A history of Australia's 1998 waterfront dispute. The project will produce an innovative account of Australia's Easter 1998 waterfront dispute, within the context of a wider body of research on diverse but related social perspectives. The aim is to not only enhance understanding of the event, but to employ the event to enhance understanding of social relations. The project is based on the hypothesis that the social memory is more complex, multi-layered and contextual than public accounts suggest ....A history of Australia's 1998 waterfront dispute. The project will produce an innovative account of Australia's Easter 1998 waterfront dispute, within the context of a wider body of research on diverse but related social perspectives. The aim is to not only enhance understanding of the event, but to employ the event to enhance understanding of social relations. The project is based on the hypothesis that the social memory is more complex, multi-layered and contextual than public accounts suggest. By incorporating the study of multiple perspectives, the aim is to disclose a different and more insightful memory of both the event and the society in which it occurred.Read moreRead less
Understanding low skilled men's access to jobs: An occupational case-study approach. The withdrawal of low skilled men from the labour force has been substantial over recent decades. As many as 40% of men without post-school qualifications do not have full-time jobs. This development has many negative social consequences. It damages the affected men's wellbeing, and that of their families. It reduces labour supply at a time of labour shortages. It increases dependency on the welfare system. ....Understanding low skilled men's access to jobs: An occupational case-study approach. The withdrawal of low skilled men from the labour force has been substantial over recent decades. As many as 40% of men without post-school qualifications do not have full-time jobs. This development has many negative social consequences. It damages the affected men's wellbeing, and that of their families. It reduces labour supply at a time of labour shortages. It increases dependency on the welfare system. This project will develop new understandings of the barriers low skill men face when they seek jobs in areas of rising employment, such as the service sector. It will provide an assessment of the possibilities of overcoming these barriers, and develop ideas about how best to enhance low skilled men's access to good jobs. Read moreRead less
Work, life and sustainable living: how work, household and community life interact to affect environmental behaviours and outcomes. The project addresses the research priority of an environmentally sustainable Australia. It examines how the circumstances and interaction of work, home and community affect capacities to reduce negative environmental impacts especially workplace and household transport, waste, energy and water use practices. The project brings the changing configuration of work to ....Work, life and sustainable living: how work, household and community life interact to affect environmental behaviours and outcomes. The project addresses the research priority of an environmentally sustainable Australia. It examines how the circumstances and interaction of work, home and community affect capacities to reduce negative environmental impacts especially workplace and household transport, waste, energy and water use practices. The project brings the changing configuration of work to the fore, addressing a gap in current research. It examines the implications for environmental change of the temporal and spatial organisation of 'work-life', including analysis of socio-economic and gender differences, informing practice and theory about how workers, workplaces and households can change for the better, in the interests of a sustainable, socially inclusive society.Read moreRead less
From rivers of gold to the clickstream: Newspapers and quality journalism in the Internet Age. This project will enhance Australian democracy by providing a scholarly basis for public discussion about the ways that quality journalism can survive in the Internet age. It will create knowledge about the specifically Australian experience of newspapers' transition to online media services and will thus help Australian citizens and journalists engage in global debates about journalism futures. It wil ....From rivers of gold to the clickstream: Newspapers and quality journalism in the Internet Age. This project will enhance Australian democracy by providing a scholarly basis for public discussion about the ways that quality journalism can survive in the Internet age. It will create knowledge about the specifically Australian experience of newspapers' transition to online media services and will thus help Australian citizens and journalists engage in global debates about journalism futures. It will create knowledge about the workplace conditions that foster quality journalism. It will showcase Australian research in international scholarly debate within the field of Journalism Studies.Read moreRead less
Responding to the rural skills crisis: Modelling volunteer motivations and incentives to attract retired/semi-retired professionals to volunteer in rural areas. This project contributes directly to Promoting and Maintaining Good Health: Ageing well, ageing productively by placing a high value on the skills of older Australians and encouraging them to remain productive into retirement by sharing these skills. This project will also strengthen the social and economic fabric of rural communities by ....Responding to the rural skills crisis: Modelling volunteer motivations and incentives to attract retired/semi-retired professionals to volunteer in rural areas. This project contributes directly to Promoting and Maintaining Good Health: Ageing well, ageing productively by placing a high value on the skills of older Australians and encouraging them to remain productive into retirement by sharing these skills. This project will also strengthen the social and economic fabric of rural communities by addressing the identified national priority area of skills shortages in rural areas by providing rural councils with a means to access skilled professionals to assist them in enhancing their economic and social sustainability. Further, use of sound, well-tested psychological theories of individual decision making will enhance the validity and applicability of the model.Read moreRead less
Behind the scenes: diversity management paradigm shifts and sticking points. Many Australian organisations miss out on the potential benefits of workforce diversity because they do not manage diversity effectively. This project will investigate how organisations can initiate and direct change processes to manage diversity more effectively, and as a result, experience higher productivity and employee engagement.
The impact of institutional pressure on the management of organisational gender diversity. Women’s low representation in senior management and boards led to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) requiring listed companies to report on gender diversity. This project examines if women’s representation is changing in response to the ASX requirements and identifies organisational strategies for achieving sustainable gender diversity.
Enforcing labour standards in supply chains through voluntary frameworks. This project aims to investigate the potential of multi-stakeholder initiatives to ensure the enforcement of labour standards in supply chains by examining the cleaning accountability framework - an initiative comprised of diverse representatives in the commercial cleaning supply chain in Australia. It is expected that this will result in the development of new regulatory methods/technology to improve compliance. This is e ....Enforcing labour standards in supply chains through voluntary frameworks. This project aims to investigate the potential of multi-stakeholder initiatives to ensure the enforcement of labour standards in supply chains by examining the cleaning accountability framework - an initiative comprised of diverse representatives in the commercial cleaning supply chain in Australia. It is expected that this will result in the development of new regulatory methods/technology to improve compliance. This is expected to improve the quality of life of vulnerable workers in supply chains and the mitigation of reputational risk for business.
Read moreRead less
Country practices: an analysis of factors affecting the wellbeing of general practitioners and their families in rural and remote WA. This project will analyse relationships between (1) the shortage of general practitioners in rural and remote Western Australia and (2) the wellbeing of practitioners and their families. The study will use an appropriate sociological framework, together with data drawn primarily from participant observation and intensive interviewing. It will deepen our understand ....Country practices: an analysis of factors affecting the wellbeing of general practitioners and their families in rural and remote WA. This project will analyse relationships between (1) the shortage of general practitioners in rural and remote Western Australia and (2) the wellbeing of practitioners and their families. The study will use an appropriate sociological framework, together with data drawn primarily from participant observation and intensive interviewing. It will deepen our understanding of problems in attracting and retaining general practitioners to work in rural and remote communities, and of ways in which these problems might be addressed. Innovative aspects of the study include the use of ethnographic research methods and the inclusion of family members in the analysis.Read moreRead less
Home-based Businesses: Belief systems and practice and their implications for policy and development practice. The home-based business sector has been calculated to represent 67% of the small business sector in Australia. There is a conservative estimate that at least one in ten homes in Australia now hosts a home-based business. Under Governments of all political persuasions, growth of small business is seen as important to the growth of the economy. However there is a fragmented policy context ....Home-based Businesses: Belief systems and practice and their implications for policy and development practice. The home-based business sector has been calculated to represent 67% of the small business sector in Australia. There is a conservative estimate that at least one in ten homes in Australia now hosts a home-based business. Under Governments of all political persuasions, growth of small business is seen as important to the growth of the economy. However there is a fragmented policy context of enterprise promotion and home-based business support. The findings of this study will contribute to integrated policy and development practice responses through greater understanding of the diversity of belief systems and practice within the sector.Read moreRead less