Driving Innovation: Mixing, Matching and Transforming Knowledge-Intensive Services into Innovation. The principal aim of the project is to elucidate the ways in which firms mix and match internally and externally provided knowledge intensive services to build the capability and competences needed for sustained innovation. By investigating an area of innovation largely overlooked by international and Australian analysts, the project aims to provide policy makers with substantial analytical and em ....Driving Innovation: Mixing, Matching and Transforming Knowledge-Intensive Services into Innovation. The principal aim of the project is to elucidate the ways in which firms mix and match internally and externally provided knowledge intensive services to build the capability and competences needed for sustained innovation. By investigating an area of innovation largely overlooked by international and Australian analysts, the project aims to provide policy makers with substantial analytical and empirical insights as the basis for more effective industrial development strategy. The project is rooted and develops from parallel work by 12 OECD countries to provide unequalled access for Australian policymakers to comparative data from many of Australia's partner nations.Read moreRead less
Contemporary contestations over working time: should health weigh in? In the last 30 years, the demand for economic competitiveness has driven the growth in flexible employment conditions, with little consideration of the impacts on the nation’s health. Using mixed methods, the research tests a new theory that when governments deregulate labour markets they destabilise cultural practices, with potential health and well-being consequences. It also determines whether and how the health implication ....Contemporary contestations over working time: should health weigh in? In the last 30 years, the demand for economic competitiveness has driven the growth in flexible employment conditions, with little consideration of the impacts on the nation’s health. Using mixed methods, the research tests a new theory that when governments deregulate labour markets they destabilise cultural practices, with potential health and well-being consequences. It also determines whether and how the health implications of flexible work practices are considered in recent reviews of the Fair Work Act and the Modern Award Review Process. The research fills a policy vacuum in relation to the health impacts of the temporalities of working life, and will contribute to understanding time as both a cultural and economic resource. Read moreRead less
WorkChoices and the Evolution of Australian Working Life: The Changing Role of the Labour Contract. Both internationally and nationally, there is much speculation as to how the transformation of the industrial relations framework will impact on workers and the broader community. Knowledge of the impact of WorkChoices is vital for employers, unions and governments to understand the influence the industrial relations framework has on Australia's social and economic fabric. The survey will address ....WorkChoices and the Evolution of Australian Working Life: The Changing Role of the Labour Contract. Both internationally and nationally, there is much speculation as to how the transformation of the industrial relations framework will impact on workers and the broader community. Knowledge of the impact of WorkChoices is vital for employers, unions and governments to understand the influence the industrial relations framework has on Australia's social and economic fabric. The survey will address some of the social issues that are debated widely in Australia such as the impact of the industrial relations changes on wages and wage inequality, work and family balance, skills development and shortages, workers in regional areas, and workers in low skilled and low paid jobs.Read moreRead less
Facilitating workplace change: Redefining the role of industrial tribunals in Australia. Amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 passed in 2013 have the potential to re-define the role of Australia’s national workplace relations tribunal, the Fair Work Commission, by requiring it to promote cooperative and productive workplace relations. This project aims to identify an innovative model of tribunal intervention that meets these new imperatives through case studies from the Hunter region of NSW, whe ....Facilitating workplace change: Redefining the role of industrial tribunals in Australia. Amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 passed in 2013 have the potential to re-define the role of Australia’s national workplace relations tribunal, the Fair Work Commission, by requiring it to promote cooperative and productive workplace relations. This project aims to identify an innovative model of tribunal intervention that meets these new imperatives through case studies from the Hunter region of NSW, where tribunal members have for two decades been working proactively with managers, employees and their representatives in major construction projects and large public sector organisations to achieve cooperative and effective workplace change. Read moreRead less
Maximising diffusion of innovative products on public infrastructure projects: A qualitative management study of open innovation systems. Australia's infrastructure in water, energy, health, education, transport and communication is the platform for our future prosperity and growth. In response to an identified deficit, Australian governments are embarking on major investment programs. Our ability to deliver these programs efficiently and effectively relies heavily on the promotion of innovation ....Maximising diffusion of innovative products on public infrastructure projects: A qualitative management study of open innovation systems. Australia's infrastructure in water, energy, health, education, transport and communication is the platform for our future prosperity and growth. In response to an identified deficit, Australian governments are embarking on major investment programs. Our ability to deliver these programs efficiently and effectively relies heavily on the promotion of innovation in the delivery phase. This study contributes to this major challenge by identifying how diffusion of innovative products can be maximised on infrastructure projects, focusing on knowledge flows within open innovation systems. The study will provide tools to optimise delivery of a world-class and integrated infrastructure network to meet Australia's future social and economic needs.Read moreRead less
Leveraging research and development (R and D) for the Australian built environment. This project will evaluate impacts, diffusion mechanisms and uptake of research and development (R and D) in the Australian building and construction industry. Building on a retrospective analysis and industry consultation, a future-focussed industry roadmap will be developed to establish R and D policies to inform and improve R and D investment effectiveness.
Place Management Programs as a Basis of Renewal for Regional Communities. Many regional communities are suffering from economic and social deprivation as well as population and infrastructure decline. Place management systems attempt to develop a management process to facilitate local communities to develop and implement their own renewal strategies. This project critically reviews place management strategies and compares and contrasts different place management approaches. The project selects o ....Place Management Programs as a Basis of Renewal for Regional Communities. Many regional communities are suffering from economic and social deprivation as well as population and infrastructure decline. Place management systems attempt to develop a management process to facilitate local communities to develop and implement their own renewal strategies. This project critically reviews place management strategies and compares and contrasts different place management approaches. The project selects one rural community case study to assess the capabilities and limitations of regional communities to develop and sustain a place management entrepreneurship program. The project will extend the understanding of place management systems as a means of addressing local community renewal and development.Read moreRead less
Creating sustainable employment for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups . This project aims to address long-term unemployment and labour market exclusion of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups by generating new employer-led solutions. The project expects to create, with employers, successful strategies for recruiting disadvantaged workers into better quality jobs, and to co-produce best practice employer engagement toolkits and minimum job quality standards. Anticipated outcomes include increasi ....Creating sustainable employment for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups . This project aims to address long-term unemployment and labour market exclusion of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups by generating new employer-led solutions. The project expects to create, with employers, successful strategies for recruiting disadvantaged workers into better quality jobs, and to co-produce best practice employer engagement toolkits and minimum job quality standards. Anticipated outcomes include increasing the success of government-funded employment programs by improving employment opportunities and reducing cycling between work and welfare. Significant benefits for disadvantaged groups, businesses and society will result in increased employee wellbeing, organisational performance and economic competitiveness.Read moreRead less
Scaling global labour: the Global Union Federations in Indonesia and India. This project will generate a systematic comparison and analysis of the activities of the Global Union Federations in construction, manufacturing and plantation agriculture, in India and Indonesia. Its findings will enhance our knowledge of industrial relations in both countries, and of labour internationalism.
How can Small Economies Create Globally Competitive Firms in New High-Tech Industries? In today's competitive world, governments have to develop better policies to stimulate economic growth. This research will provide Australian policy makers systematic empirical evidence to develop a dedicated policy aimed at stimulating the internationalization of new ventures in biotechnology, which constitutes a frontier high-tech area. Our study and the policy recommendations that will emerge from it can ha ....How can Small Economies Create Globally Competitive Firms in New High-Tech Industries? In today's competitive world, governments have to develop better policies to stimulate economic growth. This research will provide Australian policy makers systematic empirical evidence to develop a dedicated policy aimed at stimulating the internationalization of new ventures in biotechnology, which constitutes a frontier high-tech area. Our study and the policy recommendations that will emerge from it can have a big economic impact because the health sector in biotechnology is a growing hi-tech area and has much potential to create value for the society. Read moreRead less