Professor Anona Armstrong AM

Professor Anona Armstrong is an Emeritus Professor at the Victoria University's College of Arts, Business, Law, Education & IT. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy and a Graduate Diploma in Public Policy from the University of Melbourne.

Professor Armstrong is also a Past President, Fellow and Life Member of the Australasian Evaluation Society and a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Victorian Council of the Institute of Public Administration of Australia. She was elected a Life Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge University in 2005 and was invested with the Member of the Order of Australia in 2008.

Professor Armstrong has published over 20 books and supervised over 60 postgraduate students. Her research interests are governance, evaluation and ethics.

She is interested in studying the wide range of disciplinary areas that purport to be corporate governance. They include:

• corporations law
• leadership
• board assessment
• composition and performance
• corporate social responsibility
• whistleblowing
• fraud and corruption control

Much of Professor Armstrong's research has been in the public sector although more recently she has focused on small business governance.

Recent publications

Books

Francis R. and Armstrong, A. (2013) The Meetings Handbook: Formal Rules and Informal Processes. London, Anthem Press. ISBN-13 9781 78308 048 4 (Pbk). Also available hardback and as an ebook.

Francis, R. and Armstrong, A. (2012) Meetings:Formal and Informal Guides. London, Anthem Press

Nuranyah, S., Islam S.M.N. and Armstrong, A. (2012) Indonesian Corporate Governance Practice, Company Performance: Regulation and Compliance. VDM Publishing House Ltd

Armstrong, A., Li, Y., Heenetigala, K. and Clarke, A. (2011) Developing a responsive regulatory system for Australia's small corporations: governance for small business. Melbourne, Victoria Law School. ISBN 978-1-86272-692-5

Armstrong, A., Heenetigala, K. and Clarke, A. (2010) The use of internet reporting for small business. Melbourne, Victoria Law School. ISBN 978-1-86272-689-5

Muenjohn, N., Armstrong, A. and Francis, R. (2010) Leadership in the Asia Pacific: readings and research. Cengage Learning Australia, South Melbourne. ISBN 9780170188173

Book chapters

Armstrong, A. (2013) 'Governance of public services companies: Australian cases and examples'. In: Valkama, P. Basiley, S.J. an Antifoiko, A. (Eds). Organisational innovation in public services: forms and governance. Palgrave McMillan.pp.151-169.

Armstrong, A. (2004) 'Commentary on Codes of Corporate Governance'. In: Introduction to Corporate Governance: handbook. Standards Australia handbook (400). Standards Australia International, Sydney, Australia, pp. 1-10. ISBN 9780733756689

Armstrong, A. (2004) 'Evaluating Corporate Governance Effectiveness'. In: A. Armstrong and R. Francis (Eds) Applications of Corporate Governance: A Companion Guide to the Australia Standards International Code. Sydney, Standards Australia International

Armstrong, A. and Francis, R. (2001) 'Ethics in Business'. In: K. Engebretson, and R. Elliott, (Eds) Chaos or Clarity: Encountering Ethics. 2nd Edition. Social Science Press, Katoomba pp. 233-234.(50%)

Refereed journal articles

De Silva Lokuwaduge, C. Armstrong , A (2014) 'The impact of governance on the performance of the higher education sector in Australia'. Journal of Educational Management, Administration and Leadership Vol. 40 1-17. 

Demediuk, T & Armstrong, A (2014) 'The Context of Higher Education and Its Implications for Quality Teaching: An Australian Perspective'. Journal of the World Universities Forum Vol.6, Issue 3, pp.11-19. 

Li.Y. Armstrong, A. and Clarke, A. (2014) 'Board size and trust in small firms: a meta-analysis'. Journal of Business Systems Governance and Ethics.

Demediuk, T & Armstrong, A (2013) Teaching Quality: A Framework for Exploring Perceptions of University Academics and Managers', The International Journal of Learning in Higher Education, Volume 19, pp.51-61.

Grow, H.S. & Armstrong, A. (2013), 'Melburnia: transforming the transaction', in: J Fountain & K Moore (eds), Proceedings of the CAUTHE conference: Tourism and Global Change - on the edge of something big, Christchurch, New Zealand, 11-14 February 2013, CAUTHE, pp. 251-67.

Conference papers

Armstrong, A. & Francis, R.D. (2013) Protecting the Whistleblower. Paper presented to the 31st Symposium on economic Crime, University of Cambridge, 1-7 September 2013.

Armstrong, A. (2011) Keynote address: Managing your project and your supervisor. Paper presented to the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management Research and Publication Colloquium RMIT University Vietnam 23-24 September 2011

Armstrong, A. (2011) Publishing your research. Paper presented to the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management Research and Publication Colloquium RMIT University Vietnam 23-24 September 2011

Armstrong, A. and Francis, R. (2011) When taking the chair is taking a risk. Paper presented 28th International Symposium on Economic Crime "Responsibility for Risk", Jesus College, University of Cambridge, 5-10 September 2011

Francis, R.D. and Armstrong, A. (2011) Formal meetings as an aid to corruption prevention in international humanitarian aid agencies. University of Cambridge, 5-10 September 2011

Invited address

Armstrong, A. and Francis, R. (2011) When taking the chair is taking a risk. Paper presented 28th International Symposium on Economic Crime "Responsibility for Risk", Jesus College, University of Cambridge, 5-10 September 2011

Armstrong, A. and Francis, R.D. (2011) Protecting the Whistleblowers. Paper presented to the 28th International Symposium on Economic Crime Jesus College, University of Cambridge, 5-10 September 2011

Armstrong, A. and Francis, R. (2009) Corruption and International Humanitarian Organisations. Paper presented to the Twenty Seventh International Symposium on Economic Crime, University of Cambridge 1-7 October 2009

Francis, R. and Armstrong, A. (2009) Ethical dilemmas in the management of international humanitarian organisations. Paper presented to the Twenty Seventh International Symposium on Economic Crime, University of Cambridge 1-7 October 2009

Armstrong, A. (2009) Governance, Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility. Keynote address to the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce CSR Awards Dinner. Colombo, 10 December

View the full list of Anona's publications in Victoria University's Institutional Repository.

Postgraduate research students and fellows

Completions: 21 masters students, 41 doctoral students

Current supervision: 8 PhD students, 2 DBA students

Research grants

Professor Armstrong has received several grants for projects on governance in the Victorian public sector including:

• Small Business Victoria
• Governance in Advisory Committees for Skills Victoria
• contributions to the publication "Department Performance Management and Reporting" published by the Office of the Auditor General
• work with the PAEC Committee
• grants from the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance projects to examine compliance with governance best practice
• development of a governance constitution and framework for Government Advisory Committees from the Department of the Treasury.

Victorian Treasury grant, $90,000

Australian Research Council (ARC)

Small Business Regulation, $300,000

Community governance, $350,000

Professional membership

• Australasian Evaluation Society, fellow and life member
• Australian Psychological Society, fellow
• Australian Institute of Company Directors, fellow
• Clare Hall University of Cambridge, life fellow