Melanie Randle - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Melanie Randle

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 0312407x 2011 574229, Aug 30, 2012

Although Australia is experiencing a shortage of foster carers, there is currently litle understa... more Although Australia is experiencing a shortage of foster carers, there is currently litle understanding of why people do not become carers. his study explores the reasons given for not fostering though a survey of 897 non carers. Results indicate that, at the aggregate level, people do not become carers because they do not know anything about fostering, or because they are busy with their own children, work, or commitments to family and friends. However, if we account for heterogeneity, diferences in these barriers are observed for subgroups within the sample. We investigate the structure of the market of potential foster carers by segmenting the market using cultural background as the segmentation base. Results indicate that the reasons for not fostering difer depending on the subgroup being examined. heoretically, this suggests that heterogeneity exists within the foster care market, and that examining barriers to foster care only at the aggregate level neglects the importance of individual subsegment characteristics. Practically, results are important because they suggest that generic marketing campaigns aimed at the entire community have limited efect and that customised strategies are required to atract the particular types of carers most needed.

Faculty of Commerce Papers, 2007

Many local environmental volunteering organisations face difficulties attracting volunteers from ... more Many local environmental volunteering organisations face difficulties attracting volunteers from specific subgroups of the community. Consequently, it is crucial to gain understanding about the variety of factors that move people to participate in environmental volunteering. Factors which might have been underestimated in the past given the rather homogeneous community groups of volunteers which are, e.g., predominantly of Anglo-Saxon origin. This study reports on an analysis of volunteering motivations based on a representative data set provided by the ABS. It reveals that volunteering motivations vary widely and illustrates possible new ways of marketing volunteering organisations in order to attract new community groups to participate. Six community groups are constructed that are characterised by different motivation patterns. They are externally valid and demonstrate significant differences in socio-demographic profiles.

Growing competition in the third sector has resulted in non-profit organisations making more soph... more Growing competition in the third sector has resulted in non-profit organisations making more sophisticated use of marketing techniques to attract volunteers. Not only are organisations attempting to attract more volunteers but increasingly the focus is shifting to attracting the right type of volunteers, or those who will contribute the most hours. This study segments the volunteering market by number of hours contributed in the past 12 months, and identifies significant differences between the characteristics of high-contribution and low-contribution volunteers. High-contribution volunteers are found to (1) exhibit distinctive sociodemographic characteristics; (2) have a greater number, and broader range, of motivations for volunteering; and (3) initially get involved in volunteering in different ways to low-contribution volunteers. Findings are important because they provide practitioners with a description of those individuals most likely to contribute more hours which can be used to increasingly attract these types of people, and subsequently reduce the amount spent continually attracting new volunteers.

In Australia the value of volunteering runs into the tens of billions of dollars each year. The m... more In Australia the value of volunteering runs into the tens of billions of dollars each year. The multicultural nature of Australia has resulted in greater heterogeneity amongst volunteers; however minorities are still under-represented in mainstream volunteering. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to structure the study, the volunteering behaviour of ethnic minorities is investigated. All three constructs are found to be relevant for volunteering; however, the role that each construct plays varies between ethnic groups. Findings are significant for managers trying to attract volunteers from different ethnic groups because marketing messages can be targeted to the factors most influential in their particular decision making process.

Contributing an estimated AUD42 billion dollars a year to the Australian economy and US150 billio... more Contributing an estimated AUD42 billion dollars a year to the Australian economy and US150 billion dollars to the USA, volunteering has become an industry sector of major importance. It has consequently attracted significant attention among researchers of various disciplines, including marketing. Nevertheless, the industry is confronted with ongoing challenges, particularly in the area of recruitment. This article provides a review of prior marketing-related studies and identifies a number of gaps in the research, such as a limitation in the past to a priori approaches to categorising volunteers, which has offered limited insight and conflicting results. The authors recommend a more comprehensive investigation of heterogeneity amongst volunteers through a posteriori segmentation which will allow precise targeting of specific segments. In addition, a more comprehensive investigation of competition and positioning in the industry is recommended which will facilitate an integrated market structure analysis and lead to more efficient and effective marketing strategies for nonprofit organisations. As a specific example, a better understanding of volunteering motivations in multicultural societies is needed to optimise targeted recruitment messages.

Despite increased competitive pressures in the volunteering industry, the structure of competitio... more Despite increased competitive pressures in the volunteering industry, the structure of competition within this non-profit sector has not been examined in the past. This study uses selected respondents from the 1999-2002 World Values Survey who have previously volunteered for multiple organisations. Based on the patterns of organisations that volunteers donated their time for, competition between volunteering organisations with different missions was analysed, resulting in five dimensions of volunteering missions within which volunteering organisations appear to be competing: altruistic, leisure, political, church, and other missions. The altruistic mission groups is the broadest and includes a wide variety of volunteering goals, whereas the church seems to stand without much competition, thus being confronted with the least competitive threat in the fight for volunteers. Such analyses would be useful for managers faced with the challenge of retaining current volunteers and recruiting new volunteers in an increasingly competitive volunteering marketplace. As such, the proposed approach represents a way of analysing the competitive market structure analysis in the volunteering market, thus providing volunteering organisations with a useful tool from the marketing toolbox.

Faculty of Commerce Papers, 2005

Due to the continuing under-representation of women in academic positions of higher rank, the Fac... more Due to the continuing under-representation of women in academic positions of higher rank, the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Wollongong tested a mentoring platform for female researchers. This article reviews the first eight months of the platform's lifetime and analyses experiences, achievements and failures in both a qualitative and quantitative manner. The quantitative analysis is based on a benchmark survey at the first research platform meeting and a second follow-up survey after the eight-month test period. The majority of female researchers participating in the Women in Commerce Research Platform (WICRP) were already interested in the research component of their job and had some research output. The platform failed to attract those women who are under pressure to produce research output but struggle to make their first steps into this direction. The results demonstrated that women face specific challenges in academia, in particular being confronted with assumptions/stereotypes, having to balance children and work and the lack senior female mentors. The evaluations of the research conditions in the workplace generally did not differ between senior and junior female researchers, although the more experienced female researchers felt that they had no female role models and that they had more access to inter-faculty collaborations across the university. The follow up survey identified time, gender, network and mentoring and support issues as specific issues for female academics. These results are put in the contest of prior work investigating the challenges female academics face and recommendations are made for other institutions who might be interested to establish a mentoring platform for female researchers.

In response to the continuing under-representation of women in academic positions of higher rank,... more In response to the continuing under-representation of women in academic positions of higher rank, the Faculty of Commerce and the Employment, Equity and Diversity unit at the University of Wollongong jointly supported a Women in Commerce Research Platform (WICRP) with the view to increasing research of women in commerce. We describe the WICRP and evaluate it in the context of prior research related to the specific challenges faced by female academics. The WICRP pilot period was reviewed using surveys and open ended questions and our findings are generally consistent with prior research. This paper draws on these findings and in writing about them (both as researchers and participants) we focus on the role of research as praxis. We discuss the potential impact of specific strategies to support academic women in research and its contribution to the ideal of community. In suspending methodological and theoretical differences we note the imperative for a shared space to also accommodate diversity as an empowering strategy. Just as dichotomies between work and family need to be problematised, so must the differentiation between research, teaching and administration in evaluating career progression.

BMC Public Health, 2015

In Australia, sport is saturated by the promotion of junk food, alcohol and gambling products. Th... more In Australia, sport is saturated by the promotion of junk food, alcohol and gambling products. This is particularly evident on player jerseys. The effect of this advertising on children, who are exposed to these messages while watching sport, has not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this research study was to investigate: (1) the extent to which children implicitly recalled shirt sponsors with the correct sporting team; (2) whether children associated some types of sponsors with certain sporting codes more than others; and (3) whether age of the children influenced the correct recall of sponsoring brands and teams. This experimental study conducted in New South Wales, Australia used projective techniques to measure the implicit recall of team sponsorship relationships of 85 children aged 5-12 years. Participants were asked to arrange two sets of magnets - one which contained sporting teams and one which contained brand logos - in the manner deemed most appropriate by them. Children were not given any prompts relating to sporting sponsorship relationships. Three quarters (77 %) of the children were able to identify at least one correct shirt sponsor. Children associated alcohol and gambling brands more highly with the more popular sporting code, the National Rugby League compared to the Australian Football League sporting code. Results showed that age had an effect on number of shirt sponsors correctly recalled with 9-12 year olds being significantly more likely than 5-8 year olds to correctly identify team sponsors. Given children's ability to implicitly recall shirt sponsors in a sporting context, Australian sporting codes should examine their current sponsorship relationships to reduce the number of unhealthy commodity shirt sponsors. While there is some regulation that protects children from the marketing of unhealthy commodity products, these findings suggest that children are still exposed to and recall these sponsorship relationships. Results suggest that the promotion of unhealthy commodity products during sporting matches is contributing to increased awareness amongst children of unhealthy commodity brands. Further investigation is required to examine the extent and impact of marketing initiatives during televised sporting matches on children.

Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, Jan 10, 2015

To examine Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) tactics by identifying the key characteristics o... more To examine Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) tactics by identifying the key characteristics of CSR strategies as described in the corporate documents of selected 'Big Food' companies. A mixed methods content analysis was used to analyse the information contained on Australian Big Food company websites. Data sources included company CSR reports and web-based content that related to CSR initiatives employed in Australia. A total of 256 CSR activities were identified across six organisations. Of these, the majority related to the categories of environment (30.5%), responsibility to consumers (25.0%) or community (19.5%). Big Food companies appear to be using CSR activities to: 1) build brand image through initiatives associated with the environment and responsibility to consumers; 2) target parents and children through community activities; and 3) align themselves with respected organisations and events in an effort to transfer their positive image attributes to their own b...

Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, Jan 10, 2015

To explore the attitudes and opinions of public health experts in gambling and related unhealthy ... more To explore the attitudes and opinions of public health experts in gambling and related unhealthy commodity industries towards the tactics used by the gambling industry to prevent reform and the advocacy responses to these tactics. In-depth interviews (30-60 minutes) with a convenience sample of 15 public health experts and stakeholders with a public health approach to gambling (n=10), or other unhealthy commodity industries (food, alcohol, tobacco, n=5). Participants described the influences of political lobbying and donations on public policy, and industry framing of problem gambling as an issue of personal responsibility. Industry funding of, and influence over, academic research was considered to be one of the most effective industry tactics to resist reform. Participants felt there was a need to build stronger coalitions and collaborations between independent academics, and to improve the utilisation of media to more effectively shift perceptions of gambling harm away from the i...

International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 2007

The number of nonprofit and social agencies relying on the help of volunteers has grown enormousl... more The number of nonprofit and social agencies relying on the help of volunteers has grown enormously in recent decades. This has lead to increased competition between these organisations for the limited resources available, and the growing adoption of what have traditionally been considered 'commercial' business techniques such as marketing. There have been calls for greater and more sophisticated use of 'tried and tested' marketing concepts such as competition, segmentation, and positioning to help volunteering organisations manage this pressure effectively. This study shines the spotlight on individuals who volunteer for multiple types of organisations in an effort to determine which organisations are competing for the same volunteers. More specifically: * factor analyses are computed and four segments of volunteers are identified: 'altruists', 'leisure volunteers', 'political volunteers' and 'church volunteers'; * positioning maps are constructed to illustrate the proximity of each organisation type in relation to key competitors; and * detailed profiles are provided for each segment to provide insight into the nature of the groupings.

Social Science & Medicine, 2014

Family interactions about weight and health take place against the backdrop of the wider social d... more Family interactions about weight and health take place against the backdrop of the wider social discourse relating to the obesity epidemic. Parents (and children) negotiate complex and often contradictory messages in constructing a set of beliefs and practices around obesity and weight management. Despite this, very little research attention has been given to the nature of family-unit discourse on the subject of body weight and it's potential influence on the weight-related behaviours of family members. This includes the broad influence that dominant socio-cultural discourses have on family conceptualisations of weight and health. Using in-depth qualitative interviews with 150 family 'groups' comprised of at least one parent and one child in Victoria and South Australia, we explored how parents and children conceptualise and discuss issues of weight- and health-related lifestyle behaviours. Data were analysed using Attride-Stirling's (2001) thematic network approach. Three thematic clusters emerged from the analysis. First, both parents and children perceived that weight was the primary indicator of health. However, parents focused on the negative physical implications of overweight while children focused on the negative social implications. Second, weight and lifestyle choices were highly moralised. Parents saw it as their responsibility to communicate to children the 'dangers' of fatness. Children reported that parents typically used negatively-framed messages and scare tactics rather than positively-framed messages to encourage healthy behaviours. Third was the perception among parents and children that if you were thin, then eating habits and exercise were less important, and that activity could provide an antidote to food choices. Results suggest that both parents and children are internalising messages relating to obesity and weight management that focus on personal responsibility and blame attribution. These views reflect the broader societal discourse, and their consolidation at the family level is likely to increase their potency and make them resistant to change.

Despite increased competitive pressures in the volunteering industry, there remains a lack of stu... more Despite increased competitive pressures in the volunteering industry, there remains a lack of studies which segment the volunteering market with the aim of gaining deeper insight into the characteristics of different groups of volunteers.

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 2007

Six psychographic segments of volunteers in Australia are constructed on the basis of their volun... more Six psychographic segments of volunteers in Australia are constructed on the basis of their volunteering motivations. The resulting segments include "classic volunteers", whose motivations are three-fold: doing something worthwhile, personal satisfaction, and helping others. "Dedicated volunteers" perceive each one of the motives for volunteering as relevant, while "personally involved volunteers" donate time because of someone they know in the organization, most likely their child. "Volunteers for personal satisfaction" and "altruists" primarily wish to help others, and finally," niche volunteers" typically have fewer and more specific drivers motivating them to donate time, for example, to gain work experience. The segments are externally validated and demonstrate significantly different socio-demographic profiles. Consequently, it seems that motivation-based data-driven market segmentation represents a useful way of gaining insight into heterogeneity amongst volunteers. Such insight can be used by volunteering organizations to more effectively target segments with customized messages.

British Journal of Social Work, 2012

High-quality foster placements can help a foster-child to thrive and can counter some of the risk... more High-quality foster placements can help a foster-child to thrive and can counter some of the risk factors normally associated with being a foster-child. Unfortunately, demand for foster-carers has been outstripping supply. The present study sought to identify the characteristics of people who have high potential to become a foster-carer. A large, representative sample from the general population (544 male; 544 female; Mage = 40.8; SD = 13) completed an anonymous survey that included comprehensive measurement of demographics, personal resources (e.g. social support), personal characteristics (e.g. hope) and foster-care interest, intentions and information seeking. Analyses revealed that people who sought information about and expressed interest/intention towards foster-caring where those who had high social support from friends and were high in perspective-taking empathy, trait hope and positive problem-solving orientation. We discuss the implications of these findings for foster-care marketing and recruitment campaigns and foster-care agency practices.

Journal of Travel Research, 2011

This paper investigates: (1) if, and to what extent, self-congruity theory is applicable in touri... more This paper investigates: (1) if, and to what extent, self-congruity theory is applicable in tourism, (2) to what extent travel and person characteristics explain the degree of self-congruity, and (3) how the operationalization of self-congruity affects the conclusions about whether self-congruity holds in tourism. Results derived from a large-scale study of Swiss travellers indicate that conclusions depend heavily on how self-congruity is measured. Using a relatively strict measure, more than half the trips under study can be classified as self-congruent. However, travel and socio-demographic characteristics are very limited in their ability to explain when self-congruity occurs.

Journal of Public Affairs, 2012

Without improved water resource management, it is predicted that water shortages will affect two-... more Without improved water resource management, it is predicted that water shortages will affect two-thirds of humanity by 2025. One solution that has traditionally faced fierce public resistance is recycled waste water. This study investigates the extent to which public communication strategies can influence community acceptance of recycled water, using the framework of Inoculation Theory. A four-phase experimental design was conducted. Participants completed an initial questionnaire and were then randomly assigned to a ...

Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 2009

The purpose of this qualitative investigation is to help nonprofit organizations which rely heavi... more The purpose of this qualitative investigation is to help nonprofit organizations which rely heavily on the support of volunteers increase the effectiveness of their marketing by accounting for differences in cultural background among community members. It was conducted in the multi-cultural Australian context and included 79 participants from different cultural backgrounds. Findings indicate that as a whole, cultural groups differ significantly with respect to their attitudes, social norm and perceived behavioral control over volunteering. Nonprofit organizations are unlikely to be successful in attracting volunteers from a range of different cultural backgrounds unless they account for heterogeneity among volunteers and customize marketing messages. To the authorsÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃ knowledge this is the first study that investigates differences in attitude, social norm and perceived behavioral control regarding an important social marketing issue: changing the volunteering behavior of individuals in a multicultural society.

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 0312407x 2011 574229, Aug 30, 2012

Although Australia is experiencing a shortage of foster carers, there is currently litle understa... more Although Australia is experiencing a shortage of foster carers, there is currently litle understanding of why people do not become carers. his study explores the reasons given for not fostering though a survey of 897 non carers. Results indicate that, at the aggregate level, people do not become carers because they do not know anything about fostering, or because they are busy with their own children, work, or commitments to family and friends. However, if we account for heterogeneity, diferences in these barriers are observed for subgroups within the sample. We investigate the structure of the market of potential foster carers by segmenting the market using cultural background as the segmentation base. Results indicate that the reasons for not fostering difer depending on the subgroup being examined. heoretically, this suggests that heterogeneity exists within the foster care market, and that examining barriers to foster care only at the aggregate level neglects the importance of individual subsegment characteristics. Practically, results are important because they suggest that generic marketing campaigns aimed at the entire community have limited efect and that customised strategies are required to atract the particular types of carers most needed.

Faculty of Commerce Papers, 2007

Many local environmental volunteering organisations face difficulties attracting volunteers from ... more Many local environmental volunteering organisations face difficulties attracting volunteers from specific subgroups of the community. Consequently, it is crucial to gain understanding about the variety of factors that move people to participate in environmental volunteering. Factors which might have been underestimated in the past given the rather homogeneous community groups of volunteers which are, e.g., predominantly of Anglo-Saxon origin. This study reports on an analysis of volunteering motivations based on a representative data set provided by the ABS. It reveals that volunteering motivations vary widely and illustrates possible new ways of marketing volunteering organisations in order to attract new community groups to participate. Six community groups are constructed that are characterised by different motivation patterns. They are externally valid and demonstrate significant differences in socio-demographic profiles.

Growing competition in the third sector has resulted in non-profit organisations making more soph... more Growing competition in the third sector has resulted in non-profit organisations making more sophisticated use of marketing techniques to attract volunteers. Not only are organisations attempting to attract more volunteers but increasingly the focus is shifting to attracting the right type of volunteers, or those who will contribute the most hours. This study segments the volunteering market by number of hours contributed in the past 12 months, and identifies significant differences between the characteristics of high-contribution and low-contribution volunteers. High-contribution volunteers are found to (1) exhibit distinctive sociodemographic characteristics; (2) have a greater number, and broader range, of motivations for volunteering; and (3) initially get involved in volunteering in different ways to low-contribution volunteers. Findings are important because they provide practitioners with a description of those individuals most likely to contribute more hours which can be used to increasingly attract these types of people, and subsequently reduce the amount spent continually attracting new volunteers.

In Australia the value of volunteering runs into the tens of billions of dollars each year. The m... more In Australia the value of volunteering runs into the tens of billions of dollars each year. The multicultural nature of Australia has resulted in greater heterogeneity amongst volunteers; however minorities are still under-represented in mainstream volunteering. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to structure the study, the volunteering behaviour of ethnic minorities is investigated. All three constructs are found to be relevant for volunteering; however, the role that each construct plays varies between ethnic groups. Findings are significant for managers trying to attract volunteers from different ethnic groups because marketing messages can be targeted to the factors most influential in their particular decision making process.

Contributing an estimated AUD42 billion dollars a year to the Australian economy and US150 billio... more Contributing an estimated AUD42 billion dollars a year to the Australian economy and US150 billion dollars to the USA, volunteering has become an industry sector of major importance. It has consequently attracted significant attention among researchers of various disciplines, including marketing. Nevertheless, the industry is confronted with ongoing challenges, particularly in the area of recruitment. This article provides a review of prior marketing-related studies and identifies a number of gaps in the research, such as a limitation in the past to a priori approaches to categorising volunteers, which has offered limited insight and conflicting results. The authors recommend a more comprehensive investigation of heterogeneity amongst volunteers through a posteriori segmentation which will allow precise targeting of specific segments. In addition, a more comprehensive investigation of competition and positioning in the industry is recommended which will facilitate an integrated market structure analysis and lead to more efficient and effective marketing strategies for nonprofit organisations. As a specific example, a better understanding of volunteering motivations in multicultural societies is needed to optimise targeted recruitment messages.

Despite increased competitive pressures in the volunteering industry, the structure of competitio... more Despite increased competitive pressures in the volunteering industry, the structure of competition within this non-profit sector has not been examined in the past. This study uses selected respondents from the 1999-2002 World Values Survey who have previously volunteered for multiple organisations. Based on the patterns of organisations that volunteers donated their time for, competition between volunteering organisations with different missions was analysed, resulting in five dimensions of volunteering missions within which volunteering organisations appear to be competing: altruistic, leisure, political, church, and other missions. The altruistic mission groups is the broadest and includes a wide variety of volunteering goals, whereas the church seems to stand without much competition, thus being confronted with the least competitive threat in the fight for volunteers. Such analyses would be useful for managers faced with the challenge of retaining current volunteers and recruiting new volunteers in an increasingly competitive volunteering marketplace. As such, the proposed approach represents a way of analysing the competitive market structure analysis in the volunteering market, thus providing volunteering organisations with a useful tool from the marketing toolbox.

Faculty of Commerce Papers, 2005

Due to the continuing under-representation of women in academic positions of higher rank, the Fac... more Due to the continuing under-representation of women in academic positions of higher rank, the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Wollongong tested a mentoring platform for female researchers. This article reviews the first eight months of the platform's lifetime and analyses experiences, achievements and failures in both a qualitative and quantitative manner. The quantitative analysis is based on a benchmark survey at the first research platform meeting and a second follow-up survey after the eight-month test period. The majority of female researchers participating in the Women in Commerce Research Platform (WICRP) were already interested in the research component of their job and had some research output. The platform failed to attract those women who are under pressure to produce research output but struggle to make their first steps into this direction. The results demonstrated that women face specific challenges in academia, in particular being confronted with assumptions/stereotypes, having to balance children and work and the lack senior female mentors. The evaluations of the research conditions in the workplace generally did not differ between senior and junior female researchers, although the more experienced female researchers felt that they had no female role models and that they had more access to inter-faculty collaborations across the university. The follow up survey identified time, gender, network and mentoring and support issues as specific issues for female academics. These results are put in the contest of prior work investigating the challenges female academics face and recommendations are made for other institutions who might be interested to establish a mentoring platform for female researchers.

In response to the continuing under-representation of women in academic positions of higher rank,... more In response to the continuing under-representation of women in academic positions of higher rank, the Faculty of Commerce and the Employment, Equity and Diversity unit at the University of Wollongong jointly supported a Women in Commerce Research Platform (WICRP) with the view to increasing research of women in commerce. We describe the WICRP and evaluate it in the context of prior research related to the specific challenges faced by female academics. The WICRP pilot period was reviewed using surveys and open ended questions and our findings are generally consistent with prior research. This paper draws on these findings and in writing about them (both as researchers and participants) we focus on the role of research as praxis. We discuss the potential impact of specific strategies to support academic women in research and its contribution to the ideal of community. In suspending methodological and theoretical differences we note the imperative for a shared space to also accommodate diversity as an empowering strategy. Just as dichotomies between work and family need to be problematised, so must the differentiation between research, teaching and administration in evaluating career progression.

BMC Public Health, 2015

In Australia, sport is saturated by the promotion of junk food, alcohol and gambling products. Th... more In Australia, sport is saturated by the promotion of junk food, alcohol and gambling products. This is particularly evident on player jerseys. The effect of this advertising on children, who are exposed to these messages while watching sport, has not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this research study was to investigate: (1) the extent to which children implicitly recalled shirt sponsors with the correct sporting team; (2) whether children associated some types of sponsors with certain sporting codes more than others; and (3) whether age of the children influenced the correct recall of sponsoring brands and teams. This experimental study conducted in New South Wales, Australia used projective techniques to measure the implicit recall of team sponsorship relationships of 85 children aged 5-12 years. Participants were asked to arrange two sets of magnets - one which contained sporting teams and one which contained brand logos - in the manner deemed most appropriate by them. Children were not given any prompts relating to sporting sponsorship relationships. Three quarters (77 %) of the children were able to identify at least one correct shirt sponsor. Children associated alcohol and gambling brands more highly with the more popular sporting code, the National Rugby League compared to the Australian Football League sporting code. Results showed that age had an effect on number of shirt sponsors correctly recalled with 9-12 year olds being significantly more likely than 5-8 year olds to correctly identify team sponsors. Given children's ability to implicitly recall shirt sponsors in a sporting context, Australian sporting codes should examine their current sponsorship relationships to reduce the number of unhealthy commodity shirt sponsors. While there is some regulation that protects children from the marketing of unhealthy commodity products, these findings suggest that children are still exposed to and recall these sponsorship relationships. Results suggest that the promotion of unhealthy commodity products during sporting matches is contributing to increased awareness amongst children of unhealthy commodity brands. Further investigation is required to examine the extent and impact of marketing initiatives during televised sporting matches on children.

Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, Jan 10, 2015

To examine Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) tactics by identifying the key characteristics o... more To examine Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) tactics by identifying the key characteristics of CSR strategies as described in the corporate documents of selected 'Big Food' companies. A mixed methods content analysis was used to analyse the information contained on Australian Big Food company websites. Data sources included company CSR reports and web-based content that related to CSR initiatives employed in Australia. A total of 256 CSR activities were identified across six organisations. Of these, the majority related to the categories of environment (30.5%), responsibility to consumers (25.0%) or community (19.5%). Big Food companies appear to be using CSR activities to: 1) build brand image through initiatives associated with the environment and responsibility to consumers; 2) target parents and children through community activities; and 3) align themselves with respected organisations and events in an effort to transfer their positive image attributes to their own b...

Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, Jan 10, 2015

To explore the attitudes and opinions of public health experts in gambling and related unhealthy ... more To explore the attitudes and opinions of public health experts in gambling and related unhealthy commodity industries towards the tactics used by the gambling industry to prevent reform and the advocacy responses to these tactics. In-depth interviews (30-60 minutes) with a convenience sample of 15 public health experts and stakeholders with a public health approach to gambling (n=10), or other unhealthy commodity industries (food, alcohol, tobacco, n=5). Participants described the influences of political lobbying and donations on public policy, and industry framing of problem gambling as an issue of personal responsibility. Industry funding of, and influence over, academic research was considered to be one of the most effective industry tactics to resist reform. Participants felt there was a need to build stronger coalitions and collaborations between independent academics, and to improve the utilisation of media to more effectively shift perceptions of gambling harm away from the i...

International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 2007

The number of nonprofit and social agencies relying on the help of volunteers has grown enormousl... more The number of nonprofit and social agencies relying on the help of volunteers has grown enormously in recent decades. This has lead to increased competition between these organisations for the limited resources available, and the growing adoption of what have traditionally been considered 'commercial' business techniques such as marketing. There have been calls for greater and more sophisticated use of 'tried and tested' marketing concepts such as competition, segmentation, and positioning to help volunteering organisations manage this pressure effectively. This study shines the spotlight on individuals who volunteer for multiple types of organisations in an effort to determine which organisations are competing for the same volunteers. More specifically: * factor analyses are computed and four segments of volunteers are identified: 'altruists', 'leisure volunteers', 'political volunteers' and 'church volunteers'; * positioning maps are constructed to illustrate the proximity of each organisation type in relation to key competitors; and * detailed profiles are provided for each segment to provide insight into the nature of the groupings.

Social Science & Medicine, 2014

Family interactions about weight and health take place against the backdrop of the wider social d... more Family interactions about weight and health take place against the backdrop of the wider social discourse relating to the obesity epidemic. Parents (and children) negotiate complex and often contradictory messages in constructing a set of beliefs and practices around obesity and weight management. Despite this, very little research attention has been given to the nature of family-unit discourse on the subject of body weight and it's potential influence on the weight-related behaviours of family members. This includes the broad influence that dominant socio-cultural discourses have on family conceptualisations of weight and health. Using in-depth qualitative interviews with 150 family 'groups' comprised of at least one parent and one child in Victoria and South Australia, we explored how parents and children conceptualise and discuss issues of weight- and health-related lifestyle behaviours. Data were analysed using Attride-Stirling's (2001) thematic network approach. Three thematic clusters emerged from the analysis. First, both parents and children perceived that weight was the primary indicator of health. However, parents focused on the negative physical implications of overweight while children focused on the negative social implications. Second, weight and lifestyle choices were highly moralised. Parents saw it as their responsibility to communicate to children the 'dangers' of fatness. Children reported that parents typically used negatively-framed messages and scare tactics rather than positively-framed messages to encourage healthy behaviours. Third was the perception among parents and children that if you were thin, then eating habits and exercise were less important, and that activity could provide an antidote to food choices. Results suggest that both parents and children are internalising messages relating to obesity and weight management that focus on personal responsibility and blame attribution. These views reflect the broader societal discourse, and their consolidation at the family level is likely to increase their potency and make them resistant to change.

Despite increased competitive pressures in the volunteering industry, there remains a lack of stu... more Despite increased competitive pressures in the volunteering industry, there remains a lack of studies which segment the volunteering market with the aim of gaining deeper insight into the characteristics of different groups of volunteers.

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 2007

Six psychographic segments of volunteers in Australia are constructed on the basis of their volun... more Six psychographic segments of volunteers in Australia are constructed on the basis of their volunteering motivations. The resulting segments include "classic volunteers", whose motivations are three-fold: doing something worthwhile, personal satisfaction, and helping others. "Dedicated volunteers" perceive each one of the motives for volunteering as relevant, while "personally involved volunteers" donate time because of someone they know in the organization, most likely their child. "Volunteers for personal satisfaction" and "altruists" primarily wish to help others, and finally," niche volunteers" typically have fewer and more specific drivers motivating them to donate time, for example, to gain work experience. The segments are externally validated and demonstrate significantly different socio-demographic profiles. Consequently, it seems that motivation-based data-driven market segmentation represents a useful way of gaining insight into heterogeneity amongst volunteers. Such insight can be used by volunteering organizations to more effectively target segments with customized messages.

British Journal of Social Work, 2012

High-quality foster placements can help a foster-child to thrive and can counter some of the risk... more High-quality foster placements can help a foster-child to thrive and can counter some of the risk factors normally associated with being a foster-child. Unfortunately, demand for foster-carers has been outstripping supply. The present study sought to identify the characteristics of people who have high potential to become a foster-carer. A large, representative sample from the general population (544 male; 544 female; Mage = 40.8; SD = 13) completed an anonymous survey that included comprehensive measurement of demographics, personal resources (e.g. social support), personal characteristics (e.g. hope) and foster-care interest, intentions and information seeking. Analyses revealed that people who sought information about and expressed interest/intention towards foster-caring where those who had high social support from friends and were high in perspective-taking empathy, trait hope and positive problem-solving orientation. We discuss the implications of these findings for foster-care marketing and recruitment campaigns and foster-care agency practices.

Journal of Travel Research, 2011

This paper investigates: (1) if, and to what extent, self-congruity theory is applicable in touri... more This paper investigates: (1) if, and to what extent, self-congruity theory is applicable in tourism, (2) to what extent travel and person characteristics explain the degree of self-congruity, and (3) how the operationalization of self-congruity affects the conclusions about whether self-congruity holds in tourism. Results derived from a large-scale study of Swiss travellers indicate that conclusions depend heavily on how self-congruity is measured. Using a relatively strict measure, more than half the trips under study can be classified as self-congruent. However, travel and socio-demographic characteristics are very limited in their ability to explain when self-congruity occurs.

Journal of Public Affairs, 2012

Without improved water resource management, it is predicted that water shortages will affect two-... more Without improved water resource management, it is predicted that water shortages will affect two-thirds of humanity by 2025. One solution that has traditionally faced fierce public resistance is recycled waste water. This study investigates the extent to which public communication strategies can influence community acceptance of recycled water, using the framework of Inoculation Theory. A four-phase experimental design was conducted. Participants completed an initial questionnaire and were then randomly assigned to a ...

Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 2009

The purpose of this qualitative investigation is to help nonprofit organizations which rely heavi... more The purpose of this qualitative investigation is to help nonprofit organizations which rely heavily on the support of volunteers increase the effectiveness of their marketing by accounting for differences in cultural background among community members. It was conducted in the multi-cultural Australian context and included 79 participants from different cultural backgrounds. Findings indicate that as a whole, cultural groups differ significantly with respect to their attitudes, social norm and perceived behavioral control over volunteering. Nonprofit organizations are unlikely to be successful in attracting volunteers from a range of different cultural backgrounds unless they account for heterogeneity among volunteers and customize marketing messages. To the authorsÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂÃ knowledge this is the first study that investigates differences in attitude, social norm and perceived behavioral control regarding an important social marketing issue: changing the volunteering behavior of individuals in a multicultural society.