Commerce

The Commerce faculty consists of subjects from Year 9 to Year 12 and aims to provide students with a diverse and balanced view of the business world to assist them in making informed business decisions in the workplace and in their future studies. All of the teachers in the faculty have extensive real world experience and this is a valuable resource for all students studying any of the Commerce subjects on offer at Mazenod College.

To say 2020 was the most interesting year in all of our teaching careers would be an understatement. The need to juggle cancelled excursions and amend teaching practices to ensure a “remote friendly” curriculum often meant teachers in all departments were continually thinking on their feet. That the curriculum team of Alan McAlister, Nick Redfern, Matt Rowland, Carolyn Clement and Chris Ferizis were able to deliver engaging, remote friendly programs is testament to their dedication towards the Mazenod boys and their significant teaching talents. A big thank you for all of your efforts.

During Term 1, our Legal Studies students were fortunate to gain some real life experience visiting the Supreme Court and the County Court. The highlight of the excursions were sessions with Supreme Court Judge, Andrew Tinney and County Court Chief Justice Peter Kidd. I am sure this is an experience all of our Legal Studies students will long treasure. Unfortunately the end of Term 1 saw an end to our physical excursion programme. Using a little creativity, our Commerce teachers were able to deliver a curriculum with a “real life” feel to complement commerce studies theory. We studied the transformation of Four Pillars Gin from one of Australia’s leading boutique gin distilleries to a manufacturer of hand sanitizer to keep all of their employees in work, explored McDonalds Corporate Social Responsibility programme and their support of healthcare workers with free coffee, and we completed an in depth analysis of “Hotel Quarantine” and the overall failure of the contact tracing programme. These were all great case studies for the analysis of leadership, accountability, social responsibility and the difficulties of quality control for our senior business students.

While our programmes this year have been significantly disrupted, I would like to thank all parents for your support of home schooling this year. The programme would not have been the success that it was without your unwavering support.

Finally, our biggest thank you goes to our Commerce students. Your continued support and enthusiasm despite constant moving goal posts is testament to your resilience and talent. I am sure that the hardships of this year will steel you for what lies ahead in your academic studies and careers, and help you to achieve your dreams.

Chris Windley