A UNSW BUSINESS SOCIETY PUBLICATION | ISSUE 3 2010 Commerce•University•Economics
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SOCIAL ISSUES www.unswbsoc.com
Contents.
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The Comunieco Team
Articles 04 | Interview with Graheme Maher, CEO of Vodafone 06 | Meet Aley Greenblo
10 Sept
Modern Romance Ball
Since 1959, be a part of the annual Business Society Ball. A great night out with food, drinks and friends.
08 | Overcoming Failure 10 | Jeepers Sleepers! 10 | Breaking the Glass Ceiling 11 | Forgive and forget 12 | Mixed Race
11 Sept
Peer Mentoring Leader applications close
A great opportunity to make a difference to your Peers lives, while being a big bonus on your resume!
13 | The Fight to win the Aussie Battler 14 | An interview with Amy Meredith 14 | Music Review - Congratulations by MGMT 15 | A first year’s impression
27
Business Society General Elections
04
Interfaculty Sports Day
Sept
Editors-in-Chief Allina Yang (Publications Director) Jessica Thiyavutikan (Publications Director) Contributing Editors Karen Wang Caroline Thai Graphics and Design Pasha Rayan (IT Director) Vice-President (Internal) Michelle Mak http://www.facebook.com/unswbsoc http://twitter.com/unswbsoc Download Comunieco, (with more articles to get you through uni!) at www.unswbsoc.com and click on Publications.
Oct
This publication is proudly supported by ARC
www.unswbsoc.com | Comunieco: Social Issues 3
Interviews with Industry
Grahame Maher CEO of Vodafone
Interview by UNSW Student Nick James GRAHAME MAHER WAS CEO OF VODAFONE AUSTRALIA. BEFORE THAT, HE WAS CEO OF VODAFONE IN NZ AND SINCE THEN, HE HAS BEEN VODAFONE’S CEO IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, SWEDEN AND NOW QATAR. HE IS WELL KNOWN FOR PLACING HIS FOCUS ON PEOPLE IN HIS ORGANISATIONS.
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r Maher, you are said to have gone into coporate life before completing a tertiary qualificaton? Do you think it is still possible to do this? Short answer is YES but difficult and makes it TOO hard and risky. I ended up in the corporate world as a result of being an entrepreneur who sold my business to a corporate. This allowed me to enter the corporate world at a senior level and bring a lot of business skills to a corporate business that I had learned the hard way.... i.e. making and then losing my own money in business! During the time I had my own businesses, I did go back to university part-time to help my learning. However, I did not complete my degree and therefore I do not have a formal tertiary qualification. Since then I have learnt a lot and I do regularly study adult style education. For example, I regularly go to Harvard University with a group of business colleagues to do MBA style case study programs to stretch my learning and to stay current. I am also a long term member of YPO which is a leadership development and mentoring group. Do you think that formal qualifications and high marks that are required to enter many companies are an appropriate guide to future performance and do you think this process can discriminate against the disadvantaged members of society? No! The success of a student at school and in the workplace can be very different. I think that having a degree basically just gets you on the interview list or a chance at being the intern or graduate accepted. I believe that what really matters is the fit of a person with the organisation and having the basic skills
and capability that I would call TALENT to learn and grow. This means that many people who are disadvantaged do miss these opportunities. Maybe a good comparison would be in the sports arena where many of the most talented sports people can come from disadvantaged backgrounds but are RAW talent and, if discovered, are the best. In Australia we see this in AFL with young Aboriginal players for example. Do you think that formal business study can sometimes stifle creativity and may have a negative effect on entrepreneurial skills? I think this depends on the style of the study, the teacher and the school. Good learning environments stimulate and unlock creativity. However these are likely to look more like crazy university environments and NOT a boring business school. For example at Vodafone Qatar, when we are doing training and business planning, we have bean bags, footballs, juggling balls and other toys ... as being able to play helps unlock creativity for us when engaged in business planning or training.
You were the CEO of Vodafone when the company engaged a nude streaker at the rugby. Now you head the company in a muslim country. What adjustments have you made to make in your style of management? As I mentioned before, I have worked in many countries with different cultures, religions and styles. I believe my leadership style in all of these are the same - as I am who I am and make sure I do NOT try to be someone I’m not, just to get a job. I believe that authenticity and being real are critical for any successful leader. However just as important is being able to understand the culture of the people within the country as they are the people within the organisation and the customers I am serving. Therefore, WHAT I do as a leader and as a business has to be different in every case but not HOW I am ...i.e. my values, my beliefs and purpose. This cannot change or else, I am not being AUTHENTIC. However my actions and how I act may be different to suit the culture.
You were a guest on Business Sunday and, as usual, did not wear a suit. Do you feel this fitted with the vodafone image, the Australian society or was it just a personal choice? This is my personal choice but also did fit with the values and culture we were developing for Vodafone Australia at the time. However I have now been the CEO of seven different businesses in six different countries and do not wear a tie and suit and my most common outfit comprises of jeans, a T-shirt and a jacket. This is about me being who I am and not making out I am someone else just to fit in with expectations of others.
www.unswbsoc.com | Comunieco: Social Issues 4
How long did it take you to complete the Deloitte application? The application process took me approximately 1-2 hours, however I had already prepared a resume and a generic cover letter. It is incredibly beneficial to take the time to complete your resume and cover letter beforehand as it can be a timely process but they can also help you focus on your past achievements and experiences.
How do you make a successful application? Sandra Sy, an Analyst with Assurance & Advisory in our Brisbane office, offers advice on researching a company, answering application questions, and avoiding deadline stress.. What are your three top tips to complete a successful application? 1. Research the company that you are applying to and have an idea of what type of work would interest you. Review the company’s website and talk to representatives at career fairs and networking events. Remember to also investigate aspects of the company that you would enjoy or be enthusiastic about. For example, I found out about Deloitte’s Inspiring Women Program, D.Academy and the Innovation Academy. 2. From personal experience I would recommend copying the short-answer questions from the online application to a Word document. In doing this you will be better able to edit your answers and will not lose any of your hard work if your computer crashes! In addition, if you get accepted into the recruitment process it will be easier to refer to the saved word document than reviewing your application online. 3. Get your application in early and be aware of application closing dates! Not only will you avoid deadline stress, but you may also reap the benefits of the company reviewing your application early. Which section of your application did you find the most difficult? I found the short-answer questions in the Deloitte application challenging as I didn’t want to provide generic answers. I recommend that you provide specific and relevant examples and try to make them interesting. Think back to past jobs and university experiences for inspiration.
What advice can you provide to job applicants? The group activity stage of the Deloitte recruitment process is really enjoyable, as you not only have the opportunity to meet representatives from Deloitte, but also other applicants who may be your future colleagues! Make an effort to learn about the company and be interested in the people that you meet. As a final tip, enjoy the application process and be yourself! Remember to be honest, but also focus on all the positives that you offer. Why did you choose Assurance & Advisory? I chose Assurance & Advisory because I wanted a job where I could constantly meet new people and see different types of businesses. I’ve definitely been able to do that. For example, I once did a stock-take where we drove to a mine site two hours out of Mackay and counted parts that were used for the construction of a dragline. There is no other profession where I would have the opportunity to meet such a diverse range of people! What’s one of the most interesting projects/ assignments that you have been involved in? I really like food, so one of the most interesting audit jobs that I worked on was for a client that makes fresh herbs and spices. Using innovative technology they pick the herbs at their peak and keep them fresh throughout the year without the need of cooking or drying. The herbs then stay fresh in the freezer and taste great! What do you like most about working in the Brisbane Office? The best thing about Brisbane is that we’re large enough to have a diverse team of people but at the same time we’re small enough to know everyone well. We have fantastic weather all year round and the office overlooks the beautiful Brisbane River.
What is on your must-do list? Learn a language and learn to play a musical instrument. If you were stranded somewhere in Australia, what five things would you want to have with you? Chocolate, coffee, a good book, my sunglasses – and I’d take my car so I could get home! Or is that cheating? If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Turkey, for its diverse culture, history and great food.
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Meet Aley Greenblo
Miss Earth Australia 2010 Finalist | Miss Global Australia 2010 & UNSW Commerce/Law Student
By Allina Yang
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self-confessed environmentalist, ALEY GREENBLO is a third year Commerce/Law student at UNSW who proves that beauty leaves no carbon footprints.
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h ere and how did your journey begin? I am very passionate about the environment and love doing whatever I can to try and help conserve our beautiful planet. My interest in the environment began when the agency I am signed with mentioned that I should enter the Miss Earth competition. This was something I never thought of doing and I am not really the pageant type. When I became a finalist for Miss Earth 2010 I decided to embrace the experience and got down to doing some environmental work. The more I did the more I loved it. Contributing to society and helping to save the earth is the most fulfilling thing I’ve done in a long time. I’ve never felt better and I genuinely believe that all Australians have a right to a healthy and productive environment. Each person has an opportunity to be involved in managing and protecting the environment and I hope through my own work I can inspire others to help out too. Australia is one of the most diverse countries on the planet. It is home to more than one million species of plants and animals, many of which are found nowhere
else in the world. Yet our vibrant island continent, with its striking natural contrasts, is surprisingly fragile and needs our help to ensure its diversity is protected for generations to come. For this reason, I want to do as much as I can to make a difference and encourage others to contribute too! How do you juggle your university studies and your Miss Earth Australia work demands? It is SO hard. I am constantly juggling my charity work with my studies, friends, family and travel. I do a lot of charity and volunteer work. Other than my participation in the bush regeneration scheme, water conservation and recycling program, I also attend schools and try to teach children about the benefits of being environmentally aware. I think that busy people always get more things done and I am very disciplined with my studies. My Commerce/Law degree comes first and everything else is centered around this. I am very passionate about my charity work and it is very important to me so I always find the time to fit it all in.
You have a passion for the environment and all things green. What inspires your passion? Environmental volunteering has many facets and it is often difficult for people to understand why I get such a kick out of helping out. However, when you contribute and give back it really makes you feel good. I was in need of a passion and needed to give back in some way. I feel I am constantly taking so much from the earth and I really wanted to help out in some way. I love that I can and have made a difference and Miss Earth is a way for me to share my passion for the environment with people and make a positive difference towards the future at the same time. I have always loved nature and sharing it with others. My best days are those spent hanging out with friends in a park or spending the day on the beach. I think my inspiration came from my love of being outdoors as a child. I have always loved spending the days in the sunshine and hate being cooped up indoors on a beautiful day. You recently “adopted” a panda through the World Animal Foundation!
www.unswbsoc.com | Comunieco: Social Issues 6
What is it like caring for a panda and where can we adopt one too? I have indeed and I love my panda Pamela! It is very easy and everyone should adopt one! WAF’S adopt a panda symbolic adoption can be done for just $35. Along with photos, a certificate and a fact sheet about your panda, you will also receive an information pack on animal issues and how you can help animals and the environment. Adopting a panda is very easy and inexpensive yet you are making such a big difference! I think it makes such a wonderful present for a friend and believe that this simple act can really make a huge difference for animals and the environment. The Miss Earth Australia pageant is being held in Sydney this September. What plans do you have if you win the title? Winning the title would be an absolute dream come true. I would go on to represent Australia at the Miss Earth 2010 pageant in Vietnam and this would be the most incredible experience for me in the world. I am currently at the Miss Bikini World finals as I type this and although I never imagined myself doing these competitions, they’ve encouraged me to do so much charity work. They’ve also increased my self esteem and confidence, and I just feel incredible! I have never been in such a good place and I am genuinely very happy at this point in my life. It’s great to have a passion. Modelling career or a job as a corporate office worker/lawyer. Which would you choose? Hard question!!! I am not sure. One thing for certain is that my law degree comes first and it is something I want to have under my belt. Once that is achieved I think I will go on to do other work. Even though I love modelling, I would like to get involved with TV presenting and
commercial work. I have been so lucky that I get to travel and meet so many amazing people and experience such wonderful things. I really love life at the moment and it is definitely hard to hide away in the library amongst all the commotion and try and study. However, I am disciplined and will stick through it because I know that at the end of the day I will have a wonderful opportunity to fall back on. I will be the proudest girl in the world on the day I graduate from law. According to James Lovelock (prominent British scientist) in a recent BBC interview, it is too late to save the planet. What’s your take on it? It is definitely not too late!!! Everyone should start NOW!!! The world can be restored and further damage can be prevented. I am a positive person and I genuinely believe that if every person does their part we can make a world of difference. How can we, as UNSW students, be more green around our homes and even on campus? Do you plan to take up any campus-specific environmental projects at UNSW? There are SO many things you can do to help out!!! Most are so easy to do too! All it takes is consciousness and a little effort. 1.) Save water • Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too. • Install a low flow showerhead. They don’t cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment. • Plant drought tolerant native plants in
your garden. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area. 2.) Less gas (It’s great because less gas means less money and better health too!) • Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health • Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term. • Lobby the government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering your health and reducing traffic. 3.) Eat smart • Eat less meat! Meat costs a lot and is even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs. • Buy locally raised humane and organic meats, eggs and dairy whenever possible. The list is endless!!! I do plan on taking up campus specific environment projects at UNSW. The campus could be kept even cleaner and more bins could be placed around the campus. Every person should be encouraged to help out by recycling, conserving, reusing and stopping to litter! Any advice or tips for those aspiring to make a difference just as you are? Make the time! You will feel SO good if you volunteer. It becomes an addiction and you will feel amazing. Follow your heart and know you are doing the right thing. At times you may feel like you are not making a difference but you are! If every person did just one thing the world would be a greener, cleaner place!
www.unswbsoc.com | Comunieco: Social Issues 7
Overcoming By Hamish Watson
For some first year uni students, you may have recently found out that you failed one or more subjects. Despite how bad this sounds for your academic transcript there are numerous options for you, and if you’re especially keen, there are opportunities too. First off, if you’ve failed a crucial pre-requisite such as Microeconomics 1 (ECON1101) you have to re-do it and there are several ways this can be done. Pre-requisites are usually offered in both semester one and semester two (naturally check this before enrolling) which means whilst your pals are plugging away at Macroeconomics 1 (ECON1102), you can continue on your merry way finishing Microeconomics 1 in the second semester. There are several advantages to this: firstly, you will be lumped in with everyone who failed already and thus should have a greater idea of what to expect, particularly in regards to group projects. Also, many people doing a subject during its ‘off’ semester will be part-time students or interns, which means you are being thrown in with some of the higher achieving students. Take advantage of this opportunity and join their groups for presentations and assignments. Furthermore, it’s usually better to do it sooner whilst everything is fresh in your mind rather than let your brain turn to goo over the Summer holidays and try again. This brings us to our next point: Summer. Whilst most people go away for the Summer holidays, or slave away at work or internships, you can pursue a different path and enrol in summer school to catch up on the unit which you failed. Summer
F
ailure
school does, however, have a very limited range of subjects, so check out http://www. australianschoolofbusiness.com/summer/ to ensure they offer the course you want before you decide not to enrol in it for second semester. Summer school is also quite expensive, so be sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. There is always a third option and that is to just move on and re-enrol in it later, i.e first semester next year. If you failed ECON1202, you can still enrol in Business and Economic Statistics (ECON1203, which will be tough) as well as other courses such as Economic Analysis (ECON1401). If you’re completing a finance or accounting major, these economic first year courses don’t even need to be completed ASAP. Besides, there are some serious pluses to waiting until next year. Aside from the fact that you will be with a bigger cohort, which means regular day classes, increased PASS classes and Pitstop support, you might get along with new and improved lecturers. For the devious ones of you out there, you will also recognise this as a prime opportunity to make friends with young and attractive first year students using the masterful line (which I have seen work!) ‘Well, I myself am in second year.’ Just be sure not to mention you failed – just come up with an excuse about working at KPMG or PWC instead. No-one ever said university was a place for saints! Finally, the fourth option, which will possibly be in combination with some of the above, is to overload in your final year to catch up. As you have failed something, you don’t qualify to overload on account of
not consistently passing 24 units of credit a semester this year or next. However, if you can keep your failed subjects just to two, you can apply to overload in both your first and second semester of your last year of university and still finish on time. Naturally if you’ve caught up over the summer holidays you won’t need to do this. The most important thing to remember is this: employers won’t really care if you failed, as long as you can show them you’ve continued to work hard and overcome the low marks. I failed ECON1202 and ECON1203; it happens, but you have to recognise where you went wrong, address whatever problem it was, and move on. Drinking, overworking, focusing on another subject and sports commitments are all common reasons for failing something, but if it is purely academic, take advantage of the great services the university offers to help you get by. My former PASS leaders are now my good friends, and the tutors at Pitstop and are always pleased to see people during consultation hours – sometimes they’re alone there for hours at a time! Now stop moping around, pick your plan of attack and move forward!
For more information on PASS classes and consult visit http://bit.ly/bFqk1r and http://bit.ly/9Y8Ohh
www.unswbsoc.com | Comunieco: Social Issues 8
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Your Articles Average Sleep Needs
Jeepers sleepers! By Simon Pham
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fter waking up 9am or even earlier for the majority of our school years, sleeping has become an activity many of us yearn for more and more, year after year. Rest, energy, comfort and dreams (or maybe even a dream within a dream), it’s pretty sweet. With the aftermath of the World Cup’s ridiculous broadcasting hours, coupled with the odd routine late night phone call, MSN or Skype D&M (Deep and Meaningful conversation), it seems our sleeping patterns face an Everest-like task in recapturing healthy sleeping hours. Expectedly, the younger you are, the more sleep you need, as shown in the table below. Just for the record, the following ages refer to chronological years; otherwise, with the number of immature people out there, there’d be quite a few young’uns. You know who you are. As we can observe from the table,
Age
Hours
Newborns (0-2 months)
12-18
Infants (3 months to 1 year)
14-15
Toddlers (1-3 years)
12-14
Preschoolers (3-5 years)
11-13
School-aged children (5 to 12 years)
10-11
Teens and preteens (12 to 18 years)
8.5-10
Adults (18+)
7.5-9 Source: http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleeping.htm
for adults like ourselves, the recommended hours of sleep is 7.5-9 hours, a relatively high number for those whose travel time to uni is upwards of one hour, not to mention those who like to stay up late every night just for the hell of it. And with several lectures and tutes starting at 9am, sometimes you already know you’re epically screwed the night before (or morning in some cases). Thankfully however, one can sleep in the form of naps throughout the day, hopefully not in lectures though. Napping has generally been deemed as beneficial due to its ability to refresh and invigorate one’s alertness, mood and productivity. This may prove useful in a break between classes, giving you that extra energy to focus in your next tute or perhaps actually pay attention in your
next lecture. Just watch out for those extremely short or long naps, which can leave you feeling disoriented and ironically sleepier than before your nap. The recommended naptime is about 15 to 30 minutes. Some popular napping spots around UNSW include the ASB couches (preferably the higher levels to avoid the elevator sound) and on the beanbags in the Main Library. In the end though, nothing will ever beat a good deep sleep-in, only there can you dream (hopefully not the wet kind) about anything you please… just make sure your friends don’t write all over your face. Random scribbles, inside jokes amongst your friends, love hearts, no matter what it is; black permanent marker is a bitch to get off.
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Breaking the Glass Ceiling
No, I am not here to promote vandalism, nor am I to prevent you from breaking ceilings if you have the animalistic urges to do so. Rather, I am here to talk about the invisible “glass ceilings” that prevents ambitious young women from moving up the corporate ladder in this day and age. If you are a reader of the male intellect, have I lost your attention already? Do you believe By Karen Wang this is a pro-feminism rampage about how women should liberate ourselves by burning our bras? (I don’t know how this can get us better jobs other than creating fire hazards) And with my female counterparts, do you question the existence of this “glass ceiling” I speak of? Surely in the year 2010, discrimination based on gender is a thing of the past? Well, apparently it is not.
As a female third year uni student, personally I’ve never felt disadvantaged or discriminated based on my gender. Sure, I can’t run as fast or hit a ball as hard as my male friends (Can’t say the same for all of them), but in terms of careers and academics I will definitely give them a run for their money. To be honest I’m usually more intimidated by my female friends than the male ones. So why does the glass ceiling still exist? Why can’t employers treat us as equals and offer us the same opportunities? According to recent statistics, which I’m sure no one wants to know the details of unless you are an actuarial student (You know who you are), the number of women in senior roles have been declining. It is pretty obvi-
www.unswbsoc.com | Comunieco: Social Issues 10
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orgive and forget is something society preaches but remains an unattainable goal by much of the human race. If everyone was able to work with that mentality, we would have world peace, and the contestants on Miss Universe would have to come up with some other ideas when they’re asked what they would wish for. ‘Forgive and forget’ is a complex twostep process, and while some people find that they are able to easily forgive, they are often unable to conquer the latter part of the old cliché. C.S.Lewis said – ‘Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to give’…and how true is that? Forgiveness is almost like a gift, it’s something you freely give, and how often do we give without expecting something in return, let alone giving to someone who has done something to hurt you. Some people say that revenge is the way to go because sitting back and letting people screw you over is lazy and uncreative, which is quite true, but forgiving someone shouldn’t been seen as letting them screw you over. It’s about understanding that sometimes sh*t happens, people make mistakes, and chances are, at various points in your life, you’ll require forgiveness from those around you. Besides, being able to forgive can actually be beneficial. If you’re able to truly and honestly forgive someone, you’ll probably live a longer life with lower blood pressure, less stress and no bitterness. It’s like a gift to yourself.
Forgive and forget By Priscilla Ng
Then we come to forgetting, which is much harder than forgiving. Why? Because we have memory; our brains allow us to retain things we have seen, felt and experienced, in order to progress in life. How many of you have lent something to a friend and it has come back with scratches, dents or absolutely broken? Now think of the next time that the same person asked to borrow something of yours again. Does an annoying voice pop up at the back of your head and say ‘remember what happened last time?’ As much as you adore that person, and having already forgiven them, you’ll probably find yourself making up an excuse to avoid lending it out, and if there’s no choice, you find yourself handing it over begrudgingly. Or you might have once confided your troubles to a friend, and in less
than a week, half the university is expressing their concern. It may have been something small, something which may not have been much of a secret to begin with, but the next time you need a listening ear, you’ll go to someone else. Therefore, unless you smash your head on something (touchwood) and get amnesia (touchwood again) there is almost no chance of you forgetting something that someone has done which has deeply affected you. So with the unlikelihood of being able to forget, maybe we should all just work on our ability to forgive. Remember what has happened, learn a lesson from it, but remove all the negative feelings so you can focus on being a happier and better you. If that doesn’t work, just remember there’s always karma.
Write articles ! Its your chance to be heard and put something unique on your resume
ous what the major reason is: Family. Women have been physically blessed with the ability to produce offsprings. With 9 months of wildly fluctuating hormones and back pains to endure, it makes it hard to meet deadlines and deal with clients. Even if you are able to attend work with a bulging belly, manufacturers are unlikely to make business suits suitable for maternity purposes. With a newborn baby on the way, there is often a shift in priority of career to family for most women. Some opt for part-time work while others bail out of the corporate world entirely. For those ambitious ones wishing to return to work and climb the career ladder once again, they face the increasing challenges of juggling a growing family and work. Young women are bombarded with the deci-
sion to choose between the two, and being someone who takes half an hour just to decide on what to have for lunch, I think I will take the hard way out. I want both. For the male readers out there, how do you think you will feel honestly when your girlfriend gets a higher paid job than you? Will this be a massive bruising to your male ego? Or will you be proud and happy for her? It seems that a lot of corporate cultures are not supportive of women as leaders. Whether it be the male ego coming into play or other unforeseen forces, it is up for speculation. Who would want to take orders from someone deemed as physical-
ly weaker and emotionally unstable? This is just another element that thickens the glass ceiling. As an uni student who’s only half way through her degree, I’ve yet to take on a internship position let alone a senior executive role in a large corporate firm. Yes, I know the glass ceiling do exist, but it is up to the individual to work hard and decide whether they want to chip their way slowly at the ceiling or smash their way through this invisible barrier.
www.unswbsoc.com | Comunieco: Social Issues 11
MIXED
RACE By Matthew Barrett
fashionable or frustrating? Uuite often I find myself standing on the floor of the retail store I work at, mindlessly staring at the people walking past, waiting in anxious hope that someone will come into my store and create the illusion that time is going faster than it actually is, and that my lunch break is not far away. After more than two and a half years of these experiences, you start to see common trends in the people that walk past through the halls of a shopper’s heaven. Of course, being located in a shopping centre, the most obvious changes in trends is the fashion. Skinny jeans, oversized sunglasses, gladiator sandals, you name it, I have seen it. But I am not here to discuss my predictions of the future of fashion trends, I’ll leave that to the marketing Gods. Nevertheless, I have noticed one distinct pattern over the years – the increasing number of couples from differing backgrounds. I see all different types of combinations, all different shapes and sizes. The ability of society to look beyond the lines of ancestry and see what else is out there. Being a product of parents with two completely different nationalities, I find this trend quite liberating. But where does this leave society? Assuming everything goes to plan, many of these fashion conscious couples will marry and have children. These couples are the pioneers of today, experimenting with the collision of cultures, beliefs and genes (no, not Levis, those DNA things). And this is where the lines overlap. Where do we ‘halfbloods’ (excuse the Harry Potter jargon, I couldn’t resist) fit in. We are in a new world, where we are neither here nor there, and thus have to create our own defined culture. Maybe Russell Peters was right in saying that we will all be beige coloured one day. Nonetheless, to those ‘purebloods’ out there who are sometimes frustrated by their strong culture instilled by years of tradition conformed to by previous ancestors, it’s not easy being a ‘halfy’ either. As is always the case for me, music is the best way of provoking such concepts. And who better to produce such lyrical content than a man by the name of Kamaljit Singh Jhooti. He was born in England of Indian parents and has quickly risen to fame of late as a singersongwriter. He also occasionally goes by the name Jay Sean.
What can I say? Perception is reality. Jay Sean – Good Enough (Youtube it!) Verse 1 I got my mothers skin I’ve got my father eyes It’s something that I can’t deny It’s nothing that I wanna hide And even though my roots come from the other side I didn’t think they would mind Cause I heard that love was blind But they can’t understand, when it comes to me and you Cause I don’t fit their descriptions Tell me how to change traditions When there’s all of them and one of me Chorus How can I change a million minds in this lifetime What is it I have to do If I erase my history - what defines me If I let them change the truth Would I be Good Enough For You? Verse 2 I wish they looked at me and they could see beyond Everything think they think I am Cause pedigree don’t make a man Don’t have to dig too deep to see I’m just like you What is it they want from me - tell me what more can I prove- WhySo many can’t understand, when it comes you and I I don’t fit in their descriptions - though I try Gotta change those old traditions When it’s all of them and one of me Chorus Bridge (I could lie I could lie I could lie) Let them take all I knew Would I be good enough for you We pretend we have open minds Yet we judge so fast Tell me why - to live out my future - yeah I must surrender my past Chorus
www.unswbsoc.com | Comunieco: Social Issues 12
The Fight to Win Over the ‘Aussie Battler’ By Nusrat Rahman I have come to realise why this election campaign has been uninspiring, mind-numbing and lacking any actual policy changes. Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott are each at pains to emphasise that they want to help ‘ordinary Australians’ and ‘battlers’, or in other words, the bogan population. It is these people who will decide the fate of our country, as they have proven time and time again that they are a force to be reckoned with. When a party proposes a policy that causes dissent with Bogan voters, talkback radio is filled with irate voters complaining about the poor use of their tax-payer money, numerous polls emerge in the nightly news, indicating shrinking support for said party, and power-brokers within the party stage a coup to dispose of the minister responsible for sustaining the policy. As a result of this, neither the Labour nor Liberal party have the guts to articulate actual policies in the lead up to the election, in fear of Bogan voter retribution. Case in point: the resources super profit tax. A series of ad campaigns created by
the mining industry stating “Hurt mining and you hurt Australia”, complete with talking heads from a variety of working class Australians, managed to convince the general public that a large tax on billion-dollar mining companies was unjust. These are the same people who would have benefited from the hospital reforms and national investment projects that would have been funded with the revenue raised from the tax. Although the tax was recommended in the Henry Tax Review and commended by the International Monetary Fund, the unpopularity of the tax ultimately led to Kevin Rudd’s upheaval as Prime Minister. Similarly, neither party seems to be able to construct a comprehensible policy regarding the treatment of asylum seekers who travel to Australia by boat in fear of offending the sort of people who claim that Australia is ‘full’. Asylum seekers who arrive by boat make up only a small fraction of the total number of asylum seekers. The majority of asylum seekers actually arrive by air. Many overstay their work or travel visas and then apply for refugee status, a fact that is conveniently ignored by the media. Instead of taking a compassionate view towards asylum seekers who are fleeing persecution and often war, both Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott are engaging in a hardline approach (Tony has actually prom-
ised to ‘Stop the Boats’), in order to win over the voters who feel that their way of life is somehow threatened each time a boat full of asylum seekers seeks entry to Australia. Another issue that is of great distress to the average Bogan is that Kevin Rudd was economically irresponsible for leading the country into a budget deficit. They appear to have forgotten a little event that occurred last year called the Global Financial Crisis. While nearly every other developed country in the world succumbed to recession, the Government undertook many projects to increase spending in order to stimulate the economy. This, along with the loosening of monetary policy, meant that Australia avoided a recession, and emerged from the GFC relatively unscathed. Contrary to popular belief, having a budget deficit during economic decline is ideal. It means the Government did its job properly. When economic prosperity returns, the government can then work on returning the budget to a surplus. So in order to keep its beloved voters content, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott will continue to be photographed kissing babies and hi-fiving school children, because this is what pleases the people. Rather than hearing actual policies regarding issues such as climate change, asylum seekers and samesex marriage, we’ll hear phrases like ‘fair dinkum’ and ‘Let’s move Australia Forward’ to no end. It’s going to be a very long election campaign.
An interview with
Amy Meredith By Allina Yang
What’s the story behind your band name? This is definitely a question we get a lot. The band name originated from the idea that we wanted to have a personality that represented the 5 of us, so when we were brain storming, Cameron decided to blurt out a little secret which involved him at age 6 and his imaginary friend/girlfriend Amy Meredith. We thought it was hilarious as it seemed it was the only way he was ever going to get a girl interested in him... if he created her in his mind. So we double checked the story with his parents and they confirmed. Hahaha. It seemed an endearing and fitting personality to give the band. After your upcoming ‘Restless Tour’ in September and October this year, where does Amy Meredith see themselves going in the near future? Well if all goes to plan, we will be travel-
M
eet Amy Meredith: the Aussie pop rock band whose hit singles Pornstar and Lying peaked on the ARIA charts in the past 12 months. With the recent release of their debut album Restless, we talked to their lead singer Christian Lo Russo.
ling around the world and hitting up as many countries/continents as we can. I guess we want to make the band as successful as possible in Australia and around the world. You could say we are rather ambitious... What is the funniest story you’ve had whilst on the road and travelling? Probably when Cameron filled up our van with unleaded petrol when it was meant to be filled with diesel, forcing us to stay overnight in the middle of nowhere. Our solution, the next day, was to just put diesel on top of the unleaded and be on our way.... it worked... sorry Hertz.
that has affected me in some way enough to pen it down. Is there any chance we will be seeing Amy Meredith performing at the University of NSW in the future? I don’t see why not. If the opportunity presented itself I am sure we will be ready to kick it. Plus, I heard a lot of the girls there are ridiculously good looking ;) I guess that would be the added incentive.
Where do you get your inspiration for your music from? It all comes from a place of experience, stories that have shaped my life or our lives in one way or another. Be it relationships, friendships, films I have seen or something
Congratulations – MGMT ‘You man the island— the cocaine, and the elegant cars’, crooned Andrew Van Wyngarden in one of the most iconic pop singles of the past decade. One million record sales, a stint on Yo Gabba Gabba and a lawsuit against Nicholas Sarkozy later, MGMT return with Congratulations—a complex art-record that builds on the euphoric bravado of their debut. To the delight of many, the band’s psychedelic, proto-pop aesthetic is largely intact. Congratulations sputters with the same trippy organ hooks, rolling percussion and echo-drenched choruses of its predecessor. Where Oracu-
lar Spectacular succeeded as a linear, singles-driven record, Congratulations however, falls short of its highbrow ambition. The album’s opener, ‘It’s Working’, feels overstuffed with melodic ideas— the end product is contrived and forcefully complex. ‘Siberian Breaks’ suffers a similar fate; it’s a twelve-minute monstrosity whose programme structure makes for a cringingly grandiose narrative. It is faults like these that strip Congratulations of its emotional authenticity. Still, MGMT deserve credit for their successes. Lead single ‘Flash Delirium’ ranks among the band’s best—cascading
pre-choruses, militaristic imagery, and all. New-wave tribute ‘Brian Eno’ is similarly infectious; it’s an allegorical recount of the duo’s creative crisis in a post-prog world, missiled with angst-riddled chants of ‘what does he know?!’. While its introspective subject matter might lead to eye-rolls, Congratulations is still a decent listen. Put aside the relentless production and self-indulgence, and you’ve got yourself an interesting (if seriously flawed) record. Worth listening. 6/10.
Music Review by Nathan Kwok www.unswbsoc.com | Comunieco: Social Issues 14
A FIRST-YEAR’S IMPRESSION Tell us a bit about yourself. At this time last year I was doing my HSC at St George Girls High School. I enjoy drawing and digital art. I’m not particularly good at it but it’s a passion. I don’t have a lot of time for it right now but I really appreciate it. Describe yourself in three words or phrases. An artist, a bit irrational and strange sense of humour. How do you find university life? Quite interesting. It’s a new experience from doing your own timetables and going to lectures. But during exam time it’s like school again though. How does university life differ to what you envisioned it would be? I imagined I would have a lot more free time. Right now some of the concepts are familiar because I did Economics in high school but some topics I feel like I have to do more work. There are a lot of people you or your friends know. You have a lot of friends in that sense but there isn’t a feeling of community. I don’t feel that sense of closeness probably because of less contact time. I’m only doing 12 hours. These past few months have been a transition phase for you. What has been the most difficult thing to adapt to? In the beginning I didn’t like Blackboard but
Reminiscing about your experiences when you just started at UNSW? First-year Commerce/Arts student, Vicky Kwong, talks to us about her journey so far.
now I’ve come to depend on it. Before I was confused about how to do the timetable but now I’ve gotten used to it. I can now have some fun, do my homework, whatever. The difficulty I have so far is trying to understand the standard that is expected from students. To have an understanding of where I have to be I would want to get criticisms and advice on how to better improve myself after I get my exam results back. So far have you had any regrets with the choices you’ve made? I don’t think I did that well in my statistics mid-session. I don’t have any other major regrets. Just a bit disappointed. Why did you choose business at UNSW? I was tossing up between USyd and UNSW. Commerce is something I wanted to do. UNSW has a very good reputation for business. I really like the facilities here. USyd has its old-school charm but I like to learn in a very new type of environment. A lot of people I know also go here. I always see people I know. What are your dreams and aspirations? Right now, it’s my first year and I’m not entirely sure what I definitely what to do. I’m probably going to go down the typical route: Finance/Accounting. I’ll probably go for CA too. Of course in the end what everyone wants at the end of uni is a job. So that’s the most important thing in the future.
Come join: http://www.unswbsoc.com/recruitment
How does what you want to do compare to what you dream to do? I guess my dreams in terms of passion and interests are not necessary in the commerce industry. I understand and like commerce but it’s a career choice. In my dreams I want to be able to do something I want to but in reality I can’t pursue it professionally. If you could do what you dream to do, what would it be? I don’t have a dream job. You have those things you want to do in life, places I want to go, and to travel the world like everyone says but I don’t have a dream job. I don’t have that sort of strong definite route. My life is wherever I take it so I like to have options available.
by Nicholas Pavitt & Jessica Thiyavutikan
Make the most of your degree. As you throw your graduation camp in the air, you’ll forget the lectures you attended but you’ll remember the friends you’ve made. You’ll forget the final exams you sat but you’ll remember the laughs you shared. We at Business Society, know that university is a once in a lifetime experience, so we’re here to help you make the most of it. From gettin’ kick started with our orientation camp, to helping you secure that dream job. Students - we’ve got you covered.
www.unswbsoc.com | Comunieco: Social Issues 15
Sustainability in Westpac Institutional Bank The Westpac Group has been recognised as a global leader in sustainability for a number of years. Sustainability is an important part of our business strategy, and we are committed to building a strong future for our customers, our employees and our communities Within Westpac Institutional Bank (WIB), we have a strong focus on sustainability and being socially responsible . One of our recent initiatives is establishing a specialised team to assess and pursue carbon deals, to embed carbon knowledge within the bank, and cement Westpac’s reputation as to the ‘go to’ bank for carbon. Their role includes trading carbon, financing new carbon-related business opportunities and managing the carbon credit risk exposure of our customers, ultimately with a view to providing fully integrated customer solutions. This is just one example of WIB contributing to sustainability. Our graduates are also able to contribute to Westpac’s approach to sustainability and being socially responsible. In the interview below, two WIB Graduates share some of their observations and experiences on what it is like to be a graduate in an organisation with a leading reputation for social responsibility and sustainability
Sipping coffees from their recyclable ‘keep cups’ in an internal Westpac café, two new Institutional Banking graduates, Jack and Scott, take time out to discuss how they have found corporate sustainability in the world of banking. Why did you join Westpac Institutional Bank? Jack: I joined Westpac because I wanted to work for a company I believed in. I liked the idea of working with finance but I wanted to be sure that I was having a positive impact at the same time. What I liked about Westpac was that it offered us that opportunity to contribute to the business but they also expected us to always be giving consideration to the greater community. Scott: The main reason I joined Westpac was because they were probably the company that made me feel most comfortable during the interview process. I was a nervous wreck before a lot of interviews but they really showed me that they were incredibly supportive of the graduates and that was something very important to me which made me relax. As Jack said, Westpac’s record as being a sustainable business also attracted me as I found that their values were quite aligned with my own. In particular: teamwork, achievement and integrity. And I think lastly the rotation system was something which really appealed to all of the graduates in Westpac.
What rotations are you doing at the moment? Jack: At the moment, I’m working in Transactional and Client Services, or “TCS” which focuses on cash management solutions for companies. What this means is establishing effective payment mechanisms for our institutional clients. Some of this you see every day with products like EFTPOS and BPAY Scott: Right now I’m working in the Debt and Hybrid Securities team. Put into more simple terms I’m working in what is basically bond origination. I’ve found it really exciting pitching for deals and getting to work directly with all sorts of companies. You really learn how important it is for a business to be accountable and maintain its reputation especially when dealing with people outside of the bank.
Is Westpac truly serious about sustainability, or is it just a dot point on a PowerPoint slide? Scott: It is definitely something that is taken very seriously within the business. On my first rotation as an analyst, in reviewing a corporate client’s credit we always measured what impact their operations have on the environment and take this very much into consideration when deciding whether or not we should be doing business with them. Westpac has a strong emphasis on everyone ‘doing the right thing’, which I think means much more than just being friendly to the environment. Being a sustainable business should be about being accountable, acting with integrity and building trust with your customers and the community. Jack: I agree. Without going about our business in a sustainable way, people wouldn’t want to do business with us and people wouldn’t want to work here. It’s important for us to not only help the bank act ethically and with integrity, but we as individuals also want to make a positive impact in assisting customers in achieving responsible and sustainable outcomes. What sustainability activities does Westpac allow you as grads to get involved with? Scott: Every year Westpac gives all graduates the opportunity to contribute by taking one paid day of leave to do a volunteer day. As well as this, many of us are planning a specific sustainability project from the ground up, to then be presented to the Group Sustainability Team. Hopefully these projects will then be implemented into the processes of the bank. Right now I’m working on coming up with ideas for sustainable products that Westpac could potentially offer to customers. For instance, developing some financial products to help customers purchase energy efficient rainwater tanks or solar panels. Other ideas we came up with were setting up a system where we as employees can salary sacrifice our own energy efficient purchases.
Jack: We’re also encouraged to take part in schemes such as Westpac’s Matching Gifts Program, where Westpac matches dollar for dollar any donation you make to a registered charity. There is always something going on which Westpac is sponsoring, like the City2Surf which gives us a good opportunity to get people outside of the company involved with as well. On top of this there are some more long term initiatives such as secondments to Cape York to donate your skills to assist in isolated and disadvantaged communities. Tell me more about the graduate’s Volunteer Day Scott: Every year, all Westpac employees get one paid day off work to go and volunteer or contribute to the community. This year the WIB graduates are going out with Land Care to Middle Head to help with their bush regeneration program. Other years, they’ve helped out at the Smith Family, helped to build houses in disadvantaged communities as well as partaking in the Indigenous Mentoring Program. How have Westpac’s sustainability initiatives impacted you personally? Jack: Westpac’s sustainable attitude makes you consider social implications for your decisions, and can often drive solutions that are both good for business and good for society. For instance, in my current rotation, we are constantly investing in technological improvements in our banking products. This increases efficiency for our customers and also reduces paper consumption across the entire economy. Scott: There are often little things I try to get into the habit of doing. I try to take my laptop to meetings if possible so I don’t waste paper from printing. I make the effort to turn off my screen when I leave to go home and have started using a “keep cup” for when I go and get coffees. It’s a small effort to make, but over the year I think it all makes a difference.
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Please join EDU’s conversation Class and have fun! Time: 1-2pm Wednesdays
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What is it really like to be a vacationer?
You might think that starting work as a vacationer with little real-life business expertise means tedious tasks and no responsibility. Jeremy Smith, a Summer Vacationer with Consulting at Deloitte in Sydney gives an insight into how that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. Degree Commerce/Arts University Sydney University Deloitte service line Consulting – Strategy & Operations I accepted a vacationer job with Deloitte because… Deloitte offered the most ‘hands-on’ vacationer program, geared towards providing experience with clients and giving a full insight into work as a consultant. Deloitte is devoted to bringing innovative solutions to the market and the Consulting line is supported by integrated solutions with other service lines which really appealed to me. I first got to work with clients… on my first day! And by the third I was attending meetings with executives. I found that vacationers are an integral part of the team and the work they produce is vital to the success of the project. I was given the opportunity to get involved in team brainstorming sessions, work through difficult problems with managers and interact with everyone from fellow vacationers to partners. I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with a single financial services client across multiple engagements and consulting lines – a strategic capability development piece and a human resources transformation project. The most surprising thing I’ve learnt has been… that you are never pigeon-holed at Deloitte; engagements span across various service lines and every engagement brings new challenges.
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The experience as a Deloitte vacationer will contribute to my studies by… giving context to my university courses and providing practical solutions that I wouldn’t have otherwise encountered – the exposure to the client environment has been very valuable. Constant guidance and support from buddies and counselling managers ensures there is always someone around who is happy to answer questions. They help join up the dots between theory and practise. The main assumption I had before joining Deloitte was that… I would start in nothing more than a support role with limited input. Instead, you are encouraged to throw yourself at every task, speak up in the team and get involved. I learnt that being a vacationer is about relishing every opportunity that comes your way and learning from the many new experiences you are exposed to. My advice for others studying who might be considering applying to Deloitte is… to be enthusiastic. One of the most important qualities of a Deloitte Consultant is enthusiasm. Deloitte has a fantastic work environment driven by passion for the exciting work on offer. Being genuinely enthused will go a long way, so go for it!
Get to know Jeremy a bit better… What is still on your must-do list? Travel to Tibet and learn another language. What is your most treasured possession? My 21 year old bottle of Penfolds Grange waiting to be enjoyed very soon. What is currently on your IPod? Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, Florence + Machine, Miami Horror and Temper Trap. How would your mum describe you? Determined, competitive, fun-loving and definitely not doing enough around the house. How do you switch off after a busy day? Head to the park with some mates, go for a run or just sit down to watch “How I Met Your Mother”.
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