CSOW Research Clusters

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To build concentrations of expertise, the Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work has been organised by eight research clusters. This structure develops productive relationships between College of Business Schools and the Centre, with other research bodies in the College of Business, and with other RMIT University bodies, in particular the Global Cities Research Institute.

The Centre comprises the following research clusters:

• Climate Change and Sustainable Transitions – Management
• Entrepreneurship and Business Futures – Management
• Geopolitics, Business and Government – Management
• Green IT – Business IT and Logistics
• Management, Culture and Organisations – Management
• Management Research, with particular reference to Asia – Management
• Organisational Value of Social Media – Inter-School
• Ports and Maritime Logistics – Business IT and Logistics
• Skills and Labour Markets – Inter-School
• The Arts of Design and Management – Management
• Trade Unions and Social Movements – Management
• Women and Work – Inter-School

Clusters provide the organisational and administrative structure of the Centre, with cluster coordinators sitting on the Centre Executive, along with the College Deputy Heads for Research from each participating School and other experts, as appropriate.

Coordinator
Dr Darryn Snell

The Climate Change and Sustainable Transitions research cluster is committed to promotion, production and dissemination of high quality research. The cluster aims to undertake rigorous research, addressing a broad range of research questions and themes on climate change and sustainable transition. Central to this work is a concern with both mitigation and adaptation in the context of climate change.

The Climate Change and Sustainable Transitions research cluster brings together teams of multidisciplinary researchers to investigate the social dimensions of the transition to a more economically and environmentally sustainable world. Complementing this focus is a concern to explore the ways in which communities as localities and neighbourhoods organise and adapt to the severe events, such as bushfires and floods. It examines the historical and contemporary dimensions of climate change and transition. It fosters applied research to promote and facilitate informed debate and dialogue about climate change and sustainable transitions.

The research cluster works with and contributes to the researches undertaken by the Global Cities Research Institute (www.global-cities.info), which aims ‘to emphasize questions of sustainability, resilience, security and adaptation in the face of processes of globalization and global climate change’. These include two principal Institute programs: ‘Sustainable Urban and Regional Futures’ (SURF) and the Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP).

The activities promoted by the cluster include forums and seminars, hosting visitors, and contributing to international research programs, such as the the Canada-based Inter-university Research Centre on Globalization and Work (CRIMT: www.crimt.org).

For further information see the Climate Change and Sustainable Transitions Research Cluster website.

Coordinator
Dr Caroline (Carol) Swee Lin Tan

The Entrepreneurship and Business Futures research cluster of the RMIT Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work provides a venue for dialogue with and between industry, researchers, and research teams.

Researchers investigate the broad topic areas of: creativity, innovation and design; family business; small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs); social entrepreneurship; fast growth firms; marketing in entrepreneurship; business incubation; regulatory and tax compliance in SMEs and gender in business.

Contact the Centre for more information on the current research program.

Coordinator
Associate Professor Sharif As-Saber

The geopolitical relationships involving business and government are becoming an increasingly important area of study. It also impacts on business, community and governments, and raises important questions and debates about political mobilization and actions. The Cluster opens up these themes by drawing on multidisciplinary expertise and teams.

For further information see the Geopolitics, Business and Government Research Cluster website.

Coordinator
Assoc Prof Alem Molla

Organisations are under increasing pressure to engage in ecologically sustainable practices. In this context, the impact of information technology (IT) on and its role in ecological sustainability has emerged as one of the key IT management issues. The impact of IT on the natural environment can be classified into two broad categories of first and second order effects. The first-order effect refers to the environmental impact of IT production, use, and disposal. This is related to Green IT. The second-order effect refers to the impact of using IT on business and economic processes. This effect relates to IT for Green (aka Green IS).

The Green IT Research Cluster has a world class capability in Green IT and IT for Green research. The group of academics and doctoral researchers in the cluster have between themselves some 30 years of accumulated experience in IT/IS management and in the transition to sustainable IT/IS. The Green IT and IT For Green research has a strong industry focus and work with and/or is supported by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), Fujitsu Australia and Connection Research.

For further information see the Green IT Research Cluster website.

Coordinator
Dr Lynnel Hoare

The Management and Culture research cluster of the RMIT Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work provides a forum for discussion and debate on the research issues that relate to the links between management and culture with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific Region. The cluster aims to initiate, facilitate and support research activities and collaborations on subjects such as the relationship between culture and HR management, leadership and international management.

The Management and Culture research cluster is working on projects such as: Learning and Development in ‘Asian ethos’ hospitality industry; The aspirations of Chinese Business migrants in Australia, Cultural Values & Preferred Leadership Behaviours: A case study of Vietnam in the modern era, and Curriculum & Material Development for International Management and Leadership Courses.

For further information see the Management, Culture and Organisations website.

Coordinator
Dr Ngan Collins

The Management with particular reference to Asia research cluster of the RMIT Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work brings together researchers from College of Business disciplines concerned with management studies, for example, organisational behaviour, leadership, resource management, services management and HR management.

Examples of projects in which the cluster’s researchers examine management themes with a particular reference to the Asia-Pacific region include: A comparative research of education management reform in China, Vietnam, and North Korea; a Comparative study of China and Vietnam’s Trade Unions and Management of non-traditional expatriates.

Contact the Centre for more information on the current research program.

Coordinator
Professor Mohini Singh

The Organisational Value of Social Media cluster of the RMIT Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work undertakes, discusses, disseminates and encourages research on Web 2.0 technologies (Social Media) in organisations to understand the rules for success with this new media.

Organisations are increasingly adopting Web 2.0 applications such as Blogs, Twitter, Wikis, YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, Really Simple Syndication (RSS), Folksonomy, Mashups, MySpace, and other social media with investments predicted to reach $3.1 billion in 2014. It is therefore essential to understand issues in relation to these technologies as they present organisations with great opportunities and some challenges. How organisations can capitalise on social media to add value to their business functions, employees, customers and performance is the focus of this research cluster.

For further information see the Organisational Value of Social Media Research Cluster website.

Coordinator
Dr. Victor Gekara

The Ports and Maritime Logistics research cluster of the RMIT Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work delivers high impact research that addresses key issues and trends in Port development, Maritime Logistics and International Supply Chains in the context of globalisation.

The cluster’s work is premised on the understanding that, as economies continue to globalise and business networks become more distanced and complex, the need for academic debate about the design, structure and functioning of global logistics operations and supply chains has become critical to the advancement of business and management theory and practice.

The cluster aims to work closely with industry partners to develop funded research projects leading to quality scholarly outputs, stimulating debate among peers and enhancing the reputation of RMIT University in this field.

It’s research and dissemination focuses on issues relating to the following in the context of the ports and maritime sectors:

• Globalisation, labour and capital
• New technologies, work and employment
• Performance and productivity of ports in a globalised business context
• Sustainable development and organisation
• Clustering and competitiveness of global logistics hubs
• The sustainability of contemporary supply chain designs and practices
• Skills, workforce development and strategic jobs.

Current Ports and Maritime Logistics research cluster work covers a number of projects developed in partnership with a variety of industry and government organisations.

For further information see the Ports and Maritime Logistics Research Cluster website.

Coordinator
Dr Larissa Bamberry

The Skills and Labour Market research cluster aims to collaboratively develop and disseminate research into the relationships between skills and the labour market. The cluster’s focus includes the nature of skills, skills development processes within the labour market, shortages in key skills areas within the labour market, regional labour markets and the gender dimensions of skills and labour markets.

The cluster includes researchers from across RMIT and it aims to develop research links with government and industry bodies in order to influence both policy and practice.

For further information see the Skills and Labour Markets Research Cluster website.

Coordinator
Professor Martin Wood

The Arts of Design and Management Research cluster of the RMIT Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work aims to explore and develop new methodologies and combinations of methods drawn from the processes and practices of creative arts enquiry. This is so that the processes and practices of ‘performative’ research methods might not only constitute research rigour but also, by taking ‘the affective turn’, help us to see and hear the social world and to act politically within it.

For further information see the The Arts of Design and Management Research Cluster website.

Coordinator
Dr Ruth Barton

The Trade Unions and Social Movements research cluster of the RMIT Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work undertakes, discusses, disseminates and encourages research on collective organisations in the workplace in Australia and the Asia-Pacific by building collaborative relationships across RMIT, other research groups and centres, the broader academic community and with external collective organisations.

This creates a place for debate and dialogue with and between researchers, research teams and collective organisations about collective organisations.

Contact the Centre for more information on the current research program.

Coordinator
Dr Cathy Brigden

The Women and Work research cluster research cluster of the RMIT Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work promotes, produces and disseminates research on women and work that examines historical and contemporary dimensions, dynamics and experiences, particularly focussing on Australia and the Asia Pacific region.

By building collaborative relationships across RMIT, other research groups, the broader academic community and external organisations with an interest in women and work the cluster fosters cross-disciplinary and cross-national research as part of creating a place for debate and dialogue about women and work with, and between, researchers, research teams and groups.

Cluster members are drawn from disciplines across RMIT. Cluster activities include forums and seminars, links and joint activities with other research groups and the development of a RMIT Women and work research register.

For further information see the Woman and Work Research Cluster website.

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