Personal profile

Biography

I advocate for change in tourism and business to prioritise sustainable outcomes for communities and their environments. I research how communities are affected by tourism and business, and the opportunities to centralise their goals in the decisions that affect them most. Reorientating the focus to communities can make substantial change for sustainable outcomes, especially for those most marginalised by these international activities. In addition to researching these areas, I focus on activating training and learning for the adoption of new approaches to address emerging sustainability challenges.

To enable this vision, I have purposefully developed my expertise in three areas. First, in tourism through understanding the causal and subtle roles the media in affecting tourists, destinations, and communities, and an appreciation of the transformative effects the interactions between community, tourists, and tourism can have, immediately and over time. Second, to understand and enable transformative learning experiences, I have explored the positive effects of active and collaborative learning, and the experiences of educators and students in these. Third, investigating the qualitative valuing and effectiveness of people, environment, and resources in business, and particularly the adoption of circular economy practices in business to address the barriers traditional business models create and impose.

I am an Associate Professor and Deputy Head in the Department of Management, Monash Business School at Monash University. I have qualifications in management (BCom and DipGrad, Otago), tourism (DipTour and PhD, Otago), and higher education (GCHE, Monash). I have been awarded a Senior Fellowship from the HEA, UK.

Supervision interests

Communities and tourism (including relationships with image, and media, including film, television, literary and scoial media tourism)

Higher education, including active and team learning, and community/destination/industry-partnered

Sustainable business approaches (especially circular economy adoption)

Community service

Frankston Tourism (Board Member, Vice-Chairperson, and Chairperson 2004-2014)

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

External positions

Expert (ad hoc), Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA)

2018 → …

Visiting Researcher, Oxford Brookes University

Jun 2015Jul 2016

Lecturer, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

Jan 2002Dec 2003

Research area keywords

  • Higher Education
  • Tourism and Communities
  • Tourism and Media
  • Sustainable Business
  • Circular Economy

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or