Stochastic Scheduling for Production and Delivery of Perishable Products with Imperfect Information. Australia has a wide range of industries producing perishable goods such as wheat, fruit, vegetables, meat, milk, seafood and health products, as well as fashion and entertainment goods. These industries play a critical role in the Australian economy, as well as impacting on national health and the environment. This project will provide new strategies, models and techniques to increase efficiency ....Stochastic Scheduling for Production and Delivery of Perishable Products with Imperfect Information. Australia has a wide range of industries producing perishable goods such as wheat, fruit, vegetables, meat, milk, seafood and health products, as well as fashion and entertainment goods. These industries play a critical role in the Australian economy, as well as impacting on national health and the environment. This project will provide new strategies, models and techniques to increase efficiency in both the production and delivery of perishable products. The outcomes of the project will enable decision makers in industries handling perishable products to optimise the use of resources, reduce costs and waste, raise productivity and improve services. The nation will benefit with higher export income and better quality of consumer products.Read moreRead less
HYBRID METHODS FOR SOLVING LARGE-SCALE OPTIMISATION PROBLEMS. Mathematical modelling and optimisation plays a crucial role in the advancement of modern business, science and technology. A significant benefit of this project is the development of a range of powerful computational tools for improving the productivity of Australian industry, including: agriculture; communications; defence; manufacturing; mining and petroleum; transport and logistics. These tools will be built upon advances in the f ....HYBRID METHODS FOR SOLVING LARGE-SCALE OPTIMISATION PROBLEMS. Mathematical modelling and optimisation plays a crucial role in the advancement of modern business, science and technology. A significant benefit of this project is the development of a range of powerful computational tools for improving the productivity of Australian industry, including: agriculture; communications; defence; manufacturing; mining and petroleum; transport and logistics. These tools will be built upon advances in the fundamental theory developed by the research team. The resulting high quality publications and associated algorithms will greatly enhance Australia's international scientific reputation and provide Australian industry with new cutting-edge optimisation technology.Read moreRead less
Robust methods for hard optimization problems. Highly advanced industrial and information-based societies depend on complex systems that underpin their infrastructure and technologies. Mathematical modelling and optimization techniques are most frequently deployed for the development and refinement of these systems. This project focuses on an important class of difficult optimization problems that arise in many applications. A significant benefit of this project is the development of a number of ....Robust methods for hard optimization problems. Highly advanced industrial and information-based societies depend on complex systems that underpin their infrastructure and technologies. Mathematical modelling and optimization techniques are most frequently deployed for the development and refinement of these systems. This project focuses on an important class of difficult optimization problems that arise in many applications. A significant benefit of this project is the development of a number of robust methods for these hard optimization problems. These methods will be built upon advances in the fundamental theory developed by the research team. The resulting high quality publications and associated algorithms will greatly enhance Australia's international scientific reputation.Read moreRead less
A Protocol for Customer Relationship Management Implementation and Evaluation. In 2001, companies worldwide invested US$20 billion (US$125 billion by 2004) in Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Despite the magnitude of this investment, the general consensus among practitioners is that most CRM systems have failed to live up to expectations. This is somewhat alarming, given that the theoretical underpinnings of relationship management are both well developed and intuitively sound. This pr ....A Protocol for Customer Relationship Management Implementation and Evaluation. In 2001, companies worldwide invested US$20 billion (US$125 billion by 2004) in Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Despite the magnitude of this investment, the general consensus among practitioners is that most CRM systems have failed to live up to expectations. This is somewhat alarming, given that the theoretical underpinnings of relationship management are both well developed and intuitively sound. This project investigates the contradiction between relationship theory and CRM practice. It will identify and synthesise critical factors in the success or failure of attempts to implement CRM as a preliminary stage to developing a protocol for successful CRM implementation and evaluation.Read moreRead less
Building Better Brands: A Study of Australian Organizations and Consumers. The study is the first to be undertaken in the world to develop a knowledge management system of brand development and management. It focuses on understanding how branding strategies increase the competitiveness of Australian industry. The study also explores linkages of branding strategy to consumer perceptions of brand value. The model is firmly placed in a global market context, contrasting domestic, exported and im ....Building Better Brands: A Study of Australian Organizations and Consumers. The study is the first to be undertaken in the world to develop a knowledge management system of brand development and management. It focuses on understanding how branding strategies increase the competitiveness of Australian industry. The study also explores linkages of branding strategy to consumer perceptions of brand value. The model is firmly placed in a global market context, contrasting domestic, exported and imported brands. The focus is strongly orientated toward improving Australia's competitiveness and global performance. This study is vital as the economic superiority of strong nations is evident in the value and strength of their industries' brands.Read moreRead less
An investigation into consumer perspectives on emotional, attitudinal and behavioural loyalty. Attracting and retaining loyal customers is central to the economic viability of organisations. Yet, scholars have not resolved how to define brand loyalty, what contributes to brand loyalty for different services, products and industries over time nor the appropriate application of brand loyalty measures in different contexts. Current conceptualisations overlook the role of emotion and its relations ....An investigation into consumer perspectives on emotional, attitudinal and behavioural loyalty. Attracting and retaining loyal customers is central to the economic viability of organisations. Yet, scholars have not resolved how to define brand loyalty, what contributes to brand loyalty for different services, products and industries over time nor the appropriate application of brand loyalty measures in different contexts. Current conceptualisations overlook the role of emotion and its relationship with the other dimensions of brand loyalty. The proposed project will be the first application of a prototype approach and one of the few studies to use quantitative longitudinal research techniques to further understanding of what brand loyalty is and how it develops.Read moreRead less
The Impact of Customer-Focused Business Strategies on Organisational Performance in a Professional Service Context. The study poses important new questions about the impact well-established customer marketing approaches, such as value, have, within a professional service environment. It is unclear whether organisations focus on such concepts when developing strategy and, if so, how they use them when formulating strategy and this will be investigated. A second question, which is of academic and ....The Impact of Customer-Focused Business Strategies on Organisational Performance in a Professional Service Context. The study poses important new questions about the impact well-established customer marketing approaches, such as value, have, within a professional service environment. It is unclear whether organisations focus on such concepts when developing strategy and, if so, how they use them when formulating strategy and this will be investigated. A second question, which is of academic and practical importance, is the impact such strategies have on organisational performance, and this will also be examined. Understanding the link between strategy and organisational performance is vital as managers have difficulty assessing the relevance of their marketing activities.Read moreRead less
The impact of self-management training on staff satisfaction, absenteeism and an organisation's service culture. Self-management training has been widely suggested as a way to improve organisational performance. Using a classic training intervention approach, the present project will experimentally examine whether such training improves attendance and well-being at work and whether it creates a more positive approach to customers. Further, the study will examine whether changes are maintained ....The impact of self-management training on staff satisfaction, absenteeism and an organisation's service culture. Self-management training has been widely suggested as a way to improve organisational performance. Using a classic training intervention approach, the present project will experimentally examine whether such training improves attendance and well-being at work and whether it creates a more positive approach to customers. Further, the study will examine whether changes are maintained over time. The study will also test whether self-management training improves employees' perceptions of their organisation's service culture and increases their willingness to provide appropriate customer service. The practical implications of such training interventions for Human Resource Management practices in service organisations will also be evaluated.Read moreRead less
Examination of consumers' and food industry's use and views of plant-based food products. Plant food products such as cereal grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes can provide physiological benefits for consumers, value-adding opportunities for industry, and, ecological sustainability. This project will examine the factors driving consumer interest in this area and gauge the extent of industry and mass media influences over consumer demand.
Major outcomes of the project include greater under ....Examination of consumers' and food industry's use and views of plant-based food products. Plant food products such as cereal grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes can provide physiological benefits for consumers, value-adding opportunities for industry, and, ecological sustainability. This project will examine the factors driving consumer interest in this area and gauge the extent of industry and mass media influences over consumer demand.
Major outcomes of the project include greater understanding of consumer use of these foods, segmentation of the consumer market, novel segmentation instruments, a stronger basis for communication between industry and consumers regarding plant foods, and identification of opportunities and barriers to the production and marketing of novel plant food products.Read moreRead less