MBS Media coverage

The economic debate is on

PM, Radio National, 02 February 2009
As the budget goes into the red and the economy into recession, the big economic debate is on. On one side the Federal Government seems to favour the Keynesian recipe for beating recessions with big government spending on public works, the Federal Opposition seems to be reviving the economic theories embraced by the Reagan administration in the US. MBS Professor Joshua Gans comments.

The power of humanities

Saturday Extra, Radio National, 31 January 2009
Geraldine Doogue speaks to MBS Philosopher-in-residence John Armstrong and asks if people prefer to read about war and peace or make another visit to a financial advisor.

Infrastructure spending by far the best medicine

Mark Crosby, The Australian Financial Review, pg 59, 30 January 2009
Hand-outs should be a least preferred policy in Australia, but China needs to boost household consumption, writes MBS Associate Professor Mark Crosby.

Bank on change, but not here

The Australian Financial Review, pg 55, 29 January 2009
The speed with which bank nationalism became the hottest global issue surprised everyone. As Joshua Gans from the Melbourne Business School has pointed out, Australia in the 1990s was one of the few places where economists paid serious attention to these issues.

Altruism gains currency in global MBA market

The Australian, pg 6, 27 January 2009
Melbourne Business School associate professor Jenny George said there was growing interest in business sustainability and community among new students and that the school this year was offering internships for students to learn leadership skills in the not-for-profit sector.

MBAs score well in worldwide ranking

The Australian Financial Review, pg 9, 27 January 2009
The salaries of Melbourne Business School graduates on average rose 83 per cent to $173,000 in 2008. Dean John Seybolt said the (Financial Times 2008 MBA Rankings) survey acknowledged the robust employment prospects of the MBA graduates from his school.

Short selling is the oxygen that markets need

Sam Wylie, The Australian Financial Review, pg 55, 27 January 2009
Canny investors must be free to act on information they have about shares, writes MBS Senior Fellow Sam Wylie

Yes, put price fixers behind bars

Paul Kerin, The Australian, pg 22, 26 January 2009
The IPA's report explaining and excusing cartels is taking freemarket economics too far, writes MBS Professor Paul Kerin.

Is government spending the answer?

The Weekend Australian Financial Review , pg 37, 23 January 2009
Fiscal stimulus, whereby governments pump prime the economy to offset slackening private demand, was the remedy prescribed for our sick economy late last year, after the disease infecting the United States became contagious and spread rapidly around the world. “The problem with tax cuts or handouts to consumers is it’s going to lead to a very short-run stimulus. Then you have to do it again. The government ought to be spending more money on infrastructure and not just do handouts as they did last year,” says MBS Professor Mark Crosby.

Anti-dumping system should go

Paul Kerin, The Australian, pg 28, 19 January 2009
The toilet paper saga is a great joke, but it's also a prime example of a serious mistake in economic policy, writes MBS Professor Paul Kerin. Read the full article.

Mixed Fortunes

The Age, pg 1, 17 January 2009
Who will be the winners and losers in the 2009 job market? Many agree that the unemployment rate is rising, and has further to go. Estimates for how high unemployment might go range from the federal Treasury's prediction of a 5 per cent rate in 2009, to the Melbourne Business School's prediction of 8 per cent by 2010.

High-price medicine: the amazing power of Australia's chemists

The Week, pg 40, 16 January 2009
MBS Professor Paul Kerin, says the anti-competitive and over-regulated nature of the pharmacy industry means Australians are paying far more than they should for medication.

Protected shares come at a cost

Paul Kerin, The Australian, pg 28, 12 January 2009
Share-based acquisition bids often fail because the acquirer and the target's board/shareholders value the acquirer's shares differently, writes MBS Professor Paul Kerin in his weekly Australian column. Read the full article.

Courage under fire

Sydney Morning Herald, pg 5, 10 January 2009
This year's job market is promising to be much less friendly than anything we have seen in years. How unfriendly? That depends on who you talk to. Most economists or job market specialists agree the outlook is not as cheery, but there is little consensus on how much unemployment might rise, how tight the job market might get and when it will recover. All agree the unemployment figure is rising and has further to go. Estimates for how high unemployment might go range from the federal Treasury's prediction of 5 per cent in 2009, to as high as 8 per cent by 2010, according to the Melbourne Business School.

The Pursuit of Happiness

ABC 774 Melbourne - The Conversation Hour, 09 January 2009
MBS Philosopher in residence John Armstrong discusses the pursuit of happiness. Armstrong talks about how more attachments, responsibilities and love can cause more suffering, and suggests that it is all about finding a healthy balance.

MBAs produce job and salary results

CFO, pg 22, 05 January 2009
According to data from the Melbourne Business School, the number of students studying a Master of Business Administration has increased and the lead times on job offers is down.

Job threat grows

Sunday Times , pg 67, 04 January 2009
More gloom for WA as manufacturing declines. Manufacturing activity has declined for the seventh straight month - with the biggest falls in WA and Queensland - as demand here and offshore remains in free-fall amid global recession. In a gloomy new year outlook, economists are predicting unemployment could rise through 2009 from its current 4.4 per cent level towards 8 per cent - the worst level in a decade. "Unemployment of 8 per cent in 2010 is on the cards. It's quite likely," the Melbourne Business School's Mark Crosby said.

Looking to the year ahead

Sunday Herald Sun , pg 75, 04 January 2009
Experts give their predictions on what’s in store for the year ahead. MBS Professor Paul Kerin notes that any slowdown will be mild. The real economy will do better than what most pundits are predicting," he said. "GDP growth was about zero in real terms in the last quarter and will go down a bit next year. People are reading too much into the so called financial crisis. "I think there has been a short term effect on the real economy, but that is a short-term effect."

Dole queue to grow as downturn deepens

Northern Territory News , pg 27, 01 January 2009
The global financial crisis could force unemployment towards the one-million mark next financial year, despite further expected dramatic interest rate cuts by the Reserve Bank. In a gloomy new year outlook, economists such as MBS Associate Professor Mark Crosby, are predicting that unemployment could rise through 2009 from its current 4.4 per cent level towards 8 percent.

Eight per cent jobless rate?

4RO Perth, 31 December 2008
Associate Professor Mark Crosby from Melbourne Business School, says the current jobless rate could reach eight percent in 2010. Sharon Burrows, president, ACTU, says while next year is full of promise in terms of workers rights it will also be full of fear among workers.