Celebration for the 10th anniversary of the ANU-Tsinghua Master of Management.

The ANU College of Business and Economics and Tsinghua University recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of their joint Master of Management.

The program is taught by academic staff from the ANU Research School of Management at the School of Continuing Education Tsinghua University campus in Beijing, China.

The ANU-Tsinghua Master of Management, which was recently awarded a Tsinghua Education and Training award for program excellence, celebrated a decade of international collaboration with a formal ceremony held on 3 August 2013 in Beijing.

Associate Professor Chris Jones, Deputy Dean (Education) of the ANU College of Business and Economics, Professor Pam Morrison, Director of the Research School of Management, and Mr Ed Russell from the Research School of Management were among the attendees at the event.

Established in 2003, the graduate coursework program aims to educate and inspire future industry leaders through innovative management theory and practice. The joint Master of Management has attracted some of the best and brightest students as the curriculum benefits from the education and research of not just one, but two, world class institutions.

The ANU-Tsinghua Master of Management has taught experienced professionals from firms spanning a wide range of industries. Each student undertakes two years of part-time study alongside their work commitments.

In the ten years since its establishment the program has produced eight intakes of graduates, consisting of 620 students from 30 provinces of China and more than 200 cities. While 88% of the cohort already held senior management positions, more than 50% reported a further promotion upon graduating. Many others have chosen to continue further postgraduate education and doctorate qualifications.

Local secondary schools visited The Australian National University on Friday 16 August to compete in the 2013 ANU Young Business Leaders Challenge. After three competitive rounds it was Canberra College students Adelaide Carter, Mackenzie Rice and Maggie O'Neill (aka Team AM²) who were announced as this year's winners.

The annual challenge hosted by the ANU College of Business and Economics provides an opportunity for Year 11 and 12 students to apply their understanding of business and economics concepts to real life scenarios. In 2013 the challenge was enhanced through collaboration with family owned company York Foods from Goulburn, New South Wales.

Teams of students from Canberra College, Lake Tuggeranong College, Narrabundah College, Radford College and St Francis Xavier College acted as junior consultants for the day, competing in a range of challenging activities and pitching their ideas to York Foods executives.

Following the first selection round task earlier in the year, where students undertake a mini market research exercise into eating and cooking habits of their friends and family, the top ten qualifying teams were invited to test their business acumen in the on-campus finals.

The day began with short presentations from each team on their research findings. As the students delivered their report observations it was already apparent that this year's contestants were performing to an exceptionally high standard.

Next up, students used their marketing, management and international business expertise to develop an integrated communications strategy for York Foods. Dr Vinh Lu, an international business lecturer at ANU and one of the judges for the challenge, was very impressed by the innovative tactics demonstrated:

"The teams used traditional platforms like print, television and radio advertising. But they also came up with some really unique out-of-the-box ideas," says Dr Lu. "There were creative suggestions for supermarket placement and demonstrations, social media marketing, Australian made accreditation, recipe inspiration and QR codes for smart phones."

For the final activity of the day, the ten teams were then asked to add a costing model to their pitch as part of the tender process. Each group gave compelling arguments for their pricing implementation, outlining the expected economic return on investments for the client.

"The teams seamlessly integrated budget considerations into their existing business strategy proposals," said Dr Lu. "We were all very impressed with how comprehensive and feasible their pricing was."

At the end of the three rounds the final scores were extremely close - with less than one point differentiating the top teams. After much deliberation the judges announced that it was Canberra College's business plan which best captured their brief.

As the winners of the 2013 ANU Young Business Leaders Challenge, Canberra College received a $500 book voucher for their school, along with tablets and York Food products for each student on the winning team.

Now in its third year, the challenge continues to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from all those involved. Acting Dean of the ANU College of Business and Economics Professor Neil Fargher complimented the day for its ability to engage with the next generation of business professionals:

"The ANU Young Business Leaders Challenge provides secondary students with valuable insights into both the university experience and the world of business," said Professor Fargher. "It's great to see such enthusiasm and passion amongst all our contestants and I have no doubt that these bright young students will go on to become influential business leaders in the future."

Above (left to right): Professor Neil Fargher, Acting Dean of the ANU College of Business and Economics; Lynne and Ted Philpott, owners of 2013 client company York Foods; Canberra College students Maggie O'Neill, Adelaide Carter, and Mackenzie Rice; and Dr Vinh Lu, international business lecturer at ANU.

Congratulations to Dr Andrew Bradly who has been announced as a recipient of the 2013 Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning by the Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT).

Dr Andrew Bradly, a lecturer in international business within the Research School of Management, is one of three outstanding ANU educators who will be presented with the citation in September 2013.

Awarded by the Australian Government from the Office of Learning and Teaching, this national accolade is for those who have made a significant contribution to the quality of student learning in a specific area of responsibility.

In a fitting acknowledgement of his contribution to education at the ANU, Dr Bradly was nominated for "sustained excellence in developing and teaching engaging curricula that bridges theory and practice in management and international business education".

Amongst other awards, Dr Bradly has previously received the ANU College of Business and Economics Award for Teaching Excellence, an ANU Commendation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, and been voted as Unijobs Top Lecturer of the year.

The 2013 OLT award will be formally presented at a ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney on September 17.

Read more about all ANU National OLT Citation recipients on the ANU Centre for Higher Education, Learning & Teaching website.

Congratulations to Fei Huang for taking out the 2013 ANU College of Business and Economics Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

Fei Huang, from the Research School of Finance, Actuarial Studies and Applied Statistics, delivered a summary of her research on 'Modelling the Pension System: A case study of China' in just 180 seconds. Sally Curtis, from the Research School of Management, also received the People's Choice Award for her talk on 'Inclusive Business: Perspectives of the firm and the poor'.

Many thanks to all those involved with the College event including the participants, audience members and the CBE Research Office staff.

The College wishes Ms Huang all the best in the upcoming ANU 3MT finals on Wednesday 18 September.

Fei Huang (centre) winner of the ANU College of Business and Economics 2013 3MT, pictured with (left to right) Maria Jahromi, Dr Jenni Bettman, Sally Curtis, Wenjie Wei, Professor Neil Fargher and Dr Margaret Kiley

Nominations are now open for the 2013 ANU College of Business& Economics Teaching Awards.

The awards seek to recognise and promote excellence in the areas of teaching, tutoring, and research in the College, and to promote their value to members of the College.

The following categories are available for nomination:

• Award for Teaching Excellence

• Award for Excellence in Tutoring

• Award for Programs that Enhance Learning

• Award for Excellence in Research Supervision

If you would like to nominate a College staff member for consideration for any of the above awards, then please submit a written recommendation to the College.

To nominate an individual or team, you will need to be either a staff member of the College or a student who has been enrolled in a course taught by the nominated party(s) within the last three years.  Signed endorsement by two separate people must be received before an individual or team will be nominated. Students must include their University ID with their nomination.

Completed nominations must reach the Education Innovation Office (contact kate.hogan@anu.edu.au) by 4.00pm Friday, September 27 2013.

For further information about these awards, past winners and the nomination selection criteria please visit the College Teaching Awards page.

Three ANU College of Business and Economics graduates who are now employed as executives at KPMG returned to ANU on 4 September 2013 to share the benefit of their real-world experience in the area of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Accounting Information Systems (AIS) with current students.

Sarita Amarathithada (BCom/BEcon 2010), Justin Eschauzier (BCom/BIT 2010) and Maverick Kyu-Sik Kim (MISS 2007, currently a PhD candidate with the Research School of Accounting and Business Information Systems) all returned to the campus to share their experiences of working at KPMG.

They visited the jointly conducted INFS3002/INFS8004 (Enterprise Systems and Business Process Management) courses to present a detailed case study of the design and implementation of an ERP system for a high profile public sector client.

Importantly, their presentation showed how this multi-million dollar Business IT/Information Systems project will change and transform the financial and resource planning and operational business processes of the public agency.

In particular, students were treated to the inside workings of the largest professional services firm in the world, and the types of work they could look forward to undertaking following the completion of their degree programs.

KPMG is a key business partner of the National Centre for Information Systems Research at the ANU, and the night was another outstanding example of how ANU continues to deliver and combine the important aspects of business theory and research with the professional practice and skills required by industry and government.

The College would like to thank Cath Ingram, Partner and Chairperson of KPMG ACT, and the staff from the ACT Office of KPMG who made the night possible.

Between 6,000 - 7,000 people visited the university campus on Saturday 31 August 2013 for the annual ANU Open Day.

Acting ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Marnie Hughes Warrington said that it was one of the biggest Open Days the University has hosted:

"There was exceptional interest in our new flexible double degrees, with theatres at or over capacity for information sessions in the morning and afternoon," she said. "The participation of student societies and clubs gave a real festival atmosphere to the day."

The campus showcased all aspects of the ANU experience. The Sports & Recreation Centre hall was filled with information stands, and the Manning Clark Centre lecture theatres hosted a busy schedule of talks throughout the day.

Postgraduate coursework and research students attended a Graduate Forum session held in the foyer of the ANU College of Business and Economics Building 26C, while accomodation tours of the ANU on-campus residences were in high demand.

The Microsoft Tech Lounge, Union Court and ANU Refectory spaces were all buzzing with activity and a steady stream of visitors. Many of the ANU student clubs and societies also joined in on the day's festivities with sports demonstrations, stalls, interactive entertainment and roving performances all making the most of the beautiful spring weather.

ANU College of Business and Economics professional and academic staff volunteered their time to talk about the College's program offerings and fields of study. Our current CBE Student Ambassador representatives were also on hand to share their own university experiences.

Many thanks to all those involved with the 2013 ANU Open Day. Thanks to the extensive preparation and support on the day - the day was once again a huge success.

The Australian National University is ranked 27th in the world, and number one in Australia.

The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2013/2014 released today show ANU remains amongst the top 30 universities in the world.

ANU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Young AO, had been waiting for the results of the latest ranking with interest.

"While rankings are imperfect measures and jump around year-to-year - we ranked 24th in 2012 and 26th in 2011 - they do provide some comparison with our international peers," he said.

In this latest ranking, ANU is placed alongside partners in theInternational Alliance of Research Universities, The University of California, Berkeley, The National University of Singapore and University of Tokyo as well as the University of Hong Kong and Ecole normale supérieure, Paris.

To be placed among such peers is an honour, says Professor Young.

"This is an outcome of which we can all be proud, and a reflection of the commitment and quality of ANU staff and students.

"Rankings are not an absolute measure, but they do give us pause to stop and acknowledge what is great about ANU."

ANU continues to invest in excellence and also has major projects underway that will improve administrative processes to provide more efficient support to our research and education activities.

The rankings are based on six indicators:

• Academic reputation measured via a global survey, asking academics to say where the best work is currently taking place within their field of expertise
• Graduate employers identifying the universities that in their view produce the best graduates
• Student-to-faculty ratio
• Citations per faculty
• International faculty ratio
• International student ratio

ANU College of Business and Economics subject rankings

The ANU College of Business and Economics has also performed extremely well in its fields of expertise, with all assessed disciplines placing in the upper echelons amongst the world's leading universities.

The College achieved the following QS Subject Ranking positions for 2013:

• In Accounting and Finance, ANU ranked 23th in the world.
• In Economics and Econometrics, ANU ranked 24th in the world.
• In Statistics and Operational Research, ANU ranked 33rd in the world.

ANU hosted education agents from the People's Republic of China, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka during mid-September for a familiarisation visit highlighting the great opportunities that the university, and Canberra as a study destination, can offer international students.

Education Agents are official ANU representatives who guide international students in selecting a university in Australia. Agents also provide assistance with the application process, including obtaining a student visa, finding accommodation, and other associated logistics. Around 80% of international students in Australia (which is estimated to be over 500,000) are here with the assistance of education agents, so they are a very important partner for tertiary institutions in attracting high quality students.

This was the first visit to Canberra for all the agents involved, who spent a week visiting the many Colleges at ANU, as well as touring the campus and visiting some of the city sites, including Floride festival.

CBE hosted the agents mid-week, with the session organised by the College Marketing and Development team (MDO). The visit to CBE included an afternoon tea and a short presentation on the opportunities that studying business and economics at ANU can bring students, and an update on our new program offerings.

The highlight of the afternoon for all the agents was the CBE speed-networking session, which involved each education agent speaking to a College staff member - whether it be an academic from the Research School's, a current Student Ambassador, or a professional staff from Student Administration and MDO teams - for just 5 minutes, after which time they moved onto the next person. The speed-networking activity operated just like a speed dating system, but likely with better results!

Although of a short duration, the one-on-one conversations allowed each agent to ask questions that were particular to their area of the world and to receive answers regarding queries that appealed to their student clientele. The education agents from China, for example, were very interested in the new undergraduate Bachelor of Accounting that will be launched in 2014, while those from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal found the postgraduate programs such as the MBA to be of more interest to their students.

Ms Angela Luo from DongFang International Centre for Education Exchange noted that the one-on-one sessions were a "great and innovative idea", giving agents a chance to speak with a wide range of CBE staff.

To conclude the afternoon of activities, CBE staff members took the group of visiting agents to Sage restaurant for dinner, where they sampled some local dishes and wine. The dinner was hosted by ANU College of Business and Economics Acting Dean Chris Jones as well as School Director's Professor Juliana Ng, of the Research School of Accounting and Business Information Systems, and Professor Pam Morrison, of the Research School of Management.

The ANU College of Business and Economics hosted a celebration ceremony on Thursday 26 September to mark the completion of the Public Sector Linkage Project "eGovernment capacity building in Bangladesh through knowledge transfer".

Project leaders Professor Shirley Gregor and Dr Ahmed Imran, both of the Research School of Accounting and Business Information Systems, were in attendance along with VIP guests including Mr Tom Nettleton, Bangladesh Program Manager AusAID South Asia Branch, Ms Fiona Lynn, Director of AusAIS Programs and Agreements, and H.E. Lt Gen Masud Uddin Chowdhury, Bangladesh High Commissioner.

The completion ceremony also served as a launch for the book "eGovernment Management for Developing Countries" by Ahmed Imran, Shirley Gregor and Tim Turner, which was inspired by the research from this project.

The "eGovernment capacity building in Bangladesh through knowledge transfer" project received funding from the Public Sector Linkages Program (PSLP), a former Australian Government initiative administered by AusAID. Coordinated by National Centre for Information Systems Research, it seeks to improve public sector capacity and management for nationally determined development outcomes in partner countries.

The first phase of the project led to a five year strategic plan for the adoption of eGovernment in Bangladesh and a series of training workshops for senior and mid-level government officials.  This work resulted in the production of an ICT management handbook.

The second phase of the project resulted in the development of a rigorous curriculum for government officers. This work took place in collaboration with the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre and experts from Bangladesh and Australia.

The project has led to improvements in eGovernment capacity in Bangladesh and greater understanding of the resources needed to facilitate the effective use of information and communication technology (ICT) in developing countries.  An increase in knowledge and shift in attitude about ICT among leaders in the public service has resulted in flow-on benefits for their departments and improved government services for the citizens of Bangladesh.

Project leaders, Professor Shirley Gregor and Dr Ahmed Imran received the ANU's Vice Chancellor's award in 2010 for their contribution community outreach.

Applications for Graduate Commonwealth Supported Places for Semester 1 2014 are now open.

The ANU College of Business and Economics is offering a number of Commonwealth supported places for Australian students for graduate coursework programs offered by the College.

A Commonwealth-supported place can save more than 50 per cent on the cost of full-fee graduate study. With a Commonwealth supported place, you will pay the equivalent of undergraduate fees for your graduate coursework.

To apply for a Commonwealth supported place please fill out the application form and submit it by Midnight, Sunday 12 January 2014 to the CBE Student Office. No late applications will be accepted.

Visit our Commonwealth supported places page to apply today.

He has never cycled before, yet he has signed himself up for an ambitious biking challenge.

Chris Ronan, a second year Bachelor of Commerce/Arts student, recently cycled 300 km from Orange to Canberra in the hopes of giving school leavers the chance for a tertiary education.

"I decided I needed something that challenged me. Talking to friends, the idea of a fundraising cycle was brought up. I have never cycled before and thought it was a good idea, so I bought a bike in April and have been training and cycling for six months."

Mr Ronan is originally from Orange. As a 'country kid' himself, he became aware of the challenges young people who live in rural areas face when it comes to higher education opportunities.

"Every year thousands of disadvantaged rural and regional kids miss out on higher education because of distance and cost," he says.

"This just shouldn't be happening, so I hope my fundraising effort can help change this."

Mr Ronan is raising money for the Orange branch of Country Education Australia (CEF), a not-for-profit organisation that helps disadvantaged rural and regional school leavers get into university, TAFE and find jobs.

He says the opportunity to go to university is something that should be available to all rural school leavers - but many miss out.

"The cause is something that means a lot to me. I don't see many people from rural middle class backgrounds at uni. I was lucky to be given the opportunity and being at uni has completely changed my outlook on life and what I value," he says.

"Living in rural NSW and then coming to ANU to study, I have learnt that there is nothing more valuable than education and I want the opportunities that I have had extended to anyone who wants it.

Mr Ronan admits that finding time to train has been a challenge in itself.

"Finding time to train is a killer. It is hard to find 6 hour blocks to sit on a bike. So I try to train smarter using the gym and other mediums… as well as sitting on the bike for hours on end!"

"I just hope I can make it without too many cramps and sore legs! But every dollar raised for CEF will be worth it."

Mr Ronan completed the ride on Saturday 12 October, crossing the finish line after 13.5 hours.

For more information and to donate, visit here.

Margin Spring 2013 (PDF, 1.4MB)

The Spring 2013 edition of Margin is now available. This issue features an interview with ANU alumnus and innovation guru Dr James Moody. He talks about his theory that resource efficiency is behind the latest wave of innovation that will shape the world economy of the coming decades, and his own new venturre, TuShare.

Also featured are CBE academics Professor Susanna Ho and Dr Lin Cui, who provide insights into the worlds of e-commerce and international business respectively. Alumnus Yashas Alur shares his experience of setting up an internet start-up within a year of graduating, and actuarial studies lecturer Dr Adam Butt explains how he is changing things around in the classroom. We also hear from alumnus Adam Ford, President of the ANU North American Alumni Association and a winner in the 2013 ANU Alumni Awards.

Printed copies of the magazine are available from the College office, or can be requested by email to mdo.cbe@anu.edu.au

Dr Yijuan Chen with the Best Early Career Conference Paper award.

Dr Yijuan Chen and Dr Juergen Meinecke, both of the Research School of Economics, have received a Best Paper award for their research into hospital waiting times.

Dr Chen and Dr Meinecke, along with Dr Peter Sivey from La Trobe University, were awarded the prize for the Best Early Career Conference Paper at the at the 35th annual conference of the Australian Health Economics Society (AHES) held in Canberra on the 26th & 27th of September 2013.

Back in 2011, economist Dr Yijuan Chen spoke to ANU College of Business and Economics Margin magazine about his use of game theory to examine the efficacy of hospital report cards in the US in the ANU College of Business and Economics Margin (view the full article in Margin Spring 2011).

Dr Chen's latest research (summarised in Margin Winter 2013) is continuing the quality disclosure theme, but this time closer to home with a look at Australia's 'My Hospitals' scheme.

The resulting paper, A theory of hospital waiting time reporting (PDF, 1.2MB), studies two effects of this report-card policy which releases information on hospital waiting times to the public.

Through the presence of both the 'competition effect' and the 'signalling effect', such a policy can ultimately reduce the waiting times in both high-quality & low-quality hospitals.

Congratulations to ANU College of Business and Economics undergraduate student Mr Kanil Fernando, who has won the 2013 ANU Information Technology Services Postcard competition.

Kanil Fernando is currently studying the final year of a combined Bachelor of Actuarial Studies/Bachelor of Finance. Mr Fernando's postcard titled 'Reverse Proxy' was announced as the winner on 16 October 2013, while his second design 'Wattle' was also acknowledged as one of the five competition runners-up.

Mr Fernando has won himself an iPad mini, and his winning Reverse Proxy postcard will be displayed in all ANU library locations and resident halls.

The annual competition was first launched in 2011 as a means of engaging with students on IT-related services. Postcard designs can be in the form of a photograph, drawing, painting, digital illustration, text-based, or any other design medium. Postcard concepts covered services including computers and printing, online learning, enterprise systems, and wireless technology, to name a few.

Congratulations also go to this year's runners-up Anthony Lieu (B.Commerce/B.Laws), Natalya Roujeinikova (B.Actuarial Studies), William Qui Son Lum,  and Mitiana Arbon.

To view more of the postcard competition entries, please see the official ANU ITS announcement or visit the ANU Information Technology Services Facebook page.

Students from Moss Vale High School, located in the Southern Highlands, visited Canberra on 17 October to tour the ANU campus and learn about career opportunities in the accounting profession.

A total of thirty students from indigenous and regional backgrounds participated in the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia (ICAA)'s A Big Day in Business. The event was in collaboration with the education and business sectors to address the shortage of indigenous and regional accountants and debunk the perception of the profession as 'bean counters'.

The recent ICAA career day included a tour of The Australian National University campus, the Tjabal Indigenous Higher Education Centre and the EY office in Canberra.

Created in conjunction with the ACT Council, A Big Day in Business aims to create a pathway for young regional and indigenous students to further their education and gain an interest in the accounting profession.

In 2011 ICAA, CPA Australia and the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) developed the Indigenous Accountants Australia initiative to help address issues such as these by attracting young indigenous students to undertake formal education in finance and accounting.

The Indigenous Accountants Australia initiative seeks to encourage and enable young indigenous students to discover the opportunities and benefits they can provide to their local community and the wider economy. The joint collaboration aims to increase the number of indigenous accountants by proactively working with schools, universities and employers to encourage young people in indigenous communities to take up accounting and business-related subjects.

For further information on this joint initiative vist the newly launched Indigenous Accountants Australia website: http://www.indigenousaccountants.com.au.

Special thanks go to Professor Kerry Jacobs, from the Research School of Accounting and Business Information Systems at ANU, Ms Renee Le Grande, General Manager ACT for the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia, Mr David Robjent, ANU alumnus and ICAA board member, and Canberra Aboriginal elder Aunty Janet Philips for organising the ANU College of Business and Economics visit.

The opening cermony of the One Young World Summit

From 2-5 October 2013, ANU economics and law undergraduate student Jeeven Nadanakumar represented Australia at the One Young World Summit in South Africa.

On the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa, 1,300 young people from across the globe, strangers to each other and to an ancient land, descended from their buses and frantically searched for a symbol of familiarity amongst 190 national flags waiting on display. In the distance, the FNB Soccer City Stadium stood tall and majestic, its terracotta panels reflecting the vibrant African sunset.

As we made our way into the vast and imposing arena, 8,000 school children from Soweto danced to the resounding beat of drums, bringing the stadium to life as they waved and blew their vuvuzelas. Our hearts were pounding, our eyes wide in awe at their welcome to Africa. The whole world was here.

This was the opening ceremony of the 4^thOne Young World Summit. It was an immensely proud moment to be representing Australia and ANU internationally alongside the brightest young leaders from almost every nation.

One by one, the crowd cheered and applauded each of the keynote speakers as they took their place on stage: Kofi Annan, Richard Branson, Bob Geldof - just to name a few. The highlight of the night was feeling Muhammad Yunus' voice echo through the stadium,"Each one of you has the power to change the world. Feel that power inside of you!"

And power is exactly what I felt over the next three days as we rubbed shoulders with some of the world's most prominent thinkers and leaders to discuss and debate the major issues facing our world and generation today. Education, women's equality, poverty and sustainable development, the food revolution, politics and governance, sport and society, climate change, the rise of Africa, business and social entrepreneurship, combatting HIV/AIDS and malaria, the role of the media, global collaboration, the power of protest and the promises of a digital economy.

From CEOs of global corporations to rock stars and even an astronaut, it was a privilege to hear directly from speakers including Arianna Huffington, Jamie Oliver, Boris Becker, Ron Garran, Ahmed Kathrada, Blake Mycoskie, Lily Cole, Sheryl Sandberg and others.

The most inspiring experience of all was hearing from fellow delegates who spoke about the initiatives they've begun in their home countries to help create positive change. We were reduced to tears as a young lady spoke candidly about how she recovered from being raped and while a girl from Syria pleaded with us to welcome refugees in our countries. We stood for ovations as the youngest Indian politician explained how he has started to fight corruption and as Professor Yunus introduced four delegates whose lives changed after their families were given microcredit loans from his bank as children. The greatest motivation however came from former delegates who became young social entrepreneurs, fuelling their small idea with passion to see their work making a difference in countries across the world.

Over four days, we broadened our horizons and networks. We were inspired by each other and by all the possibilities that started to seem more achievable. And in between, we got a real taste of Africa as we rose to the top of the highest building on the continent and (rather courageously) patted sleeping lion cubs at a game reserve.

At the closing ceremony, Winnie Mandela bellowed the apartheid war cry "Amandla!" (power) to which the crowd shouted "Ngawethu!" (to the people). It was incredibly uplifting to be standing amongst 1,300 others, declaring, with such force and conviction, our commitment to use the power we possess for social good - not just as youth, but as future leaders of the world.

I'm excited about the journey I will soon begin as a One Young World Ambassador and as a voice for young Australians. To quote the words of advice we received from Bob Geldof, its time to "just f****** get on with it!"

View the Summit highlights at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Kq8-0GWf4#t=50

ANU Windows U Crew ambassadors Lynn, Phoebe, Jess, Jia and Tori.

The ANU Windows U Crew were out and about on Friday 25 October to introduce ANU staff and students to the latest Windows products.

The U Crew ambassadors are the student representatives for all things Windows on and around The Australian National University campus. For their latest event, the team set up interactive stands in the business and economics precinct with merchandise and product demonstrations running in the Copland courtyard from 10am to 4pm.

Featured technologies on show included the new Windows 8.1 software update, Windows Phone, and Windows Surface tablets.

The U Crew demonstrated the benefits of using applications such as Bing Travel, Ticketek and Carsales. They even showed just how easy it is to use the Pizza Hut app by hosting a pizza lunch for ANU students in the Microsoft Technology Lounge (located on the ground floor of the Arndt Building).

Keep up to date with the latest ANU Windows U Crew events, information, competitions and demonstrations at https://www.facebook.com/ANUwindowsucrew.

The ANU College of Business and Economics celebrated another successful year of the CBE Student Ambassador program with an end of year dinner function.

Current and graduated ambassadors gathered at the Ottoman restaurant over the weekend to celebrate the achievements of the program and of the College.

The CBE Student Ambassador program is an exclusive opportunity for outstanding and outgoing students to become actively involved in the promotion of the ANU College of Business and Economics.

Student Ambassador's represent the College in a number of ways. They are featured in a range of marketing materials, assist with event logistics, network with the College's VIP guests and share their university experiences with future students and parents.

Since it was launched in 2007, the CBE Student Ambassador program has included more than 80 exceptional business and economics students.

The College would like to thank all of our past and current CBE Student Ambassadors for their ongoing support and contributions.

To find out more about the program please visit http://www.cbe.anu.edu.au/cbe/current-students/cbe-student-ambassadors

ANU alumnus and innovation guru Dr James Moody discussed the next great wave of innovation and resource efficiency in a public lecture held 31 October at the ANU College of Business and Economics.

Dr James Moody is a passionate advocate for innovations in science and technology and is well known to Australians for his past appearances as a panelist on the ABC television program The New Inventors.

James undertook a PhD in business administration at ANU looking at complex product systems applied to a satellite project venture. He has since received numerous awards for outstanding leadership and business skills and co-authored the book The Sixth Wave: How to succeed in a resource-limited world.

In his public lecture  Unleashing innovation in a resource limited world James explained how technological changes, shifts in society and market opportunity can all be used to predict waves of innovation throughout time.

He predicts that we are currently on the brink of the sixth wave of innovation - shifting away from resource dependence to resource efficiency where products become services and waste becomes a source of unrealised opportunity.

James wanted to put his money where his mouth is, launching his own business venture to ride the sixth wave of innovation. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TuShare, a company turning waste into want through the world's largest community of people giving things which they no longer need to one another.

Related content

> Watch an interview with Dr James Moody:  Unleashing innovation in a resource limited world.

> Read more about Dr James Moody in the latest edition of Margin magazine: Riding the sixth wave.

> Visit the TuShare website at www.tushare.com