Centre for Asian Business Research Groups
The Centre's research revolves around eight core themes, each of which focuses on a central aspect of Asian business, and is headed by an Associate Director. Our eight specialised research themes are:
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> Employment Relations, Human Resource Management and Labour Markets
The Employment Relations, Human Resource Management and Labour Markets research group explores broad issues related to employment relations and labour markets in Asia at macro level as well as human resource management and labour-management relations at enterprise level. Specific research areas range from the transformation of society and the impact on management and labour, development and enforcement of labour law and regulation, international trade and labour standards, skill shortage and development in the labour markets, HRM in hospitality industry, migrant workers, labour market segmentation and inequality to micro issues at enterprise level such as production safety, workers' protection, and managers' training. The overall outcome of the research projects within this group will provide informative analysis and policy advice to both academics and decision makers within the governmental and business sectors.
| Director: | Prof. Ying Zhu |
| Research Affiliates: | John Benson, Peter Chen, Sam Huang, Robert van der Veen, Mary Bambacas |
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> International Trade, Finance and Investment
The International Trade, Finance and Investment (ITFI) research group promotes and engages in high-quality research in areas relating to economic integration, monetary regionalism and macroeconomic policy in Asia. This research program adopts a macroeconomic perspective to issues of integration and policy in the region. Specific research projects include the dynamics and patterns of economic integration in Asia, the extent and sequence of trade versus financial integration, intra-regional against inter-regional integration, the fixity (or otherwise) of Asian currencies, the plausibility and possibility of a monetary union in the region and issues regarding central banking and monetary policymaking.
| Associate Director: | Dr. Tony Cavoli |
| Research Affiliates: | Vandana Arya, Xin Deng, Ron McIver, John K. Wilson, Huu Minh Nguyen, Robert van der Veen |
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> Foreign Direct Investment and Multinational Enterprises
The Foreign Direct Investment and Multinational Enterprises (FDI & MNEs) research group seeks to promote robust and wide-ranging investigations into the theoretical and practical insights of various aspects of FDI and MNEs from and within Asian countries. Specific research issues range from motivations for undertaking FDI, determinants of location choices, entry mode decisions, marketing strategies, knowledge acquisition and technology transfer, expatriate management, organizational learning, and performance of FDI operations to the issues pertaining to how FDI and MNE headquarters and affiliates interact with, and affect, host-country firms, society, and environments.
| Research Affiliates: | Kesten Green, Laubie Li, Hussain Rammal, Paul Shum, Ping Xiong, Song Yang, Tatiana Zalan, Ying Zhu |
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> Globalisation and Asian Capitalism
The Globalisation and Asian Capitalism (GAC) research group is dedicated to exploring in-depth political, social, economic and business trends and changes in the Asian high growth economies, brought about by the new phase of global capitalism. Under this theme, research focus is given to the dynamic interactions of globalisation and the process of economic development. In particular, the GAC cluster is designed to facilitate a forum for an academic as well as policy discussion on contemporary critical issues not only concerning the Asian political economy, such as transparency, corporate social responsibility, corruption, intellectual property rights and role of government, but also on the comparative Asian management systems, including cultural influences, management styles, and competitive strategies of Asian firms.
| Associate Director: | Associate Professor You-il Lee |
| Research Affiliates: | Kyungtae Lee, Richard Lee, Ying Zhu |
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> Cross Cultural Management
The Cross Cultural Management (CCM) research group investigates the interconnection of all fields of management with Asian cultures and the comparison of Eastern and Western management practice, and utilises a wide range of theoretical perspectives. Specific research issues include Asian approaches to leadership and management, convergence or divergence of management practice, negotiation skills across cultures, the application of Western management control systems by Asian managers, human resource management practices across Asia, the impact of non-Asian multi-national organizations using standardized management systems in Asian subsidiaries, and attitudes of Asian managers to climate change and sustainability.
| Associate Director: | Associate Professor Bruce Gurd |
| Research Affiliates: | Leonie Hallo, Margaret Patrickson, Hussain Rammal, Helen Thorne, Tatiana Zalan, Ying Zhu, Deepak Sardana |
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> International Marketing and Management
The International Marketing and Management (IMM) research group focuses on understanding Asian consumer behaviour and the marketing challenges that Asian businesses face. The group offers a platform for academic research to help inform marketing strategies and practices in Asia. As such, it looks broadly at issues concerning Asian consumers and business, including topics such as the emergence of global Asian brands, the impacts of culture and globalisation on Asian consumer behaviour, and the marketing of tourism in Asia.
| Associate Director: | Dr. Richard Lee |
| Research Affiliates: | Svetlana Bogomolova, Nick Danenberg, Sam Huang, Aise Kim, Desmond Lam, Larry Lockshin, Simone Mueller, Song Yang, Robert van der Veen |
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> International Accounting Regulation, Valuation and Assurance
The International Accounting Regulation, Valuation and Assurance (IARVA) research group seeks to promote quality research into Asian accounting practices and standards in the context of increasing local and global pressures that are pushing these practices and standards towards uniformity, regardless of their relative inappropriateness for the local business context of many Asian countries. The IARVA research program focuses on four key areas: research relating to the accounting profession, research relating to regulation and assurance, research relating to valuation and research relating to enterprise governance.
| Associate Director: | Professor Janek Ratnatunga |
| Research Affiliates: | Ratnam Alagiah, Mei Lim, Sumit Lodhia, Wahid Murad, David Parker, David Round, Elvia Shauki, Dina Wahyuni, Erwin Waldmann, Sharon Yam |
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> Innovation and Sustainability
The Innovation and Sustainability research group explores ways to improve the economic prosperity, environment and well-being of communities, in a holistic and integrated manner, by means of partnerships with the corporate sector, innovative business models and collaborative Australia-Asia research. Specific research areas include development of rural and regional communities and their infrastructure systems by engaging with businesses and securing Asian investment opportunities associated with carbon finance and trading, and the role of social enterprises, empowerment, and local entrepreneurship in transforming and sustaining communities. The group also pursues synergistic and interconnected 'system' approaches, including the intersection of other CAB research themes with sustainability, and seeks to connect the Centre with complementary research in the technological and physical science fields.
| Research Affiliates: | David Ness, Ying Zhu,, Zong Lei, Deepak Sardana, Don Clifton, Mile Terziovski, Ke Xing |