Ken Crofts
BBUS (Mitchell CAE),Master of Economics-Accounting (Macquarie),
Grad Dip Info Systems (CSturt) Grad Cert Public Sector Management (Macq), CA
Position: Lecturer in Accounting
Campus: Bathurst
Office: S15 1.18
Mailing Address:
Charles Sturt University
School of Accounting
Panorama Ave
BATHURST NSW 2795
Tel: +61 2 6338 4055
Fax: +61 2 6338 4649
Email: Ken Crofts 
Brief Biography
Ken commenced employment at CSU in 2004 after periods of employment in accounting public practice, industry and the public sector. Ken’s main teaching responsibility is to distance students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. His approach to teaching is one of technology mediated learning using the principles of online collaborative learning for distance students whenever applicable. Technology mediated learning can be defined as an environment in which the learner’s interactions with learning materials, peers, and/or instructions are mediated through advanced information technology (Chou 2005). Thus for MBA505, a range of resources was developed including CD based material, print textbooks, online forum interaction, face to face workshops, and web based and print based readings. Similarly for the MYOB component of ACC200, a CD of onscreen-action-capture tutorials has been developed, which allows students to visually see how the MYOB program works in an authentic situation, with guided narration explaining how and why the MYOB tasks have been undertaken in the manner they have. Attention is now being paid to the new tools available in CSU Interact to assist students engage in a positive learning experience.
Research Focus
Ken’s research interests include accounting for community groups and not for profits, public sector accounting and innovative uses of technology for management reporting. Ken is currently undertaking a PhD with CSU and his research topic involves the investigation of accountability reporting by not for profit organisations to public sector agencies.
Teaching Responsibilities
Subject convenor for the following subjects:
ACC200 Accounting Systems
ACC525 Financial Accountability in the Public Sector
MBA505 Managing Business Information
Administrative Responsibilities
Positions as organisers or conveners of conferences or seminars:
Crofts, K. Deputy Convener (Autumn Session 2006), Convenor (Spring session 2006) Accounting and Law Research Forum
Crofts, K. Convener (Autumn Session 2007, Autumn Session 2008), Deputy Convenor (Spring session 2007) School of Accounting and Computer Science Seminar Series
Positions as members of committees or boards:
Member of School of Accounting Research Committee, 2006
Member of School of Accounting & Computer Science Research Committee, 2007
Elected School representative on Faculty of Business Board, (Jan 2007 to Dec 2008)
Reference group member for CSU project, ‘Scoping the CSU Online Learning Environment.’ (May 2005 – Dec 2006)
Group member for Interact project, ‘Modules’ (May 2007 – Sep 2007)
Group member for Interact project, ‘Online Submissions and Marking Working Party’ (Oct 2007 – current)
Member of the MBA Board of Studies, (Feb 2005 - ongoing)
Professional Activities
Ken’s professional affiliations include membership of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, membership of the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, and recognition as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), and Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA ).
Consultancies
Ken has had extensive experience with the practical applications of accounting in a number of employment positions in the public accounting profession, private sector industry as well as the public sector. Upon graduating from Mitchell CAE Ken spent some five years in Sydney working for Coopers & Lybrand and then Price Waterhouse. He then returned to the country and spent several years working in public sector practice after which he was employed firstly as Management Accountant and then Financial Accountant for a large listed manufacturing company. Following on from this he joined the public sector in a management capacity principally in a Finance role. However, for three years Ken was employed as the Information, Communications and Technology Officer for the NSW Community Technology Centres Program. He provided both practical and strategic advice to the Program Staff and individual centres on the use of information technology. It was in this role that he received a Silver NSW Premier’s public sector award for provision of services to rural and regional NSW.
Selected Publications
Refereed conference papers & published conference proceedings (DEST pointable):
Crofts, K. 2006, Are community groups financially sustainable and socially effective following withdrawal of public sector seed funding? 5 th One Day Symposium on Accountability, Governance and Performance: Achieving excellence, Brisbane, 17 February.
Crofts, K. 2006, Are discretionary public funding models for the Australian third sector an anomaly under the New Public Management regime? Australia and New Zealand Third Sector Research 8th Biennial Conference, Adelaide, 26-28 November.
Crofts, K. 2006, Experiences of an early career academic in developing an MBA subject using the principles of online collaborative learning, 3 rd International Conference on Contemporary Business, Leura NSW, 21-22 September.
Crofts, K. 2006, Perceptions of managers of NGOs on the use of accountability information by government funding agencies in respect to grants, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand Annual Conference, Wellington, New Zealand, 2-4 July.
Crofts, K. & Hunter C. 2007, Using onscreen-action-capture tutorials to enhance student learning of MYOB software, Innovation in Accounting and Corporate Governance Education, Hobart, Tasmania, 1-2 February.
Other conference papers & conference proceedings:
Crofts, K. & Muldoon, N. 2005, Developing a student centric MBA subject: My adventures in online learning. CSU Teaching & Learning Conference, Bathurst, 28- 29 September.
Crofts, K. & Muldoon, N. 2005, Developing a student centric MBA subject. Accounting Educators Forum, Sydney, 24-25 November. (Sponsored by CPA Australia)
Published working papers:
Crofts, K. 2006, Financial and social accountability of community groups and the provision of public sector seed funding: A case study, Faculty of Commerce Working Paper 05/06, Charles Sturt University.
Crofts, K. 2006, The changing accountability relationship between NGOs and government grant funding agencies under NPM. Faculty of Commerce Working Paper 16/06, Charles Sturt University.
Crofts, K. 2006, Are discretionary public funding models for the Australian third sector an anomaly under the New Public Management regime? Faculty of Commerce Working Paper 17/06, Charles Sturt University.
Crofts, K. 2005, Exploring links between short term government funding, financial viability and social objectives of community social enterprises. Faculty of Commerce Working Paper 16/05, Charles Sturt University.
Crofts, K. & Muldoon, N. 2005, Developing a student centric MBA subject: Adventures in online learning. Faculty of Commerce Working Paper 22/05, Charles Sturt University.
Research paper presentations:
Crofts, K. 2006, Are community groups financially sustainable and socially effective following withdrawal of public seed funding? Accounting and Law Research Forum, Charles Sturt University, 15 February.
Crofts, K. 2006, The changing accountability relationship between NGOs and government funding agencies under NPM, Accounting & Law Research Forum, Charles Sturt University, 31 May.
Crofts, K. 2006, The changing accountability relationship between NGOs and government funding agencies under NPM, Accounting, Banking and Finance Discipline Research Seminar Series, University of Canberra, 2 June.
Crofts, K. 2006, Government funding agencies and NPOs: Accountability under the New Public Management, Faculty of Commerce Doctoral Workshop, Charles Sturt University, 16-17 June.
Crofts, K. 2006, Government funding agencies and NPOs: Accountability under the New Public Management, Accounting & Finance Association of Australia & New Zealand Doctoral Colloquium, Wellington, New Zealand, 29 June-1 July.
Crofts, K. 2006, Are discretionary public funding models for the third sector an anomaly under NPM? Accounting & Law Research Forum, Charles Sturt University, 15 November.
Crofts, K. 2005, Accountability of grant funds by NGOs to public sector policy makers/funding agencies. Accounting & Law Research Forum, Charles Sturt University, 19 October.
Crofts, K. 2005, Developing a student centric MBA subject: My adventures in online learning. Accounting & Law Research Forum, Charles Sturt University, 14 September.
Crofts, K. 2005, Links between government seed funding, financial stability and social objectives of community groups. Accounting & Law Research Forum, Charles Sturt University, 23 March.
Book reviews:
Crofts, K. 2005, Book review of ‘Accounting Information Systems: Understanding Business processes.’ The Journal of Applied Management Accounting Research. Vol. 3, No.2
Research Project Supervision
Interested in supervising public sector accounting and accountability research, research methods, not for profits.
Current Research Students
Registered on supervision list B.
Grants and Awards
Awards:
Faculty of Business Team Teaching Excellence Award 2007 – Accounting Community of Practice (Crofts K, Plummer K, Bisman J, Baines W, Davis N, Hunter C, Flynn L, Muntean D and Pawsey N).
Silver NSW Premier’s public sector award for provision of services to rural and regional NSW 2002 – NSW Community Technology Centres Program
Grants:
Crofts, K. , Hunter, C. & Flynn, L. 2006 ‘Apprenticing accountants: Using onscreen-action-capture tutorials’, Faculty Scholarship in Teaching Fund Grant, $2,000.
Crofts, K. , Hunter, C., Flynn, L. & Baines, W. 2006 ‘Learning Microsoft Excel using onscreen-action-capture tutorials and other technologies’, Faculty Scholarship in Teaching Fund Grant, $2,000.
Crofts, K. 2007 ‘Reconciliation of accountability information flows in government funding agencies’, Faculty Research Grant, $3,000.