Research

Through our experienced team of researchers, we have developed an entrepreneurship research program that uncovers the strategies, processes and mechanisms to launch successful start-ups.

AIBE’s research is complemented by UQ’s expanding entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives such as the HYPE UQ SPIN lab, and the integration of ilab and Idea Hub on-campus. Drawing on the University’s commitment to entrepreneurship and innovation, our research aims to:

• Build capacity within the start-up ecosystem by developing a clear framework for understanding how entrepreneurs successfully launch high-impact new ventures.
• Investigate the role of support structures such as incubators, accelerators and co-working spaces to facilitate start-ups’ growth trajectory.
• Explain how entrepreneurs learn in the new venture creation process as a foundation for creating transferable and teachable knowledge about how to develop new high-impact ventures.
• Examine the heuristics, expectations and alternative methods investors employ to evaluate start-ups.
• Investigate enablers and barriers to creating a sustainable and profitable start-up.

Our Strategy and Innovation team

Our strategy and innovation research team has expertise in:

• Social psychology of entrepreneurship
• Economics of innovation
• Behavioural economics of entrepreneurship and innovation
• Strategic planning in a changing business landscape across the financial service industry, health, education, energy and telecommunication sectors.
• Executing rigorous survey design and developing in-depth case studies
• Develop actionable recommendation for managers, executives and policy-makers.

Drawing from our applied law expertise, our Governance, Science and Technology research team focuses on contemporary business problems across four legal themes:

• Redefining corporate governance, behaviour, values and culture in an ever changing business environment. Does society matter?
• Cartels, corruption, financial crime. Do ethics matter? Counting the cost when executives remain silent.
• The risks and rewards of data, artificial intelligence and privacy. What is the real impact on business? Can society rely on business to protect them?
• Tax policy and business form. Counting the cost of red-tape, compliance and uncertainty in tax law. Balancing the freedom to transact and responsible fiscal decisions.

Our Law, Regulation and Governance team

Our Law, Regulation and Governance research team has expertise in:

• Corporate governance, Corporate Social Responsibility and corporations law
• The evolution of the duties, roles, responsibilities and skills of company directors
• Tax policy, legal tax compliance, and the impact of taxation on business form choice
• Cartels, corruption and financial crime
• Competition law
• Trust, integrity and ethics in corporations, regulators and policy makers
• Environmental law and biodiversity
• Machine learning, artificial intelligence and professional practice transformation
• Intellectual property and food security
   

Digital business models and strategy

Digitalization is transforming how organizations operate and create revenue streams. Many new digital-native organizations— like Uber, Airbnb, and eBay— utilize platform ecosystems to connect with digital partners and communities of users. Large traditional organizations are also increasingly pressured to participate in platform ecosystems. We study digital business models and help organizations learn how to create business value through digital platforms. This involves building successful platform strategies and better organizing internally to execute the platform strategies.

Digital capabilities and culture

Organizations invest in digital assets to enjoy the benefits of digitalization. However, technology alone can only go so far. Organizations need to build digital capabilities and embed them in their culture to maximise the value from digital assets. Developing capabilities and changing culture is hard and time-consuming. To foster digital transformation, we study how organizations can be agile in building digital capabilities they need and nurturing a digital-savvy workforce.

Analytics, artificial intelligence, and automation

Data is arguably the most important asset organizations can accumulate. Value from data is created when it is well-managed, embedded into business processes and pervasively used by all employees. Our research focuses on data-driven transformation and helps managers determine what is required for successful transformation. Specifically, we study analytics capabilities and culture, data monetization, business applications of AI and business process automation needed to become data-driven.

Big data ethics and governance

While there are numerous benefits of big data, there are also risks and consequences of unethical usage for all stakeholders involved. Our research explores the impact of big data and intelligent machines on individuals, organizations and society. It particularly focuses on issues related to ethics, privacy, transparency and accountability as data and algorithms become pervasively used for decision-making. Our goal is to help organizations build appropriate data practices, empower individuals and inform legal data processes.