Accentuating the positives of change

In the 120 years since its establishment, the Commercial Representatives' and Agents' Association of Australia ('Association') has seen
a lot of change in the business world.

It seems fitting then that the Association sees managing change as a key challenge for economics graduates and seeks to support and encourage students at ANU. The Commercial Representatives' and Agents' Association of Australia Limited Prize, offered by the ANU College of Business and Economics, is awarded to the student who achieves the best results in Economics III, Honours.

Association secretary William Fullerton said: "Given the longevity of our organisation and the necessary adjustments over many years to meet the challenges associated with change in business and commerce, it is hoped that these successes will encourage students in this faculty to adopt a positive approach in the pursuit of the challenges of change".

The Association was established in 1895 to support and improve conditions for individual commercial travellers and their affiliated associations, and has evolved to meet the current challenges in business, sales and marketing. They have been supporting the economics prize annually since 1980.

Nawaaz Khalfan, recipient of the 2013 prize, said that while the financial benefit was welcome, it was the recognition of effort that was most appreciated.

"It's a very big boost," said Nawaaz, who is now tutoring and researching in microeconomics at ANU, and plans to further his studies by completing a PhD. He added that the benefits of such prizes went beyond those who win. "It's an incentive for all students to study hard and interact with the course."

Philanthropy has been a consistent focus of the Association, which has supported hospitals, children's charities and community events, and was bestowed Royal patronage in 1920 for its charitable efforts. The Association's generosity to ANU dates back more than 50 years, and was noted in a letter to the Association from Queen Elizabeth II during her 1963 visit to Australia-and it looks like the Association's longtime support of ANU is set to continue. 

"Given our inherent philanthropic culture, we look forward to continuing our support to the University through this award," said William.