Dr Daniel Frimpong has credited C Management Services, CQU's international campus joint venturer, with helping him complete his PhD.

He said after leaving a banking career in 1998, he made little progress in his doctoral study until gaining a full-time position as a lecturer at CMS in 2001.

"The senior management at CMS was very supportive of my study and made satisfactory study leave arrangements that allowed me to find the time to focus on completing my thesis," he said.

"I wish to single out Professor Ken Hawkins for special thanks as I found his personal interest in my study very inspirational.

"I wish in addition to thank my campus director Barbara Abou-Lehaf and my associate academic director Alison Owens, Dr Howard Guille of the NTEU and several work colleagues for their support, encouragement and assistance on various occasions.".

Daniel's doctoral thesis proposes an alternate investment model that incorporates firm-level differences in knowledge management capabilities, as well as strategic considerations, as key factors in explaining the nature and level of investments that SMEs (small/medium enterprises) choose to have in their foreign operations.

The study explores issues at the interface between a firm's knowledge management capabilities, international competitiveness and FDI (foreign direct investment) strategy.

Daniel obtained a Master of Professional Accounting from UNSW in 1988 and a Master of Business [International Marketing] from UTS in 1993.

The CPA has practiced for over a decade in various management roles in industries including IT, telecommunications and banking in both Australia and Japan.

In his last banking role as Manager, Management Reporting in Westpac’s head office in Martin Place, Sydney, Daniel was responsible for budgeting and monthly reporting for the bank’s Asset Management Group with a $10 billion asset portfolio.

It was in this capacity that Daniel became aware of the resource issues limiting the involvement of Australian small and medium enterprises in international markets, which led to his doctoral study on the relative roles of financial capital and human capital in FDI strategy in SMEs.

Daniel plans to share the knowledge acquired in his study with his students and colleagues in international business.

He is currently working on a few papers related to his thesis for publication in refereed journals. He also plans to present at conferences next year, and to research further a number of the issues identified in his study.

Above all, Daniel plans to spend more time with his 12-year-old son Kwame and 8-year-old daughter Abena – whose patience was extraordinary and allowed him to focus on completing the study.

Daniel graduated on September 27.

Photos: Dr Daniel Frimpong.