PhD Students
Maurizio Floris
Discourse Analysis: A Third Dimension in Strategy Development
Supervisors: David Grant and Susan Ainsworth
Mainstream strategy development methodologies appear to focus on the exploration of time and context ("space"), ie these methodologies analyze either longer time frames, broader (or richer) contexts, or both. Discourse analysis brings a very different and complementary approach through its analysis of the constructed nature of core concepts of strategy, eg. market segments, needs, capabilities etc. In mainstream strategy theory these concepts are often either taken for granted or the full impact of their constructed nature is not understood. Maurizio aims to explore in his PhD research whether both the theory and practice of strategy development can be meaningfully understood against these 3 different dimensions of strategy development. Maurizio, who is a member of faculty at Melbourne Business School, is conducting his PhD under the auspices of the University of Sydney.
Sebastian Kinne
Discourse and the Construction of Corporate Culture: Professional Service Firm Amalgamations
Supervisors: David Grant and Nick Wailes
Sebastian's thesis explores the role that discourse plays in the social construction of corporate cultural change. Professional Service Firm Amalgamations have been chosen as the context for the study for two reasons. First, Professional Service Firms, due to their unique features and characteristics are believed to exhibit "strong cultures". Second, organisational amalgamations are seen as among the most intense moments of organisational/cultural change. A distinct analytical focus on language and how social realities like culture are brought to life through its use is believed to enhance our understanding not only of organisational cultural change processes during Professional Service Firm Amalgamations, but may also yield insights that could contribute to organization culture literature more generally.
Helena Liu
Leadership Life Stories and Authenticity across Cultures
Supervisors: Leanne Cutcher and Susan Ainsworth
Helena’s thesis explores the emergent concept of authentic leadership which has strengthened in recent years as public concerns over corporate scandals and leadership failures have mounted. Although theoretical developments in authentic leadership have been made with fervour since its inception, its manifestation in practice remains debated, especially concerning the relationship between authenticity and processes of other leadership styles such as persuasion, rhetoric and impression management. Helena's doctoral research aspires to further empirically anchor the growing body of authenticity literature by examining leaders' life stories in particular, autobiographies, through content and discourse analyses, to reveal how leaders ultimately construct their images of authenticity. Furthermore, by introducing a cross-cultural comparison of leadership, it is expected that the relativity and subjectivity of 'authentic' leadership will become apparent, and the role of impression management can be reclaimed as a legitimate, even authentic, process of leadership construction.
Sujatha Rao
The Impact of Professional Contractual Work on Knowledge Management Practices within Organisations
Supervisors: Richard Hall and Susan Ainsworth
Sujatha’s PhD thesis seeks to explore the knowledge sharing behaviours of professionals employed as contractors within organisations. In the contemporary workplace there is an increasing reliance on knowledge workers while at the same time there is an increased prevalence of non-standard employment practices including contract work, particularly among professionals. This research aims to integrate the literature on professional work, transient employment and knowledge management, by determining the conditions under which organisations can capture and utilise the knowledge of professional contractors and the conditions under which professional contractors contribute to the knowledge of the organisation. It is expected that this study will contribute to a better understanding of the changing nature of employment and knowledge management practices of professionals within organisations.
Fanny Salignac
Reconciling Ethical and Profit-Seeking Behaviour? A Discourse Analysis of the Fair Trade Movement
Catherine Welch and Richard Seymour
Fairtrade can be understood in terms of its primary aim: reducing the gap between rich and poor countries via the creation of an alternative market that provides a fairer price and trading conditions for third world producers. In both the academic and popular press, the Fairtrade phenomenon has been dominated by the debate between supporters and critics. Those against argue that nothing could be more fair than free trade, and that fairness is not a characteristic that prices convey. On the other hand, the advocates of Fairtrade focus on the idea of justice and the moral righteousness of the alternative market, aiming at a socially responsible and sustainable world trade. Fanny proposes to go beyond this debate between free and fair trade by examining Fairtrade as a socially constructed discourse. In particular, she will focus on how retailers that participate in the Fairtrade movement construct their behaviour as fair using comparative case studies.
Paul Scifleet
Making Sense of the Digital Content Object: A Common Denominator for Discourse
Supervisors: Susan Williams and Creagh Cole
Project description coming soon.
Sharna Wiblen
Building capable capabilities: The role of Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) in achieving competitive advantage through Talent Management
Supervisors: David Grant and Kristine Dery
The aim of Sharna’s thesis is to further develop an understanding of the use of Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) in the area of talent management by applying the established theory of the resource-based view of the firm to create sustainable competitive advantage. This research will explore the role of the HRIS in the management of talent in organisations which will contribute to our understanding of the role of technology in human resource management and its impact on the organisation to maintain and sustain competitive advantage. Furthermore it aims to address salient concerns of human resource and non-human resource practitioners.
Jeaney Yip
On Religious artefacts, Music and Discourse: Mega-church and Identity Construction
Jeaneys thesis explores how mega-churches construct an organisational identity through its artefacts, music and discourse. Mega-churches are a secularised form of religious organisation which in highly developed societies is often perceived to be a product of modernity. This has led to the commodification of religion but the process of just how religion becomes a branded product which is consumed remains unclear. This doctoral research explores how churches, as fluid organisations, are required to construct a marketable identity amidst competition from alternative spiritual providers and declining religious trends. Using discourse analysis with a focus on language and semiotics, the thesis aims to demonstrate how contemporary church music along with other artefacts are both culturally and organisationally constructed, in other words, how theology, secular and organisational discourses are reconciled in a church brand. These reconciliations not only exhibit the deliberate use and exploitation of material and consumer culture, but the strategic positioning of an organisational identity in the spiritual marketplace. It is expected that this will lead to contributions in the intricate weaving of marketplace dynamics, consumer culture and organisational identity literatures.
Students Recently Awarded PhDs
Janine Holgate
Governance Arrangements for Enterprise Information Protection: An Australian Critical Infrastructure Perspective
Supervisors: Susan Williams and Catherine Hardy
The protection of corporate information assets within rapidly changing business, regulatory and technical environments presents a considerable challenge to organisations of all kinds. This work provides an interdisciplinary examination and analyses of the theoretical contributions to information protection governance (IPG) made in different disciplinary domains and examines the institutionalisation of information protection governance IPG in organisations.
Susan V. Keyes-Pearce
IT Value Management in Leading Firms:The Fit Between Theory and Practice (Awarded the 2006 ACPHIS Information Systems PhD Medal)
Supervisors: Susan Williams and Steve Elliot
This research addresses the perpetual problem raised by many firms of how to improve management of value from information technology (IT), particularly from strategic IT-enabled initiatives. The research specifically addresses the question of how firms leading in BtoB (business-to-business) e-business can improve the management of value from IT. It focuses on value identification, creation, and capture from strategic IT-enabled business initiatives such as e-business.
Sarah Kim
Post Merger Integration in Professional Service Firms
Supervisors: Nick Wailes and Leanne Cutcher
Sarah’s doctoral research relates to post-merger integration in professional service firms. Over the past decade, there has been a wave of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) across a number of industries. However, the relevant literature suggests that almost two-thirds of all merger deals fail to deliver their intended benefits. A key theme of the existing literature is that the way in which the integration process is managed can have a significant impact on the relative success of merger and acquisitions. The object of Sarah’s thesis is to investigate the role that the post-merger integration phase plays in determining merger outcomes in professional service firms – specifically accounting and consulting firms –, and examine the factors associated directly or indirectly with the integration that impact on overall merger success. It is expected that this study will provide insights into post-merger integration process both in the professional service firms and more generally.
Jane Gyung-Sook Lee
The Experiences of Immigrant Female Korean Workers in the Australian Labour Market: A Narrative Analysis
Supervisors: David Grant and Suzanne Jamieson
Jane's thesis explored the labour market experiences of Korean migrant women in Australia, aiming to hear their otherwise unheard accounts. Through discourse and narrative analysis of interviews with 30 women in their native language, the research both resists and embellishes existing conceptions of barriers to labour market participation for Asian migrant women. Existing research suggests two main barriers to the Australian labour market for these women: English language skills and cultural and historical notions of identity and femininity. The research investigates to what degree these two barriers are a discernable external reality, limiting and shaping the behaviour of Korean migrant women in Australia. It also aims to hear their individual stories and interpretive realities (perceptions) to allow for alternative conceptualisations of the Australian labour market.
Tony Stapledon
Offices as Tools for organizational Sustainability
Supervisors: David Grant and Grant Michelson
This cross-disciplinary research explores links between organizational sustainability and office-based working environments. It investigates key areas of concern to directors and managers seeking competitive advantage through development of sustainability as an organizational competency and an intangible asset: organizational purpose; culture, identity and image; change; learning and innovation; and corporate social responsibility. The research is centred on a case study of the world's leading firm in corporate sustainability, examining its search for sustainability and how it is using a major new office collocation project to enhance those characteristics common to sustainable firms. Its approach is compared and contrasted with that of other high rating firms within Australia, using data derived from approximately 40 semi-structured interviews with employees at executive and senior management levels and with the firms' design and workplace consultants, and from various publications of and about the firms.