Research Highlights - RMIT Universitymams.rmit.edu.au/t86vxb7jdzde1.pdf · Research Excellence...

College of Business

Research Highlights

From the Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Business, Research

Research is a core activity of the College of Business. Our academic staff are dedicated to knowledge creation through research, and knowledge dissemination through industry engagement and teaching.

We aim to provide high quality learning outcomes, robust policy advice, and critical analyses on the challenges confronting business, government, and the community sector. Our research interests extend across the globe, with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific region.

The leading researchers in the College are internationally recognised and widely published in top-ranking journals. They bring expertise from the disciplines of management, law, accounting, information and communications technology, information management, logistics and supply chain management, marketing, economics, and finance. Part of our mission is to explore ways of connecting business and design.

The College hosts a number of research centres and groups that are distinguished by their commitment to research excellence and industry engagement.

— Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work

— Centre for Business Education Research

— Markets, Behaviour, and Strategy Research Group

— Australian APEC Study Centre

— Centre for Innovative Justice

Our researchers also work closely with the University’s interdisciplinary research institutes including the Design Research Institute, Global Cities Research Institute, Platform Technologies Research Institute, and Health Innovations Research Institute.

Doctoral education is a priority for us and our innovative Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) aims to produce graduates who are recognised globally for their broader skills and capacity to engage with industry. These qualities will differentiate our PhD graduates and provide them with an employment advantage. Doctoral supervision is conducted by strong researchers with wide experience in the role. The DTC also offers scholarships aligned to strategic research problems and research groups.

The College of Business has a superb location in the heart of Melbourne which enables researchers to establish close links with business, government and the wider community. We invite you to join us in pursuing innovative and collaborative research.

Professor Geoffrey Stokes

Research Excellence

Research Excellence

HERDC1 Research Income(Total amount of grant awarded)

HERDC Publications Score3 HERDC Publications Count2

HDR CompletionsHDR4 Enrolments Count

1 Higher Education Research Data Collection2 HERDC Publication Count refers to the total number of publications produced by College staff in a particular year that meet the criteria outlined in the HERDC Guidelines.

3 Weighted, proportioned score, as reported in the HERDC. It is calculated by dividing the total number of RMIT authors by the total number of authors. Books are multiplied by a factor of 5. 4Higher Degree by Research

People and Projects

This project examines the rise of an unlikely form of cooperation in Australia’s industrial ecology: namely, the development of innovation resources in the commons (rather than as private or public goods).

Focusing on digital technologies such as 3D printing, the project will map these new commons and elaborate the rules governing them.

This work will advance the theory of innovation by proposing and testing these claims, as well as furnishing a deeper understanding of Australia’s innovation system. Policy recommendations will be developed and applications to new technologies and innovations such as 3D printing, open source software, and open science will be considered.

The project also aims to explore the early history of existing Australian industries, particularly winemaking.

Professor Potts specialises in evolutionary approaches to economic growth, with a particular focus on innovation theory and policy. He also works on economics of creative industries, intellectual property, institutions, and public choice. Professor Potts was granted an ARC Future Fellowship in 2012, the only one awarded in economics that year.

Key Researcher:Professor Jason PottsARC Future FellowSchool of Economics, Finance and Marketing

Research Funding:Australian Research Council - $878,000

Research team: — Prateek Goorha, Post-doctoral Research Fellow — Darcy Allen, PhD Candidate — Duncan Law, PhD Candidate

Contact: [email protected]

Key Investigator: Professor Gerda GemserSchool of Economics, Finance and Marketing

Research Funding:Part of the Dutch CRISP research program; a $25 million Euro research program on designing product service systems

Research team: — Assistant Professor Giulia Calabretta, Delft University of Technology — Professor Paul Hekkert, Delft University of Technology — Professor Nachoem M. Wijnberg, University of Amsterdam

This research examines how design professionals are able to make a valuable contribution to the innovation process.

There is a global recognition that good design and design management can play an important role in sustainable competitive advantage, however design research is still underdeveloped.

Design thinking has provided designers an opportunity to contribute to the initial part of the innovation process, referred to as the ‘fuzzy front end’. In practice however, managers are still hesitant to give design professionals a strategic role in innovation.

This research examines how design professionals are able to make a valuable contribution to that ‘fuzzy front end’, due to their capability to reframe the problem, to broker knowledge from different industries, to make holistic associations and logical connections, to trust their intuition and to use visual artefacts to support decision-making.

The project also examines ways in which design professionals can obtain a strategic role in innovation and examines how they can be effectively integrated into the ‘fuzzy front end’.


Professor Gemser is a recognised researcher in the field of design effectiveness and design management. She has published in high-ranking management and design journals including Journal of Product Innovation Management, Organization Science, Organization Studies and Design Studies.

People and Projects

This research focuses on how the present geo-mobile revolution is enabling new forms of civic participation in crisis, disaster, and emergency events.

In recent years, the intersection between mobile technologies, crowdsourcing methods, digital maps, geospatial data, and social media has opened up unprecedented opportunities for research, industry, and social change. As first responders, both citizens and disaster affected communities can now produce real time, local, and detailed information on critical events.

Digital volunteer communities across the world can also contribute to disaster response by leveraging different skill sets (information management, mapping, coding, translating, etc.) in coordination with aid organisations on the ground. Responses to hurricanes, floods and earthquakes all over the world already offer examples of this combined effort tapping into the resources of both local and global crowds.

The goal of this research is to analyse the interplay between technology, crowdsourcing, and disaster management, including the complexities linked to coordinating crowds, and the legal and ethical challenges involved in these processes.

Associate Professor Poblet’s research interests cover different areas of law and technology, including mobile technologies, open data, crowdsourcing, conflict management and crisis mapping. She has published over 40 scientific articles on these topics in international journals and books. She is also one of the co-founders of the Institute of Law and Technology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and past researcher at ICREA (Catalonia).


Key investigator:Associate Professor Marta PobletVice Chancellor’s Principal Research Fellow Graduate School of Business and Law

Research team: Includes researchers from a range of areas including sociology, political sciences, computer sciences, geospatial science and law.

People and Projects

Key Investigator: Professor Prem Chhetri School of Business IT and Logistics

Research Funding:Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility - $648,000

Research team: — Dr Victor Gekara — Professor Brian Corbitt — Professor Nilmini Wickramasinghe — Dr Jonathan Cocoran, University of Queensland

This research developed a 3D visualisation model to help improve our understanding of the likely impact of extreme weather events on key port logistics operations.

Seaports are functional trade nodes and critical gateways that link local and national supply chains to global markets. Such gateways are especially critical for Australia as it is a resource-rich geographically isolated island nation. However, seaports are exposed to the vagaries of climate-related extreme events due to their coastal locations and are required to be responsive and adaptive to projected impacts of climate change, in particular extreme weather events.

This project focused on three ports - Port Kembla Port Corporation, Sydney Port Corporation and Ports of Gladstone. Research findings have made a substantial contribution to the growing risk and adaptation knowledge base which has resulted in the development of Australian case studies for Fraunhofer Institute


Professor Chhetri’s research interests include spatially-integrated social and economic resource analysis and modelling, urban and demographic modelling, evaluation of quality of life, emergency logistics and policy response, and application of GIS and GPS technologies in event and retail logistics, and transport planning.

People and Projects

Key Researcher: Dr Stuart Thomas School of Economics, Finance and Marketing

Research team: — Professor Jason Potts

This project seeks to understand the way in which some sports, primarily equipment-based sports, experience a rapid rise in popularity when they are new and novel, but through manufacturer-led technological competition, collapse just as quickly as they start.

In recent times we have seen the rise and fall of equipment–based sports that seem to start well and experience a rapid rise in popularity but then experience rapid technological advances in equipment, driven partly by the wants of elite competitors and partly by aggressive competition among manufacturers for market share. The equipment quickly becomes too technically complex, demanding (of skills) and expensive for the majority of participants, ruining the sport for beginners and recreational and aspirational participants, who leave the sport in frustration.

The consequences of this “technology overshooting” is a kind of accelerated sports and industry life cycle that can be destructive for many businesses and even regions that come to rely on the stability or growth of the sport. Not only are the manufacturer, distributors and retailers of the equipment adversely affected as the industry collapses, but so are other parts of the economy including the schools that teach new entrants, media groups and publishers that produce magazines for enthusiasts and hospitality and tourism providers that support event-based tourism.

This research aims to help make these sports and industries more sustainable by understanding the forces that drive competitive dynamics and identifying what can be done to prevent this kind of technology-driven overshooting. The project will soon be extended to include sports engineering.


Prior to his academic career Dr Thomas worked in business advice and consulting for a ‘Big 5’ accounting and business advisory firm and in sales, marketing and project management in the IT industry. His research interests include commodity markets, student performance, and innovation and industrial dynamics in the finance sector and the sports industry.

People and Projects

People and Projects

This project examines how new ways of payment and banking empower poor women and men in the global South.

The goal of this research is to present money and globalization from the perspective of people in the global South. It explores how men and women, particularly the poor and the unbanked, use money to empower themselves and their families.

By focusing on the Global south, this project brings to the forefront half the people in the world who are unbanked and highlights gender disparities when it comes to financial inclusion.

Professor Singh co-convenes Asia@RMIT and is a member of the Global Cities Research Institute. Professor Singh’s research focuses on the sociology of money, migration and banking. Her book Globalization and Money: A Global South Perspective was published in 2013.

Key Researcher:Professor Supriya Singh Graduate School of Business and Law

Affiliations: — Global Cities Research Institute — Graduate School of Business and Law


This project investigates the role of socialisation, financial capabilities, and financial self-efficacy in how women manage their money and make financial decisions.

Due to a range of systemic, family and life events, women are more vulnerable to financial hardship than men, especially in retirement.

This research project involved collecting stories from over 100 women followed by a national survey of approximately 2000 Australian women. The data is currently being analysed.

Professor Russell undertakes research in the areas of financial inclusion and financial literacy which involves working with some of Australia’s major financial institutions, state and federal governments and NGOs. In addition to her work with industry, Professor Russell has been successful in winning a number of ARC grants.

Key Researcher:Professor Roslyn Russell School of Economics, Finance and Marketing

Research team: — Dr Marcus Banks — Professor Tim Fry — Professor Lisa Farrell — Professor Amalia Di Iorio, La Trobe University


People and Projects

This research project uses case studies to highlight the emerging techniques and recognition of sustainable practices in capital investment and project appraisal.

This research responds to the accounting community’s interest in investment appraisal techniques and the link to sustainability-related impacts. It builds on earlier surveys conducted for CPA Australia, on behalf of IFAC and The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Project.

The project looked at case studies in five different organisations — public utility, multinational manufacturing, mining, bank and not-for-profit — to explore the emerging techniques and recognition of sustainable practices in capital investment and project appraisal. The focus is on routine accounting practices and the recognition of sustainability-related impacts in operational, regulatory and strategic investment decisions.

Dr Vesty is a member of CPA Australia. In addition to her academic role, Gillian has 20 year experience working in the public healthcare sector. She is a co-author of a management accounting textbook and teaches accounting at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her research interests include management accounting for sustainability as well as accounting for public healthcare

Key Researcher: Dr Gillian Vesty

Research Funding:CPA Australia Global Research Funds

Research team: — Albie Brooks, University of Melbourne — Judy Oliver, Swinburne University of Technology

AffiliationsCPA Australia, International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Project (A4S)


Contemporary Capital Investment Appraisal from a Management Accounting and Integrated Thinking Perspective: Case Study Evidence

People and Projects

This research project aims to identify how visual tools are applied in tertiary accounting education to assist curriculum design and complement students’ learning preferences (Visual, Aural, Read/Write and Kinaesthetic).

Collaboration between academics and the accounting profession complements students’ academic qualifications and helps them to build their accounting careers. An integral part of this professional development is the delivery of specific education programs, including lecture presentations and other pedagogical materials.

While existing literature acknowledges the benefits of providing innovative and internationally competitive learning spaces for students, it stops short of examining the use and impact of visual devices, especially those in the accounting education field.

Dr Maran is a Senior Lecturer at RMIT University, School of Accounting. Laura has a demonstrated research track record with a number of co-authored refereed publications. She has developed a network with European scholars in accounting history, public sector accounting and other accounting and business related fields.

Key Researcher: Dr Laura Maran

Research team: — Dr Gillian Vesty — Associate Professor Robert Inglis


Accounting education enhanced by visual teaching tools

This research project aims to expand on the findings of the prior accounting education literature by considering the use of online social media for students’ learning and education delivery.

The use of social media among University students is reasonably well documented however there is little understanding of the relationship between the use of social media for university related purposes and academic outcomes, such as student engagement and academic performance. This study aims to enhance our understanding of these relationships.

Student participants will be sourced from first year introductory accounting courses across Victoria and will be asked to complete an online survey.

Dr Michael Kend is a lecturer in the School of Accounting. In 2006, Michael and two other chief investigators were awarded an ARC Linkage Grant for a project entitled ‘Keeping Capital Markets Efficient: A National Strategy on the Future of Auditing’. Michael’s research interests includes archival research, statistical analysis and modelling from both his own research and from PhD supervisions, which have also resulted in publications in premier journals.

Key Researcher: Dr Michael Kend

Research team: — Dr Tehmina Khan — Dr Sue Robertson — Dr Peta Stevenson-Clarke


The influence of social media use on first year accounting students’ academic engagement

The Centre for Business Education Research (CBER) undertakes cutting-edge research into promoting excellence in innovative world best practices business education.

A distinctive feature of CBER is the focus on inter-disciplinary research into business education with the key question being: ‘How can we lead innovative and successful change in business education?’

“The Centre for Business Education Research is an exciting Living Learning Laboratory within which Business academics, students and external stakeholders collaboratively engage in exploring creative solutions to complex emergent problems.”

Professor Sandra Jones, Director

CBER has three interrelated research foci:

— Skills needed by stakeholders to create resilient organisations able to sustain global futures

— New approaches to learning to graduate creative and innovative employees, managers and leaders

— New forms of partnerships between universities and external stakeholders designed to flexibly adapt to diverse contexts

The CBER Living Learning Laboratory is built on 5Es:

— Engaging a range of participants in learning partnership

— Enabling learning through flexible design of curriculum and learning activities

— Enacting learning through problem-based and blended learning opportunities

— Evaluating learning to identify impact on students and stakeholders

— An Emergent focus to ensure resilient organisations are able to flexibly adapt to change as it happens

“RMIT has established an exciting initiative in CBER which will explore unique opportunities for university and industry research collaboration with business, government, and community organisations.”

Mr David SouthwickMember for Caulfield,Chair, Industry Engagement Committee

Contact: [email protected] www.rmit.edu.au/bus/cber

Business Research Centres


The Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work (CSOW) brings together social science research expertise across the College of Business and other areas of the University.

The Centre has an interdisciplinary focus, covering employment relations, organisational studies, industrial relations, gender studies, globalisation and logistics, business and labour history, and political economy and sociology, with particular attention given to the Asia Pacific Region.

“The Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work promotes and facilitates social science research in these areas and encourages theoretically informed analyses that lay the foundation for evidence-based policy and practice.”

Professor Peter Fairbrother, Director

Current research within CSOW:

Each year ‘disaster-level’ bushfires in Australia cause enormous damage including death and injury, in fact more people are injured by bushfires than all other disasters combined. The Centre is currently undertaking a project which examines the social, political and historical bases of community awareness and resilience in bushfire contexts.

The research investigates effective communication in relation to bushfire. It examines the multiple relationships between community, authorities and agencies engaged with fire prevention, preparedness and recovery. Findings show that bushfire-related communication, whether awareness or education, should engage individuals directly, provide relevant, tailored information and maintain preparedness, knowledge and motivation to remain prepared and expectant of disaster.

Contact: [email protected] www.rmit.edu.au/research/csow

The Australian APEC Study Centre at RMIT University is a leading centre in the Asia-Pacific region for the advocacy of policy and regulatory reforms in support of APEC’s objectives of:

— Promoting open trade and investment

— Structural reform and regional economic integration

— Supporting institutional capacity building

The Centre organises training programs for officials from the Asia Pacific region, undertakes research, hosts conferences, symposia and dialogues to build institutional capacities and to promote regional understanding and experience sharing. The Centre involves regional and international policy makers and regulators, the private sector and academia in its activities.

“The Centre’s core objectives are to support RMIT in expanding its global vision and Australia’s involvement in promoting APEC’s objectives of regional economic integration and social and humanitarian advancement, and to be a centre of excellence for regional capacity building.”

Kenneth Waller,Director

Recently, the Centre was successful in attracting over $2.5m of funding through the Commonwealth’s Government Partnership for Development (GPFD) facility to deliver a three-year program to promote infrastructure PPP development and financing, sustainable urban development and cross-border coordination in APEC and South Asian economies. This multi-component project will comprise research, policy forums and capacity building training programs.

In all its activities the Centre collaborates with partners from a wide network of industry, government, academia and key international organisations such as the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) and the Asia -Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariats.

Contact: [email protected] www.rmit.edu.au/bus/industry/apec


The Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ) at RMIT University was launched in March 2013, with former Victorian Attorney-General Rob Hulls appointed inaugural Director. As Attorney-General, Mr Hulls was known for his passion for innovation and human rights.

The aim of the Centre’s research program is to identify effective and workable alternative approaches to improve criminal justice, civil dispute resolution and the delivery of legal services, with a particular focus on therapeutic jurisprudence, restorative justice, and holistic and non-adversarial dispute resolution.

“The job of the Centre is to ask questions, testing every area and working with others to find new solutions to old problems. Achieving this will require collaboration; evidence-based policy and a readiness to embrace new ideas… building an economic and policy case that is impossible to ignore.”

Adjunct Professor Rob Hulls, Director

The Centre’s key research projects to date include:

— Affordable Justice – examining the potential for the private legal profession to provide more affordable services to consumers through the widespread use of fixed fees discrete task assistance; greater transparency and predictability about legal costs; investment in support for innovative business practices; and the establishment of websites for consumers to rate and review lawyer affordability.

— Innovative Justice responses to sexual offending – developing a detailed victim-centred framework for the delivery of restorative and therapeutic justice options.

— Evaluating innovative procedural pilots implemented by the Fair Work Commission, Australia’s national workplace relations tribunal.

— Identifying effective and innovative early intervention justice-system strategies to tackle family violence.

— Addressing the over-representation of people with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) in the criminal justice system through the establishment of a forum. This will enable people living with ABI to play a key role in how the criminal justice system can be more responsive and receptive to the issues they face.

Contact: [email protected] www.rmit.edu.au/gradbuslaw/innovativejustice @InnovateJustice


Research Highlights - RMIT Universitymams.rmit.edu.au/t86vxb7jdzde1.pdf · Research Excellence...

Documents

Transcript of Research Highlights - RMIT Universitymams.rmit.edu.au/t86vxb7jdzde1.pdf · Research Excellence...