Innovative. Responsible. Sustainable. For impact.
Our research, conducted at the highest global standards, informs business practice, policy and regulation across geographic and cultural boundaries both in Australia and abroad.
We engage with industry government civil society and academia to produce excellent research with clear significant local and global impact.
The Businesss School Research Hubs are communities of researchers brought together around three inclusive themes aligned with the Business School’s strategy and critical for Australia’s future: innovation, responsibility, and sustainability.
Each Research Hub builds on Business School research strengths and showcases the wealth of our researchers’ expertise available for providing insights and solutions to partners outside the University to help them navigate urgent contemporary challenges.
Our Research Hubs are designed to enhance collaboration among disciplines inside the Business School and across the University, while fostering an entrepreneurial mindset to deliver upon clear value propositions for our partners. They serve as platforms for engaging and partnering with industry, government, civil society and community organisations to co-design research projects and programs in ways that deliver academic and societal impact.
Research Hubs are built on the three key themes of:
Innovative. For impact
Researchers in the Innovative Organisation and Technology Hub undertake engaged research with external partners aimed at deepening understanding of, transforming, and accelerating organisational processes of commercialising and harnessing emerging technologies for productivity, people and the planet.
Despite achieving outstanding outcomes in basic research, Australia performs poorly at commercialising discoveries and building industrial ecosystems around its inventions compared with OECD peers. As a result, Australia's exports are characterised by low economic complexity, leaving the nation heavily reliant on natural resources with little onshore added value. Yet, a wide range of emerging technologies present tremendous opportunities to increase productivity while also enhancing wellbeing and ecological sustainability. Many of these technologies are built upon Australian discoveries and inventions, presenting a timely opportunity to build thriving new sectors producing exports of high economic complexity and added value.
Seizing opportunities while managing risks of emerging technologies is critical for ensuring the competitive advantage of Australian businesses and securing Australia’s future. Yet, many organisations of all types – government policy makers and regulators, private firms, industry associations, not-for-profits, community organisations – wrestle with how to do so effectively.
Our researchers are helping them, across a range of emerging technologies, including AI, machine learning, quantum computing, digital health solutions, nanotechnology-based drug delivery, clean-tech, fin-tech, ag-tech and so forth. Working at the intersection of organisations and technology, Business School scholars are providing evidence-based insights and solutions for accelerating responsible innovation and adoption of emerging technologies to deliver value for customers, returns for shareholders and meaningful work for employees as well as resource efficiency, sectoral leadership and a secure future for Australia.
Research topics include:
Responsible. For impact
Researchers in the Responsible Management Hub undertake engaged research with external partners aimed at deepening understanding of, transforming, and accelerating the adoption of management practices for ensuring wellbeing, inclusion and integrity in workplace and stakeholder relations.
Managers and professionals across organisations of all kinds want to act ethically and with integrity. At the same time, organisational success depends upon contributions from employees and support of various forms from other stakeholders to maintain social license to operate. The success of nations is underpinned by economic inclusion, social cohesion and trust in institutions including business. In these ways, moral and instrumental arguments for responsible management align and point in the same direction: toward practices that uphold high standards of integrity, discharge moral duties, respect human rights, contribute to justice, foster wellbeing in the workplace and beyond and include as well as fully mobilise all potential members of a nation’s workforce.
Yet issues of equity, diversity and inclusion can become challenging. Well-intentioned organisations often struggle with translating ideals into action. Examples include ensuring human rights are respected in supply chains, wellbeing in the workplace is fostered and members of historically marginalised communities based on gender, indigeneity, cultural community, sexual orientation, ability and other differences are presented with opportunities to participate and contribute to the economy.
Our researchers are helping organisations to navigate and create and sustain value across a range of thorny issues, including gender equality, effective management of psychosocial risks in the workplace, ethical supply chains, respect and human dignity at work, provision of economic opportunities for First Nations peoples, migrants, refugees and differently abled communities. Business School scholars are providing evidence-based insights and solutions for accelerating the adoption of practices that deliver shared value for all legitimate stakeholders and social license to operate as well as enhanced productivity, ethical leadership and a secure future for all Australians.
Research topics include:
Sustainable. For impact
Researchers in the Sustainable Business Hub undertake engaged research with external partners aimed at deepening understanding of, transforming, and accelerating the adoption of business models and practices required for leading net zero, nature positive transitions.
Be it evidenced by climate change, biodiversity loss, chemical pollution, declining fish stocks, ozone depletion, or shifting availability and accessibility of clean water, it is clear that unintended negative consequences of industrial activity are accumulating in ways that threaten the ecosystems and planetary systems on which all life – and business – depend. Across the world, many communities' experience humanity’s degradation of nature as a profound moral violation of what they hold sacred. At the same time, in an increasingly interconnected global economy, the way environmental challenges are managed carries significant material consequences for industries critical to Australia’s future, such as agriculture, tourism and mining. These consequences could be devastating if poorly addressed or they could instead create opportunities for renewal and transformation through cleaner, sustainable technologies and a net zero, nature positive future for Australia.
In this way, moral and instrumental arguments for sustainable business align and point in the same direction: toward practices that respect planetary boundaries for human thriving. Yet environmental issues are often controversial; and well-intentioned organizations often struggle with translating ideals into action. Examples include ensuring effective management of the regulatory, reputational and strategic risks posed by ongoing damage to ecosystems caused by an organisation’s operations; adopting cleaner technologies in ways and at a pace that is strategically sound; and, for governments, making regulatory interventions that foster innovation and competitive advantage of domestic firms.
Our researchers are helping organisations to navigate and create (and protect) value successfully across a range of contentious environmental issues, including climate change, biodiversity loss, chemicals management, renewable resources, water and more. Business School scholars are providing evidence-based insights and solutions for accelerating the adoption of business models and practices that are regenerative and work in harmony with Nature, supporting a transition toward an ecologically secure and resilient future for Australia.
Research topics include:
