Ethics as Practice - A Study of Organisational Learning and Management Power in Australian Society. The research will ask how:
- Organizations learn their ethics in and through management practice?
- Learning relates to community expectations of organizations?
- Organizational ethical practices relate to the public image that organizations portray?
Using ethnographic methods we will research how concrete organizational practice is informed by ethics and foregrounded through organizational l ....Ethics as Practice - A Study of Organisational Learning and Management Power in Australian Society. The research will ask how:
- Organizations learn their ethics in and through management practice?
- Learning relates to community expectations of organizations?
- Organizational ethical practices relate to the public image that organizations portray?
Using ethnographic methods we will research how concrete organizational practice is informed by ethics and foregrounded through organizational learning. Managerial practice will be compared with broader concerns embedded in community expectations. Comparisons will be drawn between espoused portrayals of public images by organizations with the power practices that inform everyday managerial behaviour. We will produce a model for organizational learning and ethical management practice.
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The role of organisational events and emotions in strategic decision-making. Australia's international competitiveness depends to a large extent on the effectiveness of its business organisations. This effectiveness depends, in turn, on the quality of top managers' decision-making. Thus, understanding the way that managers make decisions is of critical importance if we are to develop programs to improve the competitiveness of Australian business organisations. The Australian researchers involve ....The role of organisational events and emotions in strategic decision-making. Australia's international competitiveness depends to a large extent on the effectiveness of its business organisations. This effectiveness depends, in turn, on the quality of top managers' decision-making. Thus, understanding the way that managers make decisions is of critical importance if we are to develop programs to improve the competitiveness of Australian business organisations. The Australian researchers involved in this grant application have been at the forefront of the international movement to include the study of emotions in organisational research. In a series of four projects, they combine with a noted US scholar, who specialises in the study of organisational justice, to study the decision-making patterns of top managers.Read moreRead less
Employee wellbeing and productivity: the role of territoriality, conflict and emotions. Australia is investing billions in redesigning modern office spaces, but the effect of office layout on employees is still not well understood. Using innovative real-time data collection techniques, an international team will study the effect of office layout and develop a training package to improve office-worker productivity and wellbeing.
An investigation of the relationship between buildings, building users and organisational effectiveness in the hospital sector. Significant changes in the Australian health-care environment are creating a mismatch between health-care priorities and building facilities. Many hospital buildings do not meet user needs by providing the flexible spaces needed for changing operating models and technologies. This is threatening the quality and cost effectiveness of health-care provision. This research ....An investigation of the relationship between buildings, building users and organisational effectiveness in the hospital sector. Significant changes in the Australian health-care environment are creating a mismatch between health-care priorities and building facilities. Many hospital buildings do not meet user needs by providing the flexible spaces needed for changing operating models and technologies. This is threatening the quality and cost effectiveness of health-care provision. This research will investigate the relationship between buildings, building users and organisational performance in hospitals. A model will be produced to explain these relationships and thereby, help managers more effectively manage building facilities. It will also redress a deficiency in management theory, which has ignored buildings as a factor of production.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
Patterns of change in organizational structures in hyper-competitive environments. Aim: Longitudinal study of organizational structures in a highly competitive industry, focusing on change from traditional to new organizational structures. Our conceptual framework of retention, coexistence, replacement and integration enables assessment of patterns of structural change over time and tests of resource based and institutional theories about why organizational structures change.
Significance: Ou ....Patterns of change in organizational structures in hyper-competitive environments. Aim: Longitudinal study of organizational structures in a highly competitive industry, focusing on change from traditional to new organizational structures. Our conceptual framework of retention, coexistence, replacement and integration enables assessment of patterns of structural change over time and tests of resource based and institutional theories about why organizational structures change.
Significance: Our conceptual framework is innovative and provides a template for assessing current arguments about structural change and performance.
Outcomes:
Theoretical: greater understanding of relevance of organizational change theories.
Practical: provision to managers of knowledge about new patterns of structuring organizations and which ones are associated with superior performance.
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An empirical analysis of structural cost management decision making. This study analyses the rationale adopted by firms in implementing cost management choices with significant social and economic consequences. Layoffs, across-the-board cost cuts and off-shoring are significant influences on workforce participation levels in the Australian economy. This study explores the factors associated with firms and managers that lead to systematic preferences for certain types of cost management respons ....An empirical analysis of structural cost management decision making. This study analyses the rationale adopted by firms in implementing cost management choices with significant social and economic consequences. Layoffs, across-the-board cost cuts and off-shoring are significant influences on workforce participation levels in the Australian economy. This study explores the factors associated with firms and managers that lead to systematic preferences for certain types of cost management responses. In analysing these decisions in a range of organizational settings, and seeking to establish best practice benchmarks in innovative cost management practice, this study directly supports the government's workforce participation agenda. Read moreRead less
The link between corporate governance and sustainability: A contingency approach. Australian businesses will experience decreased economic growth, more health issues and fewer international opportunities if sustainability is not addressed. Sustainability is business approach seeking long-term value by embracing opportunities and managing risk from economic, environmental and social developments. This study will provide insight into optimal board structures to oversee performance across economic, ....The link between corporate governance and sustainability: A contingency approach. Australian businesses will experience decreased economic growth, more health issues and fewer international opportunities if sustainability is not addressed. Sustainability is business approach seeking long-term value by embracing opportunities and managing risk from economic, environmental and social developments. This study will provide insight into optimal board structures to oversee performance across economic, environmental and social dimensions. It will also identify the conditions whereby firms can adapt to market transformation, and determine resource reconfigurations that respond to sustainability challenges.Read moreRead less
Strategizing and Management Accounting Control: Comparing and Contrasting Australian and Japanese Practices. Organisations invest significant resources in the development of formal strategic plans, as well as management accounting control systems (MACS) to facilitate their implementation. Yet we know very little about the practices connecting MACS to the realisation of organisational strategies. This study intends to examine these practices by using field research to compare and contrast pract ....Strategizing and Management Accounting Control: Comparing and Contrasting Australian and Japanese Practices. Organisations invest significant resources in the development of formal strategic plans, as well as management accounting control systems (MACS) to facilitate their implementation. Yet we know very little about the practices connecting MACS to the realisation of organisational strategies. This study intends to examine these practices by using field research to compare and contrast practices in Australian and Japanese organisations. Such research will contribute to the national benefit by highlighting 'best' practice in relation to the use of MACS in achieving strategic goals/change, contributing to an innovative Australian business culture.
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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