner, in a morning tea and roundtable discussion on
August 6. Mr. Ingram provided CAB affiliates with an insight into both Austrade and Hong Kong's role in the internationalisation of East Asian
business, and the opportunities for Australian investment in the region.
Discussions focussed on the role of culture in business and Australian
perceived cultural neutrality, and the opportunities for both business
research, and educational expansion, into Hong Kong.
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May 2010
Collaborative Workshop on Issues in Financial Development, Regulation,
Governance and Integration in Asia
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, 19 May 2010
The Centre for Asian Business celebrated its first
international collaboration through involvement in the Workshop on Issues in
Financial Development, Regulation, Governance and Integration in Asia. UniSA
collaborated with the National University of Singapore's Institute for Southeast
Asian Studies (ISEAS), George Mason University's Center for
Emerging Market Policies (CEMP) and
Cornell University's
South East Asia Program in planning, coordinating and presenting this
day-long workshop.
The workshop addressed pressing business and financial issues within the
fields of Financial Development and Governance, the Global Financial Crisis
and Credit Crunch, Financial Regionalism and Capital Flows in Asia, and
Economic Integration in Asia. UniSA Senior Lecturer and CAB Associate
Director
Dr. Tony Cavoli presented his paper
'Extent of Real Financial Integration in Asia: Some Patterns and Stylised Facts',
and was joined by academics from across East Asia and the United States in
chairing discussion sessions, and presenting high-quality academic
research.