Only at the movies: mapping the contemporary Australian cinema market. Only at the movies? is a three-year project that asks: What is the enduring appeal of cinemagoing and how is it changing? It will provide detailed analyses of formal film exhibition and distribution in Australia by combining economic, cultural and geospatial research with industry expertise.
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
Social Network Analysis: Social Media, Peer Effects and the Environment. The aims of this proposal are to better understand the role of networks in different activities such as social media, education, crime and environment-friendly behaviour. The project expects to help inform the design and practice of policies for education and environmental authorities, police and media markets. Social networks are pervasive in Australia. The project tackles issues of criminal gangs in Australian cities, the ....Social Network Analysis: Social Media, Peer Effects and the Environment. The aims of this proposal are to better understand the role of networks in different activities such as social media, education, crime and environment-friendly behaviour. The project expects to help inform the design and practice of policies for education and environmental authorities, police and media markets. Social networks are pervasive in Australia. The project tackles issues of criminal gangs in Australian cities, the political system and environment-friendly behaviours. This project is at the frontier of work in the economics of networks, with expected outcomes to include new models and methods to better understand the impact of social networks. Benefits include clear policy recommendations to improve welfare in Australian society.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100119
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,218.00
Summary
Community Gardening in Australia: A Nationwide Study. By researching community gardeners’ experiences, food gardening media and government policies through digital and sensory ethnography, interviews and textual analysis, this project aims to produce a nationwide qualitative study of community gardening in Australia. The rise of community gardens is of major significance, emerging as it does out of a broader range of concerns over the environment, health and wellbeing, food security, social incl ....Community Gardening in Australia: A Nationwide Study. By researching community gardeners’ experiences, food gardening media and government policies through digital and sensory ethnography, interviews and textual analysis, this project aims to produce a nationwide qualitative study of community gardening in Australia. The rise of community gardens is of major significance, emerging as it does out of a broader range of concerns over the environment, health and wellbeing, food security, social inclusion, and community resilience. The intended outcomes of the project will provide an evidence base to enable the development of effective local, state and national policies on community gardening, and recommendations on how community, government, and media can work together to facilitate the expansion of sustainable lifestyles and wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Anti-Consumerism in the Contemporary West. This project will investigate contemporary critiques of Western consumption emanating from within Western societies themselves. Divided into three interconnecting research themes, the project will offer a selective review of recent media and intellectual commentary on the consequences of consumption, a brief documentation of recent ?anti-consumption? activism in Europe, North America and Australasia, and an Australian-based ethnographic exploration of h ....Anti-Consumerism in the Contemporary West. This project will investigate contemporary critiques of Western consumption emanating from within Western societies themselves. Divided into three interconnecting research themes, the project will offer a selective review of recent media and intellectual commentary on the consequences of consumption, a brief documentation of recent ?anti-consumption? activism in Europe, North America and Australasia, and an Australian-based ethnographic exploration of how people limit consumption activities within contemporary everyday life. The project will culminate in a book-length study, representing one of the first attempts to fully document how a ?Western consumerism? is currently being challenged by intellectuals, social movement activists and ?consumers? themselves.Read moreRead less
Enhancing Capacity for Change: Promoting Leadership in Sustainable Consumption amongst Australian Youth. Building societal capacity for sustainable consumption is vital if the destructive impacts of current patterns of development and lifestyle choices are to be reversed. Directly relevant to the 'Sustainability' and 'Good Health' National Research Priorities, this research will develop the change-agent potential of a significant, high spending consumer class - youth and young adults. The resear ....Enhancing Capacity for Change: Promoting Leadership in Sustainable Consumption amongst Australian Youth. Building societal capacity for sustainable consumption is vital if the destructive impacts of current patterns of development and lifestyle choices are to be reversed. Directly relevant to the 'Sustainability' and 'Good Health' National Research Priorities, this research will develop the change-agent potential of a significant, high spending consumer class - youth and young adults. The research will result in practical guidelines and program materials for youth organizations to use in capacity building for change leadership. The resultant modelling and encouragement of sustainable consumption through 'purchasing differently' will help stimulate the growth of sustainable products and services in Australia.Read moreRead less
The rise of ethical consumption in Australia: from the margins to the mainstream. This nationwide project will be the first of its kind to examine the rise and impact of ethical consumption in Australia. Through engaging with consumers, retailers and producers, the project’s findings will enable the development of policy and industry frameworks aimed at the promotion of more ethical and sustainable ways of consuming.
Shop Talk: Department Stores, Shoppers and Consumer Capitalism, 1945-2025. This project aims to provide a deeper understanding of shopping and its significance in everyday Australian life by using oral history interviews with shoppers, workers and managers who have engaged with department stores since 1945. This project expects to produce the first history of the country’s post-war department stores. Expected outcomes include new, more nuanced perspectives of shopping and the challenges affectin ....Shop Talk: Department Stores, Shoppers and Consumer Capitalism, 1945-2025. This project aims to provide a deeper understanding of shopping and its significance in everyday Australian life by using oral history interviews with shoppers, workers and managers who have engaged with department stores since 1945. This project expects to produce the first history of the country’s post-war department stores. Expected outcomes include new, more nuanced perspectives of shopping and the challenges affecting the retail sector via a range of publications, international collaborations, and an archive of oral history recordings. This should provide significant benefits to researchers examining the retail sector, to Australians working in retail, and to ordinary Australians, whose stories will be placed on the historical record.Read moreRead less
Youth, religion and sexuality: digital media, school cultures, exemptions. This project aims to understand the knowledges and practices about sexuality and religion that form the everyday worlds of young people who are religious. This should provide significant new knowledge about a key time in the development of a young person’s identity via a nationwide, deep yet comparative approach. Expected outcomes include strategic health policy and curriculum development advice that responds to current d ....Youth, religion and sexuality: digital media, school cultures, exemptions. This project aims to understand the knowledges and practices about sexuality and religion that form the everyday worlds of young people who are religious. This should provide significant new knowledge about a key time in the development of a young person’s identity via a nationwide, deep yet comparative approach. Expected outcomes include strategic health policy and curriculum development advice that responds to current debates around religious exemptions to anti-discrimination law and creates better education and health care for religious and LGBTIQ+ youth. Benefits will include increased wellbeing for religious LGBTIQ+ youth, conservatively religious and newly arrived youth communities in Australia.Read moreRead less
Effects on Labour Supply, Savings and Welfare of the July 2007 Policy Changes to Superannuation and the Age Pension. This proposal's central question falls within the priority goal of 'Strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric'. Understanding the effects of alternative superannuation tax arrangements is crucial in view of concerns regarding aggregate private savings and labour force participation in an ageing economy. Low savings or participation could have implications for sustained ....Effects on Labour Supply, Savings and Welfare of the July 2007 Policy Changes to Superannuation and the Age Pension. This proposal's central question falls within the priority goal of 'Strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric'. Understanding the effects of alternative superannuation tax arrangements is crucial in view of concerns regarding aggregate private savings and labour force participation in an ageing economy. Low savings or participation could have implications for sustained economic growth. This project's outcomes will provide an indication of the potential effects of policies on labour supply and savings. After further modifications, the model developed in this project can also address other questions in the context of life-cycle decisions under uncertainty, such as labour supply, fertility or health.Read moreRead less