Biographical note

Professor John Jackson, B.Sc.(Hons), M.Sc.(Economics)(London), Ph.D.(Pennsylvania)John Jackson was most recently Professor of Economics and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at RMIT; he died in 2006. He was previously Professor and Dean of Business at RMIT from 1991-1998 and before that Associate Professor and Dean of Economics and Commerce at the University of Western Australia. John had a Masters degree in economics from London University and obtained his PhD in economics from the University of Pennsylvania where he worked in the Wharton Econometrics Forecasting Unit. John had twenty years of experience teaching introductory economics and overseeing the delivery of large first year courses. He had been associated with this McGraw-Hill textbook on introductory economics since its first edition which appeared in 1980. Other teaching areas included public and welfare economics and John also contributed to senior leadership programs for public and private sector managers. Johns areas of research included optimal economic growth and growth policy and the role of education in growth of the Australian economy and he acted as a consultant to over twenty government agencies and private sector organisations. In addition to his academic and administrative work John was extensively involved as a board member of a number of arts and public broadcasting organisations. Mr Ron McIver, B.Ec. (Hons), M.Ec. (Flinders), M.App.Fin. (Macquarie), AIBFRon McIver is a Lecturer in financial economics in the School of International Business, and Director of the Financial Markets Research Group (FMRG) within the Centre of Business Analysis and Research (CoBAR), at the University of South Australia. Prior to joining the University Ron was a Senior Research Officer (Economics) with the Industries Assistance Commission of the Australian Department of Treasury in Canberra. Ron has also held the position of Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Finance and Investment Management within the Accounting and Finance Group of the Business School at the University of Greenwich, London. Ron has provided training and advisory services in economics and finance within the banking and finance industry and the public sector, and has acted as a consultant on the design of graduate programs in business.Ron is an experienced provider of learning resources in the area of economics, having been extensively involved in the design, development and writing of a large number of courses for both the University of South Australia and the Open Learning Agency of Australia (OLAA). Ron has also co-authored a number of reports, texts on economics and articles on business and economic education.In recognition of his efforts in innovation in the teaching of economics Ron has been a recipient of a University of South Australia Award for Excellence in Teaching.