Doctoral (PhD) Programme

Meet our current PhD Students


Back Row: Gaoxiang Wang, Zakaria Boulanour, Noor Muhammad, Reza Yaghoubi Front Row: Nguyen Van Tuan, Geeta Duppati, Azilawati Banchit, Nirosha Wellalage, Fitriya Fauzi

Azilawati Banchit
	My thesis investigates principal-principal conflict (controlling shareholders vs minority shareholders) arising in mergers and acquisitions in the ASEAN 5 countries; Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore. My research interests include M&A performance and agency conflicts in emerging markets. Last year I won the University of Waikato Thesis in Three 2010 competition and then represented the University at the Australasian finals. I am currently tutoring and lecturing in the Finance Department of WMS. I wanted to be supervised by highly qualified and experienced research staff. That's why I am doing my PhD at Waikato Management School. It is one of the top international business schools in the world. Some of the benefits of being here are continuous support from academic and non-academic staff, 24-hour availability of thousands of books and online journal papers, internal research grants, and your own office situated in a beautiful green park. Waikato University is a multicultural campus that listens (and truly answers) the needs of mature and international students. The challenge of getting a PhD is definitely less daunting when we have all of these features available.

Zakaria Boulanour


Geeta Duppati
	My research investigates the short-term and longer-term market responses to overseas mergers and takeovers by Indian corporates, during the period 2000-2007, following the liberalisation of Overseas Foreign Direct Investment legislation. Encouraged by the financial reforms, an increase in large scale mergers and acquisitions (M&As) by Indian corporate occurred and may relate to a range of motives including acquiring a brand, acquiring technology and acquiring market access. The study addresses the question: How successful are the Indian companies in creating value to the shareholder in the long run? In addition to reviewing the market reactions explanations as to why the market reacted the way it did based on financial reports, company disclosures and other informed comments are proposed. It is interesting to observe how track records at successful M&A build confidence in the market whereas untried movements into the sphere may not receive a warm response from the market.

Fitriya Fauzi
	My thesis is titled "Does the choice of Islamic Debt make a difference to the creation of shareholders' value?". This study investigates the impact of Islamic debt compared to non-Islamic debt on company value and company performance. My research interest is in corporate finance and investments. I earned my bachelor degree from University of Muhammadiyah Palembang, Indonesia, and my masters from the National University of Malaysia. I have been working as finance lecturer in Indonesia since 2005. I have found the University of Waikato a good place to study � a good environment, facilities and research support. In particular, I'm happy with Waikato Management School's Department of Finance, where the supervisors, the finance lecturers and staff are all very helpful in leading and encouraging us to succeed in the journey of our study.

Noor Muhammad
	I am currently studying for my PhD in the Finance Department at Waikato Management School. My research involves assessing the environmental performance of firms and its impact on financial performance, environmental reporting and risk management. Before coming to Waikato I worked for more than five years as a faculty member at the state-owned Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS) in Pakistan. I have a Master of Accounting and Finance from Australia, and an MBA and BBA (Hons) from Pakistan. I feel supported at Waikato. The supportive and research-oriented environment here is allowing me to develop and enhance my research skills. Being an academic, I can learn tailor-made techniques urgently required to fill the gap between theory and practice. My experience at WMS will not only equip me to contribute to contemporary research but will also help me to introduce similar programs at BUITEMS.

Nguyen Van Tuan
	I have taught Financial Management at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Dalat University in Vietnam since 1999. I gained my BBA from Dalat University and my MPhil in economics from The University of Economics, Ho-Chi-Minh City, Vietnam. My current research interests are corporate governance and small business finance in emerging markets. My PhD thesis focuses on the relationship between corporate governance structure and firm financial performance of listed companies in Vietnam and Singapore. I believe that such a comparative study will help me to find out significant implications of policy for an economy in transition such as Vietnam. I'm fortunate now to be in the world-class academic environment of the Department of Finance -Waikato Management School.

Gaoxiang Wang
	My thesis is entitled "Does corporate governance impact on the sustainable return of IPOs? A comparative analysis of China and New Zealand IPOs, 1999-2009". The focus of the investigation is on sustained returns post-listing - not the premium/discount achieved on listing. I have a Bachelor of Business Studies (honors) degree and a Masters degree in Finance (distinction) from Massey University (Albany Campus). I am grateful for the opportunity to study at one of the best business schools in New Zealand. A University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship provides invaluable financial support and enables me to focus on my PhD study. My supervisors and colleagues are very friendly. I am also thankful to my department for the opportunity to gain some teaching experience by taking tutorials.

Nirosha Wellalage
	My research is entitled "Corporate governance in Sri Lanka" and focuses on a relationship between corporate governance practices, firm financial performance and agency costs of local publicly listed companies and multinational subsidiaries in Sri Lanka. My current research interests are in corporate governance, corporate finance and small business finance. I earned my bachelors degree in Management Information Systems from the National University of Ireland and an MBA from Keele University in England. I think the University of Waikato provides excellent facilities and resources for PhD students. This includes a series of seminars designed specifically for PhD students and early stage scholars, office space and extensive computer access. I have found not only my supervisors but also all the senior staff in the Finance Department to be highly supportive and encouraging.

Reza Yaghoubi
	For my PhD thesis, I am developing a model for predicting success of mergers and acquisitions. My area of interest includes mergers and acquisitions, event studies, and long term abnormal performance. I am currently tutoring and lecturing for the Finance Department at Waikato Management School. Waikato University has a collection of excellent research facilities including some of the best databases for mergers and acquisitions and financial data.