Dr Veronica Smith
- February 2016- February 2020, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) – Accounting and Corporate Governance (Macquarie University), Thesis: “Effects on Voluntary Disclosure Following Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Australian Public Corporations”.
- February 2014 – November 2015, Master of Research – Accounting and Corporate Governance (Macquarie University), Thesis: “Effects on social and environmental disclosure – a comparative study of Chinese foreign direct investment and domestic acquisitions in the Australian mining industry”.
- Jan 2005 – July 2011, Master of Business Administration (MBA), Professional Accounting, (University of Technology, Sydney)
- 1985-1988, Bachelor of Education (Secondary) (Business Studies) (Melbourne College of Advanced Education/ University of Melbourne Institute of Education)
I am a passionate educator with 20 years' experience teaching in Australian tertiary institutions of various sizes, with students from diverse cultures and backgrounds. I joined UNSW in May, 2022 as the Course Coordinator of COMM1170, Organisational Resources, in the Bachelor of Commerce, Integrated First Year Program. COMM1170 is a large course with approximately 740 students, and requires coordination of and collaboration with a team of four lecturers and twelve tutors. Prior to joining UNSW, I lectured in Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses at Macquarie University for 14 years. My areas of specialisation are Financial Accounting and Corporate Finance, although I have also taught Business Communication, Global Economics and Organisational behaviour. I have developed a keen interest in cross-disciplinary teaching and believe that an integrated learning environment enhances the employability of our business graduates.
I completed my PhD in Accounting and Corporate Governance at Macquarie University in 2020. My thesis explored effects on voluntary social and environmental reporting following Chinese foreign direct investment in Australian Public Corporations.
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
My research focuses on voluntary social and environmental reporting (SER) in Australian Company publications. My Master of Research (2015) and PhD (2020) theses investigate how SER changes after Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI). I was motivated by the speed and extent of Chinese FDI in Australia and the polarisation of political and social opinion in response to this. My PhD thesis focuses on management attitudes and corporate accountability towards Australian employees and minority shareholders following Chinese FDI. This has practical implications for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development as well as the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board in their consideration of the impact of Chinese FDI on the national interest.
I participated in the UNSW Education Festival, 2022, co-presenting a session entitled "Supporting group learning with supplementary interactive media in Moodle", based on a hybrid individual/group assessment we developed in COMM1170. This led to a collaboration with UNSW Education Portfolio to produce an instructional video for academics on the theme of collaboration.
My Teaching
My teaching interests include financial accounting and corporate finance at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I have recently developed a passion for cross-disciplinary teaching in the Commerce field, having taught in the multi-disciplinary Bachelor of Commerce Capstone unit at Macquarie University, as well as in the Integrated First Year program at UNSW. I currently coordinate COMM1170, Organisational Resources, which combines organisational behaviour, information systems technology, accounting and finance.