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Research News

May 2018

Welcome to our second research newsletter for 2018! As you will see, there has been a lot of activity on the research front. Our researchers continue to score hits in high-ranking journals and our Research Clusters have been integral in continuing to build a culture of collaboration and research excellence. As you will see in this edition of the newsletter, the Business and Management Research Cluster and Tourism Research Cluster have commenced work on a range of interesting (and practical) research projects. In addition, a number of our researchers attended the XXII International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) Annual Conference 2018, which took place at the Centre for Service Excellence at the University of Edinburgh Business School from the 11-13 April. The theme for this year’s conference was creating and co-creating value in public service delivery. For further details, please refer to the IRSPM conference report in this edition of the newsletter. The School’s focus on engagement and impact continues to growth with the Tourism Research Cluster hosting their first Visiting Scholar, Dr Anne Hardy, Director, Tourism Research and Education Network, at the University of Tasmania from 20-23 March. Dr Hardy presented two seminars, one at Lismore Regional Art Gallery and the other at the Gold Coast campus entitled: Digital Innovations in Tourism: The Tourist Tracer Project and the Airbnb Conundrum. Finally, as a new initiative, we will be profiling our doctoral candidates in an effort to raise their profile and celebrate their success. In this edition, you will be introduced to Steffen Westermann (who has recently commenced a PhD in finance) and Panha Heng (who is in the final stages of completing his PhD in finance). So, in conclusion, please take a moment to look at the achievements of our researchers. Kind regards Michael Kortt Associate Professor | Director of Research School of Business and Tourism 9 May 2018

Director of Research Report

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The journal rankings below comply with the current ABDC journal

quality ranking. However, please let us know if you publish in a Q1

ranked journal listed on Scimago (http://www.scimagojr.com/).

A*, A & Q1 Ranked Journals Lamont M and Kennelly M. (2018) Sporting hyperchallenges: Health, social, and fiscal implications. Sport Management Review. In press.

Lamont M. & Hing N. (2018). Sports betting motivations among young men: An adaptive theory analysis. Leisure Sciences. In press. Steele J & Scherrer P. (2018). Flipping the principal-agent model to

foster host community participation in monitoring and evaluation of

volunteer tourism programmes. Tourism Recreation Research. In

press.

Weiler B, Torland M, Moyle B and Hadinejad A. (2018) Psychology-

informed doctoral research in tourism. Tourism Recreation

Research. In press.

Steffen Westermann Steffen Westermann is a current PhD candidate at SBaT. After completing his honours with SCU in 2017, Steffen decided to take on a new challenge and started his PhD journey at SBaT. Steffen’s current research interest is driven by sustainable finance. While his honours project looked at the return performance of CSR A-REITs, his PhD project focuses more on behavioural finance aspects. In particular, Steffen is looking into how behavioural constructs, such as financial literacy and competency, adviser anxiety, and trust, impact on financial advice seeking and financial wellbeing in Australia. Given the low levels of financial adviser engagement in Australia, with those who are seeking financial advice being predominantly high-income earners, wealthy, educated and financially literate/capable, Steffen’s research aims to understand the inherent behavioural barriers facing clients who seek (or do not seek) financial advice. Moreover, the latest development around the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry points towards the timeliness and relevance of this research. As such, the outcomes of Steffen’s research will inform policymakers and the financial services industry to overcome these inherent behavioural barriers.

Panha Heng PhD candidate Panha Heng with the Capital Market CRC, has recently secured a full-time position with the NASDAQ, Sydney. Panha will be working as a Business Analyst with the SMARTS Market Surveillance team. His role will involve creating solutions for the early detection of unusual trading patterns and market misconduct that could be potential breaches of exchange trading rules and practices. He is submitting his thesis for examination on 30 June and commences his new role on 1 July. This is a fantastic outcome for Panha and the School of Business and Tourism. Congratulations Panha on this significant achievement!

Research Hits

PhD Candidates

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SBaT Tourism Research Cluster Seed Funding Congratulations to the following Tourism Research Cluster seed funding recipients:

Scherrer P, Dimmock K, Mackellar J and Lamont M (2018). State of knowledge, stakeholder networks and long-term benefits of rail trails: applications for the Northern Rivers region. $7,056. Project Aim: This project aims to provide a baseline of knowledge to support future research of relevance to academics and practitioners relating to the impending Northern Rivers Rail Trail. The three specific objectives of this project are to: (1) Conduct a review of academic and practitioner literature relating to rail trails to inform peer-reviewed publications on contemporary processes in rail trail development; (2) Apply network theory and analysis to identify and explain key stakeholder co-operation and relationships underpinning the Northern Rivers Rail Trail initiative; and (3) Facilitate a process of key triple-bottom-line indicator selection and prioritisation with relevant stakeholders as a basis for the development of future monitoring and evaluation and research projects.

Che D, Caldicott R, Muschter S, Scherrer P and von der Heidt T (2018). Airbnb in Byron Bay – bane or blessing? An investigation into the nature and range of impacts of Airbnb on a local community. $7,000.68. Project Aim: This project aims to profile the nature of Airbnb in the Byron Shire, New South Wales. It also aims to describe, critically analyse and explain the impacts of Airbnb on the community of Byron Bay as a basis to investigate specific and locally appropriate solutions. There are three specific objectives to this project: (1) To determine the size, main attributes and development patterns of Airbnb in the Byron Shire and provide a descriptive summary; (2) To investigate Airbnb in peer-reviewed studies both domestically and internationally); and (3) To determine Byron community members’ attitudes toward the positive and negative impacts of Airbnb in the Byron Shire and to provide a descriptive summary of the results.

SBaT Business and Management Research Cluster Seed Funding Congratulations to the Business and Management Research Cluster seed funding recipients:

Nelson S and Brunetto Y (2018). Managing effectively in the changing police management environment: A comparative study of Brazil and China. $5,000. Project Aim: This project aims to conduct a comparative study of the police management environment with a focus on the role of workplace stress in Brazil and China.

Niblock S, Westermann S, Harrison J and Kortt M (2018). Barriers to Seeking Financial Advice: Theory, Evidence and Policy Implications. $5,000. Project Aim: The aim of this study is to provide financial advisers and other stakeholders (e.g., individual investors, policy makers and regulators) with new insights on the behavioural determinants of risk-taking and economic well-being in an Australian retail financial advice context. It is also envisaged that this research will assist financial advisers to better understand and overcome the inherent behavioural barriers facing clients who seek (or do not seek) retail financial advice, reduce anxiety levels, promote rational and informed decision-making, and improve the adviser-client relationship. This research will also be helpful for tailoring products and services to client needs and improving adviser engagement. In working closely with Yellow Brick Road (YBR) Wealth Management, Ballina, the findings of this research will also be used to inform the re-design of YBR’s initial client consultation process.

Noble D, Charles M, Keast R and Kivits R (2018). A tale of two innovation systems: Comparing Australia and Scotland’s SME innovation mechanisms. $5,000. Project Aim: This project will use multiple case study analysis to compare university-industry collaborative research in Scotland and Australia, involving small to medium enterprises and universities. Cases from Scotland’s “Interface” organisation, and Australia’s “CRC-P program”, will be examined. In contrast to the “hands-off” approach of the CRC-P program post-commencement, Interface follows a facilitated process to maximise collaborative potential. This study will seek to determine if there are benefits from Interface’s facilitated approach, or if indeed there is little difference between (a) approaches, (b) in outcomes against milestones, (c) the achievement of project objectives, or (d) any other assessment criteria that may become evident through the data collection process.

Research Income

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Tourism Research Cluster Visiting Scholar – Dr Anne Hardy The Tourism Research Cluster’s first Visiting Scholar, Dr Anne Hardy, Director, Tourism Research and Education Network, at the University of Tasmania, visited the School from 20-23 March. She presented two seminars, one at Lismore Regional Art Gallery and the other at the Gold Coast campus titled Digital Innovations in Tourism: The Tourist Tracer Project and the Airbnb Conundrum. The seminars attracted a number of people working in the tourism industry as well as interested members of the community. Her visit also generated 10 unique media ‘events’ including two ABC radio interviews as well as interviews with channels 7, 9 and 10. In addition, Anne met with several academics on a one to one basis to talk about research and she also met with the group undertaking research on Airbnb to provide some advice on their project. Finally, she gave two presentations to students, one to an undergraduate class and another to a masters class.

What is the future of civil services? How can civil services organize themselves to best respond to complex or ‘wicked’ problems? Professor Robyn Keast with Professor Bob Agranoff (Indiana University) were invited to lead a one-hour conversation on ‘What is the future of civil services? How can civil services organise themselves to best respond to complex or ‘wicked’ problems?’ to a group of 50 practitioners from Apolitical. Apolitical is a global policy network for public servants and their partners. They have members from 130 countries. Apolitical April is a series of practitioner-led online conversations on the biggest challenges facing government today. Professor Keast’s presentation was held on 23 April.

Engagement and Impact

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A tale of two innovation systems: Comparing Australia and Scotland’s SME innovation mechanisms By David Noble (Business and Management Research Cluster Seed Funding recipient)

While researching the role ‘soft skills’ – I call them ‘collaborative competencies’ – play in the success (or otherwise!) of research collaborations between university and industry partners, I spent time at the Interface offices in Edinburgh Scotland over the last couple of weeks talking to Interface clients, from both the commercial and academic worlds. But let me take a step back before I really begin. University-industry collaborative (UIC) research is the foundation stone of the innovation agenda in all the OECD countries, and a growing number of countries in the developing world. UIC research generally has one of two objectives. The first is to tackle intractable problems (academics used to call them ‘wicked’ problems) such as climate change, social inequality, healthy ageing, and pandemics such as obesity and diabetics. But the second, and growing, objective is to enhance the economies of nations by generating innovative products and solutions to technological challenges. There are some well-known examples of this. The Cochlear Implant was a product of UIC research, as was disposable contact lenses. So UIC research is widespread, and government policy makers have high hopes that UIC research will deliver the modern-day equivalent of the steam locomotive, the desktop computer, or the Apple iPhone. However, it is true to say that collaborative research doesn’t always produce the goods. There is no doubt that it can produce spectacular innovative outcomes, but expectations and reality are often but distant cousins. Too many governments (including my own) throw money at a group of researchers in the hope that they can collaborate successfully. But the research tells us that somewhere between 40% and 80% of projects fail to meet at least some of their objectives, and many fail outright. The selection criteria of most government research funding programs tends to focus upon the research credentials of the principal investigator, whether the proposed project fits in with current government policy objectives, and/or whether or not the industry partner is willing to cough up their share of the project cost, either in cash or in-kind. Enter Interface: the Interface model is of particular interest to me, because it operates on a totally different basis to the run-of-the-mill UIC models. Interface’s bespoke, facilitated methodology seems to me to overcome many of the weaknesses of other programs. By carefully matching up industry partners who have identified a problem or a potential innovation, with a university research team that is at the peak of its game, many of the collaboration problems can be dealt with at an early stage, increasing the possibility of a successful outcome. If issues do arise during that collaboration, what may have been an insurmountable problem without support and intervention, becomes a mere bump on the road, with Interface’s experienced staff able to facilitate solutions to problems. So what have I learned from my week in Edinburgh? One observation is that Interface bridges the cultural gap between commerce and academia. Research tends to be methodical, structured, and works on very different timeframes to that of the commercial world. Bridging this cultural divide, and helping partners negotiate it, is an important role played by Interface. Another early observation from my research tells me that one of the important roles Interface plays, through the Scottish Funding Council’s Innovation Voucher programme, is providing access to funding for the research team to not only develop proof of concept for their project idea, but, and perhaps more importantly, prove that the team has what it takes to work successfully together. Some of the projects involved in my interviews have gone on to bigger and better funding opportunities, which would not have been possible without Interface. Finally, Interface talk about ‘sticky relationships”, and these have been evident in my interviews. Some businesses have discovered that working with researchers gives their business the ability to differentiate themselves in the market, or create spin-off projects from the original vision. They have discovered that Interface’s deep knowledge of the Scottish research landscape enables them to facilitate bespoke relationships based on the particular issue that a business needs investigating, not just once, but in some cases multiple times as new issues arise. I really enjoyed my time in Edinburgh, and have been impressed with the professionalism and dedication of the team. I look forward to carefully analysing the data I have collected, and gaining fresh insights that might inform university collaborations.

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IRSPM Conference Report, 2018 The XXII International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) Annual Conference 2018 took place at the Centre for Service Excellence at the University of Edinburgh Business School, Scotland from the 11-13 April. The theme for this year’s conference was creating and co-creating value in public service delivery. The annual conference was attended by around 600 people and is an important platform to exchange research findings and discuss new topics of emerging significance in public management. The conference is also a platform where experienced researchers meet young researchers, and where practitioners can engage with academics. SCU’s presence at this year’s conference included Professor Yvonne Brunetto, Professor Robyn Keast, Dr Silvia Nelson, Mr David Noble, Dr Rob Kivits (SCU Adjunct) and Professor Joop Koppenjan (SCU Adjunct). SCU’s paper presentations included:

Brunetto Y et al: Comparing organisational change in policing across Australia, USA, Italy and Malta.

Brunetto Y et al: Comparing the Australian and Italian Nurses' Approach to implementing safety.

Brunetto Y: The impact of work harassment on the effectiveness of Emotional Resilience Training outcomes.

Keast R and Kivits R (SCU adjunct) et al: Beyond Best Practice Asset Management – Next Practice Approaches to Practitioner-Academic Dialogue.

Keast R et al: Public Service Human Resource Management: Co-creation or Coercion?

Nelson S et al: The changing public healthcare environment: bullying, well-being and nurse management in NE Brazil.

Noble D: Putting 'collaborative competencies' into university-industry collaborative research.

Noble D and Scott A: Collaboration, sustainability, and national innovation systems. Professor Brunetto also chaired a session titled Organizational Change and the Organization of Public Sector Work. Also at the conference, Professor Keast was involved in the formulation of a Special Interest Group in Networks and worked with Profs Chris Koliba (University of Vermont) and Joris Voets (university Ghent, Belgium) to finalise their book on methodologies and analysis for networks and collaborations in the public sector. The IRSPM conference provided exposure to stimulating information and interaction from thought leaders from around the world. There was a high level of debate and critical analysis undertaken across the multiple streams of academic pursuit of new ideas and present research.

Share your research success with us Do you have a news item to share with the School of Business and Tourism and the wider community? If so we would

love to hear and promote your research achievements within the School. Please email your research achievements to

tanya.stewart@scu.edu.au