Can Sponsorship deliver Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)? Examining internal and external perceptions of sponsors' CSR. This study examines whether and how sponsorship can be effective when supporting community-based activities. As the cost of large scale events continues to escalate, defining a value proposition to appeal to local sponsors may help smaller clubs and non-profit organisations to survive or even thrive. For small and medium size businesses, leveraging the sponsoring of commun ....Can Sponsorship deliver Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)? Examining internal and external perceptions of sponsors' CSR. This study examines whether and how sponsorship can be effective when supporting community-based activities. As the cost of large scale events continues to escalate, defining a value proposition to appeal to local sponsors may help smaller clubs and non-profit organisations to survive or even thrive. For small and medium size businesses, leveraging the sponsoring of community-based organisations via Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) may be effective in gaining a competitive advantage against larger competitors. This study can assist in the quantification of such CSR sponsorship benefits, in times of increased social and economic accountability and uncertain economic growth.Read moreRead less
Profiling Accurate Segmentation Structures in Rural Communities. The proposed project has two aims - one aim is applied and pertains to Australia's rural community, and a second is methodological and pertains to methods of segmenting populations in a variety of contexts. These aims are 1) to identify a valid basis for segmenting Australia's rural community based on their choice behaviour and individual characteristics; and 2) to develop and test a staged approach for inferring market segments u ....Profiling Accurate Segmentation Structures in Rural Communities. The proposed project has two aims - one aim is applied and pertains to Australia's rural community, and a second is methodological and pertains to methods of segmenting populations in a variety of contexts. These aims are 1) to identify a valid basis for segmenting Australia's rural community based on their choice behaviour and individual characteristics; and 2) to develop and test a staged approach for inferring market segments utilising a joint approach which simultaneously accounts for individual characteristics and choice behaviour that is informed by non-parametric classification techniques to account for a variety of sources of heterogeneity, not just preference heterogeneity.Read moreRead less
A Protocol for Customer Relationship Management Implementation and Evaluation. In 2001, companies worldwide invested US$20 billion (US$125 billion by 2004) in Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Despite the magnitude of this investment, the general consensus among practitioners is that most CRM systems have failed to live up to expectations. This is somewhat alarming, given that the theoretical underpinnings of relationship management are both well developed and intuitively sound. This pr ....A Protocol for Customer Relationship Management Implementation and Evaluation. In 2001, companies worldwide invested US$20 billion (US$125 billion by 2004) in Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Despite the magnitude of this investment, the general consensus among practitioners is that most CRM systems have failed to live up to expectations. This is somewhat alarming, given that the theoretical underpinnings of relationship management are both well developed and intuitively sound. This project investigates the contradiction between relationship theory and CRM practice. It will identify and synthesise critical factors in the success or failure of attempts to implement CRM as a preliminary stage to developing a protocol for successful CRM implementation and evaluation.Read moreRead less
New methods for analysing marketing Databases in the age of digital media. This is a time of enormous and rapid change in many areas of Australian business due to the introduction and widespread dissemination of digital media. It has resulted in the accumulation of large integrated databases of customer information and their transactions. Firms in all countries, particularly those challenged by distance and size, like Australia, are now seeking to find ways to make better use of their voluminous ....New methods for analysing marketing Databases in the age of digital media. This is a time of enormous and rapid change in many areas of Australian business due to the introduction and widespread dissemination of digital media. It has resulted in the accumulation of large integrated databases of customer information and their transactions. Firms in all countries, particularly those challenged by distance and size, like Australia, are now seeking to find ways to make better use of their voluminous information so as to make efficiency gains in their business processes, strategic decision-making and customer relationship management. Our project aims to contribute to the ARC priority research goal of smart information use by developing new methodologies for the analysis of these large integrated databases.Read moreRead less
Water for Australia's future - reducing fears and increasing acceptance of alternative water sources through public information. Australia is in the midst of a water crisis. Available water sources are dwindling. Alternative water sources are key to Australia's sustainable water future. National and international experiences show that while alternative water treatment technologies are available, public acceptance is the most important factor to determining the successful implementation of altern ....Water for Australia's future - reducing fears and increasing acceptance of alternative water sources through public information. Australia is in the midst of a water crisis. Available water sources are dwindling. Alternative water sources are key to Australia's sustainable water future. National and international experiences show that while alternative water treatment technologies are available, public acceptance is the most important factor to determining the successful implementation of alternative water schemes. This project will study public acceptance of a range of alternative water schemes in Australia. It will identify barriers to adoption of these alternatives and highlight preferred options by the community. The information needs of Australians will be identified and optimal communication strategies developed.Read moreRead less
Examination of consumers' and food industry's use and views of plant-based food products. Plant food products such as cereal grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes can provide physiological benefits for consumers, value-adding opportunities for industry, and, ecological sustainability. This project will examine the factors driving consumer interest in this area and gauge the extent of industry and mass media influences over consumer demand.
Major outcomes of the project include greater under ....Examination of consumers' and food industry's use and views of plant-based food products. Plant food products such as cereal grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes can provide physiological benefits for consumers, value-adding opportunities for industry, and, ecological sustainability. This project will examine the factors driving consumer interest in this area and gauge the extent of industry and mass media influences over consumer demand.
Major outcomes of the project include greater understanding of consumer use of these foods, segmentation of the consumer market, novel segmentation instruments, a stronger basis for communication between industry and consumers regarding plant foods, and identification of opportunities and barriers to the production and marketing of novel plant food products.Read moreRead less
Is brand image instability a measurement artifact? If brand images are indeed unstable, then not only are private companies wasting their money on image campaigns but also government organisations are wasting public money on brand image campaigns such as the many conducted by the Australian Tourism Commission overseas, and by local governments, such as "Wollongong - city of innovation." Wouldn't you like to know whether your money is being well spent? A reasonably definitive assessment of the wo ....Is brand image instability a measurement artifact? If brand images are indeed unstable, then not only are private companies wasting their money on image campaigns but also government organisations are wasting public money on brand image campaigns such as the many conducted by the Australian Tourism Commission overseas, and by local governments, such as "Wollongong - city of innovation." Wouldn't you like to know whether your money is being well spent? A reasonably definitive assessment of the worthwhileness of public-funded brand image campaigns will be the main national and community benefit of this research. Read moreRead less
Can commerce be authentic? Developing and testing consumer-based measures of brand authenticity. Academics and practitioners identify the management of brand authenticity as a critical success factor in building brand equity. Significant opportunities exist for Australian firms to benefit from application of a brand authenticity scale in the development of brand communication strategies. In particular, small firms where reputation can be built on an authentic connection to family or regional his ....Can commerce be authentic? Developing and testing consumer-based measures of brand authenticity. Academics and practitioners identify the management of brand authenticity as a critical success factor in building brand equity. Significant opportunities exist for Australian firms to benefit from application of a brand authenticity scale in the development of brand communication strategies. In particular, small firms where reputation can be built on an authentic connection to family or regional history; tourism organisations where consumption is driven by authenticity; or exporters of local brands where perceptions of what is authentically Australian are critical. It is also significant for sports organisations where the opportunity to self-authenticate is a major motivation for consumers whether spectator or participant.Read moreRead less
Latent variable modelling of discrete choice experiments. Discrete choice experiments and models are used to forecast consumer responses to changes in products policies and programs worldwide. Recent research suggests key model assumptions are violated because error variances covary with observed and unobserved factors. In order to address this, we will model systematic relationships between error variances and observed (eg, prices, survey length) and unobserved (eg, 'convenience', 'reputation') ....Latent variable modelling of discrete choice experiments. Discrete choice experiments and models are used to forecast consumer responses to changes in products policies and programs worldwide. Recent research suggests key model assumptions are violated because error variances covary with observed and unobserved factors. In order to address this, we will model systematic relationships between error variances and observed (eg, prices, survey length) and unobserved (eg, 'convenience', 'reputation') factors to improve model reliability and accuracy. This should lead to more accurate models/forecasts, benefitting business and government, which addresses the national priority of 'frontier technologies, promoting an innovative culture and economy'.Read moreRead less
Identifying, attracting and retaining successful foster parents. This research project will improve Australian foster care systems. By developing tools to identify, attract and retain successful foster parents more effectively we will address two critical problems facing foster care organisations: decreasing numbers of foster parents and increasing numbers of 'placement breakdowns'. Improvements of these factors will (1) give foster children a more positive and healthier start to life; (2) reduc ....Identifying, attracting and retaining successful foster parents. This research project will improve Australian foster care systems. By developing tools to identify, attract and retain successful foster parents more effectively we will address two critical problems facing foster care organisations: decreasing numbers of foster parents and increasing numbers of 'placement breakdowns'. Improvements of these factors will (1) give foster children a more positive and healthier start to life; (2) reduce the extent to which foster children develop antisocial and emotional attachment problems; (3) reduce the incidence of criminal and antisocial behaviours among foster children; and consequently (4) have a positive long-term effect on the social fabric of Australia.Read moreRead less