Interactions of Human and Machine Intelligence in Modern Economic Systems. Much of modern economic systems are driven by machine-machine and machine-human interactions that happens rapidly at large scale. But such interactions are often opaque and can have negative or catastrophic consequences, such as market plunges with no apparent economic reasons in financial trading, content recommendations that promote extremism, algorithms in gig economy leading to worker exploitation and wasted resources ....Interactions of Human and Machine Intelligence in Modern Economic Systems. Much of modern economic systems are driven by machine-machine and machine-human interactions that happens rapidly at large scale. But such interactions are often opaque and can have negative or catastrophic consequences, such as market plunges with no apparent economic reasons in financial trading, content recommendations that promote extremism, algorithms in gig economy leading to worker exploitation and wasted resources. This project aims for new theoretical results and algorithms at the intersection computational economics, game theory, and dynamical systems, that establish conditions under which the economic systems are stable, propose mechanisms that make the interactions more fair, transparent and aligned with human values.Read moreRead less
Computational Mechanisms of Online Attention Markets. The internet has operated as an major exchange of information and attention for the past few decades, yet surprisingly little is known about how individual choices and collective attention interact, let alone about how different parties can influence or control it. This project aims to uncover the mathematical underpinnings between individual actions and collective trends in online attention market, design computational methods for estimating ....Computational Mechanisms of Online Attention Markets. The internet has operated as an major exchange of information and attention for the past few decades, yet surprisingly little is known about how individual choices and collective attention interact, let alone about how different parties can influence or control it. This project aims to uncover the mathematical underpinnings between individual actions and collective trends in online attention market, design computational methods for estimating and influencing attention allocation, and enable applications where content consumers, producers, hosting platforms and regulatory bodies are each empowered with their share of influence in the attention market.Read moreRead less
A Longitudinal Study of Recurrent Audit Failure in Australian Corporate Collapses from 1885 to the Present. As starkly illustrated with Enron in the US and with HIH in Australia, corporate collapse and audit failure may be interrelated. In response to repeated instances of audit failure, legislative and other reforms are typically adopted in order to ensure that auditor indiscretions are curtailed. Unfortunately, audit failure persists. This longitudinal Australian study of audit failure in the ....A Longitudinal Study of Recurrent Audit Failure in Australian Corporate Collapses from 1885 to the Present. As starkly illustrated with Enron in the US and with HIH in Australia, corporate collapse and audit failure may be interrelated. In response to repeated instances of audit failure, legislative and other reforms are typically adopted in order to ensure that auditor indiscretions are curtailed. Unfortunately, audit failure persists. This longitudinal Australian study of audit failure in the context of corporate collapse from the mid 1880s aims to enhance an understanding of audit failure and why it recurs. The study's findings are expected to inform future enquires and court cases and assist in developing public policy and future legislative reforms.Read moreRead less
Corporate Transparency in the Asia Pacific Region: Factors Explaining Differences in Financial Disclosure Levels. The adequacy of corporate transparency, as evidenced by relevant disclosures and accounting measurement policies, is of concern to investors and regulators worldwide but notably in respect of companies located in the Asia Pacific region following the Asian financial crisis. The aim of this project is to assess financial disclosure levels in major countries in the region against reco ....Corporate Transparency in the Asia Pacific Region: Factors Explaining Differences in Financial Disclosure Levels. The adequacy of corporate transparency, as evidenced by relevant disclosures and accounting measurement policies, is of concern to investors and regulators worldwide but notably in respect of companies located in the Asia Pacific region following the Asian financial crisis. The aim of this project is to assess financial disclosure levels in major countries in the region against recognised benchmarks especially International Accounting Standards and to evaluate the significance of factors associated with differences in disclosure levels. The results of this study will provide valuable insights for Australian standard setters as well as the IASB, IOSCO and the World Bank.Read moreRead less
Modeling the relations between the incidence of within-firm corporate fraud and the quality of corporate governance structures. Organisations operating in market economies have agency problems because the managers of the firm are rarely the owners. One costly outcome is the incidence of fraud within organisations. In recent times organisations have developed and refined corporate governance structures. To date there has been little analysis of the effect that corporate governance has on the inci ....Modeling the relations between the incidence of within-firm corporate fraud and the quality of corporate governance structures. Organisations operating in market economies have agency problems because the managers of the firm are rarely the owners. One costly outcome is the incidence of fraud within organisations. In recent times organisations have developed and refined corporate governance structures. To date there has been little analysis of the effect that corporate governance has on the incidence of with-in firm fraud. The aim of this research is to build and test a model of the relations between within-firm fraud and corporate governance systems that can be used as a diagnostic tool by industry to monitor and manage risk.Read moreRead less
Data breaches: A study of organisational disclosures. This project aims to study data breach disclosure rules and practices in Australia. Organisations are under growing pressure to inform individuals, regulators and the public of data breaches and this project will explore how these responsibilities are conceptualised within organisations, and how they are discharged in practice. We expect to yield rich empirical insights into both the voluntary and mandatory reporting of data related breaches, ....Data breaches: A study of organisational disclosures. This project aims to study data breach disclosure rules and practices in Australia. Organisations are under growing pressure to inform individuals, regulators and the public of data breaches and this project will explore how these responsibilities are conceptualised within organisations, and how they are discharged in practice. We expect to yield rich empirical insights into both the voluntary and mandatory reporting of data related breaches, the scope and form of disclosures, the organisational framing of data related accountability, and we expect to provide insights into best practice. The project will lead to refereed research publications and policy relevant research reports.Read moreRead less
On-Line Identity, Interpersonal Relationships And Society. This project will provide a thoroughgoing account of the implications of the communication context provided by the Internet for the development of our identity as persons and as a society. Its significance is grounded in the fact that the context of our communication with others significantly affects the kind of relationships we develop and so the sort of person and society we become. The Internet has now emerged as a central communicati ....On-Line Identity, Interpersonal Relationships And Society. This project will provide a thoroughgoing account of the implications of the communication context provided by the Internet for the development of our identity as persons and as a society. Its significance is grounded in the fact that the context of our communication with others significantly affects the kind of relationships we develop and so the sort of person and society we become. The Internet has now emerged as a central communication context through which our professional, business and personal lives are pursued.Read moreRead less
Corporate Governance and the Market for Audit Services. Corporate governance is essential for the development of efficient and transparent capital markets, which in turn are critical to economic growth and development. The alleged role of auditors in recent corporate collapses brings into focus the question of how auditing contributes to effective corporate governance. More broadly, the way in which the market for audit services functions is critical, especially given the increasingly concentrat ....Corporate Governance and the Market for Audit Services. Corporate governance is essential for the development of efficient and transparent capital markets, which in turn are critical to economic growth and development. The alleged role of auditors in recent corporate collapses brings into focus the question of how auditing contributes to effective corporate governance. More broadly, the way in which the market for audit services functions is critical, especially given the increasingly concentrated nature of this market. This project will provide evidence on whether auditors have a broader contribution than merely 'checking' the financial statements, as well as the extent to which the market for audit services may have become less competitive as the number of large audit firms has declined.Read moreRead less
Investigating which strategies are most effective in overcoming the ethical problems facing information and communications technology professionals. This project will investigate what sorts of ethical problems information and communications technology (ICT) professionals commonly face at work and which strategies are most effective in solving them. An output of this project will be an interactive multimedia-rich website that will enable ICT professionals to deliberate on an ethical problem and c ....Investigating which strategies are most effective in overcoming the ethical problems facing information and communications technology professionals. This project will investigate what sorts of ethical problems information and communications technology (ICT) professionals commonly face at work and which strategies are most effective in solving them. An output of this project will be an interactive multimedia-rich website that will enable ICT professionals to deliberate on an ethical problem and come up with the best option for solving it.Read moreRead less
Evaluating innovative assurance practices for sustainability reporting. While entities are today accountable for and report on a broader range of social and environmental issues, such enhanced reporting must be credible to be relied upon. Evaluating settings where innovative credibility-enhancing mechanisms are proposed or disclosed, this project aims to explore the efficacy of these evolving mechanisms and their impact on information quality and users. This project is expected to make significa ....Evaluating innovative assurance practices for sustainability reporting. While entities are today accountable for and report on a broader range of social and environmental issues, such enhanced reporting must be credible to be relied upon. Evaluating settings where innovative credibility-enhancing mechanisms are proposed or disclosed, this project aims to explore the efficacy of these evolving mechanisms and their impact on information quality and users. This project is expected to make significant contributions in identifying and evaluating best practice credibility-enhancing techniques and informing policy and standard-setting options in Australia and overseas. The benefits include higher quality and more reliable disclosures resulting in better resource allocation decisions and informed policy determinations.Read moreRead less