Name |
|
Martin Farley (MEc)
|
| Supervisor |
Dr Bruce Felmingham (University of Tasmania) |
| Title |
Decentralisation in the Industrial Relations Framework - The Impact on and Consequences for Productivity and Income Distribution |
| Summary |
The objective of my thesis is to determine the impact of the decentralisation of the industrial system in Australia, as represented by enterprise bargaining activity, on productivity and income. The data set combines information from the Workplace Agreement Data Base, provided by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations in combination with ABS industry data to form panels from 1992 to 2003. Modelling the data set using generalised least squares, it is found that introduction of enterprise agreements has a significant effect on labour productivity across all industry sectors. Wage rates are identified as being significantly affected by improvement in labour productivity but not by bargaining activity. Different wage rate influences are found between industry sectors. |
Caleb Gardner (MEc) |
| Supervisor |
Dr Sarah Jennings (University of Tasmania) and Dr Graeme Wells (University of Tasmania) |
| Title |
An Economic Evaluation of Novel Management Strategies for Tasmania's Crusacean Fisheries |
| Summary |
Tasmania's two crustacean fisheries, giant crab and rock lobster, provide examples of different extremes in fishery operations. The rock lobster fishery is well-established and large in scale with strong stock rebuilding. In contrast, the giant crab fishery developed recently and remains small and has greater risk of decline. Economic guidance is required for management of both fisheries with management currently based almost exclusively on biological data. My project examines several issues/opportunities for the fisheries from guidance on the basic issue of profit optimisation under current management arrangements to exploring the economic feasibility of alternative management systems such as harvest and ongrowing of juveniles and the translocation of lobsters into more productive regions. |
Ann Marsden
(PhD) |
| Supervisor |
Dr Hugh Sibly (University of Tasmania) |
| Title |
An Investigation of Pricing within a Neoclassical Framework of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises |
| Summary |
I am investigating the way that firms use different price discrimination strategies to maximize their profit, where the choice of price discrimination strategy relates to the level of information a business has about customer price elasticity. I am proposing a theoretical framework for comparing profitability, given particular mixes of price discrimination strategies, across firms within an industry. I am testing the applicability of this framework in Tasmania by surveying tourist accommodation businesses with five or more rooms.
During 2005 I developed a draft survey instrument and carried out a number of semi-structured interviews with tourist accommodation businesses and tourist industry organizations. These interviews enabled me to pre-test the questions in my survey instrument. I began running the pilot survey with a group of 15 businesses in November and December 2006 and will continue this in early 2007. Once the pilot survey is complete, the data will be analyzed and the findings used to modify the survey instrument, if appropriate. The main survey will be run during the second half of 2007. |
Ingrid van Putten (PhD) |
| Supervisor |
Dr Sarah Jennings (University of Tasmania) and Dr Stuart Whitten (CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems) |
| Title |
Economics of Biodiversity Conservation on Private Land and Landholder Motivations |
| Summary |
This study is aimed at improving our understanding of landholder decision making, incorporating landholder values and motivations. Discrete choice modelling of landholder behaviour, using survey based data, will allow the prediction of landholder decisions to participate in biodiversity conservation incentive programs. The aim is to link the success of economic instruments (incentive programs) available to government, to the socio-economic characteristic of landholders, their motivations and the economic values they attribute to land for biodiversity conservation. This study will reflect the physical and social diversity in the rural landscape in Australia through a series of regional case studies. The study is also aimed at using the information gathered to develop a bio-economic model that predicts regional supply of private land for biodiversity conservation. The model will combine existing biophysical information, with the socio economic characteristic of the landholders, their motivations, and the prediction of their participation in government incentive schemes determined. |
Alexis Wadsley (PhD) |
| Supervisor |
Dr Bruce Felmingham (University of Tasmania) |
| Title |
Exchange Rates, Commodity Prices and Risk |
| Summary |
During 2005 research moved from the initial scoping stage to the development of structure and key variables. An initial presentation in April 2005 established the framework of the approach linking traded and non-traded goods demand factors to supply variables as a structure for determining the real exchange rate in conjunction with capital stocks and the terms of trade. This approach was then steadily revised to create a structure that would be tractable for the analysis of equilibrium condition and dynamic transition, as well as being easier to describe and communicate. |
Yong Hong Yan (PhD) |
| Supervisor |
Dr Bruce Felmingham (University of Tasmania) and Dr Graeme Wells (University of Tasmania) |
| Title |
The International Integration of Chinese Share Markets |
| Summary |
Much of 2005 was spent conceptualising my potential ideas and sorting out the framework for my later research. Towards the end of the year I successfully applied to upgrade my postgraduate studies from a Master's degree to a PhD degree. I submitted a second paper from my research to the China Economic Review in 2005 and revised and resubmitted the paper later in the year. |
