Identity and intimacy in a virtual world: designing meaningful, responsible and effective virtual work. This project will help to bring theories of work design into the twenty-first century by acknowledging the important role of electronic communication reliance and being in remote locations for determining work outcomes, and offering concrete alternatives, including building identity and intimacy, to manage virtual work to leverage benefits and mitigate costs.
To use or not to use financial incentives for motivation and performance. For decades, compensation experts have advocated for the use of financial incentives to motivate work performance, yet organisations keep encountering performance issues caused by these incentives. Using agency, expectancy, and self-determination theory to inform a meta-analysis and a series of experiments, this research will help uncover the most important motivational mechanisms that explain how financial incentives infl ....To use or not to use financial incentives for motivation and performance. For decades, compensation experts have advocated for the use of financial incentives to motivate work performance, yet organisations keep encountering performance issues caused by these incentives. Using agency, expectancy, and self-determination theory to inform a meta-analysis and a series of experiments, this research will help uncover the most important motivational mechanisms that explain how financial incentives influence different types of performance. Given that compensation accounts for an important proportion of an organisation's operating expenses and that employee engagement is on the decline around the world, this research will provide a strong empirical basis to develop more effective compensation systems.Read moreRead less
Longitudinal, multilevel, and multi-study tests of an integrative theory of leader development. Leadership plays a critical role in the success of organizations and societies. The behaviours, decisions, and actions of leaders determine the overall quality of leadership. Having the most effective and efficient leader development interventions is important to strengthening the social and economic fabric of Australia. Preparing individuals to participate fully in leadership roles and processes will ....Longitudinal, multilevel, and multi-study tests of an integrative theory of leader development. Leadership plays a critical role in the success of organizations and societies. The behaviours, decisions, and actions of leaders determine the overall quality of leadership. Having the most effective and efficient leader development interventions is important to strengthening the social and economic fabric of Australia. Preparing individuals to participate fully in leadership roles and processes will enhance the effectiveness of organizations of all types. In addition, there is national benefit in developing leaders who are better prepared to tackle the myriad challenges facing Australia, such as building an environmentally sustainable society, creating the frontier industry technologies, and safeguarding Australia.Read moreRead less
Nature, culture and belonging in urban landscapes: an anthropological investigation into environmental beliefs, values and practices in Perth, Western Australia. This project explores contesting attitudes towards native and introduced plant and animal species in an urban Australian setting. It will document complex beliefs, values and practices associated with gardens, parks and pet-keeping in Perth, Western Australia, in order to investigate urban conceptions of what 'belongs' in local living e ....Nature, culture and belonging in urban landscapes: an anthropological investigation into environmental beliefs, values and practices in Perth, Western Australia. This project explores contesting attitudes towards native and introduced plant and animal species in an urban Australian setting. It will document complex beliefs, values and practices associated with gardens, parks and pet-keeping in Perth, Western Australia, in order to investigate urban conceptions of what 'belongs' in local living environments. Building on previous research in rural locations, the study will address links between urban environmental attitudes, and citizens' diverse senses of personal and cultural identity. The project will contribute to an emergent anthropological approach to the study of Australian society and promises outcomes of both academic and practical significance.Read moreRead less
Locating the Commonweal: Community, Environment and Local Governance Regimes in Reform Era Indonesia. The Indonesian government is currently implementing decentralisation legislation to address increasing regional discontent. In the context of political and economic crisis, these institutional reforms are intended to bring about greater popular participation in the political process and in resource management. This research will study several intersecting dimensions of reform in the local domai ....Locating the Commonweal: Community, Environment and Local Governance Regimes in Reform Era Indonesia. The Indonesian government is currently implementing decentralisation legislation to address increasing regional discontent. In the context of political and economic crisis, these institutional reforms are intended to bring about greater popular participation in the political process and in resource management. This research will study several intersecting dimensions of reform in the local domain: popular participation in decentralised governance; resource access and management by local communities; and the implications of reform for local sustainability and equity. The research will produce a comparative analysis of emerging governance patterns in the Reform Era based on locally grounded case studies spanning the Indonesian archipelago.Read moreRead less
Impact of increased sediment and nutrient discharges on the long-term sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's greatest natural assets, is under increasing threat from extreme climatic events caused by global warming and from land-based pollution. This research will identify the main sources of sediment and nutrient pollution caused by river runoff and by how much this has increased above 'natural levels'. We will discover how the very sensitive offsho ....Impact of increased sediment and nutrient discharges on the long-term sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's greatest natural assets, is under increasing threat from extreme climatic events caused by global warming and from land-based pollution. This research will identify the main sources of sediment and nutrient pollution caused by river runoff and by how much this has increased above 'natural levels'. We will discover how the very sensitive offshore coral reefs have responded to increased pollution and whether this is the cause of the very devastating crown-of-thorn-starfish infestations. Understanding the long-term effects of land-based pollution on the ecology of coral reefs in the GBR will thus provide a scientific basis to help ensure that it has a sustainable future.Read moreRead less
UNDER WATER: a comparative ethnographic analysis of water use and resource management in Queensland and Western Australia. Via ethnographic fieldwork in four watershed catchment areas, this comparative study examines how interest groups use and manage water resources. Working with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups, pastoralists, miners, farmers and fishers, it will provide comprehensive in-depth analysis of the ways in which people conceptualise, use and evaluate water. The study will inves ....UNDER WATER: a comparative ethnographic analysis of water use and resource management in Queensland and Western Australia. Via ethnographic fieldwork in four watershed catchment areas, this comparative study examines how interest groups use and manage water resources. Working with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups, pastoralists, miners, farmers and fishers, it will provide comprehensive in-depth analysis of the ways in which people conceptualise, use and evaluate water. The study will investigate different perspectives on water resource management and environmental issues, such as salinity. Its major objectives are to further understanding of human-environmental relations in contrasting settings. By elucidating various practices, needs and values, we will show how conflicts might be resolved and effective management of water resources ensured.Read moreRead less
Integrating seagrass recruitment and growth at the shoot scale with temporal and spatial dynamics of seagrass meadows in marine landscapes. In Australia, seagrass loss associated with human activity is one of the most serious issues affecting the marine environment. Despite this, processes contributing to maintenance of seagrass meadows are poorly understood. This project addresses meadow maintenance through measuring seedling recruitment, clonal growth and patch dynamics for 3 species of seagra ....Integrating seagrass recruitment and growth at the shoot scale with temporal and spatial dynamics of seagrass meadows in marine landscapes. In Australia, seagrass loss associated with human activity is one of the most serious issues affecting the marine environment. Despite this, processes contributing to maintenance of seagrass meadows are poorly understood. This project addresses meadow maintenance through measuring seedling recruitment, clonal growth and patch dynamics for 3 species of seagrasses, and modeling emergent patterns of meadow expansion. The outcomes will be integration of shoot-scale and meadow-scale dynamics in shallow subtidal landscapes, resulting in a clearer understanding of and ability to manage large-scale changes in seagrass meadows caused by natural and anthropogenic influences.
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Designing and Evaluating Biodiversity Conservation Policies for the Future. Biodiversity loss is a concern worldwide, especially in Australia with one of the world's 25 biodiversity "hot spots". Poor translation of ecology into policy and an absence of policy design principles are significantly impeding our ability to arrest these losses. This project aims to translate current developments in ecological theory into information useful for policy makers, develop and apply an evaluation framework t ....Designing and Evaluating Biodiversity Conservation Policies for the Future. Biodiversity loss is a concern worldwide, especially in Australia with one of the world's 25 biodiversity "hot spots". Poor translation of ecology into policy and an absence of policy design principles are significantly impeding our ability to arrest these losses. This project aims to translate current developments in ecological theory into information useful for policy makers, develop and apply an evaluation framework to current biodiversity policies using this new information, and develop policy design principles based on this evaluation. The project's expected outcomes - a clear translation of ecological theory for policy makers, and evaluation criteria and design principles for biodiversity policies - will contribute to conserving biodiversity. Read moreRead less
The connectivity of pore theory - does it influence microbial community composition and function? Climate change scenarios indicate that Australia will be directly affected by an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Soil microbial activity is responsible for a large proportion of such emissions; therefore it is important that we understand how such changing climate patterns are likely to influence key microbial populations in soil, particularly those involved in the production of greenhouse ga ....The connectivity of pore theory - does it influence microbial community composition and function? Climate change scenarios indicate that Australia will be directly affected by an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Soil microbial activity is responsible for a large proportion of such emissions; therefore it is important that we understand how such changing climate patterns are likely to influence key microbial populations in soil, particularly those involved in the production of greenhouse gases. This research interfaces two disciplines, earth and biological sciences, and will establish a new international collaboration that will ensure Australia is at the forefront of a rapidly developing research field.Read moreRead less