Professor Abhishek Bhati, Campus Dean at JCU-Singapore and a Professoriate member of CITBA, was interviewed by TTG Asia about new job opportunities are emerging in the hospitality and tourism industry.

"We are preparing JCU students and graduates to be resilient and to (be) innovative to improve business outcomes. They will be welcomed in different roles as long as they can add value to businesses," said Professor Abhishek Bhati. Read the full article here.

Professor Abhishek Bhathi, Campus Dean at JCU-Singapore and professoriate member of CITBA, is running a professional development workshop at the 80th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management 2020. The title of this workshop is "The Equity Issues in Hospitality and Tourism- Exploring (IN)equalities. The workshop is co-hosted by Dr K Thirumaran (Academic Head, Business) and Vanessa Bernauer.

To watch the introductory video, click here.

Associate Professor Jacob Wood published his logistics study in the Journal of Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment. Titled “Transportation CO2 emission decoupling: An assessment of the Eurasian logistics corridor” the highlights of the study are:

• Analyses the trends in transportation CO2 emissions for 29 Eurasian countries.
• Tests link between transportation development and CO2 emissions using the Tapio index.
• Key factors of transportation CO2 emissions decoupling are explored using LMDI method.

The study can be retrieved from here.

We are pleased to announce the publication of the edited volume entitled “A Multidimensional Economic Assessment of Africa” edited by A/Prof Jacob Wood published by Springer.

This book provides a practical resource for academics, government policy analysts, and business professionals who wish to develop a more detailed understanding of some of the key economic issues facing the African region in 2020. In the face of weak governance and growth globally, there is still a window of opportunity for countries in Africa to build on not only their traditional industrial capabilities, but also pave the way for positive developments in international trade and in the way governments tackle poverty and inequality. By focusing on four areas—(1) agriculture and livestock, (2) consumption, poverty and inequality, (3) financial services, employment and corporate governance, and (4) economic integration, international trade and foreign direct investment (FDI)—this book presents a series of empirical studies that examine important contemporary economic issues facing Africa. The book incorporates a range of methodological approaches, with some chapters providing case study analyses while others embrace more traditional forms of econometric testing. This book is a useful resources for academics, students of higher education and business practitioners interested in African economics.

A year of exciting research related events are planned for CITBA in 2020 which will provide our members opportunities to  engage in exciting talks, hands-on workshops and research projects to discover a collaborative and creative future through the centre. CITBA’s research programs will continue amid COVID-19 outbreak, although following university’s instruction, the way we conduct research activities will account ways to eliminate risk to our members. Accordingly, our workshops, activities, and deliverables are designed to be done remotely and online for the most part of the year.

Our online presentations, and podcasts will showcase the exciting research going on within CITBA and in collaboration with others. Our online staged projects will also provide opportunity to direct our great expertise and limited resources towards narrowly defined research problems, with clear impacts and deliverables. A range of hands-on & online workshops will see members engaging with one another, providing platforms for our academics and HDR students to find creative and innovative ways to venture exciting new projects or advance existing projects. Our HDR members are particularly encouraged to take advantage of this unique research-enabling environment provided through CITBA. I, now, invite you to browse our 2020 planner in the table below, and please be reminded that some of the timelines could be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. If you were interested in participating in any of the events below or you would like to propose to organise an event within CITBA please email A/Prof Taha Chaiechi at taha.chaiechi@jcu.edu.au

CITBA in 2020

How is this pandemic affecting our economy? Who has been hit the hardest? How closely connected are health and wealth? Are there things we, as individuals, can do now to prepare for the aftermath of COVID-19? A/Prof Taha Chaiechi gives insight into these questions in an interview article with “This is Uni”. Read the full article here.

Senior CITBA Research Fellow Prof. Eddy Ng is the research lead on this fantastic new study

We are currently living in an exceptional health and economic situation in the world for an indefinite period of time. In this context, telework has become the daily reality of many workers who have to adapt. The aim of this study is to take a new look at teleworking, to analyse the adaptation of employees to new ways of working and to digital tools. Beyond the impacts of teleworking in a crisis, we want to identify the potential for innovation in ways of working for the future.

For an international reach, this study is being conducted in the US, Canada, France, Australia, and Singapore.

We invite you to complete our online questionnaire that will take 10-12 minutes of your time. We will share the results of our survey on the websites of James Cook University, Bucknell University, Université de Montréal, TBS Business School, Université Laval, and Macquarie University.

This research has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (#1920-114) at Bucknell University and partner institutions.  You may discuss any questions you have about this study with Dr Eddy Ng at eddy.ng@bucknell.edu (copy to eddy.ng@jcu.edu.au ).

Click the link to participate in the survey: https://fr.surveymonkey.com/r/telcov_usa

Shut-up & write Bootcamp

When: Monday 8th & Tuesday 9th June 2020

9.30am- 4.30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time
via Zoom communication channel

Centre for International Trade and Business in Asia (CITBA) is offering a two-day virtual writing retreat open to all HDR candidates and academics. The main goal of the retreat is to turn writing from a solitary, to a virtual social experience, to help you set aside dedicated writing time, make progress, and learn from others. The retreat also offers great targeted training opportunities as part of the two-day program.

Bootcamp components:

1. Mini-lessons:

Our Speakers:

• Mrs Diana Castorina: Master of Ceremonies (MC)
• A/Prof Elizabeth Tynan : Topic: Getting Started
• A/Prof Taha Chaiechi, Topic: Writing a persuasive literature review : different approaches to conducting literature review
• A/Prof Josephine Pryce, Topic:  Qualitative research: methods for data collection, analysis and presentation
• A/Prof Hilary Whitehouse (Deputy Dean, GRS): Debrief Day 1 and Day 2, and group Q&A

2. Independent writing times

3. Conferring and sharing

The structure of the bootcamp is influenced by the Pomodoro Technique, a time management method that encourages academics to focus on their daily tasks and work with the time they have, rather than against it.

Registration

Registration is free but essential. Please register here by or before Thursday 4 June 2020:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/citba-writing-bootcamp-tickets-105044350480

The link to private Zoom channel, and Bootcamp information pack will be distributed to all registered participants on Friday 5 June 2020 (to receive this information please register by Thursday 4 June)

Contacts

Bootcamp Coordinator for HDRs: Ms Diana Castorina diana.castorina@jcu.edu.au ,

Bootcamp Coordinator for Academics: A/prof Taha Chaiechi taha.chaiechi@jcu.edu.au

Dr Breda McCarthy is part of a multi-disciplinary team from the College of Business, Law & Governance (CBLG) who were successful in obtaining some funding under the Australia-France Social Science Collaborative Research Program. The project is led by Dr Stephane Le Queux (Chief Investigator) and titled: Australian input to the Polynesian Smart Islands initiative.

Dr McCarthy plans to conduct research using the lens of social marketing and will explore sustainable consumption patterns from the perspective of food consumers in Tahiti. She will work with the founder of the Natural Shop Tahiti to recruit one group of consumers, the ‘sustainable consumers’, drawing on a scale developed by Geiger, Fischer, & Schrader (2018). An integrative framework, incorporating a selection of relevant, sustainable consumption behaviours based on impact, will be applied.  One of the anticipated outputs from this project will be the measurement of sustainable consumer behaviour on the individual level, through use of an online survey, along with a change in behaviours after the introduction of an intervention. The project is in the planning stage, and work will commence after ethics approval has been obtained.

Screen shot of an organic store based in Tahiti

References

Geiger, S. M., Fischer, D., & Schrader, U. (2018). Measuring what matters in sustainable consumption: an integrative framework for the selection of relevant behaviours. Sustainable Development, 26(1), 18-33.

Dr Breda McCarthy talked to a radio presenter about online reviews. The live telephone interview took place on Wednesday, June 17^th and was broadcast to regional SA from Port Pirie. The presenter, Angela Smallacombe, was interested in finding out more about online reviews, such as why people post online reviews, whether people are more inclined to read reviews rather than post them, the impact of online reviews on a business's reputation and whether fake reviews exist on the internet. Listen in:

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/riverland/programs/mornings/episodes/

The research study is about online hotel reviews and the principal investigator, Associate Pengji Wang, JCU Singapore, is hoping to recruit a large sample of Australian and Chinese respondents.

The online survey takes 10 minutes to complete and everyone who completes it can enter into a prize draw with a chance to win a $100 shopping voucher.

If you wish to give your thoughts on online reviews and hotel room bookings, then visit the link below.

Survey - English language version

https://jcubusiness.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e9YPb4E8wr2iJgx

Survey - Chinese version:

https://jcus.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8BOAbpUnaIBniTP

(CITBA) Shut-up and Write Bootcamp

Centre for International Trade and Business in Asia (CITBA) organised a two-day virtual writing retreat that was open to all HDR candidates and academics across JCU. The main goal of the retreat was to turn writing from a solitary, to a virtual social experience, to help you set aside dedicated writing time, make progress, and learn from others. The retreat also offered great targeted training opportunities (mini-lessons) as part of the two-day program. Here is the list of our amazing speakers.

The bootcamp invitation was well-received by attending Academics and HDR students from across JCU campuses with the majority expressing their desire for future similar events by CITBA. In total, 72 registrations were received by the due date of Thursday 4 June 2020, with few cancellations due to other commitments. Overall, 38% of the participants were from the CBLG and 63% from other colleges and divisions from across the university. See an overview of the academic fields of participants below. Attendance was at its highest during day 1 and also during the mini-lesson sessions and debriefs with our key speakers. Here is a screengrab of our participants, below, we also provided some infographic and feedback that may be interesting to some readers. CITBA will issue the attendees with a certificate of participation endorsed by A/Prof  Taha Chaiechi, the Australia Director for CITBA, and A/Prof Jacob Wood, the Associate Dean of Research, CBLG.

Infographic

Some Feedback

Extensive feedback was collected throughout the workshop, and participants progress was recorded against their goals. Participants found the workshop a great avenue to connect to others, expand their network, and learn about a different aspect of their research. From those who participated in the second-day feedback session, 91% requested similar future events to be organised by CITBA.

Participants' rate of progress against their writing goals

CITBA is pleased to announce that the third workshop as part of the Research Training Series is now available. Lesson 3 briefly visits the Research Onion Model and then moves to introduce Case Study as a research methodology and an empirical inquiry into phenomena within the real-life contexts. We are also pleased to advise that in addition to CITBA's YouTube channel, all these lessons now are available on CITBA's homepage

The training sessions are primarily aimed at Higher Degree Research students (HDRs), and Early Career Researchers (ECRs) who are at early stages of their research career and may find some sessions more relevant to their work than others. Each training video deals with specific aspects of the research methods, design, tools, and writing. We recommend HDRs to talk to their supervisors about which sessions are best suited to their current aims and needs. This series is edited by A/Prof Taha Chaiechi, who has a passion for providing additional research training opportunities to develop professional capabilities of our HDR cohort and ECRs.

Associate Professor Jacob Wood published his transportation study in the Journal of Cleaner Production. Titled "CO2 emission in transportation sector across 51 countries along the Belt and Road from 2000 to 2014" the highlights from the study are:

• The heterogeneity of the transportation sector CO2 emissions along the belt and road countries is analysed.
• The levels of CO2 emissions intensity in the transportation sector has reduced, with the level of difference narrowing.
• With the exception of Southeast Asian countries, there is no significant spatial correlation.

The study can be retrieved from here.

On Thursday 24th September 2020, Professor Peter Case, who is a Professor of Management and Organisation Studies in both JCU and Bristol Business School, UWE, gave an inspiring talk to the CBLG HDR cohorts and academics.

Professor Case's webinar focused on "Multidisciplinary Research Teams and Transdisciplinary Impacts." The presentation explored complexity and degrees of "wickedness" in different categories of research projects and assessed the rational aspects of project development and implementation Vs non-rational dynamics of teamwork and politics of project implementation.  For more information contact Professor Peter Case via email: peter.case@jcu.edu.au

A/Prof Taha Chaiechi is one of the invited experts who has been interviewed for the above article published in INTHEBLACK magazine published by CPA Australia's flagship publication. It is Australia's most-widely circulating monthly business magazine (150,000+ circulations), and it features interviews with strategic business leaders from Australia and around the world.

Read the full article.

A/Prof Taha Chaiechi gives another interview six months after her first interview about COVID-Economy. With key statistics of National Accounts for June Quarter released on 01 September by the RBA, Taha shares insights about the continues effect of the pandemic on Australian Economy, and it is not all doom and gloom for Australia. Read the full article

A/Prof Taha Chaiechi was invited by the MIT-World Peace University to give a presentation about COVID-Economy. As one of the Chief Speakers of this webinar series, Taha's presentation focused on "COVID-Economy: Hibernation, Reset, and Recovery". The event was held on 25 September. The event was attended by more than 130 students and faculty members.

Associate Professor Riccardo Welters: Call for price rises as cut-price smokes used more.

His new study, which was published in the Nature Human Behaviour journal, compares Australia with New Zealand which introduced plain cigarette packaging six years after Australia. The research found that tobacco plain packaging has not reduced the prevalence of smoking in Australia, and has actually led to smokers switching to cheaper brands and smoking more.

For more information, please refer to the following links:

https://www.jcu.edu.au/news/releases/2020/september/call-for-price-rises-as-cut-price-smokes-used-more

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32958901/

We are pleased to announce that CITBA James Cook University will host the International Conference on Business, Economics, Management, and Sustainability (BEMAS). This exciting and content-rich conference will be held online in July 2021, and it is open to academics, professionals, and students from a variety of disciplinary fields. Abstract submissions open 20 October 2020. For more details, please check out our conference page here

Inquiries: A/Prof Taha Chaiechi (General Chair) via email: taha.chaiechi@jcu.edu.au

CITBA James Cook University cordially invites chapter proposals for an edited book entitled “Business, Industry and Trade in the Tropics”. This book is based on an accepted book proposal by A/Prof Jacob Wood, PhD Dr Thirumaran K and A/Prof Taha Chaiechi James Cook University as part of the Book Series “Advances in Research on the Tropics” by Routledge Publishing.

Inquiries: A/Prof Jacob Wood via email: Jacob.wood@jcu.edu.au

A/Prof Taha Chaiechi led an edited Book project with Elsevier entitled: "Economic effects of Natural Disasters- Theoretical Foundations, Methods, and Tools". The book is now available for pre-order and was published on 21 October 2020.  This book consists of 35 chapters (660 pages), 12 of which are authored by 20+ JCU researchers (from both JCUA and JCUS). Congratulation to A/Prof Taha Chaiechi for editing this valuable and timely and valuable collection, and thanks to all the authors for sharing their wisdom and knowledge with the global community. More details can be found here.

We are pleased to announce that the Centre of International Trade and Business in Asia (CITBA) will host the International Conference on Business, Economics, Management, and Sustainability (BEMAS). This exciting and content-rich conference will be held online in July 2021. The event is open to academics, professionals, and students from a variety of disciplinary fields. Abstract submission opens on 20 October, and the review is subjected to single-blind peer-review (qualifying publications for HERDC points). Moreover, accepted and presented papers will be included in the conference proceeding published by Springer. For more information, refer to the BEMAS conference flyer. We are looking forward to receiving your abstracts.

Organising Committee

Congratulations to this year award winner

This award is given to eligible staff/students who:

1. Produce one A* or A rated or equivalent research paper in the relevant calendar year. The paper must be published, or formally accepted for publication with a doi number or equivalent. If the paper is in press at the time of application and/or the researcher wishes to apply using a paper without the full reference details or doi numbers, then a letter from the editor accepting the paper must be provided. Papers tentatively accepted but still in revision will not be eligible for the award. The A* and A journal rankings are those determined by the Australian Business Deans Council or other discipline quality criteria.
2. Produce 3 or more publications in the one calendar year in journals which are rated as B or C by the Australian Business Deans Council or equivalent discipline quality criteria.
3. Produce 3 or more book chapters in the one calendar year in edited works from quality publishers with ISBN recognition.
4. As a principal/chief investigator successfully receive external research funding for JCU of $50,000 AUD or more in a calendar year.

Conference papers and papers in edited conference proceedings are not considered in this recognition scheme.

Organized by Dr Malobi Mukerjee, this webinar on the future of retailing will focus on the road ahead for retailers in the wake of the devastating effect pandemic has had on this sector. It will discuss the lessons that retailers could learn from this pandemic and how retail organization can improve their risk assessment and resiliency in the future adopting agile strategies. The discussion will explore perspectives on the future of retail supply chain management, retail innovation and future cybersecurity risks with the panel comprising a retail practitioner, an academic and a cybersecurity expert.

Panellists:

Ms Andal Alwan - Regional Head – APAC, Consumer Goods, Retail & Logistics at Infosys Ltd

Mr Prashant Nayak - Vice President Global Security Asia Pacific at Walt Disney (Cyber Security specialist)

Dr Richard Cuthbertson - Research Director, Oxford Institute of Retail Management, Said Business School, Oxford University.

In this Opinion piece published in the Business Times, Dr Malobi Mukherjee of JCUS points out that to be better prepared for crises such as the pandemic in the future, retailers (and all business leaders) need to re-examine conventional processes for risk assessment and strategic decision making. She proposes scenario planning as an alternative approach to reframing because it provides a step-by-step, systematic framework to engage with uncertainties in the business environment, raise plausible counterintuitive questions about the future from the vantage point of the present, and challenge the senior leadership’s fundamental assumptions about the business. In her op-ed she provides an overview of the steps and cites examples from her use of scenario planning with retailers in Europe and Asia to elaborate on this argument. The complete text of the article can be accessed through the JCUS library by clicking on the link below.

https://search-proquest-com.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/news/docview/2458300841/97737058990E42F8PQ/3?accountid=16285