Employee voice in Australia: the impact of employee participation arrangements on organisational performance and employee well-being. Given the extent of union decline in Australia, there is a need to update policy to reflect the new reality of low unionisation. This project will examine what alternative arrangements exist and their economic and social consequences. It focuses on the employee impacts and employer impacts of these arrangements and will inform current policy debates.
Managing key professional transitions in the health sector. This project will examine how health professionals make effective transitions into their roles, and balance the tensions between maximising patient outcomes and managing efficiencies and budgets. Quality healthcare is an important issue for all Australians and the project contributes to improving outcomes for healthcare employees and their patients.
Infrastructure project delivery: a life cycle evaluation model for public private partnerships. Governments continue to embrace public-private partnerships so as to obtain value for money and provide financial accountability to taxpayers. This project will determine the most appropriate way to engage the private sector in infrastructure delivery and develop a dynamic life cycle evaluation model to ensure projects are delivered effectively and efficiently.
Securing the next generation in farming and food careers. This project aims to investigate why and how young people (aged 15-35 years) enter, stay or leave jobs and careers in the agri-food sector, including farming, farm services and food processing. This project expects to generate new knowledge to improve youth career trajectories through using an innovative, interdisciplinary and engaged research design with young people. Expected outcomes include the co-design of youth-appropriate industry ....Securing the next generation in farming and food careers. This project aims to investigate why and how young people (aged 15-35 years) enter, stay or leave jobs and careers in the agri-food sector, including farming, farm services and food processing. This project expects to generate new knowledge to improve youth career trajectories through using an innovative, interdisciplinary and engaged research design with young people. Expected outcomes include the co-design of youth-appropriate industry and education policy proposals, new models of youth engagement in agri-food and better career outcomes for young people. This should provide significant benefits to the sustainability and growth of the agri-food sector and to rural and regional communities and their economic prosperity. Read moreRead less
Equity and diversity in the Australian architecture profession: women, work, and leadership. This project will develop strategies to maximize women's participation in architecture, improving human resource practices within architectural firms and developing a diversity policy for the national professional association. Together these outcomes will increase women's representation within architecture, and help all architects achieve a greater work life balance with its concomitant effects of improv ....Equity and diversity in the Australian architecture profession: women, work, and leadership. This project will develop strategies to maximize women's participation in architecture, improving human resource practices within architectural firms and developing a diversity policy for the national professional association. Together these outcomes will increase women's representation within architecture, and help all architects achieve a greater work life balance with its concomitant effects of improving individual health, wellbeing and national productivity. Increasing the visibility and recognition of female architects will directly support innovative practice in architecture, which will advantage all attempts to create socially and ecologically sustainable built environments in Australia.Read moreRead less
An evaluation of the effects of individual and environmental factors on participation in training, and the quality of training outcomes. The aim of the project is to examine the factors that influence the effectiveness of personnel training programs. The outcomes that will be examined include trainee satisfaction, learning, and subsequent job performance (transfer). The project will involve an annual survey of all trainees, trainers, supervisors and workplace assessors associated with the traini ....An evaluation of the effects of individual and environmental factors on participation in training, and the quality of training outcomes. The aim of the project is to examine the factors that influence the effectiveness of personnel training programs. The outcomes that will be examined include trainee satisfaction, learning, and subsequent job performance (transfer). The project will involve an annual survey of all trainees, trainers, supervisors and workplace assessors associated with the training programs being delivered as part of the Queensland Public Service Enterprise Bargain. The research program will contribute to a growing body of research examining the contribution of individual differences and environmental factors to training quality. The major practical benefit of the research will be the development of training management and audit systems that allow organizations to maximise the effectiveness of training.Read moreRead less
Team processes, identification, and reliable performance: Implementing the Balanced Scorecard in health service teams. The aims of this research are to examine factors that enhance the reliability of performance of health service teams. These teams are required to deliver outcomes with a high degree of consistency and reliability. We draw on social identity theory and research on high reliability organisations (HROs) to identify the factors that contribute to improved reliability in teams. Secon ....Team processes, identification, and reliable performance: Implementing the Balanced Scorecard in health service teams. The aims of this research are to examine factors that enhance the reliability of performance of health service teams. These teams are required to deliver outcomes with a high degree of consistency and reliability. We draw on social identity theory and research on high reliability organisations (HROs) to identify the factors that contribute to improved reliability in teams. Second, we explore whether organisational strategy processes such as the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) infiltrate work processes and influence team outcomes. Our aim is to examine whether the implementation of the BSC interacts with team dynamics to enhance the reliability of performance in teams.Read moreRead less
Impact of Mosquito Control Strategies: Cost Benefit Analysis. Arbovirus diseases are increasing in Queensland (and in Australia). In Queensland, Local Government is responsible for mosquito control. Even though mosquito control programs have existed in Queensland for several decades, no one has assessed their impact on the incidence of disease or on mosquitoes nor have the benefits and costs of control been measured. We propose to investigate this via a PhD scholarship which will survey local go ....Impact of Mosquito Control Strategies: Cost Benefit Analysis. Arbovirus diseases are increasing in Queensland (and in Australia). In Queensland, Local Government is responsible for mosquito control. Even though mosquito control programs have existed in Queensland for several decades, no one has assessed their impact on the incidence of disease or on mosquitoes nor have the benefits and costs of control been measured. We propose to investigate this via a PhD scholarship which will survey local government in Queensland, assess the costs and benefits of mosquito control and analyse differences in their distribution in time and space, with a view to explaining the differences and ultimately informing management.Read moreRead less
InformationTechnology (IT) Audit Methodologies in the Australian Public Sector: Addressing Mandatory Requirements of International Standards. The primary benefit occurs in relation to National Research Priority 3: Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries, notably Priority Goal 'Smart Information Use', as it will enable more sophisticated and accurate assessments of current IT audit methodologies. In turn, these improvements will enable more effective IT audits by ....InformationTechnology (IT) Audit Methodologies in the Australian Public Sector: Addressing Mandatory Requirements of International Standards. The primary benefit occurs in relation to National Research Priority 3: Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries, notably Priority Goal 'Smart Information Use', as it will enable more sophisticated and accurate assessments of current IT audit methodologies. In turn, these improvements will enable more effective IT audits by government audit offices in Australia, bringing reduced risk and increased efficiency to organisations subject to audit, as well as increasing conformance with the new accounting and auditing standards. Furthermore, all Australian citizens, (the indirect clients of public sector audit services), will benefit from well-managed program-delivery systems.Read moreRead less
Superbugs and veterinary drugs: are multidrug-resistant zoonotic pathogens residing in Australian animals? Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem affecting human health that is now emerging in animals and veterinary hospitals. This project will integrate surveillance with novel treatments and preventatives to develop effective strategies to limit the impact of resistant bacteria to animal health and prevent transfer between humans and animals.