Islam is practiced by approximately one fourth (almost 2 billion) of the world’s population and to varying degrees in most countries across the globe.  Business in Islamic countries is impacted by Sharia law and reflected in the culture, laws, ethical codes, business and societal norms in those countries.  With the growth of Islamic economies (e.g. Indonesia, Malaysia, Middle-Eastern countries, Bangladesh, Pakistan) the nature and role of Islamic business is growing in importance.  Indeed, there has never been a more important and exciting time to study Islamic business. 

With a relatively high birth rate and migration, the impact of Islam and the growth and importance of Islamic business has spread across the globe. In Australia, for example, there are growing Islamic communities with Muslims from more than 60 countries.  

With a focus on the special features of Islamic Business as well as a solid grounding in Western business principles and practices, NAPS graduates will find opportunities in almost every area of business activity.  In addition, with one additional term’s study they will be able to qualify for accreditation by CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand (ANZ).

This involves the rules of transacting finance and other commercial activity in compliance with Shari'a and Islamic scripture (Quran and Sunnah).   This has relevance to most common commercial practices such as the sale of property, taxes, loans, employment contracts, and consumer sales and so forth. This applied to issues like property, money, employment, taxes, loans, and contracts.

A system of accounting does not operate in isolation, but must operate within the context of laws ethics, culture and values in that country.  With the emergence of banks and other financial institutions in the Middle East there is emerging distinct accounting theory and practices that reflect Islamic principles and traditions. Students who intend to have careers in these countries and professionals who are engaged in these countries must be aware of such changes.

Business Ethics and Management
With the rapid growth in the economy of many Islamic countries, the business community must deal with conflicts that arise between Western capitalism and the Islamic environment with its particular notions of justice, fairness, and appropriate business conduct. A modern course focused on Islamic business will provide students with guidance on how best to deal with these ethical issues and be morally accountable.

Business Management also operates within the context of Islamic ethics and practice. For example, the nature of employment and the corresponding duties and responsibilities of employees have, in Islam, a moral character that specifies commitment of management and labour to the organisation and the spirit of brotherhood among Muslims. This spiritual dimension is distinct to Islam and typically absent from traditional western notions of business management theory and practice.

Islamic Economics 

Islamic economics involves the knowledge of economics and business/consumer activities and processes in the context of Islamic principles and teachings. Like capitalism, Islamic economics is an economic system which is based on its philosophical views and is compatible with the Islamic organisation and governance of most aspects of human behavior and social, legal and political systems.  Islam has a set of special moral norms and values governing individual and social economic behavior. As a branch of social science, Islamic economics describes, analyses and seeks to understand and analyse the production of goods, provision of services, distribution, consumptionetc. with a view to achieve maximum efficiency, full employment, stable prices, economic equity and fairness and growth.

Marketing
Islamic marketing involves satisfying the needs of customers through the good conduct of delivering Halal --wholesome, pure and lawful products and services with the mutual consent of both seller and buyer for the purpose of achieving material and spiritual well-being.  

Islamic Banking, Islamic Finance Sharia-Compliant Finance
Islamic principles and laws also impact banking and finance institutions and practices. Providers of banking and finance services and products must operate within the context of Islamic law.  Banking/finance products and services and related contracts, joint ventures, bonds and other financial products and services transactions are impacted by Islamic law.

 

Still other career opportunities exist for those who want to use their Islamic Business degree to launch their own business, i.e. Islamic entrepreneurship.  This field focuses on examples of Islamic entrepreneurs, Islamic business ventures and the factors, including Islamic faith, culture, principles and tradition, that promote innovation.  Business intrapreneurship involves the study of innovation from within existing organisations, while social entrepreneurship deals with innovation by non-profit organisations focused on a major social issues such as women’s rights, poverty and climate change.  Finally, governments in Islamic countries themselves have an urgent need to promote peaceful and positive innovation to successfully manage the rapid changes and disruption that challenge all societies today.

Islamic E-business and E-government

Technological developments such as the internet, e-commerce, cloud computing and the Internet-of-Things, have also been adopted by Islamic countries.  These new forms of economic and government activity must also operate within the framework of Islamic laws and culture.   Islamic e-business involves the selling of products or provision of services (e.g. e-banking) which are halal through digital means such as internet. The emerging application of e-business including e-commerce namely for selling goods electronicallyand e-banking.Under Islamic law, elements such as charging interest, deceit, fraud, non-delivery of services are typically prohibited in Islamic e-business practices. 

Almost every Islamic country has also embraced the move toward e-Government. Here, too, there will be a demand for graduates who have an understanding of Islamic law, culture and practice.

Islamic Dispute Resolution
The dispute resolution processes in Islam is a component of the over-arching larger Islamic legal framework known as Shariah. While Western legal systems were rather slow to embrace alternative dispute resolution (ADR), this is not so in Islamic countries.  

It is important to note that even International commercial arbitration can also be subject to Islamic law. The Asian International Arbitration Centre has developed i-Arbitration rules (“i” signifies compliance with Islamic law). This caters for international parties who are interested in resolving their disputes through Islamic procedures. The i-Arbitration rules are consistent with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Arbitration Rules.

Among the many possible career paths open to those with a NAPS degree in Islamic Business:

 

• Accounting
• Banking and Finance
• Communication
• Resources Planning and Administration
• Banking
• International Trade
• Corporate Services
• Economics
• Business Analyst
• Government
• E-business/Commerce
• Marketing, Advertising
• Customer Relations
• Corporate Services
• Management
• Administration
• Compliance
• Business Research
• Risk Manager
• Human Resources/Recruiter
• Budget Analyst
• Corporate Accountant
• Auditor
• Business Consultant
• Project Management
• Supply Chain Logistics
• Procurement Supply
• Entrepreneur, Small Business, Social Entrepreneur
• Sustainability Analyst

While it is important to be cautious in making comparisons between laws and business practices in different countries, such comparative work is nevertheless significant and useful as a way of helping ‘outsiders’ understand both their own system as well as the one under study.  This is analogous to the way we as individuals each select those aspects of phenomena to which we pay attention.However, different people select different things.  As noted by author Anais Nin, “We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” We each have blind-spots, but by talking with one another, collaborating and exchanging insights, we discover important things that we have missed and come closer to grasping complex realities. 

Advocates and researchers of Islamic Business have described it as neither capitalist nor socialist.  They argue that Islamic business represents an increasingly important ‘third way’ that is seen by many as having advantages over the other two, for example in better addressing the growing gap between the rich and the poor, tax regimes that focus on taxing wealth, but not trade. What is indisputable is the fact that Islam is a growing force in today’s Islamic countries and business world.  Business students and professionals who take notice and learn will be well placed for success in the decades ahead.

 

At the heart of NAPS approach to educating tomorrow’s professionals is the notion of student-centred education.  In contrast to traditional university teaching focused on the lecturer (the sage on the stage), student-centred learning shifts the focus of instruction to achieving the best possible outcomes for students.  This approach to learning has its roots in early work by John Dewey, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, among others.

Student-centred learning sees the teacher more as a ‘coach’, a guide on the side.  The teacher engages with the student and encourage the student to take charge of their own learning, to become an autonomous learner who takes responsibility for their own learning.  Such an approach is especially suited to 21^st century where information is readily available to everyone and learning, unlearning and re-learning must be viewed as a lifelong journey.  This is especially relevant for education in the professions which are subject to increasing change and disruption leading to a need for professionals to constantly adapt and innovate.

Also, in contrast to much of traditional university education which focused on knowledge and information, conveyed largely through lectures, student-centred learning focuses particularly on skills such as communication, how to learn a specific subject and develop a range of skills required for professional success.  Such skills are reflected in the AQF. Examples of such skills include: communication, research, analysis, problem solving, evaluation, synthesis, creativity, development of ethical values, communication, cultural EQ and teamwork.

Student-centred learning is grounded on constructionist theory (Theodore, Brameld, Toward a Reconstructed Philosophy of Education (1956)) which emphasises the learner's crucial role in constructing meaning from new information and interrelated with the student’s prior experience.  In this approach, the teachers get to know students, learn about their background, their motivations, their interests and expectations.  Student-centred learning recognises that students are different, have varied interests and learn in different ways. A teacher adopting this approach views the class, not as an amorphous group, but sees students as individuals with the goal being to help each student become all that it is possible for them to become. Through this dialogue between teacher and student and students and their peers, both within and outside the classroom, the teacher and learner constantly adapt with the students taking a proactive role in their own learning.  This is in contrast to traditional university education dominated by large lecture theatres and the curriculum dictated in ‘top-down’ fashion to students who are largely passive in the process.

Student-centred learning is also grounded on theories of adult learning.  NAPS believes that lecturers should also familiarise themselves with and apply principles of adult learning. Adult learning theory, termed andragogy, focuses on self-directed learning. Andragogy is defined as “the art and science of helping adults learn” and is contrasted with pedagogy, “the art and science of helping children learn.”[1]  In andragogy, classroom climate should be one of adultness, both physically and psychologically. In this regard, adults should feel accepted, respected, and supported.  This approach promotes a spirit of mutuality between teachers and students as fellow learners on a mutual educational journey on which all grow and develop.

 

Student-centredness also gives due consideration to a student’s motivation to learn. Raymond Wiodowski, supported by the latest cognitive science research, is one of the leading thinkers in helping us to understand student motivation for learning. Wiodkowski’s framework for culturally responsive teaching embraces, from a motivational perspective, the diversity and complexity of today’s adult learner. The framework focuses on four intersecting motivational conditions that are essential for enhancing adults’ motivation to learn. They are:

 

1) Establishing inclusion: creating a learning atmosphere in which learners and teachers feel respected and connected to one another;  2).Developing attitude: creating a favorable disposition toward the learning experience through personal relevance and choice;  3) Enhancing Meaning: creating challenging, thoughtful learning experiences that include learners’ perspectives and values; and 4) Engendering competence: Creating an understanding that learners are effective in learning something they value.

2) Student-centred learning gives the students a voice in the classroom. Assessments often provide options (eg choice of a research topic or project focus).  Students are also encouraged to form professional and social clubs and to interact with their teachers via participation in extra-curricular activities through which they can develop additional skills and practice skills learned in the classroom.  Examples include public speaking competitions, voluntary community work, etc. 

Student-centred learning sees education as an experiential, adaptive and social process. This approach is based on the conviction fostered by theorists such as Dewey and Carl Rogers that a student-centred approach is the best way to prepare learners for the future and empower them to be positive contributors to their professions and the society in which they serve and devote their lives.

 

NAPS Implements and supports a student-centred curriculum through the following:

 

• Strategic planning, Student Handbook and other documents that articulate NAPS mission and focus on student-centred learning.

• Hiring of staff who support and believe in a student-centred approach to learning

• Providing a staff orientation and ongoing staff-development that promotes and supports student-centred learning.

• Implementing policies and procedures (eg Staff Code of Conduct, Academic Staff Availability Policy, performance evaluations) that promote student centred-learning (eg requiring staff to be available to students by set consultation hours, developing a community of professional practice via Moodle, etc)

• Mentoring and monitoring staff thereby promoting student-centred learning.

• Developing of extra-curricular activities (competitions, volunteer work, student societies) that create a culture of student-centred learning. 

• Developing courses and approaches to learning and assessment that promote student-centred learning.

• Conducting unit and course evaluations through which we will assess progress towards promotion of student learnings.

• Having Student Representation on Academic Board and Board of Directors/Council 

• Ensuring that technology support, academic support, teaching/learning resources and personal/counselling/career advice support are readily available to all students and focused on the needs of students, especially those from lower socio-economic groups or for whom English is not their first language.

 

The education of tomorrow’s professionals requires that educational institutions incorporate the best of traditional and modern learning approaches, including the use of new technologies through which our students will continue to learn throughout their careers.  NAPS approach to professional education involves blended learning or technology mediated approaches.  In addition to in-person lectures, tutorials and traditional textbooks, case studies and other print material, our dedicated teaching staff will also deploy online educational materials that are available to students 24/7 via the Internet and on students’ computers, mobile phones and other devices.  Throughout Online Learning System students will be able to engage in real-time and asynchronous discussions, work on group projects, gain access to extra readings and other learning material, complete online reviews and more.

 As a result of blended learning/technology mediated instruction students are more able to learn at their own place; their own pace.  They have access to a wider range of materials so that they can find resources that best fit their particular learning style.  This approach to learning is also similar to how, after graduation,  they will continue to learn throughout their professional careers. 

 

[1] Knowles, Malcolm Shepherd, Holton, Elwood F. And , Swanson, Richard A, The adult learner: the definitive classic in adult education and huan resource development, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005; Knowles, Malcolm, The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species, Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, 1973, 1990.

 

[2] Wlodkowski, Raymond J , Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn: A Comprehensive Guide for Teaching All Adults, John Wiley & Sons, 2010

 

At the National Academy of Professional Studies professionalism starts in the classroom. All students are expected to adhere specifically to the Code of Student Conduct and generally to conduct themselves professionally as part of their course of study. Please read and study your Student Handbook and Student Code of Conduct for full details about what is expected of you as a student of the National Academy.

As a student in the National Academy of Professional Studies, you are now on track to enter the profession you have chosen to study.  Academic and administrative staff in the National Academy of Professional Studies expect every student in and out of the classroom to engage in conduct consistent with high standards of professional and ethical behaviour. 

The standard of conduct outlined below provides general guidelines governing how you would interact and behave, while working in a team, meeting with a client or interacting with their supervisor/superiors. As a guide for students, consider how you would interact and behave in a professional environment and apply the equivalent standard to your in-class and out-of-class interactions. The professionalism, or lack of, is considered part of your academic progress. Conducting yourself according to such standards and making them a habit are vital for your future success.

1. Every student is expected to devote the necessary time outside of class each week to prepare for your class. Expect to spend 2-3 hours per week on coursework for every credit hour earned in class. For example, a 4-credit business course represents approximately 4 hours of classroom time; and 8-12 hours per week in outside classroom time. Students taking a full-time schedule of 12 credit hours should be dedicating 24-36 hours each week.

2. In the classroom

• Arrive on time to class, prepared to engage in the day’s topics and activities.
• Attend all classes and if unable, notify the professor as soon as you know you will be unable to attend for reasons of illness or emergency.
• Keep mobile phones and other electronic devices turned off during class.
• Respect your colleagues and faculty by refraining from disruptive behaviour, including engaging in non-class activities, sleeping in class, speaking with your peers during the class on non-academic topics and leaving class before the professor has dismissed the class.
• Students should address faculty as “Professor” or “Dr.” Calling faculty by their first name is not appropriate.
• Notify the instructor in advance of a need for accommodation of a disability that has been verified by NAPS Office of Student Services.
• Take responsibility for what transpired if you miss class and respect the policies of NAPS and your instructor’s guidelines in the unit outline.
• Participate in all classroom activities.
• Foster academic honesty.  
• Consider your Moodle site for each unit as part of the classroom. Participate, be responsible and act professionally. Do not engage in bullying or personal attacks of any kind.

3. Outside the classroom

• Treat all email and other correspondence as professional communications.
• As a member of a team, attend all team meetings and fully contribute to the group’s discussions, presentations and work products.
• Respect the need to plan ahead and schedule tasks so that each group member has ample opportunity to meet academic obligations.
• Be a responsible member of your group that is respectful of each individual and their right to receive an education.
• Be gracious and respectful with working professionals and faculty who take time to interact with you in and outside the classroom.
• Honour appointments with advisors, employers, faculty and staff.
• Dress appropriately for NAPS events, especially if outside professionals are also in attendance.
• Foster academic honesty. 

Faculty and administrative team members of NAPS are committed to creating and maintaining a culture of professionalism in all we do.  Accordingly, NAPS’ staff also have a similar code of conduct applicable to them.  See Staff Code of Conduct.

In general terms,

Faculty are expected to act professionally, have the highest regard for students’ progress and welfare, and provide current and effective instruction. Faculty fulfil their professional obligations by having passion for their fields and stimulate critical thinking and creativity. Faculty will conduct themselves as responsible professionals with their students, with all faculty adhering to the standards of professional behaviour.

• Arrive on time to class prepared to engage in the day’s topics.
• Maintain the depth and breadth of knowledge in the field and communicate that knowledge to the students.
• Treat all students fairly, ensuring equal application of the class standards and requirements.
• Respect students’ desire to excel in their academic accomplishments by providing them with the courtesy, feedback and time they need to succeed.
• Promote academic honesty.
• Adhere to and effectively and fairly apply all of NAPS’ policies and procedures.

Administrative staff should be available to students, respond courteously and act promptly to meet student needs and address their concerns.  They will also work closely with faculty to ensure that adequate student support is available to students both inside and outside the classroom. They should ensure that NAPS policies and procedures are fairly, efficiently and effectively administered.  

 

With the launching of NAPS, the Academy made history by being the first and only Australia higher education institution to offer a degree in Islamic Business. While many Australian institutions offer Islamic Banking or Islamic Finance as units of study, none offers a comprehensive degree or course leading to the award of Islamic Business. As Professor Sam Blay the NAPS President and CEO notes, ‘Islamic business is big business. Islamic Finance and Islamic Banking are merely two elements in Islamic Business’. At NAPS we offer more for Islamic Business’.

NAPS’ Islamic Business course prepares students for the Islamic and global employment market by offering standard subjects in general accounting in addition to:

• Principles of Sharia
• Principles of Islamic Economics
• Islamic Contract Law including Principles of Takaful (Insurance)
• Islamic Commercial Law
• Islamic Accounting Principles
• Islamic Capital Markets
• Islamic Business Ethics
• Principles of Islamic Banking
• Contemporary Islamic Finance

Because the degree includes standard accounting units, the NAPS Bachelor of Business (Islamic Business) is accredited by CPA and CA ANZ. Therefore, students who graduate from the course have a double advantage.  They can practice as CPAs, and can also apply to become Certified Islamic Public Accountants (subject to the applications rules of the accrediting agency).

Professor Blay notes that while NAPS’ Bachelor of Business (Islamic Business) is ideal for students from Islamic countries, it is also highly recommended for students from non-Islamic countries.  He observes that with the increasing dominance and importance of sovereign wealth funds and investor interest from the Gulf Region and South East Asia, any serious financial institution in the major economies of the world requires graduates with expert knowledge in Islamic Business.  He said in Australia and the United Kingdom for instance, leading banks have established departments dedicated to Islamic finance and are looking to recruit experts.

Professor Blay further notes that the emergence of economies such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar Saudi Arabia and Brunei is a clear indication of future trends in the global economy with important implications for ‘halal investments’. Additionally, with the growth of Islamic economies (eg Indonesia, Egypt, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan) the nature and role of Islamic business is growing in importance. Indeed, there has never been a more important and exciting time to study Islamic Business.

Professor Blay notes that the NAPS Bachelor of Business focusing on Islamic Business is designed to allow students to start the future today.    

 

We at NAPS believe that it is important for our academics, staff and students to be engaged with the professions and society in general.  One of the ways of doing this is contributing our ideas, reflections and opinions on various topics of interest to the profession and generally.

Leading by example and priming the pump, the following blogs come from my personal collection. Ever since my university days when I served as editor of the student newspaper, I have been writing articles on various topics.  As an academic at the University of Canberra, I wrote a weekly column on law, technology and society for the Canberra Times newspaper.  I continue to be a columnist for China.Org. Attached are a series of my opinion articles/blogs (originally published in China.org) on various topics relevant to business and the professions.

As NAPS grows, we will engage our community of academics and our students, too, in contributing further articles. 

I hope you enjoy reading these and I look forward to reading future pieces written by the academics, staff and students of NAPS.

Choosing the best possible job for depends in large part on knowing yourself and the kinds of activities you enjoy and seem to be naturally good at and drawn to.  This is far more likely to land you in the right place than wasting time comparing yourself to your friends or choosing a job based only on how much it pays.  Pick a job you will enjoy and that matches your talents.

Searching for a job is not a one-time event.  The reality is that most graduates today will have more than ten different jobs over the course of their career. Even if you are lucky and stay with the same organisation your entire working life, you will change roles many times within that organisation.  If you find you are in a job that does not meet your needs, keep looking.  We spend much of our lives working and it is important to find work that fulfils your needs and goals.  Do your best to settle for nothing less.

Take note that a high percentage of graduates end up working in jobs and fields outside their course of study.  For example, someone who does a teaching degree may find no jobs available.  Yet, the underlying skills acquired in an education degree can translate into many different roles.  Ali Baba’s Jack Ma, for example, had many jobs (eg English teacher) and many failures before becoming co-founder and CEO of the Alibaba Group.  So, be open to travel the lesser worn path as it may lead to some very exciting opportunities.

There’s much more to life than money.  While the amount you earn is important, do not let this be your sole determining factor. Look long term to the growth opportunities of a particular job.  Try your best to find work that will provide you not only a living, but also a life.

Sometimes you won’t be able to find a job that is at the level you prefer.  If this type of work is something you really want to do, consider starting at a lower level a and being prepared to work your way up. 

As between possible positions in different industries, do your homework about the industry.  In high growth areas (eg artificial intelligence) you know that the industry is expanding.  This means there will be ample opportunities for growth and development.  If the industry is a declining one, future opportunities are likely to be more limited.  It’s like surfing.  When the surf is up, even average surfers can get a good ride.  When the surf is flat, there are far fewer opportunities and the rides are far less rewarding.

Look for a job that enables you to keep learning.  The best and happiest employees are those that continue to learn about their organisations, their company’s products and services.  Also keep learning about the wider context in which your organisation operates.

Beyond knowing yourself, being successful in a job search also means being prepared. Do your homework on your prospective employer, their services and products.  Ask also about their corporate culture to get a sense of how and whether you would fit in and whether you would like to work for such an organisation.  Read all you can about the particular industry and the challenges and issues it faces and how you might be part of the solution to those challenges.   Part of your preparation also means taking advantage of career expos, career information from your university and other job assistance that is available.  Brush up as well on your job search skills.  Is your CV in good shape?  How about your interviewing skills? 

Remember that first impressions are important so also pay attention to appearance. When speaking to a prospective employer make sure you know and have PRACTICED the following:

• Your story – This should be brief but let people know who you are and get a sense of what value you could bring to their organisation.
• Why you are interested in that organisation and the role.
• What does the company do? Who is the CEO? Who are their main competitors? What is their culture?
• Why would you be a good fit for the company and the role? (Think about what you can do for them, not what they can do for you)

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the 19^th Century American essayist and philosopher, wrote that “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”  Make sure your prospective employer sees you as enthusiastic and excited about the opportunity.

Organisations tend to hire people based on their qualifications and talents, but fire them when they don’t fit in and cannot work with others.  Show respect and courtesy to everyone you meet. Indeed, I always asked our administrative team about a candidate and warning bells went off if I discovered that the candidate was rude or impolite to them.  I wanted to know how they acted to others and when they were not ‘on guard’.  Employers appreciate a little humility. They want to know if you are coachable and open to learning new things and further growth and development.

“I have always been a believer in you can do anything you want. When there was a job that I really wanted I would go the extra mile to do whatever I could to stand out from other candidates. An example of this is I even offered to work for a week for free so that they could see how hard I would work for them and the value I could add to their team.  You can also do informational interviews with people in the organisation. This too will show your dedication and genuine enthusiasm and will help you build connections too. Another way to stand out is to ask for feedback if you are unsuccessful in an interview. This will only help you prepare better to nail the next one. I actually did this back in university when I applied for an internship and not only did I get some valuable feedback to help me in the future but the employer was so impressed they changed their mind and offered me the role.”

Don’t get discouraged by rejection. There are many people applying for positions and many reasons why you might not get that interview.  Indeed, if you think about it most people fail more times than they succeed in applying for jobs.  As Vivian Komori notes, “Life is not about how fast you run or how high you climb, but how well you bounce."

Some graduates think, ‘Now that I have a job,  my days of having to study are over.’ In truth, you have only just begun.  A job is not an end point, but only one stop along a lifelong journey. As American author, Louis L ‘Amour states:

  “We are, finally, all wanderers in search of knowledge. Most of us hold the dream of becoming something better than we are, something larger, richer, in some way more important to the world and ourselves. Too often, the way taken is the wrong way, with too much emphasis on what we want to have, rather than what we wish to become.” — Louis L'Amour

The best way to ramp up quickly in a new role is to do the following:

• Ask questions – Be engaged in every conversation and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
• Get to know as many people as possible – Find out all who has been really successful in your role previously and reach out to them to ask them what worked well for them. It will also be beneficial to reach out to other areas within the business to understand what they do that way you can see how it all fits together. You will find that you will pull little bits of advice from each person to make up your own formula for success that works for you and that you hopefully can share one day.
• Ask for feedback – It’s so important to OWN YOUR OWN DEVELOPMENT. You can’t improve on something if you don’t know what needs to be worked on. Ask your customers, ask your superiors, ask your colleagues, and your clients for feedback and you will quickly learn tricks of the trade that will set up for success and put you miles ahead of anyone else. *Remember when asking for feedback, be open, acknowledge it and then figure out the best way to apply it. Take advantage of all company resources too as they always have many tools available to help you be the best at your job.
• Realize also that every job will have its challenges. Indeed, the challenges should be seen as opportunities to learn and sometimes that learning will be difficult. As John W Gardner notes:

“There is no learning without some difficulty and fumbling. If you want to keep on learning, you must keep on risking failure--all your life.”

It is important to realize that talent will never be developed or be enough without hard work.  There are no shortcuts.  As novelist Ray Bradbury put it:

"I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don't love something, then don't do it."  

Artist Michelangelo similarly acknowledged: "If you knew how much work went into it, you wouldn't call it genius."

Hold on for one more day, one more month or one more year. Keep things in perspective and understand that you will be learning and probably will not feel comfortable for at least the first nine months of any job. Making judgements too early or leaving a job too soon could cause you to miss out on what could be an amazing career. As a general rule you should remain in a role or with an organisation for at least 2 years if you want to put it on your resume. This will show prospective employers that you made it through training and brought something of value to your previous company. Things always tend turn around and you will have your ups and downs with every job but I promise you if you stick it out, it will be incredibly worth it.

Cicero reminds us that ‘Gratitude the greatest of all virtues and the parent of all the rest.’  One of many things admirable about Chinese culture is their strong sense of family and obligation to parents, family members and friends who have made their success possible.

Remember finally that while getting that job is terribly important, do not do so at the risk to your own health. 

In the words of Irish poet and philosopher, John Donahue:  

May your work never weary you.
May it release within you wellsprings of
refreshment, inspiration and excitement.
May you be present in what you do.
May you never become lost in bland absences.
May the day never burden.
May dawn find you awake and alert,
approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities and promises.
May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.
May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected.
May your soul calm, console and renew you.

 

Advances in information communication technology have changed almost all aspects of life in the 21^st Century.  This is no less true of the nature of leadership where a global economy, e-commerce, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet-of-Things (IoT), big data, digital tribes, cloud computing, and other advances continue to disrupt old paradigms, models, industries, relationships and institutions and lead to new ones.  While it is perhaps too soon to draw any definitive conclusion, how have these and related forces changed the nature of leadership? Do we require e-leadership for an Information Age?  What type of leadership and what skill-set will be required if public and private sector organisations in China, the US, the EU and all countries are to ensure that technology will result in a better life for all citizens and our planet?

There is no accepted definition of e-leadership.  Indeed, at this stage it remains a new term with an unsettled definition.  Other terms and contexts in which e-leadership or its synonym is deployed in the academic, business and governance literature include: technology leadership, ICT leadership, online leadership, virtual leadership, digital leadership, virtual team leader, etc. 

On the one hand, e-leaders can be described in terms of traditional leaders.  They confront issues of motivating followers, organizing their members, gaining trust, establishing principles and responding to challenges.  On the other hand, E-leaders have the additional and new challenges of dealing with across many jurisdictions with different legal systems, reaching across diverse cultures with many languages, operating in a virtual environment that is highly fluid and rapidly changing, forming and dealing with digital tribes whose membership and values are amorphous and often changing, and so on.  E-leaders must be masters of new and diverse forms of communication such as social media, Twitter, We Chat, websites, electronic polls, etc.

Effective e-leadership requires skills that are both broad and deep.  They typically require in-depth knowledge and skill set from a particular discipline (eg engineering, law, finance, medicine) as well as a broad range of skills such as time management, negotiation, advocacy, critical and systems thinking, innovation, entrepreneurship, cultural intelligence, and emotional intelligence.  Underpinning e-leaders’  specialized skill set and their broad skills is an understanding of technology and the multi-layered abilities to use it to lead in this new 21^st Century information environment.  This includes the ability to form and effectively lead virtual teams.  E-leaders must also be skilled in managing external partnerships.  They must be data driven and customer/citizen-focused as opposed to product-focused.  They must be effective at initiating and managing change, balancing disruption and innovation. 

Today, all organisations must be learning organisations and e-leaders must be skilled in and committed to e-learning and the global implications of e-learning for all. Today’s e-leaders must be adept at developing new and more effective leadership and management understandings of how to master this new environment with its network of personal and organisational relationships extending across national borders and diverse cultures and technologies. 

With the growth of artificial intelligence, big data, robotics and the divide between machines and humans is becoming increasingly blurred. E-leaders will also have to learn how to leverage new knowledge creation and increasingly sophisticated AI driven systems. This will involve learning how to leverage this new knowledge power and even partner with artificial intelligence systems in creating new models, new systems and new forms of accountability which often raise novel and unclarified ethical challenges as machine and human intelligence increasingly merge.

E-leadership will take place in almost every conceivable context.  At the highest level, this will require leading the design and shape of visions of the future.  As French author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, eloquently put it:  “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” 

Vision will remain but a dream without specific strategies and action steps to make things. Happen. Thus, e-leadership will also involve leading strategic planning in this new environment and helping to shape new and adaptive systems that shape behaviours, define new relationships, create trust, develop organisational values, promote collaboration, encourage diversity and more.  E-leadership will be involved in attracting, training and nurturing talent for e-leadership at all levels of the organisation.  E-leaders will have to be adept at forging partnerships across industries, across different cultures, across national boundaries, etc.   E-leadership will be involved in adapting, evaluating and constantly improving systems, balancing risks with innovation.  This will be very challenging given a significant shortage of such high-order skills.

For a Knowledge Economy and Information Age to succeed, there must be an effective tri-partite relationship and collaboration among government, business and academia.  Learning must become truly life-long.  There must be greater cohesion between the private and public sectors and among businesses, governments and education.  Within education itself, there has to be much greater cooperation and curricula coherence in primary, secondary and tertiary level education.  The worlds of work and learning, knowledge creation and acquisition, must come together.  There must be stronger links between theory and practice.

E-leaders in both public and private spheres must also be ever mindful of bridging digital divides between the technology-haves and the technology have-nots.  While technology can present many problems, it can also offer solutions, especially in relation to citizen participation and new developments in e-governance and e-democracy that hold great promise for more inclusivity and community and citizen participation.

E-leadership talent and skills are required at all levels of society and in both public and private sectors.  E-leaders are crucial if we are to reap the benefits of technological advances while minimising negative impacts.  E-leadership enables networks to operate effectively.  It brings together digital tribes and virtual communities around the world.   E-leaders are required to disrupt old unresponsive constructs and to create new networks that bring people together to innovate and rebuild old institutions and create new ones to cope with a complex global society whose people are increasingly interdependent on one another and dependent upon technology.  

The world today is increasingly complex and our lives increasingly digital.  In a global economy, human activity—goods and services move across national borders. In this environment, legal compliance has grown in volume and complexity.  Moreover, the regulatory context is constantly changing with liability ever more likely to extend to personal responsibility, in addition to corporate. Aggressive regulatory agencies and new procedures such as class actions and expanded discovery are making the cost of non-compliance more prohibitive than ever.

This new environment has seen greater attention by regulators and those regulated to use technology to monitor compliance. ‘RegTech’ is the blended term that describes the use of technologies to deliver regulatory requirements. This involves using technology to better deliver value in relation to reporting, monitoring, providing analytics and fulfilling auditing requirements.  Compliance is thus able to be achieved more efficiently, more effectively and with greater transparency. The technology enables better outcomes for both the regulator and the entity being regulated.  It is superior to traditional systems that have been, and largely remain, paper-based, bureaucratically centred, transaction-focused, and involving many intermediaries in the regulatory chain. 

Although RegTech has been focused in the early days on the banking and finance industries and is often seen as a subset of FinTech, its applications are rapidly expanding to many other areas, such as share markets, debt collection, health and insurance. The growth of RegTech also highlights the reality of that most areas of human activity are experiencing disruption.  This, in turn, is leading to a greater willingness of regulators and business to disrupt existing practices as information systems become digitized, dematerialized and widely distributed.

Included among the growing ‘tool-set’ of RegTech are:  data warehouses able to engage in big data analytics, for example to spot gaps in regulation and areas of high risk for non-compliance; checking/auditing tools that eventually may have the capacity to audit 100% of transactions; automation tools which disintermediate the value chain and reduce or eliminate the many intermediaries that present the opportunity for fraud and corruption; transaction reporting, information management tools, enhanced regulatory reporting, training packages, case management tools and more.

Another driving factor in the growth of RegTech is the fact that with the growth of e-government, business-to-business and e-commerce today, organisations have more touch points across multiple media, with multiple channels. Organisations are required to be more citizen and customer-centric.  Technology such as machine learning, high powered computing, big data analytics, Internet-of-things, mobile and cloud computing help organisations to be more responsive, to provide tailored service, and an enhanced customer/citizen experience. In this sense, compliance is aligned with good business practice, dedicated customers, enhanced trust and transparency, and brand enhancement.

Another feature of much RegTech is that these technology advances are often more likely to be undertaken by more nimble start-ups.  This is because bureaucratic entities are often laden down with restrictions, less adaptive and less flexible than outside entities.

In order to maximize the potential of RegTech continuing legal reform is required, especially in developing uniform standards.  We need a type of ‘legal lego’ in order for innovative applications to use these bricks to build the systems architecture required for a 21^st Century Information Age.  International and industry-specific organisations such as APEC, UNCITRAL, UNIDROIT, standard-setting bodies and many others all play a role in this process.   As they make progress in e-government, nations will also need to focus more on re-design of the whole regulatory value chain.  This work should include consultation with all key stakeholders and based upon an analysis of how people are interacting online.

As RegTech grows in momentum, governments and industry will have to focus on adding value to the consumer and providing for consumer protection. In China, the Shanghai Futures Exchange in 2016 introduced SMARTS, the new market surveillance platform powered adopted as Nasdaq’s flagship surveillance solution.  In May of this year, China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC announced the creation of a FinTech committee under the supervision of the PBOC’s. This committee is charged with monitoring the impact of RegTech and FinTech and serves to coordinate growth in this important area.  Indeed, just as China has been a world leader in infrastructure, RegTech and FinTech represent opportunities for China to be leaders in this area of future growth and development thereby enhancing its economic competitiveness.

Another strategy being used in the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK, is the creation of a regulatory ‘sandbox’ in which startups have a safe space to develop, test and pilot new RegTech applications. In the UK, for example, the Financial Conduct Authority has initiated an industry sandbox providing a space for continuous dialogue, idea generation, testing, and feedback between FinTechs, key stakeholders, regulators, and regulation technology (RegTech) groups.  The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), which regulates financial services and markets in Australia, provided recommendations and engaged in consultation on how to establish best practices and guiding principles for the Australian regulatory technology (RegTech) eco-system

Governments also need to enhance innovation in regulation and compliance.  The Indian Government has pushed for RegTech through its Startup India and Digital India Initiatives.  Late last year, the Singapore Stock Exchange collaborated with two firms to develop applications to detect market misconduct and search for ways to promote good market practices and a fair, open and competitive market.  

The technology industry and governments must also do a better job of partnering. In the past, many technology companies have tended to view regulation as a barrier.  With the advent of RegTech, companies and governments are increasingly seeing it as an opportunity. This will only happen, however, if companies and regulators engage with one another, agree on priorities and focus on demonstrated benefits to citizens and customers.  

The RegTech industry is also getting itself organized. Evidence of the rapid growth of RegTech is the formation of the International RegTech Association (IRTA): https://regtechassociation.org/ . IRTA) exists to ease and accelerate the evolution of RegTech by promoting innovation and facilitating integration and collaboration, throughout the global RegTech ecosystem.

Finally, University academics, working across multiple disciplines, should also be proactive in the RegTech process as by helping to develop, evaluate, design and re-design new regulatory theory and models so that the benefits of RegTech may be maximized for the benefit of all.

“What’s measured improves”, wrote management guru Peter F. Drucker.  This observation underscores the point that if China and other countries are to be successful in achieving improvements in air and water quality, living standards, probity and, then business and government reporting has to do a better job of measuring and reporting progress and value creation in relation to all aspects of these matters.

Peter Drucker also noted that while the modern corporation is the greatest vehicle ever invented to maximize profit and wealth, its Achilles heel is that it lacks moral authority.  In a world where pollution is having a dramatic negative effect on the daily lives of citizens and even threatening our survival, making profits alone is no longer enough.  Thus the call is for corporations and business to protect the environment rather than being a ‘free rider’ polluting our air and water and paying nothing.  Similarly, society and regulators are increasingly calling for corporations to be mindful of the reality that they are part of society and have a responsibility to more than shareholders, but also to employees and other stakeholders, including society in general. 

This goal will not be achieved, however, unless the full extent of the problem is measured, made transparent and acted upon.  A vital starting point is to have businesses in their strategies and reporting to account for progress made in achieving not only financial goals but also other important values such as protecting the environment and being socially responsible. This is the theme of Jane Gleason-White, Six Capitals: the Revolution Capitalism has to Have or Can Accountants Save the Planet?^[i]

Gleason-White argues that we are now experiencing the beginning of a second revolution in accounting, the first being the invention of double entry accounting centuries ago.  While traditional accounting was highly efficient in helping us to measure capital in terms of finances and manufacturing, it has not sufficiently accounted for new forms of wealth that have come about with the shift form an Industrial to an Information Society.  In this environment, accounting methods and reporting must also account for two new capitals--human capital and software—nerds and intellectual property—ie the new forms of wealth. 

In addition, in the 21^st Century and with our growing realization of the fragility of our environment and the inter-connectedness of society, Gleason White argues our business reporting and accounting systems must also find ways to measure and account for the impact of business on the environment and the value the business adds to society. 

It is argued we require a new form of business reporting or accounting that accounts for these six forms of capital rather than merely the traditional two related to manufacturing and financial capital. Businesses in this new environment need a reporting system that enables a business to report and shareholders and stakeholder able to understand the value that the enterprise adds to shareholders and stakeholders. 

Significant moves toward this new form of accounting is seen in the notion of ‘triple bottom line’, and calls for business reports to reflect values related to: profit, people and planet. Similar notions are captured in a ‘balanced scorecard’ approach.  In the US, there is the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (www.sasb.org/ ) which is developing non-financial reporting standards for 89 industries.

As stated on their website:

 “Sustainability accounting standards are intended as a complement to financial accounting standards, such that financial fundamentals and sustainability fundamentals can be evaluated side by side to provide a complete view of a corporation’s performance.”

Perhaps of greatest impact is the formation of the International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC)  (now Integrated Reporting Council: http://www.iasplus.com/en/resources/sustainability/iirc). Since 2012 an international movement to transform corporate accounting, and the rise of natural capital accounting for nations and the global economy.  The IIRC brings together a cross-section of representatives from corporate, investment, accounting, securities, regulatory, academic and standard-setting sectors as well as civil society. It comprises a Steering Committee, a Working Group and three taskforces working on content development, engagement and communications, and governance.

On July 3, 2014 the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) released an international framework on governance in the public sector and the IIRC released the International Integrated Reporting Framework in December 2013.

As articulated in the Framework: 

“The IIRC's vision is a world in which integrated thinking is embedded within mainstream business practice in the public and private sectors, facilitated by Integrated Reporting as the corporate reporting norm. The cycle of integrated thinking and reporting, resulting in efficient and productive capital allocation, will act as a force for financial stability and sustainability.”

The purpose of establishing IR Framework is stated as:

“…..is to explain to providers of financial capital how an organisation creates value over time. An integrated report benefits all stakeholders interested in an organisation’s ability to create value over time, including employees, customers, suppliers, business partners, local communities, legislators, regulators, and policy-makers.”

Conceptually, the IR Framework is based on the notion of value creation by a firm, taking into account the six capitals and developing a process by which such value creation can be achieved, demonstrated, understood and reported in terms that shareholders, stakeholders and the public can understand.

While the move to integrated reporting is in its early stages it offers our best hope yet of developing a way to measure value in a way that accounts for and integrates these values into one metric based system.  While few would argue with the need for integrated reporting, putting it into practice with reliable and understandable metrics has a long way to go.  Perhaps even greater is the challenge to achieve buy-in from governments, business and the general public.  Yet, there is a case for optimism as the public, business and regulators become increasingly aware of both the need for and importance of such a mechanism to the future of the global economy and our fragile planet.