Research Stories

Western Sydney University Business School The problem Cigarette smoking claims over seven million lives each year and is the world’s biggest public health threat. The Australian Burden of Disease Study estimated that in 2011 one in every eight deaths was due to smoking. Impact summary An early component of the research contributed to the first ban […]

Business School The problem Custodians of cultural and zoological sites lacked reliable information about how visitors’ experiences at their sites influenced their long-term environmental behaviour. In addition, these sites required better tools to understand the visitor experience as a whole. Impact summary The research has positively influenced the environmental behaviours of over 700 million visitors

Southern Cross University (SCU) Business School The Challenge  For the past 16 years the Australian health system has suffered a shortage of nurses. One 2011 report, Health Workforce 2025 – Doctors, Nurses and Midwives, projected a shortfall of 109,000 nurses by 2025. Workforce retention is a key factor in overcoming this problem. Also, nurses and frontline

University of Adelaide Business School The Challenge  The South Australian government provides mortgage funding to low and middle-income homebuyers through its Homestart Finance agency. Homestart lacked information about the social and economic effects of its lending practices. Research Impact Summary The research shows that HomeStart shared equity loans improve social and economic outcomes for low

University of New South Wales (UNSW) Business School The Challenge  Corporate failures like Enron and Worldcom, and the most recent global financial crisis, have resulted in diminished public trust in organisations and their auditors. Rebuilding trust requires organisations to do the right thing, but also effectively communicate that they are doing the right thing and ensuring

University of Wollongong Faculty of Business The Challenge  In 2005 Australia was facing a crisis. The number of children in out-of-home care had risen to almost 24 000, up 70% from a decade earlier. However, in the same period the number of foster carers declined. There were not enough foster carers to provide nurturing homes

James Cook University (JCU) Business School The Challenge Small-scale farmers in Laos were often excluded from decision-making, were unaware of market opportunities and found expanding their operations difficult. Research Impact Summary Application of an Extension Management System (EMS) provided a new operational ecology for government agriculture extension staff, resulting in significant enhancement of their performance

Victoria University Business School The Challenge  Climate change and severe weather events can wreak economic and physical havoc. Pacific Island nations and other tourism-reliant locations are particularly vulnerable. Research Impact Summary Coastal storm surge regeneration activities in Vanuatu were undertaken Better community awareness about climate change risks and tourism in Samoa Bali embarked on a green-growth path

University of Sydney Business School The Challenge The biggest challenge when justifying investment in public transport and toll roads is to accurately predict how many people will use the new infrastructure. Overestimations place huge financial risks on investors and taxpayers. Research Impact Summary The research has been used to develop national guidelines for government-supported road project

University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School The Challenge The world is facing an unprecedented refugee crisis and many refugees face specific challenges as they settle in their host countries. These challenges limit their ability to engage in economic activity. This in turn constrains their general social integration. Research Impact Summary Refugees and migrants created