Biography

My research record shows gradual attainment of a position as a recognised authority on institutional and organisational performance in an international context, with specific reference to systems that support organisational decision-making, negotiating, and inter-firm learning. The output consists of six books (with another in preparation), and numerous refereed journal articles, book chapters, reviews and entries to encyclopedias, and international reference works. I serve eight international academic societies/editorial boards and am called upon frequently to referee submissions. I have examined a number of PhD thesis in my field of expertise. I have won the Cass Prize, British Commission for Maritime history Prize, the Duke University/J. Walter Thompson Fellowship, and the Caird Fellowship - all are awarded through an internationally competitive process. I am part of the Rail CRC which won major funding ($60m) and have an ARC Discovery Grant application (with Dr. Paul Barnes) outstanding.

Qualifications

• PhD, University of London, 1984
• Master of Arts, University of Keele - UK, 1977
• Bachelor of History, Brock University, 1975

Research

Research keywords

• economics of information and knowledge
• international business history
• international institutions

Research expertise

My research addresses a series of inter-related themes surrounding information theory and the economics of information. These include how organisations develop systems to support decision-making, negotiating, and inter-firm learning processes. The work uses archival sources relevant to international business and international business history. It generates insights by using grounded theory to inform and extend bodies of theory that have been developed by intuition or empirical methods.

Collaboration

Institutional economics; communications theory and systems theory; inter-firm cooperation in international business; anticipatory risk management, transport and the economics of information and knowledge.

Fields of Research

Centres and Groups

Centre

• Research Institute - The Centre for Institutional and Organisational Studies

Administrative

Administrative expertise

I have served as Head of School (QUT), Assistant Dean Research, and Director of a research institute. Also, I have served extensively on Faculty committees and as a member of Dean's Advisory/Faculty Executive Committees.

Teaching

Teaching keywords

• international business
• international business history

Teaching expertise

My expertise lies in comparative international business and international business history.