How to do more and be more with less? Exploring Paucity Management strategies for resource poor community organisations in NSW. The research will examine the managerial strengths community organisations have developed and specialised to survive and strive under conditions of financial hardship. The aim is to develop a set of management strategies whereby organisations can do better with fewer resources. The concept of 'Paucity Management' will be tested to examine how community organisations can ....How to do more and be more with less? Exploring Paucity Management strategies for resource poor community organisations in NSW. The research will examine the managerial strengths community organisations have developed and specialised to survive and strive under conditions of financial hardship. The aim is to develop a set of management strategies whereby organisations can do better with fewer resources. The concept of 'Paucity Management' will be tested to examine how community organisations can operate with greater efficiency and ethically under such conditions.Read moreRead less
Ethnographies of housing: exploring the role of housing officers in public housing service provision. This research examines the everyday practice of public housing officers working in the Victorian Office of Housing. It aims to analyse the ways that workers exercise discretion, and the patterns of meanings that they construct, through their interactions with clients, departmental managers and other human service providers. It is the first ethnographic study of front-line work in housing servi ....Ethnographies of housing: exploring the role of housing officers in public housing service provision. This research examines the everyday practice of public housing officers working in the Victorian Office of Housing. It aims to analyse the ways that workers exercise discretion, and the patterns of meanings that they construct, through their interactions with clients, departmental managers and other human service providers. It is the first ethnographic study of front-line work in housing services in Australia and builds on comparable work done in the United Kingdom and America. The knowledge generated will inform innovation in public housing services, housing policy debates and emerging programs designed to integrate housing with other human services.Read moreRead less
Working late and the spectre of uselessness: Sustaining labour supply in a globalising economy. A buoyant economy and strong employment growth resulting in unfilled vacancies is frustrating business. Population ageing may exacerbate this, reducing labour supply and consequently industrial output. To assist, the Government is recommending increased employment among older workers. As yet, the evidence base for informing actions is inadequate but points to complex scenarios where older workers may ....Working late and the spectre of uselessness: Sustaining labour supply in a globalising economy. A buoyant economy and strong employment growth resulting in unfilled vacancies is frustrating business. Population ageing may exacerbate this, reducing labour supply and consequently industrial output. To assist, the Government is recommending increased employment among older workers. As yet, the evidence base for informing actions is inadequate but points to complex scenarios where older workers may not necessarily fair well. Better understanding the determinants of their employment and of employer actions would help clarify the role of public policy. Also, understanding how other nations are responding is of strategic importance as this will directly influence the Australian labour market.Read moreRead less
Sailing into the Future: Training Australia's digital generation for the future demands of the new economy. The Young Endeavour tall ship in association with the Department of Navy provides a team-building and skill development training scheme for all Australian youth. The purpose of the training is to provide young people with life-long skills; to provide a positive experience that will resonate through the adult life of those who sail on the ship, and to prepare these individuals for a future ....Sailing into the Future: Training Australia's digital generation for the future demands of the new economy. The Young Endeavour tall ship in association with the Department of Navy provides a team-building and skill development training scheme for all Australian youth. The purpose of the training is to provide young people with life-long skills; to provide a positive experience that will resonate through the adult life of those who sail on the ship, and to prepare these individuals for a future that is always and already undergoing changes both enconomic and social. The purpose of this research project is to ensure that the aims of the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme are met, and to create a long-term planning strategy that will improve and expand the work of the training scheme in anticipation of the next 10 years.
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Transition to retirement by adults with chronic disabilities: increasing community capacity. This project will contribute to healthy, productive ageing by people with chronic disabilities. This group are living longer and will retire from their disability-specific supported employment and day program services. They then risk social exclusion, loneliness and associated poor health outcomes. This project will provide training and support to local community groups and voluntary work settings, to in ....Transition to retirement by adults with chronic disabilities: increasing community capacity. This project will contribute to healthy, productive ageing by people with chronic disabilities. This group are living longer and will retire from their disability-specific supported employment and day program services. They then risk social exclusion, loneliness and associated poor health outcomes. This project will provide training and support to local community groups and voluntary work settings, to increase community capacity to support this group to participate actively in and contribute to their community in retirement. This will result in increased participation by this group and improvements in their well-being. Training resources developed by the project will be available to disability service providers nationally.Read moreRead less
Parents, Time Pressure and Earnings. Parents of young children are time poor. They struggle to find the time to provide both income security and care for young children and themselves. This has become a pressing public policy issue, because an ageing society faces a critical labour shortage unless it mobilizes the underutilized capacity of mothers. The project has the potential to improve the well-being of all family members. Promoting the conditions for good parenting ensures that children have ....Parents, Time Pressure and Earnings. Parents of young children are time poor. They struggle to find the time to provide both income security and care for young children and themselves. This has become a pressing public policy issue, because an ageing society faces a critical labour shortage unless it mobilizes the underutilized capacity of mothers. The project has the potential to improve the well-being of all family members. Promoting the conditions for good parenting ensures that children have a healthy start to life in their early years. Facilitating parents' continuing employment promotes self esteem, self-reliance and the ability to save for a comfortable retirement.Read moreRead less
A history of Australia's 1998 waterfront dispute. The project will produce an innovative account of Australia's Easter 1998 waterfront dispute, within the context of a wider body of research on diverse but related social perspectives. The aim is to not only enhance understanding of the event, but to employ the event to enhance understanding of social relations. The project is based on the hypothesis that the social memory is more complex, multi-layered and contextual than public accounts suggest ....A history of Australia's 1998 waterfront dispute. The project will produce an innovative account of Australia's Easter 1998 waterfront dispute, within the context of a wider body of research on diverse but related social perspectives. The aim is to not only enhance understanding of the event, but to employ the event to enhance understanding of social relations. The project is based on the hypothesis that the social memory is more complex, multi-layered and contextual than public accounts suggest. By incorporating the study of multiple perspectives, the aim is to disclose a different and more insightful memory of both the event and the society in which it occurred.Read moreRead less
Understanding low skilled men's access to jobs: An occupational case-study approach. The withdrawal of low skilled men from the labour force has been substantial over recent decades. As many as 40% of men without post-school qualifications do not have full-time jobs. This development has many negative social consequences. It damages the affected men's wellbeing, and that of their families. It reduces labour supply at a time of labour shortages. It increases dependency on the welfare system. ....Understanding low skilled men's access to jobs: An occupational case-study approach. The withdrawal of low skilled men from the labour force has been substantial over recent decades. As many as 40% of men without post-school qualifications do not have full-time jobs. This development has many negative social consequences. It damages the affected men's wellbeing, and that of their families. It reduces labour supply at a time of labour shortages. It increases dependency on the welfare system. This project will develop new understandings of the barriers low skill men face when they seek jobs in areas of rising employment, such as the service sector. It will provide an assessment of the possibilities of overcoming these barriers, and develop ideas about how best to enhance low skilled men's access to good jobs. Read moreRead less
Will older workers change their retirement plans in line with the Government’s calls for later retirement? The study will inform and contribute to the integration of retirement policy reform across all tiers of Government. It will especially project probabilities of change in workforce and retirement behaviour, and evaluate the likely efficacy of policy measures aimed at encouraging labour market participation among older workers and reversing current trends to early retirement. The study is tim ....Will older workers change their retirement plans in line with the Government’s calls for later retirement? The study will inform and contribute to the integration of retirement policy reform across all tiers of Government. It will especially project probabilities of change in workforce and retirement behaviour, and evaluate the likely efficacy of policy measures aimed at encouraging labour market participation among older workers and reversing current trends to early retirement. The study is timely because population ageing in Australia is just becoming a factor in labour market considerations, but its effects (which differ markedly by region) will soon escalate. Read moreRead less
The Quality of Part-Time Employment in Australia: Dimensions, Prospects and Policy. Part-time employment is an important and growing phenomenon in Australia, as in most OECD countries. While research has focused on the quantity of part-time employment, the key dimension of quality has been neglected. This project will develop a sophisticated conceptual framework for assessing the quality of part-time employment, drawing on cross-national comparisons and using a gender systems approach. It will ....The Quality of Part-Time Employment in Australia: Dimensions, Prospects and Policy. Part-time employment is an important and growing phenomenon in Australia, as in most OECD countries. While research has focused on the quantity of part-time employment, the key dimension of quality has been neglected. This project will develop a sophisticated conceptual framework for assessing the quality of part-time employment, drawing on cross-national comparisons and using a gender systems approach. It will produce a comprehensive and practical assessment of the quality of part-time employment in Australia, including two detailed industry case studies. Finally, the project will evaluate the main policy paths for improving the quality of part-time employment.Read moreRead less