Driving Innovation: Mixing, Matching and Transforming Knowledge-Intensive Services into Innovation. The principal aim of the project is to elucidate the ways in which firms mix and match internally and externally provided knowledge intensive services to build the capability and competences needed for sustained innovation. By investigating an area of innovation largely overlooked by international and Australian analysts, the project aims to provide policy makers with substantial analytical and em ....Driving Innovation: Mixing, Matching and Transforming Knowledge-Intensive Services into Innovation. The principal aim of the project is to elucidate the ways in which firms mix and match internally and externally provided knowledge intensive services to build the capability and competences needed for sustained innovation. By investigating an area of innovation largely overlooked by international and Australian analysts, the project aims to provide policy makers with substantial analytical and empirical insights as the basis for more effective industrial development strategy. The project is rooted and develops from parallel work by 12 OECD countries to provide unequalled access for Australian policymakers to comparative data from many of Australia's partner nations.Read moreRead less
Managing the Diffusion of Innovations: Understanding the Processes of R&D Collaboration in East Asia and drawing lessons for Australia. A series of collaborative R&D ventures have emerged in East Asia, within quite distinctive institutional frameworks. Unlike the case of many of the collaborative arrangements in the US, Europe or Japan, where mutual risk reduction is frequently the driving influence, in the case of Taiwan, Korea and Singapore it is technological learning, upgrading and catch-up ....Managing the Diffusion of Innovations: Understanding the Processes of R&D Collaboration in East Asia and drawing lessons for Australia. A series of collaborative R&D ventures have emerged in East Asia, within quite distinctive institutional frameworks. Unlike the case of many of the collaborative arrangements in the US, Europe or Japan, where mutual risk reduction is frequently the driving influence, in the case of Taiwan, Korea and Singapore it is technological learning, upgrading and catch-up industry creation that is the object of the collaborative exercises. The study is concerned with the evolving organizational architecture of these R&D alliances and seeks to draw comparisons between them and established collaborative arrangements in the USA, Japan and Europe, and draw lessons for Australia.Read moreRead less
Cyclical industrial dynamics in high-technology industry: The case of Flat Panel Displays. Australian high-technology industry policy is strongly focused on securing entry by Australian firms into such industries as semiconductors and flat panel displays (which utilize ICT and photonics technologies). Success to date has been modest. One of the prime barriers to entry is the cyclical character of the industries - in the sense that firms in East Asia appear to have secured entry only during downt ....Cyclical industrial dynamics in high-technology industry: The case of Flat Panel Displays. Australian high-technology industry policy is strongly focused on securing entry by Australian firms into such industries as semiconductors and flat panel displays (which utilize ICT and photonics technologies). Success to date has been modest. One of the prime barriers to entry is the cyclical character of the industries - in the sense that firms in East Asia appear to have secured entry only during downturns. A deeper understanding of the cyclical industrial dynamics of such industries promises to enhance the prospects for successful entry by Australian firms, and thereby contribute to fulfilling the goals of public policy in this area.Read moreRead less
Balancing the risk of harm with productivity in the mercurial firm: economic theory and applications to Australian policy. Australia has had at least one significant chemical spill per month for the last 30 years. While the Longford disaster fades from the news, James Hardy's asbestos problem fills its place. This project will develop a general conceptual framework in which to analyse the economics of risky firms. The framework will be used to evaluate Australian, International, and alternative ....Balancing the risk of harm with productivity in the mercurial firm: economic theory and applications to Australian policy. Australia has had at least one significant chemical spill per month for the last 30 years. While the Longford disaster fades from the news, James Hardy's asbestos problem fills its place. This project will develop a general conceptual framework in which to analyse the economics of risky firms. The framework will be used to evaluate Australian, International, and alternative policies. The end benefit to Australia will be an improvement in policy toward firms that cause accidents.Read moreRead less
Maximising diffusion of innovative products on public infrastructure projects: A qualitative management study of open innovation systems. Australia's infrastructure in water, energy, health, education, transport and communication is the platform for our future prosperity and growth. In response to an identified deficit, Australian governments are embarking on major investment programs. Our ability to deliver these programs efficiently and effectively relies heavily on the promotion of innovation ....Maximising diffusion of innovative products on public infrastructure projects: A qualitative management study of open innovation systems. Australia's infrastructure in water, energy, health, education, transport and communication is the platform for our future prosperity and growth. In response to an identified deficit, Australian governments are embarking on major investment programs. Our ability to deliver these programs efficiently and effectively relies heavily on the promotion of innovation in the delivery phase. This study contributes to this major challenge by identifying how diffusion of innovative products can be maximised on infrastructure projects, focusing on knowledge flows within open innovation systems. The study will provide tools to optimise delivery of a world-class and integrated infrastructure network to meet Australia's future social and economic needs.Read moreRead less
Strategic Contracting with Complementary Assets under Assymetric Information. With the recent tendency for companies to patent any feasible innovations they might make, public policy must focus on the disincentive effects this may have for producers who must combine multiple patents. The project seeks to understand the 'holdout problem' that stems from such situations, and evaluate policy solutions for Australia and Internationally. Expected outcomes include publication in leading Australian and ....Strategic Contracting with Complementary Assets under Assymetric Information. With the recent tendency for companies to patent any feasible innovations they might make, public policy must focus on the disincentive effects this may have for producers who must combine multiple patents. The project seeks to understand the 'holdout problem' that stems from such situations, and evaluate policy solutions for Australia and Internationally. Expected outcomes include publication in leading Australian and International journals, and inputs to the policy debate.Read moreRead less
Modelling the APEC Digital Divide. Study of private sector motivation for the uptake of ICT is helpful in formulating regulatory and commercial responses to foster growth of competitive information-using and information-producing industries. The project will help clarify the relative benefits of production and use of ICT. Additionally, in an APEC context, analysis of the digital divide will inform policy appropriate to enhancing Australia's contribution to the region. The general purpose infor ....Modelling the APEC Digital Divide. Study of private sector motivation for the uptake of ICT is helpful in formulating regulatory and commercial responses to foster growth of competitive information-using and information-producing industries. The project will help clarify the relative benefits of production and use of ICT. Additionally, in an APEC context, analysis of the digital divide will inform policy appropriate to enhancing Australia's contribution to the region. The general purpose information technology of the Internet network is fast evolving into the enabling technology of choice for innovation and creative applications of a platform for communication and electronic transactions.Read moreRead less
Rural adjustment or structural transformation? Discovering the destinations of exiting farm families. The findings of this research will assist local, State and Federal governments to intervene effectively in processes of regional and rural structural adjustment. It will generate economic benefits by recommending policies that facilitate growth and promote sustainable rural businesses while at the same time sheltering rural communities and individual households from adverse outcomes. It will con ....Rural adjustment or structural transformation? Discovering the destinations of exiting farm families. The findings of this research will assist local, State and Federal governments to intervene effectively in processes of regional and rural structural adjustment. It will generate economic benefits by recommending policies that facilitate growth and promote sustainable rural businesses while at the same time sheltering rural communities and individual households from adverse outcomes. It will contribute social benefits by identifying policies to improve the outcomes of rural adjustment for families and individuals. The new knowledge it provides will inform the politics of regional change and remove some of the uncertainties that currently impede the implementation of rural adjustment policies.Read moreRead less
Keeping Capital Markets Efficient: A National Strategy on the Future of Auditing. The lack of confidence in the reliability of financial statement information is costly to the Australian capital market. The auditing profession is also struggling to attract and retain skilled professionals, which can erode audit quality. Using a rigorous research design to understand business community expectations and concerns, this project will provide a national forum that informs and directs responsible natio ....Keeping Capital Markets Efficient: A National Strategy on the Future of Auditing. The lack of confidence in the reliability of financial statement information is costly to the Australian capital market. The auditing profession is also struggling to attract and retain skilled professionals, which can erode audit quality. Using a rigorous research design to understand business community expectations and concerns, this project will provide a national forum that informs and directs responsible national strategy to ensure that high quality audit services are procured by corporate Australia. Improved audit quality will have the effect of improving the efficiency and attractiveness of the Australian capital market and address the skill shortage in auditing. Read moreRead less
Developing criteria to help solve Australia's urban infrastructure crisis. The key items of infrastructure in our cities are seen to be in crisis. Yet despite a growing willingness to fund new infrastructure, governments at all levels struggle to devise, rank and deliver infrastructure projects. The project will recover and rebuild a language for understanding the role of infrastructure in Australian cities and then devise criteria for better enactment of the infrastructure procurement and provi ....Developing criteria to help solve Australia's urban infrastructure crisis. The key items of infrastructure in our cities are seen to be in crisis. Yet despite a growing willingness to fund new infrastructure, governments at all levels struggle to devise, rank and deliver infrastructure projects. The project will recover and rebuild a language for understanding the role of infrastructure in Australian cities and then devise criteria for better enactment of the infrastructure procurement and provisioning processes. The project's prime outcomes will intersect with a growing need for better ways to build and operate large economic infrastructure and thus contribute to building cities that perform better economically, are more liveable, and contribute to long term environmental sustainability goals.Read moreRead less