MBS Media coverage

Raising the rates

ABC Goulburn Murray - Mornings, 09 October 2009
Paul Kerin from Melbourne Business School discusses banks increasing their interest rates to match the RBA's increase on Tuesday. He also discusses the reduction in the number of non-bank lenders over the past two years.

Myer a 'nothing' brand that could eat itself - expert

news.com.au, 08 October 2009
MYER is in danger of becoming a "nothing" brand that risks cannibalising itself with an aggressive growth strategy of 15 proposed new stores. The chain has also disguised falling sales by adding in the revenue made by companies who rent store space, according to one expert. The department chain’s marketing and sales figures are the latest links of the prospectus to be criticised ahead of the multi-billion dollar float that one fund manager has already called "mutton dressed up as lamb". The company's branding problem stems from trying to be "all things to all people", Melbourne Business School’s Jody Evans says. Read the full article.

What I’m working on

AFR Boss Magazine, pg 54, 08 October 2009
MBS Professor of organisational behaviour Karen Jehn discusses her research. She says “I research things that are a bit controversial – we want to understand dishonesty and what people think about it. Our research looked at the airline industry. There’s something about airlines that makes them more susceptible to being perceived as deceitful.”

Lie to me

6PR Perth, 07 October 2009
MBS Professor Karen Jehn discusses her research into lying and – in particular – how to tell when you are being lied to.

Rates Rise

ABC2 News Breakfast, 07 October 2009
Melbourne Business School’s Professor Paul Kerin talks about the Reserve Bank’s decision to increase interest rates yesterday. Kerin says the RBA made the right decision and that the RBA should be focused on keeping inflation in check.

Existing mortgages cost more

The Australian , pg 6, 06 October 2009
Research showing that banks charge their home-loan customers a higher variable rate than the average offered to new borrowers has ignited a controversy over the cost of switching mortgages. Melbourne Business School academic Joshua Gans, who petitioned the government in July for another financial system inquiry, said the survey confirmed there was healthy competition for new mortgage customers but not for those already tied to a bank.

Businesses hit back with 'fighter brands'

cnn.com, 05 October 2009
When the economy gets tough, the tough come out fighting. For some businesses, that means bringing out a fighter brand - a cut-price version of a flagship product, marketed under a new name, and intended to fight back against budget competitors. When it's done right it can destroy cut-price competition, but done badly it can drive a business to the brink of bankruptcy. Mark Ritson, associate professor at Melbourne Business School, has written an article for the October issue of Harvard Business Review discussing the benefits and pitfalls of launching a fighter brand. He says that over the next six months a number of new fighter brands are likely to appear in response to the recession. Read the full article.

Right you are

Sydney Morning Herald, pg 2, 02 October 2009
Research by the Melbourne Business School has found that organisations could benefit not by being honest but rather by appearing to be honest. The school's Professor Karen Jehn has found that in 80 per cent of cases, customers thought they were being lied to when they were in reality being told the truth.

Staying Connected

Charter Magazine, pg 28, 01 October 2009
As the world gets more hectic and the demands on our time increase, we need to remember to invest time in staying connected. According to Ian Williamson, professor of management at the Melbourne Business School, networking is critical for accountants because of the intangible nature of services.

The resilient see opportunity

BRW, pg 45, 01 October 2009
Business leaders who succeed in the face of adversity share a common characteristic: resilience. An essential quality for business leaders in the current economic environment will be resilience, a program director at Melbourne Business School’s Mt Eliza executive education arm, Cris Popp says.

Bank targets students

Australian Financial Review, pg 29, 28 September 2009
The National Australia Bank is targeting master of business administration students in an attempt to uncover future employees with diverse backgrounds, experiences and thinking styles. Following the success of an internship program in Melbourne this year, Melbourne Business School student Stuart Moseley now works two and a half days a week with NAB and spends the rest of his time completing his MBA. His analytical experience was exactly what NAB’s human resource department was looking for.

There should be less government intervention, not more

Paul Kerin, The Australian, pg 30, 14 September 2009
Many claim that the global financial crisis has slain the most important economic theory of the last half-century - the efficient markets hypothesis (EMH) - and, therefore, that much more government intervention in financial markets is necessary, writes MBS Professor Paul Kerin. Read the full article.

The mood’s good, but the cash must dash

Australian Financial Review, pg 4, 12 September 2009
Despite the recent Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index rising 5.2 percent this month, retail sales are not reflecting this level of confidence, falling 1 per cent in July. However, Melbourne Business School’s Paul Kerin says improved news on unemployment should help sales.

intelligence

Wealth Creator, pg 6, 11 September 2009
While the stock market has rallied from the lows of early 2009 there is still debate about whether what is being witnessed is a proper ‘recovery’ or a momentary false dawn before a second slide. In other words, will the recovery be shaped like a V or a W? Melbourne Business School associate professor Mark Crosby said he was unsure that the recovery could be characterised by either letter.

More working part time

ABC2 News Breakfast, 11 September 2009
Melbourne Business School Associate Professor Mark Crosby discusses unemployment figures. Crosby says full time jobs have steadily declined and more people are working part time. He notes that most economists think unemployment will continue to rise.

Where could I be taking my MBS? The overseas option

Toronto Star, 10 September 2009
Canadian and MBS alumnus Jeffrey Spivock, explains his decision to pursue his MBA at Melbourne Business School. “Australia, for me, offered the perfect setting to mix a Western MBA education in a setting that was extremely focused towards Asia's emerging and emerged markets," he says. Read the full article.

Recovery checklist

BRW, pg 27, 09 September 2009
Don’t forget to review your supplier relationships as we begin the recovery process. Supply costs can add up to 75 per cent of a manufacturing company’s annual revenue and up to 40 per cent for a service company, Melbourne Business School’s Marc Stigter says "renegotiating contracts or enforcing price reductions on suppliers can be a critical quick win in reducing costs and strengthening the bottom line during a downturn”.

The art of lying

ABC 936 Hobart, 09 September 2009
Melbourne Business School Professor Karen Jehn talks about the art of lying and of telling the truth convincingly. Jehn talks about lying in the business world and how one can tell by body language, and how it is harder to tell if someone is lying over the phone.

The new business models

BRW, pg 38, 09 September 2009
Universities and business schools have helped create the “myth of the professional manager”, says Rob Burke from Mt Eliza Executive Education. It’s a breed with short-term goals and a generic set of transferable skills that can be applied regardless of sector or experience. But business schools and their students are raising their eyes from the short term and starting to look further ahead. And they are beginning to see the need for a corporate health checklist Burke says, that is not simply financial but social, economic, political, legal, ethical and moral.

Finance update

ABC2 News Breakfast, 28 August 2009
Melbourne Business School’s Associate Professor Mark Crosby says that in Australia more people were willing to invest in the last quarter. He says that some believe this is due to the stimulus package.