The Future of Financial Regulation: Enhancing integrity through design. The global financial crisis and the attendant collapse of major financial institutions have called into question the efficacy of financial regulation and the standards of conduct of the key actors in the financial services sectors and financial markets. Ethical conduct is fundamental to the integrity of Australia's financial services sector and financial markets. This project will make a valuable and innovative contribution ....The Future of Financial Regulation: Enhancing integrity through design. The global financial crisis and the attendant collapse of major financial institutions have called into question the efficacy of financial regulation and the standards of conduct of the key actors in the financial services sectors and financial markets. Ethical conduct is fundamental to the integrity of Australia's financial services sector and financial markets. This project will make a valuable and innovative contribution to the national priority goal of strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric by assisting market actors fulfil their professional roles in an ethical manner. By so doing it accords with the national priority goals of promoting an innovation culture and economy, and safeguarding Australia.Read moreRead less
Towards Resolution of Franchising Conflict. Franchising is a major sector in the Australian economy with annual turnover greater than $128 billion. Some 35% of franchisors report being involved in substantial disputes with franchisees. This project will investigate the causes of conflict in franchising relationships. Benefits will include a predictive model to identify where conflict is likely to occur in franchising conditions, thereby allowing participants the opportunity to address conflic ....Towards Resolution of Franchising Conflict. Franchising is a major sector in the Australian economy with annual turnover greater than $128 billion. Some 35% of franchisors report being involved in substantial disputes with franchisees. This project will investigate the causes of conflict in franchising relationships. Benefits will include a predictive model to identify where conflict is likely to occur in franchising conditions, thereby allowing participants the opportunity to address conflict before it escalates into dispute. Case studies and recommendations will inform participants and regulatory authorities so as to prevent conflict escalating. This will create a more 'level playing field' for participants and improve financial security for all stakeholders.Read moreRead less
Examining multi-level Information Technology (IT) project alignment in government services: the case of contracted employment services. Improved Information Technology (IT) alignment is essential for the delivery of government services within a complex public-private, inter-organisational environment. This project will investigate the extent to which well-aligned IT support systems contribute positively to the efficient and effective delivery of contracted employment services.
International franchising success factors: A guide for Australian franchise systems. Australia is considered the most 'franchised' nation in the world. With 850 franchisors, it has over three times the number of systems per capita than the United States. However, Australian franchises are small due to the country's limited population, with 60% of systems holding fewer than 30 units. One third of Australian franchisors now operates internationally, however little is known about how they plan an ....International franchising success factors: A guide for Australian franchise systems. Australia is considered the most 'franchised' nation in the world. With 850 franchisors, it has over three times the number of systems per capita than the United States. However, Australian franchises are small due to the country's limited population, with 60% of systems holding fewer than 30 units. One third of Australian franchisors now operates internationally, however little is known about how they plan and implement their expansion strategies. It appears that franchisors are reacting to approaches made by overseas investors rather than proactively developing international expansion strategies. This research will examine the practices of successful exporters to develop a model of best practice for future activity in the sector.Read moreRead less
Preventing railway suicide: An open-systems perspective. Preventing railway suicide: An open-systems perspective. This project aims to develop an automated suicide risk detection system to reduce the incidence and impact of railway suicide, which has a devastating effect on victims’ families, station staff, train drivers, emergency workers, and bystanders. This project will use open-systems theory to develop two complementary information systems for more effective detection and reporting of suic ....Preventing railway suicide: An open-systems perspective. Preventing railway suicide: An open-systems perspective. This project aims to develop an automated suicide risk detection system to reduce the incidence and impact of railway suicide, which has a devastating effect on victims’ families, station staff, train drivers, emergency workers, and bystanders. This project will use open-systems theory to develop two complementary information systems for more effective detection and reporting of suicide risk; use these systems to investigate how different situational factors interact with different combinations of service interventions to influence suicide risk; and share the findings to reduce railway suicide in Australia and overseas.Read moreRead less
Serving the greater good: using 'Servant Leadership' to build ethical and engaging work practices. The project will result in the first organisational application in Australia of a leadership development program based on scientific foundations of the 'Servant Leadership' framework. The outcomes will benefit organisations of all types in developing the leadership capabilities required to create ethical, positive, and sustainable work environments.
Public lessons, private interests: Do inquiries promote industry change? Mineral resource extraction is increasingly contentious and conflictual. Leading global companies are responding to high profile issues by commissioning independent inquiries into past events with the reports released publicly. Little is known about the governance arrangements of these inquiries, their independence, or their role in stimulating change. This project aims to investigate the utility of independent inquiries co ....Public lessons, private interests: Do inquiries promote industry change? Mineral resource extraction is increasingly contentious and conflictual. Leading global companies are responding to high profile issues by commissioning independent inquiries into past events with the reports released publicly. Little is known about the governance arrangements of these inquiries, their independence, or their role in stimulating change. This project aims to investigate the utility of independent inquiries commissioned by global mining companies for different stakeholder groups. By drawing comparisons with government-led commissions of inquiry, the project aims to develop guidelines for industry inquiries to achieve meaningful change and improve resource governance outcomes globally.Read moreRead less
Development of psychological capital in emergency service organisations. The project addresses the research priorities ‘Promoting good health and well being for all Australians’ and Safeguarding Australia. The project will identify ways in which the performance and wellbeing of volunteer and paid members of emergency service organisations can be enhanced, potentially diminishing the likelihood of depression, aggression, and other detrimental effects. The findings will also contribute to the qual ....Development of psychological capital in emergency service organisations. The project addresses the research priorities ‘Promoting good health and well being for all Australians’ and Safeguarding Australia. The project will identify ways in which the performance and wellbeing of volunteer and paid members of emergency service organisations can be enhanced, potentially diminishing the likelihood of depression, aggression, and other detrimental effects. The findings will also contribute to the quality of training provided to leaders in emergency services. Theoretically, the project will advance understanding of the mechanisms that underpin the psychological capital construct, placing Australian researchers at the forefront of this important emerging field of inquiry.Read moreRead less
Designing Gender Equality into the Future of Work. This project aims to investigate how women and men understand and experience the changing nature of work and their hopes and fears for the future. This project expects to generate new knowledge about the gendered dimensions of workplace change using an innovative and engaged research design that focuses on retail and the law, two areas where women are increasingly dominant, but which are located at distinct ends of the labour market. Expected ....Designing Gender Equality into the Future of Work. This project aims to investigate how women and men understand and experience the changing nature of work and their hopes and fears for the future. This project expects to generate new knowledge about the gendered dimensions of workplace change using an innovative and engaged research design that focuses on retail and the law, two areas where women are increasingly dominant, but which are located at distinct ends of the labour market. Expected outcomes of this project include an enhanced and coordinated capacity to build gender equality into the future of work. This should provide significant benefits such as better living standards for individuals and families and improved profitability and productivity for businesses. Read moreRead less
A theory of communicative practices within financial internet discussion site communities. This project aims to use online financial investment communities to identify factors that drive communication and influence knowledge co-creation, examine how systematic variations in these factors influence investor decision making, and develop a mid-range theory for explaining and predicting the influence of online communication patterns on individual decisions and market outcomes. By developing and vali ....A theory of communicative practices within financial internet discussion site communities. This project aims to use online financial investment communities to identify factors that drive communication and influence knowledge co-creation, examine how systematic variations in these factors influence investor decision making, and develop a mid-range theory for explaining and predicting the influence of online communication patterns on individual decisions and market outcomes. By developing and validating a new mid-range theory, initially in the financial investment context, this project will provide significant benefits, such as help to secure Australia’s place in a changing world through improved information flow.Read moreRead less