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Article
Publication date: 2 September 2014

Christopher Bajada and Rowan Trayler

The social and economic disadvantages confronted by many Indigenous Australians are well known. A close look at Indigenous employment highlights that Indigenous Australians are…

1441

Abstract

Purpose

The social and economic disadvantages confronted by many Indigenous Australians are well known. A close look at Indigenous employment highlights that Indigenous Australians are substantially under-represented in the technical and professional areas of business and management. Closing the gap and improving the social and economic outcomes requires a greater focus in these areas. The purpose of this paper is to outline the design of an innovative undergraduate business degree for Indigenous students that: meets the targets set by government, produces the “T-shaped” graduate expected by business (disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge and soft skills), addresses the employment needs of the Indigenous community and provides the building blocks for Indigenous students to enrol in post-graduate business courses. Australians is well known. A close look at Indigenous employment highlights that Indigenous Australians are substantially under-represented in the technical and professional areas of business and management. Closing the gap and improving the social and economic outcomes requires a greater focus in these areas. This paper outlines the design of an innovative undergraduate business degree for Indigenous students that: (i) meets the targets set by government; (ii) produces the “T-shaped” graduate expected by business (disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge and soft skills); (iii) addresses the employment needs of the Indigenous community; and (iv) provides the building blocks for Indigenous students to enrol in post-graduate business courses.

Design/methodology/approach

The development of the Bachelor of Business Administration (Indigenous) provided an opportunity to address the needs of Indigenous Australians in a curriculum that is not only interdisciplinary but also taught by indigenous and non-Indigenous academics. The paper outlines how the review was shaped, the innovative mode of delivery and the interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum. Administration (Indigenous) provided an opportunity to address the needs of Indigenous Australians in a curriculum that is not only interdisciplinary but also taught by indigenous and non-Indigenous academics.

Findings

This course provides an integrated approach to business education focusing on the professional, technical and managerial roles in business that is in such short supply in Indigenous communities. The course contextualises the study of business within an Indigenous perspective to demonstrate how Indigenous studies not only contributes to empowering the individual but also how business education plays a critical role in repositioning Indigenous people in their local communities and society more broadly empowering the individual but also how business education plays a critical role in repositioning Indigenous people in their local communities and society more broadly.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates an integrated approach to business education focusing on the professional, technical and managerial roles in business that are in short supply in Indigenous communities.

Article
Publication date: 4 September 2017

Kerry Anne Bodle, Mirela Malin and Andrew Wynhoven

The purpose of this paper is to investigate students’ experiences of, and attitudes on, the use of technology – in the form of ePortfolio – as an assessment tool. The authors seek…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate students’ experiences of, and attitudes on, the use of technology – in the form of ePortfolio – as an assessment tool. The authors seek to determine whether ePortfolios aid students in facilitating critical reflection on their learning and academic skill development. The authors also determine whether ePortfolios can provide an alternative assessment tool to the traditional assessment practices in the accounting and business discipline.

Design/methodology/approach

This study surveys students enrolled in an indigenous business course using questions on the usability of ePortfolios, technical support and effectiveness in critical reflection and learning. Formal evaluations were included to capture students’ self-reflections on their ePortfolio experience. The analysis included analysis of variance, t-tests, correlations and hierarchical regression.

Findings

Results indicated that students show positive attitudes toward ePortfolios even after controlling for possible confounding variables such as previous experience, attitudes and accessibility. The authors also found that ePortfolios are a useful vehicle for enhancing students’ learning and understanding of indigenous knowledge in a business context. They were also found to facilitate students’ ability to critically reflect, engage in learning and develop their academic skills.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study could benefit those working in higher education, particularly accounting academics in Australian universities, and the adaptation of ePortfolios in a blended learning environment, and contribute to pedagogical knowledge regarding indigenous business issues. Academics could design the curriculum of the accounting courses within the commerce programme that addresses programme learning objectives to align with graduate employability outcomes.

Practical implications

This study provides a foundation for improving the design and assessment of written communication activities in accounting courses to achieve employability skills outcomes commensurate with university accreditation criteria. This could be achieved with the development of a community of practice developed by the professional accounting bodies in collaboration with Australian universities.

Originality/value

The research is not wholly new, although the use of ePortfolios in accounting education is not widely reported and, therefore, may be of interest to those in advancing the accounting education agenda. In light of the recent call by Australian professional accounting bodies, ePortfolios can provide accounting graduates the non-technical or soft skills such as communication, interpersonal and critical thinking.

Details

Accounting Research Journal, vol. 30 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1030-9616

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2024

Mark Jones, Pauline Stanton and Mark Rose

This paper focuses on First Peoples Founders of for-profit entities in Australia and the role of the Indigenous Economic Development Agencies (IEDAs). We explore the challenges…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper focuses on First Peoples Founders of for-profit entities in Australia and the role of the Indigenous Economic Development Agencies (IEDAs). We explore the challenges facing First Peoples enterprises, influenced by historical exclusion from white settler society, and the practices of the IEDAs from the perspectives of Founders and agencies.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative study utilising Indigenous Standpoint Theory and Indigenous research methods, elevating Founder perspectives, in the Yaruwu language - the Nilangany Ngarrungunil, owners of knowledge, to that of research collaborators.

Findings

The First Peoples economic landscape is continually evolving with IEDAs contributing to that evolution despite contentious identity ownership definitions. Founders secure in their own identity, are focused on self-determination and opportunities provided by IEDAs, government and corporate sector policies. However, opportunities are undermined by ongoing racism, discrimination and prevailing stereotypes leading to homogeneity, invisibility and exclusion. Founders question organisational commitments to overcoming systemic exclusion in particular their commitment to building respectful relationships and understanding First Peoples ways of working. Instead, Founders focus on building a sustainable First Peoples economic ecosystem through relationship-based practices rather than transactional reconciliation which ignores the reality of the lived experience of everyday racism.

Originality/value

This study extends the scholarly discourse on First Peoples for-profit enterprise success written with an Indigenous voice. We demonstrate how this Founder generation are strengthened by culture with identity infused in organisational practices underpinning their aspirations of economic self-determination.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 43 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 April 2024

Farzana Aman Tanima, Lee Moerman, Erin Jade Twyford, Sanja Pupovac and Mona Nikidehaghani

This paper illuminates our journey as accounting educators by exploring accounting as a technical, social and moral practice towards decolonising ourselves. It lays the…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper illuminates our journey as accounting educators by exploring accounting as a technical, social and moral practice towards decolonising ourselves. It lays the foundations for decolonising the higher education curriculum and the consequences for addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper focuses on the potential to foster a space for praxis by adopting dialogism-in-action to understand our transformative learning through Jindaola [pronounced Jinda-o-la], a university-based Aboriginal knowledge program. A dialogic pedagogy provided the opportunity to create a meaningful space between us as academics, the Aboriginal Knowledge holder and mentor, the other groups in Jindaola and, ultimately, our accounting students. Since Jindaola privileged ‘our way’ as the pedagogical learning process, we adopt autoethnography to share and reflect on our experiences. Making creative artefacts formed the basis for building relationships, reciprocity and respect and represents our shared journey and collective account.

Findings

We reveal our journey of “holding to account” by analysing five aspects of our lives as critical accounting academics – the overarching conceptual framework, teaching, research, governance and our physical landscape. In doing so, we found that Aboriginal perspectives provide a radical positioning to the colonial legacies of accounting practice.

Originality/value

Our journey through Jindaola contemplates how connecting with Country and engaging with Aboriginal ways of knowing can assist educators in meaningfully addressing the SDGs. While not providing a panacea or prescription for what to do, we use ‘our way’ as a story of our commitment to transformative change.

Details

Meditari Accountancy Research, vol. 32 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-372X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 March 2018

Brian Poole

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programmes currently offered by UK universities are appropriate to the needs of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programmes currently offered by UK universities are appropriate to the needs of all stakeholders, including those of the experienced business and management professionals who enrol on them.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper proceeds to its conclusions by scrutinising DBA programme descriptors on UK university websites, by critically reviewing the content of recent academic papers on doctorates in the fields of business and management, and by considering current provision in the light of ongoing debates about the nature of “doctorateness” taking place in the field of doctoral education as a whole.

Findings

On the basis of a detailed review of relevant scholarly literature and of UK university website material, the paper concludes by suggesting, among other things, three possible futures for the DBA: one in which essentially the status quo prevails; a second in which all doctorates carry the award title PhD (though with two variants); and a third in which, in response to views expressed elsewhere in Europe, the current “professional doctorate” in business administration is no longer referred to as a “doctorate” but takes on a new title.

Originality/value

This paper is an original contribution to the debate about the value and purpose of professional doctorates (and, in particular of the DBA) to the professional development of experienced managers and to their skills in research and workplace problem solving and decision making.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 8 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 July 2011

Roslyn Cameron and Jose F. Molina‐Azorin

The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of mixed methods research across several business and management fields and to gauge the level of acceptance of mixed…

5780

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of mixed methods research across several business and management fields and to gauge the level of acceptance of mixed methods within these fields.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology employed for this study involved synthesizing the findings from six large‐scale methodological scans of business and management discipline journals in seven fields: marketing, international business, strategic management, organizational behaviour, operations management, entrepreneurship and human resource management.

Findings

The study finds that quantitative studies dominate all seven fields (76 per cent of empirical articles) followed by mixed methods (14 per cent of empirical articles) and qualitative studies (10 per cent of empirical articles). In applying the framework for acceptance levels, it would seem there exists minimal acceptance of mixed methods across these fields.

Research limitations/implications

The study has limitations related to the coverage of different disciplines and differences in sample sets. More extensive research is planned for the future and will involve an expanded mixed method prevalence rate study across additional business and management fields.

Practical implications

The growing use of mixed methods has practical implications for research training and capacity building within business schools. The study points to the need to develop research capacity through the introduction of postgraduate courses in mixed methods and advanced research skills training for existing researchers.

Originality/value

Mixed methods is a relatively new and emerging methodological movement. This paper attempts to gauge the use and level of acceptance of mixed methods across a diverse range of business and management discipline areas.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 19 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 October 2009

Zane Ma Rhea

This paper examines some of the issues associated with and the possibilities of incorporating Indigenous perspectives into courses on international business. Studies in the area…

2302

Abstract

This paper examines some of the issues associated with and the possibilities of incorporating Indigenous perspectives into courses on international business. Studies in the area of international education in business have a responsibility towards developing in management students an understanding of the international frameworks that protect the rights of Indigenous peoples. In order to develop effective business partnerships with Indigenous people students training in business schools require an understanding of business ethic, cross‐cultural and leadership skills. This paper provides a framework that can strengthen students’ abilities to develop sustainable partnerships in securing an economic future for all communities on this planet.

Details

Journal of International Education in Business, vol. 2 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-469X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 February 2023

Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Norol Hamiza Zamzuri, Tengku Intan Suzila Tengku Sharif and Bung-on Chartrungruang

This study aims to investigate the Malaysian Mah Meri Indigenous tourism entrepreneur’s personality, experience, sense of community traits and current challenges in…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the Malaysian Mah Meri Indigenous tourism entrepreneur’s personality, experience, sense of community traits and current challenges in community-based tourism (CBT)-related businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather data from 10 Indigenous tourism entrepreneurs. Data were analysed using the NVivo 11 software.

Findings

The qualitative content analysis found three broad themes. Firstly, the authors found that the Mah Meri community possesses unique self-efficacy personality characteristics, significantly predicting their unsustainable entrepreneurial behaviours. Secondly, they are willing to share their values, beliefs and interests in their business offerings, which reflect their sense of community. Even with considerable entrepreneurial experience through learning from local wisdom and upskilling efforts by the government, the authors found that the community limitation mainly concerns the lack of early education, uninventive entrepreneurship practices and financial assistance.

Practical implications

This study provides an improved understanding of the Indigenous business environment for policymakers and Indigenous entrepreneurs. We found entrepreneurial personality, experience, sense of community determine and structure their CBT entrepreneurial activities.

Originality/value

This study provides a new perspective on Indigenous tourism entrepreneurs’ personalities, experiences, sense of community traits and challenges. The study also suggests encouraging sustainable Indigenous entrepreneurship practices for economic development, self-determination and community sustainability.

Details

Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, vol. 18 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6204

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 June 2011

Glenice J. Wood and Marilyn J. Davidson

Research in indigenous small business entrepreneurship in Australia is sparse. This paper aims to provide a review of the available literature culminating in a comprehensive model…

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Abstract

Purpose

Research in indigenous small business entrepreneurship in Australia is sparse. This paper aims to provide a review of the available literature culminating in a comprehensive model of characteristics, motivations and potential barriers to entrepreneurial activity.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of a literature review.

Findings

“Push” factors were predominant as motivators for setting up business ventures and were strongly linked to the desire to improve severe disadvantage through very poor economic situations and negative racial stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice as well as addressing the needs of their community. Potential barriers to business development included lack of formal education, prior work experience, language barriers, culture conflicts and problems attaining sufficient finance. Female indigenous entrepreneurs faced both gender and racial discrimination.

Practical implications

This paper concludes with some suggestions on future research and government and policy directions to encourage indigenous Australian entrepreneurship as a means of economic development for this population.

Originality/value

The paper presents a unique comprehensive review and model of both male and female Australian indigenous entrepreneurs.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal, vol. 26 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 September 2011

Sharon Turnbull

Leadership theories that inform business education have largely been rooted in Western conceptions of leadership. The purpose of this paper is to report on research that seeks to…

1516

Abstract

Purpose

Leadership theories that inform business education have largely been rooted in Western conceptions of leadership. The purpose of this paper is to report on research that seeks to uncover and reflect on how leadership wisdoms originating beyond the Western world can support the radical transformation of global business education toward a more responsible and sustainable template. It argues that indigenous and Eastern ideologies will be needed if we are to change educational mindsets and challenge the obsolete model of Western business school education.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 45 in‐depth interviews with leaders from indigenous and non‐Western cultures were conducted in order to gain deep insights into how their leadership identities, values and behaviours have been shaped by their societies and the oral wisdoms in their cultures. The author also draws on interviews and observations of 26 executives participating in a class of the International Masters Programme in Practicing Management. The findings from each study were combined to propose how these might challenge and inform a future business school curricula that challenge its orthodoxy of “shareholder value above all else”.

Findings

The research identified a number of embedded leadership wisdoms currently overlooked in the current model of business education. Based within a deep‐rooted ethic of responsibility, conviction, stewardship and sustainability and reflecting a cosmopolitan mindset, the critical knowledge and values embedded in indigenous communities, transmitted orally across many generations, provides a challenge to Western business schools to embed the knowledge found within those societies and communities toward a more sustainable response to the crisis of our planet. Responsibility, humanity, benevolence, trusteeship, contribution, honesty and conviction are some of the core “wisdoms” uncovered in the research that can inform and frame a radical rethink of the norms of business school curricula.

Originality/value

The current model of business education preserves the status quo of twenty‐first century capitalism. As globalisation advances, leaders appear to be powerless to act against a dominant ideology that reveres shareholder value above all else. The research builds on De Woot's critique of the shareholder value paradigm to suggest that a new form of business education based on leadership wisdoms in indigenous and oral cultures, and ancient texts has much to contribute to radical mindset change in business education.

Details

Journal of Global Responsibility, vol. 2 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2041-2568

Keywords

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