Meeting of the ICL Business School Research Advisory Board, Wednesday 1030, 11^th February 2009, at the ICL Building, 71-77 Customs Street East.

Present

Dr John Hinchcliff, former Vice-Chancellor, AUT University [Chairman]

Prof Ron Newman, President, Raffles University

Dr Somnath Basu, Director, The California Institute of Finance

Ewen Mackenzie-Bowie, Principal, ICL                       

Desmond Patel, Senior Lecturer, IT, ICL

[to be appointed, Senior Lecturer, Business, ICL]

Minutes

1. Welcome, apologies and introductions: no apologies; each member introduced himself.
2. Formal establishment of Research Advisory Board: EMB quoted from the minutes of the ICL Business School Advisory Board [AB] meeting of 22^nd January, which passed a motion to establish a Research Advisory Board [RAB].  RN enquired as to the reporting lines to and from the RAB.  The meeting felt the RAB should be a third sub-committee reporting to the AB, alongside the new Business and IT sub-committees.  EMB would prepare a model.  The RAB should meet twice a year and present an annual strategic plan to the AB.
 
3. Staff Profiles and research interests: EMB tabled the current staff research interests.  RN recommended a standard format for CVs.  The summary should categorise staff as full time, part time or adjunct.  JH suggested the stipend section was irrelevant to the research profile.
 
4. Research Plan: SB observed that with respect to the MBA NZ and USA had different research agendas.  There was a wide discussion on the meaning of research.  JH expressed concern that in some universities research had “gone too far”.  He had experience of a university whose faculty had proposed a cessation of teaching in favour of research!  He felt research should be practical, useful and not alienate students.  The meeting felt the NZQA definition was pragmatic and useful.  EMB suggested that this might be because it emanated from the CNAA, which was the UK polytechnic awards body of the early 1990s.  RN and SB suggested the NZQA definition was quite liberating, cf the “three groupings” of academic staff in 6.6 paragraph 4.

    SB noted that CLU teaching involves “applied research methods” and that the CLU faculty clearly met the NZQA definition in their clear focus     

    on refereed journal publications.  SB would identify core CLU faculty who will be involved in the MBA and send their CVs.  RN said he would send his  

    CV.  RN observed that “publication” could encompass a broad definition cf art and design and multimedia.  ICL’s IT programmes could lend

    themselves to research in the form of practical projects.  While the CLU MBA was the initial avenue for research activity RN stated that ICL needed a

    generic research plan independent of CLU.  RN suggested ICL could easily inform research within categories c to g in paragraph 6.5 of the NZQA

    criteria.  The objective was the development of a research culture which would lift the quality of ICL Business School.  ICL should engage staff who are

    already involved in research. 

    The meeting recommended the formation of an ethics committee to monitor research projects in three discrete areas: legal, socio-religious and 

    academic.  The committee would meet on a needs basis, mostly functioning by e-communication.  RN thought he could recommend a local professor

    suitable to chair the committee.

    SB suggested that the research plan would develop from the activities and criteria identified in each course.  RN suggested a draft plan be circulated

    among the board for input until it became a sufficiently well-formed plan to present to the AB.  A small sub-committee would collate research projects

    and a senior staff member coordinate project presentation to the ethics committee.

5.   Additional members of the Board:  the mood of the meeting was that as there were already three “heavyweights” on board, a larger committee was not likely to perform more effectively.  Nonetheless JH felt that a top-flight academic from UoA or AUT would be useful and thought he could recommend one.

6.   Next meeting: to coincide with NZQA evaluation panel visit for the MBA, when SB would need to be in town.  EMB hoped this might be in May.

7.   Other business: the RAB needed terms of reference and a constitution.  EMB would draft the ToR and circulate with the minutes.  RN would provide a template for a constitution.  The meeting adjourned to visit the new ICL Business School premises at 238 Queen St and closed at 1230.

Motion: that an ICL Business School Research Advisory Board be established.

Proposed: Somnath Basu  Seconded: Ron Newman  Passed unanimously

Action points

1. Circulate model for function, reporting and sub-committee structure                                      EMB
2. Standardisation of ICL CVs                                                                                                               EMB
3. Revise staff research interest document according to RAB recommendations                     EMB
4. Send CVs of core staff involved in ICL-CLU MBA                                                                          SB
5. Send CV                                                                                                                                                 RN
6. Recommend senior academic for ethics committee                                                                   RN
7. Recommend senior academic to join RAB                                                                                    JH
8. Draft Terms of Reference                                                                                                                  EMB
9. Send Constitution template                                                                                                              RN