In the afternoon of November 23rd, the delegation of Newcastle University of Australia visited Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and signed agreements of talent training and research cooperation. Professor Stephen Nicholas, the vice-president of Newcastle University of Australia, was appointed Yunshan scholar of GDUFS.
The delegation members include Amir Mahmood and Alison Dean, the deputy-directors of Business School, Wang Jiaping, the senior representative of Australian New South Wales Business Representative Office in Guangzhou, Professor John Dai, the general manager of TEI Group, and his wife, and Shi Yuhua, the director on China business development of International Department. The delegation was welcomed by Sui Guangjun, the Party secretary of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies,Fang Fanquan, the vice-president, Fang Yingsheng, the director of Personnel Department, Jiao Fangtai, director of International Cooperation and Exchange Office, Li Qing, Secretary-general of Guangdong Research Institute for International Strategies, Li Tieli, the director of School of International Trade and Economics, Yuan Quan, the director of Postgraduate Department, Sun Jiahe, the director of Finance Department and Sun Jianjun, the Executive director of MBA Center.
Sui Guangjun met the guests in the VIP Hall of the Administration Building in North Campus. He approved of the cooperation of the two universities which had developed from students and teachers exchanges to the academic research cooperation. He appreciated the effort that Stephen Nicholas had made for the cooperation and congratulated his appointment as Yunshan Scholar and becoming one of the members of university board. The two universities signed the agreements of Yunshan Scholar appointment, international research cooperation and donation to the joint research by Professor John Dai, the general manager of TEI Group.
Stephen Nicholas said he was honored and felt great responsibility in the visit and the appointment. He considered GDUFS as a open and international university, which had a strong leadership and paid much attention on academic studies. The studies are put into political and commercial practice which makes contributions to the high-qualified academic studies and provides information to the industrial development.
Later, the Appointment Ceremony of Yunshan Scholar, which is also the Famous Professor Forum, was held in the International Conference Hall in North Campus. The guests and school leaders, as well as teacher and student representatives, attended the ceremony. Fang Fanquan announced the formal appointment. Sui Guangjun awarded the appointment letter and took souvenir pictures.
After the ceremony, Stephen Nicholas presented the 167thlecture of Famous Professor Forum, titled "How the Managers Develop Firms-- the Research on Why Firms Develop and Why Different Approached are Made". With western managers as examples, he took classic cases to elaborate the development of firms, production chain, factors for the development of firms, and the importance of the special source and ability to their development. He also introduced the definitions of core competitiveness and dynamic ability. After the lecture, he made a discussion with the audience on the core competitiveness of Australia and Chinese firms and the sustainable development of China firms overseas.
Experience of the Yunshan Scholar:
Prof. Stephen Nicholas was born in July 1946, owning dual nationality of Australia and Canada. He received the professor title in 1993 and now is a PhD tutor. He was titled academician of Australian Social and Scientific Academy in 1997. He had been the vice President of Newcastle University since 2006. His studies belong to the field of international business and economic history.
He won the honorary doctorate of Pakistan Superior University and got the master’s degree of the University of Iowa. He was the researcher and visiting scholar of University of London, Australian National University, University of Western Ontario in Canada, University of Reading in Great Britain, Wellington University, and Nagoya University of Japan.
He has worked in the University of New South Wales, Melbourne University, the University of Sydney, Newcastle University, and Williamson Business School of Sydney. He is now the vice President of Newcastle University and the dean of Business School of University of Melbourne,. Professor NICHOLAS has conducted international researches with many universities at home and abroad. He owns a high academic status and influence on studies of multi-national firms, foreign investments, international business and cross-border mergers and acquisitions of enterprises.
