Subject areas

Accounting

The discipline's research profile is diverse, reflecting its pioneering contribution to the decision-usefulness debate, extant research paradigms and emerging research areas. Thus, members of the Accounting Discipline are actively pursuing research into:

• the role of accounting information in decision making in private sector and public sector settings
• the role of 'fundamentals' in explaining market value and takeovers
• analysing corporate collapses and identifying the role of accounting
• directors' obligations and accountability
• the economic impact of and corporate responses to accounting regulation
• the role of accounting in corporate governance regimes
• international accounting
• inflation accounting
• extended reporting, including environmental and social reporting and accounting for intellectual capital
• accounting history
• public sector accounting and accountability
• human judgement and decision making
• accounting information systems
• technologies and processes
• design of accounting information systems
• the context and accounting for superannuation
• auditing and oversight.

Through the MEAFA research group, the Accounting Discipline also participates in a cross-disciplinary research training scheme with Finance, Econometrics and Operations Management, for those who wish to focus on financial analysis research using advanced quantitative methods, including the modelling and forecasting of financial statement information, disclosures for capital markets, corporate restructuring transactions, audit fees and credit ratings (see sydney.edu.au/business/research/meafa).

Further enquiries

Professor Stuart McLeay
Postgraduate Coordinator (Research)
Discipline of Accounting
Economics and Business Building, H69
The University of Sydney, NSW 2006
Phone: +61 2 9036 9061/9351 8988
Fax: +61 2 9351 6638
Email: stuart.mcleay@sydney.edu.au

Business Analytics

Members of the Discipline of Business Analytics have expertise in the quantitative modelling, analysis and testing of various problems and issues arising in the contexts of business, finance, accounting and marketing. Research is undertaken at both the theoretical and the empirical levels, the latter using a wide range of local and international, as well as very large, data sources. The general areas of active research in the Discipline of Business Analytics are:

• Financial time series and risk management
• Forecasting financial, business and economic outcomes
• Applied econometrics and business statistics
• Bayesian and computational econometrics and statistics
• Operations management
• Operations research
• Scheduling
• Supply chain management

Information on specific areas of current research within these general areas is available upon request from the Postgraduate Research Coordinator.

Further enquiries

Associate Professor Richard Gerlach
Postgraduate Coordinator (Research)
Discipline of Operations Management and Econometrics
Merewether Building, H04
The University of Sydney, NSW 2006
Phone: +61 2 9351 3944
Fax: +61 2 9351 6409
Email: R.Gerlach@econ.usyd.edu.au

Business Information Systems

With a commitment to practice-based industry relevant inquiry our research and teaching is centred on the analysis and understanding of the entirety of an organisation's strategies, information management, decision-making and business processes and the introduction of innovation and improvement through the application of information technologies. Adopting a holistic approach our research has four broad themes:

1. Structures and services

Understanding the contribution of IS to the development of new intra- and inter- organisational business modes

Specific areas of interest include:

• eGovernment
• eCommerce
• Enterprise systems
• Application Service Provision
• Electronic records
• Collaboration & organisational teams

2. Modelling and management

Applying and enhancing methodologies and tools to assist organisations improve their performance.

Specific areas of interest include:

• Identity management
• Digital information design and management
• Business process management
• Project management

3. Intelligence and innovation

Increasing the capabilities of organisations to identify novel ways apply IS in their business

Specific areas of interest include:

• Innovation
• Business intelligence
• Environmental sustainability

4. Law and assurance

Developing strategies, policies and practices for the management of information over its entire lifecycle

Specific areas of interest include:

• Information policy
• Information risk and assurance
• Information technology governance

Further enquiries

Dr Mark Borman
Postgraduate Coordinator (Research)
Discipline of Business Information Systems
Economics and Business Building, H69
The University of Sydney, NSW 2006
Phone: +61 2 9036 9053
Fax: +61 2 9351 7294
Email: mark.borman@sydney.edu.au

Business Law

The Discipline of Business Law provides supervision at the intersection of law and business. We welcome cross-disciplinary proposals. Members of staff have expertise in other disciplines such as accounting, economics, financial crime, history, and jurisprudence.

Much of our research is comparative and international and there is an emphasis on creating and protecting legal rights, regulation, risk and compliance, governance, education and ethics.

In particular, we have research expertise in:

• Contracts, torts, property; issues around consumers and marketing; sale of goods; the new Australian Consumer law; franchising; employment/industrial law, employment regulation and the public sector; electronic commerce and internet law; innovation and competition; intellectual property and personal property; international business; Indian legal system; Chinese tax; Chinese business regulation; and comparative business law between China and common law countries;
• Corporations: corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and business ethics; corporate structures and practice; corporate jurisprudence; corporate insolvency; mergers and takeovers; continuous disclosure; insider trading and market misconduct; comparative corporations law;
• Finance: financial services (which includes Chapter 7 products such as insurance, managed investments and superannuation), retail clients; credit; capital markets, banking and finance (including private banking and off shore financial laws), international financial crime, money laundering and terrorist financing;
• Taxation: income, companies and shareholders, entities and consolidated groups; trusts; business tax planning; taxation administration and compliance; cash economy and tax evasion; tax policy and tax jurisprudence; and asset protection.

Further enquiries

Associate Professor David Chaikin
Postgraduate Coordinator (Research)
Discipline of Business Law
Economics and Business Building, H69
The University of Sydney, NSW 2006

Phone: +61 2 90367132
Fax: +61 2 9351 7473
Email: D.Chaikin@econ.usyd.edu.au

Finance

The Discipline of Finance provides PhD supervision in both theoretical and applied research in finance. The PhD cohort is about 35 to 40 students. We rarely offer places in the MPhil program. This is because demand for the PhD program is so strong that we need all of our supervisors for PhD students.

The main research strengths of the Finance Discipline are in security market microstructure, corporate finance, and modelling in relation to financial time series, volatility and risk. There is also a limited capacity to supervise topics in behavioural finance, decision theory, and quantitative finance. Further details are given below, but prospective students should review the publications of Finance Discipline staff members on the Business School website. This should be done in order to ensure that there is a correspondence between the student’s research interest and the research interests of potential supervisors.

Through links to the Securities Industry Research Centre (SIRCA), the Capital Markets Co-operative Research Centre (CMCRC), and the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), the Finance Discipline has access to exceptionally rich financial databases. Industry contacts also provide opportunities to undertake industry linked research, which may provide very generous scholarship opportunities for exceptional students.

Securities Market Microstructure

The Finance Discipline is widely recognised for its research in security market microstructure. This research looks at how securities markets operate and examines ways of increasing their efficiency, liquidity, and integrity. Research in security market microstructure also assists in understanding the behaviour of security prices.

Corporate Finance

The Finance Discipline offers opportunities for research in areas of corporate finance such as, capital budgeting, valuation, the cost of capital, capital structure, dividend policy, takeovers, and financial distress.

Modelling Financial Time Series, Volatility and Risk

The Finance Discipline has research expertise in modelling financial times series. This expertise extends to risk management, modelling volatility in asset prices, the term structure of interest rates, and exchange rate behaviour.

Other areas

The Finance Discipline offers supervision of topics in mathematical and econometric modelling in finance, in behavioural finance, and in statistical decision theory applied to finance. However, only a very small number of places are available for these topics.

Other research activities

The Discipline of Finance, in association with SIRCA, the CMCRC, and the ASX, has attracted considerable research funding, amounting to many millions of dollars. This money is used to fund generous scholarships and research infrastructure. The discipline runs an active seminar and research workshop series, which attracts distinguished scholars both from Australia and abroad.

Competitive entry

Entry to the Finance Discipline's PhD program is highly competitive. Several hundred students make enquiries to the PhD coordinator each year but only five to ten places are available annually. Consequently, a first class honours degree is a minimum requirement for entry to the finance PhD program.

Full-time study

The Finance Discipline only offers places for full-time study.

Advice to overseas students

In assessing applications from overseas students we are looking for excellent grades from quality institutions, and excellent written and spoken English, We also want the student to be research-ready. Being research-ready means that the student already has the skills and understanding necessary to undertake a PhD thesis, and hence the entry requirement that the student has already completed as substantial research thesis. Overseas applicants need to pay particular attention to demonstrating how they meet these requirements.

Further enquiries

Associate Professor Graham Partington
Postgraduate Coordinator (Research)
Discipline of Finance
Economics and Business Building, H69
The University of Sydney, NSW 2006
Phone: +61 2 9036 9429
Fax: +61 2 9351 6461
Email: Graham.Partington@ sydney.edu.au

International Business

Research expertise in international business is available in the following areas:

• International business strategy
• Foreign investment decisions and entry mode choice
• Cross-cultural management
• International joint ventures, strategic alliances and mergers and acquisitions
• International risk management
• International entrepreneurship and new ventures
• International corporate governance
• Business strategy and organisation in emerging markets
• Ethical issues in international business
• The psychology of strategic decisions
• Negotiations
• Business growth
• Resource allocation

Research expertise is available in a wide range of topics relevant to these areas.

Further enquiries

Associate Professor Catherine Welch
Postgraduate Coordinator (Research)
Discipline of International Business
Institute Building, H03
The University of Sydney NSW 2006

Ph: +61 2 9351 6436
Fax: +61 2 9036 5378
Email: catherine.welch@sydney.edu.au

Marketing

The staff in the Discipline of Marketing use various methods in their research, including qualitative, experimental, and quantitative approaches. The primary areas of research in the discipline reflect the particular interests and expertise of staff. The substantial research areas include the following:

Consumer behaviour

• Children and consumption
• Consumer adoption processes; identity negotiation; learning
• Consumption of sporting events; symbolism; systems
• Cross cultural consumer behaviour
• Culture and consumption
• Cultural and consumption transitions
• Environmental psychology
• Gender and consumption
• In-store promotions
• Religion and consumption
• Self concept and persuasion
• Social class and segmentation
• Store layout and design
• Technology and learning
• The role of habit in consumption
• Voluntary lifestyle transition

Strategic marketing

• Brand building
• Business to business marketing
• Corporate and marketing strategy
• Entrepreneurship
• Firm capabilities and marketing strategy
• Marketing metrics
• Networks and relationships in business markets
• Pharmaceutical marketing

International marketing

• International entrepreneurship
• International partnerships and alliances
• International strategy

Further enquiries

Associate Professor Ellen Garbarino
Postgraduate Coordinator (Research)
Discipline of Marketing
Economics and Business Building, H69
The University of Sydney, NSW 2006

Phone: +61 2 9114 0575
Fax: +61 2 9351 6732
Email: ellen.garbarino@sydney.edu.au

Transport and Logistics Management

With so many exciting and important themes available to research and the general shortage of well-trained researchers in transport and logistics, the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS) always encourages inquiries.

ITLS has a large number of research themes, which we believe would make an excellent research program. These can range from highly quantitative to highly qualitative research topics with a focus on basic and applied research.

ITLS has the largest group of postgraduate students in transport management in Australia. Our full-time research students become close members of ITLS and have open access to research facilities and internationally renowned academic staff in transport and logistics.

Facilities for research students at ITLS are excellent. Each full-time student has an individual work area, with full access to computers, printing, photocopying and fax facilities. Students also have access to the ITLS resource collection including leading transport journals, data, and other material.

Students must choose a topic of research related to the interests of ITLS staff. ITLS Sydney encourages research in areas of transport economics, modelling, passenger and freight, planning and management, and in logistics and supply chain management, across all modes.

Many ITLS research and consulting projects involve several aspects and modes of transport management. Areas of doctoral and master's research available at ITLS include:

• Freight infrastructure and operations: ports, railroads and carriers
• Supply chain management
• Logistics and freight management
• Information and pricing management in logistics
• Optimisation in supply chain operations
• Transport economics and management
• Competition and competitive strategy
• GPS and GIS applications in transport and logistics
• Health and environmental impacts of travel choices
• Traffic safety
• Traffic systems
• Understanding and changing travel behaviour
• Travel-demand forecasting
• Transport survey methods
• Ownership and performance
• Travel choice and demand modelling
• Transport and spatial development
• Transport data issues
• Transport policy
• Tourism
• Organisational analysis and human resource management
• Emergency evacuation and management

Further enquiries

Dr Xiaowen Fu
Postgraduate Coordinator (Research)
Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, C37
University of Sydney Business School
The University of Sydney, NSW 2006
Phone: +61 2 9351 0095
Fax: +61 2 9351 0088
Email: xiaowen.fu@sydney.edu.au

Work and Organisational Studies

The Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies (WOS) has a long tradition of research and teaching across several areas of employment relations, organisation studies and management.

All research supervisors in WOS are research active and publish in high impact outputs such as international journals and key scholarly books. WOS has a high quality research culture, host six active research groups, conducts a vibrant speaker series and has strong links with an international network of academics and universities. This culture is very supportive of PhD and Master of Philosophy students and there are many successful graduates from WOS’s research degree program.

Candidates with research interests in the following areas are welcome to contact WOS:

• Work and labour markets
• Unions and collective bargaining
• Human resource management
• Employment relations
• Management strategy and change
• Leadership and sustainability
• Organisations and communication
• Gender and diversity at work.

Further enquiries

Professor Marian Baird
Postgraduate Coordinator (Research)
Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies
The Institute Building, H03
The University of Sydney, NSW 2006
Phone: +61 2 9351 6439
Fax: +61 2 9351 4729
Email: marian.baird@sydney.edu.au