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
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
ARC Governance Research Network. Institutions and their governance are frequently part of our most pressing problems - not least in our national research priorities. Hence, institutions are invariably a key part of the solutions. GovNet unites three ARC Centres, two existing networks (RegNet, ANZSOG) and several other dynamic centres to create an interdisciplinary network of ethicists, lawyers, political scientists, economists and historians. It will tackle issues of institutional governance, fr ....ARC Governance Research Network. Institutions and their governance are frequently part of our most pressing problems - not least in our national research priorities. Hence, institutions are invariably a key part of the solutions. GovNet unites three ARC Centres, two existing networks (RegNet, ANZSOG) and several other dynamic centres to create an interdisciplinary network of ethicists, lawyers, political scientists, economists and historians. It will tackle issues of institutional governance, from small firms to global institutions - recognising both common governance issues and radically differing contexts. Together with APSEG and government agencies, it will apply cutting edge cross-disciplinary, theory-driven, evidence-based research to governance issues in the region.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
Better end-of-life care through an optimal, holistic regulatory framework. This project aims to enhance end-of-life care through better regulation. Current regulation does not work as intended and is complex and fragmented. This harms patients, families and health professionals, and wastes health resources across the 100,000 medical end-of-life decisions in Australia annually. Expected outcomes are: (1) the first study internationally to establish in practice how the interaction of conflicting l ....Better end-of-life care through an optimal, holistic regulatory framework. This project aims to enhance end-of-life care through better regulation. Current regulation does not work as intended and is complex and fragmented. This harms patients, families and health professionals, and wastes health resources across the 100,000 medical end-of-life decisions in Australia annually. Expected outcomes are: (1) the first study internationally to establish in practice how the interaction of conflicting law, policies, ethics and training affects the end-of-life care patients receive; and (2) a new holistic regulatory framework to enhance the quality of end-of-life care. Expected benefits are better palliative care, more patient involvement in decisions, reduced patient-doctor conflict and a more efficient health system.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.
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