TAPS: The Accounting Podcast Series

Professor Gary Biddle of The University of Melbourne presented the 2018 CPA Australia Annual Research Lecture, in which he discussed accountants' profound influence on the shaping of human civilisation in the past, present and future. In this, our debut episode, Gary gives a snippet of his presentation and discusses with Albie the nature of accountability and accountants' significant responsibility as stewards for civilisation into the twenty-first century.

The University of Melbourne's Professor Michael Davern chats with Albie about big data management and the ethical issues which arise from it. Michael's distinguished career focuses on the confluence of accounting and technology, and decision-making methods based on accounting data. As technology rapidly evolves, so too do the related ethical issues, including privacy, fraud, and management control.

Professor Mary Barth of Stanford University is one of the most prolific academic accountants in the world. In this episode, Mary and Albie discuss Mary's esteemed career, her most significant publications, and key developments in financial accounting and standard setting. We also delve into issues in reporting and what lies ahead for financial accounting.

Professor Naomi Soderstrom joins Albie this episode to discuss environmental and sustainability issues in accounting. Sustainability and corporate social responsibility reports published by many companies may seem altruistic, but there is little regulation or auditing in this space. Naomi and Albie turn over the implications this has for accounting and the world.

Dr Sujay Nair, having recently completed his PhD here at UoM, met with Albie to discuss leadership, non-financial rewards and performance. Sujay’s PhD looks at management controls including leniency bias, non-financial rewards, and the benefits of contracted versus permanent workers. Click to listen to some of the intriguing insights Sujay uncovered.

Albie is joined by Mary Clarke, Principal at DXP Consulting, and Sarah Yang Spencer, Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne. Mary's professional areas of interest include influencing education policy and practice, skilled migration policy, indigenous success, and the relevancy of the professions. Sarah's areas of expertise include business strategy, strategic management accounting, organisational learning, management control systems, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and curriculum internationalisation.

Albie is joined by Andrew Williams, National Business Manager (Pharmacy and Wholesalers) of Swisse Wellness and an accounting graduate of the University of Melbourne. Andrew discusses his current role in the pharmaceutical sales sector, some memories of his time at UniMelb, and covers his successful AFL card game, Footy Feud.

Albie chats with Patrick Ferguson, a UniMelb alumnus and current PhD student at Harvard. Patrick discusses how he has successfully combined his lifelong interest in sports, accounting, and econometrics to provide novel and valuable insights into the world of sport analytics.

Albie is joined by Professors Ian Gow and Michael Davern, who discuss the changing nature of accounting education and work, the need for agility and flexibility, and what business might look like in this new world in which we we find ourselves.

Albie is joined by the University of Melbourne's Noel Boys, Warren McKeown, Joana Liong, and Demi Wang. In this episode, we discuss the rapid transition to online teaching as a result of COVID-19, what has facilitated this, and the shape of accounting education into the future.

Albie is joined by Sarah Richards, a Ngiyampaa woman who is currently Operations Manager at PwC Indigenous Consulting and a member of the Indigenous Accountants Australia Advisory Committee. Sarah also creates story-based art through her own business initiative Marrawuy Journeys. They discuss Sarah's career, how we might raise the profile of accounting in Indigenous communities, as well as the opportunities for Indigenous-owned businesses.

The University of Melbourne's Professor Emeritus Anne Lillis reflects on her career in management accounting research and teaching, and discusses opportunities for young management accounting researchers in 2021. Anne is one of the leading management accounting researchers in the world, has held the prestigious Fitzgerald Chair in Accounting, and was awarded the Dean's Prize for Exceptional Distinction in Research and Research Training in 2011.

Peter Jess has had a varied and rich career representing sportspeople and fiercely advocating for their health and prosperity both on and off the field. His diverse background touches on accounting, primary production, manufacturing, construction, retail, graphic design, sports-related services, and body corporate services. In this episode, Peter and Albie discuss the evolution of AFL, Peter's career, and his contributions to the better understanding of concussion.

Laura Youngson is co-founder of footwear company Ida Sports and also Equal Playing Field, which seeks to overcome inequality in sport. From her escapades organising and playing football at the highest altitude as well as the lowest altitude, to her entrepreneurial business venture in bringing the first customised female football boot to the market, Laura has been busy achieving firsts over the last few years.

In this episode, Albie chats with Gunther Burghardt about the unexpected directions in which his career has gone, and how accounting and finance have evolved from simple business reporting into an essential tool for organisations' future planning.

In this episode, Albie is joined by Carolyn Deller, Assistant Professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Carolyn undertook her BCom Honours here at the University of Melbourne as well as working as a senior tutor and lecturer. She worked as a chartered accountant at KPMG before undertaking her doctoral studies at Harvard Business School, graduating in 2018. Carolyn has published her work in the field of management accounting and control in leading accounting and management journals, and recently received the award for the Best Early Career Researcher as judged by the Management Accounting section of the American Accounting Association, and in 2019 received the best dissertation award. Carolyn and Albie discuss Carolyn's career and the future of management accounting.

Albie chats with Nikole Gyles, Technical Director of the AASB, about her diverse career. Nikole wanted to be a phys ed teacher, but fell in love with accounting instead. All facets of the discipline fascinated her, and she is now a force in standard setting and policy development.

Stu Black, Melbourne Enterprise Professor, and Alon Ellis, senior partner at Deloitte, discuss with Albie their new book, co-authored by Professor Danny Sampson. The book, titled Business Model Transformation: the AI and Cloud Technology Revolution, distills the trending concepts of AI and cloud technology into practical actions for business. Reconstructing a business in an age where these capabilities exist is complex and requires significant planning, as well as a sound understanding of the new powers these technologies offer.

Tom Ravlic is an investigative journalist, academic, and consultant. In this episode, Albie discusses Tom's books and their dives into the recent Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry, and the Royal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence. Tom and Albie also delve into Tom's unique career, along with internal audit functions and how to deter fraud and corruption within organisations.

Albie chats with Pat McLay, registered company auditor and member of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland as well as CAANZ. Currently, Pat is a partner at EY based in Melbourne. Pat has championed the UoM Honours Internship Program and is currently spending some time with us as part of the Executive-in-Residence Program. Albie and Pat discuss Pat's career, his advice for aspiring accountants, and how AI might affect the discipline.

Albie meets with Katlijn Haesebrouck from Maastricht University to discuss her career, which focuses on the human element within an organisation. Why do people choose to work where they do? What drives their decisions and actions on the job? Is it mostly money or are there also other factors at play?