Affiliation

University of the Sunshine Coast, AUS

Biography

Robert lectures in supply chain networks and ecosystems at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. He has previously taught at Griffith University’s Business School in Brisbane; Chinese University Hong Kong; the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies at the University of Sydney; and at the Normandy Business School in France. Robert has many years of consulting and management experience in marketing, operations management, IT and organisational change. His current research focus is into supply chain ecosystems.

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Articles

Taming the wicked problem of a drone ecosystem:
Volume: 19, Issue 4-Mar
This paper contextualises the alignment of the wicked problem of using drones as a form of leisure. The fast evolving spaces of drones and their different uses, from military, to logistics, to leisure create many intertwining structures within a larger ecosystem. This research offers new perspectives by considering the role of the media in assisting with alignment to try to tame the wicked problem associated with a drone ecosystem, the use of drones for leisurely activities. Guided by the principles of the Agenda Setting Theory (AST), the paper elucidates the way drone contents are presented across different media channels; how key themes emerge from the narratives within different media channels; and how (non)convergence of media contents relates to alignment of drone governance.

Coordination in a tourism ecosystem:
Volume: 18, Issue 1
Integrating complex business networks in Tourism is a wicked problem. Many different business owners have various goals and management approaches. A tourist network is often managed through coordination and partnerships because the sheer complexity of trying to be competitive makes little sense when so many businesses have a common goal. In this paper we explore how thinking in network terms in tourist business networks actually sheds light on how to manage wicked problems in general. In particular, we focus on how the network approach to managing complex networks in business may produce leverage points for synthesising managerial tension points between partners and thereby facilitate innovation systems. We argue that the network approach may shed light on how to build platforms for gaining traction and synthesis in wicked problems. We conclude with suggestions for future research.