Unintended consequences? A sociological study of how social relations influence decisions about antibiotics. Professional decision-making can be difficult to influence, particularly in health contexts. Decisions are often not just about scientific evidence of best practice. Rather, decisions are heavily influenced by social context and the relationships that surround them. An 'antimicrobial perfect storm' is predicted to occur within the next two decades, in part due to poor antibiotic decision- ....Unintended consequences? A sociological study of how social relations influence decisions about antibiotics. Professional decision-making can be difficult to influence, particularly in health contexts. Decisions are often not just about scientific evidence of best practice. Rather, decisions are heavily influenced by social context and the relationships that surround them. An 'antimicrobial perfect storm' is predicted to occur within the next two decades, in part due to poor antibiotic decision-making, presenting a major threat to Australia. Using rigorous sociological research methods, this project aims to explore the social underpinnings of antibiotic decision-making, incorporating professional, lay and managerial perspectives. It aims to provide a means of understanding current practice and the barriers to enacting change.Read moreRead less
The Future Cemetery. This project aims to identify and critically assess the potential of innovative technologies to enhance the experience of the cemetery for an increasingly diverse, secular, and well-informed public, and to strengthen cemeteries’ community connections.
It will generate knowledge about the industry’s and the public’s future-oriented desires through an interdisciplinary, collaborative, and evidence-based assessment of emerging cemetery-based technologies including mobile apps, ....The Future Cemetery. This project aims to identify and critically assess the potential of innovative technologies to enhance the experience of the cemetery for an increasingly diverse, secular, and well-informed public, and to strengthen cemeteries’ community connections.
It will generate knowledge about the industry’s and the public’s future-oriented desires through an interdisciplinary, collaborative, and evidence-based assessment of emerging cemetery-based technologies including mobile apps, GPS systems, drones, holography, virtual reality, green burials, and resomation.
A key expected outcome is a future cemetery that makes sensitive use of technology to enhance its services to public and community, underpinned by scholarly research.
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The Salmon Ponds and the Development of an Acclimatisation Culture and Landscape in the Derwent Valley, Tasmania. The Derwent Valley, Tasmania, is both an economically depressed rural area and one of the most special and richly endowed colonial landscapes. This project will assist in developing and restoring its status as a touring and angling landscape for tourists by researching and reconstructing its making through the acclimatisation network centred on its cultural and technical hub at Salm ....The Salmon Ponds and the Development of an Acclimatisation Culture and Landscape in the Derwent Valley, Tasmania. The Derwent Valley, Tasmania, is both an economically depressed rural area and one of the most special and richly endowed colonial landscapes. This project will assist in developing and restoring its status as a touring and angling landscape for tourists by researching and reconstructing its making through the acclimatisation network centred on its cultural and technical hub at Salmon Ponds, New Norfolk. The research will trace the social and technical networks that linked newly formed angling associations,landowners, technical and scientific expertise with commercial and political patronage. It will elaborate how these in turn produced both a unique landscape and a culturally embedded association with it.Read moreRead less
When caring ends: Understanding and supporting informal care trajectories. This project aims to advance understandings of how, why, when, and for whom caring ends, including the socio-cultural and relational factors that shape experiences before, during, and after caring. Using an innovative, multi-method sociological approach, and foregrounding carers’ voices, this project expects to generate new knowledge on the meaning and experience of care and caring. This project is significant in bringing ....When caring ends: Understanding and supporting informal care trajectories. This project aims to advance understandings of how, why, when, and for whom caring ends, including the socio-cultural and relational factors that shape experiences before, during, and after caring. Using an innovative, multi-method sociological approach, and foregrounding carers’ voices, this project expects to generate new knowledge on the meaning and experience of care and caring. This project is significant in bringing together leading researchers and key carer-focused organisations, spanning service sectors and moving across care relationships, life stages and contexts. Expected outcomes include enhanced service capacity with tangible policy and practice benefits that will enable sustainable and fulfilling informal caring experiences.Read moreRead less
Women in non-traditional careers: a longitudinal study of female professionals in the mining and resources industries. This project is in line with National Research Priority, strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric, which identifies the importance of research on workforce participation. The main aim of this research is to increase the attraction, participation, development and most importantly, retention of qualified female technical staff in the Australian resource industry. Analy ....Women in non-traditional careers: a longitudinal study of female professionals in the mining and resources industries. This project is in line with National Research Priority, strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric, which identifies the importance of research on workforce participation. The main aim of this research is to increase the attraction, participation, development and most importantly, retention of qualified female technical staff in the Australian resource industry. Analysis of project outputs will directly inform policies and practices to redress the significant skill shortages in the industry. Furthermore enhancing workplace diversity is necessary to create effective and innovative workplaces that reflect the diversity of the broader Australian society.Read moreRead less
Family business and succession planning: dynamics, barriers and strategies. This research will generate better strategies, protocols and policies for family business succession planning, tailored to the Australian context. Family businesses constitute about 70-80 per cent of Australian businesses, and $4.5 trillion in business value. It is estimated that $3.5 trillion of business value will change hands in the next decade as the post-war generation of business founders moves on. Yet surveys rout ....Family business and succession planning: dynamics, barriers and strategies. This research will generate better strategies, protocols and policies for family business succession planning, tailored to the Australian context. Family businesses constitute about 70-80 per cent of Australian businesses, and $4.5 trillion in business value. It is estimated that $3.5 trillion of business value will change hands in the next decade as the post-war generation of business founders moves on. Yet surveys routinely show that family businesses indefinitely defer succession planning, placing businesses and their stakeholders at risk of acrimonious conflict and business failure. This research will contribute towards the National Research Priority goals strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric and ageing well, ageing productively.Read moreRead less
Human Oöcytes for Stem Cell Research: donation and regulation in Australia. This study will contribute to the development of workable, ethical guidelines and practices for Australian research oöcyte donation. It will contribute to the protection of women's health and autonomy and the design of sound donation practices and support services. It will contribute to the national and international debate about the ethics of stem cell research, and improve the knowledge base available to regulators and ....Human Oöcytes for Stem Cell Research: donation and regulation in Australia. This study will contribute to the development of workable, ethical guidelines and practices for Australian research oöcyte donation. It will contribute to the protection of women's health and autonomy and the design of sound donation practices and support services. It will contribute to the national and international debate about the ethics of stem cell research, and improve the knowledge base available to regulators and other stakeholders to frame adequate and comprehensive regulation.Read moreRead less
Understanding heavy alcohol consumption cultures among nurses and lawyers . This Project aims to investigate drinking cultures among nurses and lawyers – two sizeable Australian workforces where heavy drinking is common. Addressing drinking cultures among social groups is an emerging strategy to complement population and individual level efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm. Alcohol use among workers has implications for health, safety and performance, yet researchers have paid little attentio ....Understanding heavy alcohol consumption cultures among nurses and lawyers . This Project aims to investigate drinking cultures among nurses and lawyers – two sizeable Australian workforces where heavy drinking is common. Addressing drinking cultures among social groups is an emerging strategy to complement population and individual level efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm. Alcohol use among workers has implications for health, safety and performance, yet researchers have paid little attention to occupational drinking cultures. Using rigorously collected qualitative and quantitative data, this Project expects to generate new knowledge on sociocultural practices and meanings of drinking in the groups, illuminate relations between drinking cultures and harms, and enable innovative intervention opportunities.
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Residents’ voices: advantage, disadvantage, community and place. Community renewal and redevelopment of concentrated public housing areas represents a significant public investment aimed at improving the life chances of residents, yet the way in which place factors influence social outcomes is not well understood. This research will enhance the potential for successful outcomes by creating opportunities for residents to develop and express their own knowledge and understanding of the links betwe ....Residents’ voices: advantage, disadvantage, community and place. Community renewal and redevelopment of concentrated public housing areas represents a significant public investment aimed at improving the life chances of residents, yet the way in which place factors influence social outcomes is not well understood. This research will enhance the potential for successful outcomes by creating opportunities for residents to develop and express their own knowledge and understanding of the links between place and disadvantage, in an international context. The emergence of a theorised, contextualised and well articulated set of explanations about poverty and place from the tenant perspective will also improve public understanding and reduce the social division and stigma currently associated with public housing.Read moreRead less
Enhancing social research in Australia using dual-frame telephone surveys. The growing surge in mobile phones and mobile-phone only households has had a significant impact on the representativeness of social surveys and accuracy of social outcome measures. This project will develop methods for generating sampling lists of both types of telephone numbers to improve population coverage and accuracy of outcome measures.