The Aging Population, Superannuation and Corporate Dividend Policy. The project intends to examine how population wealth and age affect one important aspect of corporate decision-making, namely dividend policy. Researchers invest considerable effort in understanding how demographics impact upon the need for, and structure of, government systems including social security and taxation, but relatively little is known about its effect on capital markets or corporate decision-making. Although individ ....The Aging Population, Superannuation and Corporate Dividend Policy. The project intends to examine how population wealth and age affect one important aspect of corporate decision-making, namely dividend policy. Researchers invest considerable effort in understanding how demographics impact upon the need for, and structure of, government systems including social security and taxation, but relatively little is known about its effect on capital markets or corporate decision-making. Although individual investors are, by nature, atomistic, the project argues changes in investor preferences will ultimately prompt companies to alter their dividend policies. Pressure on firms to update these policies will come from superannuation and pension fund managers who, as fiduciaries, will invest money consistent with clients' revised preferences. The project aims to more fully characterise how Australia's ageing population will affect the public and private sectors.Read moreRead less
Understanding the Factors which Underlie Successful Refugee Integration in the Australian Workplace. There is general agreement that more needs to be done to integrate refugees into the Australian workplace. This project aims to: identify psychological predictors that enable refugee workers to succeed in maintaining their employment and perform at a higher level; examine the importance of workplace and social support to refugee workplace integration, and the groups for which it may have the grea ....Understanding the Factors which Underlie Successful Refugee Integration in the Australian Workplace. There is general agreement that more needs to be done to integrate refugees into the Australian workplace. This project aims to: identify psychological predictors that enable refugee workers to succeed in maintaining their employment and perform at a higher level; examine the importance of workplace and social support to refugee workplace integration, and the groups for which it may have the greatest benefit; and, investigate the effectiveness of a training program as an intervention to enhance refugee job performance and retention. Results will have significant benefits for refugees, their employers and their communities, and will provide a road-map to improve integration of refugees into Australian society.Read moreRead less
Improving external validity of stated choice experiments. This project aims to deliver more accurate estimates of choice behaviour by reducing biases due to choice task complexity in surveys as well as design artefacts. Extracting 'true' preferences is challenging, not only due to possible hypothetical bias, but also due to increasingly complex choice tasks and the existence of design artefacts. This project will investigate the latter two in the context of marketing, transport, health, and envi ....Improving external validity of stated choice experiments. This project aims to deliver more accurate estimates of choice behaviour by reducing biases due to choice task complexity in surveys as well as design artefacts. Extracting 'true' preferences is challenging, not only due to possible hypothetical bias, but also due to increasingly complex choice tasks and the existence of design artefacts. This project will investigate the latter two in the context of marketing, transport, health, and environmental economics, and proposes new methodologies to extract preferences that more closely reflect true behaviour in real markets.Read moreRead less
To step-in or to stand-by: Third party responses to abusive supervision. Abusive supervision is costly in Australian organisations. Little is known about the experiences of third parties who are not direct targets of abuse. Indeed, a large percentage of supervisor abuse that is witnessed goes unreported. Using a multi-method approach, this project develops and tests a model that explains third party responses to supervisor abuse. In addition to advancing theory, an evidence-based intervention (i ....To step-in or to stand-by: Third party responses to abusive supervision. Abusive supervision is costly in Australian organisations. Little is known about the experiences of third parties who are not direct targets of abuse. Indeed, a large percentage of supervisor abuse that is witnessed goes unreported. Using a multi-method approach, this project develops and tests a model that explains third party responses to supervisor abuse. In addition to advancing theory, an evidence-based intervention (including an action tool kit) is developed to empower third parties to combat supervisor abuse by engaging in constructive action. Overall, research outcomes will aim to provide actionable insights into what organisations can do to encourage their employees to take a proactive stance against abusive supervision.Read moreRead less
Strengthening Australia’s science workforce. This project aims to study why science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) employees stay or leave jobs. There is a strong economic imperative to retain STEM employees. The Australian Government invests heavily in building the supply of STEM graduates, but STEM workers often leave STEM occupations. This project will use a job embeddedness perspective to clarify why these employees stay or leave. Expected project outputs include an evidence-based ....Strengthening Australia’s science workforce. This project aims to study why science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) employees stay or leave jobs. There is a strong economic imperative to retain STEM employees. The Australian Government invests heavily in building the supply of STEM graduates, but STEM workers often leave STEM occupations. This project will use a job embeddedness perspective to clarify why these employees stay or leave. Expected project outputs include an evidence-based toolkit, online masterclass and an online community of practice to contribute to strengthening Australia’s science and innovation capacity.Read moreRead less
Fairness and equity for victims of crime: what do victims want, and why don't they get it? The goal of the research is to assist justice and crime victims services agencies to understand their role in relation to crime victims and to develop more effective and responsive ways to meet this important social and justice challenge. The research will contribute to a better understanding how traditional legal and justice processes can be made consistent with victims' needs for procedural fairness and ....Fairness and equity for victims of crime: what do victims want, and why don't they get it? The goal of the research is to assist justice and crime victims services agencies to understand their role in relation to crime victims and to develop more effective and responsive ways to meet this important social and justice challenge. The research will contribute to a better understanding how traditional legal and justice processes can be made consistent with victims' needs for procedural fairness and equity of outcomes. The project will establish a strong theoretical and policy framework for a principled, fair and responsive justice system that is informed by the diverse interests of its constituents and consumers. This research has the support of Victims Support Australasia and in-principle agreement from four member services.Read moreRead less
Social and environmental selection on female ornaments and armaments. Darwin's theory of sexual selection is remarkably successful in explaining how elaborate signals evolved in male animals, but it is unclear whether similar processes drive the evolution of female signals. This project aims to conduct empirical and comparative tests of hypotheses for female trait elaboration, capitalising on inter- and intra-specific variation in female signal form, social organisation and signalling environmen ....Social and environmental selection on female ornaments and armaments. Darwin's theory of sexual selection is remarkably successful in explaining how elaborate signals evolved in male animals, but it is unclear whether similar processes drive the evolution of female signals. This project aims to conduct empirical and comparative tests of hypotheses for female trait elaboration, capitalising on inter- and intra-specific variation in female signal form, social organisation and signalling environments. The project could generate new insight into the processes that promote and constrain phenotypic diversity in nature.Read moreRead less
A disease of the brain: how do neurobiological explanations of addiction influence the attitudes and behaviour of smokers? This project explores the impact of promoting addiction as a "brain disease" on smokers' confidence in their ability to quit smoking, and the methods they use to quit. This is essential to inform public health policies designed to reduce the burden of tobacco related harms.
Testing the projected benefits of living in a 20-minute neighbourhood. This project aims to assess the projected lifestyle benefits associated with living in a ‘20-minute’ neighbourhood, one where important destinations are easily accessible. Urban renewal and liveability policies advocate for 20-minute neighbourhoods under the assumption these encourage more localised and healthier lifestyles. However, this has not been formally tested. This project will compare the location, diet and physical ....Testing the projected benefits of living in a 20-minute neighbourhood. This project aims to assess the projected lifestyle benefits associated with living in a ‘20-minute’ neighbourhood, one where important destinations are easily accessible. Urban renewal and liveability policies advocate for 20-minute neighbourhoods under the assumption these encourage more localised and healthier lifestyles. However, this has not been formally tested. This project will compare the location, diet and physical activity of residents of 20-minute neighbourhoods with those of residents living outside 20-minute neighbourhoods. This project expects its findings will help meet the demands of population growth and inform urban planning, public health and transport.Read moreRead less