The Impact of Customer-Focused Business Strategies on Organisational Performance in a Professional Service Context. The study poses important new questions about the impact well-established customer marketing approaches, such as value, have, within a professional service environment. It is unclear whether organisations focus on such concepts when developing strategy and, if so, how they use them when formulating strategy and this will be investigated. A second question, which is of academic and ....The Impact of Customer-Focused Business Strategies on Organisational Performance in a Professional Service Context. The study poses important new questions about the impact well-established customer marketing approaches, such as value, have, within a professional service environment. It is unclear whether organisations focus on such concepts when developing strategy and, if so, how they use them when formulating strategy and this will be investigated. A second question, which is of academic and practical importance, is the impact such strategies have on organisational performance, and this will also be examined. Understanding the link between strategy and organisational performance is vital as managers have difficulty assessing the relevance of their marketing activities.Read moreRead less
Adoption of electronic commerce-enabled supply chain management: a trans-national comparison study. The framework developed will allow practitioners to identify an appropriate strategy to promote the adoption of EC-enabled SCM in developing countries. By including Indonesia and China as two of Australia's large trading partners in this study, the relationships can be further enhanced, leading to an increase in Australia's export market and improvement in national productivity and growth. Through ....Adoption of electronic commerce-enabled supply chain management: a trans-national comparison study. The framework developed will allow practitioners to identify an appropriate strategy to promote the adoption of EC-enabled SCM in developing countries. By including Indonesia and China as two of Australia's large trading partners in this study, the relationships can be further enhanced, leading to an increase in Australia's export market and improvement in national productivity and growth. Through wider adoption of EC-enabled SCM by Australia's trading partners, Australia can trade with them more efficiently. The empirical data and the research instruments developed will also enhance Australia's research standing and contribute to university teaching and research training. Read moreRead less
The key strategies in firms' realisation of value from ICT: A transformational model of ICT value generation. Studies indicate that information and communication technologies (ICT) have contributed significantly to Australia's productivity gains over the last decade. It is not well understood, however, why some firms and some industries have been able to benefit significantly more from ICT use than others. This study will show the strategies and practices that are used by the firms that gain max ....The key strategies in firms' realisation of value from ICT: A transformational model of ICT value generation. Studies indicate that information and communication technologies (ICT) have contributed significantly to Australia's productivity gains over the last decade. It is not well understood, however, why some firms and some industries have been able to benefit significantly more from ICT use than others. This study will show the strategies and practices that are used by the firms that gain maximum benefit from ICT - the 'ICT winners'. The lessons learned will allow other firms to gain further benefits from ICT, potentially leading overall to further economic gains by industries and the nation. Read moreRead less
Leaders as motivators: A test of an integrated theory of leadership and motivation to predict employees' psychological health and productivity. The effectiveness of organisations depends upon the quality of its leaders. While research shows that certain leader behaviours can enhance psychological heath (increase job satisfaction, reduce stress) and productivity, it is not clear why this occurs. This proposal addresses this shortcoming by developing a model of leadership that places motivation ....Leaders as motivators: A test of an integrated theory of leadership and motivation to predict employees' psychological health and productivity. The effectiveness of organisations depends upon the quality of its leaders. While research shows that certain leader behaviours can enhance psychological heath (increase job satisfaction, reduce stress) and productivity, it is not clear why this occurs. This proposal addresses this shortcoming by developing a model of leadership that places motivation as a core process between the leader's behaviour and outcomes. The model is tested across new innovative research designs, including a study that tests an intervention to improve leadership effectiveness. The research will increase the understanding of workplace leadership and provide practical ways to improve employees' psychological health and productivity.Read moreRead less
Classifying the indirect costs of information systems and information technology in business. Many businesses are increasing their expenditure on IS/IT to obtain a strategic competitive advantage. Traditional approaches to IS/IT appraisal are unable to accommodate the costs associated with deploying 'organisational-wide' IS/IT solutions because of their qualitative characteristics. The inability of managers to determine the 'true' costs of IS/IT are attributable to a lack of knowledge and unders ....Classifying the indirect costs of information systems and information technology in business. Many businesses are increasing their expenditure on IS/IT to obtain a strategic competitive advantage. Traditional approaches to IS/IT appraisal are unable to accommodate the costs associated with deploying 'organisational-wide' IS/IT solutions because of their qualitative characteristics. The inability of managers to determine the 'true' costs of IS/IT are attributable to a lack of knowledge and understanding of IS/IT related costs. This research will extend the myopia of traditional 'direct' financial cost analysis by identifying 'indirect' cost factors. A model that integrates cost taxonomies and performance measures/metrics of IS/IT will be developed as a frame of reference for IS/IT decision-makers.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
Building Better Brands: A Study of Australian Organizations and Consumers. The study is the first to be undertaken in the world to develop a knowledge management system of brand development and management. It focuses on understanding how branding strategies increase the competitiveness of Australian industry. The study also explores linkages of branding strategy to consumer perceptions of brand value. The model is firmly placed in a global market context, contrasting domestic, exported and im ....Building Better Brands: A Study of Australian Organizations and Consumers. The study is the first to be undertaken in the world to develop a knowledge management system of brand development and management. It focuses on understanding how branding strategies increase the competitiveness of Australian industry. The study also explores linkages of branding strategy to consumer perceptions of brand value. The model is firmly placed in a global market context, contrasting domestic, exported and imported brands. The focus is strongly orientated toward improving Australia's competitiveness and global performance. This study is vital as the economic superiority of strong nations is evident in the value and strength of their industries' brands.Read moreRead less
Emotional reactions to job insecurity, emotional intelligence, and their effects on employee behaviour. Insecurity at work is a major experience for many Australian workers and research reveals that perceptions of job insecurity are increasing. A new model of employees? emotional and behavioural reactions to perceptions of job insecurity has been developed that focuses on the emotional aspects of job insecurity and describes how employees cope with job insecurity. This project develops an origin ....Emotional reactions to job insecurity, emotional intelligence, and their effects on employee behaviour. Insecurity at work is a major experience for many Australian workers and research reveals that perceptions of job insecurity are increasing. A new model of employees? emotional and behavioural reactions to perceptions of job insecurity has been developed that focuses on the emotional aspects of job insecurity and describes how employees cope with job insecurity. This project develops an original program of research to empirically explore the impact of emotional reactions to job insecurity and extend the model to look at the effect on individual and team decision-making with the aim of improving businesses response to this increasingly common phenomenon.Read moreRead less
The Employment Relations Implications of Mergers and Acquisitions in the Australian Black Coal Mining Industry. This project will study the employment relations (industrial relations and human resource management) implications of mergers and acquisitions in the Australian black coal mining industry - Australia's largest export income-earning industry. Global merger and acquisition activity has intensified in recent years despite strong international evidence to suggest that mergers and acquisiti ....The Employment Relations Implications of Mergers and Acquisitions in the Australian Black Coal Mining Industry. This project will study the employment relations (industrial relations and human resource management) implications of mergers and acquisitions in the Australian black coal mining industry - Australia's largest export income-earning industry. Global merger and acquisition activity has intensified in recent years despite strong international evidence to suggest that mergers and acquisitions often fail due to people-related problems. This study seeks to explore this international enigma, by examining a range of employment relations issues in newly merged or acquired organisations in the Australian coal industry. The frenetic pace of recent mergers and acquisitions in the coal industry, and its centrality to the prosperity of Australia, make it an ideal site to develop understanding of the people-related problems associated with mergers and acquisitions,and to develop strategies to address these difficulties. It is expected that this study will reveal significant theoretical insights and provide practical lessons on appropriate management interventions, that go beyond the Australian coal industry.The findings will be presented at international conferences and be published in leading academic journals and the mainstream financial press.Read moreRead less
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