Financial development, liberalisation and productivity growth. The analysis performed in this project will provide some new insights into the role of financial policies in bolstering productivity growth. This issue deserves more attention from the policy circle given that a better understanding of the mechanisms by which finance affects growth performance allows policy makers to evaluate the costs and benefits associated with liberalising and deepening the financial systems, thus enabling the fo ....Financial development, liberalisation and productivity growth. The analysis performed in this project will provide some new insights into the role of financial policies in bolstering productivity growth. This issue deserves more attention from the policy circle given that a better understanding of the mechanisms by which finance affects growth performance allows policy makers to evaluate the costs and benefits associated with liberalising and deepening the financial systems, thus enabling the formulation of effective financial policies. This understanding is critical to achieve the Australian policy makers' objective of promoting financial stability and strengthening growth.Read moreRead less
Adoption of electronic commerce-enabled supply chain management: a trans-national comparison study. The framework developed will allow practitioners to identify an appropriate strategy to promote the adoption of EC-enabled SCM in developing countries. By including Indonesia and China as two of Australia's large trading partners in this study, the relationships can be further enhanced, leading to an increase in Australia's export market and improvement in national productivity and growth. Through ....Adoption of electronic commerce-enabled supply chain management: a trans-national comparison study. The framework developed will allow practitioners to identify an appropriate strategy to promote the adoption of EC-enabled SCM in developing countries. By including Indonesia and China as two of Australia's large trading partners in this study, the relationships can be further enhanced, leading to an increase in Australia's export market and improvement in national productivity and growth. Through wider adoption of EC-enabled SCM by Australia's trading partners, Australia can trade with them more efficiently. The empirical data and the research instruments developed will also enhance Australia's research standing and contribute to university teaching and research training. Read moreRead less
Examination of consumers' and food industry's use and views of plant-based food products. Plant food products such as cereal grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes can provide physiological benefits for consumers, value-adding opportunities for industry, and, ecological sustainability. This project will examine the factors driving consumer interest in this area and gauge the extent of industry and mass media influences over consumer demand.
Major outcomes of the project include greater under ....Examination of consumers' and food industry's use and views of plant-based food products. Plant food products such as cereal grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes can provide physiological benefits for consumers, value-adding opportunities for industry, and, ecological sustainability. This project will examine the factors driving consumer interest in this area and gauge the extent of industry and mass media influences over consumer demand.
Major outcomes of the project include greater understanding of consumer use of these foods, segmentation of the consumer market, novel segmentation instruments, a stronger basis for communication between industry and consumers regarding plant foods, and identification of opportunities and barriers to the production and marketing of novel plant food products.Read moreRead less
Growth, Trade, and Economic Development in Asia. Future growth in Asia has strong implications for growth, relative wages, skill levels, human capital accumulation and trade in Australia. This project seeks to gain insight into whether the high economic growth rates experienced in Asia will continue into the future and whether low income Asian countries will take off in the future. This information will be used to simulate future demand for skills, relative wages, trade and the incentives to inv ....Growth, Trade, and Economic Development in Asia. Future growth in Asia has strong implications for growth, relative wages, skill levels, human capital accumulation and trade in Australia. This project seeks to gain insight into whether the high economic growth rates experienced in Asia will continue into the future and whether low income Asian countries will take off in the future. This information will be used to simulate future demand for skills, relative wages, trade and the incentives to invest in Australia and give insight into the effects of various policies in Australia on educational decision, skill composition, relative wages, trade and growth.Read moreRead less
Economic interactions between scientists and commercial interests and their impact on scientific knowledge dissemination: a theoretical and empirical investigation. In recent decades, the debate between scientists, policy-makers and businesses on the usefulness of scientific discoveries has been intense. Despite its clear economic implications, there has been very little economic modeling of the interactions between scientists and firms on key choices such as publication rights and licensing agr ....Economic interactions between scientists and commercial interests and their impact on scientific knowledge dissemination: a theoretical and empirical investigation. In recent decades, the debate between scientists, policy-makers and businesses on the usefulness of scientific discoveries has been intense. Despite its clear economic implications, there has been very little economic modeling of the interactions between scientists and firms on key choices such as publication rights and licensing agreements associated with patent protection. These choices impact on the diffusion of scientific knowledge and their productive applications. This project will examine those interactions both at a theoretical and empirical level with the goal of generating insights into whether and how public policy makers should regulate or leave unchecked the commercialisation of science.Read moreRead less
Human Capital, Innovations and Economic Growth. This project examines the effects of human capital on economic growth and international knowledge spillovers and the social returns to schooling. Furthermore, the project investigates the role played by human capital and innovations in explaining why Australia has not been able to maintain its leading position in the world over the past 135 years. To that end human capital is estimated for the OECD countries. The project addresses Research Priority ....Human Capital, Innovations and Economic Growth. This project examines the effects of human capital on economic growth and international knowledge spillovers and the social returns to schooling. Furthermore, the project investigates the role played by human capital and innovations in explaining why Australia has not been able to maintain its leading position in the world over the past 135 years. To that end human capital is estimated for the OECD countries. The project addresses Research Priority 3 by examining the role played by education in promoting an innovative culture and enhancing the capacity to absorb world frontier technology. Read moreRead less
Why poorer students are less likely to go to university: Theoretical and empirical evidence for Australia with implications for policy. This project will improve our understanding of the factors that lead to the under-representation of low income students in universities in Australia and other countries. The focus of the analysis will be the impact of a student's family and household environment and innate ability on their school performance, an essential pre-requisite for university admission, ....Why poorer students are less likely to go to university: Theoretical and empirical evidence for Australia with implications for policy. This project will improve our understanding of the factors that lead to the under-representation of low income students in universities in Australia and other countries. The focus of the analysis will be the impact of a student's family and household environment and innate ability on their school performance, an essential pre-requisite for university admission, together with the costs of university education. Identifying the relative importance of these factors in determining educational success will enable families, schools, universities and educational policy-makers to improve opportunities for high ability students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. This will in turn enhance economic growth and productivity, benefiting all Australians.Read moreRead less
Determinants of Researcher Productivity and Impact Over Career Lifespan. As Australia's population is ageing at one of the fastest rates among OECD countries, it is imperative to understand the relationship between age and worker productivity. This project will develop our understanding of how age relates to productivity not only in terms of quantity but also quality of innovations produced. It will also identify personal and contextual influences on productivity. This will help identify ways of ....Determinants of Researcher Productivity and Impact Over Career Lifespan. As Australia's population is ageing at one of the fastest rates among OECD countries, it is imperative to understand the relationship between age and worker productivity. This project will develop our understanding of how age relates to productivity not only in terms of quantity but also quality of innovations produced. It will also identify personal and contextual influences on productivity. This will help identify ways of supporting productivity and participation among older workers. Additionally, this project will provide a sophisticated framework for developing cultures and work environments that are supportive of innovation, by modelling the dynamic interplay between individuals and their environments across several years.Read moreRead less
Privatisation, Regulation and Institutional Structures of Airports: An International Study. Airports are typically locational monopolies possessing strong market power - abuse of this is controlled by public ownership, regulation or not-for-profit operation. All these pose problems for achieving economic efficiency while meeting environmental standards. Design of efficient regulation, and the Australian experiment with price monitored private airports, will be analysed. Using data from Austr ....Privatisation, Regulation and Institutional Structures of Airports: An International Study. Airports are typically locational monopolies possessing strong market power - abuse of this is controlled by public ownership, regulation or not-for-profit operation. All these pose problems for achieving economic efficiency while meeting environmental standards. Design of efficient regulation, and the Australian experiment with price monitored private airports, will be analysed. Using data from Australian and overseas airports, the performance of airports operating under the alternative systems will be evaluated, enabling an assessment of performance and privatisation; a comparison of private, public and not-for-profit systems; and pointing out how better governance options can be designed.Read moreRead less
The Balanced Scorecard: A Strategic Management Accounting Tool for Scenario Thinking and Strategic Decision Making. This project examines the use of models based on the balanced scorecard in scenario thinking and strategic decision making. The Balanced Scorecard is a set of financial and non-financial performance measures. Managers can refine their model about the critical cause-effect relations in the firm by scanning balanced scorecard reports. They can use this model for generating scenario ....The Balanced Scorecard: A Strategic Management Accounting Tool for Scenario Thinking and Strategic Decision Making. This project examines the use of models based on the balanced scorecard in scenario thinking and strategic decision making. The Balanced Scorecard is a set of financial and non-financial performance measures. Managers can refine their model about the critical cause-effect relations in the firm by scanning balanced scorecard reports. They can use this model for generating scenarios and making strategic decisions. This proposal responds to calls for focussed research on systems like the Balanced Scorecard that have "the potential to provide planners with a way of expressing and testing a sophisticated model of cause-effect in the organisation." Read moreRead less