The Impact of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems on Australian Organizations. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation is one of the most pervasive sources of technological change in contemporary Australian enterprises. ERP systems are computer-based technologies that are designed to increase efficiency and achieve major cost savings across the entire organization. Their implementation has significant implications for the structure, nature and management of organizations. This project ....The Impact of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems on Australian Organizations. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation is one of the most pervasive sources of technological change in contemporary Australian enterprises. ERP systems are computer-based technologies that are designed to increase efficiency and achieve major cost savings across the entire organization. Their implementation has significant implications for the structure, nature and management of organizations. This project's innovative application of an organizational change model to eight detailed case studies across a range of organizational types will generate important new insights into the effects of ERP implementations at Australian organizations and help explain why some implementations are more successful than others.Read moreRead less
Managing age in organisational context: a comparative study of the meaning of age among managers. Australians are currently being encouraged to work longer to maximise their contribution to the economy but they often report there are organisational barriers to doing so. This study offers a new approach to understanding age focusing on managers and offers a framework of effective strategies for employers in managing age.
Risk and Change In Institutional Fields: The Case Of Industrial Chemicals. This project aims to explore how to manage risk through sustainable organisational strategies and institutional transformations. Chemical risks arise as by-products of economic and technological progress and can cause untold harm to human health and the environment. Using a discursive approach to compare how organisations in Australia and Canada manage chemical risks, this project aims to show how organisations can act as ....Risk and Change In Institutional Fields: The Case Of Industrial Chemicals. This project aims to explore how to manage risk through sustainable organisational strategies and institutional transformations. Chemical risks arise as by-products of economic and technological progress and can cause untold harm to human health and the environment. Using a discursive approach to compare how organisations in Australia and Canada manage chemical risks, this project aims to show how organisations can act as institutional entrepreneurs and introduce sustainable field-level solutions to risk, instead of relying on government regulation to deal with dangerous chemicals. The intended outcomes include the development of a model that identifies the challenges associated with three different risk scenarios – managing established risks, managing emerging risks and eliminating risks – as well as identifying and evaluating strategies to address these challenges.Read moreRead less
An organizational perspective on risk assessment: comparing chemicals management in Australia and Canada. The project compares the managerial and organisational implications of chemical risk assessment in Australia and Canada. It will identify how governments can effectively manage the relationships among different stakeholder organisations involved in risk assessment; and explore how different cultural contexts influence risk assessment.
Advancing the theoretical bases of supply chain management through the lens of relational exchange theory. This project will explain and predict the behaviour of supply chain members better than current theories do. An integrated theory of supply chain management will be developed and tested empirically. This theory will enable better understanding of how supply chains function and guide actions of managers so that the expected benefits are realised.
An empirical analysis of structural cost management decision making. This study analyses the rationale adopted by firms in implementing cost management choices with significant social and economic consequences. Layoffs, across-the-board cost cuts and off-shoring are significant influences on workforce participation levels in the Australian economy. This study explores the factors associated with firms and managers that lead to systematic preferences for certain types of cost management respons ....An empirical analysis of structural cost management decision making. This study analyses the rationale adopted by firms in implementing cost management choices with significant social and economic consequences. Layoffs, across-the-board cost cuts and off-shoring are significant influences on workforce participation levels in the Australian economy. This study explores the factors associated with firms and managers that lead to systematic preferences for certain types of cost management responses. In analysing these decisions in a range of organizational settings, and seeking to establish best practice benchmarks in innovative cost management practice, this study directly supports the government's workforce participation agenda. Read moreRead less
Managing Transformational Change: A Discursive Approach. This research program will help to improve business competitiveness, which is predicated on the ability to manage transformational change, and add to the Australian repertoire of effective change practices. It will provide insights into social innovation which depends upon effective inter-organizational collaboration by organizations from different sectors to bring about social change. It will help managers in diverse organizations deal wi ....Managing Transformational Change: A Discursive Approach. This research program will help to improve business competitiveness, which is predicated on the ability to manage transformational change, and add to the Australian repertoire of effective change practices. It will provide insights into social innovation which depends upon effective inter-organizational collaboration by organizations from different sectors to bring about social change. It will help managers in diverse organizations deal with issues of sustainability and human health which depend upon managerial capacity in addition to scientific endeavours. It will help locate Australia as a centre of expertise in the use of discourse analysis in organization and management theory. Read moreRead less
Employee wellbeing and productivity: the role of territoriality, conflict and emotions. Australia is investing billions in redesigning modern office spaces, but the effect of office layout on employees is still not well understood. Using innovative real-time data collection techniques, an international team will study the effect of office layout and develop a training package to improve office-worker productivity and wellbeing.
Boards of directors and the governance of emergence risk. Australian firms systematically under-invest in innovation and other future-oriented activities. An underlying premise of this research is that, in part, this is because they do not systematically include emergence risk in their governance activities. If we find that this is the case, one impact of this research will be to contribute to a rethinking of the roles and practices of boards of directors. A consequence of this will be that A ....Boards of directors and the governance of emergence risk. Australian firms systematically under-invest in innovation and other future-oriented activities. An underlying premise of this research is that, in part, this is because they do not systematically include emergence risk in their governance activities. If we find that this is the case, one impact of this research will be to contribute to a rethinking of the roles and practices of boards of directors. A consequence of this will be that Australian corporations will become more competent in the management of innovation and other future-oriented activities. Read moreRead less
The psychological contract: Bridging human resource management practices and organisational effectiveness. Many managers believe that recent changes in management practice are responsible for Australia's high labour productivity but very little is known about the mechanisms through which such effects are transmitted. Will HRM enable Australian organisations to generate and maintain a competitive advantage in the global context? In this project we draw on theoretical frameworks established in ....The psychological contract: Bridging human resource management practices and organisational effectiveness. Many managers believe that recent changes in management practice are responsible for Australia's high labour productivity but very little is known about the mechanisms through which such effects are transmitted. Will HRM enable Australian organisations to generate and maintain a competitive advantage in the global context? In this project we draw on theoretical frameworks established in the behavioural sciences to understand how HRM practices influence employee reactions and impact organisational effectiveness, such as labour productivity. The results will be of direct benefit to Australian organisations designing, evaluating, or reconfiguring their HRM practices in line with their competitive strategy.Read moreRead less