Developing leadership for high stress workplaces: Improving well-being, engagement, productivity and staff retention. Workplaces today are increasingly complex. The ageing of the workforce, growing economic pressure and increasing employee mobility make the ability of organisations to attract, develop and retain talented staff critical issues for Australian industry. Staff stress costs the economy tens of billions of dollars a year. This project focuses on the measurement and development of lead ....Developing leadership for high stress workplaces: Improving well-being, engagement, productivity and staff retention. Workplaces today are increasingly complex. The ageing of the workforce, growing economic pressure and increasing employee mobility make the ability of organisations to attract, develop and retain talented staff critical issues for Australian industry. Staff stress costs the economy tens of billions of dollars a year. This project focuses on the measurement and development of leader's ability to take sophisticated perspectives on complex events, and in so doing open new possibilities for effective action. By developing models, tools and training methods to enhance this ability in managers, we aim to make an important contribution economic sustainability and employee well-being in Australia and internationally.Read moreRead less
Examinations of the relationship between accreditation and clinical and organisational performance. Accreditation of organisations is now commonplace. It involves assessing organisations against pre-defined standards. This is a highly significant issue because of the millions of dollars of investment in accreditation. We do not know if we achieve value for money or whether positive change is associated with accreditation. Few studies have examined this in detail. We aim to do so in this stud ....Examinations of the relationship between accreditation and clinical and organisational performance. Accreditation of organisations is now commonplace. It involves assessing organisations against pre-defined standards. This is a highly significant issue because of the millions of dollars of investment in accreditation. We do not know if we achieve value for money or whether positive change is associated with accreditation. Few studies have examined this in detail. We aim to do so in this study. We will examine organisational and individual performance associated with accreditation status in order to illuminate the process and uncover any associations between accreditation and organisational culture, consumer participation and clinical (individual) performance indicators.
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Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. This project aims to advance stormwater pollution modelling and enhance its link with urban development. Management of stormwater pollution by industry often results in inadequate strategies and, crucially, sub-optimal financial investments. Since this is unlikely to improve in light of urban growth and climate change, addressing decade-old pollution model ....Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. This project aims to advance stormwater pollution modelling and enhance its link with urban development. Management of stormwater pollution by industry often results in inadequate strategies and, crucially, sub-optimal financial investments. Since this is unlikely to improve in light of urban growth and climate change, addressing decade-old pollution modelling knowledge gaps and the lack of a multidisciplinary approach to stormwater pollution management is urgent. The anticipated outcome is a modelling tool which industry can use to manage stormwater pollution in changing cities through smarter and economic technology and policy.Read moreRead less
Phytocapping for sustainable waste containment systems and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and odour from waste disposal sites. Landfills remain the main method of waste disposal in Australia and are a major source of groundwater contamination and greenhouse and odour emissions. This national research program will establish, under a wide range of Australian conditions, whether landfill phytocaps can meet regulatory performance criteria for water infiltration into and gas emissions from clo ....Phytocapping for sustainable waste containment systems and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and odour from waste disposal sites. Landfills remain the main method of waste disposal in Australia and are a major source of groundwater contamination and greenhouse and odour emissions. This national research program will establish, under a wide range of Australian conditions, whether landfill phytocaps can meet regulatory performance criteria for water infiltration into and gas emissions from closed landfills more effectively, efficiently and sustainably than conventional capping systems. The project will produce (a) a scientific basis for site owners and regulators to agree on the performance and cost of conventional and phyto cover technologies, (b) a manual for the design and permitting of alternative covers and (c)improved scientific prediction of cover performance.Read moreRead less
Understanding the health effects of landscape burning and biomass smoke in Australian towns and cities. Bushfires are increasingly affecting Australian towns and cities directly and indirectly from episodes of severe air pollution. An approach to manage bushfires is to reduce fuel loads by setting planned fires under stable weather conditions, yet this strategy is controversial because of community concerns about ecological sustainability and negative health impacts from smoke. The relative im ....Understanding the health effects of landscape burning and biomass smoke in Australian towns and cities. Bushfires are increasingly affecting Australian towns and cities directly and indirectly from episodes of severe air pollution. An approach to manage bushfires is to reduce fuel loads by setting planned fires under stable weather conditions, yet this strategy is controversial because of community concerns about ecological sustainability and negative health impacts from smoke. The relative importance of air pollution from planned and unplanned bushfires vs. wood heaters, agricultural burning and other sources of air pollution will be determined. Our study will enable evidence-based bushfire smoke management, help formulate national air quality standards and shape policies regarding biomass smoke and bushfire management.Read moreRead less
Work process change in hospital services. This project will compare how process re-engineering methods, such as Lean Management and Six Sigma, are implemented in hospitals in Australia and Canada and how they impact on staff and patient care.
A Simulation-Based Approach to Understanding Alternative Supply Chain Configurations. The research developed in this project has value to the broader Australian community because it will lead to the development of a decision support system for configuring more strategic, cost effective and efficient supply chains. The modelling techniques developed in the project together with the crucial training and experience in large scale experimental and survey techniques will help to establish a high qual ....A Simulation-Based Approach to Understanding Alternative Supply Chain Configurations. The research developed in this project has value to the broader Australian community because it will lead to the development of a decision support system for configuring more strategic, cost effective and efficient supply chains. The modelling techniques developed in the project together with the crucial training and experience in large scale experimental and survey techniques will help to establish a high quality centre for supply chain research. The decision support system and other techniques utilised in the project have potential for commercialisation for the benefit of Australian commerce. Read moreRead less
Bad tastes, odours and toxins in our drinking water reservoirs: are benthic cyanobacteria the culprits? Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) produce toxins and bad tastes that contaminate drinking water sources, cause public concern about water quality. This project will address a critical knowledge gap by investigating species that grow on the sediments of reservoirs, thus providing more comprehensive management solutions to the water industry.
To complain or not to complain-That is the question! Does under-representation of rural complaints compromise quality of rural healthcare? Pro-rata, rural residents make fewer formal complaints about health care services than do metropolitan residents. This research investigates the reasons why, and the implications for quality improvement of rural health services. The research will also identify the most appropriate ways of engaging rural consumer participation in monitoring the quality of t ....To complain or not to complain-That is the question! Does under-representation of rural complaints compromise quality of rural healthcare? Pro-rata, rural residents make fewer formal complaints about health care services than do metropolitan residents. This research investigates the reasons why, and the implications for quality improvement of rural health services. The research will also identify the most appropriate ways of engaging rural consumer participation in monitoring the quality of their health services. Based on improved indicators, the Health Services Commission and health providers will have access to a better evidence base for maximising the quality of health care and services available in rural areas.Read moreRead less
Bushfire smoke and the relationship between human and landscape health. A team of landscape ecologists, environmental chemists and public health specialists will determine the ecological causes and adverse health effects of different levels of bushfire smoke in Darwin. Darwin is an ideal setting for this research because the only source of air pollution is the high incidence of controlled and uncontrolled bushfires during the dry season causing variable air quality: a preliminary study found a ....Bushfire smoke and the relationship between human and landscape health. A team of landscape ecologists, environmental chemists and public health specialists will determine the ecological causes and adverse health effects of different levels of bushfire smoke in Darwin. Darwin is an ideal setting for this research because the only source of air pollution is the high incidence of controlled and uncontrolled bushfires during the dry season causing variable air quality: a preliminary study found a link between smoke pollution levels and asthma. The findings of the proposed research will contribute to improved fire management practices to reduce injurious smoke pollution events and contribute to setting appropriate national air quality standards.Read moreRead less